>>5928248
Kawaki-kun bristles, but you hold your ground. “It’s not an unreasonable question, and based on your reaction you must at least have some suspicions. I’d like to know more.”

He evidently chews on this for a moment, before replying. “Jigen took me from my blood father and used me as an experiment. I don’t know what the point was.”

“Not exactly enlightening,” Shiki muses.

“Sorry, but I’m not here to enlighten anyone,” Kawaki-kun retorts. “I’m not a monk.”

You consider that – an “experiment”, he said. What sort of “experiments” isn’t something he’s told you, and based on what was done to Garō’s arms you suspect it’s accurate to say that he honestly doesn’t understand it all himself. That level of technical expertise is beyond even most shinobi.

…

You are Uzumaki Naori, and you’re watching this situation carefully. Shiki-kun of course was the one whose quick thinking brought Kawaki-kun here, and he’s someone the boy is familiar with already. But you can also see the proverbial gears turning in Makoto-kun’s head, and you can’t say you disapprove of the way she seems to be thinking.

That’s a difference that’s emerged between your two children. Both are highly skilled and deeply devoted to their chosen path, with a sense of responsibility and discipline unusual in children their age. But Shiki is very much the ‘yang’ to Makoto’s ‘yin’ – Shiki isn’t ‘stronger’ per se, but is more likely to confront an opponent directly by playing to his own strengths. Makoto isn’t ‘weaker’ per se, but is more likely to understand her opponent’s strengths and work to undermine them. It’s like the difference between battering down the walls of a castle and undermining its foundations.

It’s hard to say which would be better or worse for Kawaki-kun to have to confront in the long run.

>Have Kawaki-kun returned to Konohagakure, with Naruto and Shiki.
>Keep Kawaki-kun here, and let Makoto work on him for a while.
>Kawaki-kun should be your own responsibility going forward.
>Naruto-kun should take responsibility for Kawaki-kun from now on.
>Other?

>>5928251
>>Naruto-kun should take responsibility for Kawaki-kun from now on.
good to see more qm

>>5928251
>Take him with you to talk with Naruto
His security is important and he knows us only for a few minutes, maybe we can more cooperation from him when we give him a choice between us and naruto.
He would have to be informed anyway since it was on his turf that he got "caught".

>>5928251
>Kawaki-kun should be your own responsibility going forward.

>>5928251
>Kawaki-kun should be your own responsibility going forward.

>>5928251
>>Keep Kawaki-kun here, and let Makoto work on him for a while.

>>5928250
Old Thread

>>5928259
Yeah shit was weird for the last week and a half.

>>5928251
>1d6, taking the first three

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5929204
Come on Naori, this is your specialty

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5929204

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5929204

>>5929204
After considering the matter for a while – perhaps a full two seconds – you reach a decision.

“Yeah, I’m gonna go talk to Naruto,” you decide, grabbing Kawaki-kun by the shoulder. He tries to squirm away at first, but almost immediately realizes how much brute strength is behind your grasp. “Hold the fort, okay?”

“I was just there!” your son grumbles, realizing that now Kawaki-kun will just have gone in a sort of a weird circle with this decision.

No matter.

…

What you see when you teleport to Naruto is honestly a little surprising.

“Please tell me this isn’t giving you any trouble,” you sigh.

“Why would you sound surprised?” the blonde woman he’s fighting – “Delta”, you think – scoffs at you. “After all, Kara isn’t an org - ”

“Yeah, wasn’t talking to you,” you interrupt. “Anyway, you’d better have been holding back to gather information or something.”

“Well, now that you’re saying it out loud,” Naruto grumbles. “Though to be fair, some of her techniques are a little bit nasty.”

“I feel like I’m being underestimated…” Delta snarls, your eyes meeting as she readies herself to attack you. “I’m gonna put you in the ground, you dumb bi - ”

Her voice falters as she senses something amiss – too late. Far too late. Her eyes widen as she watches her left arm slowly disintegrate with an angry red glow, and a wordless scream escapes her lips which continues until her chest starts to come apart as though being burned away from the inside. Her eyes plead silently for a swift death, a plea which is quickly answered with annihilation.
>1/2

>>5930742
Delta stares at you in shock, her face pale as death. She looks at her hands as though she’s surprised to see them, then looks at you. “I… I was dead…”

“Yeah, so feel free to consider this a second chance at life,” you muse. “Try to use it more wisely than your first.”

“You… that was the sharingan, wasn’t it?” she realizes, covering one side of her face with her hand. “That’s how you cast such a powerful, detailed genjutsu without weaving any signs?”

“Well, sorta,” you sigh, rubbing the back of your head. “So I wove the signs through eye movements.”

The realization of just such a wild amalgamation of abilities she’s been squared up against silences Delta immediately – and she no doubt runs through her options for dealing with you, with her conclusion being that she stands no chance whatsoever. It must come as a shock to someone as arrogant as she clearly is, but beyond a certain point you suppose even she has to recognize reality. The interesting question for you is what will she do about that realization.

“Believe it or not, I’m not here for you,” you insist calmly. “Or at least not exclusively.”

“Well then,” Naruto asks you, still watching Delta for any signs that she’s planning anything underhanded. “What are you here for?”

“This is Kawaki-kun,” you introduce the boy. “He should look familiar.”

“He does,” Naruto confirms. “Why?”

“So yeah, we’ve learned some new details about Kara,” you clarify. “Kawaki-kun here has a connection to them.”

“Does he now?” Naruto muses.

>I was thinking you could take care of him for a while. What do you think?
>Enough has happened recently that the other Kages should be informed.
>Konohagakure’s interrogation unit is still the best – and we have some work for them.
>Other?

>>5932264
>>Enough has happened recently that the other Kages should be informed.

International politics yaaaaaaaaaaaay

>>5932264
>Enough has happened recently that the other Kages should be informed.

>>5932264
>1d6 best three of four

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5933479

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5933479

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5933479

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5933479

>>5933479
“So yeah, enough has happened that I think it makes sense to call together the other Kages for an official meeting,” you declare. “Would you disagree?”

Naruto considers it for a moment. “No, I just think it’s weird to hear coming from you.”

“Why’s that?” you scoff. “It’s not like I mind seeing them. It’s just kinda frustrating that it always comes with politics.”

“It’s a necessary evil,” Naruto admits. “Speaking of necessary, I can’t help but notice…”

He glances at Delta, who remains rooted on the spot – with her head very much not exploded, you’ll note.

“… what do we do with this one?”

>Nothing. I have no desire to do anything about her in particular.
>I can’t help but notice your head hasn’t exploded yet, Delta.
>We’ll take her prisoner and interrogate her before the meeting.
>Other?

>>5934434
>I can’t help but notice your head hasn’t exploded yet, Delta.

>>5934434
>>I can’t help but notice your head hasn’t exploded yet, Delta.

>>5934434
>>I can’t help but notice your head hasn’t exploded yet, Delta.
>>We’ll take her prisoner and interrogate her before the meeting.

>>5934434
>1d6, DC 10, taking the first three
>SP: More than you need
>ES: LOL

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5935438

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5935438

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5935438

>>5935438
“So yeah, I can’t help noticing something, Delta-han,” you muse, sparing her a glance. “By this point, my understanding is that an Outer’s head would have exploded. Yours hasn’t.”

Her eyes widen slightly as you continue your line of thought. “Will it, at this rate? Much of your body has been modified, has it not?”

“We could have Katasuke-san take a look,” Naruto-han offers.

“You’d just love that, wouldn’t you!?” she spits back. “Well no fuckin’ thanks!”

“Okay, so I don’t really care,” you admit wearily. “Quit throwing insults around and either surrender or don’t.”

“I choose…” she begins, before abruptly launching an attack against you.

A single punch doubles her over, and a second falling strike to the back of her head sends her crashing face-first into the pavement. Sensing that it’s not over yet, you stomp on the back of her head for good measure. Instead of crushing like most people’s would, her head cracks the pavement in a wide web around her. But that having been said, that last blow did finally knock her unconscious.

Kawaki-kun stares at you, mouth agape, as though you’re some kind of monster.

“She was halfway there,” you insist curtly of the now-unconscious woman.

“What now?” Naruto asks curiously. “It’s gonna take a minute for the others to come, and now we’ve got this crazy one to deal with, ya know.”

>I’ll seal her eyes and leave her to you.
>I’m sealing her eyes and taking her myself.
>I’ll take care of her. No need for extreme measures.
>Other?

>>5937332
>>I’m sealing her eyes and taking her myself.
How about you get aquainted with this one here,
Naruto, this is Kawaki kun, Kawaki this is the current hokage Naruto Uzumaki, be nice.

>>5937332
>I’m sealing her eyes and taking her myself.

Head explosion no jutsu is probably a seal of some kind, right?
The hyuuga did something similar to prevent the byakugan from being stolen.

>>5937332
>1d6 taking the first three

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5938116
Uh oh, stinky!

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5938116

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5938116

>connection test

>>5939452
no phoneposting from the CIA black site

>>5939452
You decide on the spot that an ounce of prevention here will probably save you a pound of beating the crap out of Delta again later, and so you take out two paper fuinjutsu tags. Binding a shinobi's eyes can be done with a blindfold or a hojo-rope if need be - your thinned kongo fusa can be manipulated in this way. But for countering dojutsu and similar techniques long-term, covering the eyes with sealing tags is an approach without any substitute.

So that's precisely what you do to Delta while she's unconscious on the pavement. Then for good measure you unseal a regular length of chain from storage and use it to restrain her arms. It won't stop her from transforming her legs of course, and it's probably not enough even to restrain her arms. But at least it'll serve as a constant and uncomfortable reminder of the one-sided beating you just gave her.

After a brief pause to consider it you also wipe off her yellow lipstick with a nugui-gami, usually reserved for cleaning swords, and incinerate it between your fingertips.

"... why?" Naruto asks you in slight confusion at this last act.

"Yeah, it's not a flattering color for anyone," you shrug. "If I'm already saving her from her own poor choices I might as well take the extra moment."

He shakes his head, not so much disapprovingly as somehow, even at this late stage, disbelieving. “So, your name was Kawaki-kun, right? Do you have a family name?”

Kawaki-kun’s eyes narrow slightly. “No.”

Naruto frowns as well, understanding that while there are a few possible things that one-word response could mean the most important thing is that he doesn’t want to talk about it any more than that. “I see. So, Kawaki-kun, I have a friend I’d like you to meet.”

… you wanna say you THINK you know where this is going, but you still feel like you need to ask to make sure.

“Sasuke-kun?” you ask Naruto curiously. “That’s who you mean, right?”

He nods in agreement. “I think he’s a lot like how Sasuke-kun used to be… it’s the eyes, ya know?”
>1 of 2

>>5939828
“So yeah, I kinda have to disagree about one thing,” you admit, sparing Kawaki-kun a glance. “Hope you don’t mind me saying your eyes are angrier. Sasuke-kun’s back when I first met him were… colder than that.”

>That having been said, I agree that Sasuke-kun would be a good guardian for the time being.
>Putting that question aside, I’m not sure Sasuke-kun’s personality is the best fit for this.
>Other?

>>5940007
>Tell sausage not to go easy on him. Maybe try to get the little shit a friend or two.

>>5940007
>That having been said, I agree that Sasuke-kun would be a good guardian for the time being.

>>5940007
>>That having been said, I agree that Sasuke-kun would be a good guardian for the time being.

>>5940007
“That said though,” you decide, “I think it’s a good idea.”

Then you smirk at Kawaki-kun for a moment. “And hey, maybe you’ll have a chance to make a friend or two.”

…

You are Uzumaki Shiki, and it’s been about two weeks since you and your sister’s fights against various members of Kara – including one of its ‘core’ members, a woman named ‘Delta’. It’s precisely this woman who you have returned (at the request of your mothers) to Amegakure in order to meet with.

She’s seated across a table from you in a small room, with no windows and hardly any furnishings – which are all details she can’t even see thanks to having been blindfolded by fūinjutsu.

“So,” she muses, “what sort of useless piece of trash has that woman sent down here this time, hm?”

… great start.

“You know one of those people you just called ‘trash’ was my mom,” you grumble. “Call her that again and we’re gonna have a problem.”

“Oh?” she seemingly recognizes your voice. “If it isn’t the little cherry-boy from before… I guess I should be a bit more careful. You’ve already proven you’re willing to hit a woman.”

“That’s got nothing to do with it,” you deny her flatly. “I only hit assholes.”

“Well, you certainly talk good,” she answers, amused by your attitude. No… maybe ‘pleased’ would be the better word? “And hit good too… my jaw still kinda hurts a little, just here.”

She tilts her head slightly to emphasize the right side of her jaw.

“I didn’t hit you there. That was my mom.”

“Wait, I thought you said that other woman was your mom?”

“Yes.”

A pause. “That so. Well, cherry-boy…”

“Shiki.”

“Cherry-boy,” she repeats. “Why’re you here?”

>No idea. Maybe someone thought we’d get a better reaction out of you this way?
>I’m here to get you ready to be moved to Konohagakure. The five kages are there.
>Interrogation. One last bite at the apple before we have you transferred.
>Other.

>>5941665
>>Other. That's an interesting question, why are any of us here?

>>5941665
>No idea. Maybe someone thought we’d get a better reaction out of you this way?

>>5941665
>>No idea. Maybe someone thought we’d get a better reaction out of you this way?

>>5941665
>1d6 best three of four

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5942808

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5942808

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5942808

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5942808

>>5942808
“I don’t know,” you admit. “Maybe someone thought we’d get a better reaction out of you this way?”

Delta snorts at the notion. “Why the hell’d anyone think that?”

“Have you met me?” you cross your arms. “I’m freakin’ adorable.”

Delta can’t help but laugh now. “Well, cherry-boy, can’t help but admit you’re amusing at least!”

“Who the hell are you, anyway,” you grumble.

“Delta,” she replies, leaning back a bit in her chair. “You could also call me Sanzu Akebi, I guess.”

“You guess?” you repeat.

“I’m a clone,” she admits flatly.

Oh. “Oh.”

“That all you got, cherry-boy?”

“I’m… not sure what to say,” you admit. “Sanzu Akebi… I assume, either the daughter or wife of whoever created you?”

“Daughter,” she replies. “Died at twenty-four. Incurable disease I’m told.”

“And I assume whoever’s in charge of Kara made him some kinda impossible promise.”

“No idea if he can make good,” she shrugs.

“So what should I call you?” you ask. “Do you even have a preference?”

“Delta,” she insists curtly. “That’s who I am. Sanzu Akebi’s someone else.”

“Delta then,” you continue. “Let’s… change the topic a bit here. What do you know about me?”

“You’re that red-haired woman’s brat,” she replies calmly. “The one that kicked my ass.”

“Sounds like you’re still sore about that.”

“Nah.”

“Anyway yes,” you confirm. “I mentioned I have two moms.”

“Yeah, funny thing about that,” Delta muses. “Literally how.”

“It’s complicated and dangerous,” you tell her. “Involving genetic manipulation ninjutsu and an unhealthy amount of natural energy. Only two specially-trained shinobi could possibly pull it off.”
>1/2

>>5943721
“I’ll repeat: neat,” she replies. “But why’s that relevant?”

“As a kid my sister and I…” you muse. “Well, we had some questions that normal kids don’t usually. I imagine when you were created you were already… more or less like this? Not a child?”

You gesture at her vaguely, before realizing she can’t see you.

“You just gestured at me didn’t you?”

“Shut up.”

She takes a moment to savor her little victory before answering. “Yes. I was created as an adult, the same as Akebi was when she died.”

“You inherited her memories?”

“Yeah.”

“How much”

“Up until she died.”

“… I see,” you frown.

“… the hell?” she grumbles. “You sound like you’re gonna cry, cherry-boy.”

“My sister and I never had to be anything but who we were,” you explain. “We even had a chance to figure out what that meant for ourselves, and we had our parents’ love and support the whole time. I’m guessing you never had any of that.”

For the first time, she doesn’t answer. That’s how you know you’ve found the proverbial nerve… and how you know that you’ll have to be very careful what you say next.

>I’ll leave you be for now, but if you want to talk more let your handler know. Distance doesn’t really matter for me anymore.
>Your ‘father’ thought of you as a failure and not as an individual, didn’t he? My sister and I were luckier than we realized.
>Can you tell me anything else before we… well, I assume the Kages will want to interrogate you after this. Probably.
>Other?

>>5943727
>>I’ll leave you be for now, but if you want to talk more let your handler know. Distance doesn’t really matter for me anymore.

Let her think, she doesn't have any other options now.

>>5943727
>I’ll leave you be for now, but if you want to talk more let your handler know. Distance doesn’t really matter for me anymore.

>>5943727
>>I’ll leave you be for now, but if you want to talk more let your handler know. Distance doesn’t really matter for me anymore.

>>5943727
>1d6, taking the best three of four

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5944463

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5944463

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5944463

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5944463

>>5944463
“I’ll leave you be for now,” you decide, getting up from your seat. “But if you want to talk more later let your handler know. Distance… not really so much an object anymore.”

Delta doesn’t answer you, remaining silent even as you step out. It’s strange not to hear her complaining at you, particularly when she’d been so loud and brash before, and so before returning to Konohagakure you file a short report with the jōnin in charge of Delta’s case – she no doubt understands that having been marked by yourself, Naori-ue, and Makoto there’s absolutely zero chance for her to escape, so she hasn’t even made any attempts so far. On top of that… you haven’t seen her with her top off, but you know from family discussion that Ryūzetsu-ue also placed a tenrō seal on her.

You're not sure what that means, but it does seem like you've gotten through to her in some way.

And so you return to your apartment in Konohagakure, where you find that it’s raining. Not as hard as it was in Amegakure earlier this morning, but the day is similarly gloomy. That means that today’s a perfect day for you to go out.

…

The thing about coming from somewhere that it rains very nearly every day is that when it rains here in Konohagakure, when people tend to avoid going out as much as they can, you barely even notice the change in the weather. The streets aren’t exactly empty, since there are a lot of umbrellas to go around, but you definitely see fewer people out and about and the shops aren’t as busy.

You’re at a nearby grocery store buying a bag of rice, two pork chops, and a piece of sushi-grade tuna when you encounter…

>1d12, taking the first three

Rolled 10 (1d12)

>>5946137
A d12?

Rolled 8 (1d12)

>>5946137

Rolled 2 (1d12)

>>5946137

>>5946137
“Hey, Shiki,” a familiar voice greets you from behind. “It’s been a minute.”

You look over your shoulder to find Kōshū, who you haven’t seen for more than a year. Her hair has grown longer, particularly in back, but is still a little wild. She also plainly has the toned physique appropriate to wield Kubikiribōchō, visible underneath the casual haori-like shirt, shorts, and tank-top. The sword itself isn’t visible, but you suspect it’s been sealed on her person somewhere.

“Hey, what’re you doing here?” you ask curiously. “Something to do with your father?”

“I came a bit early,” she confirms – so she’s here ahead of the Kage summit. “So I’m getting escorted around for a bit. Thought I’d get some lunch.”

She claps twice, timing it just right so that Shikadai and his team turn the corner onto the frozen food aisle to join you an instant later. “Could you try not to do that anymore?” Shikadai asks, apparently annoyed that she gave them the slip even briefly.

“Think of it as training,” Kōshū counters dismissively. “I hear you’ve been up to some stuff, what can you tell me?”

As you shop you begin to recount what’s been going on lately, stopping to answer questions occasionally, eventually ending up on your apartment balcony with Team 10 sitting around your kitchen table.

“Well this is awkward,” Inojin mutters. “I feel like an uninvited guest.”

“That’s cause we are,” Chōchō muses before munching on some of the snacks she bought at the store. “You could’ve gotten something to eat too.”

“So she just… stopped talking?” Kōshū asks with a frown once you’ve caught her up.

You nod. “It’s weird.”

“Definitely,” she agrees.

“Sounds like a relief to me,” Inojin chimes in from the kitchen.

“Wow, that’s nice,” Kōshū rolls her eyes. “Anyway her life sounds like it’s been pretty messed-up, so I think you’re right about her ‘personality’ mostly being her lashing out.”

You nod to yourself, before pouring another cup of tea for yourself and refilling Kōshū’s cup. “Yeah. It almost feels like what Makoto and I could’ve been like if Naori-ue and Ryūzetsu-ue were more like… well, like Orochimaru or something.”
>1/2

>>5947489
Actually, that sounds about right to you. You can remember when you were little that Naori-ue and Tayuya-nee had a pretty animated conversation about Orochimaru supposedly turning over a new leaf, where Tayuya-nee tied Orochimaru (using a harsher name) to her becoming (as she put it) “such a total asshole” in her teens.

“So you want to help her,” Kōshū guesses. “Right? How does that look?”

It’s a sensible question. “Ideas are easy,” you muse, recalling something that Ryūzetsu-ue used to tell you and your sister. “Plans are hard.”

Kōshū smiles and watches, waiting for you to answer.

>If she’s able to acknowledge to me that something is wrong that will be a first good step.
>I want to gain her trust, the the point where she’s willing to help us – at least with information.
>You know what? I’m going to become her friend. I think I can pull that off.
>Other?

>>5947843
>You know what? I’m going to become her friend. I think I can pull that off.

Everyone needs a friend, and that's a good first step to trusting someone.
One person in your life who gives a fuck really makes all the difference sometimes.

>>5947843
>>You know what? I’m going to become her friend. I think I can pull that off.

Going in with ulterior motives is gonna sink this whole operation so better to be sincere.

>>5947843
>You know what? I’m going to become her friend. I think I can pull that off.

>>5947843
“… I’m gonna be her friend,” you declare calmly.

“… why?” Inojin asks from inside. “That sounds like a bad idea.”

“Cause I believe everyone should have someone in their life who gives a damn,” you summarize your thoughts. “Kawaki-kun should have it pretty easy cause he’s young. People are more likely to take a chance on kids straightening out – with a little help.”

“You think you can do it?” Kōshū asks you.

“You think I’m the type that cares?”

She shakes her head. “I think it’s all up to her.”

Chōchō scratches her head a little at that exchange, and Inojin just seems baffled. But Shikadai seems to get it – if you’re only reaching out to people who you know you can help, that means some of the people who need your help the most are going to slip through the proverbial cracks. Some among those are people who would for whatever reason refuse your help even if you offered, but to let that stop you from ever trying means giving up on the others.

As for Kōshū, she probably understands best out of everyone here that it’s just not in you to give up on anyone just because they’re different – yourself and your immediate family of course being pretty damn ‘different’.

“Well,” you muse after draining the last of your tea. “You probably have security tasks to manage before the Mizukage’s arrival.”

“Yeah, I should probably be doing my damn job.”

Kōshū rises and hops up onto the balcony railing. “Hey, so we should do something fun after the meeting, okay?”

“Sounds good to me,” you answer with a smile. “Until then.”

Then she drops from the railing with a little flip, and just like that she’s gone.

“And there she goes again,” Inojin sighs, getting up to follow her.

“Less talking more walking,” Shikadai counters.

As Chōchō passes, she muses that you sure have some unusual friends before jumping over the railing after her teammates.
>1/2

>>5949242
Left on your own once more, you find yourself with an opportunity to spend a little time for yourself and your own interest.

>It’s been a while since you’ve seen Mirai-san at the dojo. It might be nice to drop in on her.
>Your teammates aren’t on a mission right now. You could do some team-building or something.
>That Kawaki guy should be moving in with Sasuke-san. You’re interested to see how he’s doing.
>Other?

>>5950269
>>Your teammates aren’t on a mission right now. You could do some team-building or something.

>>5950269
>>That Kawaki guy should be moving in with Sasuke-san. You’re interested to see how he’s doing.

>>5950269
>>That Kawaki guy should be moving in with Sasuke-san. You’re interested to see how he’s doing.
He is a bit of our responsibility, at least tangentially.

>>5950269
>1d6 best three of four

>>5950269
>>It’s been a while since you’ve seen Mirai-san at the dojo. It might be nice to drop in on her.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5951215

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5951215

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5951215

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5951215

>>5951215
You find yourself wondering a little bit about Kawaki-kun. Rationally speaking you know that it should be “fine”, since you don’t think there’s a teenaged punk alive in the world who could actually give Sasuke-san a hard time. You’d even say that your aunt Karin, while probably not as strong as Ryūzetsu-ue in what you’d consider a “fair fight”, wouldn’t exactly be someone who would let a little brat run wild. The kongō fūsa is a powerful tool for ensuring compliance, and while you wouldn’t go so far as to call Karin “unhinged” she’d definitely use it to tie Kawaki-kun to a tree or something if he misbehaves.

No, what you’re more concerned about is how Sarada is going to react to having a live-in older brother figure who’s that much of a brat. You’d definitely say she’s the most reasonable of your cousins, and if it weren’t for Himawari being such a precious cinnamon bun you’d say Sarada was also the most pleasant to be around. It’s unfortunate that Hima always found you and Makoto so intimidating when she was little, otherwise there’d be more of that little ray of sunshine in your life.

In any event, Sarada’s probably going to be butting heads with Kawaki-kun – which means that Boruto-kun is going to probably end up taking Sarada’s side, which will get Kawaki-kun’s back up even more since he’ll (justifiably) feel outnumbered. Kawaki-kun will have no idea how to deal with the situation aside from escalating it, and while Sarada might have some inkling as to what’s happening Boruto-kun won’t, and it’ll come to blows, and Karin-san will step in, scold them all, and leave them tied to a tree to think about what they did.

…

“I don’t know whether to be impressed or depressed at how right I was,” you grumble, sitting on the porch next to Mitsuki-kun, who’s been sitting quietly while Sarada, Boruto-kun, and Kawaki-kun all endure Karin-san’s discipline in the Uchiha home’s garden. “How long have they been there?”

“About twenty minutes,” Mitsuki replies.

“Has it worked?”

“I’m not an expert in things like this,” he admits, his expression one of complete, utterly placid calm. “But I somehow doubt it.”

Hm.

“And you’ve been sitting here for twenty minutes?” you ask.

After a moment, he glances over his shoulder at you. “I don’t have much else to do.”

>You want to go to the Academy and drop in on the new class? Himawari’s starting this year.
>Let’s cut them down. I want to talk to Kawaki-kun for a while about… well, all this stuff.
>What do you mean you don’t have anything else to do? That’s… kind of sad, dude.
>Other?

>>5952949
>You want to go to the Academy and drop in on the new class? Himawari’s starting this year.
Sorry guys, im taking the snakeboi for myself

>>5952949
>>What do you mean you don’t have anything else to do? That’s… kind of sad, dude.
Find this boy a hobby.

>>5952949
>You want to go to the Academy and drop in on the new class? Himawari’s starting this year.

>>5952949
>What do you mean you don’t have anything else to do? That’s… kind of sad, dude.

>>5952949
>1d6 best three of four

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5953572

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5953572

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5953572

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5953572

>>5953572
“… that’s kind of sad, dude,” you observe with a frown. “At some point we’re gonna have to get you a hobby.”

“Hm,” he replies flatly. “That may not be a bad idea. How does one acquire a hobby?”

“Depends, what are you interested in?”

There’s a pause. “I’ll get back to you.”

“Great,” you sigh. “In the mean time I think it’s Hima’s… what, second day in the academy?”

“I think that’s correct.”

“Want to drop in on her class together?”

After a moment, Mitsuki nods in agreement.

…

That’s how you find yourselves posted up outside the window to Anko-sensei’s classroom right at the beginning of class – and she seems like she’s in a good mood, because she opens the window for you and Mitsuki.

“Afternoon!” you greet the class cheerfully, sitting in the windowsill. “So, these are this year’s batch of new students, hm?”

“Yup,” Anko-sensei confirms. “This is them. Class, this is Uzumaki Shiki-kun, a former student of mine. And this other guy is… Mitsuki-kun, right?”

She’s feigning unfamiliarity of course, and all three of you know it – she doesn’t want to mention the fact that she already knows his connection to Orochimaru. If that bothers Mitsuki he doesn’t show it in the slightest.

“So, what’re you teaching them?” you ask curiously.

“The basics of ninjutsu,” she tells you. “You wanna give them an example?”

“Sure,” you agree, stepping away from the window and walking to the front of the room where there’s a small stack of papers on Anko-sensei’s desk – you recognize them to be chakra nature papers. “Anyone wanna tell me the basic nature transformations?”

A boy in the front row raises his hand. “Earth, wind, fire, lightning, water.”

“Correct,” you confirm, flowing fire into one sheet of paper between your fingertips. “Fire.”

Then you do the same but for water, soaking the paper away into a mess that drops onto the floor. “Water… sorry, sensei.”

“That’s fine,” she assures you. “I expect a lotta that today.”
>1/2

>>5954178
“I have those two as affinities,” you explain, “meaning I have a natural knack for them. But never forget - just because you don’t have a knack for something doesn’t mean you can’t be good at it.”

You flow lightning nature chakra into the paper, causing it to crinkle dramatically and even spark slightly. “Lightning. Those are the three I’ve learned so far.”

You hand two pieces of paper to Mitsuki. He looks at you quizzically for a moment.

“I’m a jōnin, remember?” you clarify. “I’ve seen your dossier.”

He nods, before splitting one piece of paper in half with his chakra then causing the other to crumble into dust. “Wind. Earth.”

“That’s only half the equation though,” Anko-sensei smiles wickedly. “And it’s the easier half. The harder part is doing it with shape transformation.”

“Here,” you offer, creating a shadow clone. The clone holds out his hand and forms a rasengan.

“This is called a rasengan,” he tells the class of awestruck children. “It’s an A-rank technique that relies solely on shape manipulation.”

“And this,” you add, forming a ball of fire in your own palm, “is fire release, with the bare minimum amount of shaping.”

Then you weave seals with your left hand, provoking a curious look from Mitsuki. “Katon: Kitsunebi.”

The flame splits into nine smaller fireballs, which you control with your hands to dance in an orbit around your body until they form a circular ‘halo’ behind you. Then, you bring your hands in front of yourself and clap, focusing and intensifying the shape transformation until the flames glow white-hot with an intense vibration.

Mitsuki seems to wince slightly – you realize he can probably hear the flames – and so you dispel your clone and the fire technique.

“Shape release can make an elemental ninjutsu technique much stronger,” you explain. “One of my specialties is forcing fire to vibrate at high frequencies – the resulting temperature is nearly twice as hot as an average user’s flames.”

“Um… excuse me,” one of the young students asks with her hand raised. “You said… you had two affinities?”

>That’s right. Some people can combine natures – my sister and mother have storm release. I have vapor.
>Fire and water make acid or steam. And no, I’m not going to demonstrate that – it’s not safe.
>Breathe some acid into a glass and drop stuff in it as a demonstration.
>Other?

>>5954335
>>Breathe some acid into a glass and drop stuff in it as a demonstration.
Bill Nye the Science Nin

>>5954335
>>Breathe some acid into a glass and drop stuff in it as a demonstration.

>>5954335
>>That’s right. Some people can combine natures – my sister and mother have storm release. I have vapor.
>Breathe some acid into a glass and drop stuff in it as a demonstration.

>>5954335
>That’s right. Some people can combine natures – my sister and mother have storm release. I have vapor.

I don't know if i'd start breathing acid in a classroom full of children.
I mean, i don't think anything would happen, but...

Didn't Hanzo end up fucking his lungs because he breathed too much acid?

>>5956748
Hanzo actually wore a mask because he had poison glands from a giant salamander implanted in his body. The mask was to prevent him from accidentally poisoning his own allies.

>>5956748
>>5956821
Also, I thought to add this AFTER I clicked post, but Terumi Mei also used acid fog in a confined space without burning herself - acid strong enough to melt a partial Susano'o, which is fucking nuts. So it seems like users with the acid variation of the release are actually immune to their own techniques.

In the quest I've gone with the notion that because it's actually chakra kneaded into the mist that achieves the "acidic" effect, the user will normally be immune to futton techniques they create (as Mei clearly was). Unlike with Hanzo, where he had very high resistance to his own poison but would still be affected by it if the gland itself were ruptured and exposed him to the undiluted toxin.

>>5954335
“That’s right,” you answer. “Some people can combine two, or more rarely three, chakra natures. My mother and sister can combine water and lightning into the ‘storm’ release, while I can combine water and fire into ‘vapor’ release.”

“What does it do?” another student asks excitedly.

“Sensei,” you ask Anko-sensei, “do you have a glass beaker handy?”

After she hands you what you asked for, you weave a few quick seals with your left hand and exhale into the glassware in your right. “Futton: Kōmu no jutsu.”

Then you unseal a bowl of Ichiraku ramen and a set of hashi, fishing out a largeish piece of pork and dropping it into the beaker. For a moment nothing happens, but then the pork begins to steam and rapidly breaks down until all that’s left is a foul-smelling residue fused onto the inside of the glass. You continue calmly eating your ramen while this happens, and once the experiment is done you form the seal of confrontation in one hand and blow into the beaker again to neutralize the acid mist.

“That was my advanced-nature kekkei genkai,” you explain.

“It’s my first time seeing this,” Mitsuki muses, having watched the display in fascination. “You used your chakra to lower the pH value of the mist?”

“Sort of,” you admit with a frown, glancing at the class for a moment. “Sorry, but this is about to go way over most of your heads.”

You turn to explain to Mitsuki – and to a rather curious Anko-sensei – in greater specificity. “It’s actually that my chakra imitates the effect of an acidic substance, not that I change the pH value of the water itself. Think of it like dissolving an anhydrous chemical powder into a solution – in this case, similar to hydrochloric acid.”

“So you can use your chakra to mimic other chemical compounds?” Mitsuki asks, grasping the concept remarkably quickly.

You nod. “Hydrochloric acid is the safest because of how easy it is to buffer and neutralize.”

“Your body does it every day,” Anko-sensei muses, explaining a bit further to her class. “Basically, Shiki-san produced stomach acid as a mist.”

“If that is the safest, what would be the least safe?” Mitsuki wonders.

The answer seems to stun him. “Perchloric acid.”

“… doesn’t that explode in contact with skin?” he asks.

“To be fair,” you reply calmly, “it explodes in contact with a lot of things. But skin is one of them, yes.”
>1/2

>>5956838
“… how did you make that technique?” Anko-sensei wonders aloud. “More importantly, why did you make that a technique?”

“Spiders,” you reply cryptically… there are giant spiders that live on the outskirts of the shrike forest, so while it sounds a bit like nonsense it’s actually a completely true reply. “In any event, none of you are ready for that sort of thing yet.”

“Why not?” one of the students demands.

“Remember when I used the ‘rasengan’ technique before?” you ask. “When I used it, that took more chakra than most of you kids have.”

“So, if we tried to do it…” Himawari finally speaks up.

“You would probably pass out, Hima-chan,” you clarify. “Any of your classmates would die if they forced themselves to try. It just comes with time.”

“What do you mean?” Himawari asks you curiously.

You glance at Mitsuki, who shrugs. Then you glance at Anko-sensei, who does the same.

>That’s a topic that’s a little beyond most people. Maybe we should try something practical instead?
>Well, that all has to do with the components of chakra… I may as well try and explain that to you.
>Other?

>>5958406
>>Well, that all has to do with the components of chakra… I may as well try and explain that to you.

I'm against treating kids like idiots until proven otherwise. They're curious and I'm going to reward that.

>>5958406
>>Well, that all has to do with the components of chakra… I may as well try and explain that to you.
Leave their heads fuming, but get them really interested then wait and profit?

>>5958406
“Well,” you muse, “this relies on knowing what chakra actually is – can anyone tell me?”

“It’s the energy a shinobi uses to fight,” a young boy immediately insists.

“You’re right,” you answer. “But also, you’re kinda wrong. ‘Chakra’ is what you get when you combine ‘yang’ and ‘yin’ within a human body, which are your physical vitality and your mental or spiritual energy. Before humans learned to manipulate chakra they had those energies – without ‘yang’ we wouldn’t be alive, and without ‘yin’ we’d be little more than vegetables – but it was learning to combine them that allowed for the use of complex techniques and transformations based off of varying the qualities of those energies.”

“Still with me?”

You get a few nods, and a few confused looks, but no vocal disagreements. “That’s fine if you’re not. These are the kind of basics most shinobi never really think about, because they don’t have to. I can only really talk about it because I’ve had to reach a deeper understanding of the basics.”

“Why?” Himawari asks curiously.

“Because I’m a Sage,” you reply. “Don’t worry about that yet… I could teach you for a whole week about what I learned training for that. What you do need to remember is that we’re all still growing – yeah, even Mitsuki and I – and as we grow our bodies will be able to generate and withstand more ‘yang’. As we gain more experience and train more, your ‘yin’ will grow too.”

“So like I said, it’ll come to you naturally if you work diligently.”

…

While the students work on an exercise, Anko-sensei pulls you aside.

“I like how you didn’t talk to the kids like they’re all idiots,” she smirks. “Some of ‘em are every year mind you, but that’s another topic. Anyway… have you ever thought about taking on a team of genin yourself?”

>Not really, no. I’m not sure I could handle the stress.
>I feel like I have too strong a working relationship with my teammates.
>I haven’t, but I’m open to the idea.
>Other?

>>5959182
>>I haven’t, but I’m open to the idea.
Cute. The circle of life continues.

>>5959182
>>I haven’t, but I’m open to the idea.
Now that you mention it, ...

>>5959182
>I haven’t, but I’m open to the idea.

I've never seen a naruto quest where you're the sensei. This could be really interesting.

>>5959182
“So what did you tell her?” Hanabi-sensei asks you, some time later that afternoon.

You chuckle at the memory. “I thought about it for a moment… then told her I was open to the idea.”

“I think you should be,” Hanabi-sensei muses with a smile. “You’d be good at it.”

“You also feel it is your duty to protect the world,” Sumirin adds. “This could be a good way to do that.”

“Help the world help itself?” Wasabi translates. “I can see it.”

“Yeah well, that’s a ways in the future,” you point out. “Ask someone like Kakashi-sensei and they’ll tell you – a kid’s still a kid, no matter how ‘mature’ or ‘experienced’ they might seem.”

“That’s one reason I’m happy you want me around still,” Hanabi-sensei smiles. “Acknowledging your own immaturity is the most mature thing a young shinobi can do, if you follow me.”

“I do. Now then, on to business?”

Hanabi-sensei nods. “We’ll be on security detail during the meeting – with no specific assignment. We’re to use our own discretion.”

“That’s vague,” Wasabi observes. “Which is rare.”

“We all have exceptional sensing abilities,” Sumirin offers a likely explanation.

“That’s right,” Hanabi-sensei confirms. “The three of you know your own sensory abilities better than I do, so I’ll let you decide what you need to do from here. I’ll be on the roof.”

>I’ll be in the room with the Kages, since we can all communicate at long range and my sensory abilities will be most useful in the event someone or something gets past all of you.
>I’ll make use of the shadow clone. That way I can back you all up and easily triangulate anything I sense more accurately.
>I’ll work together with Kiburi and Momo-chan to cover the air and underground.
>Other?

>>5960248
>>I’ll work together with Kiburi and Momo-chan to cover the air and underground.

>>5960248
>I’ll be in the room with the Kages, since we can all communicate at long range and my sensory abilities will be most useful in the event someone or something gets past all of you.
This also lets us hear the talks going on, which i think would be interesting.

>>5960248
>I’ll be in the room with the Kages, since we can all communicate at long range and my sensory abilities will be most useful in the event someone or something gets past all of you.

>>5960248
>I’ll be in the room with the Kages, since we can all communicate at long range and my sensory abilities will be most useful in the event someone or something gets past all of you.

>“That’s one reason I’m happy you want me around still,” Hanabi-sensei smiles.
I WANT YOU AROUND FOR OTHER REASONS. HANABI MUST WIN THE SHIKIBOWL

>>5960649
yeah this, i'm still down bad

>>5960248
>1d6 best three of four

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5960802

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5960802

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5960802

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5960802

>>5960802
There’s a dedicated meeting room in the same building as the Hokage’s office, and that’s where people eventually assemble. Naruto-san is there of course, with Sasuke-san sitting on a couch against the wall behind his seat at the conference table. Kurotsuchi-san seats herself as well, placing her kage’s hat on the table in front of her while her assistant – Akatsuchi-san if you remember correctly – stands behind her in a way that would be intimidating if you didn’t know that he’s actually a pretty nice guy. Kurotsuchi-san smiles when she sees you but says nothing for now. You don’t know Darui-san at all, nor do you know his assistant, but he recognizes you and gives you a slight nod. Your mother and sister are the next to enter, with predictable pleasantries.

“So you’re on guard duty too?” Makoto asks.

You shrug. “Plenty of people are.”

“Sure, but none of them are in this room,” Naori-ue points out.

“True,” you agree. “We should have dinner after this.”

“Can we do kushiage?” Makoto asks excitedly.

“I know just the place,” you grin.

“Sounds great,” Naori-ue smiles, before taking her seat. Makoto takes several steps back, sitting in seiza near the wall behind your mom and closing her eyes – albeit with a satisfied smile as well.

Next, the Mizukage arrives along with Kōshū. The former removes his hat and sits next to Darui-san, while the latter takes the Kubikiribōchō off her back and leans it against the arm of another couch, which happens to be behind the two Kages, before walking over to greet you.

“Shiki.”

“Kōshū. I see you’ve kept out of trouble for the last hour and a half.”

“I try.”

After a moment, you allow yourself to grin. “Hey, so you planning to hang around afterwards with the Mizukage?”

She shakes her head with a sigh, “No… dad says we’re gonna have to go straight back to the village after this.”

“Shame,” you shrug. “You come all this way just to turn around.”

“Urgent, hush-hush secret Mizukage things,” she frowns.

At that moment your conversation is abruptly terminated by the arrival of Gaara-san and Shinki-kun – the former acknowledges you briefly, while the latter does not. Instead, his attention seems more focused on Kōshū… ah. Her promotion to one of the Seven Swords may have had some political ramifications you’ve never asked anyone about.
>1/2

>>5961817
Gaara-san takes his seat, while Shinki – who doesn’t have his iron sand cloak out at the moment – lurks near the back of the room. Now that the players are all here, Naruto-san sees fit to start the meeting and you take a seat with Makoto.

He clears his throat.

“As some of you have heard, there was recently an incident with members of Kara,” he begins. “In Amegakure’s old village, Uzumaki Naori-san sensed an intruder which turned out to be an ‘Outer’ in Kara. Uzumaki Makoto-kun defeated him and he appears to have been terminated remotely. On the same day, Uzumaki Shiki-kun identified two intruders affiliated with Kara – an ‘Inner’, and a boy.”

“An Inner?” Darui-san muses, sparing you a glance. “First I’ve heard of anyone actually engaging one.”

“Yeah,” Naoru-ue interrupts, “so we’ll get to that eventually. Can we let Naruto-kun get through his introduction please?”

“Thank you,” Naruto-san replies. “The boy, Kawaki-kun, has been placed in Sasuke’s care for the time being. The ‘Inner’, a woman named Delta, has been taken into custody.”

“You learn anything from her yet?” Kurotsuchi-san asks after taking a moment to make sure Naruto-san has said his piece. She leans back into her chair a little bit.

“Our interrogators haven’t gotten anywhere,” Naruto-san explains. “Only Shiki-kun’s gotten her to open up at all.”

You know it’s not their fault, but it’s still slightly alarming when multiple kages turn their attention to you in unison. It’s not something that’s unique in your experience, but you’ve certainly had more than enough exposure to the kages in your life to know that this is a tacit insistence that you speak up.

>I’ve barely scratched the surface… if you want actual information, that will take time.
>I’ve sort of… well, established a rapport with her, I guess. We’re not entirely unalike.
>Let’s say you get the information you want from her. May I ask what happens then?
>Other?

>>5963960
>>I’ve barely scratched the surface… if you want actual information, that will take time.
There might be a rapport forming, but i don't want to rush it in case that breaks it.

>>5963960
>I’ve sort of… well, established a rapport with her, I guess. We’re not entirely unalike.

>>5963960
>Let’s say you get the information you want from her. May I ask what happens then?

>>5963960
>>I’ve barely scratched the surface… if you want actual information, that will take time.

Can't the Yamanaka's just rip everything out?

>1d6 best three of four

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5964500

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5964500

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5964500

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5964500