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Notes: Probably a sign you've been at it too long when you have to cover the chuunin exams twice, right? I never could take a hint.
Summary: Team Kaneda enters the chuunin exams, and Irihi has a perfect plan. That's good. But the first proctor isn't going to go easy on anybody. That's bad...
The Iron Hyuuga
Part 5: Mind Games
A Naruto Fanfic by
Nate Grey (XMAN0123-at-aol-dot-com)
On the morning that her team was to participate in the chuunin exams, Hyuuga Irihi woke up to a startling realization.
She was lonely. To the point where she would have even accepted an offer to hang out with Inuzuka Miwa, of all people. And she was pretty sure that Miwa didn't even like herself most of the time.
Everyone had seemed to accept that they'd have to fight against their friends and teammates, if they made it far enough in the exams, around the same time. Consequently, Irihi had found her small but reliable circle of friends suddenly very distant.
Sayuri had been the first to break away, and that had not been at all surprising. Irihi had purposely stayed away from the Uzumaki compound, although there had been several very curious explosions originating from there over the past few days. Naruto told the overly concerned ANBU that he was working on an exploding summon, and no further inquiries were made (apparently not even battle-hardened shinobi cared to see toad guts splattered everywhere).
Shinju, if the rumors were true, had sworn that she would not leave her home until she mastered her latest jutsu. There were no explosions, but several members of the Aburame Clan (or more precisely, their insects) seemed very agitated about something they refused to discuss. And Irihi knew that if Shinju had found something that would make even an Aburame uncomfortable, anyone who faced Shinju in the chuunin exams would be in big trouble.
Even Hanako and Isai had decided to spend time apart for their training. But while Hanako was asking for advice from virtually every adult she looked up to, Isai had gone to only one person: Haruno Sakura. Irihi had no idea what the medic-nin might be teaching him, but hoped that Isai would at least learn how to throw Sakura's left hook, which was rumored to lay any man flat on his back (Naruto maintained that this was most definitely a fact). At any rate, neither Hanako nor Isai tried to hog Rock Lee, so Irihi spent all of her free time training with him.
It was only after she'd been away from her team for a few days that Irihi began to miss her sensei. But even Kaneda had been busy with training, and Irihi was surprised when she discovered that he'd been coaching the Inuzuka siblings. Michio and Miwa had both picked up Kaneda's "immovable jutsu" to some degree. Miki was too small for that (or not powerful enough), so Kaneda had equipped her with his rock surfing platform, and she became an absolute terror around the Inuzuka compound, zooming through the air and keeping the dogs in a constant state of panic. Kaneda obviously didn't want his team to have too easy a time in the exams, and Irihi could not get angry at him. He was only trying to make them stronger by sending them against strong opponents, which made him no different from any other jounin who volunteered his genin for the exams.
Although if Kaneda had taught Miwa any of HER moves, Irihi wouldn't speak to him for a whole month.
Sakura sighed and shook her head. "You have to eat something, Isai. You're too thin as it is, and it's not healthy to compete at such a high level while skipping meals. Believe me, I know."
"But I won't be able to keep it down, anyway!"
With almost no warning, Sakura's face twisted in outrage. "EAT IT, WORM!"
The bowl was empty in an instant.
"As I was saying," Sakura continued calmly, as if she hadn't just snapped at him, "you need to keep your energy up. There will be plenty of genin that are bigger and stronger than you. You'll need every advantage you can bring to the table, plus any they're foolish enough to give you."
Isai swallowed hard, his eyes tearing up slightly as he forced the rice to stay down. No matter how much he was exposed to Sakura's "other side," it was the one thing that terrified him above all others. Nearly as frightening was the fact that she could turn it on and off, at will, within the space of a second (and that was all she usually needed to scare him senseless). "I don't know if I'm cut out for this, Sakura-san. Hanako and Irihi-chan are so much stronger than me..."
"So? I was the weakest on my team for a long time, and yet you came to me because I'm one of the strongest people you know. So don't think that you can't change yourself, because you can."
"I just don't know," Isai sighed, looking depressed.
"Well, let's try this," Sakura suggested, leaning down to whisper in his ear. "Either you can take on all comers out there... or you can try to last one minute with me while I hold nothing back."
She expected him to run, or perhaps a good scream. Instead, Isai's eyes rolled up into his head, and he fainted.
"All comers it is." With great care, Sakura scooped up his limp form and smiled, pressing his head to her heart. "I know you'll make me proud, Isai. I just wish you knew that, too."
It had taken three whole days to talk Uchiha Sayuri into sparring with her. And just when she had finally worn the stubborn girl down, they'd only been able to fight for an hour or so before Hanako got a headache. Had it been a normal headache, she would have simply ignored it.
But as Hanako was naturally stronger than several adults she knew, her headaches were proportionally worse. They tended to spread until her entire body was one big, throbbing ache, and consequently, she could barely even stand when they reached that point.
Fortunately, Sayuri had been in a strangely generous mood. Hanako had been a little apprehensive when Sayuri tied her onto Akamaru's back, but that was only because she couldn't focus enough to hold on herself.
Everything after that was a blur, and the next thing Hanako knew, she'd woken up in a hospital bed with Shizune peering into her eyes, and Inuzuka Miki carefully covering her leg with what appeared to be a very elaborate sunflower design (though why she was using only red fingerpaint to do so, Hanako was too afraid to even guess).
"Try to relax, Hanako-chan," Shizune said at once, smiling slightly. "Pain is the body's way of trying to get your attention, so I'm glad you didn't try to ignore it."
"Where's Sayuri? Did she bring me here?"
"No, actually she brought you straight to me, in the middle of my lunch hour. She left right after I told her that you'd be fine. According to your records, you get these headaches every few months, correct?"
Hanako nodded. "Yeah, and they usually go away after a couple of hours. I never passed out before, though... Are you going to tell my mother?"
Shizune stared at her. "Is there any reason I shouldn't?"
"She'll just fuss over me and try to stop me from entering the exams. Right now, she probably thinks I've been with Sayuri all night. If she finds out the truth, then..."
"You're certain you feel better now?" Shizune asked slowly.
Hanako nodded rapidly. "Yes! And stop painting on me!"
Shizune blinked as Miki looked up, pouting and seeming only slightly guilty.
"So I can go, right?" Hanako asked eagerly.
"I don't know. You really should be taking it easy right now, and you won't exactly be able to do that in the exams."
"My mother is the second strongest kunoichi in Konoha, and my father is the fastest man alive," Hanako snapped. "I don't know HOW to take it easy, and even if I did, I wouldn't do it today! My teammates are counting on me! Either you can lead me out the front door, or I can go out the window alone, but I am GOING to the chuunin exams!"
Shizune closed her eyes briefly. "You realize that even though I have a million other things to do today, I could still take the time to restrain you?"
"With all due respect, Shizune-san, unless you're personally going to hold me down all day, then you can expect to see me at the exams. And I know you're one of the medic-nin on duty today, so you don't have time to waste on me."
"I'll let you go on one condition," Shizune said at last. "If you get hurt to the point where you need medical attention, your mother is going to treat you, and you're going to tell her everything."
Hanako winced and sighed. "Fine. I'm going now."
"FINALLY!" Miki sighed loudly, packing up her miniature paint set in just a few seconds. "I thought you were going to make me show up all by myself!"
Hanako stared at her in surprise. "You could've gone without me."
"Not really. Michio couldn't come because Miwa made him train right up until the last minute. Anyway, I'd rather go with you than hear Miwa grumbling the whole way. I don't know if you've noticed, but she's pretty sour most of the time. So let's go, before we're late!"
Frowning, Hanako quickly reviewed her options. It probably was better to leave with someone, just in case she wasn't as healthy as she thought. Miki was a little hyper, and somewhat weird, but she had been nice enough to visit, which was more than anyone else had done.
"Okay, come on," Hanako grumbled, her bad mood lessening slightly in the face of Miki's megawatt grin.
"Great! I'll get the window for you!"
"Um, I wasn't really serious about the window-"
"It's faster," Miki noted as she fiddled with the lock and slid the window open. "And this way, we can race without anyone getting in the way! Plus it's good training!"
Hanako thought about protesting again, but then she noticed that Shizune was beginning to rethink her decision. "GO!" she shouted.
Miki pratically tumbled out of the window, and Hanako leaped out after her. It was mildly annoying that Miki had forgotten to mention they were on the fourth floor, but since the smaller girl ran down the side of the building and landed with no trouble, Hanako certainly wasn't going to say anything. She just made sure to wave up at Shizune before hurrying after Miki.
"Wanna get some more training in on the way?" Miki asked when they'd been running for about a minute.
"I'm listening," Hanako replied uncertainly, especially when she noticed the scroll that suddenly appeared in Miki's hand.
"She'll be here," Irihi replied confidently, stretching her arms lazily.
They had only been waiting outside of the appointed classroom for two minutes, and while it was true that no one had seen Hanako since yesterday afternoon, she had also never been late when it was important.
"I could probably go home and check-" Isai offered, but Irihi cut him off with a sharp look.
"Then Hanako would get here on time, and you'd be late. She'll be here, Isai-kun. Today is just as important to her as it is to us."
Sure enough, Hanako ran up a few seconds later, carrying a rather pleased Miki on her back.
"Where were you?" Isai asked. "And why-"
"It was her idea!" Hanako snapped defensively. "She wouldn't stop pulling logs out of those damn scrolls until I threatened to drop her!"
"Well, that's how I train when I run," Miki replied innocently, hopping off of Hanako's back. "I thought everyone used logs for that."
Isai blinked a few times. "Um, we saw your brother and sister go by. I think you guys are in classroom 106."
"Sounds right. Thanks!" Miki ran off, shouting over her shoulder, "Bye, Hanako-chan! Good luck!"
Irihi grinned. "We're all here now, so... um, Hanako, is that a tattoo?"
"No," Hanako said firmly, thrusting one leg behind the other.
"Okay then..." Shrugging, Irihi opened the classroom door and walked in, Isai and Hanako filing in behind her.
"I wonder why they split the teams up this year," Isai said quietly. "I thought the first stage of the exams was a written test."
"At least, it used to be," Hanako agreed. "Looks like they changed the format this time around."
"No need to worry," Irihi stated at once. "I have a plan."
"What plan?"
"The plan that's going to take us all the way to the finals. Trust me."
Hanako traded a confused glance with Isai as they sat down on the floor. "If you say so, Irihi."
They hadn't been waiting long when the door opened. Isai instantly stiffened, and Hanako sat up straight, but Irihi more or less stayed as she was... at least, until she recognized the person.
"Oba-sama!" she cried in a mixture of shock and delight. "You made it!"
"So it would seem, Irihi," Hyuuga Hanabi replied quietly. She said nothing more as she moved into the classroom, and this did not surprise the three genin at all. The Hyuuga clan head was not known for her warm greetings, nor did Irihi expect one in public. Even Hanako and Isai had never seen Hanabi show more affection to her young heiress than a brief pat on the head, but Irihi never seemed to mind.
"Did you come to wish us luck, Hyuuga-sama?" Hanako asked slowly. She could think of no other reason why Hanabi might be there.
"Not quite, Hanako. While I was not surprised to hear that you three had chosen to participate in the chuunin exams, I admit I have some doubts. I wonder if you truly understand what challenges you will face as you take on more and more responsibility."
"With all due respect, Hyuuga-sama," Isai said quietly, "we are more mature than we might seem."
What might have been a smile began to form on Hanabi's lips, but it faded abruptly. "Confidence is key, but it is not enough. I must warn you that as difficult as ascending the ninja ranks is, falling back down that ladder is far easier if you are unprepared. I have come here to determine whether or not you three have the proper mindsets to become chuunin."
"Oba-sama, won't we miss our first test?" Irihi asked.
"You will not," Hanabi assured her, bringing her hands together to form a single hand seal. At once, the temperature of the room seemed to drop several degrees. "I am Hyuuga Hanabi, your first exam proctor. In a moment, I will penetrate your minds and place them in a dreamlike state. The only way to awaken is to escape the dream by choosing the correct course of action, and doing so within the time limit. If you pass, you will move on to the next stage. If you choose incorrectly, or cannot escape within the time limit, you fail. Do you have any questions?"
"Oba-sama," Irihi murmured softly, "why you?"
"Every genin team is being tested by someone who knows them well. How else can their weaknesses be exploited? It is my task to determine whether you can overcome those weaknesses and focus on what must be done: for the good of the mission, your teammates, and the village. Now, prepare yourselves."
There was no time to hesitate, as the room was instantly blanketed in inky darkness, and the three genin collapsed, completely at Hanabi's mercy, or lack thereof.
The Hokage Tower was in flames, and perched on top of it was a single figure in black, radiating so much killing intent that it was difficult to breathe normally. And even that was made more difficult by the mixture of smoke from the fire and the poisonous black mist originating from the base of the tower.
Hanako's hand shot out to grab a nearby chuunin who was running past her. "You! What's happening?"
"The Last Uchiha is back!" he cried. "Everyone that's gotten near her is dead!"
Hanako's eyes narrowed. She only knew one female Uchiha. "Why isn't anyone trying to stop her?"
The chuunin stared at her as if she'd lost her mind. "What are you, suicidal? Even the Hokage couldn't stop her!"
"Then I'll have to!" Hanako shoved him away and ran for the tower, her fury building with every step. She didn't know why Sayuri had turned, but it didn't really matter. What did matter was that if Sayuri had gotten this far into the village, then she had already encountered, defeated, and most probably killed her rival. The thought only made her angrier.
Just when Hanako thought she'd have to come up with a way to get past the flames, the air directly in front of her blurred, and then she was staring into the blood-red of the Sharingan.
"I knew you would be the last, Hanako," Sayuri whispered, a twisted grin spreading across her face. "You always resisted my poison nearly as well as Shinju did. She had the distinct pleasure of standing in my way first, and I doubt even she can recover from a gaping hole in her own heart. I am beginning to wonder how you'll do, however..."
"Where is Irihi?" Hanako demanded. She didn't really want an answer, but part of her had to know how far gone Sayuri was.
"Thank her for me when you see her again," Sayuri replied, the grin never leaving her lips. "She truly was my dearest friend. She gave me my Mangekyou. It was the last thing she ever saw, and I promised her that I would save it for the rest of her team. You are the last, Hanako."
Hanako felt her heart slam to a stop. "You... killed Isai?"
Sayuri chuckled darkly. "He died with your name on his lips. As you no doubt knew he would."
Hanako closed her eyes tightly. "I wanted to believe Irihi when she told me you were good. I really did. But I think, deep down, I always knew you were evil. So this isn't as hard for me as you might think." Her eyes snapped open, and the grin suddenly left Sayuri's face as her killing intent was met with Hanako's own.
"So you have grown, too," Sayuri whispered, her eyes boring into Hanako's. "Good. I'll save the Mangekyou for last, then. I want to see what you've learned."
"Trust me, you really don't," Hanako growled. "Besides, you don't deserve to see what I've learned. You've killed the people I learned the most from. All you deserve is death, and that's exactly what I'm going to give you."
"You'll have to forgive me if I doubt that the mighty Uchiha bloodline will end at the hands of a flower child."
"You're in no position to judge. Or were you unaware that they'd started calling you Konoha's Poison Lily?"
"I have never concerned myself with what this village chose to call me. But the time for talking is done." With that, Sayuri extended her arms, and a dark violet blade emerged from each of her sleeves, dripping with what could only be poison. "Now show me this technique that you're so sure can kill me."
"I don't remember saying it was only one," Hanako replied with a smirk. It would take some time, she knew, but that was one good thing about the Uchiha pride: they were always interested in seeing the best a worthy opponent had to offer before going for the kill. If the opponent just so happened to kill them in the attempt, well, the Uchiha could only blame themselves.
With a silent apology to her parents, Hanako did something she had never dared to do. All her life she had restrained herself, pulled her punches, and trained her body to perform just below the optimal level. But no more. Now, all that suppressed power came rushing to the surface, and for the first time in her life, Hanako felt truly free. Her muscles trembled in anticipation, as if sensing that this would be their greatest, and final, performance ever.
Judging by the look on Sayuri's face, she was pleased, but not surprised. It was time to change that.
"All Gates... RELEASE!" Hanako shouted.
It was as if a bomb went off, with the pink-haired kunoichi standing at the center of impact. The earth splintered and cracked apart beneath her feet. A powerful wave of chakra-laced wind flew in all directions, nearly knocking Sayuri to her knees. By the time she caught herself, Hanako was upon her.
The first punch came in high, crashing into the back of Sayuri's head with enough force to shatter her skull and liquefy her brain.
The second strike transformed her heart, from a pulsing organ to so much red vapor.
As three sets of Hanako's arms locked around the Uchiha, she knew very well that she was holding a corpse. But this corpse, when it was alive, had killed her friends, her teammates, and her Hokage. Any sort of burial was too good for it. The body probably held countless secrets, but none of them would bring Hanako's precious people back to life, so they were meaningless.
"It's your own fault, Sayuri. I would only do this for someone who could defeat a Hokage and still be in shape to fight." Hanako took a deep breath. "Clone Great Explosion!"
The blast caught Hanako in the face and tossed her backwards, but she was beyond caring at that point. If the explosion didn't kill her, then opening every chakra gate in her body would. After all the life and death battles her father had survived, she wondered how he'd done it without ever taking this route. She knew for certain that having a medic-nin for a wife had allowed Rock Lee to open seven gates at one point, but never eight. But he'd had things to live for.
"Mom... Dad... I'm sorry," Hanako whispered as her body crashed to the ground. "I know I promised I'd never do this, but... I had to." And then, in a softer voice, "Forgive me, Irihi-chan. I'll apologize in person soon enough..."
Instead, he got a gift shop.
He was still trying to make sense of it when Hanabi appeared beside him.
"Fortunately, Isai, you have an easier task than your teammates. Unfortunately, it will prove particularly difficult for you."
Isai didn't consider himself a master of shopping, but he didn't see how it could be THAT hard. Still, he was smart enough not to say so.
"Today is Hanako's eighteenth birthday. All you have to do is select the one gift that will mean more to her than any other. You have one hour."
Suddenly, a life and death battle was sounding really good. Isai knew from personal experience that Hanako held him to a higher standard, which was both a blessing and a curse. She expected more from him, so while she'd accept a disappointing gift from someone else, if Isai failed to get her something really special, she would make him regret it. Not only that, she would've been perfectly justified, because Isai knew her better than anyone.
So the fact that even he had no idea what to get her truly meant that Hanako was hard to shop for.
The gift shop was no great help, either. It seemed to have everything a girl could want, and then some. Even worse, Isai found himself with a pocket strangely full of money. He could easily afford anything that caught his eye... but nothing did.
Forty-five minutes later, Isai decided it was hopeless. There were some truly exquisite items in the gift shop, but none of them seemed like something that Hanako would want above all others. With a sigh, he slowly left the shop and headed for home.
He was halfway there when he decided that he had to get Hanako something, even if it wasn't what she really wanted. There wasn't time to double back to the gift shop. There was, however, a perfectly reasonable substitute just in front of him: the Yamanaka flower shop.
Suddenly, he wondered why he'd never thought of it before. Flower names ran in Hanako's family, she worked in the shop at least twice a week, and she never seemed bored when his mother went on and on about what certain flowers meant.
Feeling rather foolish but hopeful, Isai ran into the shop, snatched up the first pink flower he saw, threw some money on the counter, and was out the door before his mother could yell at him for practically stealing (even if this was a dream, it was the kind of detail that his mother would always fuss about, no matter what world they were in).
He made it home with two or three minutes to spare, only to find Hanako in her bedroom, wrapping bandages around her fingers with practiced ease. That most likely meant she'd spent the entire day training, and had completely forgotten her own birthday. Which also meant she had no expectations, and it would be much harder to disappoint her. Armed with that knowledge, Isai suddenly felt a lot safer.
"Have a good day?" he asked calmly, standing in her doorway.
"It was okay," Hanako replied, looking up briefly before focusing on her bandages again. "Where have you been?"
"Shopping."
That earned him a bewildered stare. "Shopping? You?"
"I know how to shop," Isai replied defensively. "Sort of."
"Uh huh. So what'd you get?"
"Nothing much. I'm hoping I can turn it into a nice gift anyway, though."
Hanako smiled at him. "I'm sure you'll manage to think of something. And if you need help, then I-"
"Um, you're not really allowed to help," Isai interrupted, smiling nervously.
"Oh, you mean because I'm a girl?" Hanako asked. "May I remind you that I have no problem with beating up a boy three times my size, much less-"
"You're not allowed," Isai continued, "because the gift is for you, and you helping to prepare it would spoil the surprise." With that, he brought the pink flower out from behind his back and presented it to her.
Hanako stared at the flower for what seemed like several minutes. Finally, she slowly reached out and took it, her hand trembling slightly.
"Happy Birthday," Isai said quietly. And then, because it just seemed like the right thing to do, he added, "Hanako-chan."
The flower slipped out of her hand and fell lightly to the floor.
Isai wasn't sure what to make of that, especially when Hanako suddenly turned away from him, her shoulders shaking. "What? What's wrong?"
"You've never called me that before," she whispered.
"I never had a reason to, until now." Isai bit his lip, and then continued. "You should have told me, instead of waiting for me to figure it out. Maybe I wouldn't have accepted it right away, and maybe things would have been awkward for a while, but you wouldn't have had to wait so long."
"It wasn't the waiting I minded so much," Hanako answered. "It was seeing you look at other girls. I always believed that you'd come around eventually, but sometimes I worried if someone else caught your eye."
Isai lightly placed his hands on her shoulders. "You know I'd never purposely hurt you."
"I know," she sighed. "But that's why it hurt so much. Because you had no idea how I felt. Maybe I should have told you, but I just... wanted you to know. I felt like you should already know, without me having to tell you. You were closer to me than anyone else."
"I guess I always thought you wanted something different. Someone like-"
"Michio?" Hanako offered, laughing softly. "Isai, even he saw it. Or smelled it. He was never too clear on that part. But he did say that he could not accept my body without my heart."
Isai froze. "Wait. Does that mean-"
"I kissed him. When he came to visit me in the hospital, right after we fought each other in the finals." She lowered her head, clearly embarrassed. "He, um... thanked me. Promised he'd always be there if I needed him. Then he basically told me I should be that bold with you. I guess we're both lucky that he's such a nice guy."
"Do... you still have feelings for him?"
Hanako raised her head. "He was the first person that showed that kind of interest in me. I'll always be thankful to him for that. But it honestly doesn't matter how I feel about him. He would never let me do anything that I'd regret."
Isai sighed. "You don't regret kissing him."
"No. It was a little embarrassing when he had to let me down easy, but I did enjoy it. But you don't need to be jealous, Isai. He was my first kiss, not my first love. And if I hadn't kissed him, I wouldn't be sure of my feelings for you. I'd still wonder if I'd made that right choice. But now there's no question in my mind that it's you I wanted all along. Michio was only a dear friend, since he wouldn't allow himself to be anything else with you in the picture."
"You know that's not very reassuring to me," Isai admitted weakly.
Hanako grinned. "Oh, Michio was very clear on that. If you ever leave me, Miwa will maul you to death, and I'll spend the rest of my life with him. But we all assume it will never come to that. Well, Michio and me do, anyway. Miwa just started sharpening her claws and laughing." She turned around and poked him in the chest. "Of course, if you don't plan on leaving me, then you have nothing to worry about."
"Yeah. Right." Isai closed his eyes and sighed again. "Did you like the flower at least?"
"Nope, but all that matters is that you gave me one at all," Hanako replied. "That, and your heart. That's all I ever really wanted."
Isai frowned at her. "Oh, NOW you tell me..."
Irihi's eyes snapped open, and she knew at once that something was horribly wrong. She was wearing formal robes, the kind that the stuffy, important people she detested always wore. Even worse, she was wearing a funny hat, and not the good kind of funny, either. Perhaps the strangest thing was that she smelled... nice. Like she dressed up and met people all the time. The very thought sickened her.
Okay, she was being a little overdramatic. After all, she was being groomed to one day be the Hyuuga clan head. But it had always been her intention to make that job fun, even if she had to paint her face like a clown's and dare the diplomats to laugh at her. The look on their faces alone would be worth it.
"Hokage-sama!" an angry voice repeated, even louder this time.
She blinked, and the clues all slid into place with horrifying finality.
They were calling HER that.
The room was full of anxious people, but Irihi had been too caught up in her own terror to even notice them. The very idea that any person, much less more than one, had put her in charge of Konoha, was mind-numbing. Even more so than the funny hat perched ridiculously on her head.
Damn Naruto, turning his dream into her nightmare.
And damn Hanabi, for knowing both of them well enough to know this would haunt Irihi endlessly.
"Shut up, I'm trying to think!" Irihi snapped, somehow sensing that the same voice would pester her a third time.
There was a shocked gasp, accompanied by more than a few amused chuckles.
Forcing herself to calm down a little, Irihi looked around, not surprised to find that the person that had been annoying her bore more than a passing resemblance to Isai. He had a way of annoying her like no other, and only he would call her "Hokage-sama" after having known her for years. It took a second more for her to realize that it WAS Isai, but he looked drastically different. For one thing, there was a long, jagged scar that started on the left side of his forehead and stretched all the way down to the right side of his jaw, crossing through his left eye, nose, and lips. Right now, he looked as if Irihi had put the scar there herself... and for all she knew, maybe that assumption was actually a fact.
The rest of her friends still seemed friendly, at least. Hanako was trying to pull Isai back into his seat without hurting him. Shinju was looking on, her face unreadable (not to mention unseen). Sayuri was off to the side with her eyes closed, and was quite obviously bored (Irihi noted with a smile that even though Sayuri still wore her personalized headband, her black cloak now bore a flaming, snarling fox head on the left collar, and the Uchiha fan on the right). Even Tsuki was there, though Irihi couldn't figure out why until her cousin snapped at Isai.
"You leave her alone, Isai! Do you really think Irihi would be Hokage if she could just sacrifice a family member she grew up alongside without hesitation? Nobody is forcing you to give up Hanako, so keep your fool mouth shut!"
"Enough," Sayuri sighed, opening her eyes. Her Sharingan was still activated, and the room instantly got quiet. "Yamanaka, all of Konoha knows you bear a grudge against Irihi for the scar on your face. Since you clearly aren't going to let it go any time soon, at least do us a favor and try not to let it rule everything you say. No one is going to be exiled just because you don't feel pretty anymore."
Isai's face turned bright red, but he wisely remained silent.
"Tsuki, we all know your feelings on the matter. There's no need for you to respond to every statement made here. No one doubts that you want your brother to stay."
Tsuki's face fell. "He's your brother, too..."
"But unlike you, I don't let that fact rule my thinking." Sayuri turned to Irihi. "The facts are that Enten is without question the strongest person in Konoha, just like his father was. He also possesses a power that no one but him completely understands, and it is a source of great mystery and fear. But there has been no conclusive proof that this power is that of Kyuubi reborn. Yet we would all be unwise to simply ignore its existence. The question now is what will be done, and that is for our Hokage to decide. I suggest that we all be patient, since you are literally asking her to repeat a past mistake that nearly destroyed this village. I trust I do not need to remind anyone that without the combined powers of Uzumaki Naruto, Kyuubi, and Gamabunta, this village would have fallen during the Sand-Sound invasion. Perhaps we should not be so quick to send away a person who has, so far, done nothing but support this village, and has no history of violence against any person inside of it. I would even go so far as to say that I have had more murderous thoughts of this village in my first month here than Enten ever will, and I have been allowed to re-establish my clan here."
"You don't have a demon inside of you," Isai was quick to point out.
"And you honestly believe that makes me less likely to kill, say, someone like YOU?" Sayuri asked with a raised eyebrow. "Clearly you haven't dealt with me or Enten very often."
Isai's face turned a spectacular shade of purple.
Shinju cleared her throat. "I think we are all forgetting that there is no proof that any of the tailed beasts has survived Akatsuki or human prejudice to this date. There is no person that can definitively prove that Uzumaki Enten has a demon, or is capable of wielding demonic power. And even if he did and could, it would be incredibly foolish to give him any reason to use that power against us, or to not have it on our side in another war. He may not prove as longsuffering and forgiving as his father was."
"Well, there's no point in wasting Irihi's time with this if we don't give her a chance to talk," Hanako pointed out. "It is her cousin you're trying to kick out."
Irihi found she didn't need time to think, however. The words seemed to be in her mouth before she realized it.
"Uzumaki Enten has been like a brother to me, and he has done a great deal for this village. It is because of him that his father didn't destroy Konoha in a blind rage when Tsuki was kidnapped. It is because of him that Sayuri survived to begin the Uchiha Clan anew. And I have no doubt that without him, I wouldn't be Hokage. Now you want me to send him away, for serving this village faithfully, based on little more than a rumor. I don't know what I did to convince people I'd make a good Hokage, but I'm pretty sure making stupid choices wasn't a factor. Unless you can provide a concrete reason for Enten to leave, I'm not forcing him to go anywhere."
"You don't have to. I'll leave."
Everyone turned to see Enten standing in the doorway. It escaped no one's notice that he was wearing the signature black and orange jumpsuit that his father had last been seen in. But there would be no mistaking Enten for his father this day. For carved into his forehead, by his very own fingernails, most likely, was a still bloody Konoha leaf with a scratch through it.
"I've had it with this village," he whispered. "My father was treated like a monster when he was just an innocent child. My mother was abandoned by her own so-called family. My sister was even forced to renounce her family name for the sake of this village. Well, there won't be a fourth chance with me. We all know there's no one in this village that can beat me, and as soon as this meeting is over, I'm gone for good."
"He will not go alone," Sayuri added firmly. She shared a brief look with Enten before turning to Irihi. "You may add the entire Uchiha Clan to the list of missing-nin. Again."
Enten chuckled grimly. "Congratulations, Isai. You just dismantled two of Konoha's most powerful clans, all for that dumb scratch on your face. There's no way Temari will stay once she hears about this. I'm sure you'll be able to pick up our slack somehow, you being a very talented chuunin and all."
The only thing keeping Isai in his seat was Hanako applying a great deal of pressure to his foot. That he was the only one on his team that hadn't made jounin was always a sore point for him, and everyone knew it.
"This is so STUPID!" Irihi screamed. "Would you people just... STOP!"
Enten smiled sadly at her. "Could you guys give us a moment alone? If Iri loses her temper, I'm one of the few people that could take a serious hit from her with little trouble."
The room cleared out quickly, but they could both sense that Sayuri and Tsuki were just outside the door.
"You don't have to go, Enten," Irihi said at once.
"Yeah, I do," he sighed. "People don't forgive, they just grow more stupid, and this village is living proof. When you're tired of ruling a bunch of knuckleheads, I'll send Sayuri back for you, so you don't have to make the trip to Suna alone. Although, if Gaara oji-sama declares war, you might want to retire a little early. You know how cranky he gets when family's mistreated."
Irihi considered that. "I guess I could retire right now."
"You shouldn't. At least give them some warning, so they have a chance to find a competent replacement. Then they can't claim I kidnapped you or poisoned your mind, or something completely weird like that."
"I really hoped I could change things here," Irihi murmured.
"You did, Iri," Enten assured her, giving her a hug. "Tsuki and I would never have joined the village if you hadn't been in charge. And Michio formed that new mountain just so there'd be a place to put your giant face."
"Best birthday present I ever got," Irihi chuckled. "I just wish he'd asked someone before he did it. The council is still on my back about that."
After a moment, Enten's smile faded. "So I guess this is the last time I'll see you for a while. Make sure Tsuki doesn't try to follow me before she's taken care of things with the Hyuuga. You're the only one she'll listen to now. And just so you know, I'll be looking up Michio before we head to Suna."
"Oh? Why?"
Enten shrugged. "Well, I didn't do anything wrong, and they wanted me gone. I don't exactly trust them to stay loyal to you much longer. So I'm just going to ask him and the rest of his clan to stay close to the village. Just in case."
"Okay. Tell him I said thanks." Irihi hesitated before turning away from him. "Bye, Enten." She closed her eyes as she felt his powerful arms sliding around her waist.
"Bye, Iri," he said quietly. "And don't think of it as me leaving. I'm just going to live with another branch of the family, like Michio's people did. You're still my Iri nee-chan. Nobody can change that."
And then, with a slight shift of the air, he was gone.
Irihi suddenly understood why Naruto and Hinata had left the village. They'd done it to protect their children from incidents just like this. Enten and Tsuki had only become Leaf-nin to support Irihi. She'd needed strong, loyal ninja to cement her leadership, and the twins had stepped up without even being asked. Tsuki had kept the Hyuuga in line as their new clan head, and Enten had quieted anyone who questioned Irihi's judgment by completing S-ranked missions almost exclusively.
She had always assumed that Naruto and Hinata told their children nothing about how the village worked, but it was quite the opposite. The twins had known exactly what they'd have to do for acceptance, if they chose to become Leaf-nin. And they'd also known that one or both of them might never get it at all.
The three genin blinked and slowly picked themselves up off of the floor. Hanako was particularly pale, Isai relieved, and Irihi puzzled.
"But... I didn't do anything, oba-sama," Irihi murmured.
"But you did, Irihi," Hanabi corrected. "You allowed Enten to go, when you had the power and ability to keep him in Konoha. Had you done so, it would have only taken the right collection of people to turn the village against you. Then you would've lost your title, your family, and your village."
"And, um, what did I do?" Isai asked, glancing nervously at Hanako. "Since we're already discussing it, I mean."
"You found the courage to face one of your greatest inner struggles," Hanabi replied. "And you also learned the danger of waiting too long to act wisely."
"And me?" Hanako asked quietly, lowering her head.
"You, Hanako, have learned the hardest lesson of all." Hanabi reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "History often repeats itself. But I am glad to see that you have learned from your father's mistakes."
"But I didn't!" Hanako protested. "I did the same thing-"
"You most certainly did not," Hanabi interrupted firmly. "You waited for the right moment, the only proper moment to do such a thing. You gave everything you had for this village. Not for personal gain, not for status, not for acknowledgement. You did it because you had to. Although I suspect that getting revenge made it much easier."
"But... these things won't actually happen to any of us. Right?" Irihi whispered.
Hanabi stared at her. "Even if I could see the future, Irihi, I would not tell you that. It is true that my 'dreams' were just that. But each of them has a very firm basis in reality. If those events should happen to actually occur, then at least you know precisely what you need to do. Being prepared for the worst is often all you will ever truly need to succeed. Now, the three of you should get going. Your next exam site is the Forest of Death. I trust you know the way."
The three genin slowly walked out of the room, only to bump into a rather pale Michio, accompanied by his sisters.
"Wow, you guys look terrible," Miki observed bluntly. "I guess we were lucky to get Kaneda-sensei for our proctor. All I had to do was sneak Irihi out of the village before ANBU executed her."
Irihi's eyes widened considerably. "What?"
"Yeah, and Michio had to fight Akatsuki after they killed you all. I guess he made out okay, but he hasn't said anything since." Miki reached up and patted her brother's arm soothingly.
"What about you, Miwa?" Isai asked, looking at the older girl.
Miwa sneered at him. "I had to torture you without killing you."
Isai stared at her in disbelief. "Huh?"
Miwa rolled her eyes. "Apparently you used some genjutsu on the pinkhead that made her seduce my dumb brother, and while his guard was down, a bunch of freaks in capes kidnapped him. And since you were the only one who knew where they took him, I had to beat it out of you without actually killing you in the process. Wasn't easy."
"I'll say," Miki agreed. "I never would've thought you had enough patience to figure out something complicated like that, nee-san. Usually you just charge in and beat up whatever moves."
Miwa smirked. "I said it wasn't easy. Never said I didn't enjoy myself."
"I think I'll go throw up now," Isai muttered, heading for the nearest restroom.
"Right behind you," Michio sighed, looking very green all of a sudden as he followed Isai.
"Wimps," Miwa grunted, crossing her arms over her chest.
Irihi wasn't so disturbed that she didn't notice Hanako blushing like mad, though.
But then she was faced with the problem of what to do in her afterlife. Being dead, she had been given the expected option of looking over her family. This being no longer necessary, she was running out of options.
And then Kyuubi had summoned her from an entirely different plane of existence. It was a difficult journey, to say the least, but one simply did not ignore Kyuubi. Even those already dead had plenty to fear from his claws.
Thankfully, Kyuubi had not wanted anything that was beyond her ability to give. Actually, what he'd asked was quite simple, if not a bit confusing.
He wanted her to become a child's imaginary friend.
At least, that was what she HAD become. Kyuubi had said "guardian," although now that she thought back on it, Hikari wondered if maybe this had been his intent all along. She certainly wouldn't have put it past one such as him.
The job was not at all difficult. She was simply required to watch the child called Uzumaki Tsuki, but never to interfere in her life unless it was deemed absolutely necessary.
The job was also thankless. Tsuki could not see Hikari, or even sense her presence, for that matter. This was partially due to Hikari being from another world entirely, but mostly because seeing spirits was usually considered a bad thing.
So Hikari had been a bit startled when Tsuki's brother began murmuring greetings under his breath, and leaving small plates of food out in the yard for her. Hikari could not eat them, but she knew a tribute when she saw one. She still had no idea how Enten could see her, but she knew he could. Often he would sit around and do nothing but stare at her as she watched Tsuki play with her dolls. And when Tsuki had noticed, he had to say something to explain himself.
As a result, soon Hikari had both twins talking to her, even if only Enten took it seriously. Tsuki even tried to pet her sometimes. Hikari couldn't feel it, but just as with the food, she appreciated the thought behind the effort. And if the twins weren't worried about being thought insane for talking to a dead fox that other people couldn't see, that was fine with her.
She found herself liking the whole family over time. Kyuubi's host always took time to speak to her, as he was the only one who could hear her responses. And if he was away, then his mate's hound would translate for them so she could speak in his place. They were kind, good people, so Hikari had no problem with watching over Tsuki. She had asked after Enten once, and Kyuubi had scoffed. Apparently the thought of a male child needing a guardian was insulting to him. Certainly Kyuubi could have demanded something much more challenging of her, so Hikari considered herself extremely lucky.
Therefore, she was surprised when Naruto came to her one day and asked for a favor.
"Tsuki's cousin is participating in the chuunin exams today. She'll be going into the Forest of Death. I know it's not your job, but could I ask you to keep an eye on her while she's in there? Tsuki will be with me, so you don't need to worry about her for a few days. And before you ask, Kyuubi said it was up to you, so no trouble there."
Hikari thought for a moment. "She is a rather curious child. And I have been wanting a change of pace."
"Great! Oh, and say hi to Houkou for me, would you?"
Hikari stopped short. "Why would I speak to him?"
"Aw, don't tell me you hate dogs, Hikari-chan. You spend half your time sitting next to Akamaru!"
"That is different. He is tame, and he respects the boundaries of the dead." Which was a formal way of saying he didn't try to roll through her.
"Houkou is just a much bigger Akamaru. And he's really nice!" Naruto insisted. "Just tell him you're there to look after Irihi, and you won't have any trouble."
Hikari glared at him. "You are very lucky that I'm already dead, Naruto-sama. But I will do as you have asked. Reluctantly."
Naruto grinned brightly. "Thanks, Hikari-chan! You know, if you weren't dead, I'd summon you all the time!"
Hikari was not exactly sure that was a compliment, so she merely walked away before she had time to think about it, her two long, white tails swishing behind her.
End of Part 5.
Hikari: light
Kaneda's "immovable jutsu" isn't a bloodline limit, obviously, since it can be taught to non-relatives. Think of it as being in the same vein as water-walking: tricky to learn, and requiring very good chakra control.
Miki's scrolls contain sealed logs, lots of them. As stated, she uses them primarily for training, but there are other uses (sitting, throwing, playing fetch).
I can respect the idea of a written test for ninja. But honestly, how often do you see Naruto and his pals write ANYTHING? Their penmanship could be horrible, and they'd still be great ninja! Anyway. I thought up a test that I felt was slightly more suited to determine if they had the mindset of a ninja. Looking underneath the underneath, and things like that.
Also, I'm going to refer to Hanabi's answer if you ask if the dreams will come true. Just don't be surprised if something in a later chapter seems oddly familiar.
To be clear, Hikari is a fox spirit. She no longer has a physical body. Dogs can see her because dogs ALWAYS get wind of the freaky stuff first in the movies, so they're cool like that. Really, it's just because they have better senses than humans.
Sayuri's dream jutsu:
Thorn of the Lily: A sharp blade composed entirely of solidified poison. Upon making contact with a foe, the blade can instantly be dissolved into liquid form in order to more quickly spread its lethal effects throughout the foe's bloodstream. Similar in appearance to Chidori, but lacking in sheer power, speed, and chakra use, which also makes it much easier to aim effectively, since even a graze can prove deadly.
Hanako's dream jutsu:
All Gates Release: A near simultaneous opening of all eight chakra gates in the body, resulting in a temporary power boost that catapults the user beyond even the Kage level, but at the cost of the user's life.
Clone Great Explosion (Bunshin Daibakuha): This jutsu works in combination with a Shadow Clone, which will explode on command, potentially killing or injuring those caught in the blast. Using more than one would probably be considered overkill in most cases.
Disclaimer: Hyuuga Irihi, Haruno Hanako, Yamanaka Isai, Inuzuka Miki, Inuzuka Miwa, Inuzuka Michio, Kaneda, Uchiha Sayuri, Uzumaki Enten, Uzumaki Tsuki, Hikari, and Aburame Shinju belong to me. All other characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
