Barely a year later and another udpate! I know I know, that's some lightning speed right here, I'm proud. Beta'ed by NightsBlackRose13 as always.
Ch 31: Good Preparation Makes Half The Pie
Orochimaru is a very methodical instructor. It stands in a stark contrast to the utter chaos that was Hanako's "teaching". It helps me not to think about her too often.
Staying busy in general doesn't leave much room for thinking which might just be what my sensei is going for. His master plan for me is straightforward and based on what his observations of me after my Trial by Worm are - not that he explained that to me. Because, why communicate, right? That's not in the shinobi manual.
To start with, there's endurance focused physical training. Not a huge fan of that, but I get it. I'm not gonna outlast anyone or anything anytime soon, but every additional second my body can keep going is potentially a second to figure out whatever solution is in need of being figured out. Plus, physical energy is one half of the chakra generating process and since building up any significant amount of strength is even more hopeless of an endeavor as long as I'm in a kid's body, endurance it is.
Second, he gives me a weapon to train with. A kusarigama, a sickle with a metal chain and ball attached to it and a twin sickle with a shorter chain for the other hand. It's a little more tricky to guess where he's coming from with this, but I guess it's to compensate for the disadvantages aplenty that I'm facing while being five. Maybe the more important question in this case is actually where he wants to go with it in the long term? I'm just glad it's not a bow and arrow since my aim is still shitty at best, but I'm sure he's well aware of that.
Speaking of disadvantages, by the way.
"Why didn't you use any ninjutsu during the fight?"
That's just mean. I'm laboring away at the high intensity interval training he has devised for me to meet goal number 1 at this very moment and really having trouble finding a good rhythm to breathe and now he expects me to talk? To explain, using my brain?
"Only - know - one jutsu -" I pant in between desperate gasps for air. "Drains - all my - chakra."
He thinks about that.
Doesn't share his thoughts.
I continue with my suffering undisturbed.
The next day we meet at a godforsaken hour for him to make a live show out of jutsu-ing a waterfall out of thin air, complete with a sky-high rock face and sizable lake at the bottom. Yeah, yeah, I know he's powerful and technically great at being a shinobi, yada yada. What a show-off. Also, I'm impressed as hell, dammit.
When he's finished, he turns to me.
"Walk up the waterfall."
And finally, things start clicking in my head.
The final big puzzle piece in his master plan for me is chakra control. While increasing my chakra pool would be one possible solution for my chakra-drain problem, it's severely limited by two factors in the short term: First, it takes time to enlarge both spiritual and physical chakra generation. Second, I'm five. There's only so much my body can hold. So he opts for the only other, logical solution, which is honing my chakra control and making me learn how to make the best out of what I have.
He's a goddamn genius after all.
)()()(
One week into my new regimen, I'm invited for tea at Kagami's. I learn fast that it is about neither tea nor Kagami.
The first clue is the fact that the person opening the door is Naori.
"Hello Etsuko-Chan. Please come in," she says, with the serene calmness of someone who owns the place and if she'd told me at that moment that the house was indeed hers, I would have readily believed her despite knowing better . As always, I'm in awe of her natural confidence. I wish to be like her when I grow up, please.
I follow her inside and am presented with the second clue: Kagami is nowhere to be seen. Sumiko is, though, and cheerfully informs me that her father is currently not at home. She sits down and pats the zabuton beside her, inviting me to take a seat.
The final clue is just them straight up telling me what this is all about.
"So, Etsuko-chan," Sumiko begins while pouring each of us a cup of tea, "we want to have a chat with you about a couple of things that have been happening since you came back to the village and we think that you might have an interest in hearing us out, from one Uchiha girl to another. Is that alright with you?" She flashes me a dazzling smile.
"Uh, sure," I say, appropriately blindsided.
"Great!" She sets the cup with the steaming liquid down in front of me, the refreshing fragrance of jasmine wafting right into my nose and immediately causing me to take a deep breath and relax a couple of those really tense muscles. I guess it is a little about tea after all.
"The first thing you need to know," Naori begins, "is that Danzou might, in a way, be the most dangerous person you will ever meet."
Oh, ok, so no sugar coating for the five-year-old. Got it.
"His number one goal is the protection of the village. He will do anything to achieve that goal."
"Doesn't sound so bad when you put it that way," I mumble into my cup.
Sumiko sighs. "Danzou-sama has a very … specific understanding of what it means for the village to be safe and he never compromises on it. So much so that he is, at times, openly at odds with the Sandaime."
"His definition of 'safe', incidentally, also means that absolute power should be held only in the hands of the village leaders. Other powerful factions, such as the Uchiha Clan for example, should be put under their control and under their control only. The reason we know about this particular opinion of his is because he's touted it quite publicly. And while official support for his stance isn't openly discussed, neither is any opposition. Nobody will say anything because his power within the village is too great," Naori adds.
They have great flow between them. They should give presentations together.
"Now, Etsuko-chan, we know that is a lot to handle all at once," Sumiko continues. "The reason we tell you, though, is because you need to be careful. We think he might have his sights set on you, even though the decision in regards to your mentorship wasn't made in his favor."
Oh man. Am I surprised? No. But it would have been nice to be rid of all that, I guess.
"Ok," I say with a heavy sigh. "What do you suggest I do?"
My reaction seems to surprise both of them.
"You're taking this very well," Naori says.
"Do I have a choice?" I counter.
She smiles. "Fair enough."
"To answer your question," Sumiko chimes in, "there are a couple of things you can start working on. Besides being all around careful, you will need support and protection to cover your flanks. Danzou has been going after what he wants for a long time and his cunning and ruthlessness are far above anything any single one of us can imagine or accomplish on our own. One of the things that allows him to do this is a network of informants and spies that's everywhere and near invisible at the same time."
"They're a specialized division of ANBU operatives that only answer to him, going by the name ROOT." Naori scoffs. "I reckon he fancies himself a bit of a poet with that one."
Sumiko gives the tiniest bit of an exasperated sigh. "The point is, Etsuko–chan, that you also need allies. You will have to make yourself an integral part of a network so that the cost of touching you will become so great, that even he will have to think twice before making a move."
Allies? I think I can do that. Sakumo and Sayu count, right?
"You should start with your sensei," Naori suggests.
Wait, what?
Sumiko nods in support. "Yes. It would be wise to strengthen your connection with Orochimaru-kun. He is the favored member of the Sandaime's own team after all and a good gateway to Tsunade-chan and Jiraiya-kun as well. Having their protection could prove paramount in setting up a network of your own."
Ok wow, no pressure at all, huh?!
"Especially since you lost your own team," Naori adds, not unkind. "Is there anyone else you can think of?"
"I, uh, the Hatake?" I stammer.
She nods approvingly. "I have heard about your rapport with them. Unusual, but certainly useful. You should also think back to your classmates at the academy. You are acquainted with the young Ino-Shika-Cho-Trio, are you not?"
"Kind of?" This is shaping up to be a huge project.
"Well, that's better than nothing," Sumiko says, her voice inappropriately cheerful. "You'll be fine!"
Sure.
)()()(
I leave Kagami's with a fried brain and the weight of the world on my shoulders.
How am I supposed to accomplish all that? How did I turn into a pawn so quickly? Is all this necessary if I want to protect Obito?
The answer to the last question is, of course, yes.
Because now that Danzou has entered the game, and with personal interest to boot, all bets are off. There's no telling what the future might look like and if it would remain even remotely close to Naruto canon. The further along I go, the newer everything will be. I imagine even the elasticity of time will have its limits.
I look over at the futon where my baby brother is burrowed deep into his blankets, peacefully at sleep.
I don't want to entertain even the slightest idea of him having to go through all that pain and desperation that canon promises him. It's simply not an option.
He must live a good life.
So if it's gonna take me making friends with the entirety of the Narutoverse cast to make this happen, so be it.
)()()( )()()(
"Do not. Touch. That."
Orochimaru didn't need to turn around to know that Jiraiya was sniffing around his lab equipment again and, in his usual boorish ways, was going to make a mess sooner or later.
"Sheesh. Try loosening up a little, Orochi. You'll become stiff as stone like that."
He didn't deign to respond to that. Some things simply were not worth his energy. Not that Jiraiya minded anyway.
"I was thinking," he started when, without proper thought, Orochimaru interrupted him with a dry voice. "Please don't."
It seemed that his teammate was still very much capable of eliciting a response from him, no matter how aloof he appeared to be. It was rather annoying.
Jiraiya, of course, ignored that too and simply carried on.
"Now that you also have a student of your own, I was thinking we could help each other out. You know, sharing teaching methods, taking over when one of us is busy, that sort of stuff."
"I will not babysit your Namikaze-brat for you."
Jiraiya puffed up in indignation. "Hey, that was not what I was suggesting at all! Also, Minato is totally a capable chuunin, in large part thanks to my excellent teaching!" He paused for a bit, his face set in an utterly ridiculous pout. "... Not even once?"
Orochimaru still hadn't looked up from his work. "No."
"Oh, you wound me so! And here I thought we were friends," Jirairya cried out, his right hand dramatically grabbing at his chest and the other one sweeping over the nearby table to find something to hold on to.
Orochimaru immediately swerved around to catch a falling flask in the nick of time. "I said no touching," he hissed, rather upset, since this could have been avoided.
"Come ooon, Orochi, help out your mate" his teammate groaned, pointedly ignoring his mishap, "I just got three new tiny kids and I'm already stretched thin as is!"
"I fail to see how this is my problem. You decided to bring back those Ame brats all on your own."
"Pleeease? You could, dunno, let them train with each other some time?"
Orochimaru huffed. "As if Namikaze could be any competition to a genius Uchiha."
Suddenly, Jiraiya's entire demeanor changed. A sly look entered his face and his grin turned almost feral. "So you think your genius is better than mine?"
"It is a fact that a kekkei genkai as powerful as the Sharingan cannot be beaten by simple trickery the likes that you teach."
"Oh ho ho, do you know what you just did, Orochi?" Jiraiya cackled, the glint in his eye now maniacal.
"You just declared war. And so be it: may the best one win."