Chapter 2
Ira's arrival to the world of living had been quite anti-climatic. She had landed in the hills of Mount Myobuko, where the elder toad had apparently had a dream concerning her already.
It took her one month to heal completely, and another two months to complete her sage training. It had always been easy for her to connect to the natural energy of the earth, the trees. She had not been able to become a toad sage. Her sage mode was heavily influenced by gathering chakra from the living things around her, trees, shrubs, moss, vines, and not from the abiotic factors that the toads depended on.
They still taught her how to stay still and focus, let the energy around her envelop her like a warm cocoon. It was only after three months of practicing and eating quite disturbing food they said she could join the shinobi world. And Ira was frankly sick and tired of seeing toads everywhere. Everywhere, one minute she had been relaxing in a warm bath after a busy day, but apparently not alone, as the next minute a blue toad appeared from under the water and started chatting her ear off about his fights with his wife.
She didn't defy the laws of life and death to hear about a toad's married life, thank you very much.
So she really couldn't be blamed to be excited about seeing a human after three months of toads, in all colours and sizes. Her good mood lasted for about five minutes after meeting him. The man was in his late forties or early fifties from what she could gather from his chakra, but that didn't make him hesitate even for a moment before he started hitting on her. The only reason she didn't give her a fist in the face was that she needed someone who knew about her in the Shinobi world. And apparently, despite his odd quirks, he held a high reputation among their kind.
They had departed for his village, Konohagakure, and as she reached near to it she could feel it, her brother's life force in the trees that surrounded it, it wasn't only his per se, but she could feel it.
"Who grew these trees?" she asked, running her hand along the bark of one of them, the tree's main feelings flowing into her, protecting, excitement, curiousness. It must have been a long time since someone who had mokuton was around.
"Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage of Konoha, and the only person to ever have the mokuton" the man, Jiraiya replied with a grin, not pausing in his walking.
"Only?"
"Yes, nobody knew how he could do it, a lot of people had tried using various means to replicate the bloodline, didn't turn out very well for them. Did you know someone who could do it?" he asked the last part with poorly hidden curiousness. She had already told him that she wouldn't tell him anything she didn't wish too. So far, all he was told by the great toad elder was that she was from 'a different time' here to find her siblings and break the curse'.
And that was actually what she was here for, leaving out the if I don't find them this world will potentially be enslaved by my grandmother and humanity will perish part. So yeah, everything important.
"Yes I did, quite a number" and she did, while her brother had been the first to use it, almost everyone who shared their chakra could achieve it to different levels. Some could only grow food and crops, some sturdy wood for houses, some poisonous plants, some herbs, but Asura and Ira could grow forests, for Asura, it was much easier, but she could do it as well.
"Wow"
Yeah, wow. It was a little hard to believe no one can do it anymore, but then again, a lot has changed.
----
Meeting the leader of their village, the Hokage, went slightly more difficult than Jiraiya did. It was late at night, and the Hokage was an old man. His chakra screamed tired, not the kind of tired after a hard day of work, but as if he had been tired for years. After Jiraiya told him everything he knew he had one thing to say.
"So you are saying you have to find your siblings and stop them from fighting?" and when you put it like it doesn't sound very important. Ira wasn't like Indra who used to have an endless amount of patience before he went crazy, or like Asura who was almost impossible to anger with minor things. She was quickly getting irritated with this man's tone.
"Yes. And every single one of them is capable of destroying your whole village without using half of their energy!" she snapped. At this the Hokage finally seemed to take her seriously, Jiraiya looked like he was ready to stop her from murdering his leader.
"And how many are there?"
"Eleven, .... nine actually, about the other two, it's a little complicated"
".... eleven?" he looked a little pale.
"Nine capable of causing mass destruction" she answered firmly. Asura and Indra weren't really there. Just their chakra imprints sticking to other hosts.
"I will assign one of my Anbu under you, you can trust him with your mission. However, you are obviously a shinobi, and we will need a suitable backstory for your presence in the village. I will work on it, for tonight you can stay at one of the Inns we use to cater to foreign shinobi in the village." he said opening one of the files on his desk.
She nodded just as a man jumped in from the window without any warning.
So obviously she did what any normal person would and sent him right where he came from, outside. The extra force may be a bit of an overkill but she was pretty irritated right now. She could feel both Asura's and Indra's hints of chakra in the village, but it wasn't enough for her to locate it.
Once Jiraiya and the Hokage got oven the fact she had a Sharingan, they told him who he was. (and really, were all these bloodlines that diluted?)
After she was told he was supposedly the Anbu assigned to 'watch over her' she really had her doubts about this old man. At least this Anbu was the same age as her.
---
"Your Sharingan, it's loyal to you" she said as they walked to the Inn she was staying at.
"Hmm?"
"I mean, I know it's not yours, but it is still accepting you, why?"
"Ma, Ira-hime, how do you even possibly know that" the man asked in a casual tone but his chakra was unsteady.
She rolled her eyes, "There's a lot of things that one can see if only you observe"
"It was given to me by my friend, his last wish before he died" He didn't elaborate and Ira didn't ask him to, she could feel the pain and hurt in his chakra already, even if it was masked really well with the one-eyed smile he gave her
They walked the rest of the way in silence, and after bidding a soft goodnight, she went to her allotted room. A simple guest room with full facilities. A real bed after three months was more than welcomed.
-----
The next morning the Hokage, Jiraiya, the Anbu sat down along with her to discuss a convincing story for her arrival in the village.
Apparently, the Sharingan was a Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan, which had been massacred by a man, leaving only his eleven-year-old brother alive, three years ago.
How could one kill their own kin was something she didn't understand even after these years. That clan was her elder brother's legacy. And to kill every single member of the clan someone belonged to themselves-
"The current head of the Uchiha Clan is only eleven years old, he gets a monthly allowance and will get access to the full clan accounts once he reaches Chunin rank, since you have a Sharingan it's easier to come up with a backstory and have you accepted in the village" the old man began.
Ira nodded for him to continue.
"Your father was from the Otsusuki clan, which doesn't exist now, and your mother was an Uchiha who ran away from the village. They were both killed in an attack by rogue shinobi who wanted the Sharingan and you have been living alone since. Jiraiya stumbled upon you during one of his infiltration missions and found out about your dojutsu, and thus you were offered a position in the village. Kakashi is assigned as your guard to make sure you are not a threat to the village on official terms, but his real objective is to aid you in your... hunt" the Sandaime explained, and Ira nodded.
Before they could continue a small child burst through the doors of the room, and Ira's eyes widened and she turned to look at him. This was Asura's chakra, there was no mistake. And Kurama...? She didn't understand.
"Jiji, I need to hide from Iruka-sensei, he's going to kill me!" the boy whined.
The other three shinobi in the room were on alert at once, all looking at her for a second.
"Naruto now is not the time-" the Hokage began but was cut off by the child.
"Who are you?" he asked looking at her, his expression one of curiosity.
"I- ... my name is Ira" she said and stood up, because she could feel it, somehow, Kurama's chakra was barely there but she knew.
"Ira-hime, get away from that boy-" This time she was the one to cut the Hokage off, her Mangekyou whirling as she looked straight at him. She turned her attention back to the boy after a second and placed her hand on his stomach over his jacket. "Can I...?" she trailed off, a hundred questions in her mind.
"You're a doctor or what? Jiji just because I eat ramen once in a while doesn't mean there's something wrong with my stomach" he said glaring at her after looking at the Hokage.
"No, its nothing like that, I just want to take a quick look"
"Whatever" he pouted, possibly afraid of having his ramen taken away. She placed her chakra coated hand on his stomach was just a few seconds, but it was enough to confirm her suspicions.
"It's all good" she managed a small smile.
The boy looked confused after he opened his eyes, but seemed to get over it quick enough and ran out of the room when he realized he wasn't going to find a place to hide in here right now.
"Who is he?" she asked her voice unnaturally calm.
The other three looked at each other for a moment before Jiraiya spoke, "That is above your clearance level,"
"I'll find out either way"
Kakashi stood up ready to fight, she had her own Sharingan activated. "If you hurt him, mission or not, I'll-"
"Quiet. I have no intention of hurting him in any way" she said, interrupting him, "You, however" she said looking at the Hokage, "I will use force if necessary to get information"
"You can't threaten the Hokage" the man spoke calmly, "It's treason against the village"
"I haven't yet joined your village"
They both looked at each other for a moment before the other man sighed.
"I need your word to never harm him or speak about this to anyone"
She nodded, she wouldn't hurt a child either way.
"He is a Jinchuriki"
"A child?" she asked, because who in the right mind would put a bijuu in a child .
"Yes" This time it was Kakashi who answered, his voice protective.
"He has Kurama?" she asked after a moment, and at their confused looks tried again, "The Kyuubi?"
"How can you tell?" this time the old man was more curious than defensive.
She contemplated for a moment before shaking her head, "Doesn't matter"
But she could see the Hokage wasn't an idiot, nine siblings capable of mass destruction, knowing the presence of Kyuubi, and yet not being afraid, he could connect the dots.
He definitely knew, but he didn't say anything, which she was grateful for.
Before anyone else could ask anything or have time to wonder, "That boy can unlock his mokuton" she said.
Three equally shocked faces looked at her, disbelief clear in their faces. She rolled her eyes, "Who is that boys teacher? I want him to be my student" and she did, not only because of the mokuton element, but also Kurama, and Asura, and the fact she had always been a teacher.
"Why?" The white-haired man asked, his voice perfectly controlled.
She raised an eyebrow and bought her hands down on the table, two identical trees sprouting from the two corners of the table facing her, stopping just before reaching the ceiling.
"YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU HAVE THE MOKUTON!" Jiraiya yelled and she winced, that hurt her ears. The Hokage looked ready to leave the room and Kakashi was a mix of shock and disbelief.
"You didn't ask" she snapped because obviously, she wasn't about to go on sprouting her prowess to everyone she met without any context.
"Who are you? this is impossible, what the fuck" Kakashi was looking desperate at this point, she almost wanted to snort.
"He is graduating the academy next year" the Hokage said, "Hopefully" he added, grimacing a little, "Normally this is not permitted, but if he does achieve the mokuton, I will appoint you their jonin sensei, until then Kakashi and you will take joint sessions" both the other men in the room looked ready to protest this.
"Jonin sensei?" she didn't know what that meant.
"When academy students graduate, they form three-man cells along with one jonin sensei, who train them and perform missions together with until they achieve higher ranks." he explained and she nodded.
"I want to choose my own team then, one of them being that boy"
The Hokage looked reluctant but gave in in the end. Right, now she has to find two other members for her team.
She barely knew Kakashi, except that he was supposed to be a skilled ninja, and had a Sharingan.
She found Asura and Kurama already, nine others left. There was plenty of time for that. First, she had to meet the sole survivor of her aniki's clan.