Chapter 4
When we got home it was mid-day, the sun just reaching its peak.
Kaji-chan would be in class, so I allowed the boys to drag us to the Ichiraku ramen. Sensei disappeared to report, and we were dismissed to head home. Training would begin again in two days.
After ramen, we all went our separate ways.
Sasuke went home, Naruto went to see Iruka, and I climbed back into the house through my bedroom window. I unpacked and did a little journaling before checking over the house. Everything was mostly as it had been when I left except for a small blood stain on the carpet in the main room, my chakra withering in anguish beneath my skin.
I cleaned it up with bleach and baking soda, scrubbing the white carpet until all that was left was a discoloured brown stain.
It was a good time to have a shower and change into something a little more comfortable. I turned the water all the way up until the burn became just a little too painful.
The steam soothed my lungs slightly and my skin felt raw. I used a simple jutsu for hair removal that we learn in Kunoichi classes to shave. Once I got out I smothered my skin in lotion after drying off.
I wiped the mirror with a facecloth. My reflection looked back at me blankly. A split lip, a greening bruise around my throat, and bags under my eyes. Forgoing my makeup I brushed my teeth and gingerly examined the damage to my face and neck. Opening the cupboard I pulled out some peroxide, and a cotton swob.
The peroxide stung terribly, but I let it do its job.
Walking into my room I opened the closet and pulled out my favorite civi’s. Black sweatpants hung off my hips and a tight-fitting gray shirt that stopped just below my ribs, covering my arms and moulding to my neck.
The fabric squeezed my bruise uncomfortably, the edges pulled away and down.
I braided my long hair back in one large chunky bubble braid and I wrapped my ankles with bandages again and wrapped some around my left thigh. I strapped my weapons pouch to my waist and grabbed my journal and wallet.
Walking downstairs I pulled on some chunky black sandals and put my things in a small fabric bag sitting on the bench. Walking out I tucked my forehead protector into my waistband loosely and headed towards the shops.
The familiar turns were comforting to my travel-worn legs and the tree cover made me feel secure and protected. A cool breeze blew through the leaves making them russel overhead. The cold felt great on my skin. Leaping into the trees I made my way from branch to branch at a leisurely pace.
Once the shop came into view I allowed myself to take in the familiar sight. Cherry blossoms had begun to bloom and the smell traveled over me slowly. It smells like home here.
The family clothing shop was nestled into the roots of a tree on the outskirts of the shopping district, where the classy part of the entertainment district began. It was built in a circle around the tree, with mannequins displaying some of my mother's old work. A large root made up the entrance, the door being carved out of the very same wood that once grew in its place.
Opening the door a bell attached to the handle rang out. Stairs descended into the ground, lights strung from the sealing casting a golden glow.
The inside of the shop gave way to high ceilings and elegant blue paint. The shop was about 8 feet tall when my parents first bought the place. My dad, being an architect, decided to dig out the bottom to make it bigger. Now the ceilings are approximately 25 feet tall at the highest point.
A few roots entered and exited the walls and ceiling at different spots, but they were left alone. Sketches and note boards covered them, and some string lights hung from them fashionably. My parents worked together to make the dome ceiling look like the sky, with white spotlights that replicate natural sunlight lighting a small portion of the ceiling. A painted sun hanging from the center like a chandelier, a small moon moving around it slowly.
I watched Asumi bustling around the shop, talking to a customer, pulling out replacement buttons, and taking someone's size. Windows were open to let the cool air in from outside. Mika was standing on a ladder pulling different cuts of fabric from the roles that make up the walls. I waited for it to calm down before approaching her.
“Tadima.” She looked up from the dress in front of her and smiled.
“Ahma! Honey, where have you been?”
I smiled as she enveloped me in her arms. The feeling I used to feel when my mother hugged me as a child bloomed in my chest.
She let go and placed her hands on my face, her palm pressing on my bruises and her thumb probing my lip, “What happened? You're hurt.”
I smiled and nodded acknowledgingly.
“We had a little trouble on our mission,” A frown crossed her face as she gently probed at the bruises on my neck.
She shook her head as she took my hand. I looked back to catch Mika’s eye and waved, mouthing a quick sorry. She simply smiled and waved me off with a shrug. Mika was a young aspiring designer that worked for my mother at the shop before she passed.
Asumi led me through a bead curtain that led into the back room. The ceilings were lower back here, and the lights were white spotlights in the ceiling. The walls were decorated with hundreds of sketches and ideas. Fabric, thread, and all sorts of tools covered every available surface. A few commissioned outfits lay half done on mannequins.
“Tell me all about it, honey.” She handed me a sketch of a new design she was working on and a marker to change what I didn’t like.
My mother may be dead. But she lived on in Mika and Asumi, her apprentices, her friends.
When I left I headed to the school to see Kaji-chan. Classes would be out in a few minutes so I thought I’d pick him up. Once I arrived the wait wasn't long, Kaji-chan came out with a small smile on her face. His friends were joking around with him playfully.
“Kaji-chan!”
He whipped around and bolted towards me.
“Ane!” He hurtled into me and wrapped his arms tightly around my body.
A rather large cut on his cheek covered by a bandage glared at me hatefully.
His body shook as he pressed himself farther into my being. Kneeling down I picked him up and placed him on my hip.
“You came home.”
“I said I would, didn't I?” He nodded into my shoulder as I walked us down the street to the shinobi shops.
The area around the academy was two training grounds and a couple of small trails around a wooded area. If you walk about 80 meters down the road that leads to the academy you enter the business district.
This section is mainly civilian-run shops, with the more well-known shops dotted throughout the area. I’ve heard whispers about some high-quality shops down in the central shopping district, but I don't actually know where.
Bypassing the district, I headed toward the Uchiha district. I walked down to the equipment shop I’d been staring in the window of since I was still in the academy.
It was located down the street from the Uchiha police force. From what I’ve seen it's mainly leather work and high-grade protective equipment. Lines of shops and administrative buildings with narrow alleyways between them made up the district.
Muted colours with specific designs on the walls to make it easier to identify where you were in the village are the only real artistic twist.
This district only had a few trees. Most of them had been destroyed when the nine tails attack occurred all those years ago. Ones that still remained stretched up and branched out, reaching for the open spaces of sunlight that had not been available before. I used my unoccupied hand to open the door to the equipment shop.
“Hello there, is there something I can help you with?”
I smiled at the tall dark-haired man behind the counter.
“I’m just looking to buy some guards, and maybe a thigh holster.” He nodded as he walked around the counter.
His eyes were black and his hair was long. It was held back in a long ponytail that swayed with each step he took. He was handsome and clearly a shinobi. A classic Uchiha.
“May I ask why you're looking for guards?” I smiled and gently adjusted Kaji’s body on my hip.
His breathing had even out sometime during the walk and he’d fallen asleep.
Pulling down the neck of my slip I let the bruises be on full display.
“I got into a bad situation with a swordsman on my last mission. I had some problems defending myself against the reach of the sword.” He reached out and gently touched my neck.
Physical boundaries don't really exist amongst shinobi.
I winced and he withdrew his hand.
“I see.” He turned around and walked back to the counter at the back.
He pulled a measuring tape from one of the drawers and beckoned me to come stand in front of him. He pulled a chair from the back and rolled it beside the counter.
“You can put him here, let him sleep.” I nodded and gently laid him on the chair.
“Thank you.”
He measured the length of my forearms and shins before walking into the back room. He came back with 4 sets of guards in hand.
“What exactly are you looking for?” He lifted a set up, “The porcelain guards are ANBU grade, but they can break easily when put under severe stress, the metal sets are lighter, but they dent up over time.” I nodded along.
I slowly considered the pros and cons of what I knew of the guards in front of me.
“I’m not very physically strong so something lighter would be best.” He nodded and placed the porcelain guards on the floor.
“What is your fighting style?” I looked up with a frown. What was my fighting style?
“I rely mainly on my speed and flexibility. I don’t use brute strength. It will need to be durable and easily worked over between missions.”
He nodded and handed me a set of about 5 centimetre thick metal guards.
“Try these on.” I began strapping the guards onto my arms while he strapped the guards onto my shins.
“They’re internally reinforced with thin steel rods, so they shouldn't need too much care.” I nodded and fell into a few fighting stances before lifting my leg above my head to test the weight.
Not too light, not too heavy.
“These are perfect.” The man smiled at me and helped me take them off.
“Who is it you fought? Those bruises on your neck look to be the shape of a hand, so they must have been a physically capable opponent.” He wrapped the guards in fabric and packed them into a long box.
I moved to the leather holsters by the window as he packed my stuff up, “Zabuza Momochi. He was one of the sw-”
“Swordsmen of the mist, I’m aware.” I turned to him, a leather thigh holster and bag in hand. “We became acquainted on the battlefield during the war.” I nodded as I handed him the holster.
“He was a formidable opponent, but next time we meet I’d prefer it not be on the battlefield.” He looked up suddenly.
A look of understanding crossed his face as he looked me over with a more critical eye, “Your Sasuke-san’s teammate?”
“Yes sir.”
He reached his hand out across the counter to shake my hand. I returned the action awkwardly as I did not expect it.
“My name is Ahma Ishizaki, but please call me Mitsu Mr?” He smiled and calculated the amount for the gear.
“Uchiha Kazan, but Kazan is fine.” He glanced at the leather holster I chose and smirked. “I think we’ll get along just fine, Mitsu-chan.”
After getting Kaji home and dropping off my stuff I slipped on my new leather holster before heading to the library. I brought a case of pencils and a large notebook. I walked through the shelves allowing my finger to drag across the spines lightly.
I plucked book after book off the shelf as I went. 3 on chakra, 1 on Fuinjutsu, 5 on anatomy, and another on genjutsu. I sat at a table by the back away from any windows. First I recorded the name of the book, Leemens Guide To Chakra, before I began writing notes.
I learned about the 361 tenketsu points in the body, and that chakra flows throughout the body almost the same way that blood does. The ability to use all 361 tenketsu is rare and most prominently found among noble clans like the Hyuga. It’s theorized to be connected to the soul, so when we die our chakra goes with us. Chakra is a form of life energy that can be used to manipulate the realities of others, but it can also corrupt the user's sense of reality if used incorrectly. Meditation allows an individual to get in touch with themselves mentally.
When a shinobi meditates they can circulate and stretch their chakra. This practice slowly increases the amount of chakra in the body. When forming jutsu there are two parts to form usable chakra, Yin and yang. Yin is physical energy built up through physical prowess, while yang is psychic energy built up through spiritual practices. It's tedious to build up your chakra reserves but it can be done.
The book on Fuinjutsu- Seals, Symbols, and Suggestions.
Fuinjusts seals were broken down into pieces. The form or shape; this part of the seal dictates the flow of the chakra. The dictation determines the instructions given to the chakra. The kanji gives the seal a purpose, it adds instruction to the numerical values needed to stabilize the seal.
Sealing is an art of the mind. Each seal master has their own signature, something specific to them that identifies the original creator. It's all about the intention. The ink needed is made with your own blood and your chakra adds your will to the seal itself. It becomes a separate extension of your life energy and does your bidding. The symbols you use to stabilize the seals and every specific part are needed for a seal to work correctly.
When you layer seals you can create a multi-intention array, but it's extremely difficult to make one of these arrays work all together efficiently. You have to make sure everything is fluid in its ability to interact with other seals. If your seal is unstable it can blow up or cause severe damage to the area around it.
Anatomy was interesting but I focused on one book in particular, The Cardiac System - Blood & Breathing.
The heart pumps all the blood throughout the body. This allows the lungs to oxygenate the blood that is transporting the oxygen throughout the body so the cells use it. Adrenaline causes the heart to pump faster, increasing heart rate. This causes the body to go into flight or fight, meaning that the individual becomes more aware of their surroundings, their eyesight improves, they become faster, their brains work faster, pain is numbed, and exhaustion is counteracted to allow the individual to escape.
The heartbeat is controlled by electrical nodes in the ventricles of the heart. If the electrical impulses are stopped the heart stops beating. The vena cava brings blood back to the heart while the aorta transports blood away from the heart to the body. The cardiac aorta in the neck is a vulnerable place in the body. It is located by the surface of the neck directly under the pulse point of the neck.
The library was closing soon so I listed the section and row numbers for the books before heading home.
My routine evened out over the next couple of weeks.
From Mondays to Thursdays was training with my team in the morning, and a mission right before lunch, then Kaji would join me at the training ground after school was out and he’d do his homework while I worked on my physical fitness. Once Kaji finished his homework I would take him home, feed him, and get him cleaned up before we headed to the library. I would study all the theory I could get my hands on before the library closed and he would try and solve one of my handheld puzzles. After the library closed at 5 pm I would take him for dinner before I snuck us back into the house through my window.
On Fridays and Saturdays, Kaji would go to his friends' places while I went on missions. Usually, it would be a courier mission to the border with my team or a small mission in one of the divisions that lasted for a day or two.
Sunday’s Kaji was off from class so he spent it with the team. Sensei was annoyed by it, but me and the boys put up enough of a fight that he couldn't do anything about it without pissing us all off. After training ended I would take him for daifuku mochi with the boys before we spent the rest of the day together.
Sometimes we would go to the library and he’d ask me to read to him, while other times he’d want to go to the shop. It really depended on what he wanted.
Every second night I’d sneak out of the house after Kaji had braided my hair and follow the familiar path to the underground, dining my black garments and dancing silently as Shinobi and Civilians alike gawked.
I would leave with my wallet heavier than it was when I arrived, most of the money being put away for safekeeping and a portion being slipped into Kaji’s bag for some spending money.
Slowly I consumed more and more theory about anything I could get my hands on. Sometimes I would sneak out after everyone was asleep to go to Kazan’s shop. He’d tell me stories about the war, about the village. He even told me the story of the Uchiha madness.
It’s said that the Uchiha love so completely and so wholly that the loss of a loved one will tear them apart. They awaken their Sharingan when someone they hold dear protects them, it's talked about as something to be proud of, but in reality, their Dojutsu is a curse.
When an Uchiha loses the person they hold most dear, their soulmate or life partner, they become casualties of the curse of hatred. Driven by madness and revenge they either kill themselves or kill others in the name of vengeance. When it happens it's safest that the individual be killed off before they can become a menace to society.
He’d close the shop when I arrived and we would sit in the back. He taught me how to take care of the guards and how to work with leather. I’d watch as he crafted custom orders for ‘classified customers’, ANBU.
Books would fall into my lap when a lull in conversation occurred; he wouldn't say it and I don't think he ever will but he enjoyed the company.
I learned that he had no children of his own and his sister had passed years prior leaving behind a young son, Uchiha Shisui of the body flicker. He didn't like talking about it so we mainly talked about what I was learning at the library. I asked about Sensei’s eye once and he snapped at me. He apologized after, but I’ll never ask about it again.
I watched as the teal-haired girl that's been practically living in the library devoured another dusty tome. It was the 3rd in just as many hours. Sighing, I finally allowed my curiosity to win out against my preference to not get involved. I’d noticed the bruises on her neck the first time she’d walked in, her hitaiate displayed clearly on her waist.
Every day after that she was dressed in shinobi garb instead of civi’s. She would show up sometime after lunch, notebooks in hand and a younger version of her trailing after her. The kid would do a puzzle while she took notes before she’d leave with the kid when the library closed.
I moved my hand to pick up one of her books and her hand caught my wrist. She looked up with a calculating look in her eyes.
“Calm down sweetheart, I’m just curious about what you’ve been doing over here.”
She rolled her eyes, but I caught the uncomfortable movement she made in her chair. She pushed her body farther back and blocked my view of the kid.
“Don’t call me sweetheart. My name is Ahma.”
“Well Ahma, I’m Genma Shiranui. Why are you spending your time here instead of training.” She visibly relaxed, but she remained as a wall between me and the boy. “Most Genin can’t devour books as you can, I’ve watched you read about 100 books in the last 3 weeks alone.”
She smiled shyly and placed her hands on top of her notebooks.
“Actually I’ve managed to consume 137 books. All the chakra theory possible, the few Fuinjutsu, anatomy, dead languages, history of the 5 nations…” I reached my hand out for the notebook in her hand.
She pushed it towards me almost hesitantly but gave it to me nonetheless.
“My teammates will practice with me sometimes, but both have training they do on their own.”
I got comfortable by leaning against the table and flipping through the thick booklet.
“What about your sensei?” Her handwriting was neat, almost like the writing of someone who's been to counselling.
Each sentence was written in extreme detail and explained every idea in relation to the things she had learned from other books.
“Kakashi-sensei doesn't even show up till an hour before noon most days, asking him to teach me something and not just give me the same old chakra exercises is like pulling teeth.” A look of shame crosses her face. Now we can’t have that.
“I get it, I mean, he probably has better things to do than teach me.” A small smile crossed her face. “So I thought that I’d learn as much as I could from books until I could find someone else to teach me.”
Surprise filled my chest.
“You're on Kakashi's team? Sages, I told Hiruzen they shouldn't give him a team. He shouldn't be around kids.” She looked surprised but didn’t question me on the statement.
The little boy stood up and climbed onto her lap. The eyes were the same, but the hair was lighter in color.
“Ane? I’m stuck.”
Giving me another wary look she lifted her knee to provide some kind of barrier, her leg hiding most of his small form from my direct line of sight.
Protective… and maybe a little possessive.
She took the small wooden pieces from his hand and looked them over carefully before slowly clicking the pieces together. The wooden pieces formed a 12-point star.
“How’d you do that Ane?”
She smiled as she handed him the completed puzzle.
“There's a story behind that puzzle Kaji-chan.” He looked up attentively. “Once upon a time, there was a young prince who wished to prove his undying love for a maiden of the land. To do this he climbed to the top of the tallest mountain and caught a falling star. He travelled back to the maiden and in his excitement, he dropped the star and it shattered into a thousand pieces.”
“How'd he impress the maiden if the star was broken?” I wanted to know the answer as well. I’d never heard the story before.
“Well, in a show of his love, the prince knelt on the ground and placed the pieces back together. Each piece was put together exactly as it was. The maiden watched the prince complete the impossible feat and fell in love with him. They married and lived happily ever after.”
The boy, now known as Kaji-chan, smiled as Ahma finished the story.
He looked over the puzzle again before taking it apart and trying to put it back together.
“How’d you put it back together Ane?” She smiled as she kissed the boy's head and shrugged innocently. He huffed and sat back down trying to complete the puzzle.
Looking at the girl I signed. Why am I doing this?
“Tell you what kid-” This is such a bad idea. “Why don’t I teach you?” God, Genma. You’re such a fucking idiot.