Kurai

Now, most people have alarm clocks to wake themselves up at ridiculous hours. By most, I mean every single person who doesn’t know much about Genjutsu, nor how it works and how to apply it. Having applied some simple illusions to last a certain duration of time within my mind, I eventually made an alarm clock that would fit whatever time I needed. 

This doesn't, however, help me get up in the morning. With a simple muttering of ‘kai’ into the eerie dark pit that is my tiny apartment, my world of dreams fades and is replaced. The pitch-black stares at me as I slowly open my eyes, rubbing them free of sleep as I roll off my lumpy mattress. Quickly looking at the small clock sitting on my dark oak nightstand, I nod to myself as the time, 4:00 a.m., reads back to me in green lettering. 

Swiftly moving to my closet, I grab my ANBU gear, some blood flakes from my last mission falling into my dark carpet. 

“Tsk, how fucking troublesome.” I shake my head as I grab my dragon mask, shifting the white porcelain over my face snugly. I move a tie from my wrist into my hair, managing the unruly crap into the familiar pineapple style that most Nara prefers to adopt. Using the Shunshin, I teleport silently outside my house, making sure the little Fuinjutsu barriers I have down are active. As I glance up from the small formulas, I spot a white deer, not part of the usual Nara herd. The stag standing on top of the hill, the mist slowly starts to move around the stag's body as if attempting to shroud it in a veil. 

Glancing away for a moment, I remove my mask to get a better look at the odd dear, only to see it gone. I narrow my eyes in suspicion, shifting my mask back over my face. 

I should report this to Uncle, if something or someone is invading the herd, it could be bad for the clan. 

Moving quickly to the Clan head’s house, I grimace as I realize just what I am about to do. Shaking my head, I gently rap on the Shoji door. A pregnant pause as I shift my feet on the deck, before shuffling from within the house can be heard. 

“This had better be good, waking me up several hours before I need to actually be up.” My grimace turns larger at the comment from my uncle, yet I stand firm as the door opens silently, revealing my grizzled old uncle in a dark robe. His eyes shoot up in mild surprise, his arms crossing over his chest. 

“Renshiro? What brings you to my door this morning? Shouldn’t you be on your way to Hiruzen’s office by now?” I nod my head, my dark hair swaying in the early morning wind as a soft downpour starts to make it known from the grey clouds above. 

“My apologies for the abrupt wake up this morning, uncle. I just thought-” Shikaku puts his hand up, silencing me mid-sentence as he motions me inside. 

“I’m sure Hiruzen can do one day without his shelves being dusted for him. Let's get you some coffee, you look like you’ve seen a ghost nephew, and take that mask off as well. Yoshino is going to yell at you if she walks in here and sees you with it inside the house.” I nod as a shiver runs down my spine. 

“I won’t be here long. I simply have something to inform you of, Shikaku-Sama.” Shikaka waves his hand, a grimace on his face as Yoshino walks into the room. At the sight of myself, she squeals slightly and rushes to me, tackling me into a hug with motherly affection. 

“Oh, Renshiro-channnnn, it’s been far too long! How was that long mission? Can you tell us anything about it? What about-” Shikaku coughs into his hand, stalling the bombardment of questions from his chipper wife. 

“I’m sure you already know that he can’t tell us, dear. Anyways, what were you about to tell me, Renshiro?” I glance up from Yoshino, separating myself from the hug as I sit back in the chair. 

“Yes. This morning as I left my home, I saw what appeared to be a large white deer, not a part of the herd. I saw a glimpse of it before it vanished from my sight. I figured you should be informed since anything out of the ordinary with the herd needs to be reported to you right away as a clan head. Anyways, I need to get to Hokage-Sama, or else I’m afraid he won’t understand half the reports this early in the morning. I’m sure I’ll see you later today, Shikaku-Sama.” With that, I Shunshin out of the room, leaving Shikaku deep in thought. 

“What is it, honey?” Shikaku looks up to his wife, pulling her into his side as she slides into his chair. 

“There’s something familiar with what he just said, though I would need to check.” With that, Shikaku kisses Yoshino on the cheek, earning a smile for his action as he makes for the clan library, intent on getting more information. 

⍱

Arriving outside the Hokage’s office door, I enter quietly with a slight frown on my face. Asleep at the desk sits my oh sovenerable Kage, who is adored by this village. Well, the village didn’t know the Hiruzen Sarutobi who, when alone, worked himself to death like a sloth. 

Sighing, I ghost over the carpet, picking up the classified documents beneath the slumbering old man. Stacking them neatly, I sit at the small side desk and start to rifle through the documents in his stead, as I have done so for many months now. 

The candle starts to flicker as its wax nears its end, just as the sun begins to peek up above the dense trees surrounding the village. With a yawn, I stretch my arms and back on the chair, having gotten through all one hundred documents. Setting them back neatly on Hiruzen’s desk, I look up to see him smiling at me fondly, his pipe already in his hand. A cloud of smoke escapes his lips, hovering near the ceiling of the room before slowly fading. I nod warily, slowly slinking back into the shadows where I feel most comfortable. 

A quiet knock on the door is the only warning before the Shinobi of Darkness sweeps into the room as if he owns the place. Hiruzen gives him a wary eye, but beyond that, show no outward reaction. 

“I don’t recall allowing you to enter my office, Shimura.” Danzō simply sighs in exasperation before nodding curtly. 

“My apologies, old friend. I wasn’t aware you would already be busy this early in the morning.” It’s at this point Danzō notices the stack of finished documents already sitting on the desk. He gives them an approving nod, before turning back to Hiruzen. 

“I thought I should inform you that the delegation from Kumo regarding the incident shall be here soon. Do you still intend to meet them right away? Perhaps a little bit of intimidation would prove helpful if we-” Hiruzen raises a quiet hand, stalling Danzō in his tracks abruptly. 

“I know the political game as well as you do, if not more so. It’s a good part of the reason I took back the hat after Minato gravely perished. There aren’t many others in this village who are politically savvy enough to stand in this position for very long. Soon, maybe we will have potential candidates, but for now, we are stuck with me. I will meet the delegation right away, I’m sure A-San would rather get right to things as well.” With that, all Danzō can do is nod and turn towards the door. Leaving the room, the door shuts with a soft click behind the old advisor. 

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Hiruzen takes a few small puffs before leaning back in his chair comfortably. Leaving the shadows, I quickly dart in front of the desk, kneeling in front of the Sandaime. 

“Dragon, how would you feel about handling the initial negotiations with Kumo?” Surprise flickers through my body, which I am sure Hiruzen can see clear as day. I gulp silently, before releasing a shaky breath. 

“If you give the order Hokage-Sama, then I would be glad to-” Hiruzen rolls an irritated eye down to me, which pauses me mid-thought. 

“Speak freely Renshiro-Kun. It’s just the two of us after all, and I have told you to do so before.” Sighing, I remove my mask and move to stand next to Hiruzen. Leaving my hands to stay hidden within my pockets. 

“I doubt A would take kindly to a nobody such as myself starting off negotiations. Perhaps my uncle would do better?” Hiruzen rolls his eyes at my lackadaisical manner, and my every intention to stay out of politics. They tended to be messier than an actual battle. 

“Mmmm, but your uncle doesn’t know half of the information you do, my oh-so-wonderful paperwork fairy.” The sarcasm laced in that statement sends shivers up my spine. Whenever Hiruzen spoke like that, people tended to do whatever they were being asked politely to do by him. 

Hmph, more like him. How troublesome. 

My shoulders slump in defeat. The argument stops at the tip of my tongue. I run my hands through my long dark hair with a sigh, taking it out of the familiar Nara shape. Loosely, I place it in a bun, holding it in place with a senbon from my weapons pouch. 

“Besides, If the Shadouburingā calls himself a nobody, what are the rest of us? Hm, mister, I can make someone behead themself with my shadow.” I roll my eyes, already having been used to Hiruzen bringing up my countless accolades within anbu. 

“Seriously though, Renshiro. At this point, you are probably on par with Kakashi for notoriety and infamy within ANBU. Anybody who is somebody will know who you are, least of all the Kumo delegation. Quite frankly, I think A would prefer to see you over myself right away, what with him caring about strength and all.” A weary sigh escapes my lips, earning a light chuckle from Hiruzen. 

“If I do this, what exactly is in it for me? I doubt you can make this a standardized mission nor sanction it within ANBU. Therefore, I would be ‘volunteering’ to do this out of my own free will, which is totally bullcrap and hearsay.” 

Hiruzen nods his head, taking a puff from his pipe as he bathes in the warmth of the morning sun. 

“I’ll give you access to intermediate-level books for FuinJutsu, and I’ll arrange for Jiraiya to swing by and give you a tip or two on improving your seals. You did decide to focus on barriers after completing all the novice material, right? He can certainly help you there since he is the one who designed our current barrier system.” I nod, somewhat satisfied before an idea flashes into my head. 

“I have one more request of sorts. I want to take on a Genin team. This year, with all the clan heirs graduating, or it can be in the future. But I think I’m ready to leave ANBU.” With those last words, it seems like a huge weight just drops from Hiruzen’s shoulders. A sad smile graces his face as he nods gratefully at me. 

“That can be arranged. I’ll be frank with you, Renshiro, you have been in ANBUfar too long. Just like Kakashi, you’ve served in the black ops for several years beyond what would be requested of you. Having had to deal with the Uchiha massacre in your third year of anbu, not to mention the other monstrosities you have borne witness to. You deserve to have a life, Renshiro-Kun. I’ll think of something regarding your last request. Now,why don’t you go and greet our new guests.” With a nod, I exit the office and head down towards the gate, where I can see the large form of A-san. 

Making my way to the gate, I dart inside the back of a quiet alley. Pulling clothes out of a seal on my wrist, I start changing into more normal clothes. A well-worn tan jacket, which is my favorite jacket, with a black top underneath, green shinobi pants, and sandals. Satisfied with my appearance, I saunter over to the gate. I nod to Kōtetsu and Izumō, who both nod back gratefully  to me. Two of my few friends outside of anbu. 

Not like most of ANBU knows my name or anything anyways. 

Making my way to A, I can feel his gaze sizing me up, no doubt to see if I’m any good in a fight. I hold my tongue from lashing out since, like most of the world knows, when a Nara talks, you listen. Shaking my head, I stop just short of him. I give off a quick bow before straightening. My eyes shoot straight to his secretary, my eyes lingering longer than they should yet I can’t quite help but take her in. 

Her black dress certainly goes well with her skin, not to mention her stark white hair falls quite nicely down her shoulders as well. I shake my head before turning my eyes back to A, who has a frown on his face. 

“You aren’t all you seem to be, are you Shinobi-San?” The question comes out as more of a statement, making me chuckle internally. Hiruzen 1, Renshiro 0. 

I give A a quick smirk before stowing it behind my usual stoic visage. The Raikage nods approvingly, which sets my mind whirring with questions I leave unattended in the recess of my brain. I scan the rooftops for the familiar signatures of Team Ro, spotting them lurking in the shadows of the tiles. I smile to myself as I turn on my heel. 

“I hope you don’t mind Raikage-Dono, but I will be the one to start the initial negotiations with your delegation. Sandaima-Sama is currently burdened with what he refers to as his greatest enemy and asked that I temporarily replace him in these negotiations.” I signal with my hand behind my back, Cat appearing right next to me right away. 

“While I of course know your delegation is aware to keep to themselves, an anbu shall escort them to the Nature’s Bounty. In the meantime, will you follow me to the Hokage tower so we can start with the initial proceedings?” The Raikage nods, as Cat leads the rest of the delegation away, I can hear A mutter something akin to ‘Konoha really does love trees, tree hugger is starting to sound more appropriate.’ I pretend to not hear him and continue to meander through the street. 

After some time has passed, the sun’s warmth starts to bear down on the village, its heat sending its citizens scattering for any kind of shade. I dart inside the tower as quickly as I can with A in tow, quick to relieve myself of the sweltering heat outside. I can tell even A is flustered slightly. I flash him a smile of shared pain as we make our way through the second floor of the tower. A-San followed suit as I promptly opened the door after arriving at the meeting room. Taking a seat at the long oak table, A sits at the other end of the table as I lean back in the cushioned chair. 

“I hope your trip here was well, Raikage-Dono? If anything were to have happened to you while in the Land of Fire.Konoha would have felt horrible for any poor treatment towards such an esteemed guest such as yourself.” The shadowy words roll off my tongue with little hesitation, surprising myself to a degree. 

“Hmph, you can spare the pleasantries. We both know they are full of chakra crap.” Internally, I roll my eyes as I keep a smile plastered on my face. With a nod, documents are presented before both myself and A, courtesy of the anbu escort lurking in the shadows. A raises an eyebrow, whether, in surprise or acknowledgment, I can’t tell. 

“Very well then. I presume you already know the preliminary details as to why you are here, yes?” A nods, his document folder lay unopened in front of him. 

“Then I shall be brief for today since I am sure you will want to return to your advisors quickly. The top lawmakers in the court of fire have drawn up a non-combative Treaty centered around a small trade between our two villages. To start, the trade of Chakra Wood and High-Quality furs shall be traded for at a lower price with Konoha, in exchange for no monetary compensation from Kumo. We also are asking for three B-rank Lightning Jutsu, one C-Rank and one D-rank on top of those. There are more minute details and trades within the document, of course, but for the most part, those are the major points Konoha will not be budging on. Your Daimyo has also already signed off on the whole document.” A simply crosses his arms, giving a shallow nod. 

Not much one for politics, is he? Very well, let’s up the stakes a bit then, shall we? Hiruzen, this is payback for all the times I’ve covered your ass in the morning.

Smirking, I intertwine my fings in my hand, leaning on the table with a predatory glint in my eyes. I can practically feel the nervousness rolling off of A, who is trying his hardest to keep a stoic front up. Though I imagine his nervousness is more akin to him being worried about what his delegation is doing at this moment than it is from the meeting. 

“There are, however, two points I would like to bring up today before adjourning. One, Kumo is to leave a political representative of significant worth in Konoha as a liaison between the two villages as an act of good faith.” Here I pause as A grips the table, cracks starting to form. 

It’s a good thing this table isn’t the normal one we use for political meetings. 

“Secondly, Kumo is to give up the summoning contract for the panthers. As you have not had a summoner for them in several years to be accepted by them, it is time they are given a new owner. Summons deserve respect and admiration, for one to be absent from our world for so long is a sign of disrespect that needs to be rectified. ” Crack.

The table shatters in half, with A surrounding himself in chakra. I stay calm and silent as several anbu swarm into the room, tantō’s drawn and at the ready. I wave them off, sensing the wariness flowing off them in floods. They linger a few moments longer before they sheathe their weapons and scatter from the room. A stares at me, respect finally in his eyes as he allows a smirk to worm itself onto his otherwise stoic face. He chuckles heartily, before sitting down in his chair once again. 

“I didn’t think I would get to meet someone so interesting this early on in my stay here. You’ve done well boy, I’ll admit. Very well, negotiations shall proceed smoothly starting tomorrow. Give Hiruzen my regards, though I’m sure he watched the whole thing through his crystal ball. I expect I'll be seeing more of you, until next time.” With that, A stands from his chair, sending it clattering to the floor behind him as he sweeps out of the room, followed by anbu from the shadows. Once the door has clicked behind him, I heave a sigh of relief as the pressure from my shoulders vanishes like a fire being washed away by a flood. 

Standing from my chair, I move out of the room before a hand drops on my shoulder. A young anbu I am unfamiliar with, his face covered by a crow mask, shakes his head in what seems to be admiration. 

“I’m not sure how you stayed so calm, but for a Jōnin you sure handled that well.” I almost burst out into laughter. Instead, I bite my tongue and keep a neutral face. 

Before I can respond, a crow with a summons from Hiruzen raps on the window. Opening the window, it lands on my arm. I sigh, nodding to the crow as it flies away back to the communication nest. 

"I'd love to stay and chat, but it seems Hokage-Sama wants to see me." With that, I Shunshin out of the room in a swirl of leaves, leaving nothing in my wake. 

 Appearing in a swirl of leaves, I startle the young secretary outside Hiruzen’s office. She almost spills her tea in her lap, which I quickly flash her an apologetic smile. She waves at me, flustered and very flushed. Her face turns red at which I assume is an embarrassment. I simply turn and quickly go inside the office to see a very calm Hiruzen. 

Uh oh. He’s definitely not happy. In my defense though, he’s the one who gave me free reigns of the initial negotiations, and I got us a summoning contract out of it as well! It was a brilliant idea thought up on the spot!

Holding back my nervousness, I raise an eyebrow at Hiruzen, who continues to stare at me neutrally. Swallowing a lump of saliva in my throat, I take a seat across from the grizzled Hokage. 

Hiruzen moves his hand down in his drawer, pulling out his pipe. He fills it slowly, his eyes never leaving my face as he does so. I remain still, though it takes my entire anbu training to keep from squirming under the gaze of the Shinobi no Kami himself. Slowly, he takes in a deep breath of his pipe, holding it for several seconds longer than I have usually seen him do. He exhales, the smoke clouding in front of him as it always does, except this time I happen to be in front of him instead of beside him. 

“..... You called for me?” Finally, he places his pipe down on his spotless desk. He nods, intertwining his fingers as I had just done so mere minutes ago. 

“Renshiro-Kun. I always knew you were too damn intelligent for your own good, have known it for years now, in fact. Even as a Nara, your intelligence has always been an outlier or an oddity if you will. Shikaku always complains about how you let him win in Shogi, which I am sure is exactly what you do. Now I must ask, have I ever done anything harmful to you, Renshiro-Kun?” I shake my head, internally letting out a sigh at having been caught red-handed. 

Not that I bothered to be discreet about it. If I didn’t want him watching the meeting, I could have raised the barriers.

“Then why, just why would you give this kind old fossil who is much past his prime, more paperwork?” I shake my head in resignation, having anticipated this question from the beginning. 

I place a hand on the desk, tapping it ever so lightly on the wood. I glance up at Hiruzen, exhaustion evident in my body language.

“May I speak freely, Hokage-Sama?” He nods, which I take as my queue to start my long explanation. 

“In military strength, our village could technically be called second strongest in some aspects. After the third war, we both know Kumo has been looking for a chance to start another with us. With Jiraiya always out on his ‘research’ trip, and Tsunade running across the continent getting drunk and ruining the senju name, we have little to no shinobi famous enough to be an outright war deterrent. The first name that comes to mind of course is Kakashi, but he’s no longer near his skill level he was at in anbu. Not to mention, Kakashi has horrible PTSD, survivors guilt and many other mental traumas. It's too damn long of a list. Then of course we have Gai, who quite possibly could be the greatest Taijutsu user the nations have ever seen. Beyond those two, we don’t have anyone currently residing in the village beside yourself who would warrant the other villages to think twice before attacking us. In addition, we only have two active summoning contracts in Konoha, which coincidentally both are held by Kakashi and Gai. We need more firepower, or else I am worried another village may try a shot at us. This gives us an edge over Kumo, regardless if they want to be allies or not after this, we gain another powerful summon to bond with and more Jutsu. We need this, more than you could imagine and I don’t care if your advisors bitch about what I did, they can shove it so far up their puckered black hole’s that it’ll come back out of their mouths. This is a brilliant move for Konoha, even you must see that Hiruzen.” I pant slightly as my shoulders slump against the back of my seat. Hiruzen merely looks at me with a quizzitive eye that always means he is weighing options against each other. 

Just as he is about to speak, a blur comes through the window at high speeds. I dive, a kunai springing into my hand as I tackle the red shape to the ground before they fully gain their footing. I pin the large man to the ground as I render him immobile with my shadow, dangling my kunai right above the nape of his neck. Hiruzen clears his throat, causing me to blink as I realize who, exactly, I had just taken down as a possible intruder. Oh kami, why did it have to be Jiraiya-Sama, the one man who can teach me more about seals. I stand up shakily, my face red from embarrassment as I move quickly back to my seat, releasing my Shadow Prison Jutsu. 

A chuckle escapes the white-haired Sannin, sending sweat down the back of my neck. 

“Well sensei, it’s good to see at least some people in this village aren’t entirely useless. Even if I was only coming because you specifically summoned me here this morning. Luckily, I was already headed back to check on the little orange squirt. So, who’s this?” He raises an eyebrow at me, which sends me bowing lower at the waist than I ever had for Hiruzen. 

“Jiraiya-Sama, it’s an honor to meet you. I am an intermediate level seal user by the name of Renshiro Nara.” He nods, a gleam in his eyes as I stand back up straight. I ignore the plastered look on Hiruzen’s face of surprise, no doubt at my formality. 

“How old are you, kid?” 

“I’m twenty, sir. I turn twenty-one in roughly five months.” He nods, his eyes calculating something. My feet move nervously beneath me, not used to being in the presence of someone legendary. 

Who I had just slightly insulted not moments ago…. 

Shaddup, you shadowy subconscious you!

Strangling my inner shadow, Jiraiya continues to size me up, regardless of the inner turmoil going on inside my body. 

“You’ve got some good moves, kid. If I’m around long enough, I might just be able to teach ya a thing or two about sealing.” Here, he turns to Hiruzen. 

“So, why did you call me back, sensei?” Hiruzen shakes his head, a hidden glare in his eye is sent my way as he waves the two of us into seats.

“Actually, Jiraiya, he's part of the reason why I called you here. Beyond his request to learn more about seals, which I can’t give to him myself, he will be going on a mission with you once the negotiations with Kumo are finished.” 

“Oh? The first part, I understand, even if it’s kind of degrading but you look promising enough, especially for a twenty-year-old. But what’s the mission, sensei? It must be something super important for you to send for me. Am I saving some princess again?” Silence is his answer, which makes Jiraiya shoot Hiruzen a suspicious look. 

Hiruzen coughs before smirking slightly. 

“It’s time my loyal students were brought home fully. Bring Renshiro-Kun here with you after this mess with Kumo is finished, and go find Tsunade. Bring her home, Jiraiya. This world is changing, and I fear what the consequences will be without you two present here soon.”