Kurai

Chapter 2

Startling awake in a cold sweat, I grab the kunai hidden beneath my pillow as I feel my chakra barriers get taken down one by one. I peer into the darkness of my tiny apartment, forcing myself back into a “sleep” state. Controlling my breathing, I listen intently for the loud creaks of my floorboards. 

There! 

Jumping out of bed in a forward dive, I throw my kunai forward, enhancing the throw with chakra and attaching a chakra string as well. The loud clang of metal reverberates through the enclosed space as I tackle the large figure into the doorframe. With a loud “Oomph,” I quickly scatter to my feet. Wheeling my kunai back to me, it jumps into my hand off my chakra strings as I jump on top of my bed. With the height advantage, I push off with chakra, casting Shadow Possession as I do so on the kneeling figure. My shadow links to a familiar shape, leading my eyes to immediately take in the spiky, white hair as I feel the familiar chakra signature from the shadow. 

Stopping abruptly, I realize for a second time I had managed to subdue the legendary Jiraiya, and immediately feel my cheeks flame up redder than an apple. He stands, shrugging off his black cloak as I release my Shadow Possession. He shot me a dirty look as he brushed off his haori. Glancing down nervously, I scuttle into the mini kitchen, immediately putting on a tea kettle. 

“...Do you prefer black or green tea, Jiraiya-Sama?” My voice barely reaches above a whisper, but as Jiraiya makes himself comfortable at my circular oak table, he chuckles wryly. 

“Kid, being alert in your own home just proves your a shinobi. You don’t have to be embarrassed about taking me down, if anything you should feel proud. Even with me not trying to attack you, there aren’t many out there who can. Also, green tea please with some honey if you have it.” I slowly process his words as I nod, pouring honey into his cup as his words finally catch up to my brain. Jumping up, I whirl around in shock. 

“But-but you're the Jiraiya-Sama! You're a hero of the leaf and the village's resident Fuinjutsu master! Not to mention you're the best spy the elemental nations have ever seen! Taking you down could possibly hurt you, and if I hurt you then I take you out of the field and then I would feel guilty because your supposed to teach me some things and not to mention-'' Jiraiya raises a hand, a quiet laugh escaping him. 

“Slow down kid, slow down. Your gonna break the cup if you keep spazzing out like that. Come here and sit.” Nodding at Jiraiya’s padding on my table, I sit in the chair and hand him his cup, proceeding to sip mine as well. Glancing over the lip of my cup nervously at the legendary figure sitting in my apartment in the shadowy hours of the morning. His face lights up in excitement as he takes a sip of his tea. 

“Kid, you make the damn best tea I think I have ever had! Holy shit my tongue feels like it's going to melt in heaven. You’ve got to teach me how you make this!” I shake my head in amusement, not used to seeing someone I have always considered a hero act so…. Carefree. 

“I’m afraid it’s my mothers recipe, and she made me promise I would only ever teach my wife how to make it. Now that I have calmed down though, may I ask what has brought you to my humble apartment so early in the morning, Jiraiya-Sama?” Jiraiya nods, setting his now empty tea cup down with a pout. I give a soft sigh as I pick it up, moving to refill his cup. 

“I figured you would have to go meet A here soon so I came a little early to talk about seals with ya. You said you're an intermediate seal master, right?” I nod as I hand him his cup, which he accepts giddily. 

He unseals something from a small seal I can’t read on his wrist, throwing the small scroll at me. 

“Decipher this seal while I drink some more of this heavenly tea. I swear this tea would make me give up writing my novels and research. Well, almost. Pretty damn close.” I ignore that last comment to the best of my ability as I unseal my pen and ink from a seal on my shirt.

Unfurling the scroll, I immediately scan the seal on the vellum. 

This…. It looks like some kind of barrier seal. I recognize this seal in the top of the matrix, it’s the “Water Reflecting” seal matrix. Down at the bottom is the “Fire Mirror” seal matrix. Which would lead me to assume the right and left seal matrixes are “Earth Destroying” and the “Air Absorbing” seal matrixes. Those I learned back at level four. It’s this middle Seal Matrix that’s leaving me puzzled. At first glance, it looks like some kind of “Storage Matrix” yet, the numbers don’t add up. Hmmm…..

Looking up from the seal, I see Jiraiya staring at me intently. 

“Let me hear your initial thoughts, kid.” 

I twiddle my fingers together underneath the table as I squirm underneath the gaze of the greatest seal master Konoha has. 

“Well, the outer matrices are ‘Fire Mirror,’ ’Water Reflecting,’ ‘Earth Destroying’ and ‘Air Absorbing.’ Those ones I learned a while ago, and were quite easy to decipher. It’s the middle Matrix itself that is confusing me right now. I thought it was some kind of Storage Matrix but the numbers for it don’t add up.” Jiriaya nods, a pleased grin on his face. 

“That’s more than most seal users would understand, kid. Honestly, you are probably pretty close to moving up a level. I imagine you are level six right now?” I nod my head as I take a sip of my tea. “Yeah I thought so, you're pretty close to level seven in all honesty, which is where you start to really dive into barrier seals. This seal is called the ‘Element Repelling’ barrier seal. It was designed by yours truly to help keep out harsh weather conditions. As for the middle Matrix, you were close honestly. It’s not a storage seal, but rather a chakra storage seal. Which you learn at level seven.” Jiraiya frowns at his empty tea cup once again. 

“You need to get to your meeting with A, but I think helping you out a bit might be beneficial and a good use of time. I’ll seek you out again later kid. Try not to attack me next time though, huh?” With that, Jiraiya disappears in a swirl of leaves. I stare for a moment, before glancing to my clock which reads 5:15 back to me. I jump out of my chair, dashing into my room and throwing on my normal outfit, a light purple shirt instead of my normal dark blue. 

Rushing out the door, I slam it shut behind me as I quickly glance over my small barrier seals. I frown, now seeing some points wrong in them. Cursing, I leave them deactivated as I rush to the meeting room in the Hokage Tower. 

I need to get those barrier seals checked out now. Troublesome. 

⍱

Arriving at the room, I calm myself as I steady my breathing. Opening the door, I see the young secretary sitting where A should have been sitting. I try to fight off the rising blush on my cheeks as I once again discreetly admire her stark white hair. 

Her hair is so pretty. Shaking my head, I take a seat at the head of the table. 

“My apologies, but I thought A-San was going to be attending this meeting?” She shakes her head, her white hair fluttering about behind her like snowflakes as she flashes a quiet yet peaceful smile. 

“Raikage-Sama had to return home early this morning due to an… Issue with his brother back at the village. I’ll be taking his place, since I am his secretary. I’m Mabui Shizuka, it’ll be a pleasure to work with you during these negotiations.” I gulp as I feel some nerves slowly make their way up my spine, mainly thanks to my minimal interaction with the female gender. 

Least of all one as pretty as she is! I mean, besides her hair I just love her forest green eyes! Gah, I feel like a fanboy giggling over a crush.Tch, now I see why most Nara think women are so troublesome. They are too damn captivating for their own good. Shaking my head, I nod politely with a smile. 

“Renshiro Nara, it’s a pleasure to meet someone as lovely as you.” A small blush adorns her cheeks, and I mentally pump my fist in the air. Now we just gotta keep cool. As long as she also seems interested, maybe we can work something out… 

Laying out manila folders on the table, I slide a copy of the folders and their contents over to her. 

“If you’ll allow me, I assume that Raikage-Sama caught you up with what transpired at the last meeting?” Mabui nods, that pleasant smile never leaving her face. 

“Then let us dive into some of the more droll details. If you open your folder, I organized the items to be discussed in order at the meeting, so you should see a map laid out before you.” She nods, pulling the map out and laying it on the table. Mine lies closed at my side, thanks to having already memorized all the items and details. 

“There is a decently sized mining town that lies directly across both of our borders. Till date, it has been left to its own devices since neither of our governments could figure out what to do.” She nods once again, her brows furrowed as she studies the town details. She looks back up, frowning at me slightly. 

“What’s your plan? I’ve been involved with talks for this town between our villages before twice, and nothing came of it. We’ve been over every avenue, and nothing was ever agreed upon.” I nod, watching as her shoulders rise in confusion. 

“You are right, of course, nothing has ever been agreed upon. Which is why I would like to settle this all in one swoop. As a sign of good faith, Konoha will allow Kumo to make a claim on the town with no contest from us.” Mabui stands quickly, her chair clattering to the floor.

“There’s no way you have the authority to grant that! I doubt even the Hokage could grant that without deliberation! Not to mention, that town is a gold mine, literally! Are you really telling me that Konoha would give us this with no strings attached? You're bluffing.” I sigh, feeling my shadow stretch thin as I try to hold in my laughter. 

“Mabui-San allow me to be clear. I have full authority in this negotiation, so really I can do as I please within reason. You can have the town, the people there need some form of government to help unify them. As I said, it’s a sign of good faith. My document has already been signed in agreement, now only yours needs to be signed and the town is Kumo’s. Both Daimyo's have also given their agreement, with letter correspondences found within your folder. I assure you, as long as you have the power to sign on A’s behalf, then we are able to move forward with this. Please sign so we may move onto the next item.” Mabui stares at me, her brows furrowed and her dark skin glistening in some precipitation. Calmly, I smile back at her, keeping my poker face in check.

As Tobirama-Sama once said: Take one step back to plan, take three steps forward to strike. Take two steps back to meet on even ground, while holding the advantage. That is what it means to become victorious. 

After a moment, she finally sits back down. Fixing her hair and dress, she takes a deep breath. 

“I apologize for my outburst. I assure you, I have the power invested by both Daimyo-Sama and Raikage-Sama to continue with this move. Kumo gladly accepts the town and promises to take good care of the people there.” With that, she dips her pen in the ink and signs her name. I clasp my hands together. 

“Now that we are over that matter, let us move swiftly onto the next subject. The team exchange matter.” Mabui looks up, her eyes dancing in thought.

Good, it seems she does possess a lot of intelligence and is picking this up quickly. She’s proving to be fun! A smile worms its way onto my face, a quiet blush rushing up the back of my neck like a spider in its web. 

“Yes, Konoha, or well you, I suppose, suggested the swap of two Chūnin teams between our villages, to start collaboration with each other. What more did you wish to discuss? This seems fairly straightforward and was already signed by both councils.” I unclasp my hands, laying my elbow on the table as I rest my chin in my hand lazily. 

Politics 101, body language helps dictate how each item goes.

“I wish to change it slightly. Instead of the two teams, let's do one Genin squad.” Mabui raises a quiet eyebrow, her mouth turning upwards in a grin. 

“Ok, but we need to decide what squad we would send. Does Konoha have a Genin squad they could send in mind already?” I nod, grabbing a red leather folder from beneath my chair. I slide the folder over to Mabui, who stops it and opens it. 

“A fresh out of the academy squad? Bold, but I see the appeal behind it. Who is this ‘Maito Gai’ person? I don’t believe I am familiar with him.” Here, I really hold back a laugh as the realization of Mabui not knowing the green beast sets me smiling. 

“His father, Maito Dai is the one who took out several of the seven swordsmen of the mist. It’s said that Maito Gai is even stronger than his father was, and is a Taijutsu master in all but name. If I am being quite honest, in a straight Taijutsu fight, I’m not sure there is someone more proficient or knowledgeable than Maito Gai.” She nods, a pleased smile on her face. 

“If he lives up to your expectations, then I am sure Kumo would be honored to welcome him and his young charges into our village. Now the question remains, who could we possibly send here in exchange? Hm…” Her voice trails off as she opens her own binder, one much thicker than anything I had ever seen. 

Good god that thing must be as thick as my forearm. 

As she flicks through the cream pages, she stops on one suddenly. Her eyes twinkle with delight and amusement. 

“I think I have the perfect candidates for you. Though, in the sake of trust and honesty I must disclose something. The Jōnin sensei for this team contains the two tails within her.” I grimace, my mind racing through plans and scenarios in the span of a minute. 

Meanwhile our Jinchuuriki is a year from graduating. Should the sensei go on some kind of rampage, I’m not sure we have the manpower to possibly stop them. Shit, this is so troublesome. Think Renshiro, think! Wait…

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I close my eyes in concentration. I can feel her shifting in her chair nervously, obviously flustered by the lack of response from me. 

We stand to gain much more from this than they do. Is this some kind of trick from a rookie secretary who has never done any kind of political negotiation. No, it’s obvious by her being so flustered that she just came up with this idea. Tch, why is this so damn troublesome. But I can use this to my advantage. With such a bold move coming from her, I have to up the stakes. But how…

Sighing, I open my eyes to see her bouncing in her chair, practically vibrating in anticipation. 

“That’s fine, but I am going to add a condition then.” Mabui raises an eyebrow as she stops bouncing in her seat. 

“What other condition could you possibly be adding? This seems like a straight deal to me.” I nod, a gleam in my eye and a positively victorious smirk hidden beneath my neutral face. 

“Kumo has always been great at helping Jinchuuriki train with their beast. My condition is that the sensei has to help train our Jinchuuriki on her off time. Let’s say, twice a week for a couple hours under ANBU supervision. Does that sound fair?” Mabui nods right away, relief and happiness flooding her body. She relaxes, her back laying against the seat as she heaves out a long breath. Mabui stands from her chair, the chair making some awful noise as it scrapes against the floor. I wince internally, mentally reminding myself to get someone to change the chairs for the next time.

The clock chimes noon, startling both myself and Mabui. Realization sets in as I quickly realize that she likely has nobody in the village to talk to besides her own delegation. The thought of such a lovely woman being alone in Konoha makes my heart skip a beat. I glance at her, A bright smile on her face that I refuse to let turn to a lonely visage. Gulping nervously, I try to keep my face as blank as possible as I ask, what is quite possibly the most dangerous question I have ever risked. 

“Mabui-San, would you care to grab some lunch before we start again?”