Chapter 80: Ch.79. Forced Down Time

The final day in the Land of Waves had finally arrived.

Everyone gathered on the now complete bridge with sad faces all around.

It was time for the Leaf ninja to head back home.

Tazuna shook hands with Kakashi and Yamato with a somber face.

"I couldn't have completed the bridge without your help. Who knows where we would be now if that man fulfilled his promise. Thank you for protecting us."

"There is no need for that. We protected ourselves as well. This was our mission anyway, so we just did our duty."

"Even still, thank you!"

Tazuna bowed his head towards the group followed by his family and everyone else in town.

The young ninjas felt pretty embarrassed by this, but also felt a boost to their confidence. They completed their mission like real ninjas!

This also let them realize how crazy a real mission could be. Anything could happen when they were out in the field.

Haku came forward and gave Hii a hug.

"I'll send you messages from me and Zabuza-sama soon. We'll keep in touch so we can possibly do missions together."

"Great! I'll be stronger the next time we meet! We should spar at that time too. Don't get caught by the puppet guy either!"

Haku let go and gave him a warm smile.

"I look forward to it. I won't get caught so easily."

""Haku-san!!""

The girls all piled onto Haku gave him a group hug!

"We have to go get some sweets together soon!"

"I'll show you around the Leaf if you come to visit!"

"You have to tell me what you use for your hair next time!"

"But I'm a boy...."

The girls ignored his protest and continued to say their goodbyes.

Gozu and Meizu came over to Naruto and Sasuke to say their goodbyes as well.

"You gotta show me how to do that move next time! It was pretty cool!"

"Sure, Two Horns! I'll show you a new move next time too!"

"Sweet! And the name is Meizu! Why can't you remember it?!"

Naruto and Meizu chatted while Sasuke and Gozu shook hands.

"I see a lot of potential in you. Make sure you don't die before we meet again. I'd love to test your skills."

"Hmph! I won't lose so easily. You should do the same and make sure we can meet again."

Zabuza came over to Hii and just loomed over him.

The two silently stared at each other before turning away without a word.

The sharp gazes that collided against each other told them all they needed to know. They couldn't wait to cross blades with each other again.

"Until next time."

"Mmm."

The two said goodbye swiftly as the group finally started to leave.

"Well then, we'll get on our way back home."

"See you guys later!"

"Goodbye everyone!"

Inari waved both of his hands as the Leaf ninjas all started to leave the village. 

Tears welled in his eyes as he looked at everyone's backs. He was grateful for their help saving Kaiza and the entire town.

Tazuna rubbed Inari's head as he also looked towards the leaving group with tears in his eyes.

Kaiza hugged Tsunami close as they also watched in silence.

"Ah! Wait! What will we call the bridge?! We never decided on a name!"

It was Kaiza who suddenly realized that they hadn't named the bridge yet.

Tazuna laughed out loud at the oversight and looked into the distance.

"How about Savior's bridge? In respect of the heroes who gave our town hope and protection?"

"Savior's bridge, huh? It has a nice ring to it."

Zabuza scoffed as he listened to them. He turned away from the group as he walked towards the forest.

"Come on! We have training to do. I don't want that brat to be the only one who improves."

""Yes, Zabuza-sama!""

The four headed towards the forest, leaving the grateful villagers behind.

"I want to see them again someday!"

Inari shouted to Tazuna as he watched the ninjas all leave.

"Perhaps you will. You never know what will happen in life."

********************

Minato had his head pressed into his hands in disbelief.

The others all looked at Minato with concerned gazes, but they knew they couldn't do anything about what happened.

Minato slowly lifted his head from his hands and looked at the two teams.

He picked up the file on his desk and sighed.

"Let me make sure I understand this correctly. An Akatsuki member appeared to be the back-up for a small time mobster that kept the town isolated for a monopoly on trade. The Akatsuki member was attacked by a separate rogue ninja squad who wanted to obtain his weapon while they also fought against his influence on the town. Your teams made their way into the town after this event and were forced to fight the Akatsuki member once he caught wind of you together with the rogue squad. The member called for reinforcements and brought another member of Akatsuki to assist in taking you both on, but the new member was so caught up chasing after Hii and...Haku that he didn't mind his partner dying in exchange for more time to test them. The bridge is complete, and the remaining Akatsuki escaped and now marked the two as his next additions to his "collection". Is that all correct?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

Minato looked at Yamato, then back down at the paper once more, and let out a deeper sigh.

"You guys...have had quite a rough mission to complete this time."

Minato rubbed his temples and placed the paper down.

"These parameters far exceed a C-rank rating. This is more like an S-rank mission, and a dangerous one at that."

No one said anything as they let Minato mull over his thoughts.

Minato looked up at the group and set his sights on Team 7.

"I hear you three had contact with enemy ninja forces as well. This should be the first time for you. How was it?"

Naruto rubbed his head and grinned.

"It was scary, but exciting! I used a Jutsu Nee-san and I were working on and it worked wonders!"

Minato couldn't help, but smile at Naruto's happy face.

"As long as you're safe. You should, however, remember this for the future."

Minato's face grew serious as he stared at his son.

"This will not be the last time you have to fight or kill an enemy ninja. Be sure to get used to this from now on. Those Akatsuki members will become more active in the future and may even come after you. All of you should be careful! Understood?"

""Yes!""

The Genin all replied to Minato while he nodded his head in response.

"How about you, Sasuke-kun? Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke had a grin on his face as he nodded his head.

"It was a simple task."

"I see. You have confidence just like your brother."

Sasuke's smile grew a bit brighter as he heard Minato's praise.

Sakura seemed a bit pale, but she had a determined gleam in her eyes as she looked at the Hokage.

"I-I had a hard time killing the enemy, but it let me find out how strong I really am. I'm lucky and grateful for the experience."

Minato smiled as he heard Sakura's reply.

"It's already amazing that you could do so much coming from a civilian household. I look forward to seeing how you progress from here."

"Y-Yes, Hokage-sama!"

Minato nodded his head and turned to Team 9.

"How about you three?"

"No problems here, Dad!"

Minato sighed as he saw his daughter give him a peace sign.

"Call me Hokage while on duty, Shizuka-chan."

"Yes, Hokage-sama~."

Minato ignored his daughter's rolling eyes and turned to Maka.

Maka clenched her fists and answered him.

"I think I did well. Of course, I still need to work on getting stronger. Also..."

Maka glanced over at Hii for a moment and turned back to Minato.

"I will need to work on obtaining more techniques for battle."

"Me too."

Minato noticed the strong gazes of the two girls and glanced at Hii as well.

'There must be a wider gap between them than they anticipated. That's good for sparking their improvement further.'

Hii nodded his head and didn't look the least bit proud of his accomplishment.

"I have to train a lot harder than before. I realize I haven't done enough yet."

'Weren't you already training hard in the first place?'

Minato could feel the sweat drip down his back as he tried to imagine what he had in mind to further his training.

"Well, please improve with moderation in mind."

Hii nodded his head, but Minato could tell his advice went through one ear and out the other.

'He's stubborn like his mother.'

Minato sighed once more and decided not to think about it.

"At any rate, congratulations on completing your first mission beyond D-rank!"

"Yeah!"

"Woohoo!!"

Naruto and Shizuka both celebrated as the others had smiles on their faces.

"Now the original mission was C-rank, but with the way the mission evolved, the parameters have now reached S-rank."

Naruto grew excited!

"We completed an S-rank mission?! Hell yeah!"

"Language, Naruto."

Kakashi reprimanded him lightly, bringing Naruto back down from his excitement.

"Gah?! Sorry, Dad. I mean, Hokage-sama!"

Minato just shook his head with a smile.

"I don't mind. I know he's excited. Although this has become an S-rank mission, I will have to classify this still as a C-rank mission for now. You will, however, receive the pay of an S-rank mission and you will have leave for 2 months."

""What?!""

The Genin were confused by the strange events taking place!

"I'll explain the reason why for you."

Yamato cleared his throat and turned towards the Genin.

"Genins are usually paid after doing missions around the village and slowly getting to go out to do C-rank missions. There's a set amount of missions and money that is given per month to these teams. In our case, the mission we've done has passed the normal level a Genin team would do. Because of this, we have gone beyond the cash limit we can receive each month by quite a lot. We will have to sit out on doing missions for a while as a team due to this situation."

"....Huh?"

Everyone understood, except Naruto.

Shizuka leaned over and put her brother in a headlock.

"It means because we did a mission beyond our level and we're getting paid for it, we have to sit out from doing more missions because we hit the bank too hard."

"Ah! I get it, so let go, Nee-san!"

"Hehehe! Ninjas never drop their guards~!"

Minato nodded his head and smiled at his kids.

"That's right. Since you are getting paid much more than the normal amount, we can't use you until enough time has passed for you to be paid again. Use this time to train and better yourselves. It will help since the Chuunin Exams are coming in a few months as well."

"The Chuunin Exams?! Can we take it?!"

Naruto burst out of Shizuka's headlock and leaned over the desk!

Minato nodded and patted his son's head with a smile.

"That will all depend on how well you train up before then. Your teacher will be the ones to decide if you're ready."

"Hehehe! Alright!"

Naruto backed up and came back in line with a bright smile on his face.

"With that being said, you all should head back to your homes and rest up. Your teachers will inform you when the time is right. Good luck on your training and congratulations once again."

""Thank you, Hokage-sama!""

The Genin all bowed and exited the room, leaving only the teachers and Minato behind.

Minato's smiling face became serious as he looked over to his student and subordinate.

"Kakashi. Yamato. Tell me, do you think that this was all intentional or just an accident?"

"I think it was an accident, Hokage-sama. The Akatsuki member, Juzo, was more concerned about dealing with Zabuza Momochi than with us. His partner also showed no knowledge or interest in Naruto or Hii prior to their battle."

Yamato stepped forward and answered.

Minato nodded his head and looked over to Kakashi.

"What do you think, Kakashi?"

"I agree with Yamato's assumption. I think this was purely coincidentally. However..."

Kakashi closed his eyes and digested the information he had noticed.

He opened them again and looked at Minato.

"I think that there might be a deeper story to Sasori that we can exploit."

Minato's eyes flashed with understanding as he nodded his head.

"You mean his fascination with Hii and Haku?"

Kakashi nodded his head and continued.

"Right. I think that he must have at least one puppet that fits that criteria for his obsession. It should be someone similar to the two. If that's the case, perhaps we can ally with Suna to track and deal with him without much effort."

Yamato face flashed with understanding as he looked at Kakashi.

"Do you mean the 3rd Kazekage...?!"

"It's possible."

Minato closed his eyes and nodded his head.

"We will have to look further into this before we make our move. Perhaps Akumu may have some information on him as well. He should've been the one to notice the poison on his weapons."

The two teachers nodded at the assumption.

"This could turn a bad omen into good fortune if used carefully. We'll have to gather as much information as we can so we can be prepared before we contact the Hidden Sand village."

""Yes!""

Minato nodded his head and looked over at the another file presented to him.

This time, his face was rather stiff as he looked over the information.

"....Yamato-san?"

"Yes?"

"You want to....use the photos you obtained undercover to make a calendar?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama! I believe this could provide us with some much needed extra funds as well as promote a new era of calendar advertisement!"

Yamato's eyes sparkled while Kakashi sighed in defeat. Yamato just wouldn't let the idea go.

Minato looked over at the information and the photos for a moment before placing them down.

"I'll have to bring the 3rd Hokage here as well to discuss this. You may be on to something."

************

Kurokumo Household

************

Hii was caught in a common Kurokumo family situation.

"......"

Hii looked over at his siblings and family for help, but they could only shake their heads.

No one could save him now.

"Mom? You can let go now."

"No! I'm going to hug my baby boy until I'm satisfied!"

Hii was stuck in Kaya's grasp as the rest of the family watched with affectionate gazes.

"You'll have to deal with it today. You were originally suppose to come back last week. Your mother got pretty worried over where you were during that time."

Henda explained to Hii as Kaya's grip seemed to tighten around him.

"Hii. What happened out there to make you return so late?"

Di asked Hii while he pulled up chairs for Riku and him to sit in.

"Well, it's kinda crazy when I think about it."

Hii began to explain what happened in the Land of Waves while the family listened with interest.

Moya and Yozora started to laugh as Hii explained that he had to use the strange Jutsu Naruto made to get into the town. Kaya demanded to see his girl form, but Hii decided to refuse her with all of his might. 

The tension began to rise once Hii started to explain what happened with Juzo and Zabuza. Kaya had let him go at this point and started to radiate a chilling killing intent.

"So those two demons were there, huh? Were they the reason why you were late?"

"C-Calm down, honey. Hii hasn't finished the story yet."

Hii wanted to stop the story then, but the piercing gaze from Kaya made him continue. 

Once he was done with his story, three sources killing intents were swirling around him! Di and Riku joined in as their faces contorted with anger.

"Hehehehe...."

Kaya started to laugh softly, then it slowly grew louder and louder.

"I see! So some rogue Sand ninja thinks he can just turn my son into a puppet?! The galo of that bastard!!"

"It seems that is the case, my daughter. We will have to go and see how strong he really is to think he can do as he pleases."

"It's been a long time since I've burned a puppet master. It should be quite fun to watch them melt with their toys."

Henda blocked Moya and Yozora from the killing intent the three were giving off as they saw their loved ones huddle together and planning out their attack.

"Wait!"

Hii yelled out to them, making them turn towards him.

Hii took in a deep breath and exhaled.

"I'm really happy for having a family that will fight for me, but I have to refuse your help on this."

"Huh?! Why?! It will be really quick if we just go and end him!"

Hii raised his head and looked his mother in the eyes.

"He's mine. I'll be the one to take his life for thinking I was someone he could kill at any time. I'll show him myself how wrong he was."

""........""

The three stared at him, stunned by how determined Hii was to prove himself.

Di came over to Hii and gave him a fierce hug!

"Ah! Grandpa?!"

"I understand that feeling, Hii! You want to rise above your limits on your own! I understand completely!"

The kids were all surprised as they had never seen Grandpa so excited.

Riku shook her head.

"Haaaa~. You are just like your Grandfather. I guess I'll stay my hand on killing him for now."

Kaya had her cheeks puffed to the extreme as she stared at Riku in protest.

Riku chuckled and patted Kaya's head.

"Kaya. Hii has the right to kill someone after his life on his own if he wants to. You can't force your way into killing them for him. It will not help him grow."

"......"

Kaya's cheeks deflated slowly as she frowned. She knew her mother was right.

Riku smiled gently as she looked at her daughter.

"That doesn't mean we can't torture him viciously if we find him though."

Kaya's frown froze and quickly became a sly smile as she turned to her mother and saw the same smile on her face.

""Hehehehe...""

Di looked at his wife bonding with their daughter and shook his head.

"Hii. I believe that a clean death on the battlefield is the best honor for an opponent. Try not to be like those two."

"....I will try, Grandpa."

Moya tilted her head as she watched her Mom and Grandma discuss something in secret.

"I kinda want to know what they're talking about..."

Yozora grabbed his sister's shoulder and shook his head.

"No! Nee-san will go bad!"

""What do you mean, Yozora?!""

"Uwaaah!!"

Yozora quickly hid behind Henda, avoiding the sinister gazes of his Grandma and Mom.

'Why me?'

Henda had a wry smile on his face and turned towards Hii. He noticed the hilt of his sword was a bit chipped, making him frown.

"Looks like you need to repair your blade a bit. Let's do that tomorrow after you've rested for a while. Also, welcome home, son."

Henda patted Hii's head, making Hii smile towards his father.

"Thanks. I'm glad to be home."

******************

Uzumaki Household

******************

"And then, I blew up the clone bomb Nee-san and I made! They were going crazy while paint was flying everywhere!"

Naruto was telling Kushina all about his first S-rank mission.

Kushina patiently listened to her son as she sat on the couch beside him, chuckling and gasping at the crazy parts of his story.

Shizuka sat on the other side, deep in thought.

"It was kinda scary, but I'm not going to give up just from that! I'll be Hokage someday! Believe it dattebayo!"

"Good! I believe in you, Naruto. I know you can do it."

"Hehehe!"

Naruto rubbed his nose as the two grinned at each other.

Shizuka looked over them with a smile and glanced down at her hand.

 'I killed someone. It didn't feel as bad as I thought. Probably because I was prepared for it.'

Shizuka clenched her hands opened and closed.

'I have to find more techniques to give myself an advantage. Seals are handy, but I need something that gives me more power or mobility.'

Shizuka nodded her head and looked over at the clock.

It was 9:30 pm.

'He should be back soon.'

*Shuuu*

A figure appeared suddenly in the living room next to a hanging three pronged kunai.

"Phew~."

"Dad!"

Naruto jumped up from the couch and came towards Minato.

Minato smiled and patted his head.

"I already welcomed you both back as the Hokage, so now I'll do it as your father. Welcome home, you two."

"Hehehe!"

"Thanks, Dad."

Kushina stood up and helped Minato take off his Hokage jacket while he sat next to Shizuka on the couch.

"Hey Dad! What are we suppose to do now that we will be stuck here?"

"I actually have a plan for that."

Minato placed his hands on his knees and looked over at Naruto.

"You and your mother will be training with Yamato-san for a while."

"Eh?! Me and Mom?!"

Naruto looked over at Kushina and saw her nod her head.

"That's right. It's time for you to get to know Kurama."

"Kurama?! The fox?!"

Kushina chuckled and pointed to his stomach.

"That's right. You'll have to work hard though. He is quite an irritating guy to deal with."

"Eh?! Can we really talk to him?! I always thought he wouldn't want anything to do with us..."

Kushina smiled and patted her chest.

"Yep! Don't worry! With me and Yamato-san, you won't have to be nervous about meeting him! You'll find Kurama to be a big, fluffy, softie!"

"...Really?"

Naruto couldn't help, but be skeptical at the idea of a giant fox inside him being a softie.

"Hey! Don't look down on your mother! I'm telling the truth dattebane!"

"R-Right! I believe you, Mom!"

Naruto quickly nodded his head as his mother's hair started to rise up into the air!

"Hmph! Just be ready and try to get along him. We shouldn't depend solely on him, but his power can help in tough times."

Naruto nodded his head, though he didn't really understand what getting to know a grumpy fox had to do with power.

Shizuka, on the other hand, clenched her fists as she heard Kushina talk to Naruto.

'So Naruto will become stronger soon as well. I have to keep up with him.'

Shizuka glanced at Minato and noticed he was looking at her.

"Dad?"

"Ah! Sorry about that. I just figured you would be a bit upset if we only announced Naruto having training."

Minato smiled and patted her head.

"I'll help you learn whatever you want to know. Just let me know when you have an idea of what you want to train in. I'll make time to teach you myself."

Shizuka looked down at her hands and nodded her head.

"I already know what I want!"

Shizuka surprised everyone as she replied loudly and turned to her father.

"Dad! I want to learn how to do the Flying Raijin like you!"

***************

Uchiha Household

***************

Sasuke sat in front of Fugaku nervously as excitement rushed through him.

Fugaku looked over his son with pride.

He was happy to find out his son could control his Sharingan now.

"Good work completing your mission. It was quite a dangerous ordeal, but you completed it and came back alive. You even unlocked your own Sharingan as well. It was a blessing in a disaster."

Fugaku nodded his head and looked into Sasuke's eyes.

"Activate them for me."

"Yes, Father."

Sasuke nodded his head and quickly turned his Sharingan on.

Fugaku monitored him for a moment and activated his own Sharingan.

"Now that you have unlocked your eyes, it's time for you to learn how to use them properly."

*Tsuu*

The door to the room opened as Mikoto came in with two cups on a tray.

She sat between them and set the cups down for both of them.

"Good luck, Sasuke."

Mikoto patted Sasuke's head and headed back to the kitchen while Sasuke blushed.

"Perfect timing. I was getting a bit thirsty."

You are reading story The Cloud Over The Leaf at novel35.com

Sasuke watched his father lift his tea cup and blow away the steam rising from it.

Sasuke felt a twinge of thirst and wanted to do the same, but when he looked down to grab his drink, it was nowhere to be found!

"!!"

Sasuke looked around the room, but didn't see it anywhere.

Fugaku continued to drink his tea calmly as he watched his son panic.

"Haaaa."

He exhaled softly and put his cup back down.

"You have to pay attention to your surroundings carefully. You never know when you might run into a Genjutsu user or a trap like this."

Fugaku looked at his son and closed his eyes.

"Close your eyes and breathe in deep."

"O-okay..."

Sasuke closed his eyes and breathed in deeply from his nose. He held it for a moment, then let it go through his mouth. He repeated the process a few times and finally started to calm down.

"Feel better?"

"Yes."

"Good. Open your eyes."

Sasuke opened his eyes and was shocked!

He stared straight at a warm cup of tea.

"But?!"

"It was there the whole time."

Fugaku picked up his cup again, took another sip of his tea and smiled. 

"I just made it seem like it was never there to you."

Sasuke felt sweat running down his back as he hesitantly picked up the tea.

"This is just one of the things your eyes can do. I will show you the rest slowly since we have a lot of time together."

"....Yes, father."

Fugaku placed his cup of tea down and looked at Sasuke once more.

"Your objective in this training is to find what is missing in the room. This will help you identify gaps in Genjutsu quickly. I will give you one minute to look everywhere and commit the room to memory."

Sasuke nodded his head and quickly took in the surroundings.

Fugaku looked towards the door for a brief moment, then back at Sasuke.

He sighed lightly as he focused back on the training.

Maka stood near the door, peeking in at the two training.

"......"

She closed the door slowly and headed towards the backyard.

'I need to train as well, but....'

Maka stopped and fell deep in thought in the middle of the hallway.

'Should I tell Fugaku-san? I'm not too sure.'

She shook her head lightly and continued towards her destination.

'I will at least tell Nii-san! The others will have to wait.'

Maka reached the backyard and started to frown.

'Crap! I should've known those two were together.'

*Clang Clang Swish*

Shisui and Itachi were sparring against each other lightly as the two clashed with their kunais.

"So~? Did you and Izumi have a fun date?"

Itachi just looked coldly at Shisui for a moment before swinging at a gap in his defense.

"Come on! Can't you at least tell me a little about what happened?"

"Hmm?"

"What? Oh! Maka! I haven't seen you in a while!"

Shisui and Itachi both stopped after they noticed Maka's presence.

"Sorry to interrupt you! I just needed to ask you a favor..."

"Don't be sorry! I'm happy to help! What do you need help with?"

"Well..."

Shisui and Itachi watched Maka as she struggled to bring it up.

"...If it's related to Hii-kun, Shisui probably won't help you. I don't mind though."

"No! Don't help her with that! I'm sorry!"

"That's not it!"

Maka stomped her foot and the ground and sighed.

"Nii-san! Itachi-san!"

""??""

"What I'm going to show you has to be kept a secret, okay?! Can you promise me that you won't reveal it?!"

The two looked at each other, then back at Maka.

"Promise!"

Itachi just nodded his head, but that still eased Maka's nerves a bit.

"Okay. Thank you."

Maka breathed in deep and closed her eyes for a moment. After a brief moment, she opened them again.

This time, her black eyes changed into her Sharingan!

""!!""

itachi was greatly surprised, but Shisui reacted the strongest to her eyes!

He blanked out for a moment until tears started to well in his eyes!

"M-My prayers are finally answered! It finally happened! Uwaaah!!"

"N-Nii-san?!"

Shisui quickly grabbed Maka and brought her into a strong hug!

Shisui was too happy!

"Ahhh! All the worry I had for you has disappeared! Now I know you'll be great! You were just a late bloomer after all!"

"L-Let go! This is embarrassing! And I would've been great even without it!"

Itachi just smiled as he watched the siblings celebrate with each other. 

"Congratulations. Shisui has been worried about you for a while now. I'm glad he doesn't have to worry about you anymore. Well, I guess boys are still going to be a problem."

Maka blushed as she tried to push her brother away.

"Nii-san! Be serious! I want it to be a secret!"

"Ah! Right!"

Shisui immediately stopped and looked around to see if there was any eavesdroppers.

Maka shook her head and wondered if it was really okay to tell her brother about it.

'It's too late now. I better just make the most of it.'

"Haaaa~! Anyway, can you two teach me how to use my Sharingan properly?"

"Of course! Leave it to me! I'll teach you everything I know."

Shisui jumped at the opportunity to teach his sister while Itachi calmly nodded his head.

"We'll teach you what we can. What you're able to retain will be up to your effort."

Maka nodded her head and clenched her fist.

'I will get stronger no matter what! I will not get left behind! I'll use whatever I have to my advantage!'

Maka held a serious expression on her face while her brother patted her head in delight.

'Hehe. This will be interesting.'

Itachi smiled as he realized his short break would be a lot more entertaining than he thought. He and Shisui would have something fun to look forward to.

*************

Konoha Library

*************

"Haaaa~. I don't get it."

Sakura flopped down on the desk softly, pushing the medical book in her hands out of the way.

It had been a few days since she had come back from the Land of Waves and all she had done was sit in the library and study her weaknesses.

She stretched her arms above her head, groaning as her joints popped softly.

"I wonder what everyone else is doing?"

Sakura sighed and picked up the book again.

There were a stack of books surrounding her table. Some covered how to apply Medical techniques in common and complex situations, and the other went over how to use element nature Ninjutsu. 

Sakura was beginning to understand the theory, but she was stuck on the application part of the process.

Her chakra reserves weren't  large enough to practice too many techniques.

"Haaa. I have to get my Chakra levels higher if I want to be able to practice these techniques."

Sakura looked up at the library ceiling deep in thought.

She realized how weak she actually was with the training they had before they came back to the Leaf.

She was, without a doubt, the weakest member between the two teams.

'It won't stay that way for long!'

Sakura dug back into the book and continued to fully comprehend the theory of how to use the techniques.

'So I have to transform my chakra to an element and then use it for Jutsu. What element am I exactly?'

Time passed by slowly as she slumped on the desk again a few hours later.

"That should be enough for today."

She twisted her hair while she rested for a bit.

Her hair was now only to her shoulders in length.

She decided to cut it after they came back since it got in the way.

She sighed as she thought about how long it would take for her to fully implement these moves effectively on her own.

'Wait! That's it!'

Sakura lifted her head as an idea came to her!

'I should just ask Hii-kun to teach me! Since I can't find Kakashi Sensei, I'll have to ask him about it!'

Sakura quickly put some of the books back and checked out the rest as she headed over to Hii's house.

"If I remember correctly... Ah! There it is!"

Sakura came to the front door and knocked on it.

'I hope he's here...'

"Coming!"

Sakura heard the sounds of footsteps rushing towards the door.

*Creak*

Sakura could see someone peeking out from behind the door.

"Yes? Ah! Sakura-san!"

"Hi, Moya-chan! Is Hii-kun here?"

"Hehehehe!!"

Moya started laughing hysterically as she opened the door for Sakura.

"Hii-nii isn't here, but Hiyo-nee is."

"....Eh?"

Sakura walked into the house confused until she saw the two people in the living room surrounded by clothes.

In the middle of the room, Hiyo, who was held captive by her mother, saw Sakura walk in and sighed.

"Mom. I have a guest. Let me go."

"No! I still have one more outfit I want you to wear!"

"Mom!"

Sakura watched the two battle each other as she tried to figure out what was going on.

Moya noticed her expression and couldn't help, but grin.

"Ever since he came back, Mom kept pestering Hii to transform into his girl form, but he refused. Since then, Mom has been betting with him to fight her for rewards."

"Rewards?"

Moya nodded her head.

"The scary water Jutsus she knows. She'll teach him one every time he wins one of their fights. If he loses, he transforms and becomes her doll for an hour."

"Heeee~! What kind of fights do they have?"

"All kinds of them. Fighting, cooking, family trivia, races. They just seem to do whatever is available. He hasn't won yet though."

Sakura turned back to the two fighting each other and chuckled.

"They look like sisters fighting each other."

"I know, right?! Still, it kind of make me mad how his figure is so good..."

Moya glanced at her budding figure and sighed.

Sakura nodded her head solemnly.

'I totally get what you mean, Moya- chan!'

Sakura sat down and waited for a few more minutes before Hiyo came back into the room with a new outfit on.

Her top was a mix of white and black with her midriff showing and a pair of black shorts. A white shawl was over her shorts with a cut along the legs from the left side.

The problem Sakura had about it was how dangerous her figure was in it.

"Haaa~! Sorry for the wait, Sakura-chan."

"I-It's fine. I did come unannounced..."

Hiyo sat down next to her while Sakura had a hard time focusing.

'He's really...I feel...offended somehow.'

"So? What brings you to my place? Nice new look, by the way."

Hiyo's husky, yet feminine voice brought Sakura out of her thoughts as she remembered what she came here for.

"Thanks! Wait, No! I want you to help me train!"

"You want to train? With me?"

Sakura nodded her head with a determined gaze.

"I realized that even though I'm trying to become stronger by myself, I don't really know where to begin. I was hoping you could help me by pointing me in the right direction."

"Hmmmm."

Hiyo crossed her arms and began to think.

She didn't notice both Moya and Sakura clicking their tongues as she flaunted her "assets" in front of them.

'Tch! My boobs will get bigger soon!'

'I-I'll look like that too....I hope....'

"Well, okay. I can help you out, but I'll have to test you first."

Hiyo nodded her head and looked at Sakura.

"I would say to wait after the time is up, but there might be an easier way for you to get evaluated."

Hiyo stood up and walked over to the room Kaya was in.

"Mom! My friend wants to train. Can you help us?"

"....Give me another hour."

"......."

Hiyo looked back at Sakura for a moment and sighed.

"Fine."

"Yes!"

'Hahaha.... Maybe I shouldn't have come here...'

Sakura started to regret asking for Hii's help, but she was already here.

She couldn't back out now. She had to press forward!

*************

Sakura followed the Kurokumos to a nearby training area. 

Hiyo stood at the center of the field and looked at Sakura.

"Okay. The first step in training is to see where you are now, and figure out what we can improve on from there. To do that, we just have to have you fight."

Sakura nodded her head.

"How should we do that?"

"Easy. We will just have a quick sparring match."

Kaya explained to her from the side as she sat down underneath a tree.

"Moya. Go and test her."

"Okay!!"

Moya dashed in front of Hiyo and faced Sakura, shocking her!

"Are you sure about this, Kaya-san?"

"It's better for you to fight her than to fight Hiyo. It's an easier target for her to reach."

Sakura looked a bit apprehensive about fighting Moya.

"Come on, Sakura-san! I fight with Grandma and Grandpa all the time. I doubt you'll do much anyway."

"....."

Sakura's apprehension suddenly disappeared as she readied her stance.

"Haha! That's more like it!"

Moya readied her stance as well, jumping in place with excitement.

"Nee-san! Start us off!"

"Stop calling me Nee-san. Ready?"

The two grew serious as she raised her hand.

"Begin!"

""Haaaa!!""

Moya and Sakura sprinted forward and began to strike at each other!

*Swish Bang Swish*

Sakura swung at Moya as hard as she could, hoping to overwhelm her, but Moya lightly dodged all of her moves and blocked a few of them. She threw in light counterattacks as well, giving Sakura a high level of pressure.

Moya continued to be on the defensive for a short while until Sakura began to breathe heavily.

Sakura swung another punch at Moya, but it was caught with both hands.

"Is that it?"

"Wha-?!"

*Bang*

Sakura wanted to get break free, but she soon noticed her world was flipped upside down as she landed on the ground with a thud!

Moya had thrown her over her shoulder and placed a knife hand on her throat.

"You lost~."

"......"

Sakura wordlessly laid there as Moya stretched her arms.

"That was fun! How long should we wait until the next match?"

"Give her a bit of time to recover. Maybe 5 minutes?"

"Boo! Can you spar with me, Mom?!"

"Eeeh~?! I don't want to though..."

"Why not?!"

Hiyo ignored the two arguing while she walked over to Sakura and kneeled down next to her head.

"You okay?"

"...I'm fine."

Sakura sat up with Hiyo's help and sighed.

"I just... I didn't realize I was this weak. It seems I need a lot of work."

"That's normal. The good thing is you want to get stronger instead of complain about it or depend on others. This is just the first step and also the hardest."

Sakura's gloomy expression started to lighten as she nodded her head in agreement.

"Right! I'll definitely get stronger. I'm only getting started!"

"Yeah. Moya is pretty good at Taijutsu anyway, so don't feel bad that you lost."

Hiyo smiled gently at her growing determination and rose to her feet.

"Oh right! Have you ever found out what Chakra nature you have?"

Sakura shook her head and looked down at the grass.

"My family is civilian class, so I never had the chance to find out. The slips were a bit expensive for me to buy on my own. I've been too busy studying to place an order for them."

"Oh? I have one here if you need it."

Kaya walked over to the two while pushing Moya's face away from her.

"Don't ignore me, Mom!"

"Be quiet! You know how to use it, right?"

Sakura grabbed the slip with both hands and looked at Kaya.

"Um... is this really okay? I can pay you back for this next time I come to train!"

Kaya waved her free hand and smiled.

"Don't worry about it! It was wasting space in my pocket. It's fine if it can be of use. Excuse me for a bit."

Kaya lifted Moya up by her feet like a sack of potatoes and began to spin around.

"Mama Style: Dry Whirlpool Punishment!"

Kaya unleashed her technique and began to spin rapidly!

"Uwaaaa!! Mom! Stooop!"

"You're 100 years too early to challenge me! Don't get a big head just because you beat Sakura-chan!"

Hiyo cover her face with her hand in embarrassment while Sakura chuckled lightly.

"You have a very interesting family, Hiyo-san."

"Yeah. I hear that a lot. Well, let's find out what you can do. Give it a try."

Sakura nodded her head and began to channel chakra towards the slip.

Hiyo's expression was calm at first, but it quickly became serious as she saw the results.

Sakura's slip of paper crumbled into dirt for a moment, then became soggy and limp.

'Oh no! That's not good!'

Hiyo quickly turned to see Kaya staring at the paper in Sakura's hand!

A wicked smile bloomed on her face that sent chills down Hiyo's spine.

'Haaa~! It's too late for her to run now.'

Hiyo stood in front of Sakura and tried to block her mother!

"Mom! You shouldn't-"

"Not now, sweetie! I've got to talk to Sakura-chan about something important. Here, carry your sister for me."

"Uuuuuwaaaaaa......"

Kaya gave a dizzy Moya to Hiyo and sat down next to Sakura in a flash!

"Sakura-chan~!"

"Y-Yes?!"

"I couldn't help, but notice that you have a water affinity! I'm the best at teaching how that works! You're in luck!"

"R-Really?!"

"Yep! I bet you like the theory behind things, huh?! Let me just tell you a little about what I know!"

Kaya slowly worked her magic and began to explain the wonders of Water style techniques to Sakura.

From apprehension to excitement, Sakura started to fall into the flow of Kaya's lecture. 

Hiyo just stood beside them and shook her head.

'I can't stop it now. It looks like she's going to get training from Mom. Grandma will probably ask about her too.'

Hii looked up at the sky and sighed.

She could only wish her good luck as she was drawn into the family web.

"There are soooo many Nee-sans...."

Moya groggily said as she was still recovering from her punishment.

'....I'm gonna be called Nee-san a lot from now on, huh?'

Hiyo sighed as she waited for her little sister to wake up.

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