Focus chakra in your legs, bend a little, jump and... I overshot the branch. To avoid a hard landing, I kept the same chakra flow in my legs and sent a bit more to my back.
Leaving my last target behind, I kept running and, spotting a good spot, tried again to jump onto a branch about eight or nine meters above the ground. This time, I almost got the chakra amount just right.
"How do shinobi even manage to move around up in the trees?" I wondered out loud.
Today, instead of running laps around the village, I decided to do something more dynamic - sprinting cross-country, changing elevation as I went.
I'd gotten pretty good at controlling my chakra, but figuring out the right amount for different physical tasks was still a struggle - mostly just lack of experience. I mean, who actually knows how much chakra and strength you need to land on a particular branch? No one. You just learn with practice. It's like playing guitar - you can memorize the chords, but to actually move your fingers quickly and smoothly, you need hours of repetition. Same thing here.
The little forest park near my house was perfect for this kind of run - big enough that it'd take someone half an hour just to walk the perimeter.
Because the trees were so dense, grass barely grew, so running through the woods wasn't too hard as long as you watched your step. The real challenge was moving along the branches. Sure, you can learn to judge your jumps by instinct, but how do you avoid getting smacked in the face by every twig and leaf? That's still a mystery to me. In Kishimoto's anime, the trees are conveniently spaced, with wide branches and hardly any small ones in the way.
Here, it all depends on luck. On the way to Tanzaku, for example, you could actually move through the treetops without worrying about branches breaking under your weight or twisting yourself up to dodge bugs and leaves. But in this park, with ash trees popping up here and there, good luck jumping around and coming out unscathed.
So, tired, sweaty, and not exactly thrilled, I stumbled home. Nekorin was already in the kitchen, making us breakfast, and the smell alone made my mouth water. If there's one thing she's a master at, it's cooking.
I opened the bathroom door and found Mezumi inside. Naked, standing in front of the mirror, working some kind of gel or lotion between her legs.
"You could use a shave too, you know. Sometimes I like to..." she started, turning toward me, then froze mid-sentence.
"Whoa." I couldn't hide my surprise.
"Turn around!" she demanded, turning away herself, covering her chest with her arms and crouching down - which did absolutely nothing to stop me from getting a good look at her lower half. "And why didn't you knock? Are you still looking? Turn around, I said."
"You can't turn your back on family." That line just begged to be used - and when else would I get the chance to say something so profound? "Besides, knowing you, I'd be stuck waiting outside for an hour."
Even though we're both adults and get along pretty well, we still couldn't avoid the classic sibling fight over the bathroom. Mezumi loved to soak in the tub for ages. She had a whole ritual - lotion, essential oils, mineral salts. And honestly, it paid off - her skin was as smooth and rosy as a baby's.
Ignoring my first comment, she said, "I'd be out in half an hour."
"Yeah, I know your 'half an hour'," I replied, starting to take off my clothes.
Embarrassed by my own sister? Why would I be? I'm a grown man - nothing to be embarrassed about. And as for her being embarrassed - well, that's her own fault for inviting herself to live with me without asking. I get that, as a semyo, she's used to everyone doing what she says, but there have to be boundaries. Maybe I wanted Kushina to move in instead.
Of course, as long as Hiruzen and his council are alive, that's not happening - Naruko would have to come too. But with my sister around, I'm not exactly going to be making new citizens for the Land of Fire... although, what's stopping me? She can cover her ears at night, and if she gets tired of it, maybe she'll move out faster.
"What are you doing?" she asked, flustered, watching my impromptu strip show.
"I'm taking a shower. You can keep doing your... thing," I said lazily, pulling off my shirt.
"And what about the fact that I'm naked? And you? I'm your sister, in case you forgot." She stood up in protest, still covering herself.
"Exactly! Since we're brother and sister, we've already seen each other naked plenty of times, haven't we?" And I'm probably right, because people here have picked up a lot of Japanese traditions, especially communal bathing. Historically, to save hot water, kids bathe together up to a certain age, or adults with their kids - brother and sister, mother and son, father and daughter, mother and daughter, father and son - basically, whoever fits in the tub and needs a wash at the same time. Sometimes even grandma and grandpa join in.
Of course, parents only bathe with their kids up to a certain age - here, as far as I can tell, about eight.
"We have...," Mezumi said, drifting off into her memories, "but we were kids! And besides, you don't even remember!" By the time she finished, I'd finally taken off my pants, showing off my boxer briefs.
"So, what do you think?" I spun around for her.
"You're in good shape... now I get why you train so much." She bit her lip for a second, delivering her verdict.
"I meant the boxers. I told you about that underwear shop in the mall, right? There'll be a separate store for women's lingerie, but men's stuff will be sold with the regular clothes."
"Oh, well, they look... tight?"
I glanced down to check. "That's just now - they're usually a bit looser."
I started to take them off, and Mezumi immediately turned away, afraid she'd see more than she wanted. Not wanting to show off for too long, I climbed into the tub, which smelled like lavender and other essential oils.
I'll have to wash up properly with soap later. I don't want to go around smelling like lavender.
My presence definitely sped up my sister's beauty routine, but that didn't stop her from criticizing my morals the whole time. Finally, when she ran out of things to say, I started to enjoy the warm water. I relaxed, let my head rest on the edge of the tub, and closed my eyes.
"Tell me, don't you think this is weird?" The silence didn't last long. I cracked open my left eye and glanced at her bare back as she sat on a stool, trimming her nails. Where'd her embarrassment go? She didn't even bother with a towel.
"What exactly? The fact that we're both naked in the bathroom? Or your decision to move in with me?" Mezumi turned halfway, flashing her right breast for a second before catching my gaze and turning back.
"No, well, yes, the first thing is pretty weird, but I meant something else - you've figured out that I..." She trailed off on purpose.
"That you like to fool around with women? Yeah, I heard you say something when I came in, and I'd already suspected as much."
"Really?" She looked at me, surprised, for a moment.
"When Nekorin bends over, you check out her butt the same way I do." I remembered a couple of breakfast episodes.
"Hey! Don't you dare think about my Nekorin!" she snapped, not even bothering to cover up anymore.
"I'm not trying to hit on her," I waved her off, closing my eyes again. Kushina and Mikoto are more than enough for me right now.
"Anyway... don't you think it's weird? I mean, me and her." She mumbled, unsure.
"Are you forcing her?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"No, no, she's my best friend!" she insisted.
"Well... then I think it's fine. In my mind, women are supposed to be attracted to men, and vice versa. Lesbian stuff only looks good on adult sites - in real life, it's usually hairy, short-haired, overweight women, and calling that beautiful is a stretch. Heh, funny thing is, women here only have hair on their heads and down below. At least, that's true for my sister and Tsunade. Actually, come to think of it, I'm the same - only hair down there. Does the local god have a thing for that?"
"Oh, I thought I'd have to hide it from you forever. I'm actually glad you don't mind." I couldn't tell if she was smiling, but she sounded pretty pleased. "As for men... I don't know, they just don't seem attractive to me. Kind of dirty, even."
"Oh, even me?" I wanted to know where I ranked with this connoisseur of beautiful women.
"Ahem, well... don't get the wrong idea, but calling you unattractive would be an insult to myself." Yeah, we're basically twins. "And as for dirty... you're actually pretty clean. Maybe too clean. Don't you think three showers a day is a bit much?" So, I'm the exception, but she won't say it outright. "By the way, what cologne do you use?"
Here we go again - maybe I should just wear a sign that says, "It's not cologne, that's just how I smell."
"Seriously? You could make a fortune just selling bottles of your sweat. Well, ew, that sounds gross, but knowing what the owner looks like, I bet women would buy it even more eagerly."
See, great minds think alike.
"Did I smell like this as a kid?" I wanted to know more about myself.
"No, you smelled different back then - still good, though. I used to love sniffing your hair or your pillow sometimes..." Realizing she'd said something weird, she cut herself off. "I guess the change in scent is tied to puberty."
Just then, someone knocked and cracked the door open a few centimeters.
"Ma'am, sir, breakfast is ready. Will you be done soon, or should I set the plates out?" Nekorin's curious voice called.
"Yes, yes, I'm done, Nekorin." Mezumi jumped up and ran to the door, poking her face through the gap.
"We just got started," I said loudly and deliberately.
"Oh, sorry for interrupting. Carry on." The door closed. Mezumi turned to me, shaking her fist with a look that was both surprised and annoyed.
As they say - mischief brings joy to the heart. Wait, why is she running at me? Oh, never mind, she just slipped. No woman's ever spread her legs that wide in front of me before. Should I help her up, or will she manage?
She got up on her own and realized that, after falling on the tile, she'd gotten dirty again. The way she's glaring at me...
"Need me to wipe your back, sis?" I asked with a grin.
****
The morning didn't stay fun for long. Just as we were about to have breakfast, Naruko burst in. On her way to the academy, she'd decided to drop off an envelope that had been left under my apartment door.
The blonde complained that I hadn't visited them in ages and asked me to help her mentally prepare for the annual academy exam. After making me promise to stop by in the next few days, she dashed off to the academy.
With the envelope in hand, I went back to the table, where Nekorin immediately handed me a letter opener. Yeah - having a maid is pretty convenient. Not that I couldn't manage without her - clones used to be enough.
"Good news?" Ayumi asked, seeing me start to read the letter.
Not exactly. More like a thorn in my side. I'd suspected this kind of problem would come up. I'd sorted out the official paperwork, made deals with the bandits, but...
"The governor in Tanzaku is throwing a wrench in my plans." I sighed and handed the letter to the girl.
I'd hoped I could avoid this, but no - now I'd have to prepare gifts. Expensive ones. I might even have to give him a suite on the top floor of the mall, which doubles as a luxury hotel. Well - it'll be a hotel in a month.
"'The Silver Court shopping complex cannot begin operations until it's certified by officials from Tanzaku. As a building exceeding 10 jo (30 meters) in height, it could pose a threat as a potential site for espionage, given its favorable and wide view of all important city sites.'... What a load of crap. What important sites?" Mezumi fumed, reading the letter Ayumi had handed her.
"The kind that will exist until I grease enough palms." And here come my lovely, unexpected expenses. How much will I have to shell out? A million? Two? Three? Depends on their appetite...
"Looks like Genji's gotten bold... Alright, let's deal with this now. Nekorin, bring me paper, ink, and my seal."
Three minutes later, the letter was ready - an official message from a semyo to Governor Genji, who was also a semyo.
Honestly, she spends so much time at home, like Aika, that I sometimes forget that within the Land of Fire, only the Daimyo can give her orders. Well, and the Hokage, in a state of emergency.
I have no idea what she wrote, but her dear relative probably won't be causing me any more trouble. My business, which hasn't even reached the western region of the Land of Fire yet, isn't worth a family feud. It's handy having a sister like this.
"You owe me," she said with a smile, handing the sealed envelope to Ayumi.
****
As soon as break started, Hayana decided to visit a good friend in the lab, which was located in the hospital's basement level. On that floor, one wing was the morgue and storage rooms, while the other held the labs and the medical research department. Even most staff couldn't get in here - Hayana, who'd worked at the hospital for years, still needed a temporary pass to enter.
At the steel doors leading to the lab, she was met by two ANBU, which already said a lot about how important the things behind those doors were. The real treasures were the latest developments in poisons and combat medicine. There was also a library - well, an archive - with the latest medical discoveries, or at least a portion of them.
Spies from other villages would risk their lives for this info - Konoha was a step or two ahead of every other hidden village in medicine.
The guards recognized her but didn't let her in until she showed her pass.
"All good, go ahead, Hayana-sama." After checking her pass, the ANBU stepped aside and let her through the steel door.
The corridors in this basement wing had one unique feature - the walls, floor, and ceiling were lined with steel leaves, so every step echoed with a metallic clack from her heels.
Finally, at the end of one corridor, she entered the lab - not the main room where the experiments happened, but a sort of transition hall that led to the locker room, break room, and the main lab with all the advanced equipment. The hospital's lunch break was the same for everyone, so Hayana headed to the break room, a spacious area with everything you'd need for a snack, tea, or a quick nap.
"Oh, Hayana-san." One of the women waved and, after saying something to her colleagues, left the table to greet her.
"Hi, Sachiko-san. Hope I'm not interrupting," Hayana said, a little worried.
"Haha, not at all, Hayana-san. I've already got your test results ready. There's a red stamp, though, so you can't take them out... you know how it is." The woman, a bit younger than Hayana, scratched her cheek, embarrassed.
"Red? That means..." Hayana was surprised.
"Yeah, the surface of those leaves was treated with poison - Tsunguli poison, to be exact."
"Tsunguli? That sounds familiar... Oh!" Hayana froze in shock, and Sachiko voiced her thoughts.
"A cumulative poison. No color, no smell. If you keep ingesting it, the first stage of intoxication weakens the body and immune system. In the second stage, internal organs start to get inflamed, and after that..."
"Almost total organ failure and cardiac arrest," Hayana finished, fear and shock in her voice.
"Exactly. This poison was used back in the clan wars - expensive, but effective. Especially against shinobi, who don't even notice minor organ inflammation because of their high pain tolerance. You know how our people are - unless they're flat on the floor and can't move, they won't go to the hospital. The worst part is, by the third stage, when the symptoms are obvious, detox and recovery are almost impossible. Most patients die. Though Tsunade-sama could probably handle it." She sounded a little awed. "By the way, where did you get this poison? I need to know for the report."
"Um, Sachiko, can I get back to you on that? I'm in a hurry right now."
The woman gave Hayana a thoughtful look, then nodded after a few seconds. "Just don't take more than three days."
"Oh, I'll tell you everything tomorrow."
And with that, Hayana - her heart pounding with fear - left the lab as fast as she could, then the hospital.
She raced home, because the batch of tea she'd gotten three weeks ago was being drunk daily not just by her, but by her daughters too - and now she was more worried about their health than her own.
****
"This is..." I said in surprise, looking at the old lady who could barely walk with a cane. "This is... not what I expected when you said you'd help me sharpen my combat skills," I finished, turning to Mikoto.
"Ha! You little brat! Don't you dare look down on me - I was fighting wars before your father was even a thought," Mikoto's guest snapped, clearly offended.
"Impressive, sure, and worthy of respect, but... what if she has a stroke while we're training? I'd hate to be responsible for a second old person dying - indirectly, of course. And we've met before, haven't we?"
My train of thought was interrupted by a sudden sting in my left thigh, where a dango stick was now buried two knuckles deep. "Ouch."
"Terrible - just terrible. You only noticed the projectile after it hit you. We've got a lot of work to do," the hunched old woman grumbled.
"Fujiko-sama, I hope you can whip Akira-san into shape. I'd hate for our clan advisor to die from a stray kunai," Mikoto said with a smile.
"Yeah, that would be a disgrace. Our reputation's already in shambles - if our advisor dies like that... Anyway, we can chat later. YOU - " she pointed her cane at me, raising her voice, "down, push-ups. What? You have your own training program? Don't care. Oh, you're wearing weights? Good, we'll add more later."
And just like that, my peaceful days came to an end.