Chapter 9: Visiting the Yamanaka, Old Friends
I woke up rather groggy, feeling slow and heavy, which might have been due to yesterday, or maybe I still had some of that drug or whatever in my system; still, I would not know.
But a quick shower and a large breakfast of three bowls of rice, a small pan of miso soup, four large drumsticks of chicken, finishing my breakfast off with five omelettes.
To drink, I made some green tea to wash everything down. But also due to enjoying it. It is all homegrown by my mother after all.
That is my breakfast this time around, all big portions for a big fellow, and with the leftover rice, I made some quick rice balls to take along as snacks.
"There we go, now to wash, then back to a nice walk around the village." I said, hoping to see everything properly, some things are rather big and changed, while some are slightly different, but I said such out loud in case I am being watched, I am no sensor, let alone on ANBU level, so one can never be too sure.
After what happened to me, I'm sure the Hokage did something like that, but I doubt it would be better to play it safe.
After the dishes were done, I left my nice home and waited for the small sound for the seals to activate before I properly left for the village once more.
This time, after I left the clan compound, I decided to walk the right path towards the compounds of the Yamanaka and Nara Clans that were basically next to our Akimichi compound.
'Curious to find any differences here, it will also be good to visit my old team mates, and wonder how they are now. It has been about two years now, and I refused the last reunion, if you will, due to training for Jonin.' I thought, knowing from memories, my Yamanaka teammate can be rather loud, like most Yamanaka women.
While I walked, I thought back to the rather busy day before, and how things did not go as I expected them to go.
'I hope I woke the clan up a bit, because as things are the situation is horrible, then there is Hana, she looked the same as I know from the anime, but the way she acted when we talked was a bit off, or it is herself when no clan or others she does not know are around or trust for that matter.' I thought back to the day before
Then again, I kind of felt exhausted talking about the ladies and the council and all that crap. Why can't they use that energy to improve themselves instead of blindly following the council's will?
What man would willingly let them harpies and gold-diggers get close anyway, no good kids will ever be able to come out of them either… poor fellow man that ends up with them.
I put my hands together for a quick prayer for any 'unfortunate sons' that would end up with a girl or woman, or even a daughter like those.
Just after finishing the quick prayer to my fellow man, I heard screaming from the Yamanaka flower shop area, a few shops where they sold poisons to shinobi. Only those who are licensed and known to be properly able to use them, and the civilian front, where only flowers and anything related to them were sold.
When I looked, I saw and clearly heard two young girls arguing about a certain raven-haired Uchiha boy.
The first girl was of average height, with light green eyes, looking at a distance, even appearing blue, and long, platinum blonde hair with bangs framing the right side of her face.
She could be seen wearing a purple outfit consisting of a high-collared blouse and a matching apron skirt. She also has bandages on her abdomen and upper legs,
Around her arms are two arm warmers in a light grey color, with on her feet a pair of dark blue open-toed sandals.
The second girl, fair skin, green eyes, and long pink hair.
Wearing a horrible-looking red qipao dress, in such a vibrant red color, she would be able to be seen a mile away. It has a zipper in the center like a jacket, and a flap of the dress hanging down her legs till just above the knees, with a white circle near the bottom of it.
The dress has slits on both sides, letting everyone see the tight green shorts and dark green open-toed sandals.
All in all, it made my eyes twitch, and Naruto has the kill me orange, but he's sabotaged and can't get anything else; Pinky can and wears this abomination.
'Ino Yamanaka, then the pinky has to be Sakura Haruno, such a drag so early in the morning. My god, Sakura has to meet Tenten for sure, that dress is horrible, who in their right mind puts a zipper on a qipao? If you want to dress that stuff, then either do it right or not at all, at least have the zipper out of sight or covered up.' I thought as such, looking at the two of them
And yes, I thought such, even though I am not too knowledgeable about fashion, but even to me it felt wrong on too many levels.
"So much screaming early in the morning." I loudly grumbled when I got closer, standing to the side of them with a twitching smile, making sure my voice was a low baritone.
I could see Ino freeze up and her head slowly move my way, while Sakura looked at me in pure fear.
Likely that last one happened due to me never having met the pink banshee before, since I hardly ever go deep into the civilian areas thanks to the council's magistrates and the harpy groupies.
But really shaking of the legs and pale face, even the painful smell of used shampoo and perfumes in way too large doses. It almost made me gag, and Ino was no better in terms of this either.
"Ino, it seems you got skinnier again…" I began saying, watching her glow up and profoundly standing as if that's some achievement, until I saw her pale so much I almost thought she had become a corpse when she heard my next words
"You die during the exams, too weak, no meat on the bones, no muscles to support using a kunai in a fight. I will be watching the exams, and you know from yesterday, I do not mince words or on training." I started talking about what happened the day before in the Akimichi compound. I knew Ino and any Yamanaka word their salt had already long heard of. What I did, or did not do, was mainly the words and clear threat I gave to the parents.
But with how weak Ino might be, she is the undisputed gossip queen among Yamanaka, but also because she is weak and still a student and not an active shinobi like most of her clan that works in the T&I department, like her father, who is even the head of the Interrogation, or the I in the combined department name.
But it is also due to most active Yamanaka either dying in the field, being maimed, or just staying in the village due to their Blond hair activating the Hidden Stones' trauma of the Yellow Flesh massacre in the last war.
Most tend to stay in the village and assist the T&I department or other groups; not many are in the field anymore, kinda wonder if they even keep their skills up, doubt it from what I noticed of my own clan yesterday.
My own clan is sort of the same in that regard, turning mainly into businessmen, chefs, and owners of restaurants and hotels, besides a small portion always on guard duty outside the village in some of the outposts.
It is shameful to say, but now that I think about it, the Nara's have the most active shinobi among our three clans that are still active…
"Ehm… it is fine, right? Too much muscle makes me ugly, and too much meat makes me too thick, so…" I was woken up from my thoughts of the triple clan alliance's current state by Ino.
"... Ino, let me get this through into that head of yours, you are a Clan HEIR! No matter how much muscle or how thick you become, man will still want to have a piece of you. The only thing counting now is to become strong enough to take over for your overworked father, to either help manage the clan's businesses or assist in clan-related problems. And even staying alive one more mission is the best you can do, hell, if you are strong enough, you can become like Tsume Inuzuka or Tsunade Senju and dictate your life and choose your own man, as things are, you will not even have that luxury and be a tool for marriage alliances." I told her to her face in a displeased tone
I never knew how happy I was to hear the voice of my old teammate soon after I was done with my little speech.
"Bunta-san is correct, Ino, any academy student will easily win against you as you are now, let alone any Genin who would put a knife in your heart before you have a chance to move." I heard the calming voice I will never fail to recognize, making me smile brightly
"Naomi-san, you look radiant as ever, I see." I said to my old team mate, Naomi Yamanaka
I said as such because, from my memories, all of it was true. Naomi went from a girl to a young adult woman who was not just stunning, with all the right proportions, but could clearly give Kurenai Yuhi a run for her money in the looks department, albeit younger.
Where Kurenai looks like a stunning woman, Naomi is still a young woman needing some more years to bloom into one like Kurenai.
Naomi has long blond hair let down her back just past her shoulders, sparkling blue eyes, and light pink lipstick.
She's wearing a blue training suit with the jacket's zipper partially down, showing a pink undershirt, blue trousers, and blue open-toed sandals.
While on both hips, small pouches for kunai and poisoned senbon, and on her lower back, a small pouch with other combat-related gear.
I said as such because no matter what she was wearing, she made it work.
I also saw Ino going from being down about what I said and such, to her happy, hyper self as well. Clearly, she cares about Naomi's input more than my own… logical since both are Yamanaka and women.
"You always know what a woman likes to hear, Bunta-san." Naomi smiled, saying so.
"But he's right, Ino, the way you go now can still be reversed. But if you become a Genin, you will drag your teammates down, and we all know it will be Shikamaru Nara and Chōji Akimichi, and I, for one, will not tolerate them dying because of you wishing to chase a boy who clearly has no interest in you, and that Fan-girl attitude is of no use in missions. Meaning you are weak and not worth his time; otherwise, he would be all over you by now." Naomi stated in a harsh, business-like tone
I could see from Ino's face the clear shock of her favorite cousin stating all this.
And I decided to give my own two cents as well due to how smug Sakura is looking right now.
"The same goes for you, Pinky; you look so weak, thin, and frail that a weak wind jutsu would already make you fly away. Killing you from falling to the ground or when you hit a tree and snap your body in two little broken pieces." I hardly said with crossed arms
"That, besides the horrible overused smell on you, you make me gag, girly, even you, Ino. I'm no Inuzuka or dog in general, but I could smell you both a mile away, meaning Missions would fail and people would die. I, for one, would gladly use you as a shield or distraction in that case, Pinky, because any other use you do not have." I continued to watch as both grabbed their hair and smelled it, clearly not smelling anything wrong, making my eyes twitch
"What about Ino?" I heard Sakura, the pink banshee, question back, with a displeased huff, trying to look menacing with her hands on her hips.
"Because Ino is a clan Heiress, and even if she is weak and would die easily enough, she is part of an Allied clan to my Akimichi, meaning I would keep her alive and grab her to run away. Even doing so might snap her body in twain, ending her life soon after because she has no meat on her bones or muscles to take a hit." I told them both, and seeing Ino getting shocked and pinching her waist and paling, clearly feeling her bones, while Sakura clearly looked appalled about me talking about more meat, meaning more fat on their bodies.
"Now then, Pinky, get going. Ino has some training to get to, unless you want to join that is." I stated in a matter-of-fact voice
Soon enough after I said the word training, a pale-faced Sakura rushed off without a word, while Naomi and I nodded to one another, and she grabbed Ino by the arm and walked back into the Yamanaka compound properly, with me following.
I hope Chōji is training now, after what happened yesterday. Now time to wake Ino up as well, even if she fixes her eating pattern, it would already be a huge win and help her team. Doubt we can get the fan-girl out of her in such a short time frame till the Genin exams.
When I'm done, I'll also visit the Nara clan and my other teammate, Shun Nara; maybe he can also help me fix Shikamaru up a bit in terms of shape; a bit more stamina would do that brat some good.
But for now time to fix Ino for now until Inoichi, her overprotective father, returns. I kind of would blame the man as well for Ino becoming a fan girl; he pampers her way too much.
Maybe I could have a civil conversation with Ino's mother, but since she's of a rich, prim, and proper civilian household, I doubt she would see anything wrong either, since she never had to train, let alone fight. At least she is understanding of shinobi life, or she would never have married into a family like that.
Just after I entered the Yamanaka compound, I saw the woman in question looking stern-faced at the three of us.