Once everyone had returned from the Chunin Exams there was a formal presentation of Hanabi, Hoseki, and Konohamaru as new chunin followed by a small street festival. The citizens of Konohagakure, like many who lived so closely entwined with death, enjoyed every opportunity to celebrate. By the next morning, the Village Hidden in the Leaves had returned to normal including Team Gai.
Neji was watching Ichigo spar against Lee. They had all heard about Ichigo's arm. Neji had personally heard four different accounts of the match from Hinata, Hanabi, Hiashi, and Naruto, but Ichigo was well and truly healed. Still, there was something different about his fighting style today. He was losing to Lee, as usual, but the taijutsu specialist was working hard for his victory.
"Did he get better?" asked Tenten quietly.
"Fighting genin?" countered Neji, which was the sticking point for the Hyuuga.
"Perhaps during the Exams, Ichigo finally bloomed into the Springtime of his Youth," said Gai-sensei, who was in fine form this morning. "After all, many jounin use the Exams as a demonstration to young genin of how far they yet to go."
Neji rolled his eyes. He seriously doubted Ichigo had been impressed by any of the genin he fought. He had crushed his opponents easily, even with a missing arm.
"Ichigo withdrew," said Tenten pointedly. "And he made sure no one could protest the decision either.
"Perhaps he regrets the lost opportunity," said Gai mournfully.
Neji couldn't help it. He snorted. Loudly. Gai-sensei broke character in surprise. Tenten smacked Neji on the arm in a light reprimand.
"He's fought Hanabi and Konohamaru plenty of times," said Neji. "At most, Ichigo regrets upsetting everyone."
It wasn't a necessarily healthy outlook on life. Sometimes shinobi had to sacrifice themselves for the good of the village, but what Ichigo had done would have been a suicide attempt from anyone else, except possibly Naruto and Sasuke. With that sort of attitude, it was just as well Ichigo hadn't received promotion. A shinobi with a death wish was a liability in the field.
Then again, Kurosaki was better today. Maybe the Exams had been a wake-up call after all.
A triumphant shout from Lee drew Neji's attention. Ichigo was flying through the air. Evidently Lee had landed a kick. Neji's teammate lunged after Ichigo to deliver the final blow.
Before Lee could get close, Ichigo stuck out his left arm and buried his fingers in the dirt arresting his momentum. Neji could just see the outline of blut vene on Ichigo's hand. Ichigo's feet barely touched the ground before he was barreling back toward Lee, who might have been able to dodge if he hadn't been so surprised. Instead, Ichigo tackled the green-clad shinobi at the waist, and the two of them skidded out of the clearing into the underbrush.
Neji and Tenten exchanged disbelieving looks. Ichigo always put up a good fight, but he had never tried a move like that before. Gai looked triumphant.
"The Flames of Youth have undoubtedly stoked the fires of the Forge of Creativity in young Kurosaki," he said.
"I think you might be stretching with that one, Gai-sensei," said Tenten weakly.
"He's not wrong about Ichigo putting more effort in to our fights," said Neji thinking back to his own sparring match earlier in the morning.
It was galling for Neji to realize how many of his victories against Ichigo were because the other man didn't care enough to try and win. Neji had thought—secrets about his abilities and origins aside—that Ichigo had been more honest with their team because of their mutual love of fighting. Why else would he drag himself out of bed to spar with one of the craziest groups of shinobi in the Elemental Countries?
Lee and Ichigo stumbled back into the clearing. Ichigo looked quietly pleased while Lee was bursting with happiness. Neji could already imagine the shouts of joy. He frowned to himself. How long had it been since he brought something new to a bout with Lee? They had practiced together virtually every day for more than a decade, but surely they hadn't grown stagnant in that time.
A similar frown marred Tenten's face. She smiled though when she caught him looking.
"Extra practice?" she asked.
"After my shift?" suggested Neji. He still had Kurosaki-watch this afternoon.
Tenten nodded. Neji ignored Gai's knowing look. It would take a few days, but Neji knew he could come up with a new move.
"Is that all for the day?" asked Ichigo. "I have to finish buying stuff for the fireworks."
It had taken less than an hour once everyone returned from the Exams for the interested parties to learn they had missed the twins' birthday—mostly because Naruto made such an uproar about it.
In a week, there was going to be picnic/party at Team Seven's old training ground. Neji's team had already received their invitations. Most of the people the twins knew were Naruto's friends anyway, and Ichigo had said the more the merrier.
The only reason for the increased delay, as far Neji could determine, was that Ichigo needed time to design and build the rockets for a ten-minute fireworks display. Neji wasn't exactly sure how Ichigo's workshop came to be on Hyuuga property, but he knew it was Hinata-sama's doing somehow.
"A marvelous match to conclude our morning practice," agreed Lee "I will look forward to tomorrow!"
"Your enthusiasm reflects the Springtime of your soul!" shouted Gai giving them both a thumbs up.
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
Once they got started, Neji knew they could go on for hours. He quickly turned away from the spectacle not wanting to be sucked in.
"Ichigo," he said. "Wait a moment."
Ichigo, who had been going to retrieve his bokken having gained some practice at ignoring Gai and Lee's outbursts, stopped and faced Neji. "Is something up?"
"Hiashi-sama has invited you to celebrate Hanabi's promotion at the compound," said Neji.
Ichigo hesitated. "Is that okay? Last time it didn't end so well. And I thought everyone was still mad at me for the tenketsu point thing."
Neji had not been as upset as the rest of the Hyuuga, having already seen demonstrations of Ichigo's copy-cat learning ability in their morning matches, but his pride had been ruffled all the same. Still, the concern over that matter had mostly been negated by Ichigo's successful rescue of Hanabi from the missing-nin kidnappers.
"The mood of the Clan has improved," said Neji simply. "Otherwise, Hinata-sama could not have offered you a workspace in the compound."
"I guess," said Ichigo still sounding doubtful.
"Neji forgot to mention your sisters are invited. Naruto and I will be there too," added Tenten.
"Really? Why?" asked Ichigo.
"It is a celebratory family dinner," said Neji stiffly.
Tenten clarified, "Naruto's really close to Hinata and Konohamaru, and Neji and I are married."
Ichigo stared. "Since when?"
"Well," said Tenten thoughtfully. "I think Naruto and Konohamaru declared themselves rivals for the position of hokage when they were younger—"
"That's not what I meant!" said an indignant Ichigo. "How long have you been married?"
"There was an incident during the Fourth Shinobi War," explained Neji. "And I came very close to dying."
"After that we decided not to wait until we retired," said Tenten.
"But why weren't you there last time?" demanded Ichigo.
"I'm not on the Hyuuga family register," said Tenten. "And a lot of the Elders disapprove. So I get to miss most of the formal dinners. Hinata-chan and Hanabi have dinner at our apartment every few weeks. Sometimes Hiashi comes too."
It had actually been Neji's idea not to place Tenten's name on the register. Usually Hyuuga declined marrying into another clan in order to retain control over their children and their dojutsu. No children had received the Caged-Bird Seal since Hinata was reconfirmed as heir, but if something happened to her, Neji wanted to be sure his children never had to endure the same pain he did.
Many members of the Clan, even the other members of the Branch House, had been upset by his decision, but Hinata had supported him in front of the Hokage. Any children he and Tenten produced would be her children and have her name, even if they possessed the byakugan.
"I see," said Ichigo quietly. "Well, another friendly face will be good. Same time?"
"Yes," said Neji. "Saturday evening, and you need not dress so formally as last time."
Ichigo sighed. "And I guess we still have to bring weapons."
"If you don't want to be to be rude," agreed Tenten with sly smile.
"Well—"
"Kurosaki, right? Draw your sword!"
Suigetsu appeared seemingly out of nowhere and aimed Kubikiribocho at Ichigo's head. Neji shouted in warning. Ichigo turned on his heel reaching over his shoulder. There was a crash of metal, and Zangetsu was blocking the massive broadsword.
Neji and Tenten jumped out of the way as the two swordsmen clashed. It was impossible to tell what Lee was thinking when his face went blank, but Gai-sensei was clearly displeased by the intrusion.
Ichigo was fending off Suigetsu's attack with ease, parrying half-a-dozen strikes with only one hand on the hilt. Then again, Suigestu was also limiting himself to one-handed blows. When Ichigo finally counter-attacked, a slice at Suigetsu's midsection that he blocked with Kubikiribocho, the blow sent the Mist-swordsman skidding back several meters opening up some much needed space.
"Not bad, not bad," said Suigetsu with a shark-toothed grin. "Let's fight. You and me."
Ichigo looked irritated. "I can't believe there's someone more annoying to fight than Kenpachi," he muttered. "I'll pass."
To Neji's dismay, Ichigo rewrapped Zangetsu and hid the blade away. Then he turned his back on Suigetsu and started to walk off.
"Hey!" shouted Suigetsu. "You turn your back on me and I'll kill you!"
"You can't make a scratch on me with that weak resolve of yours," said Ichigo almost to himself.
"What was that?" demanded Suigetsu.
Ichigo stopped and turned to face Suigetsu. He stood straighter, and there was a fierce light in his eyes. In comparison, even holding Kubikiribocho, Suigetsu looked small.
"Because you enjoy fighting, to test yourself, to grow stronger, to save yourself, to support your friends, to protect your home, to fulfill your brother's dream, any of these is a good reason to fight," said Ichigo. "But because it's expected of you? That's why you want to fight me? You might as well not bother."
Neji stared in helpless confusion. What was Ichigo talking about? Neji had no idea. Nonetheless, he had certainly struck a chord in Suigetsu.
"You shut up!" he roared and lunged for Ichigo.
Ichigo raised his left hand. Faintly, Neji wondered if he wanted practice reattaching this one too. Suigetsu swung and Kubikiribocho stopped dead, caught in Ichigo's open palm.
There wasn't any sign of strain on Ichigo's face. Just disappointment. "Didn't I say, you couldn't make a scratch with such weak resolve?"
"You bastard," hissed Suigetsu. "What do you know? What do you know about anything?"
Ichigo frowned. "I'll fight you again when you decide. Until then, stay out of my way."
Suigetsu growled. "Make me."
Ichigo sighed and readjusted his grip on the blade. Then he raised his arm picking up Kubikiribocho and Suigetsu both. With a flick of his hand, he tossed sword and shinobi into the trees cutting down several in the process. Seemingly oblivious to the situation, Ichigo retrieved his bokken and walked away, tossing the team a casual good-bye over his shoulder.
Neji and the others could only stare. Even Gai-sensei was too stunned to move. For a small eternity, the only noise was the snap of twigs and the groan of broken trees.
"Hey guys!" That was Naruto with Sasuke following along behind. "We were coming to see you practice. Did we miss— Whoa! What happened?"
The future Hokage and last Uchiha came to a halt and stared at the damage to the training ground. Sasuke quickly spotted his teammate in the center of the destruction.
"Suigetsu!" he exclaimed and jumped into the mess.
"No, seriously, what happened?" asked Naruto turning worried eyes on Neji.
"Kurosaki," said Neji faintly.
"Huh? Ichigo?" repeated Naruto. "Isn't he here? I told Suigetsu and Sasuke he sparred with you guys in the mornings, and we decided to come watch. But Suigetsu told us we were taking too long and took off."
Sasuke and Naruto probably got distracted by an argument, but that explained why Suigetsu had shown up on his own. It didn't explain anything else that had happened.
"Suigetsu attacked Ichigo," said Lee. "And Ichigo used Zangetsu to defend himself for a while. But then, Ichigo refused to fight further stating Suigetsu's resolve was too weak. When Suigetsu took offense and attacked again, Ichigo caught his sword barehanded and tossed them both aside."
"Ichigo did that?" asked Naruto incredulously. "Are you serious?"
"Hey."
Neji looked aside. Sasuke was helping Suigetsu out of the trees. The swordsman didn't look injured, and Kubikiribocho was back in its harness, but there was a subdued quality to normally fierce shinobi. He shrugged off Sasuke's helping hand and marched over to Naruto grabbing the blonde's collar and pulling him in close.
"What did you tell him about my brother?" he demanded.
"What?" asked a baffled Naruto. "I didn't tell him anything about your brother."
Suigetsu shoved Naruto back. "Then how the hell did he know about my brother? Huh? Tell me that! How did that guy, who supposedly isn't even from the Elemental Countries, know about my brother's dream?"
Neji stilled. He had almost missed it, buried with the rest of the Ichigo's speech, but how had Kurosaki known?
"I said I don't know," yelled Naruto. "You should have asked him!"
"Naruto," said Gai solemnly. "This is a question we need answer to, even if it is simply, he heard about it from another source."
-0-0-0-0-0-
Tsunade sighed and looked over the room. It was Team Gai, Naruto, and Kakashi as usual with the added bonus of Uchiha Sasuke and Hozuki Suigetsu. "You know, I was really hoping we were done with this sort of thing."
There hadn't been any sign of the mysterious kidnappers in several weeks. Even the missing ANBU had disappeared nearly two months ago, which was an embarrassing state of affairs for the village, but not an urgent matter at this stage. She still had several teams out looking for them—and those groups were maintaining near-constant contact—but there was nothing to report so far.
Tsunade had seriously considered removing the guard detail on the Kurosakis, or at least lessening the hours involved, but she had never imagined they would be attacked by Konoha shinobi. She let her gaze slide to Suigetsu. Well, Konoha-allied shinobi.
From the expression on Ichigo's face, he was just as annoyed as Tsunade by the unscheduled meeting, but he also looked a tinge guilty, which why Tsunade was going ahead with it.
"So the problem isn't that Suigetsu attacked Ichigo or that Ichigo threw Suigetsu into a tree," she said summing up the situation. She pointed at Ichigo. "How did you know about Hozuki Mangetsu?"
There was that guilty look again quickly covered by a scowl. It made Tsunade suspicious.
Ichigo sighed. "Have you ever fought someone to determine the strength of their convictions?"
Tsunade met Naruto's gaze. "I have."
"It's like that," said Ichigo.
"That is not enough explanation, Kurosaki," said Tsunade sharply.
Ichigo's sigh was even deeper this time. "It's like, in the second stage of the Exams, when Hanabi and Konohamaru hit me so I could learn the rest of the poem. Or when those missing-nin took Hanabi and Kononhamaru, I didn't have time to listen to them talk. But when we fought, I learned how much they resented Konoha and the Hyuuga Clan."
"What?" asked Tsunade stunned.
Ichigo apparently took that as a sign to keep going. "When I fight Lee, I can tell how determined he is to prove himself a capable shinobi even without ninjutsu. Gai is proud of his team but worried about what will happen to them when he gets too old to go out in the field. Tenten wants to show that kunoichi are just as strong as male shinobi, but she's worried about their team because she didn't learn medic-jutsu like the other girls in the Konoha Twelve. Neji and Hanabi both really worry a lot about that Caged-Bird Seal thing, which is admittedly messed up. And Konohamaru always wonders what his grandfather would have thought about his progress in studying ninjutsu.
"I was just annoyed because all those genin in the Exam really wanted to become chunin and fought hard for it, even if they didn't have a chance. And that guy," he tilted his head at Suigetsu, "only wanted to fight because everyone expected him to challenge me, even though he had all those other reasons. I shouldn't have mentioned his brother. I apologize."
Tsunade was frozen in her seat. Every member of Team Gai had turned dead white. Ichigo just looked embarrassed.
"Hey," said Naruto brightly. "Can all shinigami do that or is it a Quincy thing?"
Ichigo shrugged. "I dunno. No one else has ever mentioned it."
Naruto nodded to himself. "Right, right. So you just hit someone and you know what they're thinking?"
"No," said Ichigo. "It only works if we're both fighting. And I only learn their motivation, the reason a person swings his sword. I heard words from Konohamaru and Hanabi because they really wanted me know them."
"Well, the Sage of Six Paths invented ninshu so people could understand each other better," said Naruto.
"He can't have meant it like that!" protested Tsunade. If he had, if it had worked, there wouldn't be any war.
"Who?" asked Ichigo. "Sage of what?"
"Naruto can fill you in later," said Tsunade. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. "I trust there are no more concerns about a possible security breach."
The assembled shinobi shook their heads. Ichigo looked confused. "Wait, is that why we're here? Because, like I said, I've never had it work the opposite way, but if someone is really driven by a classified motivation I can pick that up too."
"Could you give us an example, Kurosaki?" asked Tsunade suddenly worried all over again.
Ichigo scowled. "Well, there's nothing from here that comes to mind. But back in Karakura there was this guy, Kusaka, who used to be friends with Toshiro—Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro of Tenth Division. He and Toshiro attended the Academy together and were very close. They even manifested the same zanpaktou. But that's forbidden for some reason, so the Central Chambers ordered them to fight to the death to determine the real owner of Hyorinmaru.
"Toshiro refused to fight at first, but Kusaka attacked him. So Toshiro defended himself and won. Kusaka di—disappeared after that but came back hollowified later. The Central Chambers ordered the whole incident sealed. They erased the records from the Academy and everything, but I saw most of that when I fought him."
"You saw that?" asked Tsunade.
"Hollows obsess, so the image was real clear," said Ichigo. "But only of the fight. The rest was sort of peripheral motivation."
In the back, Naruto nudged Sasuke. "The Central Chambers ordered Ichigo's execution too. And Karin and Yuzu's. Total dicks."
Tsunade grimaced slightly. It did sound like the Central Chambers had a history of making poor decisions. More importantly, Ichigo's newest ability couldn't be used against Konoha.
"Is there anything else?" she asked.
Lee stuck up his hand. Tsunade braced herself. "Yes, Lee?"
"Hokage-sama, I have several things I wish to say," announced Lee. "First, Gai-sensei is an excellent sensei. When he retires, I know we will all work very hard so he does not have to worry about our team while we are in the field.
"Second, Tenten is the strongest kunoichi I know, even if she does not know any medical jutsu. And in reality, it makes more sense for Neji to be the one to study medical jutsu.
"Third, I know Hinata and Naruto are working very hard to remove the Caged Bird Seal from the future of the Hyuuga Clan. So neither Neji nor Hanabi waste energy worrying over it anymore.
"Finally, if Suigetsu is struggling to find his resolve, he is more than welcome to reignite the Fires of his Youth at our morning practices. That is all."
Every eye turned to Suigetsu, who blanched at the suggestion. "Fire isn't really my thing."
"But does not ice melt into water in the Springtime of one's Youth?" persisted Lee.
Suigetsu could literally melt from embarrassment. Tsunade didn't want to imagine what that could do to her floors.
"I'm sure he'll consider it, Lee," she said. "Anyone else? No? Shoo. I have work to do."
The younger shinobi all left her office. Kakashi and Gai both lingered. Tsunade narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"I have a genin on my hands that can read his opponent's minds," said Tsunade. "I have a lot to drink about—think about—so this had better be good. I'm not accepting retirement from either of you unless I get to go first."
"It's about Ichigo, Tsunade-sama," said Kakashi. "The Mission Desk may need to know that he can only take certain types of missions."
Gai nodded solemnly. "When Ichigo and Lee were attacked in outside Konoha's walls, he later commented that the most difficult thing he had to do was take a life. I thought at the time he was showing wisdom beyond his years."
"Fighting those Hollows from his homeland was probably very easy," continued Kakashi. "A choice between your life and the life of someone that wants to eat you is pretty clear, but here there is a world of difference between killing an enemy and knowing your opponent is just following orders."
"I can't imagine how difficult it must be to fight when you know exactly why your opponent is fighting so desperately," added Gai.
Tsunade stared at her desk. Ignoring Kakashi's ironic wording for the time-being, a similar thought had occurred to her, but clearly Ichigo had been fighting until now without incident. He had enough resolve to agree to enlist in the ranks, even if he would never advance past genin.
"Of course," said Tsunade. She looked at the two jounin. "Don't forget that whatever his true power, Ichigo is still just a genin. Unless we are at war, the most dangerous mission he can accept without a team is assisting the gate-guard. And with a team to protect we know he won't hesitate."
Gai and Kakashi both relaxed, and Tsunade dismissed them to their normal duties. Once the office was empty, she reached for the drawer where she kept her booze. She might as well as start drinking when she heard Ichigo was coming. She couldn't have imagined it after their first encounter—when she learned that he was an interdimensional traveler and the son of a death god—but somehow every meeting was worse than the last.
Tsunade's groping hand met empty air. She looked down. Her drawer was barren except for a piece of paper. She picked up the note. It was from Shizune.
"Hound told me Team Gai was bringing in Ichigo again. So I decided to go ahead and confiscate these while you were out. ;) You should take better care of your liver, Hokage-sama. –Shizune."
Tsunade read it five times before the message truly sank in. The worst part was winking face mocking her with a smile. When had Shizune gotten so forceful? It was all Sakura's doing no doubt. Now she would have to think about Ichigo without any alcohol to help her absorb the knowledge faster. All the wars that could be avoided with a gift like that, all the lives saved…
She couldn't do it. It was too depressing.
Tsunade stormed out of her office. "I'm going to the hospital. I have sick people to fix."
"Have fun," called Shizune.
Tsunade would have fun. She could boss around nurses and yell at idiots who injured themselves. A much better pastime than drinking and a great way to work off her irritation a certain, annoying, terrifying genin.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Kakashi wandered around Konoha at a loss. He had officially handed Ichigo-observation-duty over to Neji for the rest of the day once it became clear that the redhead intended to hole-up in his new workshop at the Hyuuga Compound. True, it was a storage shed as far away from any other buildings as possible due to the explosive nature of Ichigo's work, but the Hyuuga disliked having outsiders on their land regardless of reason. Neji would spend a lot of time these next few days essentially staking-out his own house.
He stopped briefly at the memorial stone, but he couldn't stay there for very long. He hadn't fulfilled Obito's dream of becoming Hokage, but he could do more to protect the Village Hidden in the Leaves than waste his days staring at a monument to dead heroes.
Around lunch time, Kakashi found himself outside the Academy. He had spent the days while Kurenai and her team were away for the Exams guarding the twins and catching up with his team. Tsunade had sent him, briefly, to try and locate the missing ANBU, but he hadn't found a trace before he had to return to the village. She hadn't wanted him gone while both she and Naruto attended the Chunin Exams, even if Team Taka's roster would discourage all but the deadliest jounin from attacking.
He waved to Sakura when she arrived to pick up Karin, who had been in Shizune's care while the Hokage's party was in Suna, but decided he would wait for Anko to arrive for Yuzu. Sakura undoubtedly would want to review Karin's work in the hospital, and Kakashi didn't want to risk suffering another check-up so soon.
Anko never arrived. After about ten minutes, Iruka appeared with Yuzu at the gate. Kakashi dropped in to investigate.
"Iruka. Yuzu."
"Hello, Kakashi-san."
"Ah, Kakashi, it's good to see you."
"Is Anko not coming today?" he asked.
Yuzu shook her head. "No, I'm not supposed to go in today. Iruka-sensei offered to walk me home during lunch, since technically I still need an escort."
Kakashi looked at Iruka. "I can go with her, Iruka-sensei. If you want to prepare for your next lesson."
"Thanks, Kakashi," said Iruka. "Will that be alright with you, Yuzu?"
"Of course," she said. "Thank you for offering, Kakashi-san. I'll see you tomorrow, Iruka-sensei."
The teacher rushed back to the school. Kakashi had barely survived three students. He couldn't imagine a classroom full of them.
"Kakashi-san, I wasn't going to ask Iruka-sensei since he was missing lunch, but would you mind if we stopped by the stores?" asked Yuzu.
"That's fine," said Kakashi. "I don't have anything planned this afternoon."
The first stop was a shinobi supply-store that Kakashi frequented himself. The shop focused mostly on clothing, and it was where he bought his facemasks whenever he needed a new one. He recalled giving the twins directions to the store after the incident with Jugo. The shopkeeper's face lit up at the sight of Kakashi but quickly paled when he saw Yuzu.
"Miss Kurosaki!" he squeaked and cleared his throat. "I have your order in the back. Let me go get it."
He scurried into the backroom. Kaskashi turned a questioning brow on Yuzu. "I thought you already bought a mask earlier."
Yuzu tugged at a fold of fabric around her neck. Kakashi had thought it was a thin, grey scarf at first but realized it was actually a loose facemask. He rarely put his on without securing it over his nose and mouth.
"I have this one," she said. "And it matches my training uniform, but I thought yellow would be more cheerful."
"I didn't realize they made them in yellow," said Kakashi mildly.
Yuzu blushed faintly. "They don't usually. But after the shopkeeper laughed at me, I'm afraid I got a little upset, so he let me special-order one."
Well, that explained why the man was terrified of Yuzu. The down-side of this store was that it was run by cloth merchants rather than retired shinobi, and no matter how well-connected, civilians had certain ideas about how shinobi should look and behave.
"A special-order has to be expensive," said Kakashi.
"A little bit," said Yuzu. "But there's room for it in the budget, and Karin said I should get it."
"Why don't I get it for you as a birthday present?" suggested Kakashi. "I feel bad about missing yours."
In the end, Sai was the only person who had remembered the twins' birthday on the actual day of, though no one was quite sure how he had discovered the information. He had given them a hand-painted diptych. Each panel depicted one of the girls in a standard chunin uniform in their chosen place of work.
On Karin's half, the ground in front of hospital was completely shattered and everything was covered in snow. On Yuzu's side, Sai recreated one of T&I's more archaic interrogation rooms and added in fiery hell-chains, which generated remarkable mental associations. Nonetheless, Sai's pictures were beautifully drawn. Naruto had been depressed and elated in equal measure when he found out about the gift.
"You don't have to, Kakashi-san," said Yuzu earnestly. "Having everyone at the party will be enough."
Kakashi could tell she was serious, but he wasn't one to back down from a challenge. His on-going rivalry with Gai was testament to that.
"No, I insist," said Kakashi.
"Here it is, Miss Kurosaki!" said the shopkeeper reappearing with a bag. Kakashi recognized one of the smaller pouches that were in high demand from this store. They were fire-resistant and easy to clean.
"Oh, what a cute purse," said Yuzu. "Is this for me too?"
"Yes!" squeaked the man. "Yes, with our compliments. To make up for the unpleasantness last time."
"Thank you very much," said Yuzu taking a peek inside the bag.
"You should try on your mask. To make sure it fits. You wouldn't want to have to return it," said Kakashi idly.
The shopkeeper squeaked again and bobbed his head furiously. "Yes, please do."
"I will then," said Yuzu. She tugged off her gray mask, mussing her hair, and tucked it into the front pocket of her apron.
Naruto had described Yuzu's apron, and some of the stranger items inside, in great detail. He had taught her how to make seals, so she could replace the ones inside without paying for new ones every time. As an Uzumaki, she had a natural talent for fuinjutsu and quickly picked up the sealing arts.
Given how many seals there were in such close proximity, Kakashi was impressed by her ability to remember which seals were empty, which were occupied, and where everything. The chakra control it took to only activate one seal at a time was deserved attention too.
"What do you think, Kakashi-san?" asked Yuzu displaying her new yellow face mask.
"Very cute," said Kakashi with a smile. Ibiki's expression was sure to be priceless, so was Anko's for that matter. He looked forward to seeing it.
"So cute," added the shopkeeper.
"How much was it?" asked Kakashi. "I said I would pay."
A short while later they were on their way to the market. Kakashi's wallet was much lighter, but Yuzu looked pleased with her new facemask and bag. She really must have done a number on that shopkeeper to receive such good service. Even though Konoha discouraged that sort of thing, he must have been threatened by shinobi before.
"What did you say that scared him so badly?" asked Kakashi. "Was it something Anko taught you?"
Yuzu stared at him in confusion for a moment before her expression cleared. "No, of course not! That would be an abuse of my position," she chided. Then to Kakashi's surprise, she blushed and looked away. "Actually, when he said shinobi couldn't wear yellow facemasks, I might have started to cry. Just a little bit."
Kakashi blanched. That was worse. Much worse. He managed to keep his voice cool. "I see."
"I was already feeling upset!" explained Yuzu. "I didn't mean to cry! But I had been thinking about Yoruichi-san, who wears yellow, and it didn't seem fair that I couldn't."
"Who is Yoruichi?" asked Kakashi curious. He didn't want to provoke any tears, but all information came with a price.
"Yoruichi was the former Captain of Second Division. That's the onmitsukido division, the shinobi of Soul Society. They run the intelligence network and maintain the prisons and that sort of thing," said Yuzu.
"Is that so?" asked Kakashi. "Including the one you were in?"
Yuzu shook her head. "No, it's technically supervised by the shinigami, but they don't really have a presence there. The wardens, the kushanada, maintain it on their own. But Yoruichi-san was the one who taught Ichi-nii shunpo and bankai!"
"Those are shinigami techniques?" asked Kakashi.
"Yeah! Shunpo, Flash Step, is a bit like shunshin," said Yuzu. "It's almost impossible to do if you're not a shinigami, but Ichigo forgets sometimes and tries anyway and hurts himself."
If Kakashi recalled correctly, that was how Ichigo had injured himself when racing with Lee. Obviously, being a shinigami was not exactly the same as being a shinobi. It seemed there was some kind of special condition involved that allowed them to do extraordinary feats. Each shinigami had a zanpaktou, like Zangetsu, so it was possible they were issued armor or other equipment as well.
"And bankai?" asked Kakashi. That meant was second release, so there was a first release too. But a release of what?
"Bankai is this technique strong shinigami can use. Ichi-nii had to learn it to rescue Rukia. It usually takes a really long time to learn, but Urahara—that's another of Ichigo's friends who used to captain Twelfth Division, Soul Society's Research and Development—made this special item that could let you learn it three days," explained Yuzu.
"It sounds like Ichigo really does pick up things quickly," said Kakashi. He hadn't missed that comment about rescuing someone either. It seemed Ichigo shared quite a bit more with Naruto than Kakashi had initially believed.
"Studying, fighting, and studying fighting is almost all Ichi-nii did before," said Yuzu. "So I think, now that Ichigo is starting to feel better, he will really start to like it here."
"That's good," said Kakashi and he meant it.
Kakashi wondered, though, what had prompted Ichigo's change of heart. Kurenai claimed he had been improving his relations with his team ever since that C-Rank, but something more must have happened at the Chunin Exams. Just this morning, Gai had commented that Ichigo was putting more effort into their training bouts since his return.
"And what about you, Yuzu?" asked Kakashi.
"I like Konoha a lot. Everyone is really nice, and I'm really glad to have met Naruto," said Yuzu. Her smile fell slightly and turned wistful. "I get to be useful here. Back in Karakura, there wasn't much I could do to help Ichi-nii, even Karin was better at fighting Hollows than me, and my chains caused lots of trouble if I tried to use them. But in Konoha, I can work in T&I and look after my sister and my brother."
Kakashi was fairly sure Ichigo would prefer that Yuzu stayed well away from the Torture and Interrogation Department. But controlling a person wasn't the same thing as loving a person, and Naruto's cousin loved his sisters very much. It was possible he even knew how they felt. Was a soccer match close enough to combat that he could feel his sisters' emotions? An intriguing idea, but probably not one he should ask about in the open like this.
"Are you enjoying work in T&I, then?" asked Kakashi as they ducked into a shop.
"I haven't gotten to do much yet," admitted Yuzu. "I'm not even a genin, so when I'm not training with Anko, the most I can do is deliver messages and file reports. But, I passed my first physical last week."
A physical administered by the Torture and Interrogation Department was very different from the kind administered at the hospital. Kakashi couldn't quite reconcile the knowledge with Yuzu's smiling face. The nervous gulp from the store clerk said he was having similar thoughts.
"Congratulations," said Kakashi as Yuzu ordered several pounds of fish. "You're a bit ahead of schedule, aren't you?"
"I thought it would be better to do the first one while Ichi-nii was out of town," said Yuzu doling out correct change. "He worries so much, and this way I could tell him it wasn't so bad."
"It wasn't?" asked Kakashi.
"Nope," said Yuzu.
There was a crash as the clerk dropped the ice-bucket holding Yuzu's order. Kakashi rolled his eyes. Civilians. He kept quiet through the rest of the shopping though. It wouldn't do to cause Yuzu too much inconvenience.
Kakashi was just thinking of cracking open his book, when he caught a glance of Yuzu's final purchase. She was struggling to lift two twenty-five kilo bags of rice.
"Do you need a hand, Yuzu?" he asked.
"Oh, thank you, Kakashi-san," said Yuzu.
Kakashi found himself holding one of the smaller bags of vegetables while Yuzu settled both bags on her shoulder.
"Thanks, Kakashi-san," she said. "That was really hard to carry with my hands full."
Yuzu was still carrying most of the bags including the ice-bucket full of fish in her other hand.
"Isn't that heavy?" asked Kakashi feeling a little ridiculous with his tiny grocery bag.
"I may not be as fast as Karin or as tough as Ichigo, but I've got plenty of strength!" said Yuzu. "I had to move patients at the clinic who were a lot heavier than this."
It was hard to remember sometimes that Yuzu was an Uzumaki too. She didn't play things cool like her brother and sister, but she was nowhere near as loud as Naruto or Sasuke's teammate. Carrying fifty kilos of deadweight wouldn't have phased Kushina-san either.
At the apartment, Yuzu had Kakashi knock on the door for her since she couldn't get the key out of her pocket. Kakashi almost offered to pick the lock but remembered the key wasn't actually for the door. It was for the protective barrier around the apartment.
There had been a few attempts by ANBU to enter the apartment when the Kurosakis weren't home, but so far none had succeeded. It seemed that the higher-ranked ANBU usually suffered worse for their attempts too. Kakashi was reluctant to try it.
The door swung open revealing Kon hanging from the knob. The lion doll looked a bit scruffier than the last time Kakashi had seen him, almost like he had suffered an unfortunate run-in with a cat.
"I'm home," announced Yuzu. "Did you guys have a good time?"
"We've established some ground rules," said Kon. "Is he coming in too?"
"Please do, Kakashi-san," said Yuzu.
Once inside, Kakashi was treated to the sight of the most elaborate cat-tree he had ever seen. It looked like a real tree had grown in the corner of the living room. Some of the platforms were polished wood while others were lined with moss-green fleece. There was a hollow at the base of the trunk where a determined cat could curl up out of sight, and tinkling bells and tufts of feathers hung from the branches like vines.
Kakashi glanced at the opposite corner where Karin's turtle, Sandy, was napping in the sun at the base of a multi-tiered fountain. The Kurosakis' pets were probably the most spoiled he had ever seen. His ninken would be jealous if they found out.
"Where does Kon sleep?" he asked.
"I have a hammock in Ichigo's room," said Kon. He glared suspiciously at the living room. "And no one else is allowed in there."
"You don't like cats?" asked Kakashi innocently. "Aren't you a lion?"
"Shut up!" roared Kon surprisingly loud for a little toy. "They have claws and teeth and like to chase me. Then they rip out my stuffing and it goes everywhere!"
"That sounds rough," said Kakashi.
"It is!" said Kon. "You big people just don't get it."
"Ah, Kakashi-san, would you like some tea?" asked Yuzu from further into the apartment.
"Thank you, Yuzu," said Kakashi following her voice into the kitchen-area. There was a new spice rack on one of the counters. He recognized most of them as more exotic flavors from Suna. Ichigo had evidently done some shopping while he was at the Exams.
"What are you going to do with all that food?" asked Kakashi.
"Well, Ichigo is home. And Naruto still eats breakfast with us every other morning. Then I'm making food for the party," she said.
"You're making food for your own birthday party?" asked Kakashi sliding into a chair at the table.
"Karin and I ate out on the actual day," said Yuzu. "And I like to cook. Making lots is a challenge."
"Will fish be the main dish?" asked Kakashi.
Yuzu frowned. "Fish? Oh, no. That's for Sandy and Unicorn. They don't need much, but they both like fish."
"Unicorn?" asked Kakashi.
There was a soft meow from the direction of Kakashi's feet. He looked down. Kurenai had described the cat as having tiger stripes. To Kakashi's eye it looked more like someone had set a black cat on fire without it burning to ashes. The cat sniffed delicately at Kakashi, flicked its tail twice, and flounced away.
"That's an interesting name," continued Kakashi. "What does it mean?"
"A unicorn is magical white horse with a long horn in the center of its head. Unicorns are attracted to purity and their horns can remove poisons and heal wounds," said Yuzu. "They're a bit like the Western version of kirin."
The kirin was a mythical creature more powerful than a phoenix or a dragon if Kakashi remembered his fairytales correctly. Then again, stories of destruction by the Tailed-Beasts were much more famous in the shinobi world.
"An interesting name," said Kakashi. Especially for a creature that looked like it had climbed out of hell rather than the heavenly being Yuzu described.
"She likes it," said Yuzu. "We took a really long time to decide too. She wasn't agreeable like Sandy."
"So your cat is a nin-animal too?" asked Kakashi. He hadn't heard either one talk, but then not all nin-animals did.
"That's right," confirmed Yuzu. "That reminds me. Kakashi-san, Naruto said you have a contract with ninken, and that Kon might like playing with Pakkun? Sandy isn't very good at cards, and Unicorn doesn't seem very interested in that sort of play."
Kakashi imagined Unicorn enjoyed playing with Kon the way a cat played with a mouse, but he could understand why a turtle might have trouble with cards. Nin-animals didn't have trouble holding things the way their normal counter-parts did, but turtles were primarily aquatic and playing cars were made of paper.
While Yuzu finished pouring the tea, Kakashi summoned Pakkun. The appearance of the pug produced a squeal of glee from Yuzu, who promptly started preparing a snack for the dog.
"She smells spicy, boss," said Pakkun in a quiet voice.
"It's probably an effect of her Lava Release," explained Kakashi.
All three Kurosakis were starting to lose the unfamiliar scents of their homeland and smelling more like residents of Konoha. Kakashi wouldn't have described Yuzu's scent as spicy, but the dogs were more sensitive. They thought Naruto smelled like a fox too.
"Lava Release?" asked Pakkun. "Tougher than she looks, huh? But she is Naruto's cousin after all."
Kakashi side-eyed the two heavy bags of rice in the corner of the kitchen. "Yes, I think so."
Yuzu set down a bowl filled with ice cream, bananas, and peanut butter. Pakkun clapped his paws together. "Thanks for the meal."
He took one bite and raised his head. "This one's a keeper, Kakashi."
Yuzu laughed. Kakashi glared at the pug, even as sense of encroaching doom made itself known. If Ichigo heard something like that—or Naruto, Sakura, Anko, or Tsunade for that matter—Kakashi would be dead and buried in short order.
"Enjoy it. After this, you're going on a diet."