Transferring Courage
Date: May 15th, 13 years aNb
Days since Team 11 left Mizumiyo Palace: 12
Time: 12:10 PM
Nakahito reached up to clear the moisture on his isolation suit's faceplate that had completely obscured his vision; his heart pumping a little harder than normal with anticipation at finally being able to see Princess Kanna for the first time since he'd raced her to the medical suite. Hoshi Fugato had managed to procure suits that Sho had deemed to be sufficient to keep the recovering princess safe four days ago, but Kanna's brother, Daimyo Muso, had insisted on being the first to talk with her. The conversation had apparently upset the white haired woman so much that she'd told Inugami that she wanted to be left alone until further notice…
It had been a long five days, but Kanna had finally said she was ready to see other people, which finally brought him to this moment: encased in a rubber and plastic suit and breathing recycled air as his teammate blasted him with the sterilization jutsu to ensure nothing came in with him. After a few minutes, Inugami parted a plastic curtain, revealing a mostly empty room with a single blue-sheeted bed with Princess Kanna, in a simple white dressing gown, lying atop it. Her silken hair, which had previously hung down to the swell of her breasts, now stopped just below her jawline and she had a slight undercut. Beside her was a lightly picked at tray of food that she had her back turned to.
Haruno reached down to the belt of his suit and turned on the two-way radio that he'd turned off during the sterilization. "Hey, Kanna-hime… How are you feeling?" The ninja asked, not sure what else to say, as he pulled the nearby chair to the bedside.
Kanna wa Akago startled slightly before she rolled over to face her visitor. Nakahito couldn't help but notice the red in her dark eyes, but they lit up when she saw his face.
"Haruno-san… Thank you for coming…" Her soft, melodic voice was barely audible. "I never got to thank you…"
The fire specialist looked slightly confused. "For what?"
"You protected or saved me three times by your own volition; not because you were hired to do so… You can't possibly know how much that means to me." Kanna's hand came up to run through her hair, directing it around her ear, but reached the end of the hank of hair faster than expected. A moan of frustration escaped her. "I must look horrible…"
"What are you talking about? You're as gorgeous now as you were the night of the Gala." Haruno said earnestly, his face clearly meaning every word.
"But my hair…" She protested. "'A woman's hair is to be her pride and joy until she is given a husband and has his sons. Men treasure long hair; your worth is measured by it.'"
The Genin's face screwed up in confusion and disgust. "Forgive my coarse words, Kanna-hime, but who the hell fed you that load of bullshit?!"
"My… my Father." She whispered, an odd look crossing her features for a moment.
"Well, I don't know how things work in the Kuge down here, but in the Land of Fire, there are women with hair even shorter than yours is now that are almost as beautiful as you are and others with hair longer than you had before that wish they could look half as good as you do now."
The snow haired woman looked surprised. "R-Really? But those three women with you, the one that was Reiyuriko-sama and the maid that brought Kikyo-neesama in when Muso was elevated, and the one that stopped you all had long hair… Aren't they doing it to attract men?"
"Kimi, Momo and Miho-sensei?" Nakahito asked with a slight laugh. "Well, I don't know much about Miho-sensei's private life – I've only been her student for four months now – but almost all the kunoichi in our graduating class have long hair because the top two, my cousin Sakura and her frenemy Ino, started a competition. Not everyone is doing it, though; Hinata, Miho-sensei's cousin, keeps her hair short because when she was younger someone kept pulling it during Taijutsu practice."
"Kimiko – the one that was Reiyuriko – is focused entirely on trying to restore her clan and hasn't got the inclination to look for a boyfriend, but she's never been one to turn down a competition, either. The last, Motoko Hata…"
Sho Inugami, as if summoned by the mention of the flame-haired girl's name, stepped over, handing his teammate a cloth bag. "Here you go, 'Hito; completely safe… Did I hear you talking about my Motoko-sa?"
Kanna's dark eyes went wide; the red-haired young woman was younger than Kagura! "Your… Ano… Isn't she a bit… young for you, Inugami-sensei?! I mean you're…"
The white haired young man chuckled with a shake of his head. "I'm only 15, Kanna-hime; I only seem older because I'm mature for my age."
The Princess blinked, her mouth falling open in surprise. "You did everything you've done at the same age as my sister?!" She asked, sounding surprised. "And you're en..?"
"We're still trying to figure out exactly WHAT we're going to be to each other, to be completely honest, Princess. It's been a rather intense few weeks…" The medic said with a wry chuckle. "I'll give the two of you as much privacy as this room can afford. Call if you need something."
Nakahito waited until he was reasonably certain his teammate was out of earshot. "So, yeah, while they're a relatively new development, Momo is the best swordswoman in our class. She's apparently been after Sho for years, but he had a bug up his ass about something that he seems to have finally sorted out."
He shrugged. "Anyway, the point is that none of them are simply waiting around for a man to sweep them off their feet. Surely you have dreams or hopes for yourself, Kanna-hime…"
The fair skinned princess was silent for a very long time. "I… I…" She stammered, as if afraid to speak her own desires out loud. "I want to be myself! It's why Kagura and I left with Muso-niisama rather than stay with Father and our half-brothers. Muso-niisama loves us; we're not bargaining chips to him."
Nakahito grinned, feeling excited for the woman in the bed. It was like watching a majestic butterfly emerging from its cocoon. "That's a great place to start!" He said encouragingly as he gently patted her hand. "So, who exactly IS Princess Kanna?"
A cherry red flush filled her cheeks as she looked at his hand on hers. "I… don't know!" She moaned, feeling chagrinned. "I'm nearly 18 and all I know is what I've been taught by my tutors… I have no life experience to speak of and would be completely at a loss if I were to find myself outside of a Daimyo's mansion or the Palace."
Haruno nodded acknowledgement of her hopes and concerns. "Well, the good news is that when you get where you're going, you've got someone who could teach you the skills needed to be an independent woman."
"Kikyo-neesama!" Kanna gasped in sudden realization. "Muso-niisama would talk about her when we weren't around the servants we knew were reporting to Father, but it still seems amazing that they're married now… Father… Well, to say he thought lowly of her would infer that he gave her any thought at all. I believe the only time he spoke of her was to say 'Do what you want with her and then sweep her aside; you're going to put our family on the Aquamarine Throne. That is the purpose for your life now.'"
Nakahito grimaced. "Wow… Uh…" He licked his lips. "I know he's your Dad and all…"
"Father." Kanna interrupted. "Muso and my brothers were allowed to call him Dad, but Kagura and I were not permitted to do so."
Haruno's jaw clenched with anger. "The more you talk about him, the more it seems like he's just an asshole with a title. I hate people like that; those who think they deserve the world because it was practically handed to them."
Kanna wa Akago kept looking down, though her heart was beating a little faster. When Muso had told her that the two Leaf ninja in the dining area had shown an interest in her and Kagura, she had honestly thought her brother had simply been trying to get them to join in his silent rebellion against Father or had noticed her eyes briefly linger in momentary curiosity on the young man currently sitting in front of her.
Never in her wildest dreams would someone be interested in her FOR her; only what she could do for them. Never would someone put themselves between herself and danger – to say nothing of potentially sacrificing themselves – of their own free will. Never would someone catch her as she fell…
Never would someone beg for her to live for her own sake.
Kanna wa Akago had never once thought she would be permitted to fall in love with someone other than the one Father chose for her.
And yet…
"Um…" Kanna hesitated as a flush filled her features, afraid her thoughts were written all over her fair face. "What's in the bag Inugami-sensei gave you?"
"This?" Nakahito Haruno asked with a playful smile as he picked the bag up and handed it to her. "Just a little get well soon gift I made for you while I waited to see you again."
Kanna blinked in surprise. "You made something… FOR me? I didn't know you were an artisan as well as a ninja!"
Haruno's cheeks flushed at her compliment and he chuckled ruefully. "Artisan might be a BIT of a stretch, Kanna-hime; at best I'm a slightly gifted amateur."
A slightly sad smile crossed his features as a memory came to mind. "My parents weren't ninja; they were engineers that specialized in designing capital projects like dams and such. Since during construction they were on hand just in case there were complications with the project, they had a LOT of down time. My Dad used to carve these amazing pieces with just a few simple hand tools during those times and bring them home as souvenirs. One summer after I entered the Academy – I must have been seven, maybe eight – I got to go with them. Dad started teaching me how he did it; best summer ever..."
A sigh escaped him. "It doesn't happen as often since I lost them two years ago, but every now and then I feel a bit of inspiration… I…" He smiled nervously. "I hope you like it."
Kanna licked her lips nervously as she opened the bag and reached inside. A pendant with a braided leather string about half the size of her palm emerged from the bag.
The front had an ornately carved koi, its body curved in mid-jump over a blossoming rose. The piece had a reddish wood stain on the rose and mottled orange and white lacquer made the detailed scales of the fish pop visually. Flipping it over, underneath the little notch that had been carved to thread the leather strap through, there were five characters that spelled out "Brave Strength" – Yūkan'na tsuyo-sa – surrounded by the white circle that Kanna recalled being on the ninja's jacket as they danced.
"I'll be the first to admit that I barely know you, Princess, but when your brother announced that you and your sister were going to move up north with him, I remember being impressed…"
Kanna, who'd been tracing the white ring with one finger blinked. "You were impressed… by me?" Surprise was evident on her face.
"Well, yeah… I mean, I might be a ninja, but this…" He gestured around them. "This is my first time outside of the Senju Forest that covers most of the interior of the Land of Fire. And as enjoyable as some parts of it have been, there's a large part of me that misses Konoha terribly. Like, I can see myself leaving the village for a mission, but I don't think I'd have the courage to permanently move somewhere else the way you have."
"I…" Kanna began faintly, but faltered, her throat bobbing with emotion. Her attempt to speak was so soft the suit's radio didn't even pick up on it.
"That's why I thought of a koi; they leave the comfortable waters of the Southeastern Sea to make the trek to the northern spawning grounds, not know if they're going to get there, but driven to get past their complacency and show bravery in their adversity. Ironically enough, your very name is part of this version of the word brave, Kanna-hime…" He said, giving her a proud smile. "The white ring here represents me and my family, so in a way I'm giving you some of my strength to help you get through the challenges ahead of you."
"Ha-Haruno-san…" The woman tried again, but still was too soft to be heard.
"So if things ahead of you seem too tough, just look at this and imagine me standing by your side saying, 'Yes, you CAN do this, Kanna-hime.' But if you ever need something more…" Kanna's pale face shifted into the range of red as she had a brief thought unbecoming a lady of her status. "I'm just a messenger hawk and a few days away. Okay?"
The emotions warring within the recovering woman finally became too much for Kanna to handle and she began crying miserably.
Nakahito blinked in surprise. 'Damn… She hates it. What the hell was I thinking, giving a carved wood tchotchke to a woman used to silks and gold?! Or did I lay it on too thick? I'm just a beginning ninja and she's honest-to-God princess!'
"Haruno-san…" She looked up at him, tears streaming, but an undeniable smile on her lips as she pressed the pendant protectively to her chest. "This is the most heartfelt gift anyone other than Muso-niisama has ever given me! I love it; thank you!"
The Leaf ninja felt himself unclench internally in relief. "Surely your parents gave you gifts…" He paused. "Well, maybe not your father, but your Mom?"
Kanna shook her head with a sigh. "My Mom died in an 'accident' not long after Kagura was born, so I was only about three when Father remarried the Lady, the woman that bore him my four other brothers. She never liked Kagura, Muso, or I since we held the superior claims to Father's district; she was overjoyed when we said we were moving out."
"I swear I heard quotation marks when you referred to the accident…" Haruno said softly. "Why do I suddenly get the impression it was anything BUT one?"
Kanna suddenly froze at his question; a look of fear and disgust on her face. She inhaled sharply as she suddenly remembered the warning Inugami-sensei had given when he'd overheard the conversation between her and Muso the other day...
~•~
Daimyo Muso rose from the chair that he'd been sitting in for several hours now. "I've still got a lot to do in response to this attack, Kanna-chan, but for right now the ONLY thing I want you to worry about is getting better… Mizuzaki-sama has offered to allow us to stay here at Mizumiyo Palace until Inugami-sensei says that you're fully healed. Do you want me to send in Kagura-chan?"
Princess Kanna, her hands clenching her blanket in rage and fear, shook her head. "Not right now, Nii-sama… I…" Tears began to leak from her eyes. "I need some time to process... Everything."
Muso smiled sadly at her and patted her dainty knee. "She was mad as a shaken hornet, too; she'll understand. I'll see you in a few days when I start getting updates, okay?" His white haired sister nodded before the 3rd District Daimyo took his leave.
Before she knew it, the mostly white-haired medic-nin was at her bedside and had his hand around her wrist, checking her pulse. She could see a grim look to his features, but the Princess's intuition told her that it had nothing to do with her.
"I assume you heard all that?" Kanna asked the man that had saved her life. Inugami nodded grimly. "And..?"
"Kanna-hime, I'm not from this nation nor do I have the patience for politics."
She nodded. "And yet here you are, a national hero, taking the time to patch me up. I'd like to hear your thoughts; just between the two of us."
Sho was silent for a long minute, but finally nodded. "Between you, me, and the IV tree here…" He shook the device that was loaded with saline bags to help restore the internal fluids cooked out of her in the explosion. "The plan is as sound as one that I could come up with were I in the shoes of your brother, Lord Kodansyo, or Lord Mizuzaki. It should do exactly what they're hoping to accomplish."
"Then why the dour look on your face, Inugami-sensei?"
The medic sighed. "I know you said you're wanting some time alone before you see any other visitors, but could I beg you for a small favor?"
Kanna blinked in surprise at the medic-nin. "I owe you my life, Inugami-sensei… I saw death waiting for me and you pulled me back! If I can do it, I WILL do it."
"When you see Haruno, PLEASE don't mention your brother's theory… My teammate…" The young man with the dual colored eyes glanced in the direction Muso had just left in. "He has issues when it comes to family dynamics like yours; especially when they involve someone he cares about. You saw that yourself at the Gala."
The snow-haired princess looked confused. "You mean what he did to the Traitor? How did that involve someone he cares about?"
"My other teammate, the one that was pretending to be Reiyuriko-hime? Haruno's been her best friend for years…" He paused. "Queen Mizuho was her maternal aunt."
Kanna was quiet for a moment, feeling slightly crestfallen. "I see. So he did what he did because he lo…"
The medic shook his head. "Not like that, he doesn't. He did what he did for a friend… And he'd do the same for you – damn the consequences – if he felt it necessary. Which is how he DEFINITELY will feel." Inugami checked his watch. "It's time for me to prepare your next round of treatment." Inugami had then wandered off, leaving Kanna alone to process his words.
~•~
The memory flashed through her mind in an instant. Kanna licked her lips, feeling slightly nervous; she hadn't known what to expect when she asked for Haruno-san, but they were nowhere close to where she'd anticipated they'd be!
The white haired princess sighed. "Daimyo Akago is an unforgiving man in the best of circumstances; one who doesn't tolerate people failing him more than once. Muso burned his when he failed to convince Reiyuriko to make him the next Mizuzaki." Fresh tears – these ones anything but happy. "Kagura and I… We were BORN failures."
"How could you and your sister possibly be born f…" His jaw suddenly snapped shut as he put the pieces together. The sound of his teeth clicking echoed in the confines of his isolation suit's helmet as Nakahito leapt to his feet; his voice a hiss of rage. "No..!"
Kanna looked down at the necklace he'd just given her, fidgeting with it uncomfortably, suddenly unable to look Haruno in the eye.
The Genin's hand began to clench and release at the Princess's unspoken confirmation of his thought. "Your father can't possibly be that much of an…"
"I was three or four when Mom died… My half-brother Goshinki was born three months later." She grit her teeth – Kanna had been six when Juromaru, the second of her four half brothers, had been born and she realized that Akago had cheated on her mother, likely from the moment Kagura had been born.
"Father said that Kagura and I were lucky to avoid the accident that killed Mother; that one day we'd be married off to another member of the Kuge to give them plenty of sons. When Muso, Kagura and I left Akago's manner, his last words…" She winced; her heart beginning to race as she realized that the doctor had foreseen this very situation and had tried to prevent it.
"What… Did… He… Say..?" Nakahito asked slowly, trying to force a calmness that he didn't feel.
Kanna looked up, her eyes going wide as she saw miniscule wisps of steam radiating from the red ninja's form as his chakra began to evaporate the last of the moisture from the sterilization.
Tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes; Kanna closed her eyes, pressing the koi pendant to her chest, trying to calm the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears. "Please, Haruno-san, don't do anything reckless for my sake…"
"Your FATHER?!" He demanded in a deadly sounding hiss. "You're saying that HE..!"
The rage radiating off Nakahito was suddenly punctuated by a set of high pitched whistles as his fire-natured chakra - released because of the intensity of his emotions - melted pinholes in the hazmat suit he wore; allowing the pressurized air of his suit to escape. The ninja's eyes went wide as he realized what was happening. "Shit, my suit!" He swore as he backed away to avoid risking anything affecting her.
"Haruno-san..! Please promise me you aren't going to do something reckless!" Kanna begged.
Nakahito grit his teeth, feeling like a heel for finding himself unable to give her peace of mind, but he just couldn't bring himself to make a promise to her that he couldn't guarantee he'd try to keep.
"I'll be back as soon as Inugami fixes this damn thing, Kanna-hime." He said as he briefly looked at her before disappearing into the makeshift airlock.
"Nakahito…" Kanna breathed in surprise, squeezing the carved koi until the carved scales bit into her delicate skin; leaving indentations in her tender flesh. She hadn't imagined what she'd seen, had she? "Were those tears..? For me..?"
* * *
Transferring Wisdom
Date: May 15th, 13 years aNb
Days since Team 11 left Mizumiyo Palace: 12
Time: 3:45 PM
After leaving the damaged isolation suit in the hall for Inugami to find and fix, Nakahito had tried to find Miho-sensei to talk about the situation with Princess Kanna; hoping his Jonin would have some idea about how to bring the attempted filicidal and successfully mariticidal Daimyo Akago to justice...
Unfortunately, no one he spoke to had seen her since breakfast…
His mood becoming more sour with each person he spoke with as his eyes became increasingly red as he fought back tears caused the regular Palace guard to retreat from his presence.
The stories of what he'd done to the Traitor during the Gala had become more exaggerated. In one of the last versions he'd overheard, his eyes had supposedly burst into flames and he'd eviscerated the traitor with his bare hands only for Inugami to patch him up enough to stand trial. When he'd heard that version, Nakahito realized the hurt he felt at being painted as such a monster must have been a mere taste of what Sho had gone through the last seven years.
Frustrated at being unable to find Hyuuga-sensei, his second thought was to talk to Kimiko, but he quickly rejected that notion. While his best friend had not said anything negative about Kanna since the assassination attempt, there was still the tension between the two that had begun the night of the Gala.
'If I didn't know better, I'd swear Kimi is jealous of Kanna-hime.' Haruno thought in frustration as Raiden's damned innuendo echoed in his mind yet again. 'Which is nuts! Why would my best friend be jealous about my interest in Kanna-hime, but not Hinata-chan or Motoko-san?'
'Maybe because she knew those cute, quiet kunoichi held long-standing interest in Naruto and Sho…' A mental image of Iruka-sensei, the man he had started turning to for reasoned advice after his parents had died, answered his unspoken question. 'So she had no reason to be jealous. The Princess, on the other hand is sheltered, innocent, and clearly interested in you. She was literally dying in your arms and her final thoughts were to apologize about being freaked out because you beat the unholy shit out of Akechi wa Jubei!'
'Itou just wants to bang you stupid before you fuck that older, hotter white-haired cutie with the body that couldn't stop appearing in your dreams even if you tried!' An imaginary Raiden cackled. 'Although, given their mutual interest in you, maybe we could talk them into a thr…'
The fake male Hata was cut off as a vision of Sho Inugami punched him in the throat mid perverted thought. As Raiden doubled over, gasping for air, a clearly very embarrassed Motoko appeared – one hand on her throat and wincing in pain – bowing apologetically to Nakahito before grabbing her brother's ear and dragging him off in the direction of a fiery-eyed and tonfa-armed Kimiko Itou.
'The Therapist-nin are going to have a field day with you when we get home…' Inugami said as he watched Motoko depart. 'I mean, Sho's crazy, but you're so messed up in the head that you're imagining other people saying what YOU'RE thinking so you don't feel guilty for having those thoughts, Haruno.'
Shut up, Sho!" The fire specialist growled in annoyance as the mental constructs briefly turned into Nakahitoes before fading away like the figments they were.
Frustrated at being left with only his own thoughts for companionship, Nakahito decided some venting was in order and headed for the secondary staircase on the north side of the Palace.
~•~
The fifth and sixth floors of Mizumiyo Palace were dedicated for the use of the on-site defense forces supervised by Keigo Kurosaki. While it had been decades since the Palace Guard had seen any real action thanks to the layered static defenses, the dynamic defenses operated a 24/7 patrol in twelve hour shifts that performed partial shift changes every three hours to ensure fresh eyes around the clock.
The fifth floor of the Palace consisted of the bunkhouses and the training center. While the majority of the guards were normal humans, the Imperial Guard – the men and women assigned to guard the Royal Family's quarters – were principally samurai hired from the Land of Iron off to the west. Because they had the ability to utilize chakra, but primarily used augmentation techniques to enhance their weapons, armor, and themselves as opposed to offensive jutsu, a specialized zone had been established in the training center where the equipment absorbed chakra energy on contact to minimize damage.
Nakahito Haruno, his mind and body finally so exhausted from working out for nearly four hours straight that he no longer had the ability to even contemplate the rage he felt when Kanna-hime had revealed the likely culprit behind the assassination attempt, lay in the middle of a dozen ruined practice dummies; their damage resistance functions unable to keep up with the irritated ninja's onslaught.
On more than one occasion over the last few hours, the door leading to the mixed gender locker room had squeaked open – its hinges were badly in need of oiling – and a member of the guard would come in long enough to see the mess the ninja had made before retreating out of fear of becoming part of the collateral damage.
"I hope these weren't too expensive…" The Genin muttered to himself as he half-heartedly tried to sweep the pieces into a pile with his foot.
As if the universe couldn't help but kick a man while he's down, it was at this moment that the overhead lights flickered once, twice… and then cut out completely, plunging the windowless internal chamber into complete darkness.
"Oh, are you fucking kidding me?!" He moaned aloud to himself.
Licking his lips, he held his hand out in front of him, trying to concentrate his chakra enough to create at least a little light; he didn't need much, just enough to be able to find his way through the maze of equipment. He felt a brief bloom of warmth at his fingers, but it faded quickly.
As the energy cut out, he collapsed to the ground. "Shit… I've got nothing left in the tank…" He moaned, rubbing his exhausted face. "This must be what Kimi felt like during the Yondaime's Gambit."
By sheer stubbornness, Haruno grabbed the broken dummy beside him and clawed his way to his feet. He began to take slow, miniscule steps as his hands swept around him in the hopes of finding obstructions with his knuckles instead of his face. He managed all of three steps before his foot found something and he tripped over it; face planting himself into the padded mat.
"Oww…" He groaned. "Guess I'm stuck here until the lights get fixed."
There was the sudden creaking metallic groan of the locker room door off to his right, his sightless eyes instinctively turning in that direction.
"'Hito, are you still in here..?" Kimiko Itou's voice called out from the direction the first noise had come from.
"Yeah, Kimi, I'm here. Did your Uncle forget to pay the electric bill or something?"
Itou's familiar giggle answered him as her voice moved closer. "I'm pretty sure Ayanami-ojisama OWNS the electric company down here, 'Hito. A fuse or something must have burnt out." There was a clatter and she cried out in pain.
"Kimi?! Are you okay?!" Haruno yelped, his face smacking into something as he tried to go to her.
"Body, yes, pride, no." She moaned. "Some oaf didn't put their equipment away and I just bumped into it."
Haruno grimaced in the dark. "Guilty…"
A chuckle. "I figured as much… That Kurosaki guy said you were in here making enough of a mess that the other members of the guard were staying out of your way. What's eating you? Bad visit with your dance partner?"
Nakahito rolled his eyes in the dark. "Kimi, I don't know why you're still so annoyed about us dancing at the Gala, but Kanna-hime hasn't done anything to you!"
"I know, I know!" Itou's sigh of self-frustration echoed through the workout room. "Sorry… I just…" He imagined he could see her shaking her head at herself. "Well if she didn't do something, why are you in here wrecking equipment and generally being more emo than Sho?"
The young man hissed at that verbal jab. "Oww! Jeez, Kimi, I'm not THAT bad!"
"I dunno… I haven't seen you this upset in a long time. Not since…"
Haruno's sigh was practically palpable in the darkness. "My parents; yeah, I guess I was feeling a little bit of that old frustration, too. The authorities never caught the bastards that sabotaged the dam and now they're not going to catch the fucker behind the attempt on Princess Kanna and her siblings, either!" Tears began to dribble down his cheeks as the realization of the similarity of the situations hit him like someone had just dropped Hokage Rock on top of him. "She's like Hinata-chan, you know? A genuinely pure-hearted innocent… How could ANYONE, much less her own Father, harm such a gentle soul?!"
"What are you talking about?" Itou asked, sounding confused.
Haruno gritted his teeth, feeling a fresh bloom of rage despite his exhaustion. "And I'm not just talking about him trying to kill her in the carriage… No, he's made her entire life a living hell all because she was born a girl!" There was a loud clatter as he threw a heavy punch at whatever it was that he'd walked into before.
Kimiko sighed. "Oh, I see… Yeah, Reiyuriko-neesama's journals said that Muso's father was the biggest male chauvinist pig she'd ever had the misfortune of having to be polite to…"
"I mean, Hinata's father was a serious asshole the few times I ever met him, but I've NEVER wanted to roast him alive like I want to do that fucker Akago!"
Needing to vent his rage, the red clad ninja focused until all his anger and hatred pooled up in his arm muscles the way it had against Akechi wa Jubei before Miho-sensei and Tanaka-san had stopped him from killing the traitor. With a resounding crack that echoed like thunder, Nakahito unleashed a haymaker into whatever it was that he'd punched before. This time there was the sound of wood splintering; followed a few seconds later with the sound of something hitting the wall.
"Are you okay, 'Hito?! That sounded like it hurt!"
A sour scent of burnt wood and hair filled Haruno's nostrils… He'd barely felt the strike through his hardened fists, but he could feel a slight warmth that had likely fried the small hairs on the back of his hand. "Yeah, I'm fine… whatever the hell I just hit? Not so much." He flexed his hand. "Hey, how far do you think it is from here to the mansion for the 13th District Daimyo? Think I could get there and back before anyone missed me?"
"NAKAHITO HARUNO!" Kimiko suddenly raised her voice, making him flinch guiltily. "Don't you even joke about something like that! Sho barely saved us when there was PROOF that Jubei was a traitor. If you tried to attack Akago, his guards could throw you in a hole, throw away the key, and then throw away the HOLE!" There was a sound of her crying. "And that's if you lived that long! You'd just disappear; like everyone else in my life!"
Nakahito deflated; he hadn't meant to upset her. "I'm sorry, Kimi; it's just… You know how horrible things are for the Branch Hyuugas? Even THEY get treated better than what Kanna and Kagura have been put through."
"Someone needs to stop fuckers like Akago… I…" His rage vanished and he fell to his knees; pounding on the padded floor. "I know you said Hinata likes Naruto, but even now, if Hiashi treated her like Akago has Kanna, I'd happily kill him or die trying… It's not RIGHT that Akago can do shit like this and get away with it!"
"Kanna's pure like her snow white hair… How does he sleep at night for making someone feel lower than dirt because she wasn't born with a dick?! Let alone to his own flesh and blood!"
Itou sighed sadly. "I wish everyone was lucky enough to have parents like Aio-basan and Kenji-jisan, 'Hito… Maybe there wouldn't be as large a need for ninja like us if they were… But according to Reiyuriko-neesama, Akago's punishment has already begun."
A frown screwed itself onto Nakahito's face in the dark. "What do you mean, Kimi?"
"There may not be a way to PROVE that Akago is behind his, but Daimyo Muso knows his father well enough to get him where it hurts; the only thing that matters to a man like that..."
"His pride." Haruno breathed.
"Exactly! Kodansyo-niisama worked with Muso to draft a notice responding to the assassination attempt. See, had it been successful, Akago, as Muso's closest surviving relative, would have been given District 3 in addition to 13, allowing him to pass the Daimyo crown to two of his sons that he didn't consider a disappointment."
Nakahito Haruno thought that he couldn't hate Kanna's father more than he already did…
He was shocked to find that he was wrong!
"That fucking bastard!" He snarled.
"But Muso has just announced that if anything happens to him and his contingent heirs – Kanna and Kagura – Ayanami-ojisama will instead ELIMINATE district 3, splitting it between 2 and 6… And, apparently, Akago hates those two Daimyo with a passion, so as irritated as he is that half his children wounded his pride, he'll leave them alone now since there's nothing in it for him anymore."
"Wow, Muso and your Uncle rock, Kimi!"
There was a brief pause and then a rueful giggle from Itou. "I can't believe I just tried to check my watch… But any minute now, a special messenger, in the form of Miho-sensei, will be arriving at the 13th District Palace with a letter from both Mizuzaki the 27th AND 28th that they will need keeping a VERY close eye on Muso's family to 'make up for' them nearly being assassinated and anyone who makes further trouble for them will regret it for the rest of their lives…"
"Is that why I couldn't find her earlier?" Nakahito frowned. "But why is Miho-sensei delivering the message?"
"Come on, 'Hito… Even NARUTO would be able to figure out why."
A low chuckle began in Haruno's chest as the pieces came together... How better to insult a misogynist than to send a female messenger that can literally see through walls to tell the man that not only did his little plan backfire, but that both his current and future masters KNEW what he tried to do!
"I take back what I said about your Uncle, Kimiko, he's a bad ass!"
"And then Kodansyo-niisama upped the ante…" The grin on her face was audible in her voice.
"How could he POSSIBLY do that?!" Haruno asked in genuine confusion.
"He sent messenger hawks to EVERY legitimate ninja village on the continent, informing them that if they wish to ever be permitted to do business in, pass through, or even be hired from someone in River Country, all future requests for ninja services from the 13th district Daimyo must be resolved with all-female teams." She paused for a brief instant. "No exceptions. Any village that fails to comply will be blacklisted for the next three generations at a minimum. So if he wants male ninja services, he's going to have to locate a rogue-nin group and have to pay them ten times the normal rate; which will paint him in a VERY poor light at future Audits."
"Holy FUCK, Kimi…" Nakahito gasped as he began to laugh. "It sounds like Akago's in for a living hell! I'm going to HAVE to leave that fucker alone now… Better to leave him squirming than to give him a merciful death."
Itou's voice sounded relieved. "You mean it? No going off all half cocked and getting yourself in trouble for a sad girl with snow for hair?"
"Yes, Kimi, I promise. I'll leave him alone. Hell, the only way he could suffer more would be if he were made immortal, but cursed with bad luck that could only get worse from one day to the next… Your cousin's husband is an even bigger badass than your Uncle."
Kimiko giggled. "Yes, Father and my husband really pulled out all the stops for this! I'm rather proud of them both."
"Wait, what did you just say?" Haruno asked. He COULDN'T have heard that right.
"Kimiko-nee, go ahead and reset the breaker. We got it!"
Suddenly the lights came back on as if they'd never been off. By the entrance was not his best friend, but the Imperial Princess herself, wearing one of the team's over the throat microphone sets.
"WHAT?!" Haruno's jaw fell.
There was a sudden flash of light as Princess Reiyuriko lifted up a camera and took a snapshot. "Yes, I got a photo of the look on his face. You're going to love it!"
"What..?" Nakahito breathed one last time, sounding equal parts confused and defeated.
"Don't feel too bad, Haruno-san. My acting has fooled some of the best in the world. Pretending to be my cousin is probably one of the easiest roles I've ever had."
Nakahito's jaw tightened in irritation. "I don't feel bad; I'm disappointed in Kimi for corrupting you into doing an Inugami-grade prank."
"No prank intended, Haruno-san; well, the bit at the end aside." Reiyuriko said with a smile as she walked over to him and extended a hand to help him up.
It was SO disconcerting to hear his friend's voice coming from the rather voluptuous older woman. Nakahito rubbed his eyes. "Then what was all this about, Princess?"
"Kanna-chan called my room, saying she'd said something that had upset you and she was worried you were going to do something reckless. I, of course, knew what was in the works with regards to her father and told her that we'd take care of it. I knew Miho-chan was already gone, so I talked to my cousin…" A moue pursed her lips. "She, unfortunately, expressed the same desire to harm Akago you did, though hers mentioned razor wire and his… gentials." Haruno winced at that thought; she might not like Kanna, but Kimiko hated bullies more. "Obviously, SHE couldn't be counted on to talk you down."
"So you use your familial similarities to pull off this little role reversal."
"Well, it worked for Kimiko for a month, so aside from three complications, I figured it was worth a shot since I've been trained in diplomacy from the same age you and Kimi-chan went into the Ninja Academy."
Nakahito, who was trying his level best to not stare at two of the three complications on the married woman's body, nodded. "And so you turned out the lights to keep me from realizing you were pretending to be my best friend. I'm surprised you didn't wear a version of her normal clothes to complete the look."
Reiyuriko chuckled. "You were protecting Kimiko as my stand-in… In that entire time, did you ONCE see her wearing something that even remotely resembled her preferred outfit?"
A chuckle escaped his own lips. "Fair point."
"To make things even sweeter, I also won a bet with Inugami-san, who said that not even a more diplomatic Kimi-chan was going to be enough to talk you down." The Imperial Princess said with a fierce grin.
"Please tell me you took him to the cleaners…" Haruno said hopefully. "It's so rare that he's wrong that it gets rather annoying."
"Well, playing for money is hardly fair when you're the crown princess of the wealthiest nation on this continent, if not the world… No, I'm getting something out of him that is going to be a LOT more fun. But that's all you get until dinner tonight when Miho-chan is back."
She looked around the room before grabbing a broom and handing it to him. "We'll take the damages out of the training budget, but if you'd at least clean up the mess before dinner at 7?"
"For the woman who bested the white-haired menace?" Nakahito said with a grin as he took the broom and began to work. "Gladly."
* * *
To Be Concluded