"Do we have time to be stopping at some place for dinner?" Kiba asked. "I thought this was important?"
"We're still waiting for one of the leads to pan out and give us a place to send you," Teana said. "We can use that time to set up a plan of action and familiarize you guys with the laws and protocols."
"Speaking of which," Fate noted. "We might as well stop by and deal with one such legal issue first."
"And what might that be?" Asuma asked cautiously.
"Oh, she's talking about your weapons," Teana said. "Mass-based weapons are illegal, and we can't risk letting you use them even if we end up on an uninhabited world."
"Don't worry, we have some of the storage devices Naruto and Hinata used before they got their intelligent devices," Fate assured them. "Teana, are you going to be joining us for dinner?"
"Can't," Teana said. "Subaru is back from duty for a few days too. We're getting together while we can."
"Ahh," Fate said. "Yes, I wish Erio and Caro were here, but they're in Supools right now."
Asuma, Shikamaru and Kiba exchanged embarrassed looks again.
"Hmm, is Subaru your boyfriend then?" Chouji asked.
"Girlfriend," Teana noted. "She works for the Special Rescue Unit, so we're often across universes from each other."
Fate and Teana then noted the odd looks on the ninja.
"Oh, I remember those looks," Teana said, drawing a grimace from Fate.
"So...is this...err, common?" Asuma asked.
"The lesbian thing?" Teana asked with a roll of her eyes.
"Lanster," Fate snapped in embarrassment. "There are a lot of women here, and rumors spread easily."
"Especially when there's only one bed," Teana noted, drawing a wince and a glare from Fate.
"I still want to know how a backpack or something is going to replace a weapon," Kiba interrupted, trying to cool down his flush.
"What are you talking about?" Fate asked.
"You mentioned storage devices," Shikamaru said.
"Oh, right, forgot had to explain that," Fate said as they came up to a modest building. "Follow me in here. Teana, we'll see you later. Enjoy your time with Subaru."
They eventually found themselves in front of a table on which were lined several things that looked like simple jewelry.
"These are storage devices," Fate said. "They were made for Naruto and Hinata after they started officially performing missions for us. Until they upgraded to Kleinhoffen and Mjolnir six months ago. These items store spells and can also help mould them."
"And the very point of using us is that your own techniques seem to be getting noticed," Shikamaru noted. "So you're going to take away our tools and give us something that has the weakness you're trying to avoid?"
A woman with green hair walked up to the table and smiled at them as they said that.
"These devices were made with help and observation of both Hinata and Naruto," the woman said. "We aren't able to do much with your Jutsu-system yet, and we understand that you have no device-technology of your own, so it will take some while to develop, but we were able to create some very basic storage devices to fit your system."
"And when Naruto and Hinata advanced in your own 'systems' Asuma commented, they went for more advanced 'devices'." he reasoned.
"And using those is why they stick out like a sore thumb," Shikamaru noted with a sigh.
"So what do we do with these things?" Chouji asked, picking up a ring.
"Hmm, try that on," the green haired woman said. "And say. let's see here 'knife'."
"Knife," Chouji said experimentally.
Immediately, the ring spread out into a white kunai that fit easily in his hand. Blinking Chouji looked around toward his fellows and tested out the swing and weight of the weapon.
"Is this real?" he asked.
"It's focused mana, you call it chakra," Fate noted. "You can blunt it or sharpen it with a thought and that way you can always use it full out without having too much worry about killing someone on accident."
"Your society focuses more on capture than kill, I see," Asuma said.
"Yes," Fate agreed. "We're law enforcement primarily. We haven't had a real war since well before I was created. Mostly we just have individual criminals, and usually non-lethal force is plenty for that. Mariel, what do you have?"
"Well, he's already picked up the White-knife that Hinata used to use," the green haired woman said. "You should be able to throw that by the way. After it impacts you can make another one. There is another two or three copies of that basic design. And we managed two storage devices that can help you with your three basic spells. Reduce the need for those handsigns you use."
Asuma arched an eyebrow, being able to perform a substitution with no hand sign would be incredibly useful.
"Anything to duplicate paper-bombs?" Shikamaru asked.
"I haven't had a chance to see one," Mariel said. "And Hinata and Naruto were only able to tell me how it worked. If you have a sample, I'll see what I can do."
"All right," Kiba said. "When you throw this stuff, how long does it last, can it hold rope or what?"
"It lasts until you stop funneling mana into it," the woman said.
Shikamaru frowned at that. If this was the case, any weapons he used would be eating the same supply that fed his shadow possession. Still, unlimited ammo until chakra ran out was intriguing. He'd have to see how much chakra it took to create the constructs.
"In the meantime," Fate said. "You can leave your mass weapons here and we'll return them to you when you head back to your world. And please, don't keep any back. Some of Naruto's shuriken were once deflected into a team-member. A particular bureaucrat raised such a stink over it that he almost shut down the Task Force we'd formed to stop a particular incident."
Nevermind that throwing the shuriken had distracted a gadget long enough for Subaru to pull Teana out of danger. Nevermind that said team-member, Vita, had barely noticed the shuriken in favor of destroying her own opponents.
There were times that Fate wished Hinata hadn't uncovered Due's identity just before that last battle.
Life would sometimes be so much simpler without General Gaiz around to screw with people he saw as "criminals" and "loose cannons."
"All right," Asuma said. "We'll make sure you have no problems from us."
Translation: collect your evidence, genin.
Kiba and Chouji nodded in agreement while Shikamaru gave a "tch" and rolled his eyes.
"Troublesome," he muttered.
Kiba looked up toward Akamaru, who was glancing around at all the shiny, clean buildings and wondering where all the trees and wilderness were. Where did these people go for walks and go hunt stuff and the like? His barks communicated his concern even as Kiba nodded and commiserated with his partner.
"Boy don't I know, Akamaru, don't I know," he shook his head as he sorted through the rings and necklaces, listening to which one did which.
He had picked one up and wandered over towards the entrance of the room and was the first to see the newcomer to the room.
She looked about thirteen years old with tall, canine ears and a long reddish-brown tail. She was carrying a small load of papers, booklets and documents, but that for the moment Kiba wasn't paying attention to that.
"Some sort of henge jutsu?" he asked himself.
"Fate, I have those booklets you wanted," the girl said.
"Already?" the blonde woman asked.
"Yuuno and I started putting together some a few months back," Arf said. "In case we made contact with Hinata's people."
She paused then, glanced over to the boy staring at her and then back toward Fate a bit nervously before glancing back at Kiba.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked.
Akamaru whined and cocked his head.
"What do you mean what am I?" the girl asked. "Can't you tell?"
"Are you a person in a transformation jutsu or a dog in one?" Kiba asked.
"Arf is my familiar," Fate said.
"What is a familiar?" Shikamaru asked.
"My soul is put into a magical body maintained by Fate's power," Arf said. "Without the familiar contract I would have died as a puppy."
Kiba and Akamaru's eyes opened wide in consideration of what that meant.
"So you were a dog?" Shikamaru said.
"Wolf," Arf corrected, putting her delivery on the table.
"Whatever," Shikamaru continued, getting a glare from Arf, Kiba and Akamaru. "Anyway, you're saying you were an animal, but now you look human, plus tail, and can walk and talk and other such things?"
"If need be I can even fight to protect Fate," Arf said. "But she hasn't needed my help in battle for a long time, so I mostly help out at the library and do little errands to help her family."
"And what happens if something happens to Fate?" Asuma asked cautiously.
"Well, if she dies, I die," Arf said as Fate looked uncomfortable.
"How does that work?" Kiba asked. "The contract thing...."
"I think it's time to go to the Takamachi house," Fate said. "We'll bring these primers along, thank you Arf."
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(Posted Sat, 04 Jun 2011 09:27)
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