By the time Mebuki Haruno crossed the room to reach it, the bird had reverted to being an origami structure.
She unfolded it and her eyes scanned the letter quickly. When done, she merely nodded once. The Haruno family was samurai after all. Excessive emotional displays were to be discouraged.
She quietly took the note with her to where her husband was, took a thin mat out from a drawer in a cupboard, and sat in the seiza fashion while waiting for Kizashi Haruno to finish his current task.
"Big order of cinnamon rolls for the Hyuga," said Kizashi, swiping hands together to clear them of flour. "I think Hinata-san had some major successful mission and wants to celebrate. What's wrong?"
Mebuki handed her husband the note, then went back to the same position.
"Let's see. 'Naruto parentage confirmed - Kushina Uzumaki. Mission going well, situation complicated. Will prepare full report for return.' Ah. Well. Interesting."
"'Interesting' he says," said Mebuki in a dry tone of voice.
"Yeah, interesting," said Kizashi. "Well, I'll inform the rest of the clan. Do you want to pen the official complaint to the Hokage's office about us being kept in the dark? You're much better with vitriol than I am."
"I shall endeavor to be polite and without rancor," said Mebuki. "You'd just put in a few jokes and try to keep it light-hearted. As this will be an official clan correspondence I'll try not to interject any personal feelings."
"What about Chie?" asked Kizashi. "If we sent her to apologize to Uzumaki-sama, that might do for an appropriate introduction between the two."
"We'll see," said Mebuki. "They're both twelve, so don't expect too much."
The Satonaka family was one of the three families brought together under the Haruno banner. It was a recent branch, caused when a samurai-ko of the Haruno family married a Court Investigator of the Fire Daimyo. That had been her grandmother, and while both were dead - some things remained within the Satonaka family.
Such as the Satonaka Style taijutsu.
So she was Chie Satonaka officially. However, as she was of the Clan Haruno, you could also say she was Chie Haruno.
The Haruno Clan was a samurai clan though, so she was quite familiar with the three main weapon styles. Kenjutsu - the Art of the Sword. Archery. Naginata-ryuu - the spear-based fighting techniques. Because they were members of a ninja village, she was also familiar with fairly typical ninja techniques. The disguise technique, illusion-clone, and replacement. As they were samurai who associated with ninja, how to defeat each technique was also covered.
The tomboy was working what they called a "heavy bag" when the summons reached her.
Her reaction to the stated mission wasn't exactly what they had expected.
"Waitaminute," said Chie, shaking her head. "Hold on. You're saying that you want me to introduce myself to Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Is there a problem?" asked Kizashi Haruno.
"So, does this mean that Uzumaki-san is confirmed as being of the main branch?" asked Chie.
"Yes, he is apparently Kushina's son," admitted Kizashi. "However, this is confidential information as the ninja forces have apparently classified all this. We are preparing to petition that his mother's identity be revealed or that we be allowed public association."
"While I like his 'can do this' attitude," said Chie. "I'm eleven and still in the final year of the Academy. Taking time away to associate with an active ninja isn't going to work."
"At this point we're just preparing things," said Kizashi. "This is not a seduction mission. Though I thought you were twelve."
"No. I'm eleven and he's twelve - and that is just the beginning of problems with that sort of thing," said Chie. "He's currently out on a mission with his team, right?"
"Yes, Team 7 is on a C-Rank mission," said Kizashi. "More than that is classified per standard protocols."
"Hey, it'll give me time to prepare at least," mused Chie. "Even if it's just saying hello, this could get tricky."
"It only rained near the shrine," noted Sakura as they walked through the mostly-dry landscape with a puddle up ahead in the road.
"Hmmm?" asked Kakashi, his attention apparently completely concerned with the novel in his hands.
"Hey," said Naruto. "Let me try something! Hyoton!"
Wood erupted from the ground ahead of them, becoming a tangle of vines quickly.
"Well, that didn't work," said Naruto, lowering his hands from the hand-sign he'd done.
"What were you trying to do?" asked Sakura as they walked around the knotted vinery.
"I was trying to make a footbridge," said Naruto. "Guess I need practice."
"A fair summation," said Kakashi without apparently looking up from his book. "What about the thorns?"
"Okay, a LOT of practice," grumbled Naruto.
The genin team and client moved on past the puddle and out of sight.
"This sucks," said someone as he emerged from the puddle and began cutting away vines.
"We'll just come up from behind them, ambush, kill the bridgebuilder and bring his head back," said the other chunin. "Just a minor setback."
"Oh, I don't know about that," said Kakashi, moving out from behind a tree.
Kakashi caught up with his team a moment later.
"Kakashi-sensei?" asked Sakura.
"Hmmm?" asked Kakashi.
"You've got a little blood spatter on your vest," indicated Sakura.
"Ah," said Kakashi, finding the little bit of arterial spray and using a wipe from one of the pockets to remove it.
"So?" asked Sakura. "Bandit?"
"Something like that," said Kakashi. "Tazuna? We'll have to talk about this mission."
"What about it?" asked Tazuna, beginning to sweat.
"Like why are there ninja after your head? Missing-nin in fact. The Demon Brothers of Kiri?" Kakashi seemed almost bored with the situation from the tone in his voice.
"Uhm," hedged Tazuna.
"There were enemy missing-nin? And I didn't get to fight them?" asked Sakura, clearly disappointed.
"The mission is to defend the client from bandits, not fight missing-nin," pointed out Kakashi.
"Well, no," admitted Sakura. "Fighting missing-nin would have been a bonus."
"Samurai," mumbled Sasuke, though he didn't exactly sound disapproving of the concept.
"They were above your level," said Kakashi. "Chunin level, the Demon Brothers from Kiri. Primarily poison specialists."
"Oh," said Sakura, losing some interest at the poison reference. "Did you at least get their weapons?"
"Just a bladed chain," said Kakashi. "I've sent a message to Konoha for a retrieval squad to come get the bodies and such. So, Tazuna, do you want to give us a reason for continuing this mission since you lied about the mission level?"
Neji Hyuga, of the fabled Hyuga clan, had the usual skills to bring to the table. Usual, if one was a Hyuga and a prodigy.
It was his fate to be an elite, alas though he was of a branch house.
Still, his father had gone out in the manner of a proper samurai. It was said in some parts of Konohagakure that the children of the ninja of Kumogakure checked under their bed in case Hizashi had returned from the grave just to take one more with him.
The Hyuga had their skill with the unarmed combat style, the Jyuken. They had their skill with the sword and spear and bow. ESPECIALLY the bow. Nor did the samurai clan of the Hyuga lack in the arts, for it was well-entrenched that a warrior could not dedicate themselves solely to combat - that there were other skills a true samurai should master as well.
In the case of Neji Hyuga - his combat skills were superior to just about anyone anywhere near his age group. Not only in the samurai arts, but the common ninjutsu and their counters. However, in those noncombat skills - he was a little less accomplished.
His poetry, calligraphy, and sketchings were all technically correct but lacking in some manner that he himself could not directly find.
"The pen and the sword, in accord." Clearly, he was meant to be an elite amongst the Hyuga - but he had yet to find the Art he could direct that would further highlight his status as elite samurai.
"Why did the ninja cross the road? Because there was a chicken!"
"Okay," said Tenten. "Cross 'stand up comedy' off the list."
"Because there was a chicken," repeated Neji, looking for any sign that his team was going to start laughing. There was no such sign.
"Was... the ninja crossing the road to get to the chicken, or away from it?" asked Rock Lee, still trying to work at it.
"How about this one then?" asked Neji. "I once saw an immense herbivore practicing law. Though I'm sure it was ir-elephant."
"No, definitely not 'comedy'," said Tenten. "Have you tried sculpture maybe?"
"Is that a proper art?" asked Neji, thinking he hadn't seen a whole lot of that.
"Worth a try," said Tenten.
"Yosh! I shall bring the biggest boulder I can find! And if I cannot find an immense boulder, I shall fetch TWO smaller ones!" enthused Lee.
"Flourish!" said Naruto, thrusting a hand towards a sickly-looking tree.
The tree creaked and groaned for a moment.
"Maybe I'm not using enough chakra," grumbled Naruto.
"Or maybe you're not using them right," countered Sasuke.
"Ah, a boat to carry us across to Wave?" asked Sakura. She glanced at Sasuke. "We could each take an oar and see how well we can synch our efforts, Sasuke-kun."
"Motor," pointed out Sasuke.
"But oars would be quieter," suggested Sakura.
"Maybe I could use some water technique to move us, that'd be even better, right?" asked Naruto hopefully.
"Wait a minute, are you a... Haruno?" asked the boatman, taking in the swords and clan-badge.
"Sakura of Clan Haruno," said Sakura, giving an appropriate level bow towards what she supposed was someone assisting them for the sake of the bridgebuilder's cause.
"Temji of, well, last of Clan Suihou," answered the boatman, nervous hands plucking his hat off his head and then beginning to contort it.
Sakura stopped pestering Sasuke in order to visibly think about that. "The flight from Uzushio was well before my time, but I believe that name is familiar from one of the scrolls my family made of their lives prior to that. Wasn't Suihou a clan of traders? Fishermen?"
"Exactly so, Lady Haruno," said Temji, beaming with a smile that had a few gaps in it. "I was just a lad then, mind you."
"I see," said Sakura, pulling as much dignity around herself as a twelve year old girl could. As she was samurai, she managed that fairly well. "We are here to help. We shall do whatever we can."
"Yes'm," said Temji, eyes moist. "I know ye will."
"The Hokage will see you now," said the chunin at the desk.
The two Haruno entered and took their places before the Hokage's desk, giving bows appropriate for respective stations.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked over the two stone-faced samurai, noting they were wearing formal robes, had not spoken a word and came to a conclusion very quickly. "Okay. I take it someone stole your sweetrolls?"
"The Hokage remains a master of wit," stated Kizashi.
"Our sweetrolls remain a good seller," stated Mebuki. "Our request for an audience was on a different matter."
"Ah yes," said the Hokage, tapping a scroll on his desk. "If this was any more formal, I'd expect it to hand me a business card. Am I supposed to guess what this is about?"
Kizashi's eyes flicked around the room. "Three?"
"Three ANBU, yes," said the Hokage.
"I am guessing this was classified an S-Rank Secret," stated Kizashi. "Which would explain why we wouldn't be told, though not outright denied on such a thing that was so important to our clan."
"Ah," said the Hokage. "What specifically are we talking about?"
"That Kushina Uzumaki died with an heir," said Mebuki, bowing respectfully if a bit too crisply.
"Oh. THAT S-Class Secret," said Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Though it's not quite that level. Why would you need to know that?"
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(Posted Sun, 04 May 2014 07:26)
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