Chapter 25 -> Part 25

I was about to enter headquarters when three connected blurs heading straight for me caught my eye. I automatically reached for my sticks when I recognized the two Hyuugas and the Uchiha. I couldn't tell who was carrying whom, but at least one of them was injured. I threw open the door and they hurried inside, following me closely as I led them into the room with the table. Thankfully, I had cleared all the files off the table before I left earlier that morning. Without prompting, they laid the injured Hyuuga on the table. Even before the boy was fully on the table, I had my hand on his head running diagnostics. Someone had nearly clawed out both of his eyes after slicing his Achilles tendons. Eyes were extremely delicate and there was a ridiculous number of nerves to reconnect and something had managed to shred the retina of his left eye and the right eye was nearly gouged out.

I cursed. The entire process was made even more complicated by the fact that I never healed a damaged eye before, only memorized the textbook, and the Byakugan operated differently than a normal eye.

The more I tried to fix, the more the eye seemed to fall apart.

"Hyuuga, come here," I ordered the other Hyuuga. To his credit, he didn't jerk away when I placed my hand over both his eyes. Someone had nearly managed to take one of his eyes as well, but only his eyelid sustained any damage. Using the healthy eyes as a guideline, I tried to reconstruct the eyes as best I could, but within a minute, I knew it wasn't going to work, even though I continued to try. The Uchiha made himself useful by stemming the bleeding of his own wounds and that of the two Hyuuga. By the time he finished, I was exhausted and struggling to remain standing, finally giving up on the attempt. "Shit, this isn't going to work, I've never treated damaged eyes before and I've never even studied the Byakugan. Cosmetically, I can fix it, but your vision is going to forever suck, if you can even see, and I doubt you'll be able to use the Byakugan again, unless you can find someone better than me to fix it."

"The last medic with knowledge of the Byakugan died three days ago," the now-blind Hyuuga said, trying to sit up. I reflexively grabbed his arm and helped. When I tried to pull my hand away, he caught my wrist with disturbing accuracy. "You're shaking."

I scowled and jerked my arm away. "I'm assuming those bandits weren't just bandits." I redirected their attention

"They were at least Jōnin-level," the Hyuuga with his vision intact murmured, jumping up on the table to put his arm around his brother.

"Did you get a description?"

"Kiri?" one of the Hyuuga guessed.

"It was one of the Yuki clan as well as one of the Seven Swordsman, both from Kirigakure," the Uchiha clarified

"Brilliant." Someone knocked at the door. "Come in!" I called. The door opened and a fidgety Chuunin kunoichi opened the door. Her hair was extremely long and a washed-out blond color. The entire mess was tied up in several frizzy buns and decorated with what appeared to be a handmade version of barbed wire made with tacks and ninja wire. Her Chuunin vest had glass baubles sewn onto it and instead of the standard long-sleeved uniform shirt and shinobi pants, her arms were bare and she wore a plaited, knee-length, navy skirt that reminded me of the skirts Catholic schoolgirls had to wear in my old world. She was barefoot, which was strange, but I didn't comment on any of it. What had me slightly worried was the glazed look on her face. I quickly checked for a Genjutsu, but she was clean. She made me think of a lethal version of Luna Lovegood.

"I'm Yamanaka Mayu," she introduced herself quietly, holding out a folder to me. "There's several communications for you, Uzumaki-sama."

"Thank you, Yamanaka-san," I took the folder from her.

"Mayu. Just Mayu," she insisted, but I barely heard her; I had already opened the file and was reading the coded messages. It was written in Jōnin code, which should have been above Mayu's ability to decipher. She seemed professional, so even if she was capable, I doubted she read it. I wasn't supposed to be able to decode it either, but I was beginning to think I wasn't supposed to know half the things Sakumo taught me.

[H118]Sarutobi H.—007309[Incoming potential threat. Infiltration. Origin: Iwagakure. Recommended action: activate security seal 28576.]

[H119]Sarutobi H.—007309[Incoming active threat. Mutiny. Origin: Konohagakure. Recommended action: twenty-four-hour civilian lockdown.]

[C274]Shimura D.—007309[Incoming active threat. Mutiny. Origin: Konohagakure. Recommended action: twenty-four-hour civilian lockdown, identify and publicly execute ringleaders.]

[H120]Sarutobi H.—007309[Incoming active threat. Abduction. Target: Uzumaki Nagato. Goal: Rinnegan, manipulation of governing body. Origin: Amegakure. Recommended action: target lockdown, utilize seal perimeter 887 around habitation.]

[C275]Shimura D.—007309[Incoming active threat. Abduction. Target: Uchiha Hiroto. Goal: Sharingan. Origin: Kirigakure. Recommended action: target lockdown, utilize seal perimeter 887 around habitation.]

[C276]Shimura D.—007309[Incoming active threat. Abduction. Target: Hyuuga Hiashi. Goal: Byakugan. Origin: Kirigakure. Recommended action: target lockdown, utilize seal perimeter 887 around habitation, apply Hyuuga curse seal.]

[C277]Shimura D.—007309[Incoming active threat. Abduction. Target: Hyuuga Hizashi. Goal: Byakugan. Origin: Kirigakure. Recommended action: target lockdown, utilize seal perimeter 887 around habitation.]

[H121]Sarutobi H.—007309[Incoming potential threat. Assassination. Target: Uzumaki Kichiro. Goal: unknown. Origin: unknown. Recommended action: draw out threat.]

[H122]Sarutobi H.—007309[Incoming potential threat. Assassination. Target: Daimyō. Goal: unknown. Origin: unknown. Recommended action: target lockdown, utilize seal perimeter 887 around habitation.]

[C278]Shimura D.—007309[Message: don't screw up, boy.]

[J736]Hatake S.—007309[Message: I'm proud of you, Kichiro, and you are fully capable of succeeding in your position. Remember: always land on your feet, defy expectations and fulfil them, and fight back.]

"Mayu-san, when were these messages received?"

"Five minutes ago via runner, Uzumaki-sama. The runner is awaiting your response."

I pointed at the Hyuuga twins. "Which one of you is which?" I demanded.

"I'm Hiashi," the one who had been blinded replied. The other didn't even bother turning his head in my direction.

Inside the file was paper to reply on as well as a fountain pen. I scribbled down my coded response.

[C000]007309—Sarutobi H.[Response: H118. Resources unavailable.]

[C001]007309—Sarutobi H.[Response: H119. Alternate measures taken. Threat addressed.]

[C100]007309—Shimura D.[Response: C274. Alternate measures taken. Threat addressed.]

[C002]007309—Sarutobi H.[Response: H120. Resources unavailable.]

[C101]007309—Shimura D.[Response: C275. Resources unavailable.]

[C102]007309—Shimura D.[Response: C276. Resources unavailable. Message: Byakugan destroyed.]

[C103]007309—Shimura D.[Response: C277. Resources unavailable.]

[C003]007309—Sarutobi H.[Response: H121. Threat level: 0]

[C004]007309—Sarutobi H.[Response: H122. Message: If that bastard doesn't shut up and sit down soon I'll kill him myself and save everyone the effort, no one here will mourn his passing.]

[C104]007309—Shimura D.[Response: C278. Message received. Reply: It would have been more helpful if you trussed up the Seven Swordsmen before you hurried them along; don't screw up again, councilman, your messes are bigger than your arrogance and I'm not sure I can clean this one up.]

[C200]007309—Hatake S.[Response: J736. Message received.]

[C005]007309—Sarutobi H.[Message: The Seven Swordsmen are surrounding the village; where's the button to make them go away?]

I handed her the page with the coded responses. She turned to leave.

"A moment, Mayu-san," I said quietly. "I'd rather earn your respect than it be given only through the chain of command."

Her face fell. "You don't remember me, do you?"

"No?"

"Kumo front, six months ago?"

"That was six months ago," I deadpanned.

"You saved my life!"

"I did?" I honestly had no idea what she was talking about. I'd probably saved hundreds of lives on that mission and twice as many careers.

She looked like she was about to cry and as cold as it sounded, I didn't care, I'd fix the mess later. For now, I had three people with an active threat to their person in the room with me, as well as several unfriendly Jōnin camping outside the village. Minato and Kushina burst into the room at that moment, the two other Genin who were supposed to be helping them, stumbling along behind, winded. Minato looked a little pale, but otherwise, he seemed fine.

"You look sick, Nii-san," Kushina announced, plopping down beside me.

One thing annoyed me about this world. No one got colds, except for me. No one got the flu, except me. No one got sick, except me. Every few months, I was out for the count for at least a day, more often, two or three. Apparently, Kichiro had always been a bit of a sickly kid, but in my old world I could count on one hand the number of times I'd been sick or too injured to function in school or at work. Three migraines, a broken ankle, and a nasty case of the flu. In a single year, I got sick more times than I had in twenty-seven years of living in my old world. Injuries, though, were ten times as common.

"I'm not sick," I murmured back, rubbing my face in agitation. My hands shook. I knew I had far more strenuous training sessions that lasted twice as long as the time I had spent on this job, but the sheer magnitude of every action I made weighed on me twice as much as any training session ever could, no matter how intellectually, physically, and emotionally strenuous Sakumo made it.

I needed rest. I probably could use a good meal as well, but most of all, I needed to lie down somewhere dark and safe and just sleep, preferably alone. There wasn't much rest to be found while beneath two pre-adolescent mini-heaters and a dozen blankets, especially when I preferred to sleep with the AC on max. Not that there was any AC.

"You're shaking," Hiashi pointed out.

"I am certain everyone here has a job to do that does not include neglecting it to ride my ass about my health. In case you've forgotten, I am the medic here, not you." They all flinched. Mayu's fist closed around the coded message I gave her, but she didn't leave. "Report."

The Uchiha began. "Once we determined a chain of command, we set out to scout the south-southeast region where two potential hostiles had been noted, Dōjutsus active. The moment we were within range of the camp, both Hyuugas froze and I recognized one of the Seven Swordsmen."

Hiashi continued. "The moment the hostiles entered our range of vision, it was obvious they were Jōnin-level. We stopped to run back, but they somehow saw us and one of them attacked, aiming for our faces with claws of ice. I jumped in front of Hizashi to attempt the Hakkeshō Kaiten, but failed when the assailant's partner slashed my ankles."

That was probably the only effective way to stop that particular move.

The Uchiha picked up the thread. "I melted the Yuki's attack against me, grabbed both of them, and shunshined back into the village."

"Do you know anything about the status of their health?"

"No."

"What do you think the chances are that the other six individuals are just Jōnin from other villages like the fiasco with the Raikage?" I asked hopefully.

"Negligible," Mayu said. "In this war, the Seven Swordsmen haven't separated unless it's while fighting and they always end up back together."

"Shit."

"You say that a lot," Kushina commented. "What does it mean?" Right, I tried to curse in English whenever kids were around.

"Where are those barrier seals I asked for?" I ignored Kushina's question.

Minato held out a tube of paper. I took it and wrapped one of the seals around one of my sticks, tossing the others towards the most likely ANBU hiding place. To my relief, it disappeared before it landed. I quickly distracted everyone from the phenomenon.

"How many Genin working together will it take for a single one of the Swordsmen to be taken down?"

"Theoretically, a single Genin can take down a Kage," Mayu shrugged.

"I don't want theories; I want the numbers realistically."

"At least a dozen experienced Genin who are accustomed to working together and they will suffer heavy casualties."

"We don't have a group that fits those criteria, shit." I paced, struggling to bring up what I knew about the Seven Swordsmen. I remembered someone had managed to stand up to them in the manga but I couldn't remember who. "We don't have anyone here with more than a basic understanding of Kenjutsu—"

"Hatake-san taught you how to use his sabre!" Minato insisted.

"Yes, but that sabre is currently being used elsewhere and it's not my primary weapon and too damn exhausted to be any better than a Genin."

"Then get some rest and then go out there and kick their asses!" Minato exclaimed as if it was simple.

"You're overestimating my abilities. With the Kyuubi helping, I'm low Jōnin-level at best, I doubt I could beat one of them, much less a pair and then three other pairs. I'll need another few years of experience and heavy training to get anywhere near that level."

Everyone looked at me with a mixture of awe and envy, completely forgetting the fact that we were about to get our asses handed to us by a force a tenth of our size. The front door of the house slammed. Everyone jumped. I pushed past Minato and the two other Genin to see. The Uchiha tried to stop me, but I was faster and slid out of the room. It was a pair of Genin, their faces white, trying to calm five crying Academy students and two other civilian children. Outside, there were raised voices.

"Kushina, put up silencing seals around that room. The lot of you, head in there, okay?"

The Academy students nearly ran over me in their haste. One of the Genin hid her face as she passed by me. It took a lot to upset a Genin, they were shinobi after all and conditioned to be able to put away their emotions in all but the most extreme situations. As soon as the door closed behind them, I opened the front door with a bang, leaving it to swing loosely. Two retired shinobi were trying to placate the mob, but it wasn't helping and the fact that both had severely disfiguring injuries probably made everything worse.

"What is going on?" I shouted above the crowd clamoring on the street.

"You bastard! Give me back my child!" A man bellowed. "He's not even enrolled in the damned Academy."

"What is going on?" I repeated myself, firmer. My second mob of the day was twice as large. In a classroom, I could make my voice resound a little bit, but in the street, my voice was thin and carried no authority whatsoever. Down the street, a group of people had gathered to watch. Among them, I recognized the Daimyō. They ignored me and kept shouting indistinguishable demands. It was a few minutes to noon and I hoped the Genin I sent out to infiltrate the civilians had the sense to stay out of the way I could see them crouched on the rooftops, hidden as well as Genin could hide, barely enough to fool a civilian, much less me. I learned to spot Jōnin-level opponents very quickly when Sakumo decided to start training my reflexes to react to surprise attacks.

I was probably going to pay for just standing there and watching the civilians raging, but unwilling to pass some line between us, but it seemed like there was a hundred major problems to deal with at once and they were all so far above my ability to fix that I could only stop and stare at them, strategizing, as if I was in some kind of trance.

In my inaction, the strength of the mob drew more civilians in, no matter how hard I tried to resolve things peacefully. The thing about mob mentality is that it makes people extremely stupid. It was a very bad idea for a civilian to threaten a shinobi, no matter what rank. Even a Genin could kill a civilian faster than they knew what hit them. Sure, there's strength in numbers, but it takes a lot of people with plastic knives to take down a single person with a machine gun. When the mob reached a point where I would have had a hard time defending myself without killing anyone should they attack, most of the Academy students had been covertly hurried into the building and safely locked away, along with the youngest and least experienced of the Genin not guarding the gate. It only took a few minutes for the mob filled the street and go so far as to overflow into the neighboring streets.

By this point, the civilians were beginning to advance menacingly on me, the line between us dissolving. Konoha was one of the hidden villages that pushed teamwork the most. Because of that, Konoha shinobi had a fairly strong moral compass, for ninja, which wasn't saying much, but the point stood. Genin and Academy students end up stuck at a point that leaves them with a foot in both worlds. They're treated as ninja, and, for the most part, expected to act like one, but the true impacts of being a ninja hadn't quite sunk in yet, nor had they fully abandoned the morals they grew up with. To see me, a kid just like themselves, being verbally abused by a bunch of adults yanked at their sense of justice. To hear those adults chanting 'down with the ninja' was a personal offense. The Genin started to mass behind me, shouting right back at the civilians. Most of the younger Chuunin would have done the same, so I didn't blame them, but they still defied orders.

I waited until everything was about to erupt in violence before I acted. The way I did so would probably leave me eternally grounded from Ninjutsu if Sakumo caught wind of it. With what I was intending to do, that pun was unnecessary and inappropriate.

Normally ninjutsu was channeled through the hands, because it was the easiest to control that way, however, theoretically, jutsu could be performed through any tenketsu in the body, though it wasn't recommended. In fact, Ninjutsu practitioners were often specifically warned against it. Screw convention. I pulled on the Kyuubi's chakra to fuel a massive downward gust of air through my feet that quickly covered the whole block as soon as I was high enough in the air. It was strong enough that it forced everyone to a knee and I could keep my arms crossed dramatically to make up for the absolute lack of presence my nine-year-old, three-foot-ten, sixty-pounds-soaking-wet body had. I was extremely careful that it was only the Kyuubi's chakra that everyone below me felt, untainted by killing intent from either me or Kurama, even though we both wanted to just knock them all catatonic, or dead as Kurama wanted, until they regained their good sense and perspective. That would be quite counter-productive.

"ENOUGH!" I roared, the Kyuubi's chakra deepening my voice and projecting it so everyone could hear clearly. "You are disgraceful to yourselves, your parents, and your children, all of you. We are at war! We are losing this war and all you can do is shout and scream at each other? It's shameful that citizens of what used to be the most powerful of the hidden villages, the original hidden village, the hidden village built on ideals of peace and unity would turn against itself so easily. Civilians, you claim this is about the Academy children, but let me put something into perspective for you. There are fourteen Academy students who are not a part of a shinobi clan. Of those fourteen, nine are orphans who speak for themselves. Five come from civilian families.

"It is the responsibility of everyone in this village to step up and protect it and the children of it. It is absolutely repulsive that you are protesting the decision of five children who chose to step up and learn to protect themselves because you don't have the guts to do it instead. Under normal circumstances, the penalty for such blatant disobedience of the established rules of this village is death. These protests end now. If you don't like the way this village is protected or led, then leave. You have one hour to gather your things and march out of this village to fend for yourselves. If you stay and attempt to disobey the laws of this village again, you will be killed. Genin, you had explicit orders to stand down from this conflict, yet, thirty-one of you directly disobeyed that order. You know the penalty for insubordination to this degree. Report to Interrogation in one hour. Dismissed."

I shunshined away, aiming for the most secluded part of the village I knew of: the small forest beside the memorial stone. I landed the shunshin ten yards from where I intended it, on my hands and knees. Before I even established if I was alone or not, the little bit of food left in my stomach clawed and burned its way up my esophagus. It was mostly bile and it was barely enough to spit out into the mat of leaves beside me. I bent over until my forehead nearly touched the ground, my eyes burning and my hands pulling at my hair.

Someone took a knee beside me and laid a heavy hand on my back. The remnants of the Kyuubi's chakra automatically identified them as Rat.

Without a word, he smothered the Kyuubi's chakra with his own until it dissipated. As it left, my exhaustion, stress, and frustration just seemed to grow heavier. "Kichiro-kun, Bird is impersonating you in order to take care of those still in headquarters." He reported softly. "Unless it's urgent, you can deal with the rest of the problems once you've gotten some rest. You should have been pulled out hours ago."

He picked me up like a child and started to weave a powerful Genjutsu to hide us before shunshining to the Uzumaki house. Ise warily opened the door a few seconds later and the ANBU settled me gently in his arms before taking off, never seen, and Ise hurried inside without question.

I could hear the sound of children eating and chatting in the dining room as Ise set me on my feet. "You're in a bad state, kiddo," he murmured, helping me slide the vest and haori off my shoulders and hanging them up on hooks that had probably been installed sometime that day. I took off my shoes and as soon as I was done, he picked me up and carried me into the living room, closing the door behind us, and sitting down on one of the chairs, rocking slightly.

My parents and grandparents in my former life weren't very good parents. My immediate needs may have been met and they kept me on the straight and narrow, but I always knew I was missing something, and I didn't care until now. Unlike them, Ise cared about me as a person, not as a legacy or responsibility. I curled against him and was asleep before I could think any further.