Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Reflection of Oneself ❯ Reecho ( Chapter 27 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

The Reflection of Oneself

Chapter 27: Reecho

Choice.

Behind ever choice are millions of possibilities. One's life is like a trickster, besieging them with trails and leaving them with many options from which to choose. But which path to take? How do you make the decision? It's simple, really. Life isn't life without out choices, and we tend to overlook just how relevant they are. Whether it is as mundane as putting on a pair of socks or as shattering as making a mistake that causes a life to be lost, every choice counts.

Though we follow different paths, there is always the possibility that we may be brought together. What you do today may affect some stranger tomorrow. So if one believes in fate, then they must also believe in chance and in believing in chance, we are left with the choice. Because of this, no one can truly foretell what they're future has in store.

So many possibilities and it is up to you to choose.

Can you make the choice?

“Damn gaki, this has to be the best laugh I've had since being incarcerated!”

“Urusai! This isn't funny onee-sama!”

Tayuya had spent that last twenty minutes since Nanikato had arrived for `her' weekly visitation laughing her ass off so hard she was in tears. She continued to tease the red-faced rosette, all the while happy that the shade of her own hair was more red then pink. As for Sasuke, he had gone into shock long ago; seeing his student with pink hair had brought back the agonizing memories of his misbegotten childhood and all the times Sakura had molested him in her pitiful of attempts to `win his heart'.

“And here I thought it fuck'n funny when Sasuke was forced to go through that interrogation with glue spiked hair and a doodled face! But no - this is hell of a lot better! Kami-sama, thank you so much for this fuck-a-roo!”

“Stop it!”

“Just be glad your mission doesn't involve being a prostitute.”

“It just isn't fair!” Nanikato groused, disgusted by Tayuya's last comment. “If I was meant to have hormonal problems, I would have been born a female! Besides, cosmetics are evil!”

During the days that followed the four boys transformation into females, they had been forced to learn a many new things. Kozue's mother, Kurenai, had been in charge of these `teachings', which consisted of educating the quartette on how control their new emotions, about the finer points of disguise (better know as makeup) for the active kunoichi.

“Now you listen to me, young ladies!” Kurenai snapped, overpowering them with killing intent so that she could garner their undivided attentions. “The art of subterfuge is one a kunoichi's best tools. You will learn how to disguise yourselves properly and I will be the one that teaches you, got that?”

Meanwhile, Hanabi and Konohamaru took care of the paperwork. To keep the unholy trinity from sniffing out their own brew of foul play, they had to eliminate the loopholes. The Hyuuga and Inuzuka clans were informed that Kazaan and Kegawa, along with Kozue and Nanikato of Team Thirteen, had given a joint upper C-rank mission where they're their female teammates, Hotaru and Toboe, were unable to join due to their employer's `delicate sensibilities' concerning females. When that was taken care of, it had been time for Konohamaru to fade into the background. As the sensei supposedly accompanying his four genin charges, he couldn't very well be seen. Shikamaru had been good enough to give the younger man the appropriate cover, allowing the Sarutobi to masquerade as an ANBU until the mission was over.

Her teammates shared her sentiments concerning the makeup and the added accessories completely. Kegawa complained, though you could see how thank was thankful she was that she didn't have an allergic reaction to the mascara that was chosen as a means of hiding the fang tattoos that would mark her as a member of the Inuzuka clan. The same could be said for Nanikato, due to the need for hiding her distinct whisker-like birthmarks. Kozue and Kazaan didn't complain as much, but they too had there own identity-revealing traits, which were their eyes. When it came to the color of contacts they now wore, the former now sported pale blue irises while the latter's had become dark brown.

That in itself was fine, as the quartette was actually doing very well in the `womanly lessons', but the fact that Nanikato was being stubborn when it came to choosing a female name for herself, Hanabi had taken matters into her own hands. Ultimately, it was the indigo haired woman threatening the `girl's' life that ended with the rosette being known to the unsuspecting public as Nadeshiko.

Tayuya smirked. “Suck it up, chibi.”

“Screw you.”

“Kinda hard, don't you think?”

The pink haired girl let out a shriek of indignation, catching the lewd innuendo immediately.

“Pervert!”

A groan for the opposite side of the room signified Sasuke's return to reality. The pair turned to watch the Uchiha roll over, dark eyes starring directly at Nanikato's head with a tormented expression that screamed, “To hell with my Sharingan - gorge my eyes out now!”

“Do you have any idea why it's pink?” he finally asked.

The rosette scowled before being to explain what she had learned when she herself had asked the same question only a few days ago. When she and her team had met with Shikamaru later that afternoon, he found her predicament rather amusing. He told her it probably has something to do with Naruto's parents and when she asked Minato, he confirmed it. The deceased Hokage was blonde while his wife Kushina had been a redhead. While mixing red and yellow happens to make orange, not then pink, Minato had covered that as well. Apparently his mother had had white hair, so Nanikato's pink was probably due to a dormant trait in the gene pool that decided to rear its ugly head.

When she finished, Sasuke sighed.

“You have my sympathies.”

Nanikato sank to floor, hands tangled in her miserable pink tresses.

“I wish was a boy again.” she sniffled. “I can't take these emotions. One minute I'm perfectly comfortable, the next I want to cudgel someone's head in. And I was just getting used to my old one too. I spent practically my whole life incubating. You'd think that I'd at least be given more then a year to deal with twelve years worth of emotional growth, not to mention that I have to deal with puberty too. Having to learn how to control a female's far more complex emotions to boot is like inviting a neurological meltdown upon myself.”

“It's that bad?”

“You have no idea! I feel like someone's attached me to a live wire. Things don't taste, smell or feel the same anymore and I've found myself craving all sorts of food I always considered gross.”

“Like what?”

“Like… like ramen! I actually ate two large orders of miso and crab yesterday!”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in surprise, and then smirked. “I will never understand your abhorrence of ramen. After seeing how much Naruto loved the stuff - he could eat bowl after bowl like he had a hollow leg - it's rather bizarre that you can't seem to take a mouthful without gagging…”

Tayuya snickered nastily.

“You sure you aren't pregnant?”

Nanikato's eyes bulged.

“ONEE-SAMA!!”

And for once, the raven-haired man was hard pressed not to laugh. Nanikato had most defiantly inherited Naruto's bad karma. That would, after all, certainly explain why the gods had cursed him with hair pink.

-.ooOoo.-

“Are we there yet?”

Groaning lethargically, Matsuri rolled over onto her side and brushed aside the thick canvas curtain beside her. Instead of dune after dune of rolling sands, the sight of lush trees and sprawling meadows for as far as the eye could see made her smile. After a three days of nonstop travel through the desert, it was very welcoming sight indeed.

In just over a week, Konoha would be celebrating the winter solstice with a grand festival. Although it was already several years over due, postponed during the war with Otogakure. And thought it rarely snowed in Fire Country, that wasn't about to stop its inhabitants from honoring the goddess of winter and enjoying the longest night of the year.

There was going to be many activates aside from booths selling food and merchandise. There was going to be a funhouse maze filled with mirrors and genjutsu traps while in the department of musical entertainment, an roving band known continent wide as the Sandonowaon would be performing. There would also be karaoke, jutsu performances and a beauty pageant.

Of all the activities, Matsuri had chosen to participate in the pageant. Her reason for doing so was because of all misconceptions about beauty these days. She wanted to prove to people that genuine beauty came from the heart and while it was true that one could beautiful on the outside, in may cases something had gone rotten on the inside. Temari had told her that one of the tests was going to be a series of questions made to show the beauty of one's personality rather then their appearance and it was by far her favorite.

And though she was happy about getting to do something more then sharpen kunai while on maternity leave, merciful kami-sama, she hated traveling on a full stomach. Not only that, but said full stomach just so happened to be eight months worth of pregnant baby belly.

When the caravan she was riding in suddenly lurched to an abrupt stop, Matsuri was forced to thrust her head quickly out the canvas window so that she could puke up her breakfast.

“Oi! That's nasty! Watch where you're aiming!”

The brunette looked up, glaring murderously at Kankuro. The painted-faced man flinched, knowing all too well the consequence of pissing off his soon to be sister-in-law. As Matsuri wiped the vomit from her lips, she was silently thanking Gaara for those lessons of intimidation.

“I'd like to see you deal with this.” she muttered darkly.

He leaned in and messed up her hair. “You were the one that got yourself knocked up, squirt. I'm just thankful you can't run as fast now that's swallowed that beach ball!”

Her stomach was rather large, distending from her like a giant pimple. The baby kicked hard, aiming for a kidney. Matsuri winced and gave her tummy a small nudge in return.

“Oh hush you,” she whispered. “I know don't like being referred to a beach ball, but you have to understand by now that your oji-san is an idiot.”

Kankurou looked thoroughly insulted by that comment. It didn't matter that Temari called him an idiot all the time, when someone - most of all her - insulted him while talking to his unborn niece or nephew, he took great offence.

The baby kicked again.

Matsuri laughed. “I think the baby's trying to tell you not worry. You'll be the favorite uncle for sure. After all, they'll have so much fun playing with you seeing as you have - ”

“Don't you dare call them dolls! Temari!” he suddenly cried. “Your shift is starting now!”

The expecting mother watched her fiancé's older brother storm off in a huff towards the front of the caravan. Moments later, his sister arrived and helped the younger, load-carrying woman jump out of the moving caravan. Walking side by side, Tamari looked down at her with a smirk.

“You called them dolls again, didn't you?”

“I didn't get the chance. How close are we to Konoha now?”

The blonde shrugged. “If we keep up with the pace we're going at right now, it should be about twenty minutes, give or take. Are you excited?”

“Immensely.” Matsuri sighed, patting her stomach. “This little hellion has been having far to much excitement the last three days. I think I'll be out for a week once I get to sleep in a real bed again. Unborn or not, this baby is an undeniably a future ninja. My internal organs suffer daily from being used for taijutsu practice.”

There was silence between the two women for a moment, and then Matsuri spoke again.

“But what about you Temari? Are you worried?”

“N-nani? Why would I be worried? I have nothing to be - ”

“Shikamaru.”

Tamari flinched.

“You are worried.” Matsuri sighed. “When are you going to come to terms with the fact that you can't change the past?”

Put off by the direction their conversation was going, the blonde looked away from her. There was no sorer subject then that of Nara Shikamaru and trying to talk with Temari about what had transpired in the past was like pulling teeth. Few knew the details of what had happened between those two. Matsuri only knew that someone had died and Temari blamed herself, even though she hadn't been involved in the slightest.

The final twenty minutes it took to reach Konoha was spent in silence with Temari staring at the passing clouds. As they reached the gates of the village, the guards and a waiting Sakura greeted them. Due to complications with the morning's meeting with the village council, Shikamaru had been unable to regret them himself and had sent the pink haired medic forward in his stead.

As they're passports where being reviewed, it was decided that Kankurou would go on ahead with the rest of the delegation to confirm the hotel reservations while Gaara, Matsuri and Temari would continue on with Sakura to the tower. The latter of the four complained, trying to use the excuse that she was better suited doing Kankurou's job. Out voted by everyone, including Sakura and the gate guards, the blonde was stuck following her younger sibling to the tower.

When the arrived their destination, the trio was forced to wait patiently in the Hokage's office while Sakura returned to the hospital for her next shift. As for Shikamaru, he had yet to return from the pressing council business gone sour and from the rumors floating amongst the shinobi present, it seemed that the ordinarily laidback brunette had gone off like an exploding tag. For what reason, the three could only speculate.

When Shikamaru did appear over a half hour later, he was seething with barely repressed anger and muttered death threats under his breath. It took a moment of pacing around the room before Gaara was able to pry a coherent response from his fellow Kage.

“The council is pushing my hand concerning the fates of Uchiha Sasuke and Mateki no Tayuya.” he finally sighed in frustration, dropping into the chair behind the paperwork covered desk. “I have been avoiding this for the last three months and I can go no further. The majority of the council wants the Sharingan under their control and so they voted that the Uchiha be used for breeding purposes, whether he likes it or not. The majority also votes that his companion, Tayuya, be executed for her part in the murder of the Sandaime. While I agree with the latter vote in many respects, I have made a promise that I would do my best to keep her from such a grisly end.”

“And why make a promise like that?”

Despite her problems with the pineapple haired strategist, Temari was unable to stay silent. That red-haired bitch had tried to kill her during that failed mission thirteen years ago. Although she had been trying to do the same, the blonde still held a grudge.

Shikamaru looked at her, a spark of something flickering in his dark brown eyes before it vanished.

“Because when Sasuke and Tayuya were apprehended by my ANBU a few months ago, the had with them a third companion - a young boy. I cannot give you the details, as they are classified, but the boy is of great importance to Konoha. She has assumed the role of adoptive sister; his loyalty is to her and Sasuke alone. As long as Konoha holds those two prisoners, however, he does not retaliate. I have managed to make a deal with him - the continued existence of his precious people - in exchange for serving Konoha.”

He ran a hand over he weary face.

“It started out as nothing more then an attempt to placate his fury. I initially placed him on a genin team so that he would be around children his age, hoping to foster bonds between them and eventually let go his attachment to those two. But it's gone beyond that now. He's a good kid, and I hate to lie to him. My hopes of him becoming friends with his teammates worked and more, but he's still just as determined to save them.”

This time it was Matsuri who spoke, he tone much gentler then Temari's had been.

“What did the council say, Shikamaru?”

“They have been constantly on my case,” he continued. “Demanding to know the boy's identity. They already know that he is one of Orochimaru's former experiments and I know there is only two possible outcomes should they learn the truth; 1) they kill the boy, or 2) they use him as a weapon. This something I will not let that happen. The reason I exploded on the council this afternoon is because they suggested we do just that. They had the gall to demand that I give them clearance to him into a mind-controlled puppet.”

Gaara smirked, already knowing the answer to his question but asking it anyway.

“What did you tell them?”

“I told them where shove it.”

Now that he was almost completely calmed down, the trio was able to discuss with Konoha's resident cloud-watching Hokage the events of the upcoming week. Talk past rather quickly, seeing as they knew most the details already and when it finally came to the beauty pageant that was when things got interesting - for Matsuri at least.

It started with a simple benign smile from Shikamaru - one that told the baby-toting brunette that she was in for more then she'd bargained for.

“Oh and Matsuri,” he asked idly. “I was wondering if you'd mind looking after a few of your fellow participants?”

“Nani?”

“I have four you civilian girls that will be taking part in the beauty pageant and other activities. I'd hate see the paperwork their families would load me down with if one of the shinobi contestants were… sabotage their chances of winning.”

Matsuri laughed nervously. That had been one of her silent concerns - one she hadn't bothered to voice. The thought of loosing her baby because of some jealous woman's petty desire to win had inflamed her budding motherly instincts. The thought of four innocent children being subject to the same thing made her sick.

“No problem. How old are they?”

“Twelve and thirteen respectively.” Shikamaru replied. “Would you like to meet them? I asked them to be here at four o'clock and they've been waiting outside the office for ten minutes now.”

“Umm… sure.”

“Then I'd like you to meet your new wards.”

She turned as the door opened, and to her shock, not just any young girls entered. They were beautiful and it wasn't hard to see why their families would be concerned for their safety. “Allow me to introduce Ruri, Shizuka, Mio and Nadeshiko.”

Matsuri looked at them, studying each girl one by one and determining if they were a threat. Ruri stared at her with an aloof air, the kind that was instilled into the children of nobility and wealthy merchants. Shizuka was mousy and fidgety, chewing nervously a lock of hair. Mio looked as though she'd rather be somewhere else, as if she didn't particularly like the skin she was in.

Nadeshiko, however, caught her attention.

She pointed at the pink haired girl. “You don't look like a civilian.”

“Is that it? My clothes?” he rosette asked flippantly. So the girl had seen the minute pause she had made when taking in the particular style of clothing she was wearing. “My ojii-sama was a ninja. Although I have no aspiration to become one myself, he'd be damned if I didn't know how to protect myself. I also find ninja apparel much more comfortable, and they also allow for me conceal at least one weapon on my person. Do you have a problem with that, Matsuri-sama? I can strip right now and put on something more appropriate if you prefer. ”

Matsuri sputtered. Ever since her relationship with Gaara had become public, no one dared mock her - least of all in his presence. Her fiancé, however, was smirking - his dark green eyes dancing with a laughter that seldom graced them.

“No, no - there's no need for that.” she replied quickly, scrutinizing the girl more seriously. “So… you know the shinobi arts?”

“Only the basics of taijutsu, release commands for genjutsu, and how to sense charka levels.”

“And your companions?”

Shizuka raised a trembling hand. “I'm not familiar with any those, but my oba-chan was a field medic before she died. She taught me everything she knew.”

Ruri only scowled while Mio grumble that her family had refused to let her to join the academy when she had turned eight. Matsuri nodded, placing a hand on her distended stomach. The baby kicked happily, as if to tell her that having a girl that already knew how to protect herself and another who knew how to heal around just made their job easier.

“Its very nice to meet you girls, and I wish I could stay and get you know you better, but I feeling rather tired.” she turned to Gaara. “I think it would be good if Temari and I went on head to the hotel.”

When he nodded, she placed a quick kiss on his cheek and turned back to the girls.

“Meet me here tomorrow at noon?”

They nodded. “Yes, Matsuri-sama.”

Joining Temari at the door, the two women excused themselves. As soon as they were gone, a silence fell over the office in which the six people that occupied it waited until they were sure that Matsuri and Temari were well out of the tower. As soon as they were certain, Shikamaru let out the breath that he had been holding, smiling lazily at the four girls.

“Well done boys. You've passed the first step with flying colors. Just make sure you don't let your identities slip and things should move along quite smoothly. Now if you don't mind,” he said, gesturing to the Kozue, Kazaan and Kegawa. “There is something in which I need to discuss with Nanikato privately. Why, don't you go guys go wait outside the tower till we're done? It won't take more then a half hour.”

He got up and ushered them out of the office, vanishing with them and not returning. Inside the office, Nanikato fidgeted uncomfortably in the presence of the Kazekage. Kozue had assured her that was nice person once you got past his reputation, but that didn't change the fact that was defiantly something about him that made her hair stand on end. When it became apparent that Shikamaru was not coming back any time soon, she realized that he must have left in order to let the red haired man speak with her privately.

For what reason, she had no idea.

But going on ten minutes of waiting for him to speak, however, she snapped. “Well say something, dammit! The suspense is killing me - dattebayo!”

Gaara chuckled softly. “You are… very much like him, I see.”

Nanikato blinked in shock, her eyes widening.

“Nani?”

“Naruto would have been proud. I have heard much about how you have defended your existence to those who believe you be his shadow. I have no doubt that he would have done the same had it been the other way around.”

“H-how?”

“He told me.”

The rosette gapped. “But - ”

“He was dead, I know.” the Kage replied. “But then such things are trivial to the dead. There was, for a short time, in which I too was dead. Stubborn as always, Naruto refused to let me die - much like he did for you. He lent me the strength in which to fight off inevitability and return once more. As the first real friend I even had, I owed a debt to him - dead or alive. In order to repay it, be told me of your existence and that there was a possibility that we might one day meet.”

After a moment of stunned silence, she found her voice again.

“But I… I look like a girl right now! How can you possibly tell!?” Nanikato cried, for once letting her new female emotions get the better of her for the first time since her transformation.

“Your disguise matters not. Aside from the Hokage telling me, your chakra has very much the same feel as his did. You share the same free spirit and I can't help but be comforted that, although he didn't do it of his own accord, that he was able to pass it on.”

The rosette stood in flabbergasted silence; her face inflamed a violent cheery red. You couldn't really tell how much of the color attributed to pride and how much attributed to embarrassment.

Gaara only laughed at her.

“Should you ever be in need of help, all you need do is ask for it. It was an honor meeting you Nanikato - I hope I will have the chance to do such again, when you are yourself once more.”

The red haired Kage nodded politely in her direction before excusing himself and then vanished, leaving Nanikato to gape in open bewilderment. It took a while to finally sink in, but when it did, she smiled. The Kazekage was now one of the few adults she had come to respect. Aside from Sasuke-shishou, Tayuya-oneesama, Shikamaru-sama and Hanabi-sensei, that was a very short list.

“I'll do that.” she replied, speaking to no one in particular. “Thank you for accepting me for who I am.”

“Is he gone?”

Nanikato glared at Shikamaru, who had just reentered the office behind her.

“You could have told me, you know.”

The young Hokage grinned. “And miss the chance of watching you squirm? Never!”

“Sasuke-shishou was so wrong about you…”

“How so?”

“He said you were a good-for-nothing lay-about that would rather waste his time watching the clouds go by rather then applying his phenomenal intelligence to something worthwhile. Then again, shishou is a prude and has always been a prude. His life was built on the fundamental principal that if he didn't succeed in everything he did, he wasn't worthy of a place in the world. It only got worse after the massacre.”

She tapped her chin with her right index finger thoughtfully.

“Perhaps you were like that as a child, for that would be how shishou remembered you. Cause and consequence however changes people as they mature. As they say, the bigger the change, the bigger the trial. I can only assume that something tragic must have transpired in you life that - ”

Nanikato stopped, only then noticing the slightly tormented look on the older man's face. Dropping to one knee, she bowed her head. “H-honto ni suimasen deshita. I think I will go catch up with my teammates now, Hokage-sama.”

Without waiting for a by your leave, she turned abruptly and fled the office.

Shikamaru had been wearing that look - the one that Sasuke, Tayuya, Iruka, Tsunade and many other ninja that she had met in her short life had worn. He had lost something important to him - something precious. Sasuke had lost his clan and his best friend. Tayuya had lost her mother and had been separated from the only family she had ever known. Iruka had lost a friend that was like a brother and son. And Tsunade had lost her lover, her brother and her adoptive brother.

Whoever the Hokage had lost, Nanikato was sure she would find out one day.

When she met up with her teammates outside the tower minuets later, Kegawa momentarily complained about it taking so long before inevitably asked her what the Hokage had wanted. Stomach churning sorrowfully, the rosette simply made up a passable excuse to placate her wolfish friend. To make matters worse, the eyes of many young boys dogged the unfortunate quartette as they made their way through the village.

The thought of being optically undressed by a member of the same sex left them feeling violated.

And if it wasn't any better, Kegawa picked absolutely the wrong topic of conversation to try and take their minds off of it. “So, what was up with the Hokage?” she whispered, causing Nanikato to look away. “Did you notice the why that he and Temari-sama were looking at each other? It was like she was a disease or something. I mean, come on - she's hot!”

Kazaan groaned, slapping her burgundy haired teammate upside the head. Despite the fact that `she' was really a heand actually agreed with Kegawa's oh so eloquent observation, the Hyuuga would never admit it out loud and in female form at that.

It just felt so… wrong.

While two teammates glared at each other, Kozue shook her head sadly. “It's because of Seina-san…”

Nanikato twitched, her attention focusing on her naturally crimson-eyed companion. She hadn't imagined that she'd actually learn the reason behind the Hokage's tormented expression so quickly.

“Who?”

“Koguma Seina.” the brunette replied. “She was the daughter of Bear Country's Diyamo. Not only was she incredibly beautiful, she was exceptionally smart and lazy to boot - just like oji-sama. About eight years ago, when Shikamaru-ojisama was Konoha's ambassador with Suna, Seina was acting a Hoshi's ambassador. They met during a conference in Suna and due to their mutual interests; it was natural that they would end up falling in love. After three years as couple, he finally proposed to her and they about to be married… when an assassin took her life.”

That explained everything perfectly.

“Oji-sama… wasn't really the same after that. Otou-sama's death had been hard on him, yes, but the death of his fiancée was even worse. Unlike most people though, he dedicated himself to protecting those he had left rather then braking. As a result, he joined the oinin only a year after loosing her. Because of his skill and intelligence, he soon became the commander and continued to be until becoming Hokage.”

They nodded.

“Okay - I get that, but where does Temari-sama fit into this?” Kegawa asked.

“Well... Shikamaru-ojisama and Temari-oneechan always did have a thing for each other. Like I told you, he was the ambassador for Suna before meeting Seina. Being as stubborn as those two are, they never admitted their feelings to each other. Temari was, however, devastated when he fell in love with another woman. They say `hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' and for those three years, she refused to have anything to do with him. When Seina died, Temari felt so guilty because of how shallow she had been rather then be happy for them. Because of that, she wouldn't even go near him lest he think she was trying to take Seina's place. At the same time though, Shikamaru-ojisama still had feelings for her, but coupled with his loss and his fears, he stayed away from her as well.”

Nanikato groaned, palming her face and trying to keep the others from actually realizing how much the conversation was paining her. “Kami… it's like a soap opera…”

Unfortunately, that only caused her three companions looked at her with narrowed eyes.

“And how would you know that?” Kazaan asked suspiciously.

The rosette shuddered.

“Its called cruel and unusual punishments. Back when I first met Karin-baba, I made the mistake of pissing of her off - royally. Not even shishou, with whom she was absolutely infatuated with, could save me and thus I became the unfortunate soul that had to spend a whole week sharing in the horror that was her addiction soap operas.”

“Who are these `Karin' and `Suigetsu' anyway?”

“Two people you do not want to meet.” she insisted. “I don't know where Karin-baba came from, but she is better then a bloodhound; its like she can literately smell the unique sent of your chakra and track you by it by following the natural residue that's left behind. Suigetsu is originally from Water Country and he possesses a bloodline limit that allows his body to liquefy; the only problem he's got is the constant need to consume mass quantities of water.”

“Wouldn't that like, make you have to pee lots?”

Nanikato snickered; happy that the darkened mood she had been feeling suddenly lightened. “I doubt he even has to relieve himself. Though the thought of him becoming dehydrated due to taking a piss would be hilarious.”

As she laughed, Nanikato couldn't help but feel as if Suigetsu had heard what she had said, despite being a country away. Finding new and better ways to mock her enemies was always good for a laugh.

-.ooOoo.-

Translations

Sandonowaon - common chord; triad

Nadeshiko - a name meaning `pink fringed carnation'

Seina - a name meaning `star and Nara'

Koguma - cub; little bear

Honto ni suimasen deshita - truly sorry (past tense)