22 Family and Rumors.

Kane, Ashita, and Mito were sitting together in the living area, sharing freshly made rice cakes and tea when Kushina walked in. She had just returned from her first day at the academy and had a strong scowl plastered on her face.

The people in the room reacted differently when they turned to face her. 

Kane looked curious as to why she had blood crusted around her nose but didn't seem that concerned. Mito had a small, knowing smile and seemed incredibly amused.

It was only Ashita who immediately got up with concern for her well-being. It was as if she had forgotten she had sent her ninja daughter to a ninja school for ninja training and was afraid she had been bullied.

"Are you Ok, Kushina, you know? Were you hurt?" she asked as she rushed forward at high Jounin speed before licking a finger and trying to wipe away the dried blood carefully.

Kushina was shocked at first due to her adopted mother's speed but flinched as the hand brushed against the recently broken nose.

"I'm fine, Ashita. I was just a fight with a stupid show-off." she backed away and tried unsuccessfully to capture Ashita's hand, which was stubbornly set on removing the blood.

"So, who was the boy you lost to?" Mito asked from the side, not concerned about her physical state.

Kane did not miss the chance to tease his sister, as any brother would, "Kushina has a boyfriend, Kushina has a boyfriend!"

Kushina had frozen at Mito's words, allowing Ashita to get a grip on her nose and ensure it was back in its proper place. 

The pain of having her nose put back into place was bad, but the anger at her brother's words overpowered that pain. She turned her head to Kane and began to vent her bottled-up frustration at him.

"HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND! HE IS A STUPID KNOW IT ALL TRY HARD, YOU KNOW! HE ALWAYS JUST BEAT ME; I'LL NEVER LIKE A STUPID BOY LIKE HIM!"

As she was screaming, her hair began to float up like the angry tails of some wild beast. After she finished her little rant, she looked like one of the tailed beasts as she stamped her feet out of the room.

The three in the room looked at each other as she screamed at someone in the hall. 

"I JUST TOLD THEM HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND YOU KNOW!"

A few seconds afterwards, Nawaki walked into the room with a bemused expression. "Anyone know what set off the little redhead? She seems ready to stab somebody."

Kane and Mito chucked at this while Ashita sighed. "I'll make sure she doesn't find anything stabby to use." 

"Wait! Mom, Kushina is wearing her ring, which has her sword inside. You don't need to worry about her; just let her cool off." 

"She had a sword the whole time?!" Nawaki went pale, probably realizing he shouldn't have poked at the angry girl.

"Are you sure, honey? She might be hurt somewhere else." 

"Don't worry about her so much, Ashita," Mito replied. "Getting into fights at school is normal. She is talented and probably just encountered someone more talented and didn't take it very well. If anything, her pride is what took the most damage."

"So, no one is going to comment on the fact I could have just been killed in my own home just now?" Nawaki asked with a twitching eyebrow.

"Besides, Mom, we are Uzumaki. She will not have any problem healing her nose without medical help. And if she did need treatment, Tsunade would be here to help, so relax."

"Wow. Ignored by my own family. How can you all be so cruel to me."

"Nawaki! Stop carving the floorboards! Didn't I tell you not to do that last time?"

Mito scolded her poor, ignored grandson, who was pouting for being ignored. He assumed he was invisible, so he crouched down and began spinning a kunai with its tip on the floor. Upon being snapped at, he froze.

"Ummm, maybe…"

"When will you ever grow up," she said while shaking his head at his behaviour.

"Anyways, have you heard the rumours going around the village today?" Nawaki stood up and sheathed his kunai in a smooth, practiced motion before disappearing, only to appear on the couch beside Kane.

"Woah?! How did you do that?" Kane asked.

"No, what is going on?" Mito asked her grandson; all the playfulness in her voice was gone.

In a similarly serious tone, Nawaki reported his finding in the village. "Apparently, there were ninjas caught infiltrating the village on a mission to rob the graves of the past Hokages. There are all kinds of versions of who caught the ninja and who they are, but the one consistent part is that someone was trying to desecrate the graves of my grandfather and his brother. In some versions, the Anbu find Kiri ninjas. In others, some clan shinobi or lord Danzo himself fought them off or captured them."

"This is not good."

"What is not good?" Kane asked.

"Tell me about it. There haven't been active infiltrators in a long time, and the sheer amount of inconsistencies makes this whole thing smell fishy."

"Don't worry about it too much, Kane. It's just village politics at its finest, nothing for you to concern yourself with."

"Like Grandma said, don't worry about it." Nawaki turned to him before answering his earlier question, the serious air lifting slightly. "I got over here using the body flicker technique. It's a technique you'll learn after graduating from the academy. It's just high-speed movement and sudden acceleration, nothing too complicated. With your chakra control, you'll learn it easily when you become a Genin."

"He could probably do it now; his control is good enough. After all, today, he figured out how to make seals with chakra instead of ink."

His mother and cousin both looked at Kane with wide eyes. 

"Already?! That is so fast! I wasn't expecting you to get that far until you were at least 4; that is amazing, Kane!" Ashita pulled her surrogate son onto her lap, wrapped him in a massive bear hug and rocked him side to side. "I'm so proud of you, baby!"

"Mom~" Kane wined at the smothering praise of his mother.

"Your mom is right, Kane. that is something really impressive. It might seem like nothing for a Uzumaki, but for the rest of the world, being able to perform seals without paper is a big deal. Many of those who call themselves seal masters are unable to do that. It is just that Uzumaki take sealing to an insane level of mastery."

"Thanks, Nawaki!"

"Now," Mito clapped her hands. "About your earlier behaviour, Nawaki, I will look past the damage to the floor due to the news you brought back. Furthermore, we will have barbeque tonight for dinner-"

Nawaki jumped into the air in celebration upon hearing his Grandmother's words. However, he acted preemptively, which made him freeze and trip on the landing.

"-However, due to your use of ninjutsu in the house, you will be paying for everyone personally instead of using the Senju funds."

And to add salt to the wound, Kane chipped in. "Thanks, Nawaki! I'm sure Kushina will be happy to hear you will be treating us!"