16 Changes to Canon

Chapter 14: Changes to Canon

I smiled at one of the Instructor Chunin of the academy as I was led through the hallways of said academy, making my way to my little brothers' classroom, thankfully not for Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun getting caught red-handed in another prank. Seriously, I thought I taught them better than that, getting caught while setting up, rookie mistake. I let out a small chuckle as I walked through the hallways with an ease that came from knowing Danzo was dead and buried for a month now and won't be returning any time soon.

"So, with the advent of iryojutsu, many of our battlefield practices have changed due to being able to care for the most critically wounded individuals right there on the battlefield," Iruka-san lectured as I approached the classroom I was aiming for. "Thankfully, someone far more knowledgeable agreed to come in and speak about it with you all."

Taking that as my cue to enter I slid open the door to the classroom.

"Nee-chan!" Two voices called out in stereo as I stepped in, making me smile towards where my two little brothers were sitting near the back alongside Hinata-chan.

"Hello, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun," I greeted them cheerfully, waving to them as the other students stared at her. "And hello to you, Iruka-san."

"Thank you for coming, Yuriko-sama," Iruka replied respectfully, bowing his head to her. "I'm sure many of you know Yuriko-sama here as the current Clan Head of the Uchiha clan, but she is also a very well noted Iryonin, said by many to be the equal of Tsunade-sama."

"Well, I don't know about that," I replied modestly, smiling at him, even as I felt a stab of irritation inside of me. The one thing that I had grown to hate was being compared to Tsunade, do not get me wrong, I respect her ability, it's her attitude that pisses me off, yes, it's tragic that her brother and lover died, but she's not the only one who lost loved ones in war, and yet she was allowed to run off without recompense?

And that was without saying anything about her kami-damned 'rules' of being an Iryonin, not allowed to fight unless we've mastered one of her techniques? Fuck. That. I was not going to stand back and watch as my friends were attacked and do nothing. I am a kami-damned kunoichi before I am an Iryonin.

Shoving those thoughts out of my head I focused back on the class before me. "Iryonin have been around for a while, but it was only in the last few generations that their role began to change to allow for more front line support rather than the rear support we used to provide," I explained to the class. "Specifically two jutsu, the [Mystical Palm]," my right hand lit up with green chakra. "And the [Chakra Scalpel]." My left hand developed a sharp looking blue aura. "The [Mystical Palm] allowed for us to heal our allies on the field rather than needing to bring them back to an operation room, the [Chakra Scalpel] on the other hand was essentially an Iryonin's multi tool, it allow for us to operate without the need for tools, and gave us a weapon to use in combat."

"Yeah! Nee-chan you're famous for it!" Naruto-kun called out happily, getting a chuckle from me in response as I allowed the two jutsus to disperse.

"That is true, I am called the Sword-Scalpel of Konoha for that reason," I commented in amusement. "Mostly because I combined the [Chakra Scalpel] with [Chakra Flow] to allow my kodachi to bear the properties of the [Chakra Scalpel]."

"What's [Chakra Flow]?" one of the children near the back questioned, prompting me to blink in surprise and turn to Iruka.

"You haven't taught them about it yet?" I asked Iruka-san, recalling my own lessons in it during my time in the academy.

"Ah… it was dropped out of the curriculum after the war," Iruka-san explained with a weak chuckle, prompting a slow blink from me in response. "Many of the civilian children were having difficulty with it, so it was removed to allow for more graduates?"

"Why would they have difficulty with it? So long as they completed the Tree Walking exercise they shouldn't have an issue with it," I pointed out. "That was one of the first things I remember I remember learning in the Academy."

Iruka-san winced in response. "It was decided to be too dangerous for children to be learning that in the Academy so it was removed as well," he replied, wincing again as I fixed him with a deadpanned look.

"What?" I asked bluntly. "Seriously, why? Too dangerous? We throw sharp objects every day, how could learning to Tree Walk be more dangerous than learning the best ways to eliminate a sentry?"

Iruka-san let out a weak cough as something twisted inside of me and I groaned. "You are teaching them the vital points on a body, right?" I asked him pleadingly. "I know my education was rushed, but that is still on the curriculum, right?"

"Ah… well… some of the civilian parents were complaining and…" Iruka-san started only to cut himself off as my eyes hardened.

"Sorry, going to have to cut this short," I replied as I moved to the door. "I have to speak with Hokage-sama about this."

"A-ah… right," Iruka-san stammered out, looking like he was wondering if he made a big mistake.

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, I will be wanting to see your notes later," I announced as I left the room, a fuming expression on my face as I began to make my way towards the Hokage's Tower to have a word with Sarutobi-sama.

I had to wait a bit for Sarutobi-sama to finish a meeting he was in before I could enter to see him, the venerable leader smiling as I entered. "Yuriko-chan, how can I help you today?" he asked me warmly.

"Do you know what they're doing at the Academy?" I asked him as I stood before him. "They've gutted the program to make it more 'kid friendly'!"

"What are you talking about?" Sarutobi-sama questioned. "I remember some revisions being made to the curriculum to save some money, but nothing like what you're saying."

"They removed the Tree Walking exercise, training in [Chakra Flow], they even removed teaching the students the critical parts on the human body," I ranted as I began to pace. "Who knows what else they removed, what if they removed the blooding program that got us used to killing?"

Sarutobi-sama frowned as he listened to me rant and gestured for an ANBU to attend to him. "Investigate this," he instructed the purple haired, cat masked ANBU. "Report to me as soon as you learn anything important."

I let out a sigh of relief as the ANBU nodded and leapt off to follow his orders. "Thank you for listening to me, Sarutobi-sama," I said gratefully as I sagged a bit. "Maybe I'm being a bit paranoid, but…"

"Those children are the next generation," Sarutobi-sama nodded in agreement. "And if someone is trying to sabotage them, then it's better to be paranoid than watching as they die from lack of knowledge."

"It's not the clan kids that I'm worried about," I admitted with a sigh as I slumped into a chair across from my leader. "Heck, I've already started Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun on the Tree Climbing, it's the civilian or orphaned kids that I'm worried about, they make up half of our standing forces, and if they're crippled…" I trailed off with a grim look as Sarutobi-sama nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, if there is someone sabotaging the academy, then it does raise several uncomfortable questions," he nodded in agreement.

"Could it… could it be Orochimaru?" I questioned, shuddering as I remembered assisting in clearing out one of his 'labs' after Minato-sama came into power and the Snake Sannin became much less… subtle about his experiments.

Sarutobi-sama seemed to age at my suggestion as he sagged before me. "A possibility far too likely, I am afraid," he nodded in agreement. "And I doubt he would hesitate to sell the information at this point."

I nodded in agreement as I rubbed my eyes. "How much were we able to pull from Danzo's bases?" I asked. "Could he have had a connection to this?"

"That is unlikely," Sarutobi-sama informed with a sigh. "Maybe with a few select individuals in order to draw them to him for training, but not with the Academy itself, in the end, he did want a strong Konoha."

I grimaced but nodded in acceptance. "And how are things going on the Kumo front?" I asked him, Kumogakure had been stubborn about the fact that their head ninja had attempted the kidnapping of Hinata-chan, trying to deny the fact, right up until Sarutobi-sama said that if that was the case, then they would simply informed the rest of the nations that Kumogakure attempted a kidnapping while they were signing a peace treaty.

That caused them to back down quickly when Sarutobi-sama refused to back down under the threat of war, the elder Hokage simply stating that if they declared war, he would teach every single person able to within Konoha, the Hiraishin.

Amazing how Minato-sama was still a threat even after death.

"We're finally signing the treaty," he announced with a relieved sigh. "Their Yondaime is a stubborn fool of a man with more muscle than brains. Thankfully he saw reason before trying to restart the war, Kumo was hurt just as badly as we were, and we know it."

I nodded in agreement, a small smirk of satisfaction on my face. "Good to know," I said with a chuckle. "Were we able to get what we wanted out of them?"

"Only partially," Sarutobi-sama said with a sigh. "I wasn't counting on their secrets for training Jinchuriki, but we did get a few things from them on it, it will be helpful for when Naruto-kun starts his own training in it."

I nodded, letting out a small sigh of relief as I relaxed into the chair. "Good," I vocalized in agreement. "It'll give us a starting point to go with."

"How is his training going?" he asked me with a small smile.

"Well, overall I'd say he's a ninjutsu specialist in the making," I admitted with a shrug. "He has a lot of chakra, and it's hard for him to control it all in the minute chakra control exercises, hence why I started him on the tree walking exercise."

Sarutobi-sama nodded in agreement as we fell into a light conversation, simply enjoying the peace while it lasted.

Turns out, there was sabotage afoot at the academy, the Academy director had been getting a payoff from one of the civilian council members who was getting a payoff from someone outside of Konoha that ANBU was still tracking down. Needless to say, the two were dealt with swiftly, and publicly, Sarutobi-sama reminding everyone that this was a shinobi village, and as such we made the rules on how the village operates.

The Academy had been shut down for two weeks as it was restructured back to what it should be, overruling many of the civilian parents about how 'dangerous' it was.

I snorted at the memory at how one of them actually came to me complaining how dangerous it is for children to be learning such things, I completely turned it around on her by asking her if she would rather have her child killed in the line of duty because we were trying to keep their 'innocence' instead of training them to be actual shinobi.

On the downside to the entire thing, I was actually drafted by Sarutobi-sama to be the new instructor of the 'kunoichi classes', which had been nothing but flower arrangement and applying makeup, with nothing said on seducing targets. Urgh.

"Alright class, listen up, I don't like repeating myself more than absolutely necessary," I announced with a heavy sigh as I entered the classroom, wondering just how Sarutobi-sama talked me into doing this… oh right, he didn't, he ordered it. "I am your new instructor in the kunoichi arts, seduction, poisoning, information gathering, all of these you will learn in this class. You will refer to me as sensei, and if you don't like any of the rules I set down, you are free to leave and fail this class."

I looked around at the assorted perspective kunoichi with a firm look, looks like I got Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun's class as my responsibility. "Make no mistake, this is not to teach you how to catch yourself a husband," I continued beginning to pace before them. "I will be teaching you how to make best use of your feminine charms for the benefit of Konohagakure, I don't mind you getting practice in, but if I see you using what I teach you to try and catch the eye of your crush, I will fail you and have you dropped out of the shinobi program. No ifs, no ands, no buts. Understood?"

"Yes sensei!" the girls chorused with wide eyes as they rapidly nodded in agreement.

"Good, now, everyone outside, your first lesson will be how to defend yourself, I will not teach weaklings who wait for prince charming to rescue them," I announced as I began to head to the door. "Either you pull your weight, or you get left behind, your choice in the end."

I will make damn sure that any student that passes my course won't be dead weight on their team.

I frowned as I looked down at the two girls who were caught in a trap, both of them were civilian born students in my classes that were caught trespassing on Uchiha property, specifically, trying to gain access to Sasuke-kun's room.

The two girls looked up at me in fear as I loomed over them, tapping my foot, waiting to hear what they had to say.

After several more seconds of silence I decided to speak. "Trespassing on Clan property is a serious crime," I growled in a low voice at the pair. "Especially into the rooms housing the younger members of the clan and academy students."

The two whimpered fearfully in response. "I doubt you two are infiltrators or traitors, just painfully stupid," I sighed as a pair of ANBU appeared. "These are the intruders," I told them, causing the ANBU to look down at the girls before looking up at me as I shrugged. "Just get them out of here, and tell their parents not to bother bringing them to the Academy in the morning, I'll be informing the Hokage that they're both being booted."

The ANBU nodded in understanding as the girls began to protest before they were flickered off by the ANBU. Seriously, did they not take my warning seriously last year when I first started teaching them? Or did they really think they'd get special treatment because their parents were high level merchants?

Shaking my head I turned back and headed back into my office, goddamn brats broke my stride when I was working on my clan paperwork, damn pile seemed bigger than when I first left!

I stared at my leader in a deadpanned expression. "I'm sorry, but what?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Sarutobi-sama nodded in confirmation as he looked down at the scroll that brought surprise to both himself and I. "Onoki wishes to create diplomatic ties with Konohagakure," he reiterated. "I was rather surprised by it as well, never thought I would see the day."

I was stunned for several reasons, one, there was little love between Iwagakure and Konohagakure, because we had been at each other's throats for three wars now, second… this had never happened in canon until the alliance of all five villages.

By the Kami… how much have I changed?

"Are… how are you going to respond?" I asked him, doing my best to shake off my shock.

"I will be meeting with him," Sarutobi-sama confirmed with a nod. "We will each be bringing two guards and meeting in Tetsu no Kuni who agreed to host the peace talks, Jiraiya will be one guard I will be bringing, I want you to be the second."

"Of course, Sarutobi-sama," I replied instantly, my training taking over to confirm it, garnering a nod from the elderly leader.

"Good, we will be leaving next week, so get any affairs you have in order," he commanded before relaxing from his 'leader mode'. "I hear your mother had set you up on a blind date again…"

I grimaced in response to his probing. "He was more interested in staring at my chest than anything else," I groused, folding my arms over my sizable chest, it was nowhere near Tsunade's level, but definitely eye catching. "I just wish she would stop setting me up with random people she meets in the market."

Sarutobi-sama chuckled in amusement at my frustration, it wasn't that they were all bad, it was just that most of them were either interested in my position as Clan Head - and how they could take advantage of it - or they were interested in my physical appearance. There had been some good ones, but they were more interested in one night stands than a relationship.

She had surprised herself by actually agreeing with a couple of them and enjoying the night, thankfully they understood the perils of trying to spread rumours of an Iryonin being 'easy' and didn't brag about it. Shinobi like their one night stands to be discreet, if you can't, then you'll find yourself alone as a pissed off Kunoichi comes after you.

"She does seem quite eage for grandchildren," he commented wryly, making my cheeks heat up in response.

I groaned as I buried my face in my hands. "Don't remind me," I pleaded. "Thankfully she agreed on lightening up on civilians, but now she talking to other mothers amongst the clans… Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun aren't much help either as they seem to like the idea of being 'uncles' for any kids that I do have."

Sarutobi-sama didn't help me much as he began to laugh at my plight. "Well, at least they're supportive to your relationships," he teased me, garnering a glare from me as I began to contemplate using my sharingan on him.

"You're not helping, Sarutobi-sama," I groused at him grumpily before standing up. "Unfortunately, if I am to be accompanying you to the peace talks, I have a small mountain of paperwork to get through so everything is set up while we're away."

My leader smiled at me and nodded, allowing me to leave as I headed back for the clan building.

My second visit to the capital of Tetsu no Kuni was just as awe inspiring as my first, although I was much more in control as I walked in alongside Sarutobi-sama and Jiraiya-sama.

The snow-covered buildings with samurai walking the streets, keeping the peace among their civilians. The ringing of metal as craftsmen plied their trade at forging swords, armor and other odds and ends. The mindless chatter of civilians and Samurai all blending together.

It all came together in a rather pleasing way that relaxed me as I looked it over, Jiraiya-sama chuckling from next to me. "Enjoying the sights, Yuriko-chan?" he questioned, grinning as my head rotated.

"Yes, actually," I replied, smirking at him in return. "It's rather peaceful here all things considered."

The Sannin chuckled as he nodded in agreement, clapping me on my shoulder. "Considering no one messes with the Samurai here, it's not a surprise it seems to peaceful," he said approvingly as he looked around himself. "Anyways, been meaning to ask, how's your fuuinjutsu going?"

I shrugged in response. "Slower ever since I was made the Clan Head," I admitted with a sigh. "With how time intensive fuuinjutsu training is, I haven't had much time to dedicate to it. Stupid paperwork..."

Jiraiya-sama laughed as I grumbled about the ever increasing piles of paper my clan dumped on me. "Perils of being in charge, eh?" he teased me, getting a sour look from me in return.

"You're lucky you just roam around perving on women, Jiraiya-sama," I groused at him, folding my arms under the winter cloak I wore.

The toad sage laughed louder at my words. "And that's why I do that, to escape paperwork!" he confided cheerfully, prompting me to kick his rear in spite, sending him toppling into a pile of snow.

"And that's why you don't taunt a lady," I told him with a haughty sniff, making Sarutobi-sama and our escort chuckle as Jiraiya-sama pulled himself out of the snow and shook himself off in good humour.

The hotel we were staying at was, surprisingly, the same one we stayed at my first time here, actually, it was the exact same room oddly enough.

"So what was Onoki aiming for with this treaty?" Jiraiya-sama questioned as we sat down for dinner.

"It boils down to two things, a military alliance, and a trade agreement," Sarutobi-sama informed as we turned our attention to him. "Which in essence would be supporting one another should war break out again, opening our borders with one another to allow for merchants to trade our good directly with one another instead of intermediaries."

"That's… a pretty big step from basically being engaged in a cold war with each other," I said with a frown, leaning back in my chair as I folded my arms over my chest. "Did he give any reason why he wants to ally with us of all people? Don't they normally work with Kumogakure or Kirigakure?"

"Typically, but we've been hearing some… distressing rumours from out of Kiri," Jiraiya-sama explained with a wince. "A lot of kekkai genkai users in Mizu no Kuni have been vanishing without explanation and there's rumors of a civil war escaping here and there."

"As for Kumo, Onoki is many things, but he believes if you are a guest in another village for a peace treaty, then you need to treat it as such," Sarutobi-sama clarified. "The Yondaime Raikage's attempt at kidnapping Hinata-chan would have broken any respect Onoki had for him."

I nodded in understanding to both of their points, but… "Still, why us?" I prompted in confusion. "We've been at each other's throats for generations now."

"And to Onoki that means it's even more reasonable to do so," Sarutobi-sama pointed out. "We know how each other operate as well as our own troops by this point, and with our borders fairly close to one another, some with only some minor countries between us at some points, it makes sense from a geographical position for the alliance."

Letting out a breath I took in the information as Jiraiya-sama spoke up. "This also could have an added benefit," he spoke up looking at the two of us seriously. "While their methods aren't as good as Kumogakure's, their Jinchuriki are… somewhat stable, and if we do things right, we may be able to swing their assistance in helping Naruto train with the Kyuubi's chakra."

"Ah… the Yonbi and Gobi, correct?" I questioned, getting a nod from Jiraiya-sama in confirmation.

"I've actually had some contact with the Yonbi Jinchuriki, Roshi," Jiraiya-sama said getting shocked looks from the two of us. "Met him after the Second War when I was doing some information gathering near Iwa at a bar, not saying we're friends, but we can hold a conversation without it breaking down into a brawl."

"Better than nothing I guess," I said with a sigh, there was another option for helping Naruto-kun with the Kyuubi, my Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. It could forcibly submit him to my, and by extension Naruto-kun's, will. But… I didn't want to rely on it, after all, Naruto-kun was able to befriend the Bijuu in canon, she was certain he could do so again given some time.

"Mm, I would suggest you both get some rest tonight," Sarutobi-sama suggested with a small smile. "These talks will likely take some time, so be ready to do a lot of standing around tomorrow."

"Should've brought my paperwork with me then," I said jokingly as I cleaned up my plate. "Then maybe I could have gotten something productive done tomorrow."

The two older shinobi laughed in amusement at my joke as I stood up and placed my dishes in the kitchen suite. "I'll see you in the morning, Yuriko-chan," Sarutobi-sama said with a smile as nodded to me.

"Yup!" I confirmed, waving over my shoulder before vanishing into my assigned room.

I suppressed a yawn of boredom as I stood outside of the room where Sarutobi-sama was negotiating with Onoki-san about the terms of the treaty, the Tsuchikage's son and Jiraiya-sama were inside with them and the negotiator, leaving me on guard outside of the room with an older red haired man with a beard.

"Roshi-san, isn't it?" I asked for confirmation, looking over to the older shinobi who was leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his chest.

"Mm?" the jinchuriki blinked in surprise at being addressed before turning to me. "Ah, yeah, I am, you're that Bloody Scalpel, aren't you? Yuriko was it?"

I smiled at him politely as I nodded. "A pleasure to meet you," I replied. "Although I must admit, I prefer the Sword-Scalpel, even if my other title makes people fear me."

Roshi-san snorted in amusement, relaxing a bit. "Ah, it is a rather… gruesome title isn't it?" he agreed, grinning a bit. "How'd you get into Iryojutsu? Not a very common profession, heard the control requirements are quite strict."

"They are," I admitted with a wince. "But I initially started because of my mother, she taught me some basic Iryojutsu and it just kinda took off from there. How about yourself?"

He shrugged. "Heavy Assault mostly," he commented, tapping his stomach where his seal for the Yonbi was. "Not much else Jinchuriki like myself can do with the amount of chakra we have, got some pretty powerful Lava jutsus out of it though."

I smiled at him. "Lava is pretty cool," I admitted, getting a chuckle from him. "What is it like… having a Bijuu inside of you?"

The man hummed in response, considering how to answer it. "Well, for me I guess it's 'normal' considering the shit flinger has always been there," he said with a sigh. "But… well… it's like always having a second voice inside of you, one that thinks and acts differently from you, even if you do end up agreeing on some things."

"Must be nice," he raised a confused eyebrow at me with a flummoxed expression, making me smile in response. "You're never alone, doesn't matter where you are, you've got someone to talk to."

That made the jinchuuriki pause as he considered my words, the shifting emotions on his face telling me he was having a mental conversation with Son Goku. I blinked as a surge of pity rose up within me, the Bijuu had been trapped within humans or containers because of the fact that humanity in general feared them and their power.

Made me wonder, how much would this world have changed… if someone had actually sat down and talked with some of the Bijuu instead of sealing them, has somebody even done that before?

"Well, you've got the shit flinger's attention," Roshi announced with a sigh, breaking me out of my mental line of thought. "Heh, hell, I had never even thought about it like that before too be honest with you… it's always just been, he's there, and the reason I'm treated as a weapon at the best of times by my fellow shinobi."

I winced in sympathy with the man. "That's foolish," I commented, shaking my head. "You're still a human being, even if you have a giant chakra beast in you."

Roshi looked me over with a contemplative looked before smiling. "Yeah, thanks for that," he said gratefully. "Listen… you Uchiha, you have ways to enter into a Bijuu's seal? At least that's what the shit flinger is telling me, he wants to talk to you."

I blinked in surprise before swallowing. "Yes, we do," I affirmed with a nod. "May I ask why he wants to meet with me?"

Roshi shrugged. "Something about you being rather tolerable for an Uchiha," he grunted out, rolling his eyes. "Honestly? It's the first time he's took an interest in someone other than other Jinchuuriki."

"I… see," I replied before swallowing, I knew exactly what technique he was talking about, it wasn't actually a technique for entering a seal, it was more for entering the target's 'mindscape' more than anything, letting out a small sigh I activated the initial stage of my sharingan before meeting Roshi's eyes, while I remained standing, it felt like the world fell away.

Taking in a breath I looked around to find myself in what seemed like a mountainous region, before my breath caught in my throat.

Anime never really gives you an appreciation for size. Especially when it comes to the monstrous size of the Bijuu.

"Uchiha," the massive four tailed monkey before me greeted in a deep booming voice. "I am the Son of the Sage of Six Paths and the Great Sage that Equals the Heavens… Son Goku, and I must admit… I have never seen an Uchiha like yourself before…"

I swallowed tightly in response as I felt my neck strain from looking up at him. Mother of the Kami's he was huge. "A pleasure to meet you, Son Goku-san," I replied after I managed to regain control of my voice. "May I ask why you wished to meet me?"

The Yonbi blinked in surprise before grinning. "Finally, someone who uses my name and not some sort of stupid name that's about my tails," he grumbled, looking at me speculatively. "You could learn some manners from her, Roshi."

I blinked as I realized that Roshi-san was standing next to me, cleaning his ear with his pinky. "Someone needs to keep you humble… shit flinger," he grinned at the beast as I nearly balked, by the kami did this guy not know what fear was?

Son-san growled a bit in response to Roshi-san's taunt before turning to me. "I wanted to meet you, Yuriko-san, because I was curious," he said, answering my earlier question. "You are the first Uchiha that I have come across that does not reek of hatred and anger."

Huh, so he ran into other Uchiha before? Wonder if that was canon? "Well… I feel that hatred is just a waste of energy to keep a hold of," I admitted looking up at the Bijuu. "It's not that I don't feel hatred or anger, but… I don't let them dominate my actions… most of the time. I am only human after all."

Son Goku-san began laughing in response to my explanation, it honestly felt like the ground was shaking under me as he laughed. "I like you, Yuriko-san," he informed me, smiling. "And even if he doesn't admit it, my host does as well."

I glanced over to Roshi-san who was rolling his eyes. "He just loves spilling other people's secrets," he commented. "You should hear him and the Gobi when Han is nearby, the two sound like gossiping housewives."

"It's not like we have much else to do inside of these seals," Son Goku-san retorted. "Besides, you shinobi lead such dramatic lives sometimes, it's almost like one of those… soap operas was it?"

I shuddered in response. "Oh god, I hope not," I groaned, placing a hand over my eyes. "Those shows make me feel like my brain is rotting whenever I see even a second of it."

"Tell me about it, thank god they made that shinobi only channel, at least I can learn something useful on it when I'm in the hospital," Roshi-san grunted in agreement.

"Ah, you two just don't know how enjoyable it is from an outsider's view," Son Goku-san replied with a chuckle. "Especially when you start hearing about the stories the Infiltration and Seduction Corps tell."

I raised an eyebrow to Roshi who coughed minutely in embarrassment. "He is right about some of the stories they tell," he admitted weakly. "There was one who posed as a noble's long lost son… and actually managed to convince the noble it was the truth."

"What? No way," I replied, looking aghast that such a ploy worked.

"I know," Roshi empathized with a nod. "And he managed to keep the act up for a year while he completed his mission, before faking his death from a fake illness, the funeral was apparently quite the spectacle, with three so called illegitimate children coming forth."

I couldn't help the laughter that bubbled forth from within me as I doubled over, clutching at my stomach as peals of laughter erupted from my mouth, Roshi-san and Son Goku-san soon joining in as we began to exchange stories of the unbelievable things we heard our comrades pull off.

I blinked when I left Roshi-san's mindscape, only a handful of seconds having passed in the real world, a few chuckles escaping my lips as I reentered reality. "I must admit, that was not how I was expecting that conversation to go," I commented in amusement to Roshi-san who chuckle in agreement, a pair of nearby samurai looking at us in confusion before shrugging it off.

"Ah, you really made his day," the redhead told me with a grin. "He loves to hear new stories whenever he can, so hearing stories from Konohagakure was perfect for him."

"Good to know," I replied with a smile. "He is… an interesting person," I said, shaking my head. "Who would've thought that one of the Bijuu was such a gossip?"

Roshi laughed in agreement. "Tell me about it," he said. "Still… thank you, you gave me a new perspective with him."

I blinked at his admission before nodding. "You are welcome," I replied as I settled myself back in for a long wait, thankfully with a good conversation partner.

END CHAPTER!

Yuriko's Stats

Name: Yuriko

Level: 70

EXP: 4,875/35,000

Age: 18

Gender: Female

Title: Uchiha Clan head (+50% to all reputation gains, command of the Uchiha Clan)

Secondary Title: Equal to the Clan Killer (+50% to all stats, +200 HP & CP per level, Reputation with Konohagakure and Uchiha Clan is set to [Exalted])

STATS - Current - Former

HP - 7,725 - 7,200

CP - 35,000 - 33,900

STR - 85 (127) - 80 (120)

INT - 132 (198) - 130 (195)

DEX - 152 (266) - 150 (262)

VIT - 85 (127) - 80 (120)

WIS -125 (210) - 125 (210)

LUK - 41 (61) - 41 (61)

Ryo - 25,542,153