24 Chapter 24

What to do... What to do...

Suna's Kage tower was surrounded by non-public buildings.

I was having a hard time finding somewhere to sit and peek at their scroll...

I thought this would be easy peasy lemon squeezy.

But it was actually difficult difficult lemon difficult.

...

"Can we go see Suna's Kage building?"

Plan B.

"You can see it from here."

Why are you being difficult...

"But I want to see it!"

I was now dragging her toward the tower.

...

Finally, we were close enough to Suna's ugly ball thing.

What a hunk of shit.

We were a little less than a kilometer away from the tower.

I activated my Byakugan.

I noted the two Anbu following us but quickly dismissed them.

I scanned the tower roughly and quickly located where they kept their scrolls.

Suna didn't have one forbidden scroll, they had a forbidden bookshelf with many scrolls.

Nice.

I started scanning the scrolls.

...

Wind Release: Infinite Sand Cloud.

Nope.

Wind Release: Multi-Layered Gale.

The user creates a wall of multiple layers of vacuum that are stacked on top of each other. This technique can be used to provide additional support to other defensive techniques.

Nope.

Water Release: Water Blade Technique.

The user raises a column of underground water from beneath their feet, which takes the shape of a high-pressured water blade. If one were to take a direct hit from the blade, it would cut clean through flesh and bone.

Cool but nope.

Third Eye Technique.

The technique Gara used during the Chunin exam's written test.

It requires ten hand-seals...

Nope.

Magnet Release: Imperial Funeral

I don't have Magnet Release so...

Nope.

Memory-Concealing Manipulative Sand Technique

The user seals away the target's memories by burying an extremely small needle into the brain's memory center. The memories can be restored by canceling the technique, thereby destroying the needle. If a subordinate had this operation performed on their brains and has infiltrated an enemy camp, they can safely perform spy activity over a long period with no memory of being a sleeper agent. This could help enhance their act as they will fully believe their loyalty lies with the ones they are spying upon. If the user cancels the technique, the target will once again remember their mission as a sleeper agent.

Yep.

I need to get closer to memorize the seal though...

Puppet Performance: Skilful Achievement with a Human Body

A puppet performance technique where chakra threads are attached to various spots on a person's body; the head, torso, both arms, and both legs. The person being manipulated gains the ability to not only use their techniques but the skills of the puppeteer as well.

The origins of this technique lie on the battlefield. When a puppeteer's puppets were all destroyed, they would begin using corpses. To perform this technique with a living person would normally require both parties to cooperate. However, a highly skilled user can control the target by force if the person is severely weakened or damaged, rendering them unable to resist.

Maybe...

There was some good stuff but these scrolls noticeably lacked Kinjutsu and Hiden jutsu's.

I was mainly looking for the jutsu the old lady uses to revive Gara...

Perhaps they've been hidden elsewhere...

...

Sigh...

I already needed to get closer to use Kokoro no kyōka.

I might as well just memorize everything there...

"Let's get closer!"

My mom sent me a stern look.

"Shiro! That's close enough!"

Meaning stop pushing your luck.

Shit.

What do I do...?

Oh...

...

I blinked at the sudden brilliant thought I had.

"Alright, I've seen enough..."

We started walking away from the tower.

"How good is your writing?"

I got an embarrassed smile in response.

Oh boy...

...

We had purchased writing supplies and were now four kilometers from the Kage building, sitting in a Dongo shop.

Well out of my range, but well within moms.

I don't know why I hadn't thought of this earlier...

Mom was in the bathroom writing down as much as she could in a reasonable time.

We would take the book back to our room where I would memorize everything before destroying the book.

It was a good plan.

Mom didn't want to write down anything in case we were caught with it.

But I eventually persuaded her.

Though I probably could have done it myself with telescopic vision...

A waitress interrupted my thoughts.

"Excuse me, sir, would you like something to drink?"

What do they drink in Suna?

"What are my options?"

The waitress smiled sweetly.

"Yes or no."

I blinked.

"Yes please."

The waitress gave me another smile before she left.

Bitch.

...

We left the restaurant and got back to our room in one piece.

Mom closed the curtains before handing me the book she had hidden in her backpack.

"Thanks, I'll memorize it."

Mom raised an eyebrow but nodded.

I cracked it open and flipped around until I found the thing, I was the most excited about.

Memory-Concealing Manipulative Sand Technique

The seal she drew wasn't pretty but I got the point.

I activated Kokoro no kyōka and burned the seal into my memory.

I then ripped the page from the booklet and ate it.

"Shiro!"

My mom of course wasn't happy.

A few chakra enhanced bites and the page was no-more.

"Sorry I was hungry."

I didn't need that page to exist any longer than necessary...

...

Hmm...

There were a lot of Magnet Release techniques, more then I had originally seen...

There were also pages and pages of Wind Release techniques.

I don't know why mom wrote these down...

I sighed and started memorizing the book page by page.

...

Dawn broke and it was the start of a new day.

Sadly, this was the day we leave.

If I had a few more days I would have poked around more, maybe take a peek at their library.

But sadly, mom was extremely eager to leave.

So, I wouldn't be raiding Suna's library...

...

We made it past the gate without trouble.

I expected a bag search of some kind, but no such thing happened.

They did watch us the whole time...

But still, a little extra cation never hurt anyone...

...

"What should we do with the techniques we stole?"

Keep them?

"What do you have in mind?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"We either give them to the Hokage or the clan head."

Oh...

I forgot she was loyal to Konoha...

I eyed her for a second.

"Will we get praised for sneaking into Suna and stealing their scrolls?"

Or will we be punished for risking potential conflict?

Mom frowned and didn't answer.

"I only really planned on stealing these for myself, I had no intention of giving them to anyone."

This was more of a test run, I didn't think things would go this well.

"It's up to you."

I'd put the choice on her shoulders.

...

We talked while we traveled.

It was decided that our stealing would remain between us.

Mom didn't want the reputation of being a thief and I didn't want to give up my hard-earned loot.

I traveled eight days to steal those jutsu after all...

I didn't feel like sharing.

...

The trip back only took three days.

The trip was much easier without the father-son duo slowing us down.

I started asking mom questions about her life, trying to pass the time.

Mom told me stories about her Genin team and the shenanigans they got up to.

Sadly, she was the last surviving member of the team.

The team split up after the Chunin exams and slowly died off one by one.

She told me about her parents and how her father died when she was young.

Her mother was around for a while longer but died on a mission gone wrong when she was seventeen.

We chatted and I got to know my mother better, something I wouldn't have imagined could occur just two years ago.

...

We passed through the gate with no trouble, mom disappeared with a Shunshin and I followed her soon after heading home.

...

Mom had beaten me home and thus beaten me to the shower...

I was extremely annoyed, although I bathed in any rivers or streams, I passed it just couldn't compare to a warm shower...

As if to taunt me, mom started humming a cheerful tune.

Knock* Knock* Knock*

"Hurry it up!"

I want my shower!

...

The next day I sent three clones off to start on Fuinjutsu in the third training ground.

Suna's memory seal renewed my enthusiasm for sealing I couldn't wait to start making seals.

I figured there'd be plenty of clone deaths, but as they returned any remaining chakra to me, I could continue to send them to their deaths gaining valuable knowledge in the process.

Lovely, I thoroughly enjoyed it when I didn't have to pay for my mistakes...

...

I was storing my remaining chakra in my seal when mom interrupted me.

"Do you have any plans Friday?"

Lay in bed while my clones use their deaths to advance my Fuinjutsu...

"No, do you have something in mind?"

I didn't want to do anything...

"Mikoto's invited us to dinner, do you want to come?"

No thanks.

"Not interested."

Mom cracked a smile.

"Let me rephrase that, Mikoto's invited us to dinner and your coming."

Why did you pretend I had a choice in the matter...?

...

I had three days until Mikoto's dinner.

I occupied myself by practicing Lightning Release while my clones worked on Fuinjutsu.

I wasn't making much progress in either, but then again I'd only been working on them for a while, progress would come with time.

...

The day of the dinner arrived.

Mom had forced me into a white Kimono and sternly lectured me on proper manners.

My manners were fine...

...

We stood in front of Mikoto's house.

It was a traditional-looking building.

I could already hear Kushina's laughter from outside.

Sigh...

My mom didn't wait for me to compose myself and knocked right away.

Knock* Knock* Knock*

After a few seconds I heard the knob jiggle and the door opened.

"Shiro, Sumiko, I'm glad you could make it."

I didn't have much choice...

...

We were let inside.

After we took our shoes off we were walked to the dining room where Minato, Kushina, Kakashi, and who I guessed was Fugaku were sitting.

Fugaku had brown hair and black eyes.

I had expected him to have black hair...

He wore a simple kimono with grey pants which had the Uchiha emblem on them.

I decided that I probably shouldn't be staring and turned away.

I saw there was an empty seat beside Kakashi and figured that was for me.

I made my way over to my apparent seat.

"Hello Kakashi."

Kakashi sent me a dull stare and didn't respond.

Ok then...

I took a seat and watched the proceedings.

Minato and Fugaku were talking, Fugaku didn't seem to like Minato and was giving him the cold shoulder.

Mom, Kushina, and Mikoto seemed to be the best of friends and were chatting and having a blast.

Mom was telling them about our "boring mission" of course excluding any Jutsu theft.

Though I doubted the Uchiha would care about jutsu theft...

...

"... So, we decided to try for a baby!"

I tuned into the end of what Mikoto was saying.

I blinked.

I looked at Fugaku who looked slightly embarrassed.

So, is there going to be a baby Itachi soon?

Cool...

...

I wonder if there's a way to make non-crazy clones...

I would have used a clone to attend the dinner if I was confident it wouldn't cause havoc...

Minato spoke knocking me out of my thoughts.

"What have you been up to Shiro?"

I've been practicing Fuinjutsu and thinking about ways to get to the moon to capture an Ōtsutsuki.

"I've been learning Fuinjutsu."

Minato raised an eyebrow.

"How's it going?"

Not well.

"Not well, everything I make explodes."

Minato nodded.

"Fuinjutsu gets easier to learn after everything you make stops exploding."

I think he's telling me to stick it out.

"Feel free to come to me and Kushina if you have any questions."

How nice of him!

"I understand..."

I nodded in thanks to Minato, before continuing

"...If at first, you don't succeed, find some who has succeeded, kill them, eat their flesh, and absorb their essence... and then succeed."

The entire table was silent, and everyone was looking at me.

Mom mouthed 'cut it out'

"That was a joke."

Nobody laughed.

Alrighty...

...

Eventually Food was brought out, and everyone was served.

I had stayed quiet but figured I might as well make another attempt at conversation with Kakashi.

"What's new Kakashi?"

Kakashi didn't answer for a moment.

"...I'm Practising Lightning Nature Transformation."

Starting on the path to the Chidori are we?

"Nice."

I sent him a nod and a thumbs up.

I didn't know how to continue the conversation...

Topic change!

"Kakashi, recently I learned a valuable lesson recently and I would like to share it with you."

Kakashi looked skeptical but nodded.

" Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day."

Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"Give a fish a man and he'll eat for a week."

I nodded seriously, and Kakashi looked weirded out.

...

Finally, we made it through dinner and it was time to go.

Kushina ambushed me as I was leaving and squeezed the life out of me, she told me she missed me and that I should visit her.

After many promises I was released.

Mom and I made our way out of the Uchiha compound and started heading home...

...

We arrived home without fanfare.

"Alright I'm going to bed."

Mom nodded.

"Good night Shiro."

I gave a little wave as I walked towards the shower.

"Night"

...

We were eating breakfast the next morning when I popped the question.

"Should I enter the Chunin exams?"

Mom shook her head.

"You should wait around a year before you take it."

Hmmm...

"I'm approaching Jonin level and I don't want to stagnate doing Genin missions for long."

With my different enhancements and my Seal, I was very much unbeatable to anyone below Jonin-level.

"Sigh... you can do the Chunin exam when you turn eight."

So, in ten months?

Sounds good.

"I'll work on Lightning Release and Fuinjutsu until then."

Mom nodded.

"I need to teach you how to hide your chakra as well, as it is, you're a giant beacon of chakra."

Alrighty, hopefully, that wouldn't be too hard.

...

I was using today to test an idea I had for a lightning Jutsu.

It was just a more guided version of Lightning Palm.

Instead of letting the current run rampant I was trying to make it target something.

Mainly the heart or nerves.

I wanted it to kill with a strike or cause immense pain.

Both suited me fine.

Sadly, the creation of the technique required a test subject.

I didn't have one at the moment, so I was striking trees and trying different variations of chakra to see what happened.

I wasn't making much progress, but I was learning.

And that's all I needed to do.

As long as I kept progressing things would be fine.

Or at least I hoped so.

...

...

Interlude

Shiro and Sumiko arrived completing Mikoto's list of guests and signaling the start of the dinner.

Shiro was a bundle of nervous energy, he couldn't stop himself from tapping his foot or fiddling with his Kimono sleeves.

The only time seemed Shiro seemed relaxed and happy was just after he fought.

The only time I had ever seen Shiro get a full eight hours of sleep was after he killed a cave full of bandits by himself and then experimented on them...

Shiro was a special one...

Shiro took a seat next to Kakashi and I returned to my conversation with Fugaku putting Shiro out of mind.

...

"Fugaku and I have known each other for a long time and are sure of our love, so, we decided to try for a baby!"

The girl's conversation gained the attention of the entire table at Mikoto's words.

Everybody gave their good wishes and conversation continued this time about baby names.

...

Conversation between Fugaku and I had died down, so I had to find someone else to converse with.

I looked at Shiro and sent him my best smile.

"What have you been up to Shiro?"

Other than the normal hiding from human contact and experimenting on criminals.

"I've been learning Fuinjutsu."

I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head.

"How's it going?"

It's good Shiro's found a way to occupy his time.

"Not well, everything I make explodes."

I nodded.

"Fuinjutsu gets easier to learn after everything you make stops exploding."

After I was no longer in danger of losing my limbs Fuinjutsu was smooth sailing.

"Feel free to come to me and Kushina if you have any questions."

For all his faults Shiro was good company, I didn't mind teaching him and spreading the craft of Fuinjutsu to future generations.

"I understand..."

Shiro trailed off as he dipped his head to me but then continued.

"...If at first, you don't succeed, find some who has succeeded, kill them, eat their flesh, and absorb their essence... and then succeed."

The entire table was silent, Shiro seemed to have realized no-one shared his humor.

Though part of the problem was his deadpan delivery, no-one could tell it was a joke.

"That was a joke."

Sigh...

...

Eventually, Mikoto brought out the Sukiyaki and everyone was served.

I idly watched Shiro and Kakashi attempt to make conversation.

"What's new Kakashi?"

Kakashi and Shiro were both painfully socially awkward leading to painful but entertaining exchanges between the two.

"...I'm Practising Lightning Nature Transformation."

Kakashi had recently become chunin and started on learning Lightning Release.

"Nice."

Shiro sent Kakashi a nod and thumbs up.

"Kakashi, recently I learned a valuable lesson recently and I would like to share it with you."

Shiro started killing the conversation, something he often does when he gets nervous.

" Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day."

Kakashi rolled his eyes, making Shiro smirk.

"Give a fish a man and he'll eat for a week."

Shiro nodded seriously, and Kakashi cocked his head in confusion.

Oh, Shiro...

...

Everyone had eaten and it was getting late.

Kushina caught Shiro before he could slip away and hugged him to prevent any possible escape.

"Shiro! I miss you! You never come around anymore."

She shook Shiro emphasizing how much she missed him.

"Shiro, you definitely have to visit more often!"

Shiro was tense, he didn't enjoy contact of any kind unless initiated by himself.

"No worries Kushina, I'll drop by more often."

He likely wouldn't, Kushina mentally exhausted Shiro, he never hung around with her for more than a few hours and even then he would hide for the next few days to recharge.

"You better Shiro!"

Kushina was banned from Shiro's residence by Sumiko after she ambushed him early one morning.

The only thing she could do was invite him over after she had been banned from 'invading his safe space' as Sumiko had put it.

"I will! I will! Stop shaking me!"

Eventually, Shiro was released and he eagerly made his way out of the Uchiha compound with Sumiko trailing behind him.

He wasn't a bad kid but his apathy and disregard for human life made me wary of him.

Though perhaps I was mistaken...

Time would tell...