47 2/3

"How young are we talking? Kenta, I am flattered, but I do not think Lady Fú would appreciate your advances on me. I'm sure a political marriage would benefit the alliance, but surely we can-" She cut off at my loud laughter.

I wiped away a few tears of mirth. "No, not me. A friend of mine. He's a good guy. Very loud. Very exciteable. Works harder than anyone I know. You statement reminded me of him. He always says.

"If I can't do this impossible task I've set for myself, then I will punish my failure with an even more impossible task!"

I laughed again at her reddening face. "He sounds lovely, if you ask me. He is your age?"

I shook my head. "He's a year older, almost nineteen I believe." I said attempting to remember when exactly Lee's birthday was. It was late fall, I believe.

"We can discuss introduction another day. For now. Your seal." Honoka said, pushing her embarrassment away.

I nodded. "Is it going to kill me?"

She snorted. "Hardly. Lady Korinna blessed you with the greatest gift you can imagine."

She pulled out a scroll and scanned the contents. Nodding to herself she looked up. "To understand this seal, we have to delve into what many consider fairy tale and folklore. Many scoff at the notion that countless civilizations have risen and fallen over the course of tens of thousands of years. I swear to you, while the knowledge is lost and we only have bits and pieces to put together, what I am about to tell you is facts."

"Thousands of years ago, before The Rabbit Goddess ended all wars, before she turned on humanity and attempted to destroy it to reclaim her chakra, there was a kingdom that spanned every inch of our world. Historians have searched high and low, but we cannot find a name. What we do know is that it was all ruled by a single man. The Lord of the Morning."

I gaped. "Wait, he was REAL?"

She nodded. "Just as real as you and I. Before the time of chakra, certain humans were born with what we simply refer to this day as magic." She quirked an eyebrow at my snort of disbelief. I quickly schooled my features. "Believe it or not, it is true. I can show you the evidence at a later date. Unlike chakra though, which is internal, these men and women were able to connect to the very earth itself to perform their feats. It is similar to what we now know today as Sage Arts. They would connect with the energy of the earth, and weave it and shape it to their desires."

"Men and women had an internal 'tank' so to speak. They would pull the energy into their bodies, and then command the very elements around them. The Lord of the Morning had the largest 'tank' and could do things that many would say nigh impossible. They could command the basic elements. They could manipulate the weather. They could even bend time and space, opening portals from one point to another. This is how The Lord was able to govern such a vast kingdom. He could be anywhere in the world within a second."

I stared incredulously. Honoka was right, this did sound like a fantasy novel!

"Another thing, he ruled for centuries. For these magic users were granted blessings from the land itself. Using their magic extended their life to unnatural proportions. The larger their tank, the longer they lived. Even the weakest men and women could live for two or more centuries. Granted, they were not immortal, and could be killed as easily as the next person, but they could also wipe out armies single handedly. They magic users had their own system of laws and a hierarchy. It was this system that was their downfall."

"Many of the strongest magic users, those that lived five or more centuries, soon began to fear their end. They wanted to achieve true immortality, they wanted more power. They made a grave error. Twelve men and women, who would later be known as 'The Betrayers' traveled to the center of our world. There, they opened a bore into the very source of their powers. They did this unknowing that they were releasing a terrible power upon the land."

"The Gods themselves had banished one of their own. For it is said that God's cannot be killed. They banished the essence of one of their own into the very center of our world. Opening the bore released this banished god. His conscious soon began wreak havoc on the world. The Betrayers were granted their immortality and powers beyond their wildest dreams. The Lord called for the realms magic users to devise a plan. He wanted to close the bore, cutting off the dark god's influence. The men of his circle agreed, the women did not. They wanted to plan further, research this banished god, and make a decision then."

"The Lord did not agree, but held off. However, he could not wait too long, for this banished god began to wreak havoc. Crops died, livestock perished, illness ran rampant across the land. He called for a decision, but the women were not ready to make one. He took 100 of his strongest men and rode for the bore. There, they seal the banished god away once more. But they made a grave error. For there are two sides to every coin, and the power they used, was also split."

"It was similar to our chakra. Yin and Yang. The men used one side, the women the other. To close the bore, we needed both. But, only Yang was present. In a last ditch effort, the banished god tainted and corrupted the power the men used. It made their power vile and corrupt. The men began to go mad. The power driving them to insanity. They nearly destroyed the world when all 100 of the most powerful men in existence went mad at once; including The Lord of the Morning. When he died, it is said he tore the earth asunder and created a peak so high that the top couldn't be seen by mortal eyes. That peak still stands today. It is located in lightning country, and Kumo is hidden somewhere along those mountain ranges."

I continued to gape at Honoka. Real or not, this story was amazing! "You should write a book about this! Even if it real, I bet people would love this story!"

She giggled. "I might just do that. It does sound like a thrilling story, doesn't it?"

I nodded. "So what happened after that?"

"The history gets spottier after that. Apparently for one thousand years the women who survived began to hunt down and kill any man that was born with the ability. Eventually, they culled the ability out of humanity for good. Others say the banished god eroded the half made prison and escaped once again, and a battle for humanity ensued with a hero who been The Lord reincarnated. It is hard to say."

I snorted. Reincarnation? How absurd.

She nodded. "Now, that story I told you has absolutely nothing to do with your seal. I just wanted to tell it." She smiled at my unimpressed look.

"So then what does it do?" I asked.

"The Lord of the Morning ruled the world for five centuries, this we know. He put down rebellions before they even began because he was gifted with another ability. He could see the heart of men who stood before him." She stated.

"Wait, he could read minds? That does sound like Kenta! Maybe he was your great, however many, ancestor!" Karin piped up.

Honoka shook her head. "He couldn't read minds. However, he could read emotions." She stared at me pointedly at that. And it clicked.

"That's why my sensory abilities developed so quickly and why they're so strong!" I nearly yelled in excitement.

Honoka smiled and nodded. "Lady Korinna could sense the potential in your sensory abilities. They would have grown strong without her seal. They just developed differently than what they would have naturally. The range and detail is all you, Kenta. But the ability to read emotions? That is the ability this seal gives."

I sat back in my seat, mind whirling. Lady Korinna did indeed gift me a powerful ability. A bark of laughter escaped and Honoka and Karin stared at me quizzically.

"Sorry. It's just, if anyone else had this ability, it would be near worthless to them. Sure, they could read an opponent better, but me? Knowing my opponents emotions makes my fighting style that much easier." I explained.

"Ah. Yes. I've heard that you are a master of psychological warfare. Indeed. Having an in depth look at the emotions of your opponent is a boon." Honoka said with a frown. "It's also even more dangerous to you."

"What do you mean?" I asked, a knot forming in my gut.

"Kenta. That type of intimate knowledge about a person, with the way you use, could push you past the point of no return. Naruto spoke to me of your struggles with finding yourself after you break an opponent's mind. Be careful. Do not lose yourself to that type of darkness." Honoka said seriously.

I nodded. "I know. I… struggle. Each time I break an opponent. I need to develop new coping methods. I can't keep relying on others to pull myself back together to remind me of who I am. That was my downfall this time." I said seriously.

Honoka smiled and patted my hand. "Good. As long as you are aware and accept the dangers, you will be fine. Remember, the Uzumaki Clan stands with you. If you ever just need someone to talk to, or vent to, any one of us is here for you. You've done so much for us already. Even if you don't think you have."

She wiped a few stray tears away before continuing.

"Naruto… well, all Uzumaki know pain. We've all lost someone close to us. We've all lost our history and our family. But we are resilient. We are rebuilding. One day, the elemental nations will fear the Uzumaki once more. However, Naruto being a Jinchuriki is an even greater burden. He lost his parents, and the village he was raised in despised his very existence. They tried to erase him, and your clan prevented that. They then tried to break him by isolating him. Your clan once again prevented that by acknowledging his existence."

"Time and again, the sacrifice our clan makes is spit on and reviled. Jinchuriki are shunned and hated everywhere. You know this from Fú. However, your family, and by extension your clan, continued to offer the love and support that Jinchuriki crave and need just as badly as food and water. Konoha honestly has NO idea that your clan possibly saved them all. I love Naruto. That boy is a light in my life, and as much as I know the type of person he is, who can say how he would have turned out had you and your parents not shown him love? There's a chance he could have given up, found a way to remove the seal early, and allowed Kyubi to have his body and destroy Konoha. It's a scary thought, but it has happened in the past."

She met my eyes and smiled a warm, motherly smile at me. "But, that didn't happen, because you offered your hand to a lonely boy. Despite the fact that he annoyed the crap out of you. That he was loud and had zero manners."

I laughed loudly at that. "Yeah, the first year in the academy was rough until I taught Naruto what an inside voice was."

She nodded. "He told me all about it. He told me how your parents were wary of him at first, which is a perfectly reasonable reaction for people that don't know the intricacies of sealing. Did you know that Lord Fourth's work is literally a master piece? He's the only non-Uzumaki in a century that earned the title of Seal Master."

"What about Lord Jiraiya?" I asked, knowing the answer. I just wanted to hear it from an unbiased source. Or possibly the most biased?

"He is a good man, even if he is a pervert. I will not deny his skill. With the Uzumaki clan near extinction, I guess he could be considered a Seal Master. However, compared to an Uzumaki? He is merely what we would consider a Journeyman. His knowledge is good, but not even close to master level." She stated matter-of-factly.

"As I thought. Lord Fourth was trained by Lord Jiraiya, but Lady Kushina and Lady Mito also played a role in his education. He was also a genius. It would make sense he would meet the Uzumaki's high standards." I said smiling at Honoko.

"Yes. He was a rarity that is certain. Anyway, Naruto told me of their wariness, but within a few weeks they looked to him with nothing but love and acceptance. That was the day that changed his life forever. Did he tell you that?" Honoka asked.

I shook my head. "No. He never mentioned that to me." I frowned. "Bastard keeping secrets from me." I grumbled.

Honoka laughed. "Not at all. He just would be embarrassed to admit that to you. He's a funny one, that Naruto."

I smiled back. "You can say that again. The boy's sealing potential is next level. I had to tutor him for weeks just to understand basic addition and subtraction. I give him a book on basic sealing? Within a month he's already creating his own tags!"

Karin and Honoka giggled at that. "It's in his blood, that's for sure." Honoka admitted fondly.

"By twelve years old he was able to perform barrier seals and creating his own matrices. But to this day mention a woman's feelings and he's back to the idiot that struggled to add 15 and 16." I smirked wickedly.

"He is hopeless on that front, isn't he? Everyone mentions there is some girl that has had a crush on him for years, but he STILL doesn't know who it is." Karin said in a conspiratory whisper. "Do you know who it is?"

I nodded and felt for Naruto's chakra. Still out back, no shadow clones. "I do. But you cannot tell him. She wants to do it herself, if she ever bucks up the courage before his Lord Dense-ness figures it himself."

The held out their pinkies. The most solemn of promises. I took each individually. "When they were about five years old, a few months before the academy started, a group of boys was bullying this poor girl. Naruto, being Naruto, intervened. He got the shit kicked out of him, but his sheer determination to get back up after every beat down eventually drove the boys away. From that day forward, this girl has had feelings for our blonde friend." I explained in a low voice, my senses sharp and focuses so he didn't surprise me.

"Oh! That's so cute and romantic!" The girls chorused in unison, glancing at each other and breaking down into a fit of giggles.

"So, who is this mystery woman? Is she pretty? Is she strong?" Karin asked excitedly, Honoka nodding along enthusiastically.

"She's very pretty. She's also very strong. She's also one of the six noble clan heirs." I smirked, leaving only two options open, well three if they didn't know the Inuzuka's ritual for determining alpha.

Karin gasped. "Ino?! But there's your political marriage, especially if she actually has feelings for Naruto! Your plan will be perfect!"

Honoka stared at Karin suspiciously. "It isn't Ino, is it?" She asked.

I shook my head.

Honoka squealed. "Oooooh! Lady Hinata is gorgeous and apprenticed to Lady Tsunade! The Hyuga Clan? Oh, but there is no way that Lord Hiashi would ever allow that! Well, maybe he would, now that the Uzumaki clan is reestablished and Naruto is head." Honoka spouted off rapidly, more to herself.

"Is it really Lady Hinata?" Karin asked looking slightly crestfallen.

I laughed. "Did you want it to be my dearest cousin? I feel that she would kill Naruto some day after he annoyed her. Though I guess she does have the temperament to be an Uzumaki." I pondered out loud.

"I like Ino. She's been very kind to me since I arrived. She's also someone I admire. She is a strong kunoichi. She is very confident in herself. She is someone I would like to be more like." Karin said with a blush.

"Ino is very confident, that we can I agree on. She has gotten strong as well." I said.

Honoka slammed her fist into her palm. "I've got it!"

"No!" I said loudly. "You will not interfere until Lady Hinata has told Naruto herself. She will gentle fist you into a puddle if you say anything. She is still quiet, shy, and polite. But she has been apprenticed to Lady Tsunade for near four years. Her temper can flare quite violently."

Honoka looked crestfallen for a moment before brightening. "But once she does say something?"

I shrugged. "Then its fair game, I suppose."

She pumped her fist in triumph. "That only requires a slight adjustment to my plans." She turned to me. "Are you staying for dinner?"

I smiled. "I'd love to! Kono is training all day then having a sleepover with her friends, and Mom is working late tonight."

She stood up and straightened her dress. "Well then, make yourself at home. Karin, would you help me prepare dinner?"

Karin nodded and jumped to her feet. She made her way to the kitchen but stopped after a few steps, she stood there for a few moments, semmingly having an internal debate. Her chakra finally settled down and she turned to face me, her cheeks as crimson as her hair.

"Kenta… I… Will make sure Tayuya is punished for calling you girly. I think you're very h-h-h… handsome!" She shouted, turning on her heals and fleeing to the back. I gaped at the area she had disappeared to.

Honoka laughed loudly. "Looks like Naruto isn't the only one with a girl crushing on him. Poor Karin. I will need to get her prescription checked. Anyone who isn't blind can see how in love you are with Lady Fú." She smiled at me before her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Do not make fun of that girl for her admission. We have a lot of damage to reserve thanks to Kusa and I will NOT s-"

I held up a hand. "I promise, Honoka. I will not tease Karin, or judge her, or anything negative. I admire he bravery, actually. Hinata could take a lesson or two from her." I said truthfully. However, I shot Honoka a smirk. "However, down the road, this will be great teasing material."

Honoka laughed at that. "On that we can agree on. Now run along out back. The twins will be happy to see you, as well as Stadie. You made quite the impression on her those weeks ago." With that Honoka turned and went out the same way that Karin had exited earlier.

I shook my head, exiting the room from the opposite end. My mind was spinning with the knowledge I had learned. Lady Korinna was the reason I could feel all these emotions around me. It had saved my life on more than one occasion.

The logical, thankful side of me was over the moon at the gift I had been given. The perfectionist side of me though was less enthusiastic. An ability I prided myself on, that set me apart from the other sensors of my clan. I felt cheated, if I was being honest. It wasn't natural talent that gave me an advantage over the others, it was a seal given to me by a dead woman.

"They would have grown strong without her seal. They just developed differently than what they would have naturally." Honoka's voice whispered in my head.

I perked up at that. She was right. I was the strongest sensor in the village, even without that seal. It just gave me a little extra oomph.

With that thought in mind, I opened the door to the garden where a group of kids was laughing happily. I smiled widely at the sight.

My father was gone, and I would never be able to speak to him again. However, he passed a torch onto me. The torch to ensure the protection, education, and training of the next generation. It is the duty of the previous generation to ensure their successors surpass them. These kids were the next generation. I couldn't dwell on my sadness any longer. I had to move on. I had to get better. I had to be me sooner than later. These kids, and hundreds of others were relying on me to protect them, the same way my father protected my cousin.

I wouldn't fail him. Not again. Never again would I fail my father.

*************************Uzumaki Family Fun Times!**************************************

"You're sure you're ready for this, Yamanaka?" Sasuke asked from my right as we walked down the main street of Konoha.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Uchiha. For the hundredth time, I'm ready."

He sneered at me. "Just making sure you're prepared to for this. You'll listen to what she has to say with an open mind and not a biased attitude. The last thing we need is you snapping again, releasing that bloodlust in the middle of the civilian population won't look good for your evaluation."

I shot him my own sneer. "I'm ready. I'm not a child. I can be objective on demand. Stop worrying about your girlfriend. If she's honest with me, I won't throw away her words without listening."

"She's not my girlfriend." Sasuke mumbled, cheeks tinted a light shade of pink.

"Yet." I shot back with a smirk.

He opened his mouth but closed it as a familiar face was waving enthusiastically towards us. I approached the table with a fake smile in place.

Instinctively I reached my senses out towards the pink haired girl.

Determination and nervousness were the dominate emotions. A smattering of a few others was simmering below the surface.

I tentatively did the same for Ino. I hadn't seen her since the day I was on my face, sobbing uncontrollably.

Love. Acceptance. Joy. Wariness.

I don't think the wariness was for her own sake though.

"Ino, Haruno. How are you?" I asked overly polite.

"Sasuke, how are you?" Ino asked enthusiastically. "Kenta, I know you look like a girl, but there's no need to act like one. Put the claws away. We're here as friends today, remember?" She asked in a sickly sweet voice.

I stared incredulously at my cousin before my brain rebooted. "Though I may look like a woman, I am at least still pretty. Unlike you, dearest cousin, who looks as though someone shoved a crop top onto a pig." I smiled in vindictive glee.

Ino bristled for a few moments. Eyes dancing with fiery indignation. Sakura and Sasuke glanced warily back and forth between the two of us.

Ino jumped out of her seat and stalked forward; a beast on the prowl. When she was mere feet in front of me, her scrowl morphed into a wide grin. She laughed heartily and threw her arms around my shoulders, laughing freely.

"It's good to see you, Kenta. How are you?" She asked fondly.

"I'm better, Ino. I'm not 100%, but I'm getting closer every day. How are you?" I asked just as warmly.

"I'm well. Father and the Elders were most impressed with my performance against you. Even though you handily won, they were able to look past that to my potential. They were most impressed with the illusion I was able to fool you with. They praised my ability against the strongest sensor our village has had since Lord Second." She said with a wide smile. Pride pouring from her chakra in torrents.

"That was impressive. I haven't been trapped in an illusion in years. I'm glad they were able to look past the loss and see the potential." I said softly, eyes trained to the ground.

She took my hands, forcing me to look up. "We'll spar again soon. I have a lot more I need to show you." She said with a smirk and playful wink.

"You're on, Ino-Pig." I laughed, using the nickname from our childhood.

"Now, we're not here for you and I to catch up. This is about you two." She said, glancing back and forth between Sakura and eye. "Sit and talk. Now." She commanded.

I laughed but followed her orders. I sat down, pushing down the nerves that had suddenly sprung up. Why the hell was I nervous.

Sakura looked equally uncomfortable. She glanced back and forth between Ino and I, occassionaly shooting Sasuke strange looks.

I sighed and opened my mouth.

"Welcome to Café Rose. My name is Etsuko. Can I get you gentleman anything to drink or eat?" A pretty civilian girl interrupted. I forced away the glare that wanted to form at the girl. Instead I smiled brightly at her.

"I'll take a green tea. Nothing to eat. Thank you, Miss Etsuko." I said politely.

She smiled brightly. "Of course, Lord Yamanaka. For you, Lord Uchiha?"

"Green Tea as well. I'll also have a small garden salad, extra tomato. Thank you." He said primly.

Etsuko nodded and smiled brightly before walking away.

I turned back to Sakura. "Sakura. I've been doing a lot of thinking over the last few weeks. I can mostly empathize where you were coming from. However, there's still one more answer I need from you before I can move on and we can start over." I said bluntly. No use beating around the bush.

She nodded and smiled hesitantly. "Okay, Kenta. Whatever you want, just ask. I want to make things right between us once again. Before I left, we weren't the best of friends, but we were friends. I want to return to that."

I nodded but didn't agree. Good acquaintances was a better description.

"Do not lie to me. Do not attempt to deceive me. Do not attempt to control your chakra, nor your emotions. I will simply declare you guilty by omission if you do anything to compromise my ability to sense emotions." I told Sakura in a hard voice. Unconsciously channeling Jaguar for the moment.

"I will answer your question to the best of my ability. I only ask you have patience with me if your questions require me to sort my thoughts." She said.

"I will do my best to keep an open mind, I promise you." I replied. I glanced up and smiled at our waitress, already forgetting her name. "Thank you, Miss." I mumbled politely as she set the teapot in front of me.

She smiled brightly, serving Sasuke his own tea and salad.

"Sakura. I need to understand just one thing. When you nearly killed Naruto, you felt a small amount of pride. Why?" I asked as soon as what's her name was out of earshot.

Indignation. Guilt. Sadness. Anger. These four emotions began a war of dominance inside Sakura. She took a deep breath.

"Yes, I felt proud in that moment. But it was not because I hurt Naruto. It wasn't at all what you accused me of that day in Lord Hokage's office." She said sounding slightly offended. Her chakra confirmed her offense, as well as the truth she just told.

"Then why? What could you have possibly been proud of? Why didn't you deny my words that day?" I asked evenly, genuinely curious.

"It was an emotional day, for everyone. Plus, I didn't think denying would convince you with how convinced of my guilt you seemed. You were right. I was jealous of Naruto. But I was also jealous of nearly everyone from our class. I was especially jealous of Ami though. She and I had similar backgrounds, but she was so far ahead of me. I can't deny your words that day, Kenta. What I can deny though is that the pride you felt; that I felt, was NOT because of what I did to Naruto."

100% Truth.

"Then what was it?" I asked softly. Attempting to put Sakura at ease so her chakra would calm the heck down. It was lashing out like a cornered animal. Anyone put on the spot though reacts similarly. I needed the truth from Sakura voluntarily, not like this. Not with her thinking that the wrong word would somehow end her career, or worse, her life. I didn't have that kind of power anyway.

It seemed to help. Her chakra became a low buzz, but still coiled, ready to lash out. "When I was in that urn, the first twelve hours were the whispers that poisoned my mind, you know this. The rest of the time though? The curse seal was evolving, changing. I was aware of the changes, I let my body feel and study them. I noticed everything. I noticed it all. I began to theorize while inside that urn. When I finally got out, when Naruto confronted us. I was able to test my theory. And it worked. THAT is what I was proud of. When I saw the results of testing my hypothesis though? I felt disgusted. Naruto was; is my friend. Of everyone that I could have injured, he would have been my last choice. I cried for months, and still to this day occasionally wake up in a cold sweat. The echoing of his screams still in my head."

Sakura's eyes swam with unshed tears. Her chakra also mirrored her words.

Sadness. Guilt. Self-loathing.

I took a sip of tea, humming in appreciation. Ino was right, this place did have good tea. At Sakura's omission, a tension I didn't even realize I had been carrying for weeks seemed to lift.

I smiled at the girl. "Thank you, Sakura. That was the last of my apprehensions about you."

She shot another hesitant smile at me. "So? Can we be friends again?"