38 Benimaru’s errand

Early in the morning Fugaku sits at the table looking across at Benimaru as if he'd just asked him to lay an egg. "Is your head alright Benimaru? You want to give away the jutsu our clan has spent generations honing or would you rather we just start handing out eyes?"

"My head is fine Uncle…" Benimaru says ignoring the smartass remark. "I did not say we give out our own techniques, I meant these…" Producing a bundle of scrolls for Fugaku to look at.

"These are…"

"Yes techniques for the the kekkei genkai of the hidden leaf village's clans. Well, most of them are mainly theory but I'm sure they could still be put to good use." Many of these techniques were improvised with Yo's otherworldly knowledge and Beni's past knowledge so they were definitely feasible.

"Hmmm," Fugaku skims through a few silently.

"I would like for you to join me when I distribute them. I think it would look good for the clan if the head were to be doing this instead of just a child. It would help with the clan's image a great deal."

"Our image? There is nothing wrong with our-"

"Uncle, with all respect our clan's image has been on a continual decline for some years now. It does indeed need work." Yoriichi was right, the Uchiha may be a bit too stubborn, plotting a coup' and won't even consider if they are part of the problem.

'That Yoriichi has already gotten to him in just a few short days…this sounds exactly like something he would say. At least Benimaru isn't trying to charge me for this,' Fugaku thinks silently to himself. It couldn't hurt to try something new though. Besides assuming they are doable, the Uchiha could hardly make the best use of these techniques. "Alright boy, I will accompany you to the other clan compounds. Let's see what happens."

.........….

"Here?" Fugaku asks with a twitching eye. Looking up at the gates of the first clan compound on their trip, the Hyuga clan, it's clear that he has his reservations about coming. There is longstanding debate about which clan has the best eyes in the hidden leaf village.

"I'm sure you saw their clan among the manuals. We won't let a petty rivalry stop us…it is no secret that the sharingan is better." Benimaru says taking the lead as they head inside the compound.

"Fugaku Uchiha? To what do I owe this visit?" Hiashi Hyuga the head of the Hyuga clan asks sitting in front of his unexpected guest. He and the clan elder look just as uncomfortable as their visitor. Also at his side are his daughter and nephew, Hinata and Neji respectively who seem much less apprehensive about the visit. They watch the patriarchs curiously to see what is going to happen.

Following a long silence, Fugaku clears his throat and starts. "Hiashi, it is no secret that the-"

"If I may speak Uncle," Benimaru cuts in. 'Was he really going to quote me here of all places?!' It pains him to have to acknowledge the fact that Yoriichi was not only right, but he also didn't embellish it. It's like Uchiha's don't want to be liked…

"What could you have to say brat?" The elder snorts.

"Firstly, elder brother sends his regards," Benimaru smiles politely sending shivers down the old man's spine.

"Ah, do give him my best ahaha…" The elder quickly becomes much more accommodating thinking of the display Yoriichi put on previously. "Would you like some tea? You there! Quickly go and get our guests some refreshments! And be quick! You were saying young man?" Despite his goofy smile he is seething internally. 'How dare that brat threaten ME! I will teach he and that brother of his a lesson one day!'

"While going through our clan's archives, we came across some manuals for jutsu that likely came from your clan. As you know the Uchiha have…"learned" many techniques from other ninja over the eras, especially during the warring states. It's likely some of these have been lost to the passing of time. Uncle here thought it a good idea to return them to their rightful owners, you can verify if they are of any use for yourselves." Beni explains as he hands the scrolls marked for the Hyuga clan off to them.

'He spun that lie together rather quickly, but it sounds logical.' Fugaku nods in agreement.

"Tai-chi…bongnim needle ryu…koei style… with such detailed instructions at that. If we can incorporate these into the gentle fist taijutsu…" It is clear Hiashi had never seen these techniques before and he is thoroughly impressed with what he sees, easily getting lost in the scrolls. Hinata and Neji look over his shoulders reading along with him. He looks up to see that he isn't the only one who is enamored with the notes, then at the two Uchiha watching them, probably feeling superior behind those brooding faces.

"Impressive…" The elder rubs his chin.

'There is no way they aren't aware of the relations between our clans… is this some ploy to bring us under their thumb? We would surely be indebted to the Uchiha receiving techniques of this caliber.' The clan head thinks, trying not to show his suspicions. "What will these cost us?"

'The first thing he opens his mouth for is not thanks but to ask about a price…' Fugaku grumbles internally as he realizes Yo is right again, he must start being more proactive about the clan's interests. 'This is our chance to finally gain leverage over them…'

"Don't worry about it, they were never our techniques to begin with. Are we not all ninja of the hidden leaf now?" Benimaru answers before his uncle can decide his terms. "I look forward to seeing my young compatriots grow strong as well. The future of the hidden leaf is in all of our hands, is it not?"

'This brat! He has wasted a golden opportunity!' The Uchiha patriarch fumes internally. 'We could have used this as a chance to owe us a debt! And he dares to say I am bad at business.'

'He and that Yoriichi are a lot alike, they are definitely brothers.' Neji notes seeing how hard it is to tell if his actions have an ulterior motive or not. Regardless, they have improved the way the clan operates a great deal in such a short time. "Thank you very much."

"Umm…" Hinata stammers while fidgeting with her thumbs. Everyone here was so intimidating it made it hard for her to speak up. Even the other kids, Neji and this Benimaru, seemed to belong to another class entirely. "Thank you!" She just blurts out and bows.

"No thanks is necessary, let us aim for new heights together." Benimaru answers with encouraging radiance. The stale faced brat suddenly beamed with genuine enthusiasm. "I know we can all become splendid ninja."

'He's good… those kids are being caught in his act so easily,' the elder thinks watching his grandchildren get swept up in Benimaru's words.

"You have our thanks Fugaku, and Benimaru. The Hyuga will not forget this kindness." Hiashi answers with a polite bow. The elder follows suit to not be rude.

"We will take our leave here, there are still several other clans we must visit." Fugaku says turning to leave. It seems they still have some leverage after all, the Hyuga are in a moral debt to them even though Benimaru dismissed the idea.

"Until next time," Benimaru follows Fugaku out.

............….

Next on their list is the Aburame compound. Benimaru and Fugaku find themselves sitting with the clan head, Shibi Aburame. Last time it was awkward because of the rivalry between two ocular jutsu using clans, this time it was just plain awkward. Not because it would be offensive to say anything about the bugs crawling about, but because of Shibi himself. He didn't say anything or do anything. He just sat there looking at them for what seemed like forever. Maybe he was looking at them the dark shades made it difficult to tell. The three of them sat there with natural poker faces on waiting on someone to say something.

"Shibi…good to see you," Fugaku breaks the silence, but even so he doesn't really know what to say to the man. Even still Shibi didn't answer he just turned his head slightly, showing Fugaku had his attention. A little odd but it would take a lot more than that to unnerve the Uchiha clan's head. "My nephew and I just happened to uncover some scrolls in our clans archives recently, and they possessed arts lost to the passing of time( that's Beni's story and he's sticking to it for simplicity's sake). Among them were some techniques that could be of use to the Aburame clan, as they likely originated from your ancestors."

"Hmm I see," Shibi acknowledges his words with a slight nod…however his lack of expressiveness made it difficult to tell if he was in fact interested in the scrolls at all. Although in actuality he was very excited to hear this news.

'I don't like this…I can't read him. Does he want the scrolls or not?' An annoyed Fugaku thinks. Shibi just sits there barely even reacting to what he has to say. It is irritating to say the least. "Benimaru, give him the scrolls." It's clear to Beni his uncle wants to be done as soon as possible with this.

It was funny to see Fugaku experience how he treats his sons, and this wasn't even intentional. Benimaru wonders if Fugaku realizes this as he hands the scrolls over to the Aburame clan head, and allows him to look over them. "There are several techniques that we attributed to your clan, as well as maps highlighting possible locations of rare insects. So naturally we thought you should have them."

Shibi reads through one calmly and quietly, and then the next, and another, and another, then he neatly stacked them beside him. Only then did he speak, "yes, very interesting…these will be put to good use."

'Very interesting, is that it? Have you no gratitude?!' Fugaku tries his best to not show how annoyed he is. He didn't generally like dealing with many people outside of his clan, and this weirdo didn't make it any better. He was about to say something when…

"We're home father," A boy about Benimaru's age and another who is closer to Yo's age come into the room. "We didn't find any rare insects today, but I was thinking of looking-

"Ah Shino, Torune, welcome back. I would like you to meet our guests. This is the clan head of the Uchiha clan Fugaku Uchiha, and his nephew Benimaru Uchiha. They have just done our clan a great service by giving these to us, be sure to show your gratitude." Shibi's tone changed ever so slightly, revealing some delight to be shown in seeing his kid.

"Mushi! H-how are you here?!?" An astonished Benimaru springs to his feet, had his dear friend had somehow reincarnated into the same age and place as him?! What good fortune is this!? "I am glad to see you're well brother!" He pats Shino on the shoulders with a friendly greeting.

"One. I live here. Two. I'm not Mushi I am Shino. And three. Get your hands off of me, I don't know who you are." Shino shattered his delusion with that and brought Beni back to earth.

"M-my apologies I mistook you for someone else…" A heavily disappointed and embarrassed Benimaru steps back. Though it pained him to admit it, there is no reason Mushi would have reincarnated like he and Sujin. There were only two flowers. Still, it is hard to accept that this boy who looks and sounds exactly like him, and even practices insect jutsu is someone else entirely. "I- I am Benimaru Uchiha." It takes a moment, but he finally remembers to introduce himself after that awkward moment.

"Shino Aburame…not Mushi." Shino reiterates.

"Torune Aburame." The older boy introduces himself as well. "So what is this service you were talking about?" The question shifts the conversation away from the awkward tension.

"Take a look," Instead of answering Shibi simply handed him a manual. It doesn't take long for the boys to surmise what happened.

"These are very thorough notes, where did you get these?" Torune asks.

"We found them among some old Uchiha archives. It would seem we've retained a lot of information lost over the years," Beni answers.

"Then that means these maps are accurate?" Shino asks without having looked up from the map. "The species noted here, the scorch beetle said to have one of the most painful known venoms, I have only seen in books about the world hundreds of years ago…they're supposed to be extinct. Is this some kind of joke?"

'I can already tell he's much more of a critical thinker than Mushi was.' Reaching into his sleeve Benimaru pulls a small glass jar with fire red beetles crawling around inside and gives it to Shino to inspect.

Inspecting it thoroughly he can confirm that it is the species of insect noted. "No way…" Even with the insects right before him, Shino has trouble believing his eyes. If that's the case then what other ancient insects could they find? There is also the possibility of new species arising as well.

"While we couldn't check most of these personally, we did take the liberty of searching around this area near the village." He goes and points out one of the spots on the map. "It would be a shame to waste the Aburame's clan's precious time and resources on a fruitless lead.

"The Aburame will handle farther investigation into these documents." Shibi answers. "How-"

Before he can even ask about repayment Fugaku puts a hand up to stop him. "There is no need for that, we just returned something to their rightful owners. The ninja of the leaf should look out for each other."

'Well said Uncle, you can do it if you try.' Benimaru is impressed with Fugaku's getting with the program.

"…You are right. Going forward the Aburame clan will do what they can to support the Uchiha clan," Shibi declares his newfound respect for the Uchiha. With that they had made a fiercely loyal, albeit odd, ally.

"I look forward to working with you," Fugaku says as he rises to his feet. "Come Benimaru we still have more to distribute.

"Coming uncle." Benimaru who was still chatting with Shino about the map leaves to follow Fugaku when he stops. The Shino/ Mushi dilemma is going strong in his head. Although he could bring himself to accept that this is an entirely new person, just how different are they? He could still be a potentially great friend and ally. "Hey Shino, Torune… I intend to start gathering with other young ninja to-be for training and sparring soon to get ahead of the academy's curriculum. Would you like to join us?"

"Sure," Torune agrees. It doesn't sound like a bad idea.

"…I'll consider it." Shino says only giving half his attention. He had already started working on the maps.