"Thank you for agreeing to see me, Elder." Hazō bowed after replacing the flap of the Inuzuka Beastmaster's tent.
The Beastmaster nodded. An old man with a wrinkled face, but a barrel chest and thick limbs that didn't seem to have lost any of their muscle over the decades, he wore traditional Inuzuka furs, white with patterns of red that doubtless had vast ritual significance Hazō wasn't interested in.
The enormous hound lying at his feet looked up at Hazō briefly, apparently decided that it wasn't seeing anything worth interrupting its nap for, and settled its head back on its forepaws.
"Ah, young Gōketsu," the Beastmaster said affably. "Be welcome in my home. I trust your sister is well?"
"My sister?" Hazō asked warily.
"She has not been by in some time," the Beastmaster said. "When you see her, remind her that bonding with Yosamu is not an Inuzuka magic trick. It is a lifetime commitment that must begin by showing dedication here and now."
"You
want her to visit?" Hazō clarified. The Inuzuka had voted against Keiko at the Clan Council meeting. Didn't that mean they'd been swayed to Hagoromo's side?
"There is a balance that cannot be restored without her," the Beastmaster said. "Oh, don't tell me you're taken in by that homosexuality nonsense, young man."
"What do you mean by that?" Hazō asked. He'd been hoping to see more sensible clans that wouldn't one day have to be dealt with the same way as the Hagoromo, but if he was honest, the Inuzuka would not have been his go-to clan for open-mindedness and common sense.
The Beastmaster chuckled. "There's no such thing."
"I-I beg your pardon?"
"I know of no species, not one, that does not see intercourse between members of the same sex. It might be for play, or social bonding, or to assert dominance, or any one of a thousand reasons. If your sister thinks enjoying the body of another woman from time to time makes her somehow special within the natural world, I assure you that is nothing but ignorance and youthful folly."
"She's never claimed to be special," Hazō said testily, then caught himself. "I mean," he said in a softer tone that implicitly acknowledged his moment of rudeness, "it was Hagoromo that started stirring people up. She just wants to be left alone."
The Beastmaster sighed. "That young hothead. Always so zealous in defending the Will of Fire, even when it is not being attacked. Your sister has promised the Nara children, hasn't she? That's what matters to Leaf, not what she does recreationally."
Hazō was torn. Should he try to explain to the man that Keiko's relationship with Tenten was not only serious but
primary in her life, or should he let sleeping dogs lie and accept the Beastmaster's misguided tolerance as "good enough"? In the end, he had come here for reasons of his own, and the last thing he wanted to do was damage relations with the Inuzuka in the name of something Keiko was perfectly capable of handling on her own.
"That isn't why I came to you today, Elder," he said. "I was wondering… would you be willing to share the history of the ninken with me? As you know, I've recently become the Dog Summoner, and one of my acquaintances on the Seventh Path has questions to which you might have the answers."
The Beastmaster chuckled. "The history of the ninken? You are the first outsider to ask for that in years. There are some wayward pups who could do with being told that a boy born in Mist cares more about our heritage than they do."
He beckoned for Hazō to take a seat on one of the tent's expansive cushions (which all smelled indelibly of dog).
"Here," he said, proffering a slim pipe. "These things must be done properly if they are to be done at all."
Hazō took the pipe uncertainly. It was carved of bone, with long indentations like claw marks scattered over its otherwise smooth sides.
The Beastmaster lit the pipe, then one of his own. He breathed in deeply, then motioned for Hazō to do the same.
Hazō tried to breathe in, but it was his first time smoking anything at all, and he choked almost as soon as the sweet smoke began to trickle down his lungs.
The Beastmaster shook his head disapprovingly, but didn't comment.
"Many centuries ago," he began, "the Tsuka, the descendants of the Sage's oldest brother, ruled the land that was not yet known as the Fire Country."
He breathed out slowly, sending great wisps of thick white smoke across the floor. The hound at his feet snorted in displeasure, levered itself up, and padded out of the tent, though not before giving the Beastmaster a very human withering look.
Hazō inhaled again, this time just about managing not to choke.
The smoke before them seemed almost as if it was curling into the shape of a great plain. Rising plumes seemed as if they were coming from a thousand campfires.
He took a third breath, and felt himself begin to relax. After the tension of the last couple of days, letting himself sag into the cushion like this was sheer bliss.
"The Tsuka's reign ended the way all human reigns end: with betrayal. The Byōsō Clan stabbed us in the back. They killed our children, burned our homes, and harried us until we were driven to the edge of extinction."
The Beastmaster blew another cloud of smoke, and it wiped away all of the detail of the first, leaving only a white nothingness.
"It was in our darkest hour that he came: Karyūga-no-Ōkami, the Hunting Fang."
Hazō could see a shape take form in the smoke, a vast, four-legged being that towered over the plain. Beneath, the people stared up in helpless terror, but also admiration.
"His fur was white as the clouds on a perfect day. His fangs were sharp as a lesson learned through pain. His eyes glowed like the setting sun calling for the hunt to begin. He gazed down at the Tsuka, and he spoke."
The great canine looked down at Hazō through the swirling smoke, its eyes hypnotic in their endless depth. He could feel himself being asked without words, "Are you worthy?"
"Karyūga said to our ancestors: 'You are weak, but you are fierce and loyal. Join my pack, and I will teach you a bond that is deeper than friendship and stronger than blood.'
"The Tsuka argued. Some said it was a trick of the Byōsō. Others that it would be better for the Tsuka to die than to submit to some strange being. Some were simply consumed by fear."
The voices were cacophonous, discordant, ugly. People shouted themselves hoarse trying to drown others out. Several fistfights broke out. Above, the kami watched with sorrow in its eyes.
"Then, finally, the greatest of the elders stepped forward. Tsuka Noboru addressed Karyūga, and he said this: 'Trust is a choice, and it is ever made without foreknowledge. Great One, if you will trust us to be your pack, then I will trust you to lead it."
The kami lowered itself until it was lying on the ground, its nose level with the elder's head. Then, Hazō watched it melt away, the smoke separating into a hundred tiny clouds.
"All Inuzuka dogs are descended from the First Hundred. As Karyūga promised, our bond is deeper than friendship and stronger than blood. And one day, he will return to lead his pack, and the Inuzuka will teach the true way of living to all mankind."
The smoke was already dissipating, but for some reason the room was only getting more blurry.
"Eldr," Hazō said with a knotted tongue, "not shrr m feeln ver—"
The Beastmaster sighed. "Children these days. No stamina."
He leant out through the tent flap. "Miyuki! Get me a barrel of water!"
-o-
It was amazing how much clearer Hazō's head felt after a brief dunk into a barrel of cold water. Maybe Mum's actions hadn't been
completely irrational.
"Thank you for the story, Elder," Hazō said. "I take it the Inuzuka defeated their rivals in the end?"
The Beastmaster snorted. "As if the cowardly Byōsō would dare face us in a straight fight. They fled to the north, young Gōketsu, and hid themselves among other clans so we would not pursue. If you ever meet a shinobi claiming to be from the Irie Clan, drive your kunai straight into his throat before he can start spinning his lies."
"I… will bear that in mind. I did have one question for you."
"And what is that?"
"One of my summons—well, potential summons—tells me their ancestor adopted and trained a Human Path pack from the Land of Fire. She said they were large and brindled. Do you think they could have been related to the First Hundred?"
The Beastmaster's eyes flashed. "You are young and ignorant, so I will forgive you that. The summons are not true animals, boy. They have lost their way pretending to be ninja, and now they are neither one thing nor the other. They don't know how to live in harmony with nature, and they don't know how to be civilised like humans. There is nothing one of Karyūga's pack could ever have to learn from the Dog Clan."
Hazō bowed his head. "I meant no offence, Elder. If you don't mind me asking, can you think of any creatures that a summon
might have adopted as a pack in the Fire Country that are large and brindled?"
"Large and brindled," the Beastmaster repeated thoughtfully. "It's not much to go on. Which part of Fire were they from? Were they dogs or another kind of canine? How long ago was this?"
Those were all good questions. Canvass had been sparse on detail for such a challenging task. Maybe he should go talk to her again.
"I'll see if I can find out," Hazō said. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Elder."
"You too, young Gōketsu. And thank you for trouncing my great-nephew the other day. Just last night, he was apologising for his arrogance and begging me for extra training."
"Happy to help."
"Of course," the Beastmaster noted, "I
am giving him extra training. Next time, you'll get to see what an Inuzuka chūnin can really do."
"And maybe he'll get to see what a Gōketsu chūnin can really do," Hazō said. "I look forward to it."
-o-
Yuno's engagement party was taking place under the stars, mostly by process of elimination after venue after venue was dismissed as inappropriate, ill-omened, or flat-out unclean according to Isan custom. The guests were still arriving, but so far the evening was shaping up well.
Naruto and Sasuke had arrived together, and Naruto was now whispering in Sasuke's ear, while Sasuke was struggling to keep a straight face. Naruto had embraced the Isanese instructions, wearing a florid green military uniform that made him look like a hedge marching off to war. Sasuke, less enthusiastic, was wearing black and white with a single garishly red rose pinned to his lapel. Hazō had caught Yuno staring at their clothes in bewilderment earlier, and now strongly suspected it had been a bad idea to have Yuno's instructions filtered through Noburi. He just wished he'd realised this earlier,
before turning up in the fool's motley (complete with cap) that Noburi's notes insisted was the only acceptable outfit for the groom's oldest brother.
On second thought, he reflected, maybe there was no need to be too harsh with the prankster, not given what he'd made Ino wear—or rather, what he hadn't. The men at the party would probably be sending him private thank-you notes after it was over. Of course, he was unlikely to ever receive them, given what would happen if Yuno caught him leering even once. It was terrible when a promising young man was too clever for his own good.
The woman of the hour herself was over on the far side, dressed in a long blue gown adorned by vertical ribbons of several different colours and lengths. As Hazō understood it, over the course of the evening, each of these ribbons would be ceremonially removed, representing aspects of her childhood she was leaving behind in preparation for marriage.
Satsuko (whose location it paid to keep track of, given that as the host he had first responsibility for preventing a bloodbath) was resting on a chair at the bride's table. Bringing edged weapons to an engagement party was apparently a grave faux pas in Isan (and, he suspected, most other villages in the civilised world), so today Satsuko was attending in her capacity as Yuno's side of the family, complete with a red ribbon by way of formalwear.
And between the two,
also in black with a single red ribbon around her waist, was Ami. Hazō was pretty sure that hadn't been one of the options in the briefing.
No, it had.
Do not give a gift in a black container, as that symbolises sin, or the receiver having something to hide. If you have to, wrap it with a red ribbon to symbolise that it has been purified by blood spilled in atonement.
"Yuno!" Ami exclaimed. "You look like a person who has chosen an outfit that is wholesome yet appealing by the standards of multiple cultures!"
"Thank you," Yuno said shyly.
"I
was thinking maybe I should continue avoiding you, but then I decided that would send completely the wrong message, so tonight, you're from Hidden Haze."
Yuno stared at her blankly. "Why would you be avoiding me? And why Hidden Haze?"
Ami snatched a canape from a nearby table before continuing. Unfortunately, since Yuno was the only person who knew how to cook Isanese meals, the food at the event was an experimental reconstruction based on details subtly extracted by Noburi, and was therefore… varied, to put it mildly, in content and quality. Hazō could tell by the flicker of shock on Ami's face that she had not taken one of the better samples.
"Because you've been here doing your thing for months, and Pandā is the sweetest thing but has the OPSEC skills of a miniature giant armoured insectivore with a civilian upbringing, and if I get any more clues to put together, I will have something I'm legally obliged to take to the Mizukage—and that would be bad for me, you, Leaf, Mist, the alliance, and especially Hidden Haze. Which, for your reference, is a hidden village in Mountain Country whose traditional customs are an inexplicable blank in my infiltration training. So do me a favour? At least while I'm plausibly within earshot?"
For the sake of his sanity, Hazō decided not to listen in on any more of their conversation. He did have something to ask Ami, but that could wait, especially since it risked spoiling his mood for the evening.
He cast around for someone else to talk to.
Keiko promoted herself to his attention instantly for two reasons. First, she was wearing an utterly breathtaking blue dress (a light enough blue not to clash with Yuno's), with silver thread hinting at faint snowflake patterns dancing down the side. It must have cost a minor clan's annual income to have something like that made on such short notice, which Hazō suspected was a detail Noburi hadn't thought of. Second, there were five of her.
"Keiko," he said, "you look beautiful tonight."
"Crystal," she corrected him. "There is no need to ogle, Hazō. I assure you that if I find myself interested in sexual intercourse with you, I will inform you as soon as I have received Tenten's permission."
Hazō stared, feeling an unexpected blush creep up his face.
"No good?" Crystal asked with a sudden expression of concern.
He was momentarily lost for words.
"I told them," she sighed. "I have been assigned forthrightness as a distinctive personality trait—crystal clear, you see, because my parallel selves like to believe they have a sense of humour—but I still only have Kei's social skills to work with. I would ask you to forget I said anything, but unfortunately I am obliged to make sure you complete a post-interaction survey form before we go home tonight. Now, excuse me while I go crawl into a corner and die."
There was nothing Hazō could say to that.
-o-
Hazō could no longer hear Ami talking. It was time. Her being the social butterfly she was, finding the opportunity to get a conversation in edgeways, to say nothing of a private one, had not been easy. If he missed this chance, he might not—
A hand reached out from the men-only tent, grabbed his arm, and yanked him in violently.
Hazō was presented with a wide-eyed Noburi wearing Isan groom formalwear, which was actually quite fetching, being composed of a vest, haori, and hakama arrangement in Gōketsu clan colours, with a series of talismans hanging off his belt (which were gradually multiplying over the course of the night to represent the burdens he was willingly taking on as the head of the family; that Yuno assigned this role to him without a second thought had taken multiple Gōketsu by surprise, including him).
They were alone in the tent, which made sense, given that nobody on the guest list was particularly uncomfortable with the opposite sex, or ritually proscribed from interacting with it at an engagement party for a fifteen-year-old man and a seventeen-year-old woman being held outdoors at the groom's home etc. (Hazō had given up trying to remember the factors as soon as he determined they didn't apply to him.) In addition to the tent for women, there was also a third tent, whose intended purpose Noburi hadn't been able to get out of an embarrassed Yuno.
"Hazō," Noburi breathed, "I don't think I can do this."
"What's wrong?" Hazō asked.
"I can't stay out there, smiling and joking and acting like it's the happiest day of my life while I can feel this noose tightening around my neck. I love Yuno, I really do, and I swear I'm not going to flake out, but I can feel my chest tightening whenever somebody says how much they're looking forward to the wedding, and it gets hard to breathe, and… I just can't do it. Can you go tell them I've been called away on important medic-nin business or something? Please?"
Hazō considered his best course of action. After the pregnancy scare, he had an inkling of what Noburi was feeling. He also had an inkling of what Yuno might be feeling, and what tonight had to mean to a girl who'd spent her life convinced nobody would look at her twice, much less think of marrying her. No, he couldn't send Noburi out there in this state. That much was true.
He placed his hands on Noburi's shoulders.
"Noburi, beloved brother of mine, get over yourself."
Noburi flinched.
"So you're about to have a heap of new responsibilities and restrictions placed on you, some of which you might find hard to cope with. Sure, I don't know what getting married feels like, though I'll find out sooner or later. But this thing you're feeling now? We all have to go through it at various times. You think I want all the responsibilities and restrictions of being a clan head? Having people live or die by my word? Not being able to say or do all kinds of things because of how it might affect the clan? But that's just how it is when you want to take a new step in your life. Keiko's going through the same thing, only worse, because everything she does impacts on three clans and hundreds of clanless. Kagome-sensei has students now, and if he teaches them wrong, that can shape their entire futures, or even end them. Heck, Yuno herself is giving up everything she has so she can live by the rules of a culture she still thinks is alien and weird.
"There's nothing unique about what you're feeling now. Brides and grooms are always smiling at their parties and their weddings, but I bet the majority of them are just as anxious and uncertain. And if they can cope, then I know Gōketsu Noburi, rising star of Leaf ninjutsu, Tsunade's future rival, co-slayer of megalodons, the man who made a girl fall for him so hard she left her world behind and followed him halfway across the continent, can kick his panic's ass and be the best damn groom this village has ever seen.
"Now take a deep breath, say a prayer to Mari the patron saint of making hard work look easy, and get out there. We'll be waiting."
With that, Hazō walked out of the tent without looking back. He knew his brother would follow.
-o-
"Hey, Hazō," Ami said with a grin. She looked him up and down. "Please imagine I've made a comment worthy of your outfit, because frankly nothing I can say can live up to that standard."
"Hi, Ami," Hazō said neutrally.
He beckoned her around the corner of the main building, away from the festivities. There was something he needed to confirm.
"Akane says you accidentally came across her in the street earlier today," he said.
"Sure did."
"She says you treated her to tea and apologised for what you'd done."
"Sure did."
"In detail."
"Wasn't going to waste the opportunity," Ami said.
"But without mentioning harm to her reputation."
Finally, Ami reacted. "Because that's bullshit. You should know better than to think I can't make my plans work without screwing over"—an infinitesimal pause—"Keiko's family. Mari should know better than to think I'd let a sensitive conversation get overheard at an estate where I know every ninja and their skillset.
"Anyway, now Akane has the data; she can draw her own conclusions. Basics of blackmail prevention: get your narrative out there first."
"Ami, do you really think I would blackmail you with
anything," Hazō said disbelievingly, "much less Akane's feelings?"
"No," Ami said after a couple of seconds. "No, I don't think you would. But then, I'm not dealing with you. I'm dealing with the Gōketsu. All bets are off."
With that, she walked away without leaving him an opportunity to respond, not that he had any idea what he'd say.
-o-
This was Yuno's engagement party, a festival the likes of which the Gōketsu would see very few of in their lives. It was Hazō's formal duty to focus on enjoying himself, and not dwell on complex relationship dynamics. To that end…
"Hey, Noburi," he tapped his brother on the shoulder just as the latter finished telling Chōji one of many amusing anecdotes involving Hyūga's incompetence. "I just wanted to thank you on behalf of the male gender—and possibly Keiko and/or Snowflake and/or Tenten, but I'm not going to ask because I like my sensitive parts where they are. Ino says she'd never wear anything so bold in her life if it wasn't required by Isan custom, and I think you and I both know it wasn't
strictly required by Isan custom."
Noburi gave him a curious look. "I had nothing to do with that most glorious excuse for an outfit. I mean, technically it fits within the specs I gave her, but only by bending them to the limit. Even I wouldn't have the guts to ask someone who can kill me with her mind to wear
that in public. Or in private."
"Huh." He wondered what Akane might say if he…
"Oh, uh, that thing you just said?" Noburi said. "Do not say that anywhere near Yuno, please. Your inspiring speech won't be worth much if I die before the night's over."
"I did wonder," Hazō said. "I mean, it's not just Ino,
all the girls are wearing… well, you deserve a medal."
"My eyes got partial dispensation," Noburi admitted. "Apparently, by Isan custom, since the engagement party draws the line before marriage, there's room for certain… liberties. Like acknowledging the existence of other women. Of course, you'll notice that Satsuko's a guest, and she's allowed certain liberties of her own, so I'm doing my best to be subtle."
"Ah, Hazō, Noburi. There you are. Ogling unrepentantly, I see."
Hazō turned around to see Keiko(?), the combination of which with accusations of ogling made him blush all over again. Keiko(?) didn't seem to notice. Noburi did, and Hazō had a feeling he'd be hearing about that later.
"Could you perchance direct me to some edible food?" Keiko(?) asked in a low voice. "I have commandeered the Snowflakes for degustation, but they have yet to bring a positive report, and I am given to understand that dinner is yet some time away."
"Try the bread-based snacks next to the mystery tent," Noburi advised. "Also, are you aware that we seem to be developing extra sisters by metaphysical extension?"
Keiko sighed.
"Then she is persisting. I tolerate her experiments with patience learned from years of wrangling troublesome younger siblings, but I cannot say I care for her abuse of my image. I may have to dispel her before actual damage is done to my reputation."
In retrospect, it was very lucky that Hazō had been the one Crystal had tried that line on.
"Have you considered some kind of colour coding?" he asked. "Get the Snowflakes to wear a rosette or something, to make it clear they're not the real Keiko."
Keiko shook her head. "For those who are unaware of the… unique relationship between Snowflake and myself, this will accomplish nothing. And even those who are, on the whole, do not understand exactly what is happening, and appear to believe that this is some kind of sophisticated Nara social experiment. The Nara have a reputation for such. No, I believe I should put an end to this before it goes any further."
But Hazō remembered training with Snowflake. He remembered her earnest desire to find answers, and he remembered feeling just a little touched that when she found herself isolated from the people she spent her time with by default, she'd come straight to him.
"I don't think it would be a good idea, Keiko," he said. "Couldn't you just talk to her?"
"There is no need. On her next manifestation, she will remember my thoughts on the subject in full, and be able to adjust accordingly."
"You shouldn't just do what you want and assume you know how people are going to react, Keiko," Hazō insisted. "It's not a way to have healthy relationships."
"Either she can handle the information or she cannot," Keiko said. "If I know she has all the information she needs to reach the correct conclusion, then adding extra layers of persuasion on top is transparently manipulative if not deceptive. I see no reason to insult my own intelligence in this way."
"But she's not just your own intelligence," Noburi interjected. "She's your sister. Transparently manipulating her is part of how you build a relationship. I mean, not the best part, but if you think Aya and Saya didn't know what I was doing when I was wavering over which one to pick as my favourite…"
"And I suppose you know what it means to have a sister who has complete access to the content and inner workings of your mind," Keiko said coldly. "If I do not establish comprehensive ground rules, there is no telling what she may or may not do based on her distorted version of my life experience."
"Look at that from her perspective," Noburi argued. "You have a sister who gets to do all the things you want to do, whenever she likes, you can't keep any secrets from her, and she has total control of your life. Wouldn't you want to be able to have a proper conversation with her, instead of just having her read your mind at regular intervals?"
Keiko hesitated. "That is… certainly a way of looking at it. I will consider. Now if you will excuse me, the bread-based snacks beckon."
The boys watched her walk away.
"Did I mention you deserve a—"
"Don't say it."
-o-
You have received 2 + 1 = 3 XP.
-o-
Asuma asks for practical demonstrations before he can evaluate whether your proposed seals will be worth negotiating conditions. He is also curious to see a CHAOS suit prototype in action. You suspect that it is in your interests to make the demonstrations very impressive.
He shakes his head at the idea of Kagome experimenting with huge terrifying explosions, commenting in a meaningful tone of voice that they are very dangerous since they can cause large-scale cave-ins.
You have duly commissioned a set of teeth caps for Cannon. Since you don't know how to make combat-effective tooth caps, and no smith you have access to knows how to make combat-effective tooth caps, you will have to look forward to finding out the result.
You will need a strategy to find the location of a battle that took place before the start of the village era and did not involve any clan you know.
Cannon gave you some unfortunate but useful advice before you could start recruiting. The Hagoromo situation, as you described it to her, is something that can be solved with a display of dominance. Only if the enemy is irrational enough not to back down before a proper display of dominance is it appropriate to inflict injury to make them submit. Since you have acted anonymously and not made such a display, Dog warriors would consider you weak.
Noburi: "any deals necessary for as much firepower as possible". Are you very very sure this is the stipulation you wish to make? If you are, it can happen retroactively during the time Hazō is also on the Seventh Path this update, but we
will take this literally, to the extent that Noburi's agency allows.
-o-
7 days remain until Asuma's deadline.
What do you do?
Voting closes on Saturday 17th of October, 1 p.m. New York Time.
