Game of Shadows by Adrian King1

Chapter 94

"You need better control, Princess," Eiji called from where he sat, off to the side of where the spar was going on at the moment. He'd been let out of the hospital the day before, and things were back to normal... ish.

He couldn't do much by himself, sadly. He couldn't even walk long distances without Kabuto getting on his case, so he spent most of the time sitting. Not that it really mattered, all things considered. While he couldn't use strong jutsu either, Living Thread was perfectly within his capabilities at the moment. At least if he didn't push it too far with those. Using those as his pseudo-limbs if he needed to get something, he was confident that he wouldn't go insane while he continued recovering.

"Jirobo, use more than just your body. I know you can use Jutsu, so do it," He said then.

His commands were said in his normal voice, no shouting or anything of the sort. They could hear him, he knew, and if they couldn't then it was their problem not his. Besides, it added another layer of training, which was perfectly fine in his opinion. They might hate him for it, but they'd do so anyway.

"Kabuto, healing and supporting is all well and good, but sometimes you have to attack too," He reminded the med nin, who gave a quick nod, before charging. Or faking a charge, as it seemed, because he went to help Jirobo instead. Then he actually ran forward. 'Good,' Eiji thought. After all, if he'd done as he instructed instantly, it'd be stupid. It would have given him away.

Relaxing a little, he leaned back against the rock behind him. It wasn't the most comfortable thing ever, but Jirobo had shaped it a little. It was still rock, but at least it had roughly the shape necessary to lean against it and not have his back complaining about it... too much.

He closed his eyes and focused solely on Tayuya's music. He was still baffled by the girl. How she'd managed to merge two things as complex as music and genjutsu so that both worked perfectly, he had no idea. He offered no small amount of compliments in regards to that, because she honestly deserved them.

"Tired already, Fearless Leader?" Tayuya asked, and Eiji noticed that her music didn't stop, for some reason. If he had to guess, she'd placed him in a Genjutsu to keep hearing it. Or her voice had been the illusion, either or, really.

He almost chuckled at the new nickname she'd given him. Apparently, his actions during the battle against the Akatsuki had guaranteed a change. He wasn't sure why, but it amused him to no end. Maybe a hint of a memory somewhere in his mind from his last life? It was as good a guess as any. Maybe it was the fact that it could almost be mistaken as a compliment that amused him, considering that all her nicknames were rather insulting.

"Just... enjoying the peace while it lasts," He said, a slight smile forming on his face. "If I know my luck, something will happen soon. Either before we leave Iwa or when we arrive at Konoha," He continued. "So, I'll just make sure to make the most of this."

"Real positive there," The girl chuckled, but he could hear it in her voice, that she wasn't as dismissive as her words made it seem.

"Remember what we talked about before arriving at Iwa?" He asked all of a sudden. She didn't reply instantly, which he supposed meant he'd surprised her, even if she didn't stop playing.

"Yes?" Tayuya replied, almost sounding unsure. He had a hunch that she knew exactly what he was talking about. He'd let her get away with playing dumb though.

"I'll do as I said," He told her with a half-smile. "I'll pull all the strings I need to. You guys, you are my team now. I'll need your help with my missions, with training, with lots of things."

"I know we are awesome, Fearless Leader," Tayuya replied, and he could tell she was trying to act like normal. She failed, evidently. "You don't have to explain it to me. Especially me, since I'm the best."