"Hey, Closet Pervert," Naruto said, trying to revive the Elite Jonin. "Konohagakure Secret Finger Jutsu: One Thousand Years of Pain!" He smacked his fingers into Ebisu's bottom and Tsukiko gave him a look.
"That looks like harassment, Naruto," Tsukiko told him bluntly. "And he's totally knocked out... Seems like you really were correct about him being rather weak... Or maybe that guy's too strong..."
"Oh, yeah!" Naruto said suddenly, remembering they had someone else present there. "What's with that big frog?! What the heck are you?!"
"Thank you for asking!" the man shouted and Tsukiko watched with discomfort as he pulled himself into a pose. "Know me as the Mountain Toad Spirit Sage who acquires immortality, also commonly called the Toad Mountain Sage!"
"M-Mountain Sage?" Tsukiko questioned.
"Exactly!" Mr Mountain Sage said as the toad beneath him disappeared and he got back to his feet. Tsukiko wondered what kind of pervert this guy was.
"Hey, Pervy Sage!" Naruto said. "What are you going to do about this, dattebayo?! Here, he was supposed to watch our training. You did that to him!"
"He interfered with my research," Pervy Sage replied.
"Research?" Tsukiko repeated. "What sort of research?"
"I'm a writer," Pervy Sage told them. "I'm writing a novel," He pulled out a book from his vest and held it out for them to see. "This is it!"
"Oh, isn't that!" Naruto shouted as Tsukiko's jaw dropped. The Pervy Sage was holding onto a copy of 'Icha-Icha Paradise'!
"You know this?" Pervy Sage asked, sounding rather happy. He laughed to himself and Tsukiko could only imagine that he was smug over the fact he got famous.
"That's not much of a novel, Usa!" Tsukiko shouted. "And leaving that aside, what kind of research are you doing here in the first place? You're just peeking at the women's bath, Usa!"
"Idiot, idiot, idiot!" Pervy Sage cried as the women inside the bathhouse fled, screaming. "My peeking has been found out!"
"You pervert," Naruto said.
"F-Fool! I'm not just a pervert!" Pervy Sage shouted as he got into the blond boy's and the white-haired girl's faces. "I get inspired by peeking and can write better pieces!"
"You're a bad liar, Pervy Sage-San!" Tsukiko told him bluntly. "Usa, there's no excuse for peeking at those women there!" She pointed at the now-empty bathhouse.
"More importantly, what are you going to do about our training?!" Naruto added. Pervy Sage stared at them, more importantly on the symbols upon the white-haired girl's neck.
Jiraiya was struck. Could it really be the same girl from all those years ago? Eleven years have already passed? He could see the Magatama on her neck, the horns beneath her hair and the girl had the same glossy white hair and pale blue eyes from all those years ago. And she looked identical to Tsukimi, except for her horns. He snapped out of his thoughts.
"You mean the walking on water technique you were doing earlier?" Pervy Sage asked the two. Neither of them recognised the look in his eyes.
"You know it?" Naruto asked. "Then take responsibility and join our training!" Tsukiko didn't really care anymore about the water training. She wanted to see if this Pervy Sage could teach them more.
"Humph," Pervy Sage said as he walked past them. "I don't care about such things," But that didn't go well with Naruto either and he followed after him.
"Hey, hey, wait," Naruto shouted. "Pervy Sage! Join our training, really!" Tsukiko watched as the Pervy Sage came to a stop before turning to face them.
"Shut up!" Pervy Sage shouted back. "I hate people who don't know how to talk properly! And I don't like men," Tsukiko sweat-dropped. "Or kids," he added after a second of thinking.
"Oh, uh," Naruto said as he racked his brains. "That Icha-Icha Paradise was really exciting, cool and interesting," Tsukiko glanced at him. What is he trying to do?
"The purchase or viewing of that novel is prohibited for those 18 years or younger," Pervy Sage informed him. "You liar!"
"The reviews that I've heard are great!" Naruto tried next.
"It's useless to flatter me!" Pervy Sage exclaimed. "I'm a Sage! I'm not the type of fool who can be coaxed by a fledgling like you! Farewell, kids!"
Before any of them could stop him, the Pervy Sage vanished off with the wind. Tsukiko stood there, feeling rather stupid but Naruto seemed rather impressed, "Wow! He's cool, even though he's a pervert!"
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"Why does no one want to train me?" Tsukiko muttered as she walked down the street, kicking at the stone as she frowned that evening. She had just gotten done with her Byakugan training but it didn't help her with Elemental Jutsus. How can she fight Neji if it comes down to that? He can use the Byakugan as well. She's so going to die...
"For someone who is so peace-loving, you do seem to think a lot about violent deaths, Usahime," Okuninushi mused in her head. Tsukiko shrugged, not really in the mood to argue with the old rabbit. Usajii frowned. "Don't tell me you're disappointed?"
"Of course, I'm disappointed!" Tsukiko complained. "Kakashi Sensei wants to train Sasuke and they have the Lightning Style... Ebisu-San has a totally different style of training and he can't teach me much about what I want to learn... Even Hokage-Sama said that he didn't have time for me... And that Pervy Sage..."
Tsukiko had chased the Pervy Sage down and asked him if he could train her like a Sage but the white-haired man had refused after a moment of hesitation, telling her outright that he worked best with Fire Style and Toads. Tsukiko had seen the somewhat scared look in his eyes and that had hurt her immensely.
"Usahime," Okuninushi said. "Don't tell me you've begun to feel hurt over the words of others again?" Tsukiko didn't reply as she walked into the forest, her frown deepening the deeper she walked into the forest.
"I don't like it..." Tsukiko spoke up finally as she came to a stop next to the stream that was running through the forest of the training grounds. "...when people look at me with fear.... just because I'm related to the Rabbit Goddess... just because I have you in myself,"
"Humans tend to fear beasts," Usajii reminded her. "They fear those who are stronger and stranger than them, it's only natural," Tsukiko sighed as she dropped down next to the stream, staring at the rising moon reflecting in the water.
"I-I think that..." Tsukiko muttered. "The human heart is much like the reflection on the water's surface. The mouth seems to say things opposite to what the heart truly feels... And that hidden heart always wants humans to accept each other... Even if one of them is a beast or an alien..."
"You're definitely the descendant of Hagoromo and Hamura, Usahime," Usajii said after a brief pause. Tsukiko looked up from the water in surprise. "You look just like Hamura, and the Rabbit Goddess, but your heart is similar to Hagoromo's. If he knew you, he would've been very proud of you,"
Tsukiko felt her head tip back and her eyes widened when she saw silvery white substance suspend out of her mouth and her forehead burned as she felt the seal on her head appear. Her eyes watered in pain and she fell back once she was released.
"I will train you," Usajii said but for the very first time in Tsukiko's life, she heard the voice outside of her head. Tsukiko stared at the person in front of her.
It was an elderly man, with more prominent horns on his head and long white hair. His eyes were completely bright red and he was rather tall. He was dressed in an elaborate green Kimono that Tsukiko thought was a bit too extravagant.
"Stop gaping at me like a fish," Usajii scolded her. "Get up and straighten up. I'm going to teach you how to control your Crystal Style – that's the least I can do to assure that you would not embarrass me in front of everyone in the finals,"
"You don't have to scold me all the time, Usajii," Tsukiko grumbled but quickly scrambled to her feet, fixing her clothing, rubbing her forehead. "You have to teach me everything, Usa! Crystal Style, Water Style, Earth Style... Please, Usajii!"
☽
"It's not the full moon... Why is it hurting me?" Tsukiko grimaced as she tried to roll over under the shade of the trees. She was totally spent from everything Usajii made her practice. She had never gone through so many Crystal Style Jutsus before at the same time. And Usajii made her keep repeating them until they engraved into her brain.
"The amount of Chakra you've used tonight is quite exceeding, Usahime," Usajii told her, watching her from where he stood by the numerous crystals Tsukiko had produced. "And my absence in your body will only weaken you against the moon's rays. Not to mention, the moon is still closer to its full form,"
"Do we have to still continue practicing?" Tsukiko muttered. She hadn't had anything but the Ramen to eat and using her Byakugan and all this Crystal Style had used too much of her Chakra. She looked at Usajii as he shook his head. "Are you going to go back inside me?"
"It will hurt, Usahime," Usajii said. Tsukiko watched as he dissolved back into that silvery white substance that she could now see resembled the moonlight itself. It floated over to where she laid and Tsukiko felt her seal burn as Usajii disappeared into her again.
"That hurt even more than before," Tsukiko complained as she massaged her forehead, feeling the seal vanish. She pushed herself back up and struggled to her feet. She raised her hand and watched her crystals dissolve.
"Get home and go to sleep, we've got more to learn tomorrow," Usajii told her. "I'm going to sleep," He shut the doors to his room in her head and Tsukiko rolled her eyes at him. Couldn't he have taken her home somehow, too?
Tsukiko headed down the path that would lead her out of the forest, trying to shield her body from the moon's rays. It wouldn't stop the pain but it would definitely lessen it than staring the moon in the eye or something. She looked up when she felt someone nearby and saw that it was someone standing by the Konoha Memorial Stone.
"Hokage-Sama?" Tsukiko asked out loud as she neared the person. It was definitely the Third Hokage. He looked up from the Memorial Stone and the white-haired girl as she stumbled out of the forest and onto the training grounds.
"Tsukiko-Kun," Hiruzen acknowledged. "Isn't this quite late for you to be wandering about? Especially, with the presence of foreign Ninjas in the village itself?" Tsukiko rubbed the back of her head, chuckling awkwardly. Her hair was out of her twin tails.
"I'm sorry, I was just heading home," Tsukiko informed him. "I will be very careful, I understand the risks," The Third Hokage nodded at her and the two of them turned to look at the Kunai-shaped stone in front of them in silence.
Tsukiko traced her eyes over the Memorial Stone, looking at the countless names that were engraved into the black stone. She wondered what made the Sandaime Hokage come out so late in the night and stare at it. Was he remembering the people of his village?
"Hokage-Sama," Tsukiko spoke up. Hiruzen hummed in response. "These people, the ones with their names on this stone... Kakashi Sensei told us about it. D-Do you think that I can get my name engraved on here if I ever fall in battle?"
"Why, of course," Hiruzen replied. He looked at the young girl curiously, wondering what she was thinking about. "Even if you think you're not entirely human, that you're from a distant land – You are one of the Konohagakure's Kunoichi,"
"Even if people are scared of me?" Tsukiko asked hesitantly. Hiruzen stared at the girl's worried face in the dim moonlight. She was quivering slightly, and he couldn't understand what exactly was causing it. Was it the moonlight itself or fear of rejection?
"When the people reject someone's every existence, and then look at that person," Hiruzen told her. "Their eyes become cold, colder than the bitterest winter night," Tsukiko stared at him. "Let me ask this of you, Tsukiko-Kun, do you have people who are precious to you?"
"Of course," Tsukiko whispered. "Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi Sensei... And so many other people, I don't think I can name them all here," Hiruzen nodded gently at her.
"These people, they are the ones who accept you for who you are, and that is what matters in the end," Hiruzen told her. "You see, we only get this one life. And there's no need for us to choose an impossible path. It's fine to live as you like and die as you like. However, protecting a precious person...? You must never forget it no matter what path you chose,"
"So, it is... It's perfectly fine for me to live a life without hurting others unnecessarily, right?" Tsukiko asked him. Hiruzen nodded, smiling gently at her. "As long as I always remember to protect those who I cherish the most,"
"Precisely," Hiruzen replied. "I wonder, if Kakashi has told you and your fellow teammates about the Will of Fire?" Tsukiko tried to remember it but she wasn't sure if he had mentioned it yet. "It is a very curious thing. It exists within every single Shinobi of Konohagakure, it is the Will of Fire that gives every single of us the strength to defend our village.
"It's the unbreakable bond that ties every single of us together, regardless of blood and heritage. It's what makes us all a family. And I wonder, do you have it, as young as you are, the Will of Fire?" Tsukiko continued to stare at the Hokage. "Now, I would prefer that you would head to the safety of your home,"
"Yes... Hokage-Same," Tsukiko replied quietly as she nodded at the older man and bowed deeply before walking off from there, her mind swirling with the Hokage's words. She was pretty sure that it was annoying Usajii as well.
Tsukiko continued to walk down the empty, dark streets on her own, trying to keep away from moonlight. She kept looking around the place to make sure that she was not being followed by anyone. Tsukiko ran a hand through her hair and frowned to herself. She had never really felt so anxious walking around her own village before.
But then, Tsukiko's eyes caught a figure in the distance, walking down the road toward her direction. Her pace slowed down, wondering if she should just hide before the person got to her but it was already too late. The person had obviously seen her and Tsukiko hoped it was just someone from Konoha who wouldn't do anything.
It couldn't be Orochimaru, could it? Was he still in the village somehow? Tsukiko hoped not. She as she grew closer, Tsukiko was relieved to see that it was not Orochimaru or his Otogakure lackies, but the person it was in fact wasn't really a welcome sight for Tsukiko either – It was Gaara. Tsukiko frowned deeper, he wouldn't be stupid enough to attack her right now, would he?
Tsukiko studied Gaara as he came to a stop a few feet away from her, and she shrugged inwardly and stopped as well. He was breathing heavily and his eyes were wide. Tsukiko wondered what was going on with him. She glanced at the moon – could it be that the moonlight also hurt him? He looked quite deranged and strangely terrified.
For a moment, Gaara hadn't been able to recognise the white-haired girl in front of him, maybe because her hair was open and not in those high twin tails, and longer than he had ever seen them, and she had those strange horns on her forehead. But he had recognised her from blue eyes, and the creature inside him told him to do it. The bloodlust was at its peak and there would be nothing better but to kill someone who has been continuously pestering him.
Her expression was irriating Gaara – it was too relaxed. She wasn't showing him the fear she felt when she almost ran into him, the anger she felt when he almost got her friend killed, the surprise she felt when she landed outside his window – no, her face was clear of emotions and Gaara did not like that. She must fear him, and he will give her a reason to.
But before Gaara could even bother doing anything, the cloud swept past over them and he saw a flicker of pain on Tsukiko's face as she grimaced slightly. Then, ignoring him as if he never there, Tsukiko stepped around him and continued on her way. Gaara stared after her retreating back, her long wavy white hair hiding all of her body from view but feet.
Gaara raised his hand and thought of using the Sand Coffin on her, kill her without witness. He could make it seem like that Tsukiko and that Otogakure Ninja tried to fight each other and killed each other. The thought of more blood excited Gaara but his sand hadn't moved until Tsukiko had already turned around the corner and vanished from the street.
Tsukiko winced as she felt the moonlight hit her head and ducked into one of the alleyways, trying to look for an easier way back to her home. It would've been faster from the roofs but she wasn't sure if she wanted to be directly under the moon, and be possibly seen by Orochimaru or his lackeys. She wasn't in the mood to fight – she wanted to sleep.
The apartment complex was silent and dark, Tsukiko crept through the place, looking around carefully as she held onto her Kunai. People may not be able to get into her apartment but they could be waiting outside. She pulled out her keys and sped-walked to the door, opening it swiftly and getting inside, closing the door quickly.
"Usa," Tsukiko sighed in relief. She had been scared of Orochimaru getting to her for two days now and she wasn't sure if this fear would ever leave. She didn't want to become what Sasuke had become when that strange seal on his neck had activated – it was against her views.
Tsukiko let out a shriek when she suddenly tripped and fell over onto her face. She groaned as she pushed herself over to her back and looked down to see that she had tripped over Hashirama's Wood Style Jutsu Scroll. She rubbed her face, cursing herself as she crawled to her bedroom.
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