Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Legend of Explosive Youth! ❯ Ino Gaiden: It's Just an Intro ( Chapter 5 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: dialNforNinja 
Ino's clan has a big surprise in mind for her...
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Martial Arts / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.28.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 611 | Status: Work In Progress
Ino's clan has a big surprise in mind for her...
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Martial Arts / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.28.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 611 | Status: Work In Progress
txy03_ino_gaiden.txt
2007-12-13 - initial file created, notes transferred from DWMB saves
2077-12-25 - finished!
Kami, was she thirsty! It had taken Ino two hours to compose the stupid review essay Iruka-sensei wanted on the theory and applications of bunshin and kawarimi before he taught them to combine the two so the object they swapped with would keep their appearance until it was hit, between the time spent actually coming up with what to write, and then copying it neatly onto a scroll to turn in. Massaging her wrist, the somewhat-less-chipper-than-usual blonde slipped out of the study and headed to the kitchen for a drink, pausing at the head of the stairs as she heard her parents' voices in the family room below.
"-omiai? Honestly, she's only eleven years old! What is he thinking?" her mother complained. Ino's eye twitched as she realized what they were talking about. Unless they meant arranging something with Sasuke-kun, there was gonna be hell to pay!
Her father sounded nearly as exasperated as his wife, replying, "I thought the old coot gave in too easily about teaching them, and now I know why. Grandmother and Uncle Inoichi are against forcing the issue, but even they would like to see such strong talent reinforcing the bloodline." He sighed, and from the soft sound of their movements, Ino guessed he'd pulled Mother into a hug. "She's the only one available for it, since Inoko married that Asagiri boy, and my sister only has sons. Ino, come downstairs."
Flushing slightly and wondering what had given her away - and when she'd get to learn it! - the youngest Yamanaka complied, picking up energy as she shook off embarrassment and remembered to be angry about getting fixed up with someone that didn't sound like Sasuke-kun at all. At least, she didn't think her father had ever taught the handsome Uchiha heir.
Her father cut her off before she could give voice to her displeasure, however. "Ino-chan, I've invited two of my old genin team over for dinner tomorrow so you can meet them - just a normal introduction, not an omiai - as a matter of keeping peace in the clan. You WILL be polite and gracious, understood?"
"But daddy!"
"Do you understand?" he insisted.
"All riiiight..." she reluctantly agreed, thinking, *but just because I have to be polite doesn't mean I have to like them, or make them like me!*
Her father's skeptical look warned that he probably understood what she'd left unsaid all too well, but he let it slide for now. "The boys are twins, Haruno Jinrei and Kenshiro, and instead of the normal Haruno bloodline they are very strongly psychic."
"What!? Forehead girl has a special bloodline? Maybe a bloodline for keeping her nose in musty old scrolls without choking to death, or signal flashes reflecting the sunlight off her oversized expanse of -" She cut herself off, staring angrily at the floor when her father cleared his throat threateningly.
"The Haruno bloodline is one of the very oldest, like our own, well established even before the first of the great ninja wars when shinobi began to change from specialists in infiltration and espionage to front line combatants." he explained. "Their ability is especially suited for use by deep cover operatives, but more combat oriented uses have been developed as times changed, also. For one thing, their second self is a perfect defense against mind-controlling jutsu, including many of our own family jutsu. Those techniques take considerable training to achieve, however, so it's no surprise if the only thing your friend has shown is unusually good chakra control."
"The twins are different, however, as I said. Even without knowing any of our jutsu, their psychic ability would be very valuable to keep the Yamanaka bloodline strong, since abilities like our own are so rare outside the clan, and we are too small to marry within it the way the Hyuuga often do, and the Uchiha did." Inoshi's face softened, as did his tone, knowing that if he was too authoritarian his strong-willed daughter would disobey just to be contrary. "I'm not asking you to fall head over heels at first sight, or to do anything particularly romantic while the boys are half again your age. All I want is for you to give being friends with them a chance, and let anything more develop as it may."
It took a bit more grumbling on Ino's part, soothing on her father's, and a few sharp words about manners from her mother before the conversation wound down, but Ino already knew she'd been licked. She was still dying of thirst, for that matter, and too much talking might damage her poor parched throat.
Legend of Explosive Youth Part Three
Ino Gaiden: It's Just An Intro, I Should Really Just Relax
Dinner the next evening had come and gone without major difficulty, though Ino had been a bit weirded out by the twins' tendency to switch off in mid-sentence when one or the other needed to take a breath or a bite of food. Then her parents had shooed the three of them into the family room while the adults cleaned up, and an awkward silence had fallen.
Her clan's marriage-minded maneuverings were absolutely the LAST thing she wanted to talk about, especially if no one had told the boys - Please, by all the kami, let no one have mentioned any such thing! - but absolutely nothing else was coming to mind. Worse, she could feel a light blush forming as she continued to look them over, the open vests and tight skinsuit doing little to hide the fit bodies of active ninja. *SASUKE-KUN, Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun...* she chanted in her head, trying to purge any such thoughts, then admitted, *...wears that bulky jacket all the time, so I have no idea if he's really this hot under it.* She sighed, and felt the strong urge to start fiddling with her hands like that Hyuuga girl was always doing.
Taking pity on her, the twins drew a breath, then one said, "Ino-san, your father told you a bit about us, right?" At her hesitant nod, the one on the left continued, "He said he'd told you that Haruno usually have a second self, but that we're psychic, like the Yamanaka, instead. That's -"
"- not quite accurate," right-side-red continued. "We've kept it a secret so far, but your family probably wants you to think about dating one of us, since psychics are so uncommon."
Damn! They'd figured it out, or someone had told them and they were trying to be politic. The blonde girl could feel her cheeks burn, but stubbornly brought her eyes up to meet the green orbs of... arg, which one was which again? She took a guess and said, "Well, yeah, Kenshiro-san. Mostly the elders, really."
The pink-haired boys smiled in eerie unison, before requesting, "What we have to say is a secret even from our own family, but since you're now involved, we think you should know. Will you let us use a psychic contact so no one can listen in?"
Still upset with herself and her family, Ino thought for only a second - long enough to realize that in a telepathic link she could tell them off without her parents hearing - and agreed. The two boys shuffled closer together on their cushions, then interlinked their near arms to each form half of the familiar triangular hand seal used for Shintenshin, leaning their heads together to both look through it at her. There was the familiar pull of contact, then the three of them were in her mental space. Ino smirked slightly, seeing that their mental images apparently hadn't adjusted to their recent promotions, since despite the proudly worn vests on their real bodies they had only the bodysuits in here, while her own mental self had a perfect replica of the outfit she'd chosen for the day.
The bodysuits weren't even accurate, she realized - one had a red pattern on both sides, and the other was inverted, mostly red with black arms. Also, their facial expressions had lost that eerie unison, the one on the left wearing a confident smirk while his twin smiled warmly. Left folded his black-sleeved arms and - was that pervert openly checking her out!? - while right introduced them and explained, "I'm Kenshiro, he's Jinrei... but the truth is, we're not really two Haruno with a strange blip in the bloodline. Actually, we're one normal Haruno who happens to have two bodies. Jinrei would have been Inner Kenshiro, and most of the time I run them both. When we're in combat, separated, or in some other situation where full attention is needed for each body, that's the only time he really takes over. Since my parents named the first body born Kenshiro, Jinrei decided to use the extra name."
"... And here I thought the Aburame were freaky, what kind of stupid is having two minds and two bodies, and still only having one mind control both?" she sniped.
"Gosh, I dunno," Jinrei snapped right back. "What kind of stupid is only having one of each, then sending your mind to take over another body when all you can do is let your own lie around helpless? Even your grandfather can't do more than use a guard stance while controlling someone with Shintenshin, and the higher-level Yamanaka techniques don't allow as much control. Two heads are better than one, and I'm twice as good as that!"
"Oi, be polite when there's a guest, me," Kenshiro scolded, then turned to the fuming girl. "Jinrei doesn't deal with people much, so he's a bit brash, and unused to referring to us in the plural - even so, it's a fact that because of our unusual situation, we can use the Shintenshin to excellent effect, though that has been mostly hidden as well... If we hadn't, you probably would have been simply told you would be marrying one of us."
"WHAT!? Like hell! When I marry anyone, it's going to be Sasuke-kun, you stuck-up pinkies!" the young Yamanaka shouted. "Besides, Dad would never let the elders do something like that to me!"
Jinrei snarked, "So says every girl in his class... Including Little Sis."
Kenshiro bapped his other self on the forehead. "Ino-san, let me tell you about one of our recent missions, and then perhaps you'll see what we mean." He waved a hand, and suddenly they were standing by a row of seats in a movie theater... Except, it didn't have a normal screen, instead it was like a giant spy-seal viewer. "You know what this is?" he asked.
"Yes, of course," the blonde replied, since they were covered briefly under the study of ninja tools, "but I've never heard of one this big before..." She stepped closer and ran a hand over the surface. "So, you can make clear, solid mental constructs. Big deal, so can any genjutsu user!"
"That's not the big deal," Kenshiro said. "Take a seat with us, and we'll show you as well as telling." Ino frowned at the twins, but perched daintily in a seat near the middle of the row. They sat in the next two seats, Kenshiro beside the girl with Jinrei to his left.
A moment later, Jinrei passed two tubs of popcorn to his other self, who handed one on to the girl. "What?" the Inner Haruno said defensively. "It's traditional for our mission reviews. Don't worry, it's just another construct so it won't make your ass fatter. Not like you couldn't use a little both front and back any - Ow!" He was cut off by Kenshiro's knuckles digging into the top of his head, amid a shower of popcorn from Ino. "Ow! Ow! Okay, fine, her ass is perfect, stop it!" Rubbing his head as his other self finally let up, the red-clad twin griped quietly, "Bad enough fighting with myself, why'd the crazy chick have to go throwing popcorn all over? Now my mind's all dirty..."
Vein bulging and shaking a fist, Ino roared, "YOUR MIND WAS DIRTY ALL ON ITS OWN, YOU PERVERT! And damn right my behind is perfect. Way too good for the likes of you, so keep your eyes to yourself, jerk!" she huffed, and turned up her nose. After a few seconds to calm down, she turned to Kenshiro (utterly ignoring his immature twin giving her the red-eye in the next seat... Grrr...) and forced a sweet smile. "If there's a point here, can we get back to it? Something to do with the unrealistically huge viewer?"
Digging an elbow into Jinrei's ribs surreptitiously, he nodded agreeably and replied, "Actually, that was the object of the mission - a fuinjutsu master in Lightning Country had discovered a way to make a stable viewing matrix this big, and we were supposed to find out how. Since he's a civilian and lives well away from Hidden Cloud it was only considered a B-rank mission, and the two of me went without further back up. Because of that, we didn't have to hide our abilities this time."
The screen before them flickered to life, slightly grainy and in faded colors but overall better than most of the smaller ones she'd seen. It showed the two Haruno hiking into a mid-size town with typical Lightning architecture. They were in civilian clothes, carrying the large fur bundles of trappers, and had dyed their distinctive hair two unremarkable shades of brown.
As they were stopped by the gate guards and hassled until a sufficient bribe was paid, Jinrei said sarcastically, "Ah, the action-packed life of a ninja. New experiences abound at every turn!"
Seeing Ino's questioning look, Kenshiro whispered, "Another tradition... Most missions are actually pretty dull without the tension of doing it firsthand, so mocking our mistakes and the people we meet helps keep it lively."
Sure enough, after the two had sold their furs and checked into an inn, Kenshiro zinged his remembered self as one body folded onto a cushion in front of a low desk, pulling out some papers and writing tools from his much-smaller pack. "Behold my ultimate instant-kill technique! Accounting no Jutsu!" Despite herself, Ino couldn't help but grin along with him.
"The viewers have started to become popular among the wealthy and upper middle class of Lightning Country," he explained. "Because of the frequent bad weather, any free time is better to spend indoors. Their seal-crafters have taken advantage by making eye-seal cameras that link to dozens or even hundreds of viewers at once, and then have actors, puppeteers, jugglers, and so on perform in front of the camera. Sometimes, mercenaries or low-level ninja are hired to have exhibition matches. Of course, these viewers can also replay performances captured by a recording seal."
Ino nodded attentively, ignoring the twin on the big viewer for now, who'd left the inn and his studious double again and headed for the market district.
"Some Fire Country nobles have begun to get interested in them too, but the seals can't stay connected over so much distance. The viewers remain expensive, also," he continued, "so the people who have less money can't afford them. Also, the eye-seal cameras linked to so many are much bigger than usual, so there's not a lot of room for a big audience around the stage for the performers, to pay for their ongoing acts."
"Recently, a sealing master named Kaden came up with a way to solve both problems at once. He made a huge viewer like this one, and put it in place of the screen at a movie theater. People who can't afford a viewer of their own pay admission just like at a regular movie and watch the live performance on the screen like we are now. Jealousy towards the nobles is reduced, and better performers can be paid. It's an effective result."
"The mission was requested by a Fire Country noble, who wanted to set up a similar arrangement here before the Lightning merchant groups backing the plan could establish themselves enough to expand. Essentially, we needed to either learn to copy the sealing method perfectly, or capture someone who was able to perform it and bring him back."
"Pish, easy!" Jinrei interjected, before throwing some popcorn at the screen and shouting, "Hey! Stupid old fart, watch where you're driving that cart! You almost ran me over!"
The Kenshiro on the screen had jumped easily out of the way, of course, and had then crossed the busy market street to enter an upscale shop. The attendant was dealing with another customer already, so he inspected the eye-seal cameras that were on display, then ...
Ino had to laugh as he blatantly made the triangle seal for Shintenshin and peered around the shop through it as if looking through a camera. She recognized the slight shudder as the clerk got possessed, but the Haruno who'd used the technique simply shrugged and started to watch a couple of Cloud chuunin dueling on one of the shelved veiwers.
A quick flash of the twin still at the inn showed him smiling as if remembering something, prompting another sarcastic comment from Jinrei. "Oh yeah, when they hear about the invincible Accounting no Jutsu back in Konoha, the babes are gonna be all over me... Mmm, Kurenai-sempai!"
"Hey!" Ino scolded, on behalf of females everywhere. "Will you knock it off with the perverted stuff, already?"
Back at the shop, the clerk finished the other sale and apologized for the wait. Memory-Kenshiro inquired after a long-ranged, durable viewer that would fit in a pack, to which the clerk explained he'd have to speak with the craftsmen in the back room. The reason for maintaining the deception was obvious, of course - they were standing in a shop that sold cameras and screens, after all. The view followed as he stepped into a large workshop and looked unobtrusively around, smiling weakly at a bored-looking Cloud chuunin nearby, who sneered and went back to standing around and watching Kenshiro in the shop standing around and watching Cloud chuunin fighting on a stage somewhere.
"Yes, the thrilling shinobi lifestyle!" Kenshiro repeated. "Go to exciting places! Meet exiting people! Kill them in exciting ways!" Contrary to his words, the possessed clerk did not jump into an orgy of bloody violence, instead walking calmly past the table where another assistant was getting ready to put a small veiwer device into an ornate gilded frame. He made his way to the back of the shop to talk to a man putting the final marks on a seal pattern that covered a plastered wooden panel that Ino guessed would barely fit through the average doorway.
They talked for a few minutes, then Kaden called over to his shop assistant, who laid aside the frame he been about to attach and instead went and got a much plainer one. The possessed clerk turned back to the master and... Shintenshin again! But he was still acting posessed... Kaden told them he was going out for a bit, and to bring out the trapper's veiwer as soon as it was ready, then left through a back door. The clerk went back out front, and chatted about the duel on the veiwer until the device was ready and the sale made, only showing the telltale disorientation of being released as Kenshiro bade him goodbye and left, looking down at the stack of ryo in his hand with a slightly dazed expression.
"I... There's no way!" Ino protested, overcoming her shock at last. "Okay, two minds, lots of practice, you can keep multiple bodies going at once. But Shintenshin again from a possessed person!?" The very thought was mindboggling... "To be able to jump hosts like that, it's the ultimate perfected form of the technique! The clan has been working to create a jutsu like that for *generations!*"
Suddenly, the assertion that if they'd shown their skills before Ino would have had an arranged marriage set up already wasn't so farfetched - hell, there was precedent, she might have been married to them outright on her tenth birthday! She stared at the pair with awe, shock, and not a little fear, arms crossing of their own volition to guard her chest. The Kenshiros on the screen were fitting the still-possessed Kaden with a disguise so he could simply leave town with them, but her attention was riveted on the two boys beside her.
Kenshiro smiled reassuringly and patted her knee, while even Jinrei looked apologetic. "You don't need such a look," he told her, peering around his more social self, "I'm not a total asshole. The Haruno clan has even more reason to be aware of psychology than you Yamanaka, so we know better than to try to force this kind of shit."
"You don't have to worry about getting blackmailed, Ino-san," Kenshiro said, picking up from his other self, "Even if the elders find out somehow and try to railroad things, we won't cooperate unless we all decide it's what we want. In the mean time, though, we can help you practice keeping your body active while possessing someone. We have a lot more chakra to hold the jutsu longer, and practical experience we can pass along since we know you'll keep the secret."
Well now. That was an entirely different kind of proposal, and one a little more to her liking... Sasuke-kun may be the only boy for Ino, but training her special family technique like that! *And,* a little devil in her own mind pointed out, *even if they are forehead-girl's brothers, they aren't too hard on the eyes. Bonus!*
(Would you like to know more?)
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Naruto setting and characters created by Kishimoto Masashi
Jinrei, Kenshiro and Kaden created by ClassicDrogn
Jinrei - silver(?)+spirit
Kenshiro - sword+white
Shintenshin - ?
Married at ten - while not recently, arranged marriages between members of ancient clans like theirs have been recorded as finalized as young as two years of age, though that subsequently led to a war between the Yamanaka and a no longer existing clan when the toddler died of a childhood disease and no replacement was offered. After that, the limit of ten years was enacted to attempt to guard against a repeat.
Kaden - electric charge
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Omake: Roll Titles!
(feel free to paste this to the top of your local copy, if you like...)
In a slightly off dimension
A step to the left or three
(Tra la la!)
Yamanaka girl, young and blonde and cute
Met two Haruno in black and red suits
Her family wanted them to suck some face
But she had other opinions so they went to mental space!
(Ninpo: Shintenshin no jutsu!)
Just to make it feel extra weird
They're always linked in the head
(Tra la la!)
And then they're the twin older brothers
Of her ex-best friend
Ninja roll call!
Jinrei! "I'm inside!"
Inoshi! "I'm her dad!"
Kenshiro! "That's me!"
Inoooooooooo!
We'll replay a past mission
To help explain our mind
(Tra la la!)
And to explain why Ino's clan
Thinks we're really quite a find
(Tra la la!)
As for their plans to wed her off
Such political hacks
Just repeat to yourself "Free choice," Ino,
"I should really just relax!"
For Mystery Haruno Theater 3000!
(bwong!)
Ino was gaping, eyes blank and blue with shock, and Kenshiro elbowed his other self in the ribs. "Told you she'd think it was weird," he muttered sotto voce.
END OF LINE
2007-12-13 - initial file created, notes transferred from DWMB saves
2077-12-25 - finished!
Kami, was she thirsty! It had taken Ino two hours to compose the stupid review essay Iruka-sensei wanted on the theory and applications of bunshin and kawarimi before he taught them to combine the two so the object they swapped with would keep their appearance until it was hit, between the time spent actually coming up with what to write, and then copying it neatly onto a scroll to turn in. Massaging her wrist, the somewhat-less-chipper-than-usual blonde slipped out of the study and headed to the kitchen for a drink, pausing at the head of the stairs as she heard her parents' voices in the family room below.
"-omiai? Honestly, she's only eleven years old! What is he thinking?" her mother complained. Ino's eye twitched as she realized what they were talking about. Unless they meant arranging something with Sasuke-kun, there was gonna be hell to pay!
Her father sounded nearly as exasperated as his wife, replying, "I thought the old coot gave in too easily about teaching them, and now I know why. Grandmother and Uncle Inoichi are against forcing the issue, but even they would like to see such strong talent reinforcing the bloodline." He sighed, and from the soft sound of their movements, Ino guessed he'd pulled Mother into a hug. "She's the only one available for it, since Inoko married that Asagiri boy, and my sister only has sons. Ino, come downstairs."
Flushing slightly and wondering what had given her away - and when she'd get to learn it! - the youngest Yamanaka complied, picking up energy as she shook off embarrassment and remembered to be angry about getting fixed up with someone that didn't sound like Sasuke-kun at all. At least, she didn't think her father had ever taught the handsome Uchiha heir.
Her father cut her off before she could give voice to her displeasure, however. "Ino-chan, I've invited two of my old genin team over for dinner tomorrow so you can meet them - just a normal introduction, not an omiai - as a matter of keeping peace in the clan. You WILL be polite and gracious, understood?"
"But daddy!"
"Do you understand?" he insisted.
"All riiiight..." she reluctantly agreed, thinking, *but just because I have to be polite doesn't mean I have to like them, or make them like me!*
Her father's skeptical look warned that he probably understood what she'd left unsaid all too well, but he let it slide for now. "The boys are twins, Haruno Jinrei and Kenshiro, and instead of the normal Haruno bloodline they are very strongly psychic."
"What!? Forehead girl has a special bloodline? Maybe a bloodline for keeping her nose in musty old scrolls without choking to death, or signal flashes reflecting the sunlight off her oversized expanse of -" She cut herself off, staring angrily at the floor when her father cleared his throat threateningly.
"The Haruno bloodline is one of the very oldest, like our own, well established even before the first of the great ninja wars when shinobi began to change from specialists in infiltration and espionage to front line combatants." he explained. "Their ability is especially suited for use by deep cover operatives, but more combat oriented uses have been developed as times changed, also. For one thing, their second self is a perfect defense against mind-controlling jutsu, including many of our own family jutsu. Those techniques take considerable training to achieve, however, so it's no surprise if the only thing your friend has shown is unusually good chakra control."
"The twins are different, however, as I said. Even without knowing any of our jutsu, their psychic ability would be very valuable to keep the Yamanaka bloodline strong, since abilities like our own are so rare outside the clan, and we are too small to marry within it the way the Hyuuga often do, and the Uchiha did." Inoshi's face softened, as did his tone, knowing that if he was too authoritarian his strong-willed daughter would disobey just to be contrary. "I'm not asking you to fall head over heels at first sight, or to do anything particularly romantic while the boys are half again your age. All I want is for you to give being friends with them a chance, and let anything more develop as it may."
It took a bit more grumbling on Ino's part, soothing on her father's, and a few sharp words about manners from her mother before the conversation wound down, but Ino already knew she'd been licked. She was still dying of thirst, for that matter, and too much talking might damage her poor parched throat.
Legend of Explosive Youth Part Three
Ino Gaiden: It's Just An Intro, I Should Really Just Relax
Dinner the next evening had come and gone without major difficulty, though Ino had been a bit weirded out by the twins' tendency to switch off in mid-sentence when one or the other needed to take a breath or a bite of food. Then her parents had shooed the three of them into the family room while the adults cleaned up, and an awkward silence had fallen.
Her clan's marriage-minded maneuverings were absolutely the LAST thing she wanted to talk about, especially if no one had told the boys - Please, by all the kami, let no one have mentioned any such thing! - but absolutely nothing else was coming to mind. Worse, she could feel a light blush forming as she continued to look them over, the open vests and tight skinsuit doing little to hide the fit bodies of active ninja. *SASUKE-KUN, Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun...* she chanted in her head, trying to purge any such thoughts, then admitted, *...wears that bulky jacket all the time, so I have no idea if he's really this hot under it.* She sighed, and felt the strong urge to start fiddling with her hands like that Hyuuga girl was always doing.
Taking pity on her, the twins drew a breath, then one said, "Ino-san, your father told you a bit about us, right?" At her hesitant nod, the one on the left continued, "He said he'd told you that Haruno usually have a second self, but that we're psychic, like the Yamanaka, instead. That's -"
"- not quite accurate," right-side-red continued. "We've kept it a secret so far, but your family probably wants you to think about dating one of us, since psychics are so uncommon."
Damn! They'd figured it out, or someone had told them and they were trying to be politic. The blonde girl could feel her cheeks burn, but stubbornly brought her eyes up to meet the green orbs of... arg, which one was which again? She took a guess and said, "Well, yeah, Kenshiro-san. Mostly the elders, really."
The pink-haired boys smiled in eerie unison, before requesting, "What we have to say is a secret even from our own family, but since you're now involved, we think you should know. Will you let us use a psychic contact so no one can listen in?"
Still upset with herself and her family, Ino thought for only a second - long enough to realize that in a telepathic link she could tell them off without her parents hearing - and agreed. The two boys shuffled closer together on their cushions, then interlinked their near arms to each form half of the familiar triangular hand seal used for Shintenshin, leaning their heads together to both look through it at her. There was the familiar pull of contact, then the three of them were in her mental space. Ino smirked slightly, seeing that their mental images apparently hadn't adjusted to their recent promotions, since despite the proudly worn vests on their real bodies they had only the bodysuits in here, while her own mental self had a perfect replica of the outfit she'd chosen for the day.
The bodysuits weren't even accurate, she realized - one had a red pattern on both sides, and the other was inverted, mostly red with black arms. Also, their facial expressions had lost that eerie unison, the one on the left wearing a confident smirk while his twin smiled warmly. Left folded his black-sleeved arms and - was that pervert openly checking her out!? - while right introduced them and explained, "I'm Kenshiro, he's Jinrei... but the truth is, we're not really two Haruno with a strange blip in the bloodline. Actually, we're one normal Haruno who happens to have two bodies. Jinrei would have been Inner Kenshiro, and most of the time I run them both. When we're in combat, separated, or in some other situation where full attention is needed for each body, that's the only time he really takes over. Since my parents named the first body born Kenshiro, Jinrei decided to use the extra name."
"... And here I thought the Aburame were freaky, what kind of stupid is having two minds and two bodies, and still only having one mind control both?" she sniped.
"Gosh, I dunno," Jinrei snapped right back. "What kind of stupid is only having one of each, then sending your mind to take over another body when all you can do is let your own lie around helpless? Even your grandfather can't do more than use a guard stance while controlling someone with Shintenshin, and the higher-level Yamanaka techniques don't allow as much control. Two heads are better than one, and I'm twice as good as that!"
"Oi, be polite when there's a guest, me," Kenshiro scolded, then turned to the fuming girl. "Jinrei doesn't deal with people much, so he's a bit brash, and unused to referring to us in the plural - even so, it's a fact that because of our unusual situation, we can use the Shintenshin to excellent effect, though that has been mostly hidden as well... If we hadn't, you probably would have been simply told you would be marrying one of us."
"WHAT!? Like hell! When I marry anyone, it's going to be Sasuke-kun, you stuck-up pinkies!" the young Yamanaka shouted. "Besides, Dad would never let the elders do something like that to me!"
Jinrei snarked, "So says every girl in his class... Including Little Sis."
Kenshiro bapped his other self on the forehead. "Ino-san, let me tell you about one of our recent missions, and then perhaps you'll see what we mean." He waved a hand, and suddenly they were standing by a row of seats in a movie theater... Except, it didn't have a normal screen, instead it was like a giant spy-seal viewer. "You know what this is?" he asked.
"Yes, of course," the blonde replied, since they were covered briefly under the study of ninja tools, "but I've never heard of one this big before..." She stepped closer and ran a hand over the surface. "So, you can make clear, solid mental constructs. Big deal, so can any genjutsu user!"
"That's not the big deal," Kenshiro said. "Take a seat with us, and we'll show you as well as telling." Ino frowned at the twins, but perched daintily in a seat near the middle of the row. They sat in the next two seats, Kenshiro beside the girl with Jinrei to his left.
A moment later, Jinrei passed two tubs of popcorn to his other self, who handed one on to the girl. "What?" the Inner Haruno said defensively. "It's traditional for our mission reviews. Don't worry, it's just another construct so it won't make your ass fatter. Not like you couldn't use a little both front and back any - Ow!" He was cut off by Kenshiro's knuckles digging into the top of his head, amid a shower of popcorn from Ino. "Ow! Ow! Okay, fine, her ass is perfect, stop it!" Rubbing his head as his other self finally let up, the red-clad twin griped quietly, "Bad enough fighting with myself, why'd the crazy chick have to go throwing popcorn all over? Now my mind's all dirty..."
Vein bulging and shaking a fist, Ino roared, "YOUR MIND WAS DIRTY ALL ON ITS OWN, YOU PERVERT! And damn right my behind is perfect. Way too good for the likes of you, so keep your eyes to yourself, jerk!" she huffed, and turned up her nose. After a few seconds to calm down, she turned to Kenshiro (utterly ignoring his immature twin giving her the red-eye in the next seat... Grrr...) and forced a sweet smile. "If there's a point here, can we get back to it? Something to do with the unrealistically huge viewer?"
Digging an elbow into Jinrei's ribs surreptitiously, he nodded agreeably and replied, "Actually, that was the object of the mission - a fuinjutsu master in Lightning Country had discovered a way to make a stable viewing matrix this big, and we were supposed to find out how. Since he's a civilian and lives well away from Hidden Cloud it was only considered a B-rank mission, and the two of me went without further back up. Because of that, we didn't have to hide our abilities this time."
The screen before them flickered to life, slightly grainy and in faded colors but overall better than most of the smaller ones she'd seen. It showed the two Haruno hiking into a mid-size town with typical Lightning architecture. They were in civilian clothes, carrying the large fur bundles of trappers, and had dyed their distinctive hair two unremarkable shades of brown.
As they were stopped by the gate guards and hassled until a sufficient bribe was paid, Jinrei said sarcastically, "Ah, the action-packed life of a ninja. New experiences abound at every turn!"
Seeing Ino's questioning look, Kenshiro whispered, "Another tradition... Most missions are actually pretty dull without the tension of doing it firsthand, so mocking our mistakes and the people we meet helps keep it lively."
Sure enough, after the two had sold their furs and checked into an inn, Kenshiro zinged his remembered self as one body folded onto a cushion in front of a low desk, pulling out some papers and writing tools from his much-smaller pack. "Behold my ultimate instant-kill technique! Accounting no Jutsu!" Despite herself, Ino couldn't help but grin along with him.
"The viewers have started to become popular among the wealthy and upper middle class of Lightning Country," he explained. "Because of the frequent bad weather, any free time is better to spend indoors. Their seal-crafters have taken advantage by making eye-seal cameras that link to dozens or even hundreds of viewers at once, and then have actors, puppeteers, jugglers, and so on perform in front of the camera. Sometimes, mercenaries or low-level ninja are hired to have exhibition matches. Of course, these viewers can also replay performances captured by a recording seal."
Ino nodded attentively, ignoring the twin on the big viewer for now, who'd left the inn and his studious double again and headed for the market district.
"Some Fire Country nobles have begun to get interested in them too, but the seals can't stay connected over so much distance. The viewers remain expensive, also," he continued, "so the people who have less money can't afford them. Also, the eye-seal cameras linked to so many are much bigger than usual, so there's not a lot of room for a big audience around the stage for the performers, to pay for their ongoing acts."
"Recently, a sealing master named Kaden came up with a way to solve both problems at once. He made a huge viewer like this one, and put it in place of the screen at a movie theater. People who can't afford a viewer of their own pay admission just like at a regular movie and watch the live performance on the screen like we are now. Jealousy towards the nobles is reduced, and better performers can be paid. It's an effective result."
"The mission was requested by a Fire Country noble, who wanted to set up a similar arrangement here before the Lightning merchant groups backing the plan could establish themselves enough to expand. Essentially, we needed to either learn to copy the sealing method perfectly, or capture someone who was able to perform it and bring him back."
"Pish, easy!" Jinrei interjected, before throwing some popcorn at the screen and shouting, "Hey! Stupid old fart, watch where you're driving that cart! You almost ran me over!"
The Kenshiro on the screen had jumped easily out of the way, of course, and had then crossed the busy market street to enter an upscale shop. The attendant was dealing with another customer already, so he inspected the eye-seal cameras that were on display, then ...
Ino had to laugh as he blatantly made the triangle seal for Shintenshin and peered around the shop through it as if looking through a camera. She recognized the slight shudder as the clerk got possessed, but the Haruno who'd used the technique simply shrugged and started to watch a couple of Cloud chuunin dueling on one of the shelved veiwers.
A quick flash of the twin still at the inn showed him smiling as if remembering something, prompting another sarcastic comment from Jinrei. "Oh yeah, when they hear about the invincible Accounting no Jutsu back in Konoha, the babes are gonna be all over me... Mmm, Kurenai-sempai!"
"Hey!" Ino scolded, on behalf of females everywhere. "Will you knock it off with the perverted stuff, already?"
Back at the shop, the clerk finished the other sale and apologized for the wait. Memory-Kenshiro inquired after a long-ranged, durable viewer that would fit in a pack, to which the clerk explained he'd have to speak with the craftsmen in the back room. The reason for maintaining the deception was obvious, of course - they were standing in a shop that sold cameras and screens, after all. The view followed as he stepped into a large workshop and looked unobtrusively around, smiling weakly at a bored-looking Cloud chuunin nearby, who sneered and went back to standing around and watching Kenshiro in the shop standing around and watching Cloud chuunin fighting on a stage somewhere.
"Yes, the thrilling shinobi lifestyle!" Kenshiro repeated. "Go to exciting places! Meet exiting people! Kill them in exciting ways!" Contrary to his words, the possessed clerk did not jump into an orgy of bloody violence, instead walking calmly past the table where another assistant was getting ready to put a small veiwer device into an ornate gilded frame. He made his way to the back of the shop to talk to a man putting the final marks on a seal pattern that covered a plastered wooden panel that Ino guessed would barely fit through the average doorway.
They talked for a few minutes, then Kaden called over to his shop assistant, who laid aside the frame he been about to attach and instead went and got a much plainer one. The possessed clerk turned back to the master and... Shintenshin again! But he was still acting posessed... Kaden told them he was going out for a bit, and to bring out the trapper's veiwer as soon as it was ready, then left through a back door. The clerk went back out front, and chatted about the duel on the veiwer until the device was ready and the sale made, only showing the telltale disorientation of being released as Kenshiro bade him goodbye and left, looking down at the stack of ryo in his hand with a slightly dazed expression.
"I... There's no way!" Ino protested, overcoming her shock at last. "Okay, two minds, lots of practice, you can keep multiple bodies going at once. But Shintenshin again from a possessed person!?" The very thought was mindboggling... "To be able to jump hosts like that, it's the ultimate perfected form of the technique! The clan has been working to create a jutsu like that for *generations!*"
Suddenly, the assertion that if they'd shown their skills before Ino would have had an arranged marriage set up already wasn't so farfetched - hell, there was precedent, she might have been married to them outright on her tenth birthday! She stared at the pair with awe, shock, and not a little fear, arms crossing of their own volition to guard her chest. The Kenshiros on the screen were fitting the still-possessed Kaden with a disguise so he could simply leave town with them, but her attention was riveted on the two boys beside her.
Kenshiro smiled reassuringly and patted her knee, while even Jinrei looked apologetic. "You don't need such a look," he told her, peering around his more social self, "I'm not a total asshole. The Haruno clan has even more reason to be aware of psychology than you Yamanaka, so we know better than to try to force this kind of shit."
"You don't have to worry about getting blackmailed, Ino-san," Kenshiro said, picking up from his other self, "Even if the elders find out somehow and try to railroad things, we won't cooperate unless we all decide it's what we want. In the mean time, though, we can help you practice keeping your body active while possessing someone. We have a lot more chakra to hold the jutsu longer, and practical experience we can pass along since we know you'll keep the secret."
Well now. That was an entirely different kind of proposal, and one a little more to her liking... Sasuke-kun may be the only boy for Ino, but training her special family technique like that! *And,* a little devil in her own mind pointed out, *even if they are forehead-girl's brothers, they aren't too hard on the eyes. Bonus!*
(Would you like to know more?)
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Naruto setting and characters created by Kishimoto Masashi
Jinrei, Kenshiro and Kaden created by ClassicDrogn
Jinrei - silver(?)+spirit
Kenshiro - sword+white
Shintenshin - ?
Married at ten - while not recently, arranged marriages between members of ancient clans like theirs have been recorded as finalized as young as two years of age, though that subsequently led to a war between the Yamanaka and a no longer existing clan when the toddler died of a childhood disease and no replacement was offered. After that, the limit of ten years was enacted to attempt to guard against a repeat.
Kaden - electric charge
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Omake: Roll Titles!
(feel free to paste this to the top of your local copy, if you like...)
In a slightly off dimension
A step to the left or three
(Tra la la!)
Yamanaka girl, young and blonde and cute
Met two Haruno in black and red suits
Her family wanted them to suck some face
But she had other opinions so they went to mental space!
(Ninpo: Shintenshin no jutsu!)
Just to make it feel extra weird
They're always linked in the head
(Tra la la!)
And then they're the twin older brothers
Of her ex-best friend
Ninja roll call!
Jinrei! "I'm inside!"
Inoshi! "I'm her dad!"
Kenshiro! "That's me!"
Inoooooooooo!
We'll replay a past mission
To help explain our mind
(Tra la la!)
And to explain why Ino's clan
Thinks we're really quite a find
(Tra la la!)
As for their plans to wed her off
Such political hacks
Just repeat to yourself "Free choice," Ino,
"I should really just relax!"
For Mystery Haruno Theater 3000!
(bwong!)
Ino was gaping, eyes blank and blue with shock, and Kenshiro elbowed his other self in the ribs. "Told you she'd think it was weird," he muttered sotto voce.
END OF LINE