The next day, Kakashi-sensei was much better. Since Seina had muted her link with Naruto and Sasuke to rest their minds, no one but her noticed how surprised Kakashi-sensei seemed at his rapid recovery. Seina received a few contemplative sidelong glances, but he did not interrogate her.
"Seems like your theory might be right after all," Kurama thought, slightly incredulous.
"I told you... Besides, he knows I've started studying at the hospital and that I use clones to learn faster. Right now, he must be wondering how much of my genius is really thanks to what I've learned or due to my own abilities. That will keep him busy until we get to Konoha."
She heard Kurama sigh, bored.
"Are you alright?"
"As if you didn't know. This place you've created for me isn't bad, but seeing your teacher fight made me realize what I'm missing out on."
"Missing out on what? If people saw you out there, killing rogue ninjas, they'd shit themselves with fear."
"You're quite explicit. I don't need to be out there. You are here."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Haven't you ever wondered why, besides Mito Uzumaki, other people voluntarily sealed the bijuus within themselves? What did they gain by having us with them?"
Seina stopped short. The truth was, she had always thought that jinchurikis existed because of the ninja countries' lust for power. Mito Uzumaki supposedly sealed Kurama within herself because she had no choice as he was being manipulated to attack Konoha by Madara, a few years after the village's creation. But why did the others do it? Surely, an important factor was to obtain another bijuu to avoid being weaker than Konoha...
"And yet, that's only part of the reason. The real reason is that if the jinchuriki can control and dominate their bijuu, they'll have a true, practically unlimited well of chakra to use against their enemies."
"That's inhuman," she snapped. "Now I understand everything. You were nothing but a tool. A weapon."
"Exactly. The funniest thing of all is that no human can dominate us. Enclose us, seal us... yes. Never dominate. If we give you our chakra, it's because we want to."
"Is that what you want? For us to fight together?"
"When I was young, we fought alongside our father and creator. I know some of us refuse to interact with humans, much less give you our chakra, but you are different. I've thought about it for long years, being here. Watching you. You let me see your past, and now I'm seeing your present. Harriet Potter. Seina Namikaze. Until you came along, I found no one worthy of my power. I want to fight by your side."
Seina continued eating breakfast as if nothing was happening, but internally she was having a great battle not to show her astonishment. She had thought she would have Kurama inside her for years, with no foreseeable end in sight, but never that they could actively collaborate beyond her being his jailer. She thought about it, chewing slowly and staring at nothing, and then realized she didn't have to refuse. She didn't even want to refuse. It had never seemed right to her that Kurama couldn't do anything but see the world through her eyes, but if he was right and, somehow, she could let him out without breaking the seal, why not?
"Alright. How can we do it?" she asked with excitement.
"First, return to the village alive, then we'll talk. If necessary, considering how this mission of yours is unfolding, I'll give you my power. We'll see what happens for the first time, if needed."
"Thank you, Kurama."
"You're welcome, midget."
Seina avoided smiling, realizing that, after all, Kurama couldn't hide the affection he felt for her in his voice. She wondered what the yang half inside Naruto would think of all this.
"Well, team, today you'll continue practicing what we've already learned," Kakashi-sensei said, slowly getting up from the chair. "Tazuna has informed me that there's a river near the house, so you can practice walking on water, which will be very useful considering where we are."
They spent the whole day training taijutsu, ninjutsus, and walking on water and trees. Kakashi-sensei didn't even pull out his usual book; he just watched them sitting on a log, giving them directions if needed, but conserving his strength. The river they practiced in was quite large and even seemed to have fish, so Naruto came up with another training idea.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, could you teach us how to fish?"
"Maybe another time, Naruto. We just came to get water and practice."
"Aww, but we're bored of so much practice."
Kakashi-sensei sighed and then picked up a stick from the ground. He threw it to Naruto.
"Alright. We'll start with the simplest way. Sharpen that stick and stand in the middle of the river. Stay still and wait for the fish to ignore you. When they come close, try to spear them."
"Wouldn't a net be better?" she asked, going to sit on a rock next to Sasuke.
Kakashi-sensei shrugged. "You need to know all the methods. A stick is easier to find in a forest than a net."
"But... I could use anything and transform it into a net with the henge," she said, surprising Kakashi-sensei.
"Uh. Good point. Well then, it's your turn."
Seina sighed and got up. If she had known, she wouldn't have opened her mouth. She picked up a good-sized stone and, instead of transforming it into a net, she transformed it into a crab trap. She found a worm and tied it with a string. She moved away from Naruto, who was staring at the water intently, and put the trap in. It didn't take five minutes for a fish to bite, and she quickly closed the lid. She pulled the trap out and grinned from ear to ear. Naruto looked at her with an irritated expression. The trap returned to its original form when she stopped feeding the jutsu with chakra.
"See? Easy," she commented and tossed the fish to Sasuke, who caught it before it could hit his face.
"Hey!"
Kakashi-sensei shook his head and accepted the fish, killing it with the edge of a kunai.
"We'll give these to Tazuna so they can cook them."
Hours later, Naruto caught several fish with his method. They returned to the temporary camp they had set up a few meters from Tazuna's house and gave the fish to him when he came by in the afternoon to check on Kakashi-sensei.
"You can go shower and get rid of the river and fish smell," Kakashi-sensei smiled at them.
Sasuke, the only one who hadn't dared to fish, smiled smugly at them and stayed by the fire Tazuna had started. Apparently, despite having the house nearby, they were going to enjoy the experience of an outdoor mission. They went into the house and saw Tsunami picking up some plates and a few spices to cook with.
"Here you go. Clean towels for everyone. There's only one bathroom, so you'll have to take turns."
"Thank you very much, Tsunami-san."
Naruto let her shower first. She washed away the sweat, dust, and grime under her nails with a sigh of relief. Even though her clothes couldn't get dirty thanks to her runes, nothing prevented her from sweating. She finished showering and changed into another similar outfit, grabbing clean underwear from her pouch. She waited for Naruto to finish washing up. Meanwhile, she dried her hair with a towel, and when it was barely damp, she tied it up in a high ponytail.
"Finally clean," Naruto exhaled loudly, smiling. "Let's go, I'm starving."
"Me too."
Naruto and Seina returned to the camp, the small clearing among the trees that Kakashi-sensei had chosen near the house. When they arrived, hungry, they saw dinner was ready with a smile on their faces. Tazuna and Kakashi-sensei were talking quietly, sitting on a couple of rocks, while Sasuke was sharpening some kunais.
"What are we having for dinner?" Naruto asked, patting his stomach.
Kakashi-sensei turned to look at Sasuke.
"Well, I don't know. Sasuke cooked. What did you say you were going to make?"
"WHAT!?" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. She stepped on his right foot. "I-I mean, how strange that Sasuke cooked without Seina forcing him with one of her deals."
"It's a shame, Sasuke," she said, her face completely mournful. "But I'm on a diet."
"And I'm not hungry," Naruto apologized. "We just snacked on some food from the kitchen, so I'm full."
Tazuna looked confused, but Kakashi-sensei stared at them blankly, holding the steaming bowl of food Sasuke had prepared. Sasuke, nodding at their apologies, started eating as if nothing was wrong. Kakashi-sensei watched him from the corner of his eye. When Tazuna took the first bite, he stopped and looked at Sasuke thoughtfully, then continued eating, deciding there was nothing to worry about. As usual, neither Naruto nor Seina saw Kakashi-sensei put the spoon in his mouth, but they knew he had done it, with his jonin speed, when they saw him pale. Kakashi-sensei looked at them with his right eye filled with betrayal.
Seina bit her cheeks but felt her lip twitching as she tried not to laugh. Sasuke, as always, ate absorbed in his own world, unaware that Kakashi-sensei seemed to have only tasted a single spoonful. Honestly, she preferred to wait a couple of hours until everyone was asleep to eat something rather than approach the infernal pot of food prepared by Sasuke. Naruto and she lay down, stifling their laughter, and let the others eat in silence. She didn't know if Kakashi-sensei was eating the dinner or not until, a couple of hours later when they went to sleep, he glared at them as he caught them eating one of her bentos next to a sleeping Sasuke Uchiha.
"How did you know that Sasuke...?"
"That Sasuke's cooking could be considered a method of torture?" she said, smiling.
Kakashi-sensei stifled a laugh, coughing.
"We tried it once before," Naruto answered, eating his bento. "One time was enough to make it clear that cooking is not his strong suit."
"Here, Kakashi-sensei."
She handed him a bento, one of the many she had prepared and kept fresh in her pouch, and the jonin accepted it. He seemed about to ask something but then shook his head and started eating. They dined past midnight.
"Did you cook this, Seina?" She nodded. "You're a good cook."
"Bet anything seems good right now," she whispered, laughing softly, and Kakashi-sensei shook his head.
"I mean it. This is one of the best meals I've had."
Naruto nodded beside her, and she accepted the compliment. She handed him another revitalizing potion before bed, and the jonin took it without question. She felt pleased that he trusted her not to poison him, considering he hadn't even checked if it was a poison.
The next day, a kid they hadn't seen before appeared.
"Inari! Say hello to these ninjas who protected your grandfather!"
Inari glared at them, using his straw hat to hide.
"Mom, they're going to die," he pointed at them, and Naruto bristled. "They can't beat Gatou."
"Who do you think you're talking to, brat!? If it weren't for Kakashi-sensei—" Seina elbowed him, making him shut up. "Hmp!"
"If you don't want to die, you better leave."
"Inari!" his mother called, scandalized and embarrassed by his behavior.
"I'm going to my room to watch the sea," and he left.
"Wow. He's just like you when you were young, Sasuke," Seina said, and Sasuke gave her a light smack on the head that made her laugh.
"Forgive him..."
Naruto, furious, headed upstairs. Seina and Sasuke watched him go while Kakashi-sensei accepted the apologies from the boy's grandfather and mother. A few minutes later, both heard Inari crying through Naruto, and with her sharpening spell, Seina also heard him calling for his dead father.
"Team 7," Kakashi-sensei called them. "Today we'll accompany Tazuna to the bridge and oversee its protection while he builds it. Prepare to depart."
"How are we going to do it?" Sasuke asked. "Are we going to spread out on the bridge?"
"Exactly. One of us will accompany Tazuna, and the others will be deployed along the bridge. Due to your connection, you can communicate without being close. I will observe from above, so if anything happens, you just need to get my attention, and I can read your lips and assess the danger ahead of time."
They accepted the orders and walked behind Tazuna. The bridge, in the morning, was bustling with people. Seina observed the crowd, but the only strange thing she noticed was the resigned and hopeless faces of the villagers. It was as if their will to live had been taken away. She leaned against a section of the bridge, avoiding sitting down in case she needed to act quickly, and watched Tazuna work. After a while, a tired and serious-looking man approached him.
"I'm quitting, Tazuna."
"What!? What are you talking about?" their client asked, both angry and surprised. "We need to finish his bridge, Mizuki!"
The man shook his head, and Tazuna let him go. She frowned, realizing that even the bridge workers were starting to abandon the project, possibly due to external pressures. Hours later, Tazuna finished his workday. Kakashi-sensei appeared by her side, and they joined Sasuke and Naruto. They headed to a food store and saw that there were only a few potatoes and some fruits available in the entire market.
"What's going on here?" Naruto asked, surprised.
"As I said before, the Land of Waves is very poor. Most crops don't grow in our land. This is what we can cultivate. We don't have the money to import much food either, so..."
In a state of shock, Naruto didn't respond. They watched as Tazuna paid an exorbitant amount to fill a single bag with food. Seina's stomach churned as she realized they had already been fed three times at Tazuna's house, which was likely very difficult for them. She caught Kakashi-sensei's gaze, and he nodded without her needing to say anything.
"Tazuna-san, don't worry about feeding us. From now on, we'll take care of our own needs," the jonin assured him. Tazuna sighed sadly, but visibly more relieved.
When they returned to Tazuna's house, the kid saw them and ran off.
"What's with that brat, seriously?" Naruto asked, both angry and curious.
"There was a man who treated him like a son despite not being his blood. He became his father and my daughter's husband. They called him the hero of the Waves," he explained, taking out a photograph with a third person torn out. "He stood up to Gatou and gave hope to many people, but he was killed. Since then, the word 'bravery' ceased to exist for these people and for Inari."
He explained how the man repaired a collapsed dam and how Gatou later captured and killed him, cutting off both his arms in front of the entire village to demoralize them. Since that day, Inari lost his faith. Tazuna wiped his tears, placed the photograph back on the shelf, and left them alone.
"That Gatou..." Naruto growled. "Why haven't they gotten rid of him?"
"With the ninjas he has hired, I don't think anyone in this village can touch him..."
"Well, I have another question," she thought aloud. "The bridge is almost finished. Why has Gatou allowed it to reach this point of construction? Why not attack Tazuna earlier? Or better yet, why not destroy the bridge? If he destroys it repeatedly, the villagers will eventually give up without anyone needing to be killed. Where would they get the money to buy new materials and rebuild it if they can barely feed themselves?"
"Good question, Seina. I also reconsidered that when I first saw the bridge. We also don't know for sure what will happen to the bridge once it's finished if Gatou is still alive."
"Do you mean he could destroy it once it's complete?" Sasuke asked.
"It's possible. If he destroys it when it's complete, not only will he have wasted Tazuna's materials and labor, but it will also demoralize them further after they have celebrated a premature victory."
"So, this bridge is in danger as long as Gatou is alive."
"I'm afraid so."
"Then what are we doing here?" Naruto asked, angry. "What's the point of this mission if we're going to let them finish the bridge and then leave without knowing what will happen to these people?"
"And what could we do, Naruto?" Kakashi-sensei asked, with a serious expression.
"We could defeat Gatou!"
"Defeat or kill?" he pressed. "Our mission was to protect Tazuna until he reached the Land of Waves, and we accomplished that. We agreed to protect him while he builds the bridge even though it's an extra, unpaid task, and we are fulfilling that."
"And that's it? Just because it's not in our orders, we're not going to do it? We're already doing more than expected. What difference would it make to do a bit more?"
"Where does it say in our orders that we need to protect this bridge and the villagers? If we did everything you're asking, we'd be here for a long time. We can't solve all the problems in an instant just because we're Leaf ninjas. There are complex situations, like this one, that require time and effort, and our duty is to serve Konoha."
"And Konoha isn't just any ninja village! If we were, we'd be like the Village of the Mist, with their horrible academy graduations!"
"Is this how you're going to behave every time we take on a C-rank or higher mission when we encounter a problem outside our jurisdiction?" Kakashi-sensei asked, then looked at the others who were listening in silence. "What do you think about all this?"
Sasuke looked at her and Seina sighed.
"I understand both sides. Naruto doesn't want to leave these people to their fate and the bridge unprotected. On the other hand, we're risking our lives protecting this bridge just for it to be destroyed after we leave, when it's something that wasn't in our orders. So, in part, he's right to wonder if we could do more… might as well go all in," she shrugged. "Still, I understand your side too. We chose to continue the mission, but we never agreed to help them indefinitely. Not only because they require a lot of protection but also because a conflict like this could take a long time to resolve, and we're not even the best suited for this task. Besides, we can't soften up on every mission. People have many problems. If we tried to solve every situation we encountered in each mission, we'd never finish."
"I agree," said Sasuke. "I think we need to eliminate Gatou. If we don't, why did we agree to protect Tazuna and the bridge while it's being built?"
"See!" exclaimed Naruto, with a triumphant smile.
"Wait, dobe, I'm not done talking. I only agree in this particular situation, but otherwise, Seina and Kakashi-sensei are right. Just because the personal drama of people makes you cry doesn't mean you should sacrifice everything for them. We are ninjas, not saints."
Naruto, visibly angry, sat back down. Kakashi-sensei did not rebut their arguments. He seemed more thoughtful, contemplating the problem.
"I understand your points and I think you're partly right. If it were easy to get rid of Gatou, I would, but we have to consider several factors. Firstly, he is heavily protected. Secondly, we don't know if anyone from the Land of Fire has interests with him and could be adversely affected if we eliminate him, which would reflect on us. And thirdly, we don't know if, after killing him, he has any allies who could take revenge on the Wave for his death, making our work in vain."
"Would you say that someone from the Land of Fire has interests with Gatou?" she asked, already imagining how to solve the problem.
Kakashi-sensei thought about it for a few minutes, probably trying to remember Gatou's business dealings in the Land of Fire.
"The truth is, no one important. Gatou is from the Land of Mist, as far as I know. I don't think his interests have reached the Land of Fire yet."
"Then one of his underlings has to kill him. If they do, no one will point a finger at Konoha and the Land of Waves shouldn't suffer any repercussions. At the same time, we wouldn't have to put ourselves in danger trying to eliminate him."
Her team considered her words with some surprise.
"And how do you plan to make one of his mercenary ninjas turn against him?" asked Kakashi-sensei skeptically. "No one would take such a deal without a lot of money. It's practically suicide. Unless… you're not talking about using someone voluntarily…"
Sasuke and Naruto, however, understood how she planned to do it. She only needed to use the Imperius Curse and possibly some submission runes. With that, not even the most stubborn ninja could resist her. The problem was explaining to Kakashi-sensei how she intended to do it. It was clear that such an ability was impossible to hide in the current situation. Especially because it would be the jonin who had to capture or distract one of the ninjas if she wanted to get close enough to use the curse. She must have been silent too long, thinking, because Kakashi-sensei caught her attention with a surprised expression.
"Seina… why do I get the impression that you could actually do it?"
It was the first time he had asked her, albeit indirectly, about her abilities. Nervous, she wondered if she had messed up by offering a way out. The truth was, she didn't want to shatter her brother's innocence or the harmony of the team, especially when she had the means to solve their problems. Still, it was clear she hadn't thought it through.
"Do you want us to leave you alone to talk?" Sasuke mentally asked, and she considered it.
"Midget, it was clear your secret was going to be discovered once you became a real ninja," Kurama said to her. "Maybe this is the perfect time to test your teacher. I told you we'd fight together. If things go wrong, you can count on me."
A hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality. She saw it was Kakashi-sensei, with a conciliatory look. It seemed he had decided not to press her further, but precisely because of that, she knew she was going to tell him. Kurama was right. They were a team, and Kakashi-sensei had promised to earn her trust. Maybe she didn't have to tell him everything yet, but she could tell him about her powers. That way, if it got to certain people, no one would know the whole truth.
"It's okay, Seina."
"Can you guys leave us, please?" she asked Naruto and Sasuke.
Kakashi-sensei watched them leave the living room, leaving them alone, but he said nothing. He remained seated across from her, giving her time to speak when she was ready.
"I have a kekkei genkai."
"…You have a kekkei genkai," he repeated, nodding slowly. "Naruto doesn't have it, right?"
"No."
"Alright. What is it about?"
"I have a second energy with which I can… modify, so to speak, reality as I want."
The jonin looked at her for a long time, absorbing her words.
"Can you give me some examples?"
Seina raised a hand and conjured a red rose. She handed it to Kakashi-sensei, who hadn't blinked for a minute, and watched as he examined it. He touched it, smelled it, pricked his finger on one of the thorns…
"It's real. How is that possible? I didn't blink. It appeared out of nowhere."
"I can do many things," she said, taking the rose and turning it into a cat.
Kakashi-sensei was astonished. He picked up the cat, which was alive, meowing, and rubbing against his vest, and examined it without blinking.
"That's just a tiny part of what I can do," she said, looking at the animal. Kakashi-sensei observed her, the cat in his arms. "I can summon things from nothing, transform one thing into another, make myself invisible, teleport, enhance my senses, read minds, explode matter, reconstruct it… I can do many things."
"What are your limits?" he asked, with a serious face.
"None, as long as I have imagination and power. The more complex things aren't as easy as, for example, summoning that rose, but I can create a way to do it, if I try."
"I see. Now I'm starting to understand everything, you know? For starters, what caught my attention the first time was your backpack that, strangely, seems to be bigger than it is. Then there's your mental link with Sasuke, your incredibly sharp hearing capable of hearing more than 20 meters away, your ability to detect me despite being an elite ninja, the way you sense the presence of hidden ninjas like the Anbu…"
>> "Did you know I visited your apartment and Sasuke's house the day after accepting you as a team? The curious thing is that a couple of weeks later, when you moved, I tried to visit your new house to make sure you were alright, and it turned out to be impossible to locate. Not only did the address disappear from the records, even though I read the address the day after you bought the house, but it was also physically unlocatable. I don't even remember where it is. Imagine my surprise when the Hokage informed me of your visit to his office looking for photographs of Sasuke's parents. On a hunch, I tried to visit his house again and it had also disappeared. I searched for you all over Konoha. About three times.
>> "After that, I visited the landlord of your old apartment to see if he had any clues about your whereabouts, but aside from his unusual paranoia about the shower being cursed, he didn't seem to know anything about you. Now I wonder if that man was right and you had something to do with it. It wouldn't be the first time someone went bald around you, would it? I gave up trying to find you because, even when I followed you to see where you lived, I was unable to locate you. Unable to see the house.
>> "Not to mention Mizuki, who supposedly tricked your brother, even though you've confessed to reading other people's minds. Did he really trick Naruto, or did you manipulate him? I suppose I have several questions, but I'd like to know, to start with, what… jutsus you've used with your kekkei genkai so far."
"Wow. You're not stupid, that's clear," she applauded, with a grin from ear to ear as she listened. "You're right about everything. For starters, I started reading the minds of the orphanage matrons when they began calling us demons. After that, we were put in that apartment, but our landlord was a real bastard. He couldn't cut off the power because all the apartments were connected to the grid, but he did disconnect the gas water heater. I used my powers to have hot water, so I never reported him because I knew it wouldn't do any good."
"And when you left, you took revenge," Kakashi-sensei affirmed, and she nodded.
"I also read the minds of some civilians, especially merchants, so they wouldn't scam us when I was shopping, but with my powers, it was easy for them not to realize who they were really selling to. It wasn't a big problem for me. The real problem was the ninjas. Those who spied on us and some academy instructors. I started using my enhanced hearing to avoid trouble and fights because some, even though I could repel most, were determined to hate us and attack us. By chance, I heard those ninjas talking about Danzo. Since they did nothing but spy on us, I left them alone."
"Would you have done something if they had attacked you?"
Seina laughed maliciously, unable to help herself, but said nothing. She really didn't know what she would have done if they had laid a hand on Naruto. Maybe she would have tortured them until they were unrecognizable, or destroyed their minds in search of information. Perhaps she would have used them against Danzo himself, if he was their boss. Who knew? Her teacher seemed to understand and didn't ask further.
"Then there were the academy teachers. They tried to sabotage us for years with old materials, but for me, it was easy to duplicate a few books and weapons. When they couldn't punish us for bad behavior, they started ignoring us. Until Mizuki came along."
"The chunin who tried to steal the First Hokage's scroll."
"That's the one. I immediately noticed his bad intentions when he looked at us, so I read his mind. Generally, I don't usually read minds unless it's absolutely necessary because I respect others' privacy and don't want to see what people think, but Mizuki… it was absolutely necessary. He planned to use us as scapegoats to steal the scroll and then eliminate us. The idiot..."
"So, you manipulated him and made Iruka catch him in the act, so he had no alibi."
"That's right."
"Do you have a copy of the scroll?" Kakashi-sensei asked, looking at her intently. She smiled. "I imagine if I ask you to give it to me, you'll give me a copy."
"Relax, not even Naruto can touch it. I haven't read it, except for what my brother read out of boredom."
"I suppose I can't ask you for more…" Kakashi-sensei sighed. "And what about Sasuke's house?"
"Do you know the situation of the Uchiha lands?" Seina asked him. Her teacher nodded. "Obviously, when we realized he lived there and why, we weren't going to let it pass. I hid its location so no one could find it and sell it, and so Sasuke could move without anyone knowing or forcing him to give up his property. My new house is under the same jutsu, you could say. No one, except Naruto, Sasuke, and I, knows where it is, so no one can attack us. Which I thought was necessary, given the circumstances."
"I see," Kakashi-sensei smiled broadly. "Smart girl."
"As for the potion I gave you, that has nothing to do with my powers. It's simply a combination of herbs and other things. Anyone could make it. Lastly, regarding our clothes, which, as you might have noticed, never get dirty or torn, I used a sort of fuinjutsu, but with my powers."
"And that's it? What about the food that doesn't spoil in your pouch?"
She shrugged.
"I have it in a kind of temporal limbo so it will never perish as long as I don't open the bento lid."
"Maa. Your powers are really useful. You know that, right? Actually, I'm glad you've hidden them because if they were known, many people would have tried to use or kidnap you. I guess that's why you're always so reluctant to talk about it."
"That's right."
A comfortable silence fell as both of them tried to internalize the weighty conversation they had just had. Fortunately, Kakashi-sensei didn't seem horrified by her powers but rather curious and surprised. Seina felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She reached into the hip pouch and pulled out a jonin-colored hip pouch, empty, which she had made alongside Sasuke's, thinking of her teacher.
"Here. This is for you."
Kakashi-sensei delicately took the enchanted bag, obviously imagining it wasn't an ordinary backpack. She also handed him the enchanted kunai sheath and a medical kit full of potions, bandages, ointments, utensils, and more.
"You were planning to tell me..." whispered Kakashi-sensei, staring at the bag with a distant gaze.
"You said you'd be there for me," she said, and the jonin looked up. "That you'd earn my trust."
"That's right. Thank you for trusting me, Seina."
She nodded at Kakashi-sensei's silent reaffirmation of not betraying her. She explained how to use the kunai sheath and the hip pouch, and talked about the various potions and ointments she had prepared. Kakashi-sensei seemed increasingly excited about the possibilities of what he could do with her magic. He was like a little kid with a new toy.
"Oh, and one more thing. I'd like to modify your vest and your kunai," she told him. "You're the only one of us without extra protection."
"How would you modify it?" her master asked with interest.
"Weapons that don't break and don't need sharpening, and impenetrable clothing."
"You... can make something impenetrable?"
"Watch this," she asked, then tried to use a kunai to pierce her jacket without any success.
"Incredible. You can call Naruto and Sasuke if you want."
Seina nodded and called the boys, who were training in the backyard. Kakashi-sensei took off his vest, wearing only his ragged blue sweater that left absolutely nothing to the imagination, and she pulled out her sewing tools. She sewed the runes under the curious gaze of Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke, who despite wearing enchanted clothing had not seen how she did it. They talked while she worked. Occasionally, she saw the jonin gaze at the hip pouch and the medical kit, with an expression that was hard to explain.
Hours later, they each dined on the bentos they had brought in the company of Tazuna's family, as if nothing had changed, but things couldn't be more different. Finally, everyone on their team was aware of her powers. She felt like she had removed a weight she didn't know was holding her down. She silently thanked once again that Kakashi-sensei was her teacher and that he hadn't rejected her like some would have.