[Nara Shun]

NARA SHUN CHRONICLES

- t h e  t a l e  o f -

A D V E N T U R E  I N  T E A  C O U N T R Y

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Shun did her best to keep a straight face while watching Ashi go through with his ruse. Her insides were shaking a little so she tensed her entirety and bit the inside of her cheek. As much as it was, she wouldn’t jeopardize her best friend’s efforts to sneak in his ninken to the onsen. They surely wanted to relax, too. Maybe the onsen would just be a little hairier afterwards. Then again, surely some people were also very hairy so that was not an argument against well-behaved canines.

The girl followed the quadruplets and the girl would sigh and give out: ”Well, not like it matters, you’re the only ones in right now.” It sounded like she had seen her fair share of things beforehand and Shun just gave an awkward smile and watched her walk away.

”Ok, guys, have fun!” she hummed and went to the women’s changing room. After dressing down and putting her hair up in an improvised and messy bun, the girl rinsed down thoroughly and grabbed a towel to wrap herself before walking out to the bath. The steam greeted her first and she couldn’t help but already feel excited by the upcoming sensation. The rocks were warm under her feet and felt cozy. She went up to the edge, tried the water with one foot slowly and then got in. It was true, there was no one else in and she was alone in the women’s side of the onsen. The two appeared to be separated by a high wooden wall. It was an outdoor bath so the view of the clear sky only added to the estetic.

Humming, the Nara pushed her towel further from the edge and submerged her body in the water up to her neck. It was warm and delightful. Not too hot for her liking but she could also feel her muscles relaxing. A pleasant sigh escaped her lips and she would stay there, half floating in the water for a good ten minutes before getting to an edge to partially get out. There was no need to overheat, either.

It was going to be a pleasant mission after all! There was nothing to be nervous about, turns out. Ashi came to help and Izusa was just admirable so they would complete it with flying colors. And who knew, maybe the boys would become friends?

She got back in after a minute of sitting mostly out and would repeat the process every ten minutes or so. At one point she went close to the wall and would rest against it while watching the sky. The girl would let her thoughts wander and she’d involuntarily remembered how she walked in on Izusa the night before. Her chest clutched and she suddenly felt the embarrassment returning and dunked under the water. For a moment there was nothing but then a few bubbles reached the surface and soon the girl would reemerge and try to better deal with her awkward experience. Her heart was beating really fast and she would have dwelled on it if it wasn’t for a commotion behind the wall. ”Are you guys all good there?” she called out to the other side.

---

Words: 541
Tag: Uchiha Izusa Inuzuka Ashi
Shun: 395828

[Inuzuka Ashi]

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Uchiha Izusa & Nara Shun • Tea

Ashi wasn’t plagued by worries about the mission. He had his hands full already as the transformed ninken pushed ahead of the two shinobi and into the men’s locker room. It was a relief to hear that they were the only ones in at the moment because as soon as they entered the dogs fanned out to sniff everything. They investigated the cubbies and under the benches thoroughly in search of any scraps of food that might have been dropped. Unfortunately for them, the purveyors of the onsen kept it in tip top shape.

He stripped down and wrapped a towel around his waist before staring at the ninken pensively. He glanced at Izusa a couple of times wondering just what Shun had barged in on. He noticed the arrow wounds. "This year’s academy students must be real terrors.” He joked. It didn’t occur to him to ask how the other guy was injured. He didn’t really care.

He didn’t suppose that his duplicates could take off their clothes since the fabric wasn’t strictly speaking real. It might look a little weird if anyone walked in but they would have to risk it. He went over and filled the bucket multiple times. He just sort of dumped the water over each ninken’s head and called it good enough. After this process was complete, Shuga’s dog ears peeked out from Ashi’s hairline and he spotted a tail wagging behind. He palmed his forehead and sighed deeply. He released the transformation on Bonzai. The Shiba Inu had a different type of fur than the others and Ashi knew that he would shed everywhere if he didn’t brush him first. It took him longer to get all the ninken ready so he told Izusa to go on ahead. While he was finishing up, he noticed Shuga pawing at the clothes in the Uchiha’s cubby. She whimpered and backed away. Ashi furrowed his brows and he hissed at the dog to stop, "Come on! Don’t mess with his stuff.”

The whole pack arrived in spectacular fashion; Ashi in his towel, A fully clothed version of him, A fully clothed Ashi with dog ears and a tail, and Bonzai looking like his normal fluffy self. The dogs jumped in happily, splashing water everywhere and causing a ruckus. He slid into the water on the far side of the onsen from Izusa. It took a minute for the dogs to settle down and he called over to Shun who was on the other side of the wall, "Everything’s fine.”

You keep telling me to live right, To go to bed before the daylight. Don't you just wanna wake up, dark as a lake? Smelling like a bonfire, lost in a haze?

dandy ♫

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[Uchiha Izusa]

That old perplexity an empty purse,

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The instructor's thoughts were interrupted as the Inuzuka made a comment about students. "Hm?" he hummed, taking a moment to catch his meaning, then glancing down. "Oh, they're something, alright." he said with a chuckle.

It'd been some time since his last mission with Miroru, but seeing his now-healed injuries brought the marksman who gave them to him to mind. I still need to follow up on that lead, his false smile faded a bit as he recalled the situation. Minato Jichitai's getting worse. Rampant crime with an organized presence was a problem for the village.

Next time he set foot there, it would as his "true" self and under cover of darkness. People always seemed more willing to part with information that way. Izusa finished up his pre-soak wash promptly enough and went on ahead at Ashi's insistence. He found a suitable spot and slipped into the steaming water. It was hot, but he barely flinched as he slid further in and took a seat on the underwater ledge that acted as bench. These sorts of places were supposed to be relaxing, their waters helping to relax the body and soothe old aches. And yet he was still entirely tense.

Just like he always was, unable to enjoy even simple pleasures like an onsen. I should at least act like it, he told himself, letting out an entirely fake sigh of relief and closing his eyes for a brief moment. It was important to keep up appearances— and the smaller details could give away something if he wasn't careful. Ashi joined him soon enough with his transformed hounds in tow, and Izusa let out a small laugh at the sight. The dogs wasted no time jumping in and sent sprays of hot water splashing every which way, a particularly big one smacking him right in the face.

Izusa sat there for a moment, seemingly stunned, then brushed some wet hair from his eyes. "Quite the pack you have there, Ashi-san." As the dogs played and splashed, Shun called out from the other side and the Inuzuka responded. "Perfectly fine." He chimed in with a nod, then wrung out his locks as his mind raced. The whole tiger escape situation was still bothering him, and the fact that there weren't any obvious suspects was worrying.

Unfortunately all they could do was remain vigilant until the culprit made their next move. Another ten minutes or so, then I'll go see what I can find. Izusa thought, his gaze growing distant as he continued to muse on their mission. 

[Nara Shun]

NARA SHUN CHRONICLES

- t h e  t a l e  o f -

A D V E N T U R E  I N  T E A  C O U N T R Y

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”Oh, okay!” she called back. The girl would think on it for a moment and come to one conclusion - the two must have been getting along! That was great news! Maybe all of them would be great friends after this! She hummed happily as she sunk back into the water.

After some time, Shun had gotten out, gotten dressed again and left, thus volunteering for the first shift. Dividing them in three meant that she could rake in enough hours of sleep later, if no trouble came up. It was very exciting to her. The hot springs had made her a bit sleepy and relaxed. She felt the stiffness of traveling for two days way less. Also, the mattress that the previous inn had was pretty flimsy so she had slept weird and woke up still tired. Shun fantasized that the bed in this inn was nicer. It was strange because shinobi were super humans who could use the gravel as a comfy place to sleep, apparently, but Shun always thought that maaaybe… just maybe, it would be ok to seal a nice mattress in a scroll when leaving. Sleep was important after all.

Time stretched as she sat in a high tree and overlooked the inn. She swapped over to sitting on the edge of the rooftop soon as there were too many big spiders in the tree and Shun started feeling like she had trespassed in their home.

It was all calm until about ten o’clock when a big part of the company and locals were becoming more jolly after hanging out in the pub across the street. It was quite lively. Singing, cheering, dancing, the merchants could hold a drink, it seemed. Shun would observe calmly and circle around every few minutes.

It all died down at around midnight and only a couple people stayed inside the bar - only to venture out on the occasional tobacco break where the small groups would discuss work or the inflation - everyone remaining seemed a little drunk by then.

”What do you mean?!” someone shouted from the alley next to the inn and Shun walked over the rooftop to look down into it. It was very dimly lit so she couldn’t see who was there. She heard something ding against one of the trash cans, however, and descended into the alley. Her eyes adjusted a little better to the surroundings when she was closer to the ground. The only source of light was on the street. There was no one in the alley… she followed the direction she had heard the last noise in and would be lead around the inn to a staff entrance. She could see the door finish closing as soon as she got around the corner. With adrenaline now coursing her veins, she rushed through the door as weel and up the narrow staircase that followed. Shun emerged in a hall and only one door was ajar down the hall. She ran over and opened it!

”Cheers!” someone hollered as a group of men with belts tied around their foreheads hit their glasses together thus spilling sake to the sides.

”Oh! Shun-chan! Look! We’re shinobi, too!” someone shouted and all of them got up to run around the room leaning forward so they’d continuously fall… Shun closed the door and returned to her post. Everything seemed fine. She would tell what happened to the next person replacing her… hopefully that was Ashi. Telling this to Izusa would make her feel super uncool. Ashi, on the other hand, she could tell anything to.

And so, her shift came to an end and she retired to sleep.

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Words: 616
Tag: Uchiha Izusa Inuzuka Ashi
Shun: 395828

[Inuzuka Ashi]

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Uchiha Izusa & Nara Shun • Tea Country

"Yeah, they have their moments.” Ashi teased. "I’m actually the second home for all three of them. I help run the shelter where ninken end up when they need to be re-homed. Do you like animals?”

Ashi smiled politely at Izusa. It was a little awkward hanging around the guy now that Shun wasn’t with them. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to talk or just let him enjoy the soak in silence. Pōkupan was big enough that he could sit next to Ashi in the water with no problem. Bonzai, the youngest and most energetic of the pack, was constantly paddling back and forth across the surface of the bath. Shuga had gone for a quick dip but got out and shook her golden fur dry almost immediately.

"What sort of things do you do for fun?” Ashi asked with genuine curiosity. Just then he heard a low growl behind him and turned to see Shuga off in the corner baring her teeth and staring intently at Izusa. The teen furrowed his brow and looked all around. He didn’t sense anything wrong. It was strange. "I’m sorry.” Ashi apologized. "I don’t know what’s gotten into her… She’s very protective but she’s usually better around new friends.” He reached out but Shuga didn’t come closer. "I have to go.” He said as he stood up and grabbed his towel. The ninken followed him back into the changing area and he got dressed quickly before heading back to the room that the two male shinobi were sharing. He and the dogs piled onto the bed and Shuga laid with her head on her human’s chest until he drifted into a light sleep.

Later that night, he would get up as quietly as he could so as not to wake the Uchiha. The dogs could be quiet when they needed to be and his body language let them know that now was a moment for stealth. When they got outside he didn’t immediately see Shun but after a quick sniff of the warm night air he looked up towards the edge of the roof. He’d hop up next to her, allowing the dogs to wander about on the ground as they pleased. Ashi listened to her report and nodded before looking off in the direction she’d heard the noise. "Hmm… Not to worry! I’ll be listening for anything weird.” He said, touching a finger to the side of his nose and giving her a wink. "Now go get some rest!” He’d snap his fingers in her direction as she walked away and Pōkupan would obediently follow her to her room. If she didn’t notice him he’d sit outside her door and keep watch.

Ashi sat alone on the roof, watching the fireflies blink in and out lazily and the gentle hum of crickets. This really was a nice place when there weren’t so many people around. He wondered if one day nature would reclaim this place as it inevitably did all things. This moment of reflection was fleeting and he soon found a hole in the knee of his pants and started playing with it until he realized he’d made it way worse.

His head snapped up as a pained yelp echoed off the surrounding buildings. It took a second for his mind to process the sound. "Shuga?” He said scanning the ground below him. "Shuga!!!” He yelled and leapt down off the roof. Another sound caught his attention as Bonsai’s familiar howl sounded like an alarm. Ashi sprinted towards the sound and found Bonzai pawing at the door to Hayakawa Kichiro’s room. He immediately knew what had drawn the Shiba Inu hear, as his acute hearing picked up a faint gurgling sound. Now he could hear Pōkupan barking a few doors down, doing his best to wake the other shinobi. He busted the door open and stepped inside. The old man was lying on the floor gasping.

"What’s wrong? Hayaka-” He noticed a strange flowery smell and quickly located the source which was an empty cup. "Poison.” He confirmed to himself. He knelt beside Hayakawa and went to work, first numbing the old man and then removing as much poison from his stomach as he could using a bubble of water to capture the toxins and pull them out safely. He was just finishing this delicate work when he heard movement by the door. He was intensely focused on his patient, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead, and he assumed it must be Shun or Izusa so he didn’t look up. Ashi felt something impact the back of his head and for a moment the world seemed to swim around him before all went dark.

When the other shinobi arrived led by Pōkupan, they would find Ashi lying unconscious next to the old man who was stable but also still on the ground. A puddle of water soaking the floor next to him. Bonzai was just outside the door with fresh blood dripping from his teeth. Shuga was nowhere to be found.

Jikangire No Jutsu [Stall Out Technique]
Saikan Chūshutsu no Jutsu [Delicate Illness Extraction Technique]

You keep telling me to live right, To go to bed before the daylight. Don't you just wanna wake up, dark as a lake? Smelling like a bonfire, lost in a haze?

dandy ♫

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[Uchiha Izusa]

Or the day's vanity, the night's remorse

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Shun replied from the other side of the springs and Izusa settled into the soothing waters, still staring off as his mind raced about their assignment. "A shelter, hm?" he echoed as Ashi shared more about his dogs. "That's nice of you."

Then came a question about animals. Do I like them? He asked of himself, unsure as to the answer. In truth, he didn't think about them much. "Of course," he lied. "Birds especially." There was something... mildly pleasant he supposed about observing them in nature. When he was younger he certainly enjoyed the company of critters. But now...

It was just another of life's joys that had lost all feeling for him. Izusa watched the dogs lounge about in the springs, still wearing his faux smile while he listened to Ashi speak. Fun... a concept so foreign to him now that he could barely remember what it was. He took no vacations, rarely did anything that wasn't in service of his duties, and his hobbies were all but distant memories at this point. "I... write, a bit." Finally the instructor admitted, and this much was at least true at some point. "Poetry, mostly. If you can believe it." Long ago that was all he ever wanted to do.

But the pressures of his village, clan, and father would never allow for that. Izusa considered sharing a little more about his former passion before a growl interrupted him. He glanced to Shuga, meeting the dog's gaze with an unflinching stare. Canines are supposed to be good judges of character, he thought, feigning a slightly surprised look as the Inuzuka expressed confusion at the hound's reaction to him. It's no wonder she doesn't like me... she's the only one here who sees me. What he really was, that is. Past the façade of the modest, ever-smiling academy instructor.

He'd have to be extra careful around Ashi's dogs from now on. "That's alright," Izusa said, nodding as the Inuzuka excused himself and his hounds. "I'll be out soon." And then he waited a time, staying still in the soothing waters as he watched Ashi leave then returning to thoughts of their mission. If I'm right, the culprit will only get bolder.

All that was left to do now was for them to wait. Shun took the first watch, Ashi the second, and he was content to be left with the final one. Even as he and the Inuzuka retired to their room he could only feign sleep while he waited for his turn, his mind busy going over the events of their journey again and again. The hours passed without much fanfare at first... until the sound of howling outside caused him to narrow his weary eyes. Something's wrong.

Izusa was up and out of bed in an instant, taking up position near the window to see if he could catch any hint of movement outside. Nothing. I need to check on the old man. He left his hitai-ate, haori, scarf, and zori behind, grabbing only his katana as he rushed out the door barefoot dressed only in his yukata. One of Ashi's dogs met him past the door, and though it probably didn't care for him as Shuga did, it seemed content enough to act as a guide. If Shun wasn't already up he'd make sure to wake her with several sharp raps on her door. "Trouble," he'd say to the young Nara. "We need to find Hayakawa-sama." The instructor dashed as fast as his legs could carry him, pushing his speed to its limits as he ran towards the elder Hayakawa's room. Spotting the open door and one of the Inuzuka's other dogs, he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and prepared to draw it as he rounded the entrance. ...?!

Only to find Ashi and the old man both unconscious with a puddle of water nearby. Ashi-san was taken by suprise, he noted, clearing the room before crouching down to check the chūnin's vitals. His dark eyes shifted to Hayakawa next, and couldn't help but see an empty cup nearby. An assassin? He checked the man's vitals as well and after finding both to be breathing, Izusa furrowed his brow. "They're alive." One bit of good news, but time was short. The instructor glanced over his shoulder at Bonzai, catching sight of his bloodstained mouth as he nodded. "Look— he took a bite out of whoever did this." Izusa stood and took a step towards the dog, but halted after recalling their earlier hesitancy towards him. No time to dawdle... Shun'll have to handle this. Izusa turned to his former student, his expression as stern as it'd ever been. "Shun-chan," he began. "The culprit's hurt and on the run. I'm trusting you to track them down with the ninken's help." He looked to the Ashi and Hayakawa, then glanced around the room.

"I'll stay here to see if I can wake them. Hopefully gather some more intel while I'm at it." He hated the idea of sending her off on her own to do this... but from all that he knew about the hounds, himself, and Shun, this was the most efficient way. Hayakawa was the target here, so he couldn't exactly be left alone either. "Pick up their trail and follow it, but don't engage alone, got it? As soon as I wake Ashi-san I'll be right behind you." He looked to Shun and gave her an encouraging nod. "You can do this. Now go." Izusa wasted no time, turning and tending to both Ashi and Hayakawa while he investigated the scene. Trust was something he afforded only a select few people, but right now, he had to believe in his own teaching and Shun's growing abilities. So he shook the Inuzuka to try and wake him.

Time was short, so he forewent his usual false gentleness and became more forceful in his efforts. "Ashi," he called as he grabbed hold of the chūnin's collar. "Wake up! Shun needs us." Once the Inuzuka was lucid he'd move onto Hayakawa to do the same. He needed answers, but moreover, he needed to secure the client so he could help Shun.

[Nara Shun]

NARA SHUN CHRONICLES

- t h e  t a l e  o f -

A D V E N T U R E  I N  T E A  C O U N T R Y

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!?

Her body shot straight up to a sitting position and her duvet flew forward. The howling had woken her up. Her eyes wide and aimlessly searching the room for a cause of the sound, Shun couldn’t find it. What day or time was it? She had no clue. Almost right after, a knock came on the door and she could hear Izusa-san’s voice saying there’s trouble.

”C-coming!” she yelled and rushed to get out of bed. Her body was still a little asleep and she scrambled to pull off her PJs over her head while putting on her work clothes. In mere moments, while still settling in one of her shoes and attaching her projectile holster as she burst out of the room with a hefty bedhead (and leaving more than a mess behind her… it looked like a whirlwind had gone through her room) and ran down the corridor to where Bonsai and Pokupan were.

”What hap-ASHI!” she almost leapt over Izusa to check on him but just as she got close the chuunin said he was breathing. What in the world? Hayakawa-san was there too? The heck was happening in this mission. Wild animals were one thing but an attack in an inn? This was personal? The brief was that they’d have to guard the merchants as they found new routes not also while they slept. It was turning into a mess!

Shun could feel her heart beating loudly in her ears. It pounded against her lungs so hard that it made her chest high and her blood rate shot up. She took a moment to look around. Bonsai had blood on his face so she crouched down to check it out. She traced the stain. Not his blood. Good. The ninken were anxious… just then Izusa commented that Bonsai bit the culprit. Shun looked around in search of something.

”Wait… where’s Shuga?!” Had something happened?

Izusa saying her name snapped her back to reality. It was the first time Shun was thrown into a crisis situation like this. Her body and mind were not used to it so it took longer to compose herself than the boys. It was good to focus on something else - like Izusa. His voice was calm and it would ground her, too.

”You can count on me.” she nodded and beckoned the dogs to come with. There were two things. Find the bitten person and hopefully find Shuga. The girl took off with the dogs behind her. She was just happy that they came with her. They knew each other well enough that they’d help find whoever hurt Ashi.

”..... Wait a minute… my bedhead… IZUSA-SENPAI SAW MY HAIR LIKE THIS?!?!” her gut sunk in a millisecond. Mortifying. Hastily she combed her hair with her fingers. ”How is he going to like me now if he saw me like this?!” she pushed the thought out of her head because, obviously, other things were way more important but the girl could also feel multiple things at once.

Following down to the first floor, she’d follow the dogs to the kitchen at the back of the inn. The dogs and Shun made enough noise to wake others as they ran downstairs.

”How could you do that to the shinobi?!” Hayakava jr. shouted from the kitchen

”What no, I?!?!” Unknown male voice.

”Aaaaagh, put the knife down!”

”Argh!” CRASH!

Once Shun came to the room, she saw Shuga on the floor further away, she looked unconscious. There was a man on the floor with a big knife sticking in his chest. He was dead. Blood was pooling around him. A fearful expression was on his face. His arm was bleeding, too. Jagged wounds. Could possibly be a bite mark.

Shun rushed over to Shuga - she was breathing. One problem at a time. Hayakawa’s son said he had come down because he couldn’t sleep and ran into this stranger who had a knife. They struggled and in self defence, Hayakawa stabbed him with his own blade.

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Words: 693
Tag: Uchiha Izusa Inuzuka Ashi
Shun: 395828