Chapter 12
Itachi and Amejisuto stood in the middle of the forest they liked to train in. There were eight targets along some trees and one behind a rock where they couldn't see it. The Ishi stood to the side as she watched her sensei take a few breaths and turn on his sharingan. He leaped high into the air, doing a half back flip, throwing six kunai in one direction and another three immediately after. The three hit the first round of them, sending all kunai in different directions. He landed back on the ground and they both watched as all kunai hit the middle of each target, even in the blind spot behind the rock.
"That was awesome!" Amejisuto cheered.
"That was a demonstration of what you will soon be doing."
"What?! But I don't have the sharingan! I won't be able to exceed my body's limits like you can! If I even try to stay in the air that long, I'll fall on my head and die," she worried.
"Your jutsu has improved greatly, but your weapon skills are average. While training to do this, you will have to manipulate the wind to make up for not having the sharingan. It will help you get better aim and strengthen you more when using weapons, and it will also increase your agility and chakra control," Itachi explained.
"Wow, I never knew something like that would benefit that much," the brunette said in amazement.
"First things first: Manipulating the wind so you can stay suspended in air for a longer time. Do you have any jutsu that would help with that?"
"Well there might be something in the scroll that my mom gave me for my birthday. I haven't read all the techniques yet." They went back to their house and she got the scroll from the back of her closet where the other scrolls and weapons were. They sat down in the dojo and opened it. "Earth cloak… Grass bombs… How to speak the language of trees... Ahah!" She pointed at a diagram. "There's a jutsu for floating, though it would take lots of practise."
"I don't expect you to learn the whole kunai target method in a day, but you should set goals. How about… One week to master the wind jutsu, another to improve on your target practise, and another to mix it together and perfect it," the raven suggested.
"That sounds good. I should start right now!" Amejisuto quickly looked over the diagram and stood up straight. She concentrated on trying to spread her chakra to the air around her body. Unfortunately, she tried that for several hours without taking a break and used up all her chakra. Itachi could see with his sharingan that the last hour of her efforts were mildly successful; some of her chakra could be seen seeping out and connecting, almost forming a full-body air cloak.
He sighed as she collapsed yet again. "You really have to work on making a chakra reserve so you don't use it all up. This is the second time this week," he helped her up and directed her to the kitchen so he could make her some tea that would help keep her a bit more energised. It would be terrible if she fell asleep, since she would most likely have to take a day of resting.
"I'll pay a visit to my mom and ask if she knows any way to do that," the Ishi replied. "I'll do that after I finish this tea, actually. I should also visit Sora. It might keep my energy up."
"Should I come with you in case you collapse?"
She chugged down the rest of her tea and stood up. "No, this time I left just enough chakra in me to walk, and this tea has re-energised me. Thanks for making it. I’ll see ya later," she waved. 'I guess today is the day I finally face her,' she thought as she quickly grabbed something from her room and ran out of the house. Once she got to the Ishi district, she looked down at the thing she was holding. One 'get out of bet free as long as you admit I'm right' card that her cousin gave her for her birthday. She got to her house and knocked on the door, instantly being greeted by the bubbly blonde.
"Oh Ameji! So nice to see you! And I see you have a certain little card with you," she said slyly.
"As long as I don't have to dance, I'll admit it," Amejisuto sighed.
"Go on, say the words," her cousin leaned closer.
"Alright, alright, but don't go around telling people or I'll put you in the hospital." The brunette took a deep breath and said the sentence that she had gotten used to saying many times to her cousin. "I admit that you, Sora Ishi, the master of bets and all things scandalous, are right and have won this bet." The blonde Ishi squealed and leaned even closer, anxious to hear her next words. "I, Amejisuto Ishi, have fallen in love with Itachi Uchiha."
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"Deidara, Kisame, your mission is to capture the three tailed demon," Pain said to the bomb enthusiast and shark-like man. "It has no jinchuriki. It might be more powerful, but less intelligent, so use that in your favor."
"Hey! I just captured the one tails three months ago, yeah! Why do I have to get this one so soon? Un!" Deidara complained.
"I'm looking forward to it. The three tails lives in the large lake by Kirigakure. I used to go there all the time to train as a seven swordsman member," Kisame said excitedly.
"It looks like a large turtle," the leader informed, ignoring the comments.
"How large?" Asked Deidara.
"About fifty of your clay birds that you fly on."
"Awesome, yeah! The extraction will be easier too and there won't be any spirit killing involved!"
"Let's go, girly boy," Kisame turned and walked out the door.
"Hey! Just because I have long blonde hair does not mean I'm girly! I'm about as manly as they come, unlike you, fish face. Yeah," Deidara ran after him.
"Really? How?"
"I'm a hundred percent human, yeah!"
Pain was left with a headache as the two walked down the halls and out of the hideout. "Well, no matter who he's with, he's not content unless he's bickering."
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"Hah! I knew it! Well, I said you wouldn't last a month, but oh well, I bet a year!" Sora laughed. Amejisuto sighed and face palmed.
"Yes, well, keep it to yourself. I'm not even acting like I have any interest around him, and so far, my acting is working. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go see Mom for some advice on something."
"Is it advice for your loooove life?" the blonde teased.
"I don't have one, so shut up." the younger cousin walked away to go see her mother on the other side of the Ishi district. She was greeted by many people along the way and realised that she never visited her old home and hadn't seen her mother since her birthday. "Wow, time flies," she laughed. She entered her mom's home without knocking and made her way to the kitchen where she knew she would probably be having tea and snacks while signing papers. She was usually on a schedule and was predictable.
"Mother," she bowed when the Ishi leader looked up and smiled. "I'm sorry I haven't visited in a while. I've been caught up in training and missions."
The older woman blew softly, making different vibrations in the air. It was the language of the wind; a secondary language for the Ishi clan. It made not having a voice much more tolerable for the woman. "How is life with the Uchiha clan?"
"It's fun but exhausting. I keep using up all my chakra by accident. That's the main reason I'm here right now."
"What do you need?"
"Itachi suggested I ask if there's a way to keep a small portion of my chakra locked away so I don't use it all up and pass out or collapse," the brunette explained.
The leader smiled. "I knew it wouldn't be long till you would ask me. There is a way to store your chakra, but it only saves just enough for you to stay awake. You would still be weak and powerless."
"Anything is better than things going dark and waking up a few hours later in my room. It's kind of embarrassing and I feel bad that Itachi sometimes has to carry me from wherever we’d been training."
"You always did use too much chakra. I don't know how you even made it to Jonin."
"Mom!" the young Ishi playfully shouted.
"It's a really simple technique," Sirami stood up, showed a few hand signs and then sat down again. "That's all you need to do before training or going into a fight.”
"Thank you so much! Well, I should go now. Itachi might get worried if I'm out too long," Amejisuto stood up and hugged her mom. "Goodbye, mother. I’ll make sure to visit again soon."