Shino Aburame, final year student of the Hokage Shinobi Academy, sat stoically as Iruka Umino droned on, his dark sunglasses facing the teacher. However, the stoic boy was only paying token attention to the teacher's lecture. Instead, the spiky-haired brunette contemplated one Naruko Uzumaki, heiress and founder of the Zagu clan.
Naruko…was an enigma, to say the least. She seemed like a normal girl, who at first glance appeared to be wearing a purple bodysuit under short shorts that barely qualified as pants and a t-shirt that stopped above her stomach. Until a closer inspection revealed that the bodysuit was actually hard chitin. And that she had skeletal wings with deadly looking claws. Aside from that, she was completely normal.
Then there was the way she acted. One moment she'd be barely paying attention to Mr. Umino, the next, she was hanging off his every word. She'd be somewhat bubbly one instance, and deadly serious the next. More extremely, most days she'd be the happiest person on earth, but lately, once a month, well, you'd best tread lightly around her, to say the least. Still, Shino couldn't help but be taken in by her.
However, what perplexed Shino the most was his own swarm of kikkaichu, the very ones that resided within his body with the queen safely tucked away next to his heart. Under normal circumstances, kikkaichu were indifferent at best to people not an Aburame. However, Shino's swarm absolutely adored Naruko, for reasons not even they could explain. On many occasions, Shino had caught the blonde, bewhiskered girl actually talking to kikkaichu that had congregated around her as if she could understand them. But that was impossible. Right?
Then again, reflected Shino, his father had seen fit to sponsor Naruko as the founder of a new clan, so maybe there was something to that idea. Whatever the case may be, the Aburame heir decided as class let out for the day, Naruko was a mystery he'd figure out, one way or another.
-CoB-
Naruko reveled in the feeling of the wind through her hair as she flipped and twirled across the rooftops of Konoha. Despite having a long talon on her heel that made her feet mimic high-heels, Naruko's balance was impeccable. Even causing heart attacks at her death defying stunts, the blonde never wavered, sticking each and every landing with perfect aplomb.
Seeing her destination, the refurbished apartment complex requisitioned for her new and future clan, Naruko increased her pace. Rebounding off the tips of her deceptively strong wings, the girl flipped end over end to land gently on her balcony. Flipping her hair back over her shoulder with a smirk, Naruko entered the master suite and stripped.
As what little clothes she wore fluttered down to the ground, Naruko stretched. She never did like wearing clothes; they made her feel confined and restrained. It wasn't like she needed them, as her genitals and developing breasts were covered up by a sheath of chitin (which had the added bonus of providing her with all the support she'd ever need without a bra). The only reason Naruko wore clothes in the first place was that there were decency laws that not even she could flaunt.
Stepping out of the bedroom, Naruko went to the kitchen to make ramen, waiting impatiently for the three minutes it took to cook (she didn't care what anybody said, three minutes was not instant). After the three minutes were finally up, Naruko took her steaming ramen to the living room and plopped down on the couch. Sitting cross-legged, the blonde slurped her ramen slowly, savoring the flavor. Table manners had been the first thing Tsunade had taught her growing up.
Naruko sighed as she looked out the window. Granny Tsunade was gone on one of her trips again. When she was younger, Granny Tsunade would leave Naruko under the care of her apprentice Shizune while she would go to remote villages and give check-ups and medical attention to those in need. Sometimes, it would take a week, sometimes a month before Tsunade came home. The longest the slug Sannin was gone on one of her trips had been six months, but that was the year an epidemic swept through the southern Land of Fire, with Tsunade following the outbreak to devise a cure before it hit Konohagakure or another major population center. Once Naruko was old enough to take care of herself, Tsunade began to take Shizune along with her.
That was not to say that Tsunade Senju was a bad or neglectful caretaker, far from it. The last Senju adored Naruko like the daughter she'd never had, just as Shizune saw the blonde as the little sister she'd never had. Together, Tsunade and Shizune instilled values and manners into Naruko. They listened to her pains, and took care of her when she was sick (which, oddly, only happened once when she was seven) or hurt (which never lasted long at all). But most importantly, Naruko grew up loved and nurtured.
Naruko sighed as she put down the empty bowl on the coffee table. Before she left, Tsunade had promised to be there waiting at the doors to the academy tomorrow. Unfortunately, the last Senju had sent word to Naruko that the roads back to Konoha had been washed out by heavy rains. That sadly meant that Tsunade would not be there to see Naruko graduate from the academy like she'd promised. Still, while that made Naruko a bit depressed, she'd rather her godmother and sister-figure stay safe rather than risk their health to keep a promise.
Shaking her thoughts away, Naruko reached out a hand at the empty bowl. For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, the chitin-covered girl's eyes glowed a reddish purple. Slowly, shakily, the bowl wobbled up into the air. Naruko's breath began to become ragged and her heat stacks began to vent profusely as she struggled to keep the bowl in the air. Finally, the bowl sunk back down to the table, and Naruko slumped forward in relief, the glow gone from her blue eyes. Breathing heavily, Naruko looked at the clock. Forty-five minutes: five minutes past her last personal record, and she hadn't cracked the bowl this time either.
Still breathing somewhat heavily, Naruko made her way to the bathroom. Starting a shower, Naruko contemplated her unusual ability. It was getting stronger, but it didn't yet feel complete, if that made any sense. She kept discovering new aspects of it—telekinesis, energy blasts, electrokinesis, etc.—and yet, she somehow knew exactly how to keep it under control. It was…strange, even for her brand of unusualness.
Sighing at her inability to unravel her own mysteries, Naruko turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. Drying off with but a thought and a flick of mental power, Naruko went to go to bed. She had a big day ahead of her.
-CoB-
Naruko emptied out her lungs with an annoyed huff as she watched the other kunoichi trainees fighting Mizuki Tora. Honestly, it was rather embarrassing to her gender. Sighing as she watched another girl get tossed around, Naruko leaned against the tree. Honestly, out of the thirteen girls in her class, only two—TWO, one of which was her—could be said not to be a fangirl. Indeed, said fangirls were currently staring at the window of their classroom, trying to catch a glimpse of their 'heartthrob' Sasuke Uchiha while the boys took their written tests (Naruko honestly had no idea why the boys and girls had their written and hand-to-hand tests separately).
Naruko shook her head in exasperation. How many would fail their written test because they were too busy salivating out the window at that emo of theirs? Still—Naruko couldn't help but chuckle as Ami, one of her more vocal…detractors took a nosedive into the academy pond—it was pretty entertaining, watching these shallow and snobby girls be tossed around like bowling pins at a carnival. Her smile soon devolved into a scowl however, as she scratched at her hard skin. She was molting again, and it itched like the dickens. It happened every time she had a growth spurt, and it took forever. Plus, the one-size too small chitin made it hard to breath at times, like she was wearing a too-tight corset.
Mizuki Tora, a somewhat tall, arrogant-faced man with straight, shoulder-length silver-white hair stood straight and swiped his hands together as if dusting them off. Shaking his head at the trainee's poor performance, Mizuki picked up his clipboard and made a note. Putting down the board, he surveyed the students waiting to have their turn. As his gaze stopped on a blonde scratching at her skin he inwardly sighed.
"Naruko Uzumaki, you're up." As the purple-skinned girl strode into the sparring ring, Mizuki reflected on how this little girl had impacted his life.
-CoB-
At one time, Mizuki, bitter over once again being passed over for the chance at promotion, had been approached by a stranger. This man claimed that Konoha had been holding him back, and had broached the possibility of spying for the traitor Orochimaru, who would supposedly give him the respect and power he deserved. The silver-blue haired teacher had seriously been considering accepting the proposal.
Then came the big reveal. With the Aburame clan sponsoring her, Naruko was reintroduced to the populace of Konoha as the holder of a new bloodline. However, there were rumors about her and the origins of her bloodline, rumors that soon reached the ears of Mizuki. Among them were whispers that the traitor Orochimaru was involved, whispers that made Mizuki reconsider the spy's proposal.
It was no secret that Orochimaru had committed horrific experiments on sixty or so orphans, trying to transplant bloodlines among other things. It was also no secret that there had been only one survivor, though said survivor's identity was above top secret. Mizuki honestly hadn't really put much thought into it at the time, shrugging it off as none of his business, and privately agreeing with Orochimaru's public declaration of 'they were only useless orphans.' However, the fact that the snake sage had experimented on Naruko of all people spoke volumes of just how little the man respected human life. If Orochimaru could experiment on a demon container (arguably the best deterrent resource of any Hidden Village) with no regards to their survival, what would he do to someone such as him, a mere Chuunin?
Shaking his head from old thoughts, Mizuki turned his attention to Naruko. "Alright, you know the rules: no jutsu, no bloodline techniques, and no weapons; taijutsu only."
Nodding, Naruko took a deep breath and took the opening stance of the self-made Arekuruu ryū no odori, the dance of the raging dragon. Hunched over, with sharp teeth and claws bared and skeletal wings unfurled menacingly, Naruko was the very image of an angry dragon ready to attack. As soon as Mizuki gave the signal, Naruko lunged forward.
Mizuki jumped back to avoid being skewered as Naruko landed on all fours and stabbed forward with the thumb claws on her wings, much like a scorpion would strike with its tail. The blue-silver haired teacher was pleased to note that instead of resting on her laurels or falling back, the blonde stabbed the tips of her wings' fingers into the dirt and launched herself at Mizuki, swiping viciously at him with bared claws. Stepping back, Mizuki lashed out with a spinning kick, only for Naruko to flip over it with a handless cartwheel. Upon landing, the teacher spun around and was forced to bend over backwards to avoid a pair of wings that came sweeping at him.
Having decided that he had seen enough, Mizuki jumped back several feet and called the fight to an end (True, the fight had been short, but given Naruko's past performance in taijutsu, the test was merely a formality). "Well, done Naruko; that will be all." Watching as the blonde girl bowed and left the ring, Mizuki noted that she was breathing shallowly, as if her breathing was restricted. Then he noticed that the purple-skinned girl's chitin seemed…loose as she scratched at it. 'Ah, she must be molting again.' He paused in his notes as a blush crept over his face. 'Wow that was awkward when that first happened.' Blushing heavily, Mizuki tried to forget that little embarrassing incident as he continued the taijutsu test.
-CoB-
Eventually, both male and female halves of the class were gathered in their third-floor classroom for their ninjutsu portion of their finals. Most everyone was in one of three states: bored, full of test anxiety, or both. Under normal circumstances, Naruko would be one of those who were bored and/or anxious. However, at the moment, she was more concerned with the itching under her chitin plates.
"Gah!" Naruko grumbled under her breath. "Why does it always itch so blasted much!?"
Shlorp-CLUNK! With a wet noise and the hollow sound of wood on wood, the chitin Naruko was scratching at finally popped off and landed on the desk, revealing a layer of soft new carapace on her forearm. It would completely harden before long, like always.
Sighing in relief, Naruko picked up the portion of skin that had just sloughed off. It was really quite fascinating really how the entire portion of carapace on her forearms would come off like that in one piece. It looked like a glove—a really spiky, organic glove. The first time it happened, in the middle of class no less, everyone had freaked out under the false impression that her arm had fallen off. It was amusing how Mizuki-sensei had shrieked like a little girl on helium when it came off right in front of him.
Taking the forearm 'glove', Naruko took out a scroll and sealed it into the attached pocket dimension. Whenever she molted, the chitin covered girl tended to give the pieces of 'skin' that she shed to a blacksmith that Tsunade knew. The man would take the pieces of chitin and craft them into unique pieces of armor, giving a portion of the profits to Naruko once they sold. With the pliability of leather (once treated) and a tensile strength to rival iron or steel (depending on the body part the chitin came from), the Zagu armor, as it came to be known, was very popular amongst the shinobi ranks. The fact that it was made from human parts might have been off-putting to some, but shinobi were anything but squeamish.
As the smoke from the sealing dissipated, Naruko heard her name called. Standing up, Naruko followed the proctor into the exam room. After leading the purple-carapaced girl into the room, the proctor left and shut the door behind him. Naruko was left alone with Mizuki and her other teacher, Iruka Umino.
Iruka, a chunin with spiky brown hair kept in a short ponytail and a scar across the bridge of his nose that gave him a passing resemblance to a bottlenose dolphin, held out three cards to Naruko. "Okay, Naruko. Please choose a card and perform the technique displayed on it."
Taking a deep breath, Naruko pulled at the middle card. She flipped it over and looked at it. Iruka took the card from Naruko and looked at it as well. "Ah. Excellent. Alright, show us what you've got."
-CoB-
As Naruko skipped joyfully out from the Academy with a new forehead protector, eyes full of cold, calculating malice followed her every move. As the chitinous blonde bounded down the street, the figures the eyes belonged to followed from the shadows. The specimen would be returning with them. Their master demanded it.
AN: Well, I am back. I wish to thank everyone who sent their condolences after my Grandfather's death. I apologize for not posting anything for a while, but between finals, looking for work, and prepping Grandpa's house for sale, I haven't had time to really work on any of my stories until now.
Anyways, onto Q&A:
246vili: Well, she's introduced as a bloodline holder. Seeing as Kisame's blue, well, Naruko probably isn't the weirdest people have seen. Case in point: the Aburame clan. They have bugs in their bodies.
Narutofan020: Probably not, not outside of Omake. As for Abathur, the guy can mutate zerg from entirely different solar systems. Who's to say he can't do the same from a mindscape.
Guest (Feb 25): Yes, and maybe.
Morganoth: nope.
Dragonaut344Doomed: Well, you'll just have to wait and see.
Haruka Kasumi: Umm…I don't know. We'll burn that bridge when we get there.
Guest (Feb 25): Yes, and maybe.
Morganoth: nope.
Dragonaut344Doomed: Well, you'll just have to wait and see.
Haruka Kasumi: Umm…I don't know. We'll burn that bridge when we get there.