ANBU: Card System In Naruto

Special thanks to #Mathias Zink for their donations on Patron.

...

ZAP 

"Eek!"

'Oh, right. She's a lightning-style user.'

[Serves you right.]

***

BZZT

Sparks flickered all over Kaori's body, her hair strained upright like a hedgehog. Her arms twitched, her muscles spasming, and unable to move, thankfully enough, she had a hand keeping her pants in place.

Mikoto still had that kind, motherly smile plastered across her face as she spoke,

"Oh dear~"

She chuckled, 

"Seems I haven't quite mastered the change in chakra nature yet. But you will forgive me, won't you? Senpai~"

Kaori twitched, trying her hardest not to fall over,

"N-no problem, Mikoto-san. It...it was a surprise that's all."

Mikoto's palm brushed against Kaori's ninja pouch, it would have been a disaster had it not been for the fact that she still had a hand stuck in her pocket,

"What's all this?"

She pulled one out, not bothering to remember the fact that only the ninja entrusted with the mission was allowed to see the scroll. Although, she did pause once she saw the letter 'C' on the scroll,

"Heading out on a mission are we?"

She inquired, 

"S-sort of, yes."

Kaori stammered out a response, regretting having not folded the scrolls properly. She hated having anything to do with their generation's 'Most Talented' Uchiha.

Mikoto was arrogant, at least when she was still a kid once she graduated from the Academy. With her incredible talent and hard work, she awakened the Sharingan at 9 and a week later, she graduated from the academy. Later she went on to pass the Chunin exams at 10 and became a Special Jonin with two tomoe Sharingan at just 12. Now, she was a Jonin at 18 with a three tomoe Sharingan. 

In fact, she could have broken Minato's record had she not been part of the Uchiha Clan elder's family. She got married about a year ago, and Kaori still couldn't quite wrap her head around the fact that Mikoto was underage when she got married...

'Why hasn't the FBI launched a raid against the Uchiha clan yet?'

"Last I heard of you, you joined the ANBU right?"

Mikoto asked, walking alongside Kaori, automatically making her way to Kushina's house. If there was anyone in the village who could rein in 'Mikoto of the black lightning,' the woman already had a Bingo book entry by 17.

GULP

"Yes,"

'Now leave me alone! Go and make an ultimate shinobi with Fugaku or something!'

Mikoto's grasp on her hand tightened,

"Hmm~ were you saying something?"

'Yikes!'

[Fact Recorded: Uchiha clan members, especially those with a Sharingan, are more sensitive to emotional changes than ordinary people. Keep up the good work!]

'Damn you!'

Mikoto, however, couldn't be bothered by questioning her further and continued acting as her support,

"Say, Kaori-Senpai, are you dating someone?"

'Where did that come from?'

Kaori frowned, not understanding what Mikoto was getting at. As far as Kaori could remember, Mikoto was a no-nonsense delinquent who would rather train than waste her time on boys,

"No, I don't really have time for that."

'Or rather, I have no interest in boys.'

Kaori was bent as they came, it wasn't a feeling of prejudice or anything! In her last life, she experimented and found that she simply preferred companions of the same sex... another reason why she was getting so flustered about Mikoto grabbing her hand,

"Figures,"

Mikoto sighed, 

"I heard the ANBU is pretty busy these days. Any inside news?"

'So that's what she's after.'

[The individual Mikoto has more tact than you.]

'Will you ever shut up?'

It was quite obvious that Mikoto was probing for details, probably because after her 'retirement' she'd been cut off from most of the Shinobi system. It was not as though she couldn't return or anything, just that Fugaku probably wouldn't agree to it.

"Who knows? Your guess's as good as mine."

Mikoto snorted, giving her the 'I know what you are getting at' side-eyes.

***

The first thing Kaori noticed was the open door... Kushina never leaves her door open, she's too scared for her limited edition instant ramen collection. The second thing was the muffled thuds coming from inside, she had stayed with the redhead long enough to know it was not her and Minato doing the deed.

Mikoto was the first one to react, her palm tightened around a kunai in Kaori's gear pouch and she lunged inside, not paying any attention to what was happening behind her. 

Technically speaking, it was a blunder on Kaori's part that Kushina might be in danger. But, if someone could take out that lazy bum of a Nara, then they were more than a match for her. 

It was a split-second decision, maybe it was the adrenalin or maybe it had something to do with how she had come to like Kushina, but she freed her hands. She snatched her pouch from the loose pants and darted in after Mikoto. The sight that greeted her could never be described in one word... or maybe it could? Pandemonium!

The sofa was overturned, someone had torn open the cushions, and the stuffing was flying everywhere. It looked as though someone had just dropkicked the fuckin' dining table, the plates were everywhere, one was even embedded on the wall next to the main door.

In the middle of all this mess were two figures, one with long red hair that floated like tails behind her and a black-haired one that was desperately trying to keep the scarce clothes she was wearing, well... at least they were enough to properly cover her privates, something the redhead seemed to be vehemently against.

'Huh?'

"What's going on here?"

Asked Mikoto, loudly enough to get the attention of both figures.

Kaori's breath hitched as she saw the narrow slits in Kushina's pupil,

'Who let the fox out!?'

[I believe it was 'Who let the dog out?']

'FCUK OFF!!!"

This was serious! 

Kushina may not be a perfect jinchūriki, but she sure as hell was not an unstable one. On top of that, she was powerful enough to suppress the Nine Tails inside her body. Only a powerful shock could have caused her to lose control, but what caused it!?

"GoOd! MoRe Of YoU!"

Her voice was strange, better yet, it was completely different from her usual soft but tomboyish tone.

"WATCH OUT!"

Warn Hebi as she jumped back from underneath her, sticking to the wall with her chakra and grabbing a kitchen knife along the way.

They surrounded her as best as they could, Hebi closing off the only window, Mikoto covering the balcony door, and Kaori standing in front of the main door that she had closed behind her when she burst inside,

"What's happened?"

Mikoto asked again, as she desperately tried to block Kushina's attack. Some landed, but those were merely flesh wounds, barely grazing her skin but taking off a chunk of cloth each time.

Hebi grimaced and Kaori noticed that she was not wearing her mask. What was hidden behind the mask could only be described as lazy and nice. Not beautiful, not handsome, nor ugly or grizzly, just nice to look at. She was panting, sweat dripping down her brow as she waited for her turn to get attacked,

"I-uh, might've accidentally knocked over some hot water into an instant ramen cup that was supposed to be hidden in a cupboard somewhere."

'So the lazy bum ate one of Kushina's LEs, figures.'

"What's the nine-tails up to?"

"KUHAHAHAHAHA!"

A wave of eerie chakra slammed into them, forcing them against the wall temporarily before they were back on their feet again,

"Watch out for the tails!"

CRACK

Whip crackled, or maybe it was just hair, against Mikoto's shoulder, tearing off her entire sleeve in one shot,

KUH

This one seems to have hurt quite a bit because she was glaring at Kushina with her Sharingan in full blaze,

"UcHiHa GiRl! YoU wOuLd Do NiCeLy!!!"

Suddenly, the redhead paused in her steps, unable to move even an inch,

"Shadow Paralysis Jutsu Complete!"

A strand of Hebi's shadow latched onto Kushina's shadow, holding her in one place,

"Nice work, Nara-san."

Mikoto took the chance given to her and lunged forward,

"I'm sorry Kushina!"

WHAM!

A punch straight to the stomach caused the redhead to double over, coughing and retching. The coat of red chakra slowly dissolved, getting sucked into the seal that kept the nine-tail in place.

Mikoto helped steady the now unconscious Kushina, taking one of her arms over her shoulder and nodding at Hebi to undo the paralysis jutsu. However,

"FoOlIsH uChIhA gIrL!"

SREECH!

RIP!

***{You can support my writing on my patron at: patreon.com/echoingdusk***