"The mistress has an assignment"
Mizuki stiffened as he was bringing the cigarette to his lips, he sprung off the wall and got to his knees in the alley of Konoha redlight district.
"I hear and obey"
Circular lenses glimmer in the dark against a backdrop of a pure white smile.
"good"
Kuro-chan was surrounded by killers.
She was in her happy place.
Of course, aside from Ku-kun, those present didn't really see themselves that way. Naruko seemed a little naive, proclaiming her dream of becoming Hokage upon meeting her—never quite realizing that the title was synonymous with being the most skilled killer in the village.
Hinata didn't share that same naivety. She seemed like a sweet girl, the kind who wouldn't hurt a fly. But Kuro knew that image wouldn't last. The academy did its job well—it always produced the best of Konoha's murderers.
And that's what they were. Murderers.
Kuro could just tell. She felt it in her bones, saw it in their eyes.
If ever faced with a situation where death was necessary to protect what they held dear, they would kill without hesitation. That willingness to end life hung on them like a naked blade. That's why most of her classmates kept their distance from Ku-kun. They could feel that exposed edge, even if they couldn't name it.
Being in an enclosed space with an armed stranger was always uncomfortable—unless you trusted them completely. And shinobi were always armed. To the untrained, being near them felt like standing under a constant, invisible threat.
The cold hand of death creeping up your spine, holding you hostage.
It was a deeply unsettling feeling.
Kuro found it intoxicating.
It made focusing on her lesson a bit arduous but she endured.
"Bend your knees, it keeps your centre of gravity low and makes it easier to dodge or lunge." Ku-kun said while placing his hands on her shoulders and lowering her stance.
She had to suppress a shiver of delight at being handled by hands that could just as easily tear her limb from limb.
"And keep your head up, line of sight is important." He said while clasping his hand around her throat to adjust her. Slender fingers ghosting over her pulse point, bringing her head up and locking her gaze with the wine red of ku-kun's eyes.
Ah, she might need some new underwear after this.
Kuro-chan's blush throughout our training session was absolutely adorable.
She could be a little unsettling, sure—but I was beginning to think she was just a socially awkward girl with a shinobi fetish and an obsessive love for the color black. I'd helped her with the basics of her stance, and now she was out in the field, practicing her kata with Hinata as her partner.
Teaching seemed to be good for Hinata. She showed more confidence guiding Kuro-chan than I thought she was capable of. That was a good sign. While she kept Kuro occupied, I could focus my attention on my blonde friend—and her issue.
The Bunshin.
"Do it again," I ordered Naruko. We were both sitting in the shade under a tree. She faced away from me, my palms resting on her back.
"Ugh, fine," she groaned, clearly frustrated, but complied, running through the hand signs. I narrowed my senses, focusing on how her chakra moved. The jutsu's structure started to take form, but it was quickly whipped back and forth, inundated by the storm that was Naruko's chakra. The shape collapsed into a battered, malformed mess.
When she released it, the jutsu crashed into existence distorted and malfunctioning. A sharp pop rang out as smoke burst in front of me, clearing to reveal a sickly-looking clone slumped on the ground.
"Oh, come on!" Naruko shouted, throwing her hands up.
"It could be worse?" I offered hesitantly. "The jutsu could've just failed entirely."
Naruko scrubbed at her scalp in frustration—so hard I worried she might injure herself.
"Stupid teachers and their stupid tests. Stupid jutsu," she muttered. Then, louder, "Who even uses Bunshin anyway?!"
I began rubbing gentle circles into her shoulders, trying to soothe her. She stiffened at first—had I gone too far with the touching?—but soon melted into me. And I kid you not… she purred.
Pretty sure foxes didn't purr. So that was all her. Or maybe supernatural foxes did purr? Now I was curious—what sound did a mountain-sized kitsune make? I shook the thought away. I was nowhere near ready to poke around Naruko's seal. Not yet. But when I was, that fox better prepare itself. My wizard's curiosity would be satisfied.
"I can totally be an awesome ninja without dumb clones," she mumbled after a while, her voice sleepy but still annoyed.
We both knew that wasn't the point, so I didn't dignify it with a response.
"Feel better?" I asked, still rubbing her back.
"No. Keep rubbing," she said petulantly.
I flicked her ear. "Hey!"
But I kept rubbing anyway, my mind drifting back to the problem. Her inability to use the jutsu came down to one thing.
Chakra control.
If you didn't have it, you didn't have it. Sure, I could help her improve over time, but that could take months—maybe even years. And she needed a solution now.
So, if I couldn't fix the caster…
Why not alter the jutsu?
I pulled my hands from her back, but she barely reacted, simply leaning against me until she was resting on my chest. I didn't bother moving her. Instead, I raised my hands in front of her and started working through hand signs.
So how would I alter the jutsu to make it usable for Naruko? The simplest answer was lowering its chakra control requirement. Of course, I wasn't skilled enough to do that without drawbacks. The likely cost? A spike in chakra usage. But considering Naruko was the village's demon container, that wasn't exactly a dealbreaker.
I began molding chakra, letting my hands move through combinations—adding signs, removing them—watching how the jutsu's structure shifted in response. It was like sculpting a puzzle that constantly fought back.
I don't know how long I worked. But when I came to, I had the first prototype. The thing was something like 88 seals long.
I opened my eyes to see the sun starting to set. Kuro and Hinata were chatting nearby under the same tree. Naruko had fallen asleep against me.
I gently shook her awake.
She sat up and stretched, arms reaching to the sky. "Man, that was a great nap," she said with a smile. "You make a great pillow."
I rolled my eyes. "You're welcome."
Hinata and Kuro shuffled over. Hinata asked, "What were you doing all this time?"
"I was figuring out a way for Naruko to use the Bunshin," I replied.
Hinata's eyes lit up. "That's wonderful! I'm really happy for her."
Kuro tilted her head, eyes narrowed. "You can make jutsu?" she asked, intrigued.
"I've only made one so far," I admitted. "And I can barely use it."
Hinata stepped in again. "That's still very impressive. Very few can create jutsu, especially so young and with only academy training. You should be proud."
Her sudden vehemence caught me off guard. "You should be proud," I countered. "If your sparring today was anything to go by, you're going to be a great ninja."
Naruko agreed enthusiastically.
Hinata flushed, stammering out a thank-you, her confidence vanishing under the praise.
Kuro leaned closer. "So? What did you come up with?"
There was that intense look again—unsettling, just like when we first met. But I was starting to get used to it.
"I figured that Naruko's chakra control could use some... improvement," I said carefully. "So I played around with the jutsu and boosted its stability. The cost was an increased chakra requirement. It's probably useless to anyone without jōnin-level reserves—and they probably have better jutsu anyway."
Naruko cut in, bouncing in place. "Show me! Show me, show me, show me!"
I swatted her hands away and flicked her nose. "Calm down."
I had her sit down and mimic my hand signs. She groaned after ten.
"It's eighty-eight seals," I told her.
Her eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?!"
"It's just a prototype," I promised. "I'll shorten it later. Right now, I just need to see if it works. I don't have the chakra reserves to test it myself."
She calmed down and nodded, then focused. To her credit, she went through all 88 seals, her concentration unwavering.
With a soft puff of chakra smoke, a clone appeared at her side.
A perfect replica.
But... something felt off.
I reached out to touch it—and it was solid. The clone startled at my touch and jumped. Naruko jumped too, and then both stumbled to the ground, eyes rolling.
Hinata and I leapt to our feet, rushing to make sure she was okay.
Maybe testing out a random jutsu without adult supervision wasn't a good idea.