“Actually,” came Ibiki’s voice from the entrance, “there was a security seal on the door.”
“Oh, thank god!” I exclaimed. “If I’d actually gotten away with this I’d have to go nuke-nin just to retain some self-respect.”
“Why did you come here if you were expected to get caught?” He asked as he cautiously entered the room. A couple of ANBU I didn’t recognize followed him, spreading to either side in a well-rehearsed maneuver.
“Well, there’s always next time.” I replied, before dispelling myself with a soft pop. Shadow clone is such a handy technique.
“Security seals?” Jiraiya asked in surprise. “I thought you’d want to get ready for the tournament, maybe do some taijutsu work or learn one of those flashy elemental techniques you kids always get so excited over. Why security seals?”
“Honestly? I figure I can already beat half the people in the tournament, and the other half are far enough out of my league that a month isn’t going to make any difference. I’d rather spend my time training for whatever happens after the exam, and I’m trying to become one of those rare infiltration types who can actually fight and handle regular missions too. I’ve got the combat end covered pretty well, and I’ve talked Anko into showing me a few things, but an infiltrator who can’t get past ninja security isn’t going to be worth much.”
“Well, aren’t you a sneaky little minx,” he laughed. “Sure, kid. Let’s see how much you can handle.”
The seal on the door to the ANBU archives was such a work of art I suspected the Fourth Hokage must have created it. It would take years of practice to reach the point where I could disarm it, and Jiraiya would probably get suspicious and stop teaching me long before then.
But the seal on the walls and floor to block earth techniques was a lot less sophisticated. Phasing into the room was virtually impossible, but forming an Earth Clone inside it? Not so tough.
“Let’s see now. Interrogation transcripts, intelligence intercepts, files on deceased ninja, op reports — do these guys ever throw anything away? Ah, this looks promising. Foreign jutsu. See Uchiha records? Well, ok, I guess that makes sense.”
There was a whole section dedicated to Uchiha activity from before the massacre, including what was apparently a pretty active jutsu theft program. They’d lure some foreign chuunin into a big flashy jutsu battle, have an Uchiha copy their techniques, then write out all the details and file them with ANBU. It was a pretty sweet system.
Yeah. Imagine how strong Konoha would be if they actually taught us this stuff, instead of leaving it to gather dust in a basement.
“Don’t be silly. It would be foolish to teach such powerful techniques to ninja who haven’t proven themselves. Of course, no matter how loyal someone seems they could always be a spy, and if our ninja start using stolen techniques it will be obvious to the other villages what we’re doing. So obviously the smart thing to do is to have the Hokage and a couple of senior jounin pick through the reports and learn whatever they’re interested in, and then file it all away and forget about it.”
Riiiiiight. When we get out of this loop I’m going to enjoy kicking their asses. Think Naruto would want some of this stuff?
“Are you kidding? He probably found out about this years ago. But these Mist techniques would be perfect for Hinata. Hidden Mist, Water Clone, a bunch of Water Release variants. Yeah, can you see her pulling a Hidden Mist over a Syrup Capture Field and going to town?”
I like it. Hey, what about Earth techniques for us?
“Like we can’t make our own? But yeah, let’s see what they’ve got.”
I restored just Hinata’s memories the next time around, so she could have a chance to do some practicing without having Naruto sitting around bored. I dragged her off to a training ground after the written exam, but she gave me an odd look when I started describing the techniques I’d found for her.
“It’s been awhile since you restored me, hasn’t it?”
“Um, not really,” I replied. “A couple of short loops finding out about the archive, a few long ones learning security seals, and a couple more short ones working out how to get copies of technique scrolls out of there without getting caught. Maybe four months total. Why?”
“It bothers me that you had to do it alone.”
She had the most adorable way of biting her lip when she was worried about something, and I was sorely tempted to kiss her. But this definitely wasn’t the right time.
“Some of that’s inevitable. I can only copy a few years worth of memories, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to take longer than that to get out of the loop. But if we can get you up to a good chuunin level I promise there’s lots of interesting things we could do together. I still haven’t figured out much about why the invasion happens, and you could be a big help with that.”
I’d thought she just wanted to feel useful, but her expression was still troubled. After a moment she asked, “Can you do more than copy?”
It took me a moment to figure out what she was talking about, but once I did I realized I should have expected this. I sighed, and expanded a nearby rock into a bench for the two of us to sit on.
“You mean, can I edit your memories?”
She nodded.
“No. Oh, I know Tsunade’s selective amnesia techniques, so I could make someone forget things. But I refuse to research anything that could lead to actual mind control. I’m not going to become that kind of person!”
Hinata sat next to me, and put a concerned hand on my shoulder. “You sound like you…have experience. With that.”
I nodded. “There’s a version of Sasuke in the loop as well, and…well, let’s just say that the Sharingan can be a terribly effective brainwashing tool.”
Her eyes were wide. “I never thought he would do such a thing. Especially to you.”
“Yeah, well, don’t forget he’s been getting that cursed seal put on him by Orochimaru every loop for who knows how long. Plus, let’s be honest, he wasn’t exactly well adjusted to start with. In retrospect it doesn’t seem that surprising, that he’d be willing to… do things to me… if it improved his chance of getting revenge. Anyway, you definitely don’t have to worry about me trying to do some kind of artful manipulation thing on you with the memory restorations. God, if I ever caught myself thinking like that I’d find a way to kill myself for real.”
“I believe you, Sakura,” Hinata said seriously. “Thank you for telling me. It’s very, um, uncomfortable, to be in this situation.”
“I’m sure.” I replied. “Look, if you want me to stop doing this I will. I could just hold your memories until the loops end and then restore them.”
She actually considered it, but in the end she shook her head. “No, I would like to see this through. But again, it means a lot to me that you made the offer.” She contemplated my face for a moment before going on. “You really meant it, didn’t you? About helping me, and about N-Naruto?”
I smiled. “We’ve got to get you past the blushing and stammering stage, girl. But yes, I did. I’ve spent enough time with you now that I’ve started to understand what Naruto sees in you. I could really use a friend, even one who isn’t exactly in the loop. Maybe especially one who isn’t. I’m afraid of what it will do to us, if we have to live like this for too long. As far as afterwards is concerned, who knows? I don’t know how long it will be, or how I’ll feel about anything then. But I can tell you that right now there are three people in the world I’d be willing to share him with, and you’re one of them.”