84: Roots of Trust

If someone were to have asked even just a short while prior, Sumika mused, what it felt like to sprout a new limb... well she probably wouldn't have known what to say to that at all.

Perhaps she would have just stared in confusion, for after all there was always plenty of that to go around. Or perhaps she might have warily considered the intentions behind asking such a thing, else why even bring it up unless the topic was somehow relevant?

Did people around here consider sprouting new limbs something of a predictable occurrence? Could one reasonably expect to run into people sprouting new limbs willy-nilly? The faintest flash of not-exactly-a-memory told her such a thing seemed unlikely, but then again... Konoha did have quite powerful shinobi, was that something they just... did? Would they expect Sumika herself would? Was that a specific skillset, or clan inheritance or something? Something they do in wartime, to mitigate injuries perhaps (Oh, Tsunade might know)? Was this hypothetical inquirer... offering to show her how one went about acquiring new limbs?

But the question of how she might once have reacted to sprouting a new limb was almost entirely moot now, given that such a thing was, in essence, exactly what had apparently happened.

And of course, how Sumika reacted now, well, she was sure she would never have felt... like this... before sprouting her sixth chakra chain.

It felt liberating. Exhilarating and exhausting at once, a blaze of tickling exertion down her spine.

Really, Sumika doubted she'd have ever believed it if someone told her that -feeling a menacingly-spiked chain of pure condensed energy blast through her lower spine while spitting out blood so hot it evaporated- would be... almost therapeutic.

Spelled out as such, it sounded like a horribly painful experience. Why, even now she'd be vaguely concerned for her health just sounding out that thought, despite knowing her kekkei genkai and having lived through the process.

Yet instead she could hardly imagine a better course of action, now relieved of the nebulous pressure and tension that had doubtless wracked her body for far too long. It left her feeling a feathery whole-bodied tenderness, thoughts clear and placid.

Still, these changes lay in the wake of not insignificant distress, as evidenced by rather unfortunately overgrown waiting room furniture and a veritable crater of a courtyard. It was enough to bring a hint of a wince to her thoughts. Upsetting, in the sense that it brought to bear just how hard she'd been on both her surroundings and her own body.

More than once, the sounds of horrendous crunching echoed in her ears, not all of which came from just her surroundings...

She did her best to take it all in stride. She... didn't have to figure it out alone this time - and wasn't that a heady thought?

So circumstances being as they were, Sumika once more strode down the Senju Estate's halls, this time with a sense of presence, a slight spring in her step and vague vibrancy to her movements.

Night had long since fallen now, but in order to sort out all the excitement from earlier, she'd been escorted back here from the Uzukeishi Manor, again by the faintly bloodied and ash-scented ANBU Geki.

And further on the subject of Geki, what had once been blurry feelings of skepticism now coalesced into concrete concepts. Why yes, of course bloodstains and ash on your escort ought to bring feelings of skepticism and concern. Of course this feeling is directly related to that situation or experience. So many realizations formerly in entirely experimental territory now seemed firmly in the [Was-this-not-obvious?!] category.

Where before Sumika mostly made note of details themselves, well, now she struggled much less to fully consider the depths of implications. Even just thinking about it brought more vague flashes to mind, not-quite-memory impressions of having experienced, studied, practiced, or felt these ways before - like some kind of primal, near-all-encompassing déjà vu.

But strangely, as if the previous day's confusion was a lie, Sumika felt more at ease in her own mind than she had in a long time. Now she just had a new, not exactly lesser per se, but entirely more understandable confusion. The kind which could be more clearly investigated and resolved, concrete in scope and context.

In all honesty, it made her wonder even more what had been wrong with her, and for so long.

It was like she had been just... looking at a window for the color of its glass rather than the wide view of the world granted by looking through a window. Prior insights being the exception rather than the rule, necessity or desperation inspiring flashes of the view outside through metaphorically fogged glass. Why, she could almost get lost thinking things over in retrospect.

She might well have done so, too, had she not recently acquired an eminently more alluring distraction.

Yes indeed, she had a feeling her altered demeanor would have been more easily noticed by others too, but as Sumika understood it now, the array of six amethyst chakra chains hovering above her shoulders, spikes poised viciously like so many talons, seemed to draw eyes at the exclusion of essentially all else.

After all, she had what now effectively amounted to ten limbs to coordinate, and with one more than her usual, damned if she wouldn't get them all to just work and work together and-

Well, suffice it to say that over the last hour her violet eyes had gone rather glazed with concentration, and that she had not tripped herself, not even once, losing track of one chain or another on the trip back to the Senju Estates.

Not that there were too many people around to see in the dead of night, as such, but if Kushina's reaction was anything to go by...

"Whaaaa- I can't, that's- that's so not fair!" the girl by Sumika's side practically whined, for not even remotely the first time, bouncing around on her feet what seemed like three times for every step Sumika, in her concentration, managed to take, "Mito-sensei told me it took years to reach that level, and for me it'll be even harder! Grrrhhh, so unfair..."

At the sound of grinding teeth Sumika spared some focus to glance aside, an eyebrow quirking involuntarily as Kushina muttered something nonsensical about 'stupid foxes' and 'lousy demons making things so annoying'. There was definitely some kind of story there; Lady Mito's words from before had hinted at that and more - agh, great, even more to think about.

Later, later.

Actually wait, Demons...

At the thought, a crease of displeasure tugged at Sumika's expression.

Demons, the girl could easily understand having problems with, but... what did Kushina have against foxes? Sumika had no opinion one way or another, really, so it was difficult to relate. She supposed the fluffy creatures would taste alright in a pinch, but really-

Her stride slowed. In a sudden epiphany of inspiration, wholly her own, Sumika realized she could just ask.

"Foxes-?" her voice, soft as it was, sounded confused even to her own ears, so Sumika cleared her throat and quickly adjusted to a more neutral tone, "-ah, what, what is this about foxes?"

"Gah!" Kushina seemed to nearly stumble mid-bound, her sandals clacking loudly before catching herself and twiddling her fingers.

Blinking, Sumika ceased writhing her chains around for a moment and leaned to the side a bit to see if the other girl was alright.

Not for the first time that night, Sumika wondered just how her counterpart managed to stay so energetic. Well, perhaps it wasn't fair to wonder, since Sumika herself had no apparent need to sleep, but... but the late night excursion across the forests back to the Senju Estate seemed to only make Kushina more hyperactive. And hadn't she been all bruised and scraped up earlier...?

Still, eventually the shorter redhead cut off her musings with a stammered out reply,

"Well, err, you're probably not supposed to hear about that from me. Mito-sensei kinda ToldMeNotToTalkAboutIt, uh yet, y'know?"

Err...

That definitely had a story behind it.

'Guileless', indeed. At least Kushina's reactions, though intense, were refreshingly direct. Enough so that it helped set Sumika at ease. Especially since it was likely about just such matters that they were both back here at the Senju Estate to consult with the others.

After all, Sumika knew she had a history of her own with demonic happenings, so in that, circumstances suggested she and Kushina were two of a kind, it seemed. Time would tell, she was patient enough to wait for that.

Still, having crammed her whole reply into that one breath, Kushina let out a chuckle... awkwardly? before flailing her arms around, again gesturing vaguely at the chains behind Sumika's back.

"But- but with those, I'm sure they'll tell you all about it, err, sooner or later." the shorter redhead practically gushed, amethyst light reflected in her pale purple eyes as she fixated on Sumika's chains, "Sheesh, the clan sure isn't holding back to send a prodigy like you to help me out! You totally got to tell me how you managed it though, pleeaaaseeee? I mean, like, for someone our age, that's totally unfair, y'know~!?! And with that color, too, they've got to be special, right? Right?!? I'd so be comparing their strength right now, but I can only manage two and they're all tied up with that-" again some muttering about about stupid foxes, "- so, I can't even bring 'em out to show you!"

Sumika didn't know where to start in response to that... thought-provoking avalanche of words, but it was a bit enjoyable to hear so much praise about her chains. They were hers after all, and she was proud of them... of what - and who - they signified. She lost herself briefly in the wash of warmth brought by the reminder of their connection to her mother...

Fortunately though, Kushina seemed able to do enough talking for the both of them,

"Speaking of which, how old are you, Sumika-nee?" she blurted, eyes tilting up to stare into Sumika's, "Y-yer a bit taller, so yer' probably more of the older sister than me. That'd make sense, y'know, since I'm still growing! Ooooh, we're totally gonna have to spar later. I can't have you beatin' me at everything. I'm totally bettin' my aim is better, just you wait! And I at least gotta see what you can do with those chains!"

Sumika opened her mouth, pursed her lips in confusion, tried again, and again closed it with a clicking sound. For a moment her mind just repeated the words, parsing them. Oh and, was it just her imagination, or was Kushina just a little bit shorter than she recalled, having to tilt her gaze up so far? Idly, Sumika felt one of her chains clonk into a rafter overhead.

Oh right - concentrating.

There was a lot to unpack there, but most pressingly, from the start did she even know her own age? Exactly? Wait, who would even know that, if not her?

She realized she didn't know that either. Wait-

Wait, wait wait wait, how had Kushina just addressed her? 'Sumika... Sumika-nee1Affectionate way of addressing a sister. (cringe notwithstanding, being written in English)'?

An inexplicable pulse of warmth flooded from Sumika's chest to her cheeks just thinking about it. Again, an embarrassment, but this... this kind of embarrassment was a little more... joyful. A smile, slight as it was, came readily to her face.

"Oh, and you'll join me at the Academy right? Right, right riiiight?" Kushina pressed on, leaving no room for Sumika to think of a reply, "It's only my second year, but I think I can graduate during the next term, y'know! Especially after showing up those jealous flunkies like we did, hah! Oooh, and that was so cool, how you just darted up to them and smacked 'em down so fast. Looked like you weren't even trying, y'know! Most of the flunkies like them are total jerks anyway, but I can introduce you to the people who don't have no issue with us being 'foreigners' or whatever."

She said that last bit with a tone that suggested it would be used mockingly, but Sumika didn't understand the reference, save that some people in Land of Grass used the word with a similar tone.

Distaste? Conceit, even? Sumika again wondered exactly what releasing the vice-grip on her chakra had affected, especially in her own perception, for these little details to stand out much more readily and clearly. But the understanding of those concepts, patchy though it sometimes seemed, where did that even come from?

A mild feeling of dread settled at the bottom of her heart, hinting at an answer, but not a pleasant or particularly helpful one.Oh, right, definitely thinking about that later.

Blinking, Sumika looked up to notice she'd tuned out Kushina's rapid-fire commentary, only now realizing she'd fallen silent.

Watery eyes met her own, an eager look wavering on the shorter girl's face. Sumika tried not to let it show, but seeing such a look sent a twinge of pain through her heart. It didn't quite work, judging by how Kushina apparently noticed, a gasp escaping the energetic redhead as her eyes widened further,

"O-Oh no, wait, if 'yer here to help me out, 'yer probably already too good for the Academy, aren't ya'?" Somehow, the girl's expression grew more forlorn with a... a pout?

"That's it, right? You-"

Her voice suddenly cut off.

Sumika, no longer able to withstand the twinging feeling, had achieved another burst of inspiration from both her own experience and some not-quite-memories on how to relieve that feeling, and promptly wrapped the younger(?) girl in a loose hug, one hand stroking atop and behind Kushina's head.

Judging by the silence, this was the correct move. Sumika nodded her head slowly, eyes closed as she confirmed to herself that yes, a hug did help relieve those feelings. The experiment back at the Yamakuni Sanctuary was no fluke. So many more puzzle pieces were slotting together now.

Sumika herself had been hugged like this before, hadn't she? And it was always by someone she... cared about, too.Where words might fail her, perhaps at least there were other ways to help her communicate and understand.

Well, in retrospect, she had already been doing so. Especially with Tsunade. But now, now she understood why. Progress.

Progress was good.Relatives... were good.Hugs were good.

With those three ideas in mind, she could salvage whatever mess her prior condition might have caused.

But for now, a pair of pouty eyes awaited response, so Sumika answered as honestly as she could,

"I don't actually know, I am of course interested in learning and training, but... I'll do my best, Kushina."

At the very least, she could give the idea a try, unless Lady Mito thought it was a bad idea. The outline of options she'd been given earlier suggested it might be a possibility, at least until Kushina graduates.

Having leaned back so their eyes met, Sumika saw the clear surprise and joy flash through the younger(?) girl's expression, figuring that had been a satisfactory answer. Still, having tilted her head so far down to meet Kushina's gaze, again a sense of discrepancy came over her at the thought that Kushina seemed just a little shorter than she remembered.

In this distraction, Sumika also noticed that one of her chains had snaked its way around to pull Kushina into that initial hug. When had that happened?

Almost before she realized it, the pair reached the end of the hall, the doors to Lady Mito's chambers standing before them. Kushina seemed to notice only now as well, and looked slightly abashed, probably at the amount of noise they'd been making in the middle of the night. Somehow Sumika doubted anyone else in the building would be pleased about being woken up at this hour. Vague not-quite-memories agreed.

Earmuffs around her neck in the silence, Sumika listened intently for the sounds of anyone stirring awake... only for all doubts on the subject to vanish as a door back down the corridor slammed open so loud it made her ears pop.

She and Kushina both, judging by the way the shorter girl squawked as they whirled to face back the way they'd come.

Doors slammed open in quick succession as whomever it was drew nearer, all too soon coming into view around the corner with a cry of-

"Grandmother-!"

Shock and joy and confusion sprung up in Sumika's chest at the sight.

Tsunade barreled into view, blonde hair disheveled, wearing a labcoat and satchelbag, one hand leaning on the wall and breathing heavily.

As their eyes met, Sumika caught a glint of surprise and deep tenderness flash through the woman's expression... before stiffening and staring up and behind...

"S-Six..!?"

What..?

Chains writhed noisily as the Sannin gaped a few moments longer, then realization finally struck-

Wreathing her chains around her body to keep them out of the way, Sumika flickered her gaze nervously. She felt a hint of warmth color her cheeks thinking about all the related conversations she and Tsunade and Lady Mito had just recently, and...

"Oh, so uh," she added eloquently in the silence, "I followed your advice Tsunade-nee - it really helped!"

It took another minute of conspicuous silence - and Tsunade's facial expressions flying through just about a dozen flavors of emotion - before Sumika realized what she just said.