Chapter 19: Chapter 19 - Meeting Shinku
Later on in the same day, Mikumo woke up to find herself on the sofa in Sakumo's home. She grasped her head in pain as she felt the aftereffect of chakra exhaustion.
"Oof, my head."
Mikumo lifted herself from the sofa to drowsily rubbed her eyes. As the headache weened off, she could hear rustling in the kitchen.
Mikumo turned her head to see someone cooking in the kitchen. The scent of cooking made her stomach rumble in hunger. She dragged her body off the sofa and followed the smell of food to the kitchen. There, she saw Kakashi, pan-frying fish he caught from the river.
Mikumo almost started drooling as she sneaked up from behind to give Kakashi a hug. However, as she did, Kakashi swiftly dodged her.
"Stop, or I won't give you any food."
"Aww, you're no fun."
"Hmph, just sit down, you're still recovering from chakra exhaustion."
"Okay, dear~."
Several stress marks appeared on Kakashi's forehead as he forcefully calmed himself down with a sigh.
Mikumo set the table as she waited for Kakashi to finish cooking. After a few more minutes, the pair sat down for a simple meal.
"Father said you've unlocked your Kurama clan's Kekkei Genkai, and that you should hold off on training for a few days."
Mikumo paused for a second and thought with a surprised expression.
'I unlocked my Kekkei Genkai? Nice! But uh-oh, does this mean I'm going to develop a second personality like Yakumo? I can't remember the details clearly, I need to find out more about my Kekkei Genkai, but my connection with the Kurama clan is already pretty non-existent, my grandma Ayamo has already passed away and she was a civilian anyway.'
Kakashi then interrupted Mikumo's thoughts to give her another piece of news.
"Also, father said he talked to Shinku-san about tutoring you, and Shinku-san has agreed. Father has already told him about your condition."
Mikumo's eyes lit up with excitement upon hearing the second bit of news.
"Yes! Finally! About time, I've been waiting for this!"
Kakashi's eyebrow twitched hearing Mikumo's exclamation.
"What do you mean 'about time?' Shinku-san is Konoha's most talented genjutsu master you know, he's not so free that he'll just tutor any kid that comes his way."
Mikumo smiled smugly seeing Kakashi's irritated expression.
"Aww, Kakashi-kun, you don't have to be jealous. If you want, I can teach you what I learn as well, on the condition that you cook breakfast for me every day, how about that?"
Stress marks appeared on Kakashi's forehead and he sighed once more to calm down. Then, suddenly Kakashi had a glint in his eyes.
"If I have to cook breakfast for you 'every' day, won't that mean you would have to get married to me?"
Mikumo's heart beat irregularly for a second before she quickly gasped in fake shock and covered her mouth with her hand.
"Kakashi! Are you proposing to me? Ah, I don't know if I'm ready for that yet..."
Mikumo said as she cupped her face in an 'embarrassed' manner.
Disappointed that his teasing didn't have the desired effect, Kakashi simply sighed and shook his head as he focused on eating his meal.
Over on the other side, Mikumo had a slight blush on her face but calmly ate her meal as well.
'What the heck? Stupid body, stop! He's a kid! Also, I'm not into guys!'
The rest of the meal went by calmly as Mikumo hid her embarrassment and Kakashi didn't have any more energy to engage in Mikumo's antics.
After the meal, Mikumo did the dishes for Kakashi as thanks for the meal.
"I'm going to go feed my ninken, father said that Shinku-san will meet you on the third training ground at 8 AM sharp two days from now. You should avoid using your chakra too much until then, light training is okay though."
Mikumo nodded as she did the dishes.
"Okay, thank you, Kakashi-kun."
Mikumo then paused as she remember something.
"Did sensei already leave for his mission?"
Kakashi nodded affirmatively as he carried a big bag of dog food.
"Yeah, he said he requested some additional help for the mission though and that he'll be back in a month."
Mikumo breathed a sigh of relief.
"I hope things go well."
Kakashi noticed Mikumo's odd tone but he didn't read too much into it.
"He'll be fine, it's my father we're talking about here."
Mikumo smiled once more upon Kakashi's reassurance.
"Yeah, you're right."
After Kakashi left the house to go feed his ninken, Mikumo departed not too long after and returned home. Apparently, Sakumo had already told her parents about her condition and the fact that she had awakened her Kekkai Genkai.
"Are you okay? How do you feel?"
Mikumo's mother Toka knelt down and felt her forehead for signs of a fever.
"I'm fine mom, better than ever!"
Toka sighed in relief and then her husband Nikumo knelt down as well with an apologetic face.
"I'm sorry we can't be of more help to you, Miku-chan. Unfortunately, I don't really know anyone from the main branch of the Kurama clan, so I'm going to write a letter to my father to ask him if he knows anyone."
Mikumo shook her head and reassured her parents.
"It's okay, Sakumo-sensei is going to introduce me to Shinku-san, who's a genjutsu master. I'm sure Shinku-san will be able to help me."
"Yes, he told us that too, haa. Just wish there was more we could do to help."
Mikumo brought her parents in for a hug.
"You guys have done enough already, I'll be fine, promise!"
Mikumo's parents smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek each. The family atmosphere returned to normal as Mikumo waited for the appointed time to meet with Shinku.
***
Two days later, in the third training ground, Mikumo stood in front of a man with black hair and distinct ringed red eyes.
"You must be Mikumo, Sakumo me about your situation, and I've heard quite a lot about you personally from my daughter as well."
Mikumo laughed nervously and scratched her cheek.
"Ahaha, only good things, I hope."
"Heh, I believe the words used were 'troublesome, tiring, and a headache to deal with.'"
Mikumo frowned deeply and covered her face with her hands.
Shinku chuckled and then continued.
"She also always follows this with 'kind-hearted, friendly, and caring' as well."
Mikumo's smile bloomed as she heard Shinku's words.
"Aw, I didn't know Kurenai-chan liked me so much."
Shinku laughed and sat down while pulling out a scroll.
"Hahaha, well, thanks for being friends with my daughter. Putting aside that matter, I heard you've awakened your clan's Kekkei Genkai, how do you feel?"
Mikumo sat down and took a meditative stance to start focusing inward on herself.
"Feel's normal for the most part, I think my chakra has grown a little."
Shinku nodded and unrolled the scroll in his hand.
"This is a record of my personal knowledge of your clan's Kekkei Genkai. I once trained a student from the Kurama clan who was talented in genjutsu and had the potential to unlock her Kekkei Genkai. Unfortunately, however...she died in the war."
Mikumo could hear the sadness in Shinku's voice as he mentioned that last part.
"The Kurama clan's Kekkei Genkai is an extreme mutation of Yin style. Only those with the bloodline of the Kurama clan who possess extraordinary amounts of Yin chakra can hope of unlocking it, which is why it's most common among females."
Mikumo nodded at the basic explanation.
"Does my power have a chance of going out of control?"
Shinku's eyebrows raised as he heard Mikumo's question.
"Oh, so you know about it. Yes, it's recorded that among the clan members who unlocked their Kekkei Genkai, many of them were not able to control the excess Yin chakra in their bodies. To combat this, these clan members subsequently developed secondary personalities to help control their power."
Mikumo gulped nervously at the information in front of her.
"Does that mean, that will happen with me as well?"
"Well, that just means it could happen. I'm here to make sure it doesn't happen. The current head of the Kurama clan, Murakumo Kurama, is still rather young, but he's an ambitious man. I've spoken to him yesterday to gather more information about your clan history of the Kekkei Genkai. He allowed me to read it, in return for setting up a meeting with you."
Mikumo pondered for a moment as she held her chin.
"He wants to integrate me back into the clan?"
Shinku nodded with a smile.
"Good deduction. Sakumo was right, you are a bright one. I'm sure that's what he's planning as well. Currently, the Kurama clan is in heavy decline. No one in the main branch has awakened their Kekkei Genkai in decades, and they maintain a semi-isolationist policy, choosing to keep to themselves at the edge of the village. Although once a mighty clan, now they are a shadow of their former selves. It was my hope that my student would have one day been the bridge to restore the connection between the village and the Kurama clan, but unfortunately, it was not meant to be."
Shinku sighed slightly and continued.
"Murakumo was happy to hear that someone had finally awakened the clan's Kekkei Genkai, but since your connection to the Kurama clan is tenuous at best, he is hesitant to approach you directly."
"Right, my grandmother Ayamo was a civilian of the branch family, she could barely be counted as an actual clan member."
"Correct. So here's my guess, Murakumo hopes that I will be able to nurture your talents in the use of the Kurama clan's Kekkei Genkai, while he establishes a basic relationship between you and himself. Then, slowly over time, he will use that connection and your growing prowess to convince the rest of the clan to integrate you into the main branch."
Mikumo chuckled at the simplicity of the plan.
"Rather straightforward and simple, isn't it?"
Shinku shrugged and nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, the reason why I'm telling you this is because, if possible, I don't want my students to be wrapped up in clan politics. The village should take precedence, not the pride of a bunch of old men sitting in a room."
Mikumo chuckled nervously hearing Shinku's words.
'I bet he would be quite shocked to hear that the entire board of advisors personify the meaning of 'prideful old people sitting in a room.''
"So, Shinku-san, or should I say, Shinku-sensei, are you accepting me as your student then?"
Shinku chuckled and then stood up.
"If you already know it, then stand up, let's get started."
"Yes, sensei!"
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