Chapter 6: Mother Figure
Natsume memorized the information with her sharingan and together with her mission scroll, burned them both in the fire. Her mission would begin in earnest tomorrow. Between the times she is attending and protecting Kono, she would be training with Hinako. Natsume was mainly assigned to directly interact with Kono, and another mid-level warrior would protect them from the shadows.
And thus, her daily routine started. Early in the morning before sunrise, she would train with Hinako until the sun was up. Then, she would spend the day with Kono, and more training before bed. Meanwhile, the war between the Land of Wind and Land of Fire was beginning. If not for her escort mission, she would be leaving too.
"Hinako-sensei, you've also been called upon?" Natsume sat on a log eating breakfast with Hinko.
"Indeed. It seems that the battle is intensifying. There are four minor clans that have joined on either side. The Hatake and Uzumaki clan are supporting the Senju while the Fuma and Hagoromo clan are supporting the Uchiha."
The fighting had already been going on for two months. Natsume sighed and understood that the rest of her training would have to be done alone. However, Hinako gave her a rare smile and a scroll case.
"What's this?" Natsume was surprised. Natsume opened the case and took out the large scroll. It was marked with a simple fuinjutsu that allowed anyone with sharingan to release.
"This is the accumulated ninjutsu passed down from my father. I have always considered you to be like a daughter to me… Since I do not have any descendants of my own, I want you to have it. We have not started ninjutsu yet, but you've seen me and many clan members using our signature jutsu. You should be able to determine your chakra nature with these and then further develop your skills. Also—"
Before she could continue, the emotion boiled over inside Natsume and she hugged Hinako from the side. She didn't mean to cry, but once the gates were opened, her tears naturally flowed. "Me too… and please come back." After leaving her vague words behind, Natsume ran away out of embarrassment. Hinako didn't stop her and just smiled.
"That child… she's too kind for this world."
Several months later, Natsume was standing in front of the river that she often frequented. She weaved hand signs and chakra concentrated in her lungs and mouth. "Katon: Mythical Fire Flower Jutsu!" After placing her index finger and middle finger in front of her lips, she released a series of fireballs that flew in different directions. They slammed into a rock simultaneously creating a bloom of flames.
Amidst that, she changed her hand seals and poured chakra into the ground as she slammed her palms down. A series of short earthen spikes shot out from the ground, forming a ten-meter diameter bed of needles around Natsume, leaving only a small hole in the center. Looking at the results, she was satisfied. After training for so long, she determined that fire was her main chakra nature, with earth being her secondary nature.
As for lightning, wind, and water, she couldn't quite grasp the techniques even with sharingan. Another notable point was that training ninjutsu seems to have stimulated her chakra growth to the point that a second tomoe had appeared. Seeing her reflection in the mirror made her feel proud of herself. Her long hair danced in the wind and gave her a more mature image. Due to Kono's influence, Natsume began to let her hair grow out.
Although it wasn't as wild and thick as Kono's hair, it was quite long and had to be kept tied up. Natsume took out the scroll and read more about the higher tier jutsu for fire and earth. She had attempted to use the clan's signature Great Fireball Jutsu, but her chakra levels were still too low to fully execute it. Being able to successfully use the Great Fireball Jutsu already made you a mid-level warrior in the clan, so that meant she was close to a breakthrough.
Natsume mused that increasing her proficiency in nature transformation would allow her to use the Great Fireball Jutsu without needing to improve her chakra reserves. The main issue was the efficiency of chakra exchange during the transformation. However, whenever she used either nature transformation, she always felt that something wasn't quite right. This feeling became stronger the more proficient she became with fire and earth release.
Fortunately, there were many low tier Jutsu for her to practice with. Things like spreading flames on her sword, shaking the ground, creating fire and earth clones, and manipulating pebbles and small rocks. Although simple and easy to do, it gave her more proficiency in nature transformation. When the sun began to peak on the horizon, Natsume decided to head back.
…
"Natsume-chan, you're here!" Kono was naturally happy to see the young girl. Although she was only eight years old, she had a composure and maturity that Kono found very calming. She imagine that if she had been trained as a shinobi, she would be very similar to Natsume. Kono patted the seat next to her at the window and Natsume walked over without resistance. The two of them had grown a lot closer in the few months they were together.
"Come feel him. He's so active today!" Kono spoke proudly about the unborn child in her stomach. Natsume rolled her eyes and placed her hand on her bare belly. She didn't feel any reaction and drew her hand away. "He's probably a little shy to have such a beautiful big sister around." Kono said smiling as she rubbed her stomach.
Natsume was reminded of her mother. It was no wonder she felt so distraught after her first child died. It was a special bond that had no equal. She had emotions surge up about her late mother, and it also reminded her of Hinako. She had not heard any updates for a month, so Natsume was worried. Feeling the change in her aura, Kono gave her some comforting words.
"I asked Tajima-san to investigate Hinako's whereabouts. It seems she was forced into one of the danger zones. No one dared to go after her, but without confirmation, its assumed that she is still alive." Hearing that there was hope, Natsume felt a bit relieved.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Pengincognito
Pengincognito When you make a character and get attached to it, and then send them to their deaths... What the heck is wrong with me? The warring states period is dangerous! Any ideas what Natsume might be feeling when performing ninjutsu?
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