The Cloud Over The Leaf

Kaya quickly made her way to the Hokage office shortly after meeting Akumu.

'Great! Akatsuki is one thing, and another group just has to appear!'

Kaya grumbled in her mind as she came to Minato's door.

*Knock Knock Knock*

"Come in!"

Kaya quickly opened the door.

Minato and Shikaku were inside discussing plans for the village.

"Kaya-san? What brings you here?"

"My son got a report from Akumu."

The expressions of the two changed as Minato and Shikaku immediately dropped what they were doing.

"What did he find out?"

*Tsuuuuu*

Akumu slowly appeared out of Kaya's shadow and sat next to her.

[Good to see you two again.]

"Good to see you as well, Akumu. What exactly did you find out? Anything about Akatsuki?"

Shikaku asked him, but Akumu shook his head.

[Not quite, but it could be equally as disastrous.]

Akumu began to explain what he saw to the three in detail.

The three all had grim faces when they heard of the green immortal man.

Minato was especially concerned about him being able to revive himself.

"...Thank you for the intel, Akumu."

[You're welcome. I want to continue to monitor them after I head back out.]

"Understood. Should we form up a team to help you scout them out?"

[No, I don't think that's a good idea. I think I should be the only one watching them for now.]

"Understood. We will have to depend on you keep up with them for us."

[It's fine. I'll keep a watch on them for the village's safety. I, uh, also have another bit of information to give.]

The two of them looked a bit confused at this. Kaya just had a wry smile on her face.

Akumu sighed and looked up at them.

[There was another Biju born, and Hii will be the Jinchuuriki of that beast as well.]

""!!""

The two were shocked to say the least!

Minato looked over at Akumu and slowly asked.

"How would you describe this new Biju?"

[.......]

Minato was surprised to see a wry smile come to Akumu's face.

[If I had to say, she's a energetic, grown child.]

********

Hii walked around the village with a tired look on his face.

{What is that shop over there?!}

'It's a clothes store. You can get custom made clothes tailored there as well.'

{What about that one over there?!}

'I'm pretty sure that's a dango shop. Moya loves that place.'

Hii had to play tour guide to the new Biju in his body.

{I've only been out in the wilderness with Takashi, so this is my first big city!}

'I see. You don't call him Akumu?'

{No! He will always be Takashi to me! No matter what he says!}

Hii shook his head as he could feel this wolf was quite headstrong compared to Akumu.

'You said your name was Fuyuki?'

{Yep! And you are Hii-kun! I'm sure we'll be best friends!}

'What makes you so sure?'

{Because you are a part of Takashi! That's all I need to know!}

Hii was surprised to hear how much faith she had in Akumu. He couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face as he continued to walk.

"Eh? Hii-kun?"

"Hm?"

Hii turned around to find Maka with a empty bag in her hand.

"What are you doing in this side of town?"

"Oh! Hey, Maka-chan. I didn't notice I went this far into the village. I was just taking a stroll. What are you up to?"

"I'm doing some shopping for Auntie Mikoto. I just have to grab a few things."

"I see."

Maka nodded her head, and seemed to be struggling to ask Hii something.

{You should help her out! Ask if she needs help!}

Fuyuki suddenly urged Hii to assist Maka in shopping.

'Well, I guess it can't hurt to help. Training is over today anyway.'

"Hey, you mind if I help you with your shopping?"

"Eh?! You want to help?!"

Maka's face suddenly lit up with glee as she quickly came to his side.

"Then we should hurry up and go!"

"H-Hey!"

Hii was dragged off with Maka towards the stores. He swore he could hear Fuyuki snickering as he shopped with Maka.

After a short while, they managed to find everything she needed to get.

"Thanks! With a pair of extra hands, I got what I needed much quicker than by myself!"

Hii was loaded up with bags and had a wry smile on his face.

"N-No problem..."

{Good job! You made her happy!}

"Now we just have to head back. Let's go!"

Hii was once again dragged over to the Uchiha estate and saw a surprised Mikoto.

"Eh? Hii-kun? How did you end up here?"

"He helped me bring the groceries today!"

"Ara Ara~! Thank you for helping then, Hii-kun!"

"N-No problem! Glad I could help."

Hii tried to catch his breath as Mikoto made eye contact with Maka.

Maka and Mikoto gazed silently at each other for a short while before Mikoto smiled and turned to Hii.

"As a reward for helping with the groceries, why don't you stay for dinner?"

"Eh? Is that okay?"

"Of course! You're always welcome to join us here."

Hii started to think about if he should intrude.

{You gotta do it!}

Fuyuki screamed at Hii to stay. Hii thought about it and nodded his head.

"Sure. Sorry for intruding and thank you again."

Mikoto smiled and came behind Hii to push him towards the backyard area.

"Go and play in the yard with the boys. They finally came back from their mission."

"Oh! I didn't know! I'll go and say hi then!"

Hii dashed off towards the courtyard with excitement, making Mikoto giggle.

"Well then, I hope you're ready to help, young lady."

"I'll do my best, Oba-san!"

Mikoto smiled as she started to give Maka instructions.

**********

Hii quickly made his way towards the backyard.

"Ugh!"

He stopped when he heard Sasuke yell out in pain.

"Good try, Sasuke. You've definitely improved."

Hii could see Shisui squatting next to Sasuke as he tried to get back up. Even Fugaku was nearby, watching the fight with Itachi by his side.

He turned and had a small grin on his face.

"Oh, Hii-kun. I didn't know you came today. Good to see you."

"Nice to see you as well, Fugaku-san."

Hii gave Fugaku a small bow while Itachi had a smile on his face.

"Long time no see, Hii-kun."

"You're right, Itachi-san. It has been a long time."

"Hey, Hii-kun! I haven't seen you in a while! Have you changed your look since we last met?"

Shisui came up to Hii and patted him on the shoulder.

"I guess I did. I got a hairband as a present."

"Oh! From who?"

Hii suddenly felt a very strange sensation on his skin. He couldn't help, but shiver slightly as he gave Shisui a glance.

"It's a secret. I'm embarrassed to say."

"Hoho! You're already being a little playboy, eh?!"

Shisui rubbed Hii's head, but Hii could only seem to feel a cold sensation all over his body.

'This feels like the chill when Akumu would attack me...'

Hii warily watched Shisui as he decided he wouldn't tell him until this sensation went away.

{Good call. There's no telling how he would react.}

Fuyuki only further consolidated his thoughts as he went over to Sasuke to heal him up.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Did they get a lot stronger?"

Sasuke nodded his head, looking at Shisui and Itachi with excitement.

"They aren't really holding back anymore. I must be getting stronger."

"Good. Get ready to show them what you've got."

Hii finished healing his few scratches and helped Sasuke up to his feet.

"Nii-san! Spar with me!"

Itachi smiled as he walked forward and stood next to Shisui.

"Let's test the two of them."

"Ha! Sounds like fun!"

Itachi and Shisui both had grins on their faces as they both started to approach.

Sasuke looked at Hii with a grin and readied himself.

Hii laughed as he pulled out his practice sword.

'I guess you never really escape training after all.'

"Should I follow your lead, Sasuke?"

"Yeah! Let's show them how strong we've become too!"

Fugaku chuckled as he saw his sons about to fight.

"I'll watch over the growth of my sons then. We'll have a little sparring match then. Ready?!"

The four all held their stances and waited for the signall.

"Begin!"

Sasuke shot towards Shisui with Hii right behind him.

"Coming after me, huh?"

Shisui smiled and grabbed his Tanto while it was still in it's sheath.

Hii darted in front of Sasuke and slashed at Shisui!

*Clank*

Shisui blocked his blade, but Sasuke came to his side with a kick.

Shisui blocked the kick with his knee and jumped back from Hii's second swing.

"You gonna help, Itachi?!"

"Do you really need it?"

Shisui gritted his teeth and continued to fight the two on his own.

Sasuke continued to attack wildly against Shisui with kicks and punches. Shisui could've easily dealt with Sasuke as he did earlier, but Hii kept stopping his counters with well placed slashes and stabs.

Shisui jumped back and looked at the two.

"Looks like I can get serious with you two now."

*Tsu*

Shisui suddenly teleported directly in front of Sasuke!

'So fast!'

Sasuke saw the Tanto sheath coming down on him, but couldn't move out of the way!

*Clank*

Hii quickly appeared in front of him and blocked the strike!

"Tch!"

Sasuke quickly shook himself free from shock and attacked Shisui again!

Shisui kept striking at Hii and Sasuke at high speed, but Hii was able to keep him at bay!

'I didn't think Hii improved this much!'

Shisui was shocked as he tried to find an opening, but Hii was even more shocked!

'I shouldn't be able to keep up with him! How come I can now?!'

Hii felt a hot chakra circling in his body as his muscles started to feel full of power!

{Go! Kick his butt!}

He could hear Fuyuki cheering for him when a strange thought surfaced.

'Fuyuki? Did you boost my power?!'

{I don't know! Just kick his butt!}

Hii decided to think about it later as he pushed himself to the limit as he started to swing at Shisui!

'What?!'

Shisui started to become more defensive as Hii's strikes started to increase in pace!

"Haaaaa!"

Hii's pace grew frightening, forcing Shisui to activate his Sharingan to keep up!

Sasuke was bewildered at first, but quickly snapped out of it as he saw a chance!

Sasuke quickly weaved handsigns and inhaled deeply!

Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!

*Fwoosh*

Sasuke let out a giant fireball towards Shisui!

'Crap!'

Shisui tried to counter it, but a shadow quickly darted in front of him!

Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!

*Fwoosh*

Itachi fired his own Jutsu and clashed with Sasuke's fireball!

The two fireballs canceled each other out as Itachi went to support Shisui. 

Hii was also in need of support as well.

"Haa! Haa! Haa!"

Hii could feel heart was beating harder than normal and his body felt like it was on fire.

"Are you okay, Hii-kun?"

"I-I actually don't think so."

Hii flopped to the ground and tried to cool himself down.

He struggled to weave handsigns as he tried to use a Jutsu.

Water Style: Waterball Jutsu!

Hii raised his palm and formed a moderate sized ball of water.

He then let the ball land on his head.

*Tsssssss*

He noticed steam coming off of his body as he slowly felt relief coming over him.

'My temperature and power increased dramatically after I tried striking at full power with that chakra. Shisui also seemed to have a hard time defending against me once it's activated.'

Shisui also squatted down on the ground to catch his breath.

"Phew! I didn't know you could do that, Hii! Well done!"

"It's an experimental move, Shisui-san. I haven't gotten used to it."

"That's fine as long as you can make it count."

Sasuke came over to Hii and helped him up.

Sasuke was surprised by the steam coming off of him.

"I'll be okay. I just have to cool off a bit."

He managed to stand up on somewhat shaky feet as he took in deep breaths. His breaths were hot as visible steam came from his mouth.

"That jutsu seems to be quite painful to the user."

Itachi watched Hii with his Sharingan scanning his chakra.

"You better be careful while practicing that Jutsu."

"I will."

Hii straightened his body out and felt refreshed. Sasuke saw Hii looking better and turned to Shisui and Itachi.

"Shall we go again?" 

"Dinner's ready!"

Mikoto's voice rang out from inside the estate. 

Itachi smiled and poked Sasuke's forehead.

"Maybe next time."

".....Hmph."

"Good job, everyone. Let's go eat."

Fugaku headed back inside as the others followed behind him.

Itachi looked at Hii with a smile as they walked back.

'He's gotten a lot stronger than I imagined. He's a good opponent for Sasuke. Perhaps I should start to train him more.'

Itachi thought about his brother's progress as he headed inside.

*************

Hii thought he was done with surprises  for today, but he couldn't have been more wrong.

All the dishes were set at each seat of the table and everyone sat down for dinner at their spot. 

"Hm?"

Fugaku seemed to notice something amiss as he sat down and looked towards Mikoto.

Mikoto's head tilted slightly in the direction of Maka and smiled brightly at her husband. Fugaku nodded his head slowly and started to eat his food.

Everyone started to eat their set meal after him in silence, but Hii noticed something was strange. 

Everyone else's set meal seemed to have a bowl of rice, a mackeral, and miso soup. 

Hii's set, however, had two of each!

One set looked the same as the others, but the other set looked slightly burned and messy.

"....."

Hii stealthily looked up to catch Maka stealing a glance at him. She hurriedly looked down with a red face as she ate her meal quietly. Hii looked over and saw Mikoto giving him a loving smile.

Hii looked back down at his meal.

'Looks like I must eat all of it.'

Hii wasn't scared of the looks of the meal. Kaya made pretty gross looking meals, but they tasted pretty good.

Hii picked up his chopsticks and started to eat the singed fish first. 

Hii was surprised to find the taste wasn't as bad as he thought and continued to eat it with relish.

'Hm? Aren't I eating a little too fast?'

He noticed he was quickly finishing the messy set as if his hands were possessed. 

'I shouldn't be able to eat this much?'

{This food is sooo good!}

Hii's face was a bit shocked as he bit a piece of fish, but he quickly recovered.

{I can't get enough. Feed me more food!}

Hii rapidly finished his meal, ignoring Shisui's shocked face.

"Wow! You really put that meal away!"

"Haaa. I was really hungry. That technique took a lot out of me."

Hii finished his meal ahead of the others and just waited in his seat. 

{That was really filling!}

'We will have to train by ourselves to figure out the full extent of your abilities.'

{As long as I get to eat, bring it on!}

Hii shook his head and looked up at Mikoto giving him a teasing smile.

"So Hii-kun? What did you think of the meal? I hope you enjoyed both sets."

"It was delicious. Thank you for the food!"

Hii gave a slight bow to Mikoto. She stood up and came behind Maka with a smile.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Honestly, Maka helped me a bit today as well. You shouldn't just thank me."

"I see. Thanks, Maka! It was delicious!"

"Y-You're w-welcome! I'm g-gonna go lay down!"

Maka's voice barely reached Hii's ears.

Her face was bright red as she quickly got up and dashed out.

 Mikoto giggled as she saw Maka quickly escape.

"Don't worry about her, Hii-kun. You should come by more often. I'm sure she'd be excited to practice some more."

"I'll try to come by more often then."

Hii looked in the direction Maka fled and smiled.

"........"

He suddenly felt a cold shiver crawl down his back.

He could feel the source of the shiver nearby, and slowly turned towards it.

Shisui was looking at him with a stern expression. Itachi also looked at him with a slight smile on his face. Sasuke's face was filled with pity as he just shook his head. 

"Hey, Hii-kun. Why don't you tell me a bit more about what you've been up to lately?"

Shisui's Sharingan activated as he calmly looked at Hii.

"Especially how your relationship with Maka has been recently."

"....Sure, Shisui-san."

Hii had a wry smile on his face as he faced a new side of Shisui. He suddenly felt that his future training sessions might have a lot more fireballs in them than he would want.