"-And that's the long and short of what's been going on since you've been asleep," Tekuno finished, as the group sat around his bed. It was both more and less than he'd expected.

  The incoming news that he'd have something fat in his bank account was some nice news to wake up to. Add in the fact that he was healed, and everything was coming up nicely! Besides the fact that his 'bloodline' had been unveiled to the world in an incredibly public way, but he'd have a private freakout about that ter.

  Ami however, as usual, broached the elephant in the room. "Why are you healed now, though? Like, it wasn't just me? He still looked like ground meat not an hour before, didn't he?" She could have said it with a little more tact, perhaps...but the description was fairly apt.

  That got a cough out of Tobio, as he gnced away from her inquisitive eyes. "B-Bloodline stuff?"

  "Bloodline stuff?" She asked, both of her eyebrows raising high, with a little incredulity.

  "That's going to be my excuse if you keep asking, yeah," Tobio shamelessly agreed. The nice thing about living in Konoha, with so many Cns with unique physiologies? Bloodline theft, and the theft of hiden jutsu, was one of the most serious crimes that a shinobi could commit. Most people would be willing to leave it alone at that, if only to avoid even remotely being associated with the taint of that crime.

  Well, unless they were Danzo, or Orochimaru. But those guys seemed dedicated to speedrunning as many war crimes as they could across the Elemental nations, so he barely counted them.

  "Tch," she clicked her tongue, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Fine."

  Rolling his eyes at her antics, Tekuno shook his head gently. "Given the nature of your…bloodline, we're going to need to do some proper tests when we get back. As in, hospital visits, bloodwork, as much information as we can figure out, when we start messing around with it."

  As reticent as Tobio might have been for the idea of more information getting out about him, that ship had already flown. Nothing could remain a secret forever in the world of shinobi. It was just a matter of when and where that information grew too widespread.

  Whether that be in their vilge or the world at rge.

  He knew a few of the powers he could get, just from the description of the original Mixed-Blood perk. A body that was resistant to death seemed like it could be the most obvious answer as to his survival…but in the Nasuverse, edge cases could really fuck up your entire analysis. So he wasn't going to bank on that guess being true without a bit of evidence. For now, the fact that he was going to be subjected to a battery of medical tests could probably help him narrow down the truth of the matter.

  "There was one more thing, too," Tekuno continued. "Shibuki wanted to speak with you, if you were up for it, before we left."

  His eyes widened in surprise. "He wanted to speak to me?"

  "Yeah," Hibachi grumbled. "Probably to thank you or whatever, for saving his entire vilge while hiding like a coward."

  "Hibachi," Tekuno warned, even if Tobio didn't sense any particur heat in the man's voice. His opinion toward Shibuki had presumably been ambivalent before he left, but after nearly allowing his Genin to get themselves killed...in his sensei's shoes, he wouldn't be a fan either.

  Tobio decided to do them all a favor and change the subject. "When are we leaving?" Tobio asked.

  "Ideally, tomorrow, since you're up and about. I don't want to spend another hour here, with recovering Genin, more than I have to."

  Did he want to speak to the coward of the Hidden Waterfall? Not really. But, there was no harm in doing so. With a sigh, he inclined his head. "…Sure, send him in. Anything else?"

  The burly man's face softened into a smile, before he nodded. "Oh yeah. One st thing."

  Before any of them could do anything, all three of the Genin found themselves swept up in Tekuno's broad arms. It was a hug. Perhaps the first hug Tobio had received since he'd woken up here, in this dangerous world. Warm, welcoming, and he had to blink away the warmth and wetness that threatened to make his eyes all blurry just by the sudden intensity of it. He hadn't thought of himself as the type of person who'd be taken aback by this sort of thing, but perhaps it was just from how long he'd gone without basic human contact.

  That could get to anyone.

  "Good job," Tekuno rumbled. "And thank you for keeping each other alive."

  Then they were being released, and all of the Genin were flushed with embarrassment. Tobio wasn't even immune to that, as he couldn't find himself capable of looking at anyone after that sudden hug.

  Ami was looking down at her p, lips pursed together. "I-It's not a big deal…"

  "It is a big deal," their sensei denied, shaking his head. "You three did the impossible, and all lived to tell the tale. Don't be surprised if I'm forced to nominate all three of you for the Chūnin Exams coming up in a few months."

  Those words were enough to remind him of the upcoming, unspoken timer he was on, for a lot of the crazier events that were heading their way. A lot was going to happen at that point, with people to save or kill and destinies to alter all the same. The notion that Suien was the hardest guy he'd have to fight, in comparison to all of the threats lurking in the Elemental Nations…

  It was a ughable notion, at best. Especially when he couldn't trust all of his foreknowledge about the setting like he'd been expecting.

  And was it weird he was kind of excited for the challenge?

  "If it's anything like this, we'll crush it, sensei," Tobio promised, shooting the older man a toothy grin.

  "Oh, I have no doubts," he agreed. "Especially after I train you three into the dirt for the next few months."

  All three of them ughed, only to notice the sly, excited expression on Tekuno's face. "That was a joke, right?" Hibachi asked, smiling sheepishly.

  Their sensei, that bastard, only smirked.

  "Right?!" Hibachi hastily followed it up, the perpetual scker looking positively frightened at the prospect of hard work.

  The man only gave a worrisome chuckle as he stood up, ambling off and out of the room. Each of the three children felt a shiver creep down their spines at his words, shared worried gnces with each other.

  "Well, I'm gonna get started packing for the journey back home," Hibachi huffed, rolling his shoulders zily. "See you guys ter."

  It left Ami and Tobio alone, as the girl paused, looking his way with big, dark eyes. They stared at each other for a few moments, before she moved, arms wrapping around him in another hug. Though this one felt different than the more paternal, well-meaning one that Tekuno had given out.

  More…desperate. Cloying. As if she was trying to reassure herself that Tobio was still with them. He wasn't sure why he felt like he could read into them that much, but even so, it was the vibe he got.

  Ami's voice rasped out, unsteady and unsure, as her arms tightened around him. "…Don't scare us like that again, Oni-baka. Understood?"

  Carefully, delicately, he lifted up his arms, and hugged her back. "Understood."

  Releasing him, she was definitely a little red in the face, but met his eyes evenly and gave him a sharp nod. "R-Right. As long as you know. I've got to…"

  "Get packing?"

  "Yeah! That."

  "Don't let this invalid keep you."

  With a snort, she smiled at him and left out the door. From there, Tobio was going to take it easy…until a nurse came to ask if he was willing to see Lord Shibuki. Which, of course, meant he couldn't yet take his comfy nap.

  Truly, the depths this awful coward inconvenienced him knew no ends.

  When Shibuki entered, it was that of a man who looked more than a little well-worn. If anything, he just seemed…tired, more so than his age should have allowed for. For a few brief moments, the two of them just stared at each other, alone in the room, the silence filled with tension.

  Broken when Shibuki moved, lowering himself into a deep bow. "I, Shibuki of Takigakure, formally apologize for my cowardice."

  What?

  "What?" He dumbly responded, blinking a few times.

  Looking up, Shibuki sat seiza, as he stared over at Tobio. "In my efforts to secure the treasure of my vilge, I left you and your allies alone to face the sins of my people's past. And for that alone, I must apologize. For the ck of bravery I possessed to face them myself, and make the sacrifices needed for my people, I must doubly suborn myself. And for your own sacrifices…a reward is in store."

  Frankly, this wasn't the turn that Tobio had imagined this conversation to take. He was already a little off-kilter by the apology. "Uh, we're already getting paid, but if you're eager to give me more ryo, I won't say no."

  He really wouldn't. If it meant that he could move out of his shitty studio apartment sooner, he'd be all for it.

  "This…is a matter of honor. And it's something I can share, for better or worse." Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a small jar, and handed it to Tobio. "The treasure of my vilge is called the Hero Water. It is how we've maintained our peace and prosperity, and what Suien was after."

  Picking up the jar, Tobio curiously pulled the topper off and sniffed the strong smell of fermentation. He had to put it back on, before he started to salivate too much. "What is it made out of? What's it even do?"

  "Distilled from the fermentation of the great tree our vilge is centered around, the Hero Water temporarily expands your chakra reserves by a factor of how much you drink it."

  That was genuinely incredible as a specific trick. Most Hidden Vilges just had the vessels of tailed beasts to act as ways to dissuade invaders, but the smaller ones needed to make do with their tricks. This was one of Taki's, it seemed, besides Fū. Actually, where was Fū during the events of the siege in the first pce?

  Whatever. He doubted it'd be important anytime soon, since they had a few years until the Akatsuki started their pn to snatch the vessels in earnest.

  "Woah…" He looked down at the fermented liquid…and realistically, wondered what he could cook out of it. "Is there any drawback to slurping it down?"

  The older boy grimaced, hands tensing at his side. "It takes a portion of your lifespan, depending precisely on how much you've drunk. That's roughly a cup of the Hero Water, for you to do as you see fit with."

  …Tobio knew it was too good to be true. Still, if he could get around the lifespan fuckery and reduce the effects, it could still be a valuable cooking ingredient. For how little he had of it, anyway.

  "I mean, I guess I should say thank you for such a kind gift." Even if it would literally kill him if he drank it. Or not. He wasn't sure what his Oni-half would do with it, if he sipped it straight.

  Shibuki shook his head. "I should be thanking you again. That a Genin from another vilge could shame me so, acting where I could not…" He sighed. "Well, negotiations between Konohagakure and Takigakure have reopened, due to this security pse. Certain things will be changing around here. It might not even be up to me in the future to direct them."

  There wasn't much Tobio had to say here. If he was friends with Shibuki, or the older boy had fought alongside them, that might have swayed his opinion. But the guy hadn't done much to endear himself to Team Eleven. Thus, Tobio just shrugged.

  "Even if you're not Lord Shibuki, you'll still be Shibuki, right? You've got your whole life ahead of you. If you wanna regain that honor you lost, stop being a coward, stop thinking about what could happen, and just…fight, the next time a crisis happens."

  A low chuckle rolled out of the boy at those words, looking at Tobio dubiously. "Is it truly that simple?"

  "It is for me," Tobio nodded. "But I am an unhinged maniac in a fight, so take my advice with a grain of salt."

  Another rueful ugh escaped Shibuki, as he slowly brought himself up to his feet. "I'll do so. I wish you luck in your life, Tobio. You seem like you'll live in interesting times, wherever you go."

  With that, the vilge's Lord left, leaving Tobio alone once more. With a bottle filled with incredible, dangerous Hero Water, and a schedule opened up for the st bit of zy time he'd get for a while.

  Some people might have been leery of his future. Grueling examination training, a dangerous invasion, and his frantic fight to change the future notwithstanding…everything looked like it would be alright.

  For now? Naptime.

  Getting back to the Hidden Leaf was easy enough, with well-wishers from the Takigakure vilgers they'd saved seeing the team off. Compared to the pace they'd taken to get there, this one was more leisurely and sedate, if only because of how tired and worn-out the team still was.

  Except Tobio, because the miraculous Elixir had done wonders in healing him. But he was the outlier, as even their sensei was tired from how quickly he'd rushed to their side. But eventually, they made it back to Konoha, if slower than usual.

  From there, it was mostly just a matter of resting. Ami and Hibachi got proper, Hidden-leaf quality medical care. Without Tsunade it wasn't as good as it could have been, yet it was still leaps and bounds above where it was before the legendary medic had made her reforms. In due time, the two of them would recover on their own. If their injuries were worse, he'd have probably been fretting over sharing the Elixir. Eventually, that genie was going to have to come out of the bottle, but for now that secret was going to be kept for himself.

  A substance that could instantaneously heal anything? If it wasn't confiscated from him weekly, it'd gain an amount of undue attention that he was ill-equipped to deal with at the moment.

  More blessedly? They had a week off, before they had to meet up with their sensei again to train.

  Most of the time for Tobio was spent rexing, cooking meals to experiment on new recipes, and checking in with Ami and Hibachi. Almost the moment that she'd gotten home injured, Ami had been fussed over by her mother. The girl was trying to act like she wasn't enjoying being pampered like that, but failed to an almost comical degree when he'd dropped by to check on her.

  Meanwhile, Hibachi got a gruffer version from his own parent. Though the beanie-cd Genin mostly seemed like he was interested in catching up on his gardening, and fixing up what had been left behind. For now, though, all of them got a bit of respite when it came to their training, or obligations.

  For a brief time, though? Life went on in the Hidden Leaf.

  April 3rd?As the group met up at their regur training grounds, Tekuno-sensei cast a look over them, scrutinizing them carefully. With his hands on his hips, he looked uncharacteristically serious.

  "Alright, kids. You guys are about to suffer from your own success, because the people upstairs that make decisions have heard tell of your mission. And those results were impressive, to be clear," he assured them. "So, like I said before, the chances of you lot going up for the exams is high."

  Ami, nearly fully healed but just tender at this point, frowned softly. "Wouldn't you say we're ready, though?"

  "There's more to the Chūnin Exams than raw skill and power," he pointed out. "It's a function of testing your professionality, in addition to other parameters. Being strong is never bad, but being worthy of the rank is more important in the eyes of Konoha as a whole."

  If Tobio was remembering correctly, only Shikamaru got the promotion the first time around. While he'd like it himself, if only for the pay raise, he wasn't opposed to waiting longer.

  "So what does that mean for us?" Hibachi asked.

  Tekuno hummed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "It means that even if you're not likely to pass, it's more important for Konoha to look good to potential clients, and to show that we're strong."

  "That's…" Hibachi trailed off, looking unsure of himself.

  "It's a little messed up," Tobio supplied, feeling his friend's unease.

  Unceremoniously, Tekuno shrugged his broad shoulders. "As much as it sucks, it's politics. The Hidden Leaf needs to show that we're dominant, top dog, otherwise nobles and clients will begin to turn their eyes toward other Hidden Vilges to satisfy their needs for senseless violence."

  It was true, even if Tobio didn't like how it was phrased. But the real world didn't much care for his own sensibilities.

  "Ultimately, that means I'm opening up the C-rank jutsu," he continued. "Though I admit, only Tobio has the chakra reserves to throw them around willy-nilly right now."

  He tried, and failed, not to preen under the praise. His chakra reserves were much rger than a civilian-born Genin's ought to have been, though most people were bound to also bme that on his bloodline. And to be fair, they weren't entirely unfair about that. His physical energy made it a little lopsided, but Tobio was fairly sure that he was well ahead of the curve because of it and Sorcerer. If nothing else, he guessed that he was at least on par with the cn heirs.

  "What C-rank jutsu do you even know?" Tobio asked.

  It turned out? Quite a few.

  For Ami, he'd procured a teacher for water jutsu, if she so chose to pick them up. Otherwise, she was fine to continue learning the D-ranks he knew. For Hibachi and Tobio, they had some more options.

  In terms of Earth Release, he knew the Hiding Like a Mole technique, which would allow them to burrow through the earth. It wasn't too crazy by itself, but paired well with a lot of other jutsu. Hibachi seemed to genuinely be considering that one for himself, if only because it'd enhance his existing trapmaking capabilities.

  Then there were the Fire Release jutsu, which mostly just included the Fme Bullet technique, and Dragon Fire technique. Both had their benefits, though one was certainly more focused on area of effect, as opposed to single targets.

  What really pricked Tobio's interest, though, was when their sensei moved them over to the pond and exhibited a new chakra control technique.

  "Water-walking is universally known as the next in line for honing your chakra control," Tekuno expined, as he traversed the surface of the water to his staring Genin's surprise. "Useful, but I recommend wearing swimming trunks if you're going to practice this."

  Out of the many different options for his growth, he still had to figure out a path for himself. Jutsu, focusing on his combat potential, or something even stranger. No matter what he chose, though, Tobio knew it was bound to be eventful.