My Brother's a Jinchūriki!

Chapter 113: Old Dogs and New Tricks!

"This is the real difference between our powers." No longer spinning, Kiba straightened at the other end of the room and smirked at Naruto where he lay. "You lasted longer than I thought you would, but in the end, the outcome was as expected."

Natsumi bristled at the statement, glaring quickly at Kiba before leaning to go to her brother again. Kakashi kept his hand on her left shoulder and her glare moved to him. He watched quietly as her eyes flashed between violet and red and her pupils narrowed to slits then rounded once again, matching the erratic rhythm of her breaths.

"This is what she meant that time, then." Kakashi glanced toward Kiri, who had frozen in recognition at Natsumi's eyes and was slowly reaching for her back pouch. His eyes fell on Natsumi once more, concentrating on the subtle changes in her expression. He caught the expression of the dark-haired boy beside her- brows furrowed as he held his breath, but he wasn't fearful. "He must have seen this happen before, though that's worrisome enough if it's happening frequently."

Hasu held out his hand to try to touch Natsumi's shoulder but drew it back again. A low growl nearly too soft to hear came from her throat and she dug her nails, now slightly elongated to points, into her palms. His eyes only widened when droplets of red fell from her fists to the ground.

Every pair of eyes watched Naruto as he lay unmoving, except for three. Natsumi's expression twitched as her body trembled and she clenched her fists and jaw tightly. The crimson glow in her eyes lingered longer with each flash and each breath sent a shudder throughout.

"Ordinarily, I'd think that this sort of situation required the Hokage's immediate attention, however... she's exercising enormous willpower currently." Kakashi looked at Kiri from the corner of his eye and she, in turn, glanced toward where the Hokage stood before looking back to him. "She's aware of what's happening, and, more importantly, she hasn't lost control of herself, despite how her appearance has changed."

Crimson overtook violet and Natsumi stared at the silver-haired Jonin with the corner of her eyes welled with tears and slowly spilled over. Instead of the droplets rolling down her cheeks, they sizzled and evaporated. He drew back his hand quickly, furrowing his brows slightly as he looked at his palm. It prickled from the heat and he flexed his fingers. "Although... there's no telling how out-of-hand this might actually get."

Hasu reached out to her again, opening his mouth this time, and Natsumi shuddered. Kakashi blinked as her eyes closed and she drew in a slow breath, then reopened her eyes.

"It's passed on its own?" Kakashi continued to watch as she blinked and drew in cautious breaths. "Just as she said... this is a curious situation."

Natsumi swallowed and the tension slipped away when she exhaled again. She held up her still-clenched fists to look at the dried blood as, it too, seemed to burn away. Then, she uncurled her fingers and her eyes widened slightly at the smooth, unpunctured skin of her palms.

She turned quickly to stare down at Naruto, heart pounding once more as she rubbed her palm with her thumb. A moment later, Naruto's fingers twitched and the corners of Natsumi's eyes welled.

"I'm going... to become the Hokage." Naruto's hand twitched again and his voice rose from a strained whisper. "I...won't lose here."

"You can still move?" Kiba blinked, then smirked and put his hands on his hips. "You, becoming Hokage? What a joke. When you're this weak?" He scoffed and laughed loudly. "I'll become Hokage for you, how's that?"

-

The class laughed loudly at Naruto in the front of the room. He shook as he scrunched his face and glared their way. Naruto glanced at Iruka, who stood in front of him only frowning in silence as the class' laughter grew louder.