DiSCERN (Naruto Fanfic)

Chapter Eleven

So, step one of making it back into ninjahood: let's not walk into any walls this morning!

Itsuki knocks his head into the door, the doorknob jabbing into his ribs. He chokes, and doubles over in agony, coughing.

Let's try that again.

"What did the door ever do to you?" Kakashi chides.

Itsuki shrieks, no I didn't, "how long have you been there?"

Kakashi doesn't reply, and Itsuki's face heats up. He stands up again, and this time, he extends his chakra externally-- and feels Kakashi's chakra pulse back in resonance.

"Itsuki-kun," Minato's voice comes in from behind, the door open in a sort of surprise, "who taught you to do that?"

Itsuki freezes. Had he not learned it yet by this time? Dammit-- he can't say it was Orochimaru... Who was a great sensor he knew?

"Mom," he replies, almost juttingly as he spoke the moment the answer came to him. He fears it may have sounded unnatural, but the answer itself made Minato clutch tighter onto the doorknob, a creaking noise barely audible.

"...is that so?" Minato says, a little guilt permeating his voice-- "to think you were hiding something like this all this while."

Itsuki flusters. "I-- I never actually tried, but," he has to think up a reason, a proper reason why and how he would be using his mom's technique three years down the hill, "I just, remembered that she did this before and I-- I've been trying to imitate her?"

The last bit sounded like a question.

He swallows, and stands still.

Then Minato laughs, "I'm not reprimanding you," he clarifies, and a hand drops onto the boy's head, lightly ruffling the black locks, "I just think it's amazing. Your endurance needs work, but your handling and chakra control is worthy of a Jounin-level technique."

Itsuki stands, stunned-- unable to help the brightness in his features at the compliment.

"Only in chakra handling, though," Kakashi says, unnecessarily eager to ruin good moods, "everything else sucks."

Itsuki threw a pillow in his vague direction. He's not too sure where it ended up but it did not sound like it hit Kakashi. Dammit.

It wasn't as if he had gained his capabilities from the future-- perhaps it was the countless years of work and experience as an ANBU that told him the most efficient ways to mold and thin out chakra.

Minato may have exaggerated a little, though. But it doesn't matter. He has to keep his personal morale high or he won't get anywhere.

-

And now, the moment he's dreaded.

"Itsuki-kun, I'll go open the door, so stay right here."

Itsuki wants to get up and bolt into his room but unfortunately he can't see where he's going, he's not too sure which chair of the dining table he's on, and he doesn't know his old house's structure enough to know how to get around on his own.