Chapter 41 Kuro’s partner

My name is Kuro, and I'm a Ninken of the Inuzuka clan. I'm the biggest of my litter, though now, I'm already far stronger than any of my siblings.

When it came to getting a partner, I picked Koji, he likes to think he picked me, but that's where he is wrong, I'm the one in charge, he is just too dumb to realize it.

But that's fine, I'm the brain in our team, and the brawn, honestly, I just bring him around for the food.

Though in all honesty, Koji is great, I have nothing to complain about there. Within the entire clan, he is for sure one of the most talented, a good partner for me, and more importantly, a good friend.

As shinobi, we were always busy, more so with the war going on, nasty business, war. I hated it. I heard lots of stories about how people died in them, so many lost their partners, and the pack got hurt.

But, we had to fight, that's what we do, we fight for the pack, we protect it.

That isn't just an Inuzuka clan thing; other clans do the same. Like the Hyūga Clan, sure, they got some strange traditions and stuff, but they care about the pack.

I witnessed that myself when Koji and I got sent on a big old mission with a big old team of them. that's the first time we met Yuki. The team leader, and someone really badass.

Sure, at first she was cold as ice, but after that big battle, well, she warmed up a ton. Honestly, fighting is always the best way to get to know people. We Ninken know that, heck, so do our human partners, that's why we fight so much.

Still, while she was a total badass, strong and nice, I didn't think that much of it. Not until we got our next mission. One where we would go on a team with her again.

I didn't mind that, because I knew she was strong and smart, and someone able to protect her pack, someone I could respect.

So we set out on the mission, everything is just fine, no problems. We move out to the Land of Rivers, and boom! Damn Koji that brat goes and falls in love.

Really, what is he thinking?

Or maybe that is the problem, he isn't thinking at all.

Still, gotta admit, he picked a fine bitch. While I'm not a human, I knew that Yuki was a fine one, heck, among all those I had seen, she was for sure one of the best looking, maybe expect Tsume, she too is a damn fine one.

I admit, though, that Koji has no chance with Tsume, not a chance, so he was smart to target Yuki instead.

And since he fell for her, well, I had to do my part to make him happy, as his partner. And it was easy, Yuki liked me, and didn't mind me being close to her, in fact, she even undressed for me.

Allowing me to see her perfectly clear, get a good idea of what Koji, that lucky dog, is going for. And, yeah, he would be lucky to get to mount that piece of meat, Yuki was real prime breeding material.

Young, untouched, and fertile.

I even told Koji that, but does he thank me for it? oh no, he acts like I'm doing something wrong, damned coward.

So clearly, I had to do something to make things happen because I want Koji to be happy, and Yuki could make him really happy, okay?

Course, it's not just about the body. That's just the first thing any dog notices—we're built for smell, for movement, for heat. I smelled how calm she was when she sat with us.

 I smelled how her heartbeat slowed, just a little, when Koji brushed against her. I smelled the tension in him, too, every time she looked at him like he was something worth seeing.

Humans can be so blind. They need words for everything. But I don't.

I knew what was happening.

Still, this wasn't the time for mounting and mating and rolling around like idiots in the grass. We had work to do. So for the next few days, that's what we did.

After setting up the main camp, we spread out—slowly, carefully—like a hunting pack looking to claim new territory. Yuki marked the locations on that big paper map of hers, and every time Koji sat next to her, he got all twitchy and weird again.

Honestly, he's a good fighter, but when it comes to feelings? The mutt's got the grace of a one-eyed boar in heat.

But I stayed quiet. Watched. Learned.

Yuki started to notice that he wasn't acting normal around her, and I knew it was only a matter of time before she caught on to what was happening. And well, I wasn't sure what to do about it. I wished Koji would either go for it, be honest and just tell her, or hide it better.

That would at least buy us time to work slowly to win over Yuki.

During the next few days, we found three more decent sites, one beneath a jutting cliffside, shadowed and cool, near a spring.

Another deep in the trees, where even birds forgot to fly. The last was high on a ridge, where you could see far enough to catch a hawk mid-glide—and Koji picked that one. I was proud of that. He didn't say it, but I could smell his satisfaction.

The humans were growing used to the quiet. No enemies came. No scouts. No puppets or poison or explosions. Just fog, wind, and birds. It made them restless.

In particular, Yuki seemed to be growing reckless the fastest; she was able to hide it well, but when away from the others, when it was just the two of us, she showed the signs.

It was almost surprising, I didn't think she had that kind of personality, but clearly, she loved excitement, a good thrill, I could see it, smell it, she was a great fit for an Inuzuka like Koji.

That's what sealed it for me.

Not the looks, not the strength—though she had plenty of both—but the thrill. The hunger. That itch under the skin when things stay still too long. She had it, just like Koji did. Just like I did.

And that kind of hunger needed a pack.

Add that with her loyalty and protective nature, and damn, she is perfect.

Having seen this side of her, I decided to try and learn more about her, try to see what other hidden sides she had. Maybe, just maybe it would give Koji a better chance at getting his girl.

So I watched her.

Not the way Koji did. He watched like a pup chasing a butterfly—entranced, nervous, wide-eyed. I watched like a hunter. Quiet. Patient. Curious.

And I learned.

There was an invisible barrier between her and the others, not Koji and me, no, not anymore. It was the same kind of wall that was between us on our first mission, the one that didn't go away until that life and death battle.

She was proud, very proud, and I guess she had good reason to be, she was damn strong, and so young at that.

She had a ton of energy and a desire to grow stronger, and she hated being bored more than Koji, me, or anyone I had met.

She hid it well, but I noticed it, she really wanted something to do.

And it just happened that she seemed to have decided that that something was to figure out what Koji was doing.

It was kind of funny, actually.

Not "ha-ha" funny—more like tail-thump funny. Because here was this elite Hyūga kunoichi, stronger than most men twice her age, who could kill a man without lifting her voice… now quietly trying to figure out what was wrong with the weird boy in her squad who couldn't look her in the eye.

Her method, to no surprise, was to use those pretty white eyes of hers to look at him all the damn time.

I guess when you have magic eyes, everything seems like a problem that can be solved by looking at it.

Worse yet, she might not be wrong, because all the attention was having an effect on Koji. 

Poor pup was hanging on by a thread.

Every time she looked at him for too long, he'd get all stiff and twitchy, like someone told him not to move or the floor would explode. His scent would spike—nervous, confused, a little desperate. He didn't know whether to bark, bolt, or beg.

And I didn't help much.

What can I say, I got bored too.

And he was so easy to mess with.

I kept telling him when she was looking, even when she wasn't. But that was just the start of it. I would spend time telling him about our alone time. I would describe Yuki's body to him. The soft flesh of her rear, the small white bush of her sex.

I told him of her scent, letting him know my guess on where she was in her monthly cycle. I also made up tons of stuff, just because he wouldn't be able to confirm it either way.

It was hilarious seeing him struggle. And best of all, his strange reaction naturally drew Yuki's attention.

But in between all the teasing and tracking, I kept watching. Learning.

Haruto and Arata were solid—quiet, efficient. Old wolves with no need for posturing. They didn't meddle. Didn't prod. Just kept doing their job, watching the trees, sharpening blades, reinforcing traps. I respected that.

Koji could learn a few useful tricks from those two, if he wasn't too busy thinking about Yuki.

He's got a good heart, my partner. Big, dumb, and noisy, but loyal through and through. He deserved to be happy, to get his girl and a ton of little pups of his own.

And what could I do but help him?

-----

It had been five days since we found the first traps. And since then, we have found many others, and we have found a good number of tracks belonging to people.

Well, it was no real surprise; there were plenty of people living here in Rivers. So with that, there would be traces of that, scents moving about. People are moving on roads or by those same rivers.

We were mapping the area well enough; it wouldn't be long before we could seek out the enemy rather than wait until we randomly stumbled upon them.

That was good news for sure, because holy hell, this mission was horrible, we could barely talk most of the time, given that we were supposed to keep hidden.

And nothing happened.

We couldn't train because we had to be ready for combat at any time, and we couldn't afford to make noise.

So, I was itching for something, anything.

This led me to keep an eye on Koji because he definitely acted oddly.

I'd been watching him closely. I was good at that.

But the closer I watched, the more confused I became. It wasn't bad. Just... strange. And maybe interesting.

Kuro was part of it, no doubt; whenever he spoke, Koji would have some huge reaction. It was strange, being left out of the conversation. Even though I was right there. But that's a language barrier for you.

Still, I wasn't entirely clueless, clearly, Koji was reacting to me, and whatever Kuro said was likely about me as well, but what was he saying?

So far, I had given Koji a bit of space, but clearly, I had to look much closer to figure out this puzzle, and well, I had nothing better to do.

Once more, I activated my Byakugan to look at Koji without turning towards him, and that was when I noticed a chakra signature at the edge of my vision.

(End of chapter)

And how could I forget about Kuro? he has a mind of his own, thoughts of his own, he sees the world in a fun way.