6.17

    “Don’t even think about it.” That was how Karin greeted me when I got back to her.

    I tilted my head, trying to play the innocent card. I’d made my way back, slow and steady, dipping inside the earth at any nearby buzz. I might have been planning to hug or tickle her, because, you know, my clones might have corrupted me and her reactions were funny.

    Karin narrowed her eyes, gaze dipping toward my navel.

    Yeah, bullshit chakra-mind-reading detector. So unfair. Time to change topics. I wrote words. “I got the jelly.”

    My proud announcement met me with a suspicious nod. Then her face softened, and she smiled. “That’s good. We can finally leave this place, right? I don’t like them.”

    I could understand her reluctance. We only interacted with two of the clan’s badgers, the patriarch and the she-devil. One didn’t seem to mind if we just bugged off and got offed somehow, while the other wanted to gouge my eye out. And the other clan members were often indifferent, if not hostile. I knew I was missing something here.

    Was it the eye? That was supposed to be my only connection to Orochimaru and the snakes. But what had Tsuchigaru said? That I reeked like a snake. Was there more to that comment?

    Had Orochimaru added his DNA as well when experimenting on me?

    I shook my head at the idea. If I went down that path, I might as well imagine even more ridiculous scenarios. He might as well have used my body as a gene bowl, mixing Senju, his own, Uchiha, and Hyuga to create a super host.

    “Hinata-chan?” Karin’s voice sounded like she was far away.

    No, this was ridiculous, even for him. I was letting my imagination and paranoia get the better of me.

    ...

    He wouldn’t have done it, would he?

    I paced.

    “Changing how?” I asked, not bothering with threads this time.

    Karin looked from my navel to my face, then down again. “It’s usually clear and bubbly—”

    “This is a mating ritual, innit?” Kumoko’s voice cut Karin’s explanation. “Pops said you humans have weird ways of showing you wanna mate. Is that it? You’re scared of bees, so now you’re mating?”

    Karin squeaked, let go of my cheeks like it burned her, pushed me away. I noticed a bit of a blush and had to roll my eyes. How innocent was she? Nothing like I remembered from the original story.

    Kumoko had the worst of timings. It felt like Karin was about to tell me something important, but there was no way I would bring the topic up again near the she-devil. As Karin said earlier, I didn’t trust them either, at least not until both sides signed that contract, and maybe not even then.

    I pushed my threads; no time to waste. I wanted to leave this place and return to Konoha, return home. “No mating here. Yet.” I wrote. I will admit that the yet was just to tease Karin. “I got the jelly.”

    Karin looked at the words, then at me, then at the words again. She stuck her tongue at me, then read the second part of the message. “We got the jelly.”

    “Already?” Kumoko said, moving closer. “Where’s it? Lemme see it.” She demanded.

    The glint in her eyes promised terrible things if I took the jelly out. I wasn’t about to let this she-devil ruin things and mess up my contract offerings. I shook my head. Wrote words. Karin read them out loud.

    “No,” Karin said, also shaking her head. “It is stored and hidden. We’ll take it out once we’re back at the nest.”

    “Take it out, or I’m gonna show you why my name is Kumoko.” The she-devil squeaky growled. It was adorable. But I didn’t give in, wrote more words. Mouthpiece Karin read them for me.

    Karin looked between me and Kumoko before reading my words. “The jelly is an offering for your clan. Are you willing to derail your first barter because you’re greedy?”

    “Fine,” Kumoko said, tail lashing. “When pops tells you the jelly isn’t good enough ‘cause you didn’t let me check, it’s your loss.”

    “We’ll risk it.” Karin said, eyes narrowed. “Lead the way.”