Team 8 training grounds

It was always a pleasure to look at Saul-kun. He was always so dedicated! He trained daily, making so many clones. She would make them too, but they were not as helpful to her as they were to him. Her Byakugan consumed a lot of chakra to activate and use, and without a sparring partner, training the gentle fist was not useful. Fighting using the gentle first against her clones also wasn't helpful - one chakra injection and they'd go *poof*. 

She could feel it however. Her eyes were always growing. Not only in range and precision, no. She was learning to truly 'see' as Saul-kun had put it. What use was perfect sight if you could not properly interpret what you saw?

Hinata watched Kiba, Kurenai sensei, and especially her beloved Saul-kun as they trained. She was becoming better at predicting movements at the instant of their inception. The moment the muscles contracted, she could see it. Even the most minor shifts of balance could be captured by her eyes. It gave her a precognition of sorts; she felt as if she could see phantoms of their movement before they actually moved.

The entire training grounds were under her watchful eye. So she was the first to know when a brown haired girl hesitantly approached the grounds.

"Saul-kun." 

"Whatsup."

"Just as you said, Yakumo's back."

Saul got up from the ground, stretching his sore muscles.

"I suppose I should use this time as a little break. She's probably here to speak with Kurenai sensei, but there's no reason not to check up on her."

Isn't resting with me enough of a reason, Saul-kun?

Yet after hearing about Yakumo's circumstances, Hinata was no longer as hostile towards the girl. They had found themselves in similar circumstances after all. Regardless of the situation however, if that brown eyed witch tried to intrude on her time with her Saul-kun... Well, she'd... She looked up at his perfect face and pouted. Her teary white eyes gazed up at him like two precious pearls.

"Okay... B-but you have to make it up to me later!"

"If that's the case, here's a little bit of an advance payment."

Saul couldn't resist. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips gently.

"Now lead the way please, Hinata."

Bad Saul-kun! He shouldn't just kiss her like that, then try and get her to lead him to another woman! Would she really just go along with that? Hinata blushed, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. Then she extended her hand slowly. He took her hand in hand, and they went to see Yakumo.

"Saul!"

"Hey Yakumo!"

Eyeing the 'demure' Hinata, Yakumo gave him a short yet still surprisingly affectionate hug in greeting.

"How did everything go? With your parents..."

"Well... I didn't actually tell them. I wanted to get a second opinion from Kurenai sensei first. Even from the cage - she still talks to me, you know."

"She?"

"Id."

"And? What did she say?"

"That she's regretful for causing so much trouble. That she wouldn't try to interfere again unless she really thinks I need it."

Well this was... A new development. In the prior series, Yakumo was forcibly sealed in a way that she could never use chakra again. Id eventually grew strong enough to partially bypass the seal, but once Id was killed by her, Yakumo was permanently crippled by a seal she could not break. She would fade into obscurity. Now with Id being subdued instead of outright killed, her growth potential was astounding.

"As long as she's caged up, you don't need to worry whether she's lying or not. You'll be fine regardless."

Yakumo smiled sadly, "I'm scared, Saul-san. I want Kurenai sensei to assess the situation as well, for peace of mind. My father is paying for my tuition under her after all."

"Kurenai Sensei!"

Saul called out.

*whoosh*

Kurenai jumped down from a tree.

"Yakumo... I believe I informed the Kurama clan that I would be coming to see you this afternoon."

Yakumo bowed.

"Sensei, I'm sorry for coming unannounced. I came to inform you in an official capacity that I won't be staying in the Kurama clan mansion any longer. Rather, I will be shortly staying somewhere else in the village. My mother sent me out to go choose a place."

Yakumo and her father were originally going to choose a place together, but while he was working in the clan office, her mother kicked her out with half the funds they were originally going to use. Id really wanted to break out at that time - Yakumo had to do everything she could to calm Id for her mother's sake. Her biggest motivation was to make sure she didn't cause any more trouble for her father at the time. So she didn't make a fuss and quietly left.

Kurenai nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that..."

Yakumo smiled. She must be strong. "I came here in an unofficial capacity as well. But if I am to tell you the reason, Kurenai sensei, you must promise not to inform the clan."

Kurenai frowned. "Why, Yakumo? Are you ok with Saul and Hinata hearing it?"

She nodded. "I need you to keep it a secret to protect my father... As for what it is, well, Saul has everything to do with it."

Kurenai turned to Saul, who already had his hands raised in surrender. "What did you do, boy?"

"Stop!!! Stop Kurenai-sensei, he only helped! Can you please just promise me?"

Recalling the order of the Third Hokage regarding Saul, Kurenai nodded. "I promise, your words to me now will not enter the ears of anyone except for mine and those of the Lord Hokage."

"That's... Fine." With an apologetic look to Saul, Yakumo continued, "Actually Saul came by last night and helped me seal Id."

"Id? What's that?"

"Id is the name of the demon living within me; she was the one who attacked the other day."

Cold sweat dripped down her forehead. What? She had told him not to! Entering Yakumo's Genjutsu was foolhardy - especially as a beginner! Honestly!

Vowing internally to show Saul the true dangers of a Genjutsu world later, she refocused her attention back to Yakumo.

"You said it's sealed now?"

"Yes."

As far as she knew, Saul shouldn't know any sealing techniques?

"May I have a look?"

Yakumo bowed once more, "Please."

"Then... Excuse me."

She formed a couple of hand seals, then pressed her palm to Yakumo's forehead.

Kurenai entered. It was a warped, twisted space. With no Genjutsu Illusion to guide her, or the user to define it, it was raw, undefined, free. She sensed for a moment, then walked in a direction. There was a terrible chakra emanating from that way.

She came across a being. It was dressed like Yakumo and had her build. Even the paint on her fingers and nails were the same! The only difference was that it was wearing an Oni mask. It sat there caged by a lock with no key, bars that extended through the floor and infinitely past the ceiling.

"Are you... Id?"

It tilted its head to look at her, her neck twisting and cracking with the movement. Kurenai gulped. Then it went back to ignoring her. Could it even speak?

Kurenai didn't dare to make any more noise. She started investigating the 'seal.' In horror, she discovered that it was merely a Genjutsu construct! There was no seal, no jutsu keeping that thing at bay! It restricted itself with its own power, merely carefully maintaining foreign strands of weak chakra running through the cage that she presumed to be Saul's. Yet, there it remained.

A booming, high pitched laughter resounded from the cage.

"Hihihihihi! She noticed...❤️" It then boomed, echoing around her in a mixture of a deep baritone and a sweet female voice, "She saw it. Saw it. Saw it. Saw it. Saw it."

Kurenai tried to use her Genjutsu release but nothing happened!

Suddenly a dainty hand grabbed her shoulder. It morphed into black claws that could pierce her at any moment.

"Kurenai Sensei~!"

Her body was turned, meeting face to face with a red eyed, faceless Yakumo.