Sometimes, making other people happy is really hard. Sometimes, not so much.

"Kagome, make sure the fort is secure," Inoue said quietly, her eyes flicking to the tapirs (almost two dozen) and ninja (eight) who were hanging out in the team's vicinity with clear intent to linger.

Kagome's eyes lit up and his entire face shone with joy. "Yes, ma'am!" he said, issuing a half-assed salute before running over to the mini-fort that he had insisted Hazō build for them the moment they arrived in the village. From one of his unreasonably large number of storage scrolls he pulled out a postholer and a dozen square posts of various lengths, each one carved with swirly designs and giant kanji saying 'LEAVE ME ALONE'. He started wielding the postholer with abandon, occasionally flicking glances around to make sure that no one and nothing was about to attack him.

Soon enough a dozen posts of various heights from three to eight feet were positioned around the mini-fort. Inoue watched in bemusement as it became clear that the paranoid master of explosives was just getting started.

o-o-o-o

"How's that?" Noburi asked.

"Good," the little girl said, flexing her previously-sprained arm. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Glad to hear it," Noburi said. "Next time, don't let him grapple you, okay? If he tries, just knee him in the balls. Remember, you're a ninja, you're allowed to cheat."

"Sensei says that you shouldn't kick a boy in the balls," she said solemnly.

"Why not?" Noburi asked. "Because it's mean?"

"No," the six-year-old girl said, shaking her head. "Because he's probably wearing a cup."

Noburi laughed and ruffled her hair. "Good times," he said. "Good times. Now, remember, you need to eat those leafy greens, right?"

o-o-o-o

"Excuse me," Keiko said.

The foreman of the logging team turned around, looking surprised to see the cavalcade of ninja behind him. Keiko was closest, the rest of her team hanging a small distance back to give her the lead while staying in support distance. Farther back still were a dozen village ninja escorted by sixteen or seventeen tapirs, all of whom were just curious about the logging and totally not a guard detail, honest.

"Hey there," the foreman said. "What are you lot doing out here?"

"We heard about your logging efforts," Keiko said. "They are impressive." She looked up at the giant tree that the villagers were preparing to take down. "May I ask how it works? I've never seen logging like this before. We do it differently at home."

"Sure," the foreman said. He cast an eye over his crew to ensure that there was nothing that needed his attention, then turned back to the foreign ninja. "Two teams," he said. "The topping crew take off the upper part of the tree and delimbs anything that might be a problem." He gestured up at the pair of men eighty feet up on either side of the trunk, busily pulling a saw back and forth. They wore climbing spikes and had a rope belt between them, holding them tight to the tree.

"Once that's down," the foreman said, "we'll have the ground crew saw a chunk out of the tree on this side here, then cut through from the far side. That lets us control which direction the tree falls. Then we get some of the ninja in to carry the trunk back up to the village while the cleanup crew gets rid of the signs. Back at camp we chop the trunk up for firewood or building materials or whatever."

"Cleanup crew?" Keiko asked.

The foreman snorted. "We're a secret settlement, kid. Wouldn't be very secret if we left obviously logged stumps around. The cleanup crew picks up all the sawdust and any branches that have obvious tool marks, then works the stump so it looks like it rotted out or got hit by lightning."

"I see," Keiko said. "I notice that your topping crew are using climbing spikes. They are not ninja?"

The foreman looked sour. "Nah," he said. "We're some of the ones who didn't have big enough reserves or couldn't learn to sense them at all. It's all good though. Totally fine. We can still do our part, contribute to the village just like the ninja can."

"I see," Keiko said. "May I make a suggestion?"

"What?" the foreman said, looking back at his crew. The toppers were halfway through the trunk by now.

Keiko bent down and sketched in the dirt. "This is a tool our logging teams use at home," she said. "It's called a peavey; it's a long metal bar with a spike on the end and a claw that swings freely. You use it like this"—she mimed thrusting it into something and then levering up—"and it lets you easily roll the logs. It would reduce the need for ninja to carry for you."

The foreman blinked and knelt to study the drawing. "Huh," he said. "Thanks kid. This...this looks good."

Keiko bowed. "You are welcome, sir," she said.

o-o-o-o

Hazō ducked into their shelter with a bento box in his hands, to find Kagome sitting in the corner (his back to both walls, of course), studying a handful of seals.

"What have you got, sensei?" Hazō asked.

"Those blanks you drew," the sealmaster grunted.

Hazō waited, but no more was forthcoming. "What have you learned, sensei?" he asked, reminding himself that phrasing was important.

When Hazō had offered the village elders a couple of storage scrolls, he'd thought he was being clever and ingratiating himself with them by showing off how useful his skills could be. Instead, the villagers had been offended that he would think they were so ignorant as to not be familiar with storage seals, and had angrily showed the team two dozen scrolls full of seals. They hadn't allowed the team to study them, of course; they weren't stupid. They'd simply flipped back the lid on the box where the scrolls were kept, gestured, then closed it again. Hazō had apologized profusely and he and the team had retreated to their mini-fort, where Hazō had immediately copied out the blanks for all the village's scrolls that he'd been able to see.

Kagome looked up, frowning. "It's weird," he said. "So far, I've noticed three different styles," he said. "They're different, clearly done by three different schools of sealing, but there are similarities between them. Big similarities." He looked back at the blanks in his lap, frowning.

"Is that so strange, sensei?" Hazō asked, when it became clear that Kagome was lost in his thoughts and would require a prompt. The scent of the spiced soup in the bento box wafted into his nose, making him want to sneeze, but he mastered the impulse.

"Hm?" Kagome said. "Oh. Yeah. Yeah, it's weird. Back home you could look through—well, not you you, but me. I could look through our sealcraft library and find a dozen different schools of seal theory, all of them with really different art styles and fundamentals. These are all...." He frowned. "They're all tiny variations on a single methodology. Very clear superficial differences, but the underlying elements...."

He shook his head in irritation and the frown got fiercer. "At first I thought that there was just one sealmaster in the village when it was founded and everything was derived from him. I don't think that's it, though. I think all of this is derived from one seal. It looks like the villagers reinvented all of sealing theory from studying one single example. They're using elements in ways that they aren't really intended to be used. Clever stuff, some of it's even brilliant, but there are more efficient strategies for a lot of it, and their theory of sealcraft has gone in a really strange direction." He waved at the stack of paper. "Like I said, weird."

He shuffled through the papers again, comparing the one he was holding to one from several sheets down. Hazō waited to see if he'd say anything else, then set the food down beside his teacher and ducked outside to where the others were sitting on the grass. He knew the signs; Kagome was absorbed in a puzzle, and he wouldn't be interested in talking until he'd cracked it.

o-o-o-o

Akane watched out of the corner of her eye as more of the the village ninja kids—and a few of the adults—gathered around to watch her and Hazō-sensei spar.

He must have been watching as well, because after a bit he stepped back and called, "Stop." She immediately aborted her attack and bowed respectfully.

"You have made impressive strides," Hazō said, wiping the sweat off his face and walking to the edge of the training field where he'd left his canteen. He picked it up and took a long pull, then offered it to her with a thumbs-up.

With great effort she kept herself from puppy-wriggling at the compliment; instead she simply took the canteen with a polite nod and drank. His words meant the world to her, even more than the knowledge that they were true. When they'd met she'd been hardly more than a fresh Academy graduate. Now, a short three months later, she was trading him punch-for-punch and winning at least half their fights.

"Thank you, Ishida-sensei," she said, bowing with an immense smile. "You are an excellent teacher."

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Hazō laughed quietly and took another pull on the canteen before flicking his eyes over her shoulder and tipping his head very slightly. She gave him a millimetric nod; it was time. She turned to face the crowd and spread her arms in invitation

"Why are you just watching?" she asked, smiling. "Come! Join us in fanning the flames of our youth!"

The villagers looked at each other dubiously.

"C'mon," Hazō said, beckoning encouragingly. "We don't bite, I promise." He grinned and chuckled. "Well, unless we're doing the Dirty Fighting and Underhanded Tactics class, but we'll leave that one out for now."

One of the older boys—mid-teens, with the muscles of someone who worked out for strength instead of speed—stepped out of the crowd and strutted over, walking straight past Akane without looking at her.

"We don't need your classes," he sneered, dropping into a low stance in from of Hazō. He beckoned with his leading hand. "Come on, brat," he said. "Show me what you've got."

Hazō eyed him thoughtfully, taking another drink from the canteen. He glanced over the boy's shoulder at the crowd, studying faces.

"I'm tired," Hazō said. "Why don't you spar with Kimiko here?"

The young man glanced over at Akane and snorted. "A girl? Please. Are you afraid?"

Rage surged through Akane but she forced herself to stay calm. She looked over to Inoue-sensei who was lounging on a blanket at the other side of the sparring field, reading a book without a visible care in the world. Wakahisa and Mori were sitting a couple meters away from her, playing a game of shogi with the set that they'd bought in Tonaki. Their posture was not nearly as relaxed as they were trying to make it seem, but they didn't flash any of the pre-arranged danger signals.

"Nah, just tired," Hazō said, sitting down on one of the logs that were set up along the edge of the training field for exactly that purpose. "Kimiko, go for it."

"Yosh!" Akane said, dropping into the first stance of the Righteous Face-Punching Style. It might have originally been a joke, but that didn't mean she wasn't good at it, and this boy's face looked ever so punchable. "I am Sasaki Kimiko, and I challenge you," she said. "Face me if you dare, or admit the superiority of the Righteous Face-Punching Style!"

The boy rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said. "I'll deal with you first and then perhaps your sensei will have gotten his nerve back. Begin!" He leaped forward with a powerful front-kick to center mass that...

...offered a lovely lever with which to dump him on his head. The other children laughed, and a few of the adults flashed very brief smiles of satisfaction before quickly schooling their faces. The tapirs growled and leaned forward, but a word from one of the adult ninja had them lying down quietly.

"Would you like to try that again?" Akane said to the boy she'd mentally dubbed Arrogant Snot, smiling sweetly. "Perhaps a little slower this time?"

The boy jumped up, glaring and brushing the dust off. "Lucky!" he growled and launched himself at her again.

He was more careful this time, not leaving obvious openings and not overcommitting to his attacks. Unfortunately for him, he just wasn't good enough. She slid around some of his punches, blocked more, and rode the impact of the ones that got through. Every time he left even the slightest opening she punched him in the face, then danced back out of his range, laughing gleefully.

In truth, she could have ended it whenever she wanted, but she was enjoying this too much. The memories of her time at the Academy—the casual dismissal of her as 'just a girl', the assumption that she would be a support specialist or medic-nin, the beatings she'd received in the taijutsu classes from clan kids who had been taught generations of skills before they even applied to the school—it had always been a tight, hard lump in her belly. That lump had started to dissolve since Hazō-sensei and his team took her in, but it was still there.

She spared a grateful thought for Hazō-sensei even as she smashed Arrogant Snot's nose flat and deliberately did not follow up as he staggered back.

Hazō-sensei was the first who had ever believed in her and seriously trained her. It hadn't been all him, either; Inoue-sensei had worked with both of them, singly and together. The woman was a war goddess incarnate, but she always fought at Akane's level and gave encouragement alongside the critique. The others had joined in as well, Mori in her cold and dispassionate way, Wakahisa with his teenage awkwardness and well-meant braggadocio.

All of that support and training surged in her veins, lifting her up and strengthening her. She slid forward and punched Arrogant Snot in the face a few times, pulling the punches just enough to knock him over but not end the fight. She was having far too much fun taking out years of frustration on his oh-so-very-punchable face.

The ease with which she'd been batting him around the field had Arrogant Snot seething with fury. Where his face wasn't black and blue from her punches it was red with fury. When she knocked him down he rolled backwards and came forward in the blur of chakra boost.

The uppercut came out of nowhere, too fast to see much less block. It lifted her off her feet and threw her back, but he was there before she hit the ground. His axe kick smashed her into the dirt; the air went out of her and she curled on her side, desperately trying to breathe. She managed to tap one hand on the ground to acknowledge her defeat, but he ignored it to kick her in the head. She was helpless to block and it snapped her head over. He wound up for another kick—

The world shifted and suddenly she was lying on Inoue-sensei's blanket, facing away from the sparring field. She managed to roll over, still gasping for breath...only to see Arrogant Snot planted in the dirt like a turnip, Inoue-sensei on his back with one knee on his neck and both his arms locked up. He screamed in pain even as Akane watched.

The entire group of tapirs growled and rose to their feet, only to jerk to a halt at a command from a village woman who had pushed her way to the front of the crowd.

"Kōta, what do you think you're doing?!" she snapped. "This was a spar!" She snapped her fingers at Inoue. "You! Let him up! I'll deal with him!"

Inoue considered the woman for a moment, then deliberately jerked back on Kōta's arms. There was a tearing, crunching noise and the boy screamed. Inoue released the submission hold and stood up, backing away quickly.

"I think young Kōta here might want to go rest for a while," Inoue said. "He seems to be a little overenthusiastic." She eyed the boy consideringly for a moment. "Also, he's not going to be able to move his arms for a while. Probably need some attention from our medic-nin if he wants to be able to fight ever again."

The woman looked at Inoue with narrowed eyes, then glared at Kōta. "Well?" she snapped. "Go on, boy! Git! I'll deal with you later!"

Before Akane could see what Kōta did, hands came from behind her and gently forced her to roll over onto her back. She started to bring her hands up defensively, but it was just Wakahisa and his afterimage.

"Stay still," he said. "Let me check you over."

She nodded; the small motion nearly made her vomit. Above her, two or three Wakahisas were looking worried. Green medical chakra glowed from his hands—all four of them—and he held it up in front of her face.

"How is she?" Inoue asked, materializing behind him.

"Not great," Noburi said. "Pupil response limited, eyes a little crossed—she's got a nasty concussion." He ran his hands down her body, hovering just a few centimeters above her clothes as he scanned her. "Other than that she's okay. Nothing broken, no serious organ damage that I can find, although she's bruised up inside and out."

The woman who had called off the tapirs strode up. She was middle-aged, black hair with streaks of gray throughout, and a nose that could have been politely described as 'aquiline' or accurately described as 'like half a meathook'. "Well?" she demanded. "What did that young idiot do?"

"Beat her pretty bad," Inoue said. "Apparently he didn't like losing a spar, decided to make it real."

"Any permanent damage?"

Inoue looked at Noburi.

"She should be fine in a few days," the genin said. "She wouldn't have if you hadn't gotten her out of there, sensei. He was out for blood." He looked back at his patient. "Ishihara, you need to drink this, okay?" He put a small vial to her lips and helped her get it down, although the effort of lifting her head made the world spin.

"Good," the older woman said. "You, boy. Get her back to your quarters, patch her up." She looked down at Akane, her face pinched as though she'd swallowed a lemon. "I'm sorry, girl. Kōta's always been a bully and a prick. That shouldn't have happened."

"Damn straight it shouldn't," Hazō said. "What are you going to do to him?"

"He'll be dealt with," the woman said.

"What. Are. You. Going. To. Do. With. Him?" Hazō said. "Because I'm perfectly happy to show the little shit what it means to fight for real." Killing intent boiled off of him.

Keiko stepped forward to stand at Hazō's side, her face utterly blank and her eyes cold as a snake's. Somehow, Kagome was standing to the village woman's left. His focused stillness was far more alarming than his usual twitchy paranoia.

"Sensei, no," Akane mumbled. "Stop. Everyone stop. No fi- f-..." Things were seeming very far away for some reason, and apparently night was falling because the sun seemed dimmer. She wasn't sure, but she thought that was strange. The sparring had started around noon, so shouldn't there have been more daylight left? She tried to say something further, to tell everyone to relax, that everything was going to be fine, but her lips were numb and Wakahisa's potion was sending a pleasant warmth spreading out from her belly. Before she could manage to put words together she drifted off into a calm, quiet haze and fell asleep.

"Stand down," Inoue said. "What's your name, ma'am?" The words were polite, but the tone wasn't.

"Yoshida Tsukiko," the woman said. She was clearly aware of the fact that she was surrounded by five very pissed-off ninja, but she refused to react to the implied threat. "And you people need to calm the hell down." She glared at Inoue. "You, girl! What were you thinking, breaking his shoulders after you already had him down? Do you have any idea how badly you just screwed this up and how much I'm going to need to scramble to keep the other elders calm after that?"

Inoue's eyebrow went up; it was the only muscle in her entire body that moved. "Do you have any idea how little I care?" she said. "Your brat just put one of my team in the hospital, and would have killed her if I hadn't intervened. People need to understand what happens to anyone who hurts my team."

"Listen—" Yoshida snapped, before cutting herself off and taking a breath. "He'll be punished, I promise. Now, would you lot please join me? There are some things we need to talk about."

"We can talk about them at our quarters," Inoue said. "After this little event we are not separating for any reason. Clearly some of your people aren't quite as controlled as they should be, and I'd hate to have a second incident."

"I wouldn't mind," Kagome said. "Won't be a third one, though."

"You are not helping," Yoshida said, turning to glare at him. "You people, honestly. Kōta's a bully, but he's a kid. You two are supposed to be grownups. I expected better."

Kagome's face got even calmer and his hand slipped into his pocket.

"Naito, stand down," Inoue snapped.

Kagome's eyes flicked to his redheaded team leader, then back to Yoshida. Reluctantly, his hand came out of his pocket empty and he relaxed slightly.

"Better," Yoshida said. "Now, if you can all control yourselves enough to keep this from turning into a full-scale battle, perhaps we can get something done." She turned to where the other villagers and the tapirs were still watching from the other side of the training ground. "You lot! Go home! Nothing to see here!"

A few of the crowd—mostly the younger ones—drifted off immediately, but the rest lingered.

"Scat!" Yoshida snapped to the ninja. She looked at the tapirs. "Out!" She pointed off into the heart of the village. The tapirs rose to their feet and took a few reluctant steps. "Go on, out!" The tapirs slouched off, clearly unhappy.

"Ma'am, we've been assigned—" one of the other ninja started.

"I don't care," Yoshida said. "I'll take responsibility. Get lost."

The ninja looked at each other uncertainly, then nodded to Yoshida and drifted away.

"Fine," Yoshida said. "We can talk at your quarters. Let's go."

With judicious use of a stretcher from one of Kagome's storage scrolls and some careful handling, Akane was brought back to the fort. Noburi and Hazō carried her inside while the rest settled down among the posts that Kagome had set up earlier.

Yoshida sat seiza where they indicated, eyeing the posts around her with a jaundiced eye. "Explosive seals?" she asked. "Just in case I suddenly go crazy and decide to kill you all?"

"Try it, you stinking stinker," Kagome said. "Boom. Meat paste. Stinking ninja stinkers. Knew we shouldn't have come here."

"Relax, Naito," Inoue said, laying her hand on his arm. "We're all friends here."

"I'm not," he said. "Don't like people who hurt my team."

Inoue sighed. "Naito, would you please go inside and check on Kimiko? I'd like to talk with Mrs. Yoshida for a bit, and I'd feel better if I knew someone was in there helping make her comfortable."

Kagome looked rebellious, but he nodded and turned to go inside. Just as he was ducking through the door he turned back and caught Yoshida's eye. He set all ten fingertips together then opened them explosively.

Boom! he mouthed, before ducking inside.