15 - Tsuyoku

"Okay, so can I get an explanation now?"

Fuyuka somehow found herself sitting at a table with Shigetsu, his half asleep 18 year old sister, Nemuri, his cousin, a young boy about 8 with dark purple hair named Yozora, and a chimpanzee with clothes. This blondie's house was seriously a zoo.

"Yamiki Hoshino is currently out with some of our villagers," Shigetsu started calmly. "You do not get an 'explanation'. I will answer direct questions."

This kid sucks. Okay, he was, like, 3 years older than Fuyuka but he gave off that stubborn 8 year old vibe. Just kidding, he doesn't, Fuyuka just really hates this kind of deadpan genius.

"Just don't sigh again when I ask too many questions," she shot back. "Aren't the Tsuyoku supposed to be extinct except through indirect descendants? Do you guys have fancy powers? What's with the animals? When will Yamiki be back? And how exactly does the whole Tsuyoku-Hoshino power work, cuz Hokage did not explain to me with enough details."

Shigetsu looked so done with the questions, but he decided to be nice and not sigh. "Nemuri, can you take Yozora somewhere else? To Sewanin's, maybe."

The blonde girl looked up from her half-sleep, nodding in response. It was clear that whatever differences the siblings had, they didn't want their innocent cousin to hear anything dangerous.

"First, I doubt me and my sister are entirely pure blooded, that's nigh impossible without a clan actively committing incest. As I said earlier, I am a telepath. Nemuri can split her consciousness which then floats around like a ghost and can possess objects or unconscious creatures. Yozora has not yet awakened any power, but no doubt he has them. These animals are my pets and friends. Yamiki Hoshino is assisting us in setting up safety patrols." Shigetsu took a deep breath that thankfully did not sound like a sigh.

"Did your Hokage tell you about Yamyaku?" Shigetsu asked. Fuyuka recalled her conversation with the old man. "Uh, yeah. The blue thing."

"See, Yamyaku comes in three colors- red, blue, yellow. Red Yamyaku grants enhanced physical strength, defense and speed. Yellow Yamyaku grants the ability to cancel or resist jutsu and seal chakra. Blue Yamyaku grants unique jutsu, named Yoruyaku Jutsu, though I'm unsure what people call it these days, when in the presence of a Night Star flower or an extract."

The Hokage had seemed honest enough, so perhaps the Hoshino's just all inherited blue Yamyaku. Actually, the word was too fancy, Fuyuka decided to just call it Tsuyoku blood thing.

"Oh, okay. Since you and your sister both have fancy powers, does that mean you both have blue Tsuyoku blood thing?" the girl asked.

For once, the blond looked mildly amused. His reply was short. "White."

Now, Fuyuka was not artistic at all. In fact, she sucked at anything art related so much one time she tried to draw Kogane only for her sister to ask her, entirely genuine, why she drew a sentient banana peel. Don't even bring up the time she tried to make lime green paint and ended up with some sort of swamp color.

But that aside, Fuyuka did know how color mixing worked.

"You have all three?"

"Sure do." Nemuri had returned, speaking for the first time. Her hair was the same color as her brother, slightly brighter in color and medium in length. Her eyes were lighter as well, emerald green instead of dark. The only way Fuyuka could describe the blonde was Shikamaru-tier lazy mixed with extra sleepiness.

The genin was suddenly slightly more afraid of the blonde siblings.

"Why were you staring at the fountain back then?" Fuyuka turned back to Shigetsu, changing the topic.

"Waiting for Fukuro and Ikari," he replied. The kunoichi frowned at the response. "You know I have no idea who those are."

At that moment, a pelican flew in through the window and landed beside a large fish tank in the corner of the room, filled with water but no fish. It puked out a piranha, which landed with a splash in the water and began to swim around.

"Fukuro is the pelican. He is old and patient, hence his friendship with Ikari. Ikari is quite stubborn and... yes, angry is the word."

"You have a pet piranha?" Fuyuka's attitude towards the blond boy did an immediate 180. Anyone with a pet piranha is cool in her books. Even if said someone was a blond genius with crazy powers and a perfect deadpan and said piranha was a stubborn idiot who gets carried, literally, by a pelican grandpa.

"Yozoru thinks she's the coolest fish ever," Nemuri added.

"Can I see your other pets?" Fuyuka asked, now very interested in the basically zoo.

This seemed to be something Shigetsu was actually happy to explain. He closed his eyes for a moment, and a minute later the entire zoo appeared from different corners of the house and the outside.

"This is Jiyu. He is very civilized and dislikes anything too messy," he began, gesturing to the chimpanzee calmly eating rice with a spoon while the strange homo sapiens communicated.

"Tabiki. She's not very social or warm, and she is very intelligent." The tawny fox nodded, the slightest hint of smugness in her eyes.

"This one is Umi. She is very shy, unwilling to trust easily." The gray wildcat crouched near the door, not approaching Fuyuka.

"Chisai. He is quite energetic and fierce, easily angered like Ikari." Shigetsu tapped the table, and a blue and purple lizard crawled up, hissing at Fuyuka.

"You've already met Yokina- she's outside at the moment. You also know about Fukuro, Ikari and Kanashi." The pelican croaked, not moving from the fish tank where the piranha swam around rapidly. The raven, as if hearing his name, flew in from the window and landed on the blond's shoulder.

"You," Fuyuka announced, nodding towards Shigetsu. "are like a living portable zoo."

Before either blonde could reply, someone knocked rapidly on the door. Seeing as Nemuri probably wouldn't be getting up anytime soon due to extreme laziness, Shigetsu opened the door, revealing a nameless background villager. The old woman looked quite tired.

"Nemuri-san took Yozora-chan over to mine earlier. It seems our village isn't quite as hidden as we thought, this guy just... tried to kidnap him. I couldn't do anything..." The old lady drifted off, her face facing downwards.

Shigetsu and Nemuri both stood up, speaking at the same time. "Lead the way."

Kanashi and Tabiki chose to follow them. Fuyuka, not wanting to spend an undetermined amount of time in a zoo-house, followed after them too.