The air in the Inuzuka Clan Territory tasted sharper than the rest of Konoha. It tasted of crushed pine needles, peppery wildflowers, and the ozone scent of a storm that wasn't there.
Kiba Inuzuka crouched in the tall, sweeping grass of the "Earth Garden," his nose twitching. beside him, Akamaru—still small enough to ride on his head but big enough to hunt—let out a low, vibrating whine.
"Quiet," Kiba whispered, putting a hand on the puppy's flank.
They were in the "Northern" sector of the compound. Here, the humidity of the Fire Country jungle vanished, replaced by the crisp, dry air of the Hokkaido-style frontier. The trees weren't the usual dark oaks; they were White Birch (Shirakaba). Their pale, bone-white bark, marked with horizontal black scars, created a dizzying "bar-code" effect that messed with depth perception.
Kiba squinted through the barcode forest.
He wasn't hunting prey. He was hunting knowledge.
Specifically, he was spying on his sister.
Hana Inuzuka stood in a clearing of yellow marsh marigolds, the bright blooms releasing a thick, pollen-heavy scent designed to overload the nose.
She wasn't alone.
Circling her were three grey blurs.
The Haimaru Brothers.
Ichihai, Nihai, and Sanhai.
They weren't dogs. Not really. They were wolf-hybrids, sons of the great Kuromaru. Their fur was the color of ash and storm clouds, their eyes sharp and intelligent. They moved differently than Akamaru. They didn't bounce; they flowed. They moved like water over stone.
"Formation C," Hana commanded.
Her voice was calm. She didn't shout like Mom. She stood relaxed, her medical nin-vest unzipped, her long brown hair tied back. The flower tattoo on her arm flexed as she signaled with a subtle hand twitch.
The brothers reacted instantly.
Ichihai broke left, scrambling up one of the sculpted earth mounds to take the high ground. Nihai dropped low, disappearing into the yellow flowers. Sanhai charged straight for her, jaws snapping.
It looked like an attack.
But just as Sanhai reached her, Hana pivoted. She didn't strike him. She stepped into his space, her hand brushing his flank, redirecting his momentum. Sanhai spun, using her leg as a pivot point to launch himself backward, landing perfectly beside his brother in the grass.
"Too wide, Sanhai," Hana critiqued softly. "You're telegraphing the bite."
Sanhai chuffed, a sound that was half-bark, half-laugh.
Kiba watched, mesmerized.
He thought about the Wolf Girl he had met. Gaō.
She moved like them. Wild. Unpredictable. When he tried to talk to her, he felt like he was trying to pet a buzzsaw. He didn't know how to handle her. He didn't know if he was supposed to fight her or feed her.
How does Hana do it? Kiba wondered. They're wolves. They don't listen to anyone.
Snap.
Kiba's sandal broke a dry twig.
The clearing went silent.
Three pairs of wolf eyes snapped toward his hiding spot.
"You're loud, little brother," Hana called out, not even looking in his direction.
Kiba stood up, flushing red. Akamaru barked sheepishly from his head.
"I wasn't hiding," Kiba lied, walking into the clearing. "I was... practicing stealth. Akamaru needs to learn how to stalk in the birch trees."
Hana smiled. It was a soft smile, lacking the feral edge of their mother's grin.
"Is that so?" Hana asked.
She walked over to him. The Haimaru brothers flanked her, moving silently. Sanhai trotted up to Kiba and sniffed his leg aggressively.
The wolf-dog paused. He inhaled deeply. Then he looked up at Kiba, his grey ears perking up. He let out a low woof and looked at Hana.
Hana's expression changed. She leaned in, sniffing the air around Kiba.
"Wild garlic," Hana analyzed. "Mud. And..."
She raised an eyebrow.
"...Wolf scent?"
Kiba froze. "I... I was training! In the woods!"
"That's not a dog scent," Hana murmured. She looked at Sanhai, who nodded. "That's a wild pheromone. Someone... territorial."
She crossed her arms, leaning against a white birch tree.
"You met a girl," Hana concluded.
"I did not!" Kiba yelled. "I met a... a rival! A wild... thing! She's crazy, Hana! She tried to bite me!"
"And you went back," Hana noted.
"I have to beat her!" Kiba insisted. "But she's... she doesn't fight like a ninja. She fights like them." He pointed at the Haimaru brothers. "No rules. No patterns. I don't know how to track her."
Hana chuckled. She reached down and scratched Ichihai behind the ears. The massive wolf-dog leaned into her touch, his eyes closing.
"You're trying to train a wolf like a dog, Kiba," Hana said softly. "That's your mistake."
"What's the difference?"
"Dogs look for a master," Hana explained. "They want approval. They want the treat. They want the 'Good Boy'."
She gestured to the brothers.
"Wolves don't care about your approval. They care about respect. They care about hierarchy. If you try to command them, they'll bite you because they think you're challenging them."
She looked Kiba in the eye.
"You don't train a wolf, Kiba. You negotiate with it. You have to prove you're worth following. Not by being louder. Not by being stronger. But by being steady."
She stepped forward, tapping Kiba on the forehead.
"If this 'rival' of yours is wild... stop trying to put a leash on her. Run with her. Show her you can keep up without trying to control the pace."
Kiba blinked. He touched his forehead.
Run with her, he thought.
He looked at Akamaru. Akamaru yipped, wagging his tail.
"Pack instincts," Hana said, turning back to her brothers. "Now, go. You're ruining their focus. Sanhai gets cranky when he misses lunch."
Sanhai growled playfully at Kiba.
"Right," Kiba said, stepping back. "Thanks, Hana."
He turned and ran back through the rolling grass, the white birch trees blurring past him.
Don't leash her, Kiba told himself, grinning as the wind hit his face. Just run.