The Takeda Clan Compound was an island of severe order in Amegakure's chaotic sea of industry and rain. The omnipresent machinery sound of the Foundry of the Tsuchigomo clan was silenced here, replaced by the rythmic sounds of blades being sharpened and the controlled whistle of wind from practice strikes cutting through the air.
High walls of polished mahogany wood, representing peace and order, surrounded the whole compound. Seals from the Suzuku clan created a sound barrier, providing the Takeda with peace of mind.
There were no decorative gardens, no frivolous art, only practice dummies of woven iron and straw, and the vertical lines of the rain.
Ameruyi passed through the main gate, nodding to the two stoic clansmen on guard. Their eyes, cold and assessing, tracked her progress. Respect was given, but it was the respect due to a weapon returning to its rack, not to a daughter coming home.
The central training ground was filled with dozens of Takeda, from children barely able to hold a practice sword to veterans who had returned from missions. They practiced the Silent Rain Kenjutsu Style katas.
Others were sitting in the lotus position under cherry trees. The clan's hidden art, Sora no Kokoro—the Mind of the Sky—was practiced by all. It wasn't just a meditation technique; it was the clan's atmosphere. A crushing, emotional void trained to sharpen their blades.
"Ameruyi-san. You have returned"
The voice was deferential, yet utterly flat. Ameruyi turned to see her elder sister, Ana Takeda, bowing slightly. Ana was sixteen, a chunin of noted skill in the branch family. Her face was a placid mask, but Ameruyi had long learned to read the subtle flickers in her eyes. Right now, they held a calculated curiosity.
"Ana. Is father receiving?"
"The Patriarch is in meditation. He will see all five of us at the evening meal. Our brothers have returned from their missions for the occasion"
Ana's tone implied the significance: the gathering of the heirs was an event. Ameruyi's presence was a formality, a footnote.
"I see. I will train until then"
"A wise use of time", Ana's gaze swept over Ameruyi, a clinical appraisal, "Your chakra signature is denser. Your stance carries less hesitation. The Dark Hall has been of some use, it seems. Who is your instructor?"
"A chunin named Mumei. He is capable," Ameruyi replied, her voice carefully neutral.
Ana's lips thinned, almost imperceptibly. "Mumei. The old veteran from the slums. A tool of some durability, but a low-born nonetheless. His methods are… crude. Do not let pragmatism erode the purity of our style, sister. You are a Takeda"
The admonition was gentle, venomous. Remember your place. Remember your blood.
"The mission record of my team speaks for itself," Ameruyi countered, a spark of defiance she immediately tried to quell. Emotion was weakness here.
"Ah, yes. The 'Sage of the Six Bowls' and the weeping jester"
A ghost of something—amusement? contempt?—crossed Ana's face.
"So you did read the assessments from the Dark Hall Tower", Ameruyi smirked, "I thought you could not care any less about me, the fifth daughter"
"Well, a Kagutsu genin awakening the Raikogan at the ripe age of 12 is bound to make some waves", Ana spoke, "You should invite him here. Our elder brother Tobi would find his… talents interesting"
The suggestion was a trap, wrapped in silk.
To bring an outsider, especially a non-noble member of a shinobi clan, into the heart of the Takeda compound was to offer him up for dissection. Her brothers would test him, probe his worth, and likely humiliate him to humiliate her.
"My team members are associates of the Dark Hall Tower. They have nothing to do with this clan's politics," Ameruyi said, her voice dropping to a frosty edge, "I have not entered the inheritance debates, Ana. I suggest you do not give me a reason to pick a side by meddling in my affairs"
The placid mask on Ana's face solidified into something colder.
"Such emotion, little sister. The Sora no Kokoro eludes you still. I speak only as family. Attachments to those outside the clan are liabilities. The rain has drowned many promising sparks. Do not let anyone cloud the mind you have worked so hard to empty"
"Thank you for your concern," Ameruyi said, the dismissal final. "It is misplaced."
As Ana melted back into the ranks of practicing clansmen, Ameruyi moved to an empty corner of the yard. She drew her katana, the sound a clear, lonely note in the damp air. She began her forms, the Silent Rain katas flowing from one to the next.
*SWOOSH*
But her mind, usually calm, was lately chaotic.
Father will ask for my mission report. He will listen, nod, and then turn to my brothers to discuss true strategy.
Ryugo is having dinner with Yumi Hakko. What does she want from him? Money? An alliance? He is pragmatic enough to consider it.
Tetsu laughed today, a real laugh, not masked by his clan's artifice. He is growing stronger, but he is still so fragile.
Each thought was a flaw in her form, a microscopic hesitation.
The evening meal was held in the Patriarch's Hall, a vast, austere room lit by flickering biwa oil lamps.
At the head of the long, black lacquer table sat her father, Sozen Takeda.
His face was a sculpture of weathered stone, his eyes the grey of a rain-laden sky. To his right sat Ameruyi's three older brothers, each a jonin, and Ana, a chunin. Their postures radiating a quiet, competitive power.
Ameruyi took her seat at the far end, beside her elder sister Ana.
The meal proceeded in near silence, broken only by the necessary phrases for passing dishes.
The food was flavorless, functional fuel. Finally, Sozen spoke, his voice grating like stone on stone.
He asked how her older brother Tobi's training.
Then he asked about the JITE operations.
Finally, he gave a scolding to her third brother for his night activities in the southern district.
Before leaving, he congratulated Ana for her performance on the A-rank mission from the previous week.
Yet again, in two hours, Sozen never once asked about Ameruyi's success in the Dark Hall Tower. Not a word about the C-rank clash with Tanigakure genins, or the B-rank silencing of the Jitoki monk who had gone rogue.
It was deliberate.
When she said she would not fight for the title of matriarch, he had been disappointed. At this moment, it was as if she had died in his eyes.
She thought it was impossible.
Her brothers, ten years older than him, were already jonins. Even though she was talented, this was a gap that was not so easily bridged.
After everyone left, Ameruyi smiled.
"I will enter this bloody inheritance war, father", she muttered
She would become so strong that they would not have any choice but to look at her, consider her, acknowledge her.
"Just give me some time"