On the way to the Snow, Xan had read over Kazuma's notes, though he had to make mental notes, since he still couldn't use his hand. He'd left his Akatsuki cloak at the hideout, so it would lessen the chances of anyone recognizing him. He didn't think that anyone in the Snow actually knew who he was, so this should have been easy, even though he couldn't use a jutsu to disguise himself. Though usually in the know about such things, Xantrex had no clue that Deidara had made a pact with the Snow Valley. As the gates to the Snow came into sight, Xantrex lowered the file and looked at Kazuma, coming to a slow stop. "Kazuma. Listen. We're just getting your things and getting out. No making a scene, and no lingering. Try not to be seen going into and out of your house if you can avoid it. And if you encounter your family and choke up, I'll simply come in and drag you out. Understand?"

Kazuma walked in silence. He had mixed feelings about going home. He wanted to get in and get out so he didn't have to explain, but at the same time he wanted to see his parents and sisters reaction to when he suddenly came back after 24 hours of being MIA. The nice snowy air made him homesick, but he pushed it aside as Xantrex begin to speak. "Got it," he responded. Kazuma pulled his wristband down so he could see the time. He had a watch underneath. His mother and father were both off work, and would be home. His sisters were usually still out by this time, good. Kazuma started for his house. Going through the back door he started down the hall to his room, being as quiet as he could possibly be. Grabbing clothes and stuffing them in a book bag, he started out the house when he heard footsteps. Kazuma froze. Get in, get out. The footsteps stopped and Kazuma knew that it was his father. "Kazuma," said a male voice. Xantrex is going to think I'm a moron. Kazuma stepped out casually. "Sir?" His father was a well built man with dark brown hair and the smuggest look on his face. "Where have you been? Why didn't you call?" Kazuma had to hurry up and get out before Xantrex came in. Kazuma was smart enough to do this. "I went training, time got ahead of me, so I didn't bother coming back, it isn't like you guys really anyway. Now if you would excuse me, I'm late for training with my team." Kazuma started forward, but his father extended his arm, blocking Kazuma's path and then he snatched the bag away from the former Genin. "Clothes? You plan on running away? You think you can just live in my house for 12 years and decided you're going to just up and walk out of here after everything I've done for you?" He pushed Kazuma against the wall, making him knock over his mother's vase which caused her to come out of the kitchen to see what was going on. She was surprised to see her son. After he'd not come home last night she thought he was a runaway. Her husband was clearly making the assumption. The wall was better than the tile floor, Kazuma supposed. But he still didn't have time for this. Kazuma moved away from the wall and put some distance between his father and himself. "I'm not running away. I was going to change at the training grounds, like I said before, I'm late." Jirou threw the bag at Kazuma, and right as the boy caught it, his father was there to knock him down the hall, but Kazuma, determined not to get Xantrex involved, as well as stand up for himself after all of these years dunk down beneath the punch and brought his knee up into his father's stomach. However, there was a difference in strength, and it was made clear when Kazuma's father grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the opposite wall. One thing most people didn't know about Jirou Saitou, was that he was a bully, and Kazuma; though he never spoke about it; was always getting bullied, by his own father. The sad part was, no one, not his mother or sisters ever spoke out about it.

Xantrex followed Kazuma to his home and kept in what little shadows there were as he waited for the boy to return with his things. He waited for a few minutes and looked around patiently. His mind was scanning through what he could do for the Super Soldiers project, but it was pulled away as there was the sound of something breaking. Xantrex straightened up and listened, only to hear what sounded like an older man yelling. Had to be the father. Rolling his eyes, Xantrex went in the same way that Kazuma had; the back door. As he nonchalantly entered the house, he looked around for the sound of the noise, and rather confidently walked towards it with a bored expression. Despite the fact that his left arm was broken, he was sure he could take on anyone in this household. He frowned when he saw that Kazuma's father had the boy pinned against the wall by his neck. He gave a sigh and rolled his eyes again as he swiftly made his way to the small gap between the two and landed a swift punch to the man's gut before giving a straight kick at his side. Xantrex was wearing his grey cloak, so it fluttered a bit behind him as he moved. When he straightened up again, he was between Kazuma and his father. "Excuse me for interrupting this little family dispute, but I couldn't help but notice you were bullying my new student," he said with a smile. "If you would be so kind as to let him finish gathering his things, we'll be out of your hair in only a few minutes." Xantrex didn't want to make a big fuss and kill the guy, but if the big man wanted to start a fight over this, Xantrex would be more than glad to knock some sense into the oaf. He tilted his head and the kind smile turned into a grin. "Unless you'd rather make something out of nothing."

Kazuma struggled against his father until he saw Xantrex coming. The first thing that came to mind was, Oh no, I'm such an idiot. and then, Xantrex only has one arm! and finally. What if my mother jumps into this? Kazuma didn't even want to consider the possibility of having to fight her. Kazuma suspected that she was secretly stronger than his father and less reckless. Where his father was nothing more than a mindless brute, his mother was quiet and light. Kazuma father doubled over when he was kicked, and then he himself hit the opposite wall. Kazuma landed back on the floor; and where others would have been choking for air, Kazuma didn't even react. "New student," Jirou asked. "Heh, this boy's not worth your time. Any ninja from the Snow knows that. Besides, he's already got a teacher." Kazuma glanced to Xantrex and then to his father as the older man continued. "I've know that boy for 12 years, I raised him. I think I'd know if he was capable of anything. He's not. We would have been better off having another girl." Kazuma had heard this before, over and over and over again until he'd memorized every word his father would ever say. It was nothing new. It was going to be one crazy morning because where his father could bully people into having his way, Xantrex was a genius and he could easily worm his way out of this with a few careful words. If Kazuma was in Xantrex's shoes, he'd have chosen reverse psychology.

Xantrex stole a glance at Kazuma when the boy dropped to the floor after being released. No reaction? Clearly this happened often. Seemingly not shaken by that, Xantrex returned his gaze to Kazuma's father, his grin never retreating. Oh how Xantrex wished he could use jutsu just to prove this fool wrong. "No one said I was from the Snow," he commented. Xantrex listened calmly to Kazuma's father's rant. So this was what went on. "Don't you see, you giant oaf of a man? You're blind to the truth of things. This boy has the potential to become greater than you ever have been, greater than his sisters ever will be. And since you think different, then clearly there shouldn't be a problem with me whisking him away to train him to said greatness." Xantrex took a step forward, his gaze on the man in front of him. "And since he's such a disgrace to your family, what's the problem with just giving him away? It's far better than being mistreated by some mindless fool with no mental capacity for even something as simple as recognizing the fact that there's more to being a ninja than being able to fight." Oh how Xantrex wanted to just strangle this man with a shadow to get his point across. It would be brilliant. Normally he wasn't so cruel, but this man pissed him off. Someone like Kazuma should have been provided with the resources he needed to thrive. But this man was interested in nothing more than pushing his son towards fighting. It was pathetic. Xantrex didn't give the mother a second glance. He was too preoccupied with trying to talk simple sense into this simpleton she married.

Jirou was clearly confused. If this man wasn't from the Snow then where was he from? And where would Kazuma be if he wouldn't be here in the Snow? "Kazuma? Potential? Sir, let me enlighten you, this is not the kid you want to take under your wing. There's nothing better than being a ninja. We have a long line of ninja, and it's a damn shame that Kazuma copped out." He glanced back at his wife. "I don't mistreat him. I discipline him. And until you have kids of your own, do not tell me how to raise mine!" Jirou was getting angry, very angry. Echo however was looking at Kazuma. Was her only son really considering running away with someone that not even she knew. When had they met, how long had Kazuma been keeping this secret. She was usually good at reading Kazuma, but this act had bypassed her. Kazuma saw his mother looking at him. Why couldn't they just walk out. His father was unreasonable. Xantrex would be talking for hours.

Sir? Oh, now this man was just being a forefronted suck up. This man's act was now just started to irritate Xantrex. His grin started fading. He was getting tired of this. It was time to end things. He wouldn't kill the man, but a few sharp words would do the trick. "There's plenty better than being a ninja. And there's plenty more to being a ninja than fighting. Take smarts, for instance. Something your son has a lot of, most likely inherited from his mother the way I see things." Xantrex paused as the man started getting angry, then grinned again. "And how do you know that I don't have children of my own? Discipline is not pinning your child against the wall by his throat. It's not tossing him around like a rag doll." Xantrex finally looked at Kazuma. "Go finish getting your things. We're done here Kazuma." If the boy's father tried to move against him, Xantrex would get in the way and take care of things until Kazuma was done packing up his stuff. Honestly, Xantrex didn't quite care how long the boy took. Now Xantrex kind of wanted to just lean against the wall and wait, but he wasn't sure how the mother would react to him taking her son away. So he'd patch that up right now. He'd seen how the woman was looking at her son. "Madam," he started. "Please trust me when I say your child will receive much better training and treatment at my hand than at the hand of any of the teachers that reside in this village."

Kazuma knew Xantrex was calling his father stupid, and it wasn't exactly on the sly either. Had this not been a tense moment he would have cracked a smile. When ordered to go get his things Kazuma started back to his room and gather some more clothes as well as his notes which he'd been working on for the past few years. Clearly insulted by Xantrex, Jirou started for Xantrex. This was his house! He wasn't going to let some beat down loser disrespect him in his own home! He'd even disregarded the fact that Xantrex had addressed his wife. However, as Kazuma came out of his room, he was aware of his mother's genjutsu when the air became crisp. He'd seen this jutsu many times before when Rin and Hanabi would gain up on him and things got out of control. He wasn't sure who she was going to use the jutsu against, but whoever it was, they were going to go through a temporary mental blizzard. "Sir," she spoke. "Kazuma is my only son," Echo started. "He may not be the best when it comes to being a fight, but he's smart as you stated." Is she letting me go, Kazuma wondered with hope. "But I cannot allow you to take him away from me." Kazuma's heart sunk. The jutsu was for Xantrex.

Xantrex figured that with all the insults, Kazuma's father would come after him. In fact, he'd been counting on it. So when the man charged at him, Xantrex swiftly stepped to the side and brought his knee up into the man's gut. Hard. Though he may have only lived there for fourteen years of his life, Xantrex still had the speed of a Stealth ninja. What he hadn't expected was for the mother to step in. He should have known the woman would also be a ninja. Xantrex straightened up and stepped away from the father when Kazuma's mother spoke, and the air seemed to change in density and temperature. What Xantrex hadn't expected was for the jutsu to be a genjutsu. At that point in time, genjutsu was the one thing that he could not defend against. He needed both his hands to dispel it, and he only had one. So when the jutsu took over, Xantrex's eyes widened a bit and he took a step back. Where the hell was he? He knew from the instant it hit that it was a genjutsu, but...it felt so real. He knew that's what was supposed to happen, but...Xantrex couldn't shake the feeling. It was freezing in this place. He took another step back and looked around, but to the outside world, he was simply standing there, his eyes suddenly very distant.

Kazuma's father double over. "Only a Stealth ninja can move that fast," he gasped. He glared at Kazuma. "You betrayed this village by going to a Stealth ninja!" Echo remained where she was as he husband went on a rant of how Kazuma was a traitor. The quiet woman was focused on Xantrex. It took concentration to hold the jutsu, but she could move around as she pleased. Kazuma saw Xantrex just stop. His mother's jutsu had locked on. The blue haired former genin swallowed, because now that Xantrex was immobile, his father was going to do some damage. "Well done Echo," Jirou complimented. He looked at Kazuma. "How about I give your teacher a real example of what a ninja is suppose to be like." The man hadn't accepted that he'd been hit once more by Xantrex. The first punch was just to see Kazuma's reaction, the second was out of revenge, and the third was...well it never happened because a gust of scolding hot steam hit him in the face. "What! Kaz-Kazuma!?" The blue eyed boy nodded. "There's more from where that came from." Kazuma had used the steam as a distraction. The attack had come from a clone, while the real Kazuma was secretly prying apart his mother's genjutsu. Unfortunately Xantrex had to take two blows so that his father wouldn't pay attention to him.

Though Xantrex was stuck in a genjutsu, the pain coming from the outside world was very real. The first strike caught him off caught and he stumbled back, both in the genjutsu and the outside world. In the genjutsu, the second strike took forever to come. And the blizzard didn't make the waiting easier. Xantrex was pretty confident that they wouldn't kill him over this, but he'd learned not to expect things like that from ninjas. Xantrex had half expected a third strike to come, but it never did. He felt like he'd been in the jutsu for hours, and he was feeling faint. Xantrex never cared much about the cold, but this was horrible. All the while in the genjutsu, he'd been trying to think of any possible way to get himself out of it. There was no way. If he could see the caster, Kazuma's mother, he would have had a chance. He could have cut off her chakra. But this? There was nothing he could do.

But then something happened. The world around him started cracking. And breaking. And crumbling. The genjutsu was falling. When his mind returned to reality, it was shocked by the sudden warmth of the room and he stumbled back against the wall. He was suddenly very dizzy, but where he'd been about to faint moments before, his mind was now awake and aware. And he was very much displeased with everything that had just happened. When his head stopped spinning, he slowly pushed himself from the wall, his yellow eyes cold. He tilted his head and looked between Kazuma's mother and father. His very gaze said that they were about to regret everything that had just happened. In one movement, Xantrex had moved over towards Kazuma's mother and pulled out a tag with writing on it, punching her in the stomach while infusing the tag with his chakra. It was a seal that would temporarily repress her chakra. No more genjutsu for her.

Kazuma's clone was waiting for his father to attack again, but the guy wasn't really doing much, aside from being shocked. The real Kazuma, was stationed carefully behind his clone. It's taken him months to come up with this jutsu. It was originally used to suppress the intensity of the jutsu, but with a bit more effort, he could break it, and so he did. When Xantrex moved he knew it was done and his clone disappeared when Xantrex went for his mother. Kazuma had no objections. He immediately looked back at his father who was about to go after Xantrex. There was small remains of water particles from the steam clinging to his father's clothing. With a bit of manipulation, Kazuma pulled the water particles away from the clothing and sent a ball of snow at his father's face, once more throwing him off. "You ungrateful brat." Kazuma shrugged. "I told you there was more."

With the mother now effectively out of the way, it was time to go for that bastard who Xantrex was sure had landed two hits on him while he'd been in the genjutsu. He turned just in time to see a ball of snow hit the man's face. Normally Xantrex would have grinned, but he was no longer in a good mood. All the movement was getting to be extremely painful. "I'll take it from here Kazuma," he said plainly. He wondered if it was alright to let the man think he was from the Stealth. After all, if this was brought to the Kage...well, they had just gotten out of war with the Stealth. Would there be another attack? Who knew. While Xantrex was tempted to take out a kunai and stab the man, he wouldn't be causing any deaths today. He didn't need to be tracked through the forest and towards the hideout. Both of these two would be unconscious by the time he and Kazuma left, so there would be no one to follow them. Going towards Kazuma's father, Xantrex cracked his neck. "Those were some really cheap shots you pulled. How can you teach your son about being a ninja if you don't even know the meaning of the word honor?" He wasn't going to pull his punches right now. Speaking of punches, one landed right in the big man's face, followed with a quick sweep under the guy's feet. Xantrex would have been happy with knocking the guy down a flight of stairs, so he started looking around for the closest staircase. Ah, there it was. Xantrex turned his gaze back to Jirou.

Kazuma had been working on this jutsu for forever, and he'd finally gotten it to work, on his father. He'd never been prouder. However, Echo was still surprised that her jutsu had been broken and now she couldn't feel her chakra. This was not good, for when Jirou got reckless, she had to work as a back up. They were a team after all. That plan was thrown out the window, and Jirou was on his own. Between this stranger and Kazuma; who had finally started acting like he was a member of the Saitou family, they were going to lose. Echo knew when to accept defeat, Jirou did not. But it seemed that the nameless man would be fighting alone, as he'd told Kazuma to let him handle it. Jirou frowned. "You don't kn-" He was cut off when he was hit in the face. Now that was a cheap shot! Jirou hit the floor. Getting up, he aimed a punch at Xantrex's face.

Could this guy not use jutsu, or was his rage just blinding him more than his stupidity usually allowed? Not that Xantrex had been worried about it before, but now he was sure he could take this guy out with only one arm. Compared to his own movements, Kazuma's father was sluggish. So when Jirou aimed a punch at him, Xantrex moved his head to the side and grabbed the mans' arm, pulling him forward so that Xan could land a knee in his stomach before letting the guy's arm go and turning so that he could elbow the guy in the chest. As Xantrex moved, he made sure that the fight was inching closer to the stairs. Though Xantrex was in a bad mood, surely seeing an idiot go tumbling down a flight would cheer him up.

Jirou wasn't fairing well in the fight and Echo was worried that Kazuma's teacher would kill her husband. But he wouldn't do that with Kazuma around, would he? Kazu was aware of the stairs. The fight was getting closer and closer towards it. What if the two of them fell. Kazuma wasn't going to intervene though. He'd done his part, this was Xantrex's fight now. He was kind of tempted to go over and tell his mother that he'd be okay, but that would just look like he cared. And he didn't need Xantrex getting the wrong idea. Jirou couldn't think. He was embarrassed from the beating he was getting. No, he wouldn't be beaten like this! Snow Beast Summoning. A snow creature that resembled a Yeti formed between Xantrex and Jirou. The beast roared and lashed out an icy paw at Xantrex.

So the guy was finally fighting back. Well it was about damn time. When the creature lashed out at him, Xantrex swiftly pulled a kunai and cut at the paw. This was ridiculous. a jutsu would be so much easier to kill this thing, but instead he had to rely on what little fighting prowess he possessed. Great. His skills in fighting were usually highly over exaggerated, at least in the stories and rumors he'd heard about himself. Xantrex sighed. This would be so much simpler, since it didn't require jutsu. Stowing away the kunai he was using, he instead took out a kunai with a paper bomb on it and threw it at the creature's chest.

Jirou expected to be able to make a come back, instead he got an explosion that pushed him to the edge of the stairs. When did they get to the stairs? He frowned at the thought and started for another jutsu. Kazuma watched carefully. Xantrex was awesome. Had Krissy saw what he saw, she'd understand. One arm, no jutsu, and he was still kicking butt with style. He almost grinned, but once again knew he had no right doing so. He was still beating himself up for not being able to get in and out without being spotted.

Normally Xantrex would drag this out much longer than need be, but they didn't really have the time to worry about such things. A small grin crossed over Xantrex's face when the explosion tossed Kazuma's father over the edge of the stairs. A real ninja always kept an eye on his surroundings. The fall wouldn't be enough to kill the man, but if he landed the wrong way, it might've broken something small. Shrugging his shoulders, Xantrex turned and started back towards Kazuma and his mother. She had been smart to stay out of it. "We really don't have time to waste here. Kazuma, pick up your things, I'll wait outside. Make sure you didn't forget anything." He turned to start towards the backdoor, but then stopped. "Also. Tie up any loose ends," he said, giving a glance towards the boy's mother before starting out of the house.

Tie up any loose ends? Kazuma didn't know Xantrex had a kind side. He was always so serious or sarcastic, sometimes he was a bit mean, but Kazuma usually just shrugged it off. This however, could not be shrugged off. When Xantrex had left out the door, Kazuma went to his mother who gave him a hug. "Be careful, Kazuma," she whispered. Kazu nodded. "I will. Goodbye mom." He moved away from his mother and picked up his bag. Going to the bathroom he retrieved his toothbrush and then he went back to his room to double check for any left behind items that may have been of use. Nothing. He was moving about quickly so Xan wouldn't be waiting forever and a day. Heading out he waved goodbye to his mother and then went to the edge of the steps and looked down at his father who groaning about his fall. "Well dad, looks like we'll be parting after all," he said with a smile. His father groaned and then shouted, "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!!" Kazuma's smile never faded. "Sure thing." Leaving out the house he joined Xantrex outside. "Ready."

Xantrex waited out back just like he said he would. What was getting into him lately? He couldn't lose himself just because he had a student now. Xantrex rubbed his hand through his hair in irritation. The after effects of the genjutsu had worn off, but those blows that Kazuma's father had struck still stung. It was nothing though. He leaned against the wall of the house and looked up. The sky was mockingly clear today. Even in the Snow, of all places. Xantrex clicked his tongue. No, he wasn't getting soft. He was just making sure Kazuma didn't feel as if he regretted leaving so suddenly. Therefor, the boy would never have the need to come back here on a personal quest for forgiveness. That was it. When Kazuma came out, Xantrex looked at him. The boy was smiling. He supposed that was a good thing. He pushed himself from the wall and nodded. "Let's go then." He started towards the gates of the village. "I meant to ask. How long until you think you can have that memory modification jutsu down?" He didn't ask about what had happened inside after he'd gone, because he didn't want to know. He'd heard the boy's father shout, but that was the extent of what he wanted to know.

Kazuma crossed his arms behind his head. He felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. "I think I can get it down by 2 weeks?" Kazuma paused. "No, one week." And because he was in such a good mood he just had to ask. "Are the notes worth anything?" He asked. Even if Xantrex was brutally honest he didn't think he'd be downed by it. He'd just used his first experimental jutsu ever and it was a success. If only Xantrex was able to see it. He would have later explained it all, but Xantrex had been under the genjutsu at the time. Oh well, Kazuma had witnessed it, and so had both his mother and father. His father more closely than his mother. Manipulation of H2O. From liquid to gas to a solid in a matter of seconds without changing the jutsu. Now how many people can say they're capable of such a thing. One and only one! And the one is me!

Xantrex wasn't sure if that first bit was a question or not. But then Kazuma clarified it and even shortened it with his next comment. For a moment, Xantrex actually looked impressed. "Alright then. I'll expect to see it in action next week. I'll find something for you to test it on," he said. He looked back in front of him when Kazuma asked what he thought of the notes. "Of course they are. You missed a few points, but to be honest I was impressed when I read it. For a twelve year old, you're a lot more advanced than I could've hoped," he said simply. It seemed that being kind once in a while helped, as Kazuma seemed to be much more energetic after what had happened. He looked to Kazuma with a smirk. "Don't let it go to your head though."

Too late. "I won't," Kazuma answered. His first real compliment from Xantrex. Finally someone saw he was worth something. Kazuma smirked. Of course he was advanced. He spent hours researching those notes last night. He'd only gotten three hours of sleep before he was told they'd be going to get his stuff, so he was surprised he could pull off that jutsu. And on the way as he'd studied to Memory jutsu, Kazuma had found things that could help with other projects. Formulas that if modified would go well with the genetic modification drug. Kazuma looked up at the sky. We're going to make history. The Stealth thought they had, but we'll make the perfect soldier. If only we could get in touch with the remaining soldiers.