Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any properties in this work that I did not make myself.
Before the redemption
Chapter one: Kumo chaos
It's been roughly one-and-a-half years since the Fourth Great Ninja War ended, and the ninja world as a whole seemed to have either fully recovered, or is well on the mend. A degree of peace has settled across the various lands; yes, it seemed that all was well. Especially in the village of Konohagakure, the resident ninja village of the Land of Fire, one of the five great lands of the ninja world.
Konoha had been enjoying a particular degree of prosperity ever since a new tool, called the Pod Shield, had been developed over a decade before hand. (1) Thanks to that miraculous tool, many Konoha shinobi who otherwise would have died are alive to this day. The Pod Shield had a significant hand in Konoha's efforts in the Fourth Great Ninja War, as well as the Konoha Crush and Pain's Attack. (2)
A number of Konoha's younger and more note-worthy shinobi were hanging out at a training ground, shooting the breeze and bringing up stories of the past. There were eleven Konoha shinobi total; Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka, Kiba Inuzuka plus his ninja dog Akamaru, Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuga, Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee and Tenten. All eleven of those Konoha shinobi are chunnin, aside from Neji who is a jonin.
"…When those giant wooden spikes were fired at Lady Hinata, who jumped in front of Naruto to shield him, I quickly took out my Pod Shield, activated it, and leapt in to intercept the assault," Neji Hyuga said to his friends as he was recounting a tale of his experiences from the Fourth Great Ninja War. Reaching into a pocket on his robes, Neji took out a Pod Shield, which was in its dormant state, and showed it to his friends.
"If it hadn't been for this," Neji continued as he slid the dormant Pod Shield back into the robe pocket it was removed from, "I would've had to use my body as a shield." Whistling, the cadet branch Hyuga said, "Hoo boy, I don't think I'd have been able to walk that off, let me tell you."
"Mmm, yeah," Kiba remarked in a neutral tone as Akamaru sniffed about at the air, "That sounds like it would be a real pain in the ass." Only Kiba's teammates on Team Kurenai, Shino and Hinata, noticed that there was some sort of underlying feeling behind their teammate's remark about the cadet Hyuga's story. They decided not to bring it up, however.
Naruto, chuckling in a good-humor tone, held his left hand to his forehead, right against the metal plate on his ninja headband as the fingers on Naruto's left hand brushed against some of Naruto's spiky yellow-blonde hair; Naruto's hair had grown longer than what the blonde chunnin had been known to sport, and he'd considered getting a trim at some point. Just not right now.
"Well I, for one, am glad that you lived," Naruto said to the lone jonin of the group, "It'd be kind of hard to thank you for the save if you were dead." With another chuckle, Naruto added, "It was also kind of funny how, after your shield blocked the giant wooden spikes, you peeked out from behind your shield, faced the enemy, flipped them the middle finger with your left hand and shouted 'screw you'."
"I am also thankful that you saved me, Neji-niisan," Hinata remarked to her older cousin, then added in a mildly confused and embarrassed tone, "Although was it really necessary for you to make a rude gesture and shout mild profanity?"
"I was in a…less than good mood at that moment, Lady Hinata," Neji replied, "A person's judgment tends to be affected by that person's emotional state at the time."
"But hey, we're all here, and that's what counts!" Tenten stated with a smile, pumping her right fist into the air.
"Agreed!" Rock Lee said, striking his and Might Gai's trademarked nice-guy pose, "The post-war victory party we all had was all the more enjoyable because we were all around to take part in it! In fact, that party was the most fun party I would ever go to until the one we threw to celebrate Naruto-kun's promotion to chunnin!"
"That's something I've been wanting to hear about," Shikamaru remarked. Turning to face Naruto, Shikamaru continued, "What was it like when you took the first chunnin exams after the Fourth Great Ninja War ended? How'd you feel when you were finally promoted?"
"Well, about that," Naruto replied, "Who here remembers the match I had against that Suna genin in the finals? You know, the one who didn't know that Konoha chunnin exams don't forbid the use of explosive tags unlike Suna chunnin exams." After most of his friends nodded in understanding, the blonde chunnin said, "Well, right when the match started, I threw-"
Naruto was cut off when a number of Konoha shinobi ran past where Naruto and his friends were hanging out, shouting something about a dark-skinned shinobi having passed out and fallen over onto the ground at the front entry gate of the village. "…The hell was that all about?" Tenten said as she walked over and looked down the road where the Konoha shinobi ran down.
"Let's go check it out," Shino suggested, following the other Konoha shinobi before any of Shino's friends could object.
"And you all think that I don't act before I think," Kiba remarked as he and the others all ran after Shino. After catching up with Shino and reaching the front entry gate of the village, the Konoha Eleven (3) saw the various Konoha shinobi standing around the dark-skinned shinobi in question as she was loaded onto a stretcher, presumably to be taken to Konoha General. However, not only did most of the Konoha Eleven recognize who the dark-skinned shinobi was, but they were all alarmed, for various reasons, to see her here in Konoha, Choji especially.
"KARUI!" Choji exclaimed as he ran forward to where Karui was being loaded onto the stretcher. Before Choji could get to Karui's side, one of the random Konoha shinobi on the scene held a hand up, signaling Choji to halt.
"This girl has collapsed from exhaustion and will be taken to Konoha General," the Konoha shinobi said, "As she is a kunoichi from a village that is currently being hostile to various other villages, Konoha included, she will be kept under strict supervision."
"Are you kidding me?!" Choji snapped as his temper was starting to grow short, "Karui would never do anything to Konoha!"
"Choji's got a point," Shikamaru remarked as he came up and stood next to Choji, "Despite how the rest of her village has been acting ever since the Fourth Great Ninja War ended, Karui won't be causing anyone any trouble."
"Be that as it may, Konoha cannot afford to take any risks," the random Konoha shinobi replied, then turned around to watch his fellows pick up the stretcher Karui was placed on. After the Konoha shinobi took Karui away, Choji and Shikamaru turned around to face the others.
"That fellow had a point about Konoha not being able to afford taking any sort of risk on any Kumo shinobi," Neji pointed out, "Even if the particular Kumo shinobi in question could be considered a personal friend of Konoha. You guys have heard of how Kumogakure has been acting ever since the Fourth Great Ninja War ended, have you?"
"What really bothers me is why Killer Bee seems to be sitting this one out," Naruto said, holding a hand to his chin as he wore a look of deep thought on his face, "I mean, he did bring up how most of his home village has been acting back when he, Gyuki, Kurama and I helped Gaara and Shukaku (4) over at the Tailed Beast Temple, which was a few months after my promotion to chunnin." Lowering his hand to his side, Naruto continued, "But he only mentioned it in passing at most, and didn't feel comfortable going into more detail when Gaara pushed."
"…Maybe Karui would be less opposed to filling in some blanks for us?" Shikamaru suggested, "The rest of the ninja world is concerned about the lack of news coming out of Kumo over the last eight months or so. The last four weeks or so have seen Kumo be especially tight-lipped."
"She was loaded onto a stretcher and taken to the hospital," Choji pointed out to his best friend in a concerned tone, "I wouldn't feel comfortable if Karui being asked a bunch of questions was the first thing that happens after she wakes up."
A bit of a knowing smile on his face, Shikamaru replied as he truned to face his best friend, "Which is why you're going to be the one who will be asking the questions, Choji."
"What?!" Choji exclaimed, taking a step back as he wore a look of shock on his face.
Sighing, Shikamaru explained in an understanding tone, "Look, Choji. I know how concerned you are about your girlfriend. In fact, I'm willing to admit that you show more concern for Karui than Temari has shown for me. But the fact remains that Karui is from Kumogakure, who has been acting up in varying degrees ever since the Fourth Great Ninja War ended. We cannot afford to pass up an opportunity to potentially learn more about Kumo's intentions."
"But why is Choji going to be asking Karui the questions?" Ino asked, "I mean, wouldn't someone from Intelligence be a better candidate for the job?"
"Like your father, Ino-chan?" Rock Lee suggested.
"…I mean someone other than my dad," Ino replied, a mildly annoyed look on her face. (5)
"I'm banking on the fact that Karui will be more comfortable talking to a familiar face," Shikamaru explained, "Also, you'd be surprised how easy a person Choji is to talk to, not to mention how much insight the big guy has. In fact, my first date with Temari went flawlessly thanks to me asking Choji for advice before hand."
Turning to face Choji, Shikamaru said, "Someone else will have to be in the room at the time of the questioning in order to take notes, but we can just pull a curtain over to give you and Karui space. Think you can do it, Choji?" After a few seconds, the Akimichi chunnin nodded in the affirmative, albeit with some hesitance.
Clapping his hands together, Shikamaru said, "Well alright! I'll look into setting things up right away." Turning to face the others, Shikamaru added, "In the meanwhile, you all will have to keep quiet about the fact that Karui is here in Konoha, and before you say anything Sakura, one of the first people who will be informed about Karui's appearance here in Konoha is Lady Tsunade." Shikamaru said that last bit when he noticed Sakura raising a hand, seemingly to object to something. Shikamaru's guess must have hit the nail right on the head, as Sakura promptly lowered the hand that she raised.
Later over at Konoha General, Karui slowly came to. When she did, the first thing she noticed was that she was laying on a bed in a hospital room. The second thing that Karui noticed was that her boyfriend, Choji, was sitting in a chair against the right-hand wall, a few feet from the side of the foot end of Karui's hospital bed.
"Choji!" Karui said as loudly as she could, which wasn't all that loud given how exhausted the Kumo kunoichi was. Choji could tell full well that the tone Karui is using was one of panic and alarm. The Kumo kunoichi tried to get up, but Choji got up from his chair, walked over, and gently laid his left hand against her right shoulder, getting Karui to stop.
"You've just woken up after having passed out and fallen over, so you should be taking it easy," Choji advised. When Karui laid back down, Choji asked, "Karui, I know you've just got to Konoha, and that you've just woken up in the hospital. But a lot of the higher ups here want to know about the funny business going down over in your village."
"You mean my old village, sweetie," Karui replied, using a noticeable amount of bitterness when she said 'old', but using a kind, gentle and sweet tone for evert other word she said. This did not go unnoticed by the Akimichi chunnin, who proceeded to press onward for more details.
"Old village?" Choji asked in a mildly alarmed tone, "What do you mean by that?"
Looking away from her Konoha boyfriend, Karui muttered, "I abandoned Kumo."
"W-what?!" Choji said, "Karui, you…why would you abandon your village?"
"It wasn't just me, either," Karui said as she shook her head gently, "Omoi, Darui, Samui, Atsui and C all abandoned Kumo with me. We all saw the signs for what they were, so we couldn't stay in Kumo. We just couldn't."
"All of your friends from Kumo fled with you?" Choji asked, his tone growing more and more shocked. Shaking his head, Choji asked, "Why would you all abandon Lord Fourth Raikage? Abandon his brother?"
Looking her boyfriend right in the face, Karui's eyes watered up. "They wouldn't hold it against us," Karui said in a voice that was getting steadily more broken. Wiping tears from her eyes, Karui continued, "If they were both still alive, they would say that my friends and I all made the right choice." Suddenly, the curtains that separated Karui's hospital bed from the one on her left were suddenly pulled aside; an alarmed-looking Shikamaru stood there, his right hand pushing the curtains away and his left hand holding a small pad of paper and a pen.
"The fourth Raikage and his brother are both dead?!" Shikamaru exclaimed, clearly alarmed.
"EEEEEEEEEEE!" Karui shrieked in fright, freaked by Shikamaru suddenly revealing that he was present.
"Shikamaru!" Choji exclaimed, a disappointed and mildly angry look on his face.
"I'm sorry, Choji, but what Karui just revealed overrides any need to try and do things the gentle way," Shikamaru replied. Turning to face Karui, Shikamaru said, "Can you elaborate about the Fourth Raikage and his brother both being dead?"
"…" Karui looked down, a sad look on her face, "…A few weeks ago, Omoi was stating concerns about not hearing from Lord Fourth or Master Bee in a while. At first, Samui, Atsui, C and I were going to dismiss it as a standard Omoi-style worrywart tangent. But Darui pointed out that it's been over two weeks since he had heard from Lord Fourth and Master Bee as well." Shaking her head, Karui continued, "Darui, C and Samui decided to investigate. That's when they found out about what that new counsel that's started to rise in power and popularity in Kumo had been up to."
"Yeah, I heard about that counsel," Shikamaru remarked in a mildly grim tone, "They're saying that Kumogakure can regain its lost glory under their leadership." Shaking his head, Shikamaru added, "I've heard from Lady Tsunade that the Fourth Raikage considers them a real pain in the rear to deal with, and that he won't even consider anything that counsel recommends."
Tearing up a bit more, Karui continued in a broken tone, "I guess that explains why Darui learned that both Lord Fourth and Master Bee were poisoned in their sleep." Chuckling ironically, Karui added, "That also explains why Lord Fourth hasn't been trying to get that counsel to pipe down the past few weeks."
Holding a hand to his chin, Shikamaru said, "This is bad. The Fourth Raikage was the only reasonable authority figure in Kumogakure, not to mention the only person keeping that counsel in check, and the Fourth Raikage's brother Killer Bee was a very powerful shinobi in his own right. But now they're both dead." Looking to Karui, Shikamaru continued, "Where are the others? You know, Omoi, Darui, C, Samui and Atsui."
Her face scrunching up more in sadness, Karui said tearfully, "On the night we all fled Kumo, my friends and I were all chased by Kumo ninja who sided with the counsel. We made it through most of the Land of Hot Water, and were about a mile from the border with the Land of Fire, when…when…" (6) Tearing up some more, Karui cried softly for a few seconds before continuing, "I…I was the only one who wasn't killed in the attempt to flee," Karui managed to get out before giving in to her crying.
Shikamaru and Choji both went as wide-eyed as they could manage; Choji was especially shocked, slowly shaking his head while muttering, "No way…"
"You and your friends were all trying to reach Konoha?" Shikamaru asked.
Nodding slowly, Karui said, "Samui had a degree of respect for your Fifth Hokage which she returned, Omoi got along well with most of the guys you and Choji are friends with, and I was banking on Choji offering me somewhere to stay." Shaking her head, Karui said, "My friends and I all thought that if any place would protect us from what Kumo has become under the rule of that counsel, it'd be Konoha."
"So, you and your friends were hoping that Konoha would grant you all political asylum," Shikamaru stated. After Karui slowly nodded in the affirmative, the Nara chunnin said, "There's something else about all of this that I'm concerned about."
"What would that be?" Karui said before turning to her right to reach for the box of tissue paper on her bedside table; Choji walked over to the bedside table quickly and got the tissue paper box for her.
"Wasn't Killer Bee the Jinchuriki for eight-tails?" Shikamaru asked, "Was eight-tails extracted first, or did those counsel bastards went right ahead with poisoning Killer Bee in his sleep?"
"…Yes," Karui remarked after blowing her nose on a tissue, "Master Bee was the Jinchuriki for eight-tails, but I know that there was no extraction prior to Master Bee being poisoned in his sleep." Taking another tissue and blowing her nose on it, Karui added, "Due to how big an event it is to extract a tailed beast from its host, all of Kumogakure would have been aware if eight-tails was extracted from Master Bee, especially considering that eight-tails would have defiantly gone on a rampage the moment he was out." Looking up at Shikamaru, Karui said, "Something like that would be pretty damn hard to keep out of the news, don't you think?"
"What happens to a tailed-beast if their host dies while sealed inside them?" Shikamaru asked.
"Tailed-beasts cannot truly die," Karui stated, "So if their host dies while they're sealed inside of them, they'll just reincarnate at some point. I don't know how long it will take though; many theorists on the subject put the time period of reincarnation for a tailed beast at roughly twenty years at a minimum." (7)
Sighing, Shikamaru said, "Due to the circumstances, this all is going to have to be run by Lady Tsunade. She'll have to make a decision on what's to be done."
"What do you mean, Shikamaru?" Choji asked, a mildly angry look spreading across his face, "Of course we should let Karui stay here in Konoha!"
"I'm afraid that it's not that simple, Choji," Shikamaru explained, "Karui is seeking political asylum from Kumogakure. Deciding whether or not letting Karui stay in Konoha is up to Lady Tsunade."
His shoulders sagging in defeat, Choji said, "I guess you're right, Shikamaru. We'll just have to hope that Lady Tsunade gives Karui the okay to stay."
"I'm not sure if she will, though," Shikamaru replied, "Due to how Kumogakure has been acting as of late due to that counsel that's running the place now, Lady Tsunade may decide to give Karui the boot just to avoid armed conflict between Kumo and Konoha. She's got the whole of Konoha to think about, Choji."
Looking down at his feet, Choji muttered as tears pattered against his toes, "Damn it. I can't believe this is happening. This just can't be happening."
"Choji," Karui said softly, getting the Akimichi chunnin's attention. With her boyfriend looking at her, Karui said, "Konoha's Fifth Hokage is a good person. I'm sure she'll argue in favor of letting me stay."
"I…I hope you're right, Karui," Choji replied as he began to choke up slightly.
Lady Tsunade, the fifth and current Hokage, along with her advisors Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, had called a meeting of the heads of Konoha's most prominent clans. They all gathered in a room with a single large circular table placed in front of a single long, rectangle-shaped table; Tsunade, with Homura on her left and Koharu on her right, sat facing outward so that they would be able to see the large circular table. Shizune, Tsunade's assistant, stood behind her mistress, holding an armful of folders.
The clan heads weren't in the room yet, having not shown up yet. But Tsunade could hear talking outside of the door that led into the room; it was the kind of talking that came with meeting someone at the door and not expecting them to be there.
The door was opened, and the clan heads walked in; Hiashi Hyuga of the Hyuga clan was the first to enter, followed by Shibi Aburame of the Aburame clan. After him was Tsume Inuzuka of the Inuzuka clan plus Tsume's talking ninja dog Kuromaru, Shikaku Nara of the Nara clan, Choza Akimichi of the Akimichi clan, and Inoichi Yamanaka of the Yamanaka clan. Harold Fisher, a pink-haired jonin rank Konoha ninja, followed Inoichi into the meeting room.
"Seriously, Harold," Shikaku said in an annoyed tone to the Fisher patriarch, "Why the hell did you come?"
"As a clan head who's been called in for a meeting between the Hokage and the heads of Konoha's clans, I'm allowed to bring someone to serve as my advisor," Inoichi said as he answered the question in Harold's place, "I chose to bring Harold as mine."
"Isn't that the same excuse Tsume uses to bring her dog?" Shibi asked, "I mean, there shouldn't be any need to do that, given that Kuromaru is Tsume's Ninkin."
"That crazy old bat who advises Lady Fifth has a beef with dogs for some reason," Tsume said, "So I say that Kuromaru is my advisor to shut her the frig up."
"It helps that I'm actually smarter than Tsume," Kuromaru remarked.
"Well that doesn't surprise me," Shikaku reasoned.
"Oh, now you're just being mean, Shikaku," Choza said in a tone of mild admonishment, "Give the woman a break."
"Ah, I see that the clan heads are all here and accounted for," Tsunade said aloud, getting the attention of the clan heads. As all of them sat around the table, with Kuromaru sitting on the floor next to Tsume's chair and Harold leaning against the wall behind Inoichi, Tsunade said, "Now then, I suppose you all are wondering why my advisors and I all called you in."
"I believe this has something to do with the fact that a shinobi from Kumo was found collapsed on the ground a few feet inside of Konoha from the front entry gate?" Hiashi said as he raised a hand.
Nodding in the affirmative, Lady Tsunade said, "Shizune." Understanding the cue, Shizune walked over to the table where the clan heads sat and proceeded to hand each clan head a folder containing some information. The clan heads, after opening and reading the information contained within, all gasped in shock.
"The Kumo shinobi in question, Karui, is currently recovering in Konoha General," Tsunade stated, "Due to Kumogakure's behavior post-Fourth Great Ninja War, Karui normally would have been sent out of Konoha and the Land of Fire as a whole after her recovery was complete. However, Karui has made a request for political asylum."
"If this is how her old village dealt with people who see sense, then I don't blame the girl," Tsume remarked as she gave her copy of the file a slight smack with the back of her hand. Kuromaru was of a likewise opinion when Tsume showed him her copy of the info.
"Yeah," Inoichi said as he read his copy, "This is some pretty screwed-up stuff." Turning around, Inoichi gestured for Harold to come over as he said, "Harold, dude, you gotta see this." Walking over, Harold gave Inoichi's copy of the file a quick scan, his eyes growing wider out of shock with each bit that the Fisher patriarch read.
"…Damn…" Harold said, too shocked to say anything else.
"So then," Tsunade said as Harold walked back over to where he stood, "As the heads of Konoha's most prominent clans, you all will vote on if Konoha should grant Karui her request for political asylum or not. Keep in mind that your votes will represent your respective clans as a whole."
"We shall begin with the heads of Konoha's noble clans," Koharu said in a business-like tone, "How do the Hyuga, Aburame and Akimichi clans vote?"
"The Hyuga clan votes against granting the Kumo kunoichi her request for political asylum," Hiashi stated.
"The Aburame clan votes against granting the Kumo kunoichi her request for political asylum," Shibi declared.
"The Akimichi clan votes in favor of granting the Kumo kunoichi her request for political asylum," Choza said in a firm tone. Hiashi and Shibi both regarded Choza with looks of confusion and mild annoyance, but otherwise did nothing. Homura and Koharu, on the other hand, decided to speak up.
"Are you sure about that, Choza?" Koharu said in a questioning tone, "Kumogakure has been up to some rather notable misbehavior as of late. For all we know, this could be some ploy by Kumo to set a spy in Konoha."
"I agree," Homura said, "This could be putting Konoha youth in danger." Hiashi could be seen nodding in agreement with what Homura said. (8)
Giving the two older advisors a serious look, Choza said, "Judging the girl by what village she comes from, rather than by her own individual merits, is not doing her justice. I stand by my decision."
Sighing in a resigned tone, Koharu said, "Very well. Now how do the other clans vote on the matter?"
"The Inuzuka clan votes in favor of granting the Kumo kunoichi her request for political asylum," Tsume said, drawing an approving nod from Kuromaru.
"The Yamanaka clan votes in favor of granting the Kumo kunoichi her request for political asylum," Inoichi stated, drawing an approving nod from Harold.
"The Nara clan votes against granting the Kumo kunoichi her request for political asylum," Shikaku declared, drawing various reactions out of the other clan heads; claps of approval from Hiashi and Shibi, a groan of complaint from Tsume who was worried about a potential tie, and varying degrees of disappointment from Choza and Inoichi.
"Well now this is just perfect," Koharu complained, "With a three-to-three tie, one clan head is going to have to change his or her mind so that a decision can be reached on the matter of the Kumo kunoichi."
"Now hang on," Tsunade began as she opened a book on Konoha law, "There's actually a rule in here concerning situations such as this." Looking up from the book to the clan heads, Tsunade said, "In the case of a tie in voting, if any clan head brought an advisor, that advisor is allowed a vote. Both Tsume and Inoichi have an advisor each, so those advisors are allowed to vote."
"You're seriously going to let a dog cast a vote on the matter of granting political asylum?!" Koharu snapped in a shrill tone.
"Well screw you too," Kuromaru replied in a casual tone.
"So then," Tsunade said, "How do the advisors to the Inuzuka and Yamanaka clans vote?"
"I vote in favor of granting the Kumo kunoichi her request for political asylum," Kuromaru said.
"I also vote in favor of granting the Kumo kunoichi her request for political asylum," Harold declared.
With a smile of mild amusement, Tsunade said, "Very well. By a vote of five to three, Konoha shall grant the Kumo kunoichi her request for political asylum."
As everything had adjourned, the clan heads all got up and left, with Kuromaru and Harold following Tsume and Inoichi out. When everyone was outside of the meeting room, Harold pointed to Hiashi, Shibi and Shikaku and said, "Dick move, bros."
Later in the village proper, Shikamaru and Ino, along with Ino's boyfriend Sai, were walking along the street next to the Akimichi clan compound. "That…is quite a lot to take in," Sai remarked as Shikamaru finished filling him in on what happened. (9)
"My dad told me that Lady Tsunade called a meeting of all of the clan leaders in Konoha to vote on if Karui should be granted political asylum in Konoha or not," Shikamaru said, then added in a slightly disgusted tone, "My dad said that he voted against granting the request."
"Well that's not nice," Sai remarked.
Nodding in agreement with what the artistic ninja said, Shikamaru continued, "My dad went on to say that the voting reached a stalemate that was broken when Tsunade pointed out a rule that allowed the advisors brought by Ino's dad and Kiba's mom to vote. Thankfully, this ended up in favor of letting Karui stay in Konoha."
"Well that's a relief," Sai said as he gave a sigh of relief.
As the three of them walked, Shikamaru and company noticed Karui outside of the Akimichi clan compound, helping Choji's mother carrying some groceries (okay, a lot of groceries). "Oi! Karui!" Ino called out, getting the Kumo kunoichi's attention.
When she spotted Ino waiving at her, Karui called out, "Hey Ino! Guys!"
Shikamaru and Sai followed Ino across the street as she ran over to greet Karui and Choji's mother. "So, you're helping Choji's mom with groceries?" Ino said.
"Well Choji's clan is letting me stay with them while I'm here in Konoha," Karui replied, "The least I can do is help them with thing such as carrying home groceries and various other chores."
"She's such a sweet young lady," Choji's mother remarked, "I seriously cannot believe that anyone would vote to give her the boot when she's down on her luck and needs a place to stay."
"This seems like quite a lot of groceries, though," Shikamaru remarked as he pointed to the grocery bags that Choji's mother and Karui were carrying.
"This isn't all we got today," Choji's mother replied with a slight hint of amusement in her tone, "I managed to get Inoichi and Harold to help carry the rest."
At that moment, Inoichi and Harold turned the corner, chatting like the good friends they are. "So, like I was saying, my good man," Inoichi said to Harold, "Hiashi has got to pull the stick out of his-" Inoichi stopped short upon seeing that Sai was standing there with Ino and Shikamaru. Without ever taking his eyes off of Sai, Inoichi sat the grocery bags he was carrying down on the ground, pulled a small scroll out of his ninja weapons pouch, unrolled it, and slapped his right hand onto the pattern on the inside, causing a white cloud of smoke to 'bamph' out; as the smoke cleared, Harold sat down the bags he was carrying.
"Inoichi, what are you doing?" Choji's mother asked, but she stopped short when she saw what was sealed inside of Inoichi's scroll; two aluminum baseball bats. Inoichi picked up both bats, handing the left-hand bat over to Harold.
"…YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Inoichi exclaimed as he ran at Sai, with Harold following as his best friend's back-up. Seeing two grown men chasing him with baseball bats, Sai did the only sensible thing in that situation; he ran away screaming.
"DAD! MR. FISHER!" Ino screamed angrily, "LEAVE SAI ALONE!"
END, BEFORE THE REDEMPTION CHAPTER ONE
Author's Notes:
(1) Or was it?
(2) Although in the latter, everyone who was killed was resurrected, making the whole thing moot.
(3) It's the name of the group consisting of Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Shino, Kiba, Hinata, Neji, Tenten and Rock Lee.
(4) Shukaku, the one-tail, was at his request resealed into Gaara when the Fourth Great Ninja War ended (in this timeline). Shukaku claimed it was because he somewhat missed Gaara, but Naruto firmly believes it has something to do with the apparent rivalry between Shukaku and Kurama.
(5) You don't wanna know what Inoichi did the last time he was involved in questioning someone. All I will say is that it involved a twelve-pack of Pape Konoha's Brand Lager, a dog leash someone got for Tsume so she could take Kuromaru for walks (Tsume doesn't believe in leashes), and some Tupperware that Harold was supposed to return to his sister but completely forgot to.
(6) Due to the Land of Lightning's location, if one were to flee from Kumogakure to Konohagakure on foot, then they'd be crossing through the Land of Hot Water (as the pursuers may know some serious long-range jitsus, taking a boat would make Karui and her friends sitting ducks).
(7) I'm not sure if this is the actual length of time it takes; it's just a guess.
(8) You should know why.
(9) Unlike with 'Guess who's back?', Sai will actually get more than ONE line of dialogue. Likewise, Temari and Karui will both get more lines as well.
A few things. First, I would like to apologize for my lack of activity as of late; real life got in the way. Second, this story will be my shortest work (that is not a one shot) yet; it will only be ten chapters in length, all of which are already written. They will be following shortly. Third, I'm giving this story an 'M' rating just to be on the safe side; some of the upcoming chapters will not only have some rather brutal fight scenes (looking at you, Kiba), but those chapters will also contain some of what I believe to be my darkest and heaviest writing yet.