Author's Note: I saw this on Netflix and couldn't resist writing for it. I was disappointed to find out how the comics ended so here is my small offering to the N/S Titanic. The plot is adapted from Moon Embracing the Sun. This story begins with a Naruto/Hinata pairing and a character "death" but do not worry, this is temporary! Have faith!
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For those who went down with the ship: this love story is for you.
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Spring had come early to Konoha.
Naruto stood on a bridgeway to the garden pagoda, breathing in the cool mist that surrounded him. The weight of his ceremonial red-white robes hung upon his shoulders and did little to defend him from the cold. A vestige of winter chill had remained yet here, in this small corner of the Hokage Pavilion, he could see that new growth had endured. Leaning forward, his silken sleeves brushed against the scarlet railing as he admired the sheet of water lilies on the pond and the cherry trees. The pink branches bowed under the weight of the blossoms, occasionally relieved by the wind as it teased out a few delicate sprays of petals into the air. Smiling, he stretched out his good hand to catch the effervescent things as they floated toward him and settled onto his palm.
Sakura.
He smiled as he closed his fingers over them.
"Hey Dickless."
So much for serenity.
Naruto smirked. Turning from the garden, he could see Sai walking towards him on the bridgeway. He straightened himself up to look head on at his personal captain-of-the-guard with as much regal dignity as he could manage.
"You can't address me like that, Sai."
"Fine. Good morning, Lord Dickless."
Naruto clenched down on his teeth, dropping all pretense of being a stately Hokage. His hands—he could still feel the ghost of his lost limb—itched to wipe that unperturbed smile off Sai's stupid face but Tsunami's voice suddenly rang throughout his conscience: a kage must keep emotion in check at all times. Hypocritical advice coming from a woman renowned for her mercurial moods but she had a fair point. And where he failed, Sasuke succeeded, effortlessly maintaining that icy elegant facade that the nobility wore so well. Reminded of the better example, Naruto struggled to calm himself.
"What do you want?"
"Well it's not a date if that's what you were hoping for. That's really not my cup of tea," Sai cheerfully replied. "It's the refugees. Some of them tried to get into the village last night. Our border patrol has them guarded at the annex for now."
Grim, Naruto could foresee the arguments he would have with his council about this. It was not a fight he was particularly keen on. "How many?"
"Three hundred. Most of them are families, the children make up almost half."
He leaned against the railing as he weighed Sai's response. Nothing in his martial education could have prepared him for statecraft and reconstruction. In the wake of the great war with Madara, hundreds of lesser villages had been razed, leaving many of its inhabitants stateless. The recovery period was too slow to provide relief from poverty and violence. It was inevitable that the refugees would make their way into more prosperous countries to make a new life for themselves. Konoha was still being rebuilt and was in no shape to provide shelter when they were still rebuilding themselves. Gaara himself had been experiencing the same issue in his own lands and the two had exchanged many letters over the subject without reaching a clear solution.
"Let's keep in the Annex until we can find places for them." Naruto decided after some thought. "I'll deal with the elders."
Sai lowered his head in acknowledgement. "We'll do as you say but Hanzei won't be pleased."
"I don't care about what he says." Naruto was irritated by the very mention of the head of the Hyuuga family. Hanzei was ancient and formidable even by Konoha's standards; he had survived through the reigns of four Hokages and outlived his nephew Hiashi. Since the latter's death, Hanzei had taken over the Hyuuga clan and won himself a seat on the Hokage council although it was widespread knowledge that he had got there by investing his family's wealth into Konoha's treasury.
Sai gave him a long look.
"We can spare the resources. We've still got a surplus in our winter stores. I'm not borrowing money from him. Ever." Naruto flatly stated. "Just have the lower division soldiers look after—fuck, there's Takemaru again."
He broke off, dismayed, and Sai did not even have to turn around to guess why. A man clothed in the telltale green vestments of the Hokage's assistant was approaching them, carrying an alarmingly heavy bundle of papers. At that, Sai decided to step away.
"I'll see that your orders are carried out." He assured Naruto and disappeared within a flash just as Takemaru reached the bridgeway.
"Seventh." The assistant respectfully lowered his whitened eyes to the ground.
"I know what you're going to say and you should know my answer by now." Naruto nonchalantly waved his good hand. "I don't need a doctor so you can throw all that paperwork out."
"Hokage-sama." Takemaru began in a tone that clearly indicated he had had this conversation many times before. "Specialised care is one of a Hokage's needs in order for his body to perform his duties at the most optimal level. For that, you need a skilled physician. It's traditional for the Hokage to have one at his disposal and it would be to your benefit. I've brought the files on all the candidates so please take a look through them. I can then inform the council of your decision."
"Just because I've got one arm, it doesn't mean I'm bad at ninjutsu."
Takemaru however had not come unprepared as he had expected this response.
"Lady Hinata," he drew on what sounded like a trump card, "is most concerned about your health and she feels this is necessary for you."
"..."
There. Takemaru could see the very mention of Hinata was working it's usual charm on the Hokage. There was virtually nothing that Naruto would refuse her on, especially if it was a request made at her behest.
To Takemaru's gratification, the Seventh resignedly took the files from his hands, scanning one after the other in quick succession.
"Hyuuga Hiroshi, Hyuuga Niou, Hyuuga Kaoru, Hyuuga...Hyuuga..." Naruto flipped through the pages rapidly and threw a knowing glance in Takemaru's direction. "I guess Hanzei must be pretty worried about my health too. He's got half of the clan in the applicant pool."
"They are the most qualified medics." Takemaru was abashed.
"You do realise that over half of my current staff are Hyuuga, including you, right?"
Takemaru reddened in embarrassment. "Erm...are you...have you been unhappy with my work?"
"No, it's not that," Naruto denied much to Takemaru's relief. "But I'd prefer a little more diversity if you ask me. People with actual skills instead of having a specific family name."
"Regarding the candidates," Takemaru was keen to change the subject, "which looked the best to you?"
Naruto gave his assistant a piercing look. Compared to everything else that was going on, this was a huge waste of time. "I suppose I don't really have a say so why don't you just pick one for me?"
"But it is your choice!" protested Takemaru. "This individual will be your physician after all. I can schedule the interviews and you can select which one you think is most appropriate." He offered in a conciliatory gesture.
"Fine." Naruto dismissed. "What else do you have for me?"
"A message from Lady Hinata." Takemaru handed off a folded letter albeit with a trace of hesitation.
"Thanks." Naruto reached out for it only to be greeted with emptiness. Bemused, he waited as Takemaru looked at him in awkward trepidation.
"Will you…" The assistant bit his lip. "Can you promise to reply to her soon, Hokage-sama?"
"Well I won't be able to unless you give her letter to me." Naruto was impatient.
Takemaru's face softened. The Hokage standing before him now bore little resemblance to the brazen teen-warrior who had once fought at the head of one of the greatest armies. This was not a man but a statue, an unmoved and cold being. The change was evident and known to all. Quietly, boldly, he took a risk. "She thinks of you everyday and deeply cares about you. Please give more of your time and attention to her."
A sudden silence descended upon them. It was as if winter had returned in full measure and the sun had set.
"She knows how busy I am." Naruto could not offer much more than that.
"Hokage-sama." Takemaru regarded him with mixed sympathy and concern. "Considering that you are now betrothed to her, she is often hurt and confused why you barely make the time to see her. I find her to be extremely lonely these days and what's worse is that she thinks your affections have waned."
"It isn't that." Naruto's gaze went over to the cherry blossom tree.
"I think it would be good for both of you to spend more time together." Takemaru quietly suggested with as much tact as he could apply. When Naruto failed to reply, he took the silence as a cue to depart and bowed. "I will draw up a new list for you to review soon."
It was a long time before the Seventh returned to the Pavilion. When he finally did, he took one last look at the flowering trees. Their bittersweet scent lingered in the air, drifting him back to a time when he was just a boy who only cared about pranks, ramen, and a girl. A girl whose hair matched the colour of cherry blossoms and bore their name. Even now, the ghost of her laughter haunted him.
Unconsciously, Naruto's hands curled into fists.
The day Konoha had won the war was supposed to have been happiest day of his life yet he could barely remember it. He had used all but the last dregs of his energy in that final battle, slipping in and out of consciousness. What he did recall were brief but vivid images that passed his memory so quickly that sometimes he wondered if they were truly real. He could see Sasuke lying on the ground with a pool of blood spread between them. Sakura's healing hands were outstretched before him, awash in a shimmering haze of green energy. Days later, when he awoke in the hospital, he found the world had changed and not for the better.
It was Kakashi who had told him what happened and even now, the details were all a blur. He remembered finding Kakashi at his bedside and being asked to try to understand. He had stopped listening when he heard the words found dead in her sleep. His mind completely shut down, lost to all reason. He remembered struggling to get out of his sickbed, falling to the floor, then viciously fighting against the medics who flooded into his room. The sheets ran red as his wounds reopened and blood seeped from the bandages.
"You're lying!" He had screamed at Kakashi. "It's not true! Tell me it's not true!"
It made no sense. They had just won a major war, Sasuke had come back, and the village was rebuilding itself. Sakura was supposed to be a part of all that and live in that happy ending. How could this happen? She was healthy and young, so young. People like that didn't die...people like her didn't die in their sleep with no explanation or trace of illness.
Yet, a few days later, he found himself standing over her body laid out on a funerary bier. He was dimly aware of the small crowd of people behind him, quietly sobbing amongst themselves. Only Sasuke remained indifferent, provoking everyone's ire and bitter questioning as to why he had been allowed to Sakura's funeral when he had shown her nothing but cruelty when she had been alive.
Even Naruto could not blame him. The tears did not come for him either. He could not bring himself to hold her hand or even leave a kiss on her lips. There was so much he needed to say but all he could do was stand there and stare at the corpse of what had been his best friend, his protector, and…
Naruto shut his eyes, clutching at his chest, fisting the fabric of his shirt into a painful knot. He almost reached for his neck before realising it wasn't there anymore. He had given away the chakra crystal long ago to be buried with Sakura. It seemed such a paltry token to give after all that happened between them and the adventures they had shared. Too small perhaps to signify the feelings he bore but now it was too late to tell her. The chakra crystal had protected him just as she had. It seemed only fair and fitting for her to have it in the end.
She had known him as a happy-go-lucky teenager who crushed after her like there was no tomorrow. Now he was twenty-five, a crowned Hokage and his power realised. He was everything he had worked for and aspired to be. Would she be proud of that? There was an entire realm of possibilities that he often dreamed of at night. What his life would have been like had she been alive, what she would look like after all these years. Since the Pavilion had been rebuilt, he walked along its' ruby-red halls and wondered as he passed by each splendour if she would have liked this finery.
Slowly, his eyes opened and met the scarlet horizon of the Pavilion. Just across from his own residence was Earthly Tranquility, the traditional residence of the Hokage's wife, and where Hinata now lived. The sight of it immediately brought him back to the present. To council meetings, administrative debriefings, responsibility, and duty. This was the vocation he had fought so hard to win yet somehow, though he had dared not to admit it, the glory had dimmed. He had never imagined his life would turn out like this, to act as a mere figurehead, to be trapped in a palace that he grown to hate, and to have bound himself to a woman he admired but could not love.
But he had promised Hinata.
And what kind of man would he be, what sort of Hokage was he, to go back on his word?
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Eight Years Ago
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There was an intruder in Sakura's bedroom.
He had slipped in quietly, lingering in the shadows and not allowing the faintest trace of light hit his face. Beneath his mask, a pair of steel-grey eyes loomed out in the dark and focused on her sleeping form. The visitor was unexpected and entirely random for it was none other than the head of the Hyuuga family.
Hiashi Hyuuga stood over Sakura's bedside. She could not have made a more perfect picture of innocence. Surely Hanzei had made a grave mistake. How could such a young girl be a threat? He thought of the wretched talk that had passed between him and his uncle, the wizened elder who had made it perfectly clear that he would accept nothing less than a total victory for the family.
"Naruto is no ordinary boy." Hanzei once conceded to Hiashi. "His martial prowess aside, he is powerfully charismatic and is talented in drawing people to his cause. What he lacks in, he gains in finding and using his friends to fill those voids. That is the true source of his strength and that is how he will become Hokage one day."
"Hokage." Hiashi remembered scoffing. "He's still a child. It will be years before another leader is chosen and as far as I can tell, the Fifth is not expected to retire anytime soon."
"But now that he is older, now that we have seen what he can do, we can also predict what he will become." Hanzei lifted his aged head and locked on his snowy eyes with his nephew. "After the war is over, Konoha will need to be rebuilt and a new order will arise from this. We must ensure that our clan is an integral part of that and this time, we will not be eclipsed by the other families."
"I don't understand, Uncle." Hiashi recalled saying. "What are you implying?"
"You have no sons." Hanzei finally made his displeasure known. "Your daughters are not what I wish to rest our clan's legacy on. Still, they can be useful."
Hiashi remained silent, knowing the harsh words were true enough.
"Your older girl, Hinata, she is Naruto's age isn't she?"
"She graduated with him in the same class at the academy."
"I was told she is very fond of Naruto."
"An affection which I have discouraged her from many times." Hiashi saw what Hanzei was getting at. "He's barely spoken to her. Besides, everyone knows he pines after the Haruno girl."
Hanzei's gaze hardened. "Hinata may not be what was wanted but she can still rise high, as the wife of a Hokage and mother to our village's future leaders. This girl you speak of is an obstacle and surely an easy one to get rid of."
"I would prefer a better husband and future for my daughter." Hiashi said coldly.
"You still think poorly of him despite Naruto's recent accomplishments?" Hanzei smirked. "You are most difficult to please."
"Hinata is ill-suited to the role you are envisioning for her. The Hokage's wife is supposed to be a model example for all female ninja. Hinata is too meek and mild, how could she possibly compare to the likes of Lady Mito or Kushina?"
"This is her only chance at ever becoming the heiress she was supposed to be."
"We would not be discussing this had you agreed to my original request." Hiashi's temper finally flared at that. "Neji was more than capable—"
"Neji was never suitable." Hanzei emphatically stated. "A member of the branch house can never be the clan head, the family would never accept that. Hanabi at the very least is your legitimate daughter and although I have serious reservations about her abilities, we can still marry her to one of our own to keep the bloodline pure. Perhaps a worthy heir will be born in the next generation."
"I will not offer Hinata to Naruto." Hiashi refused. "It was my hope to have her wed Neji so as to reunite the factions within our clan. Now with him gone…"
"Are you going to forfeit this opportunity to secure our clan's survival?" Hanzei angrily asked. "We are a dying breed! There are few of us left, we will either be extinct or forgotten like the Senju and Uchiha if we do not do something to place ourselves in the forefront of Konoha's society."
"And how exactly do you plan on doing that, when we have no assurances about Naruto's future and knowing that the girl he wants is not my daughter?"
"There can be only one sun and one moon in the sky." Hanzei answered. "Hinata's ascension must be secured and to do that...we must eliminate the Haruno girl."
Hiashi paused. Slowly, he raised his eyes to meet Hanzei's unflinching gaze. "Eliminate?"
"She is an obstacle, nothing more."
"She is sixteen years old."
"She is an impediment." Hanzei redefined. "Your daughters are all that will be left of you when you are gone. If Hinata is with Naruto, you could be the father-in-law to a future Hokage and the grandfather of many descendants who will govern Konoha in the years to come. Our clan's position and legacy will be secured."
"Sakura has done nothing to harm our family."
"One day, she will." Hanzei predicted, clearly foreseeing a different future. "Do not disappoint me with your weakness by failing in your duty to ensure our clan's placement in this world."
It had taken weeks, months, and finally the conclusion of the world war until Hiashi agreed that Hanzei was right and a course of action had to be taken.
But on one condition.
He would do it himself and to that, the elder agreed, only too pleased that the Hyugga head of the family had come to his senses.
Now, as Hiashi finally faced the other moon that Hanzei had so ardently want to remove, he reflected back to piecemeal observations he had gathered over time. A continuous stream of images flowed through his mind. A girl weeping and crying out Naruto's name as she hunched over his mangled body. An embrace in front of a ruined Konoha after Pain's defeat. A laugh shared between them in the midst of a training ground. What was she to him?
Hiashi had only needed to take one look at Naruto for the answer. The famed Byakugan may have been an omnipotent eye but it required a certain kind of skill to discern the feelings of others. What had he seen on Naruto's face? A boyhood crush? A love that was never voiced and bore no label? It strayed beyond platonics but had never crossed the point of no return.
Did he get a chance to tell you? Hiashi gazed after Sakura.
The girl however remained oblivious to his attention, still fast asleep, wrapped in some pleasant dream perhaps.
Good.
This would make the main blow easier and painless for her. He readied himself, chakra flowing through his body in an imperceptible but targeted strike. With the lightest touch, his fingertips met the seal embedded into Sakura's skin. A blue glow emitted from the contact and a moment later, the diamond glittered as spiralling vines of energy spread across the girl's forehead to reach each of her temples.
Hiashi let go.
The light faded as did the markings but the girl was no longer sleeping. Her breathing had come to a stop and the blood flow drained away from her face, leaving a pale mask in its wake. His task completed, he stepped back to make his departure but not without regret.
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When the last of the mourners walked away, when the flowers had been scattered, when Kakashi had to lift Naruto from his knees and walk him back home through his anguished daze, when night finally fell, Hiashi struck.
He could not afford to waste anymore time. Quietly, efficiently, he started to dig. The coffin had been buried deeply but at last, after a few pushes, it was unearthed. He precariously snapped off the hinges and lifted the top to unveil Sakura lying in repose. Her hair had been becomingly braided with a red ribbon, arranged with the first blooms of spring all around her head. Instead of her usual garb, she had been dressed in funerary white robes that enveloped her body in clouds of silk.
Hiashi scrutinised the body, even feeling the girl's neck. There was no pulse, no breath, but she was warm.
Still alive...Hiashi was relieved as he felt the warmth of the girl's skin.
He reached out to touch her forehead and laid a hand against the tepid skin. In a soft glow of light, chakra seeped into the girl, traversing from head to toe as the viny markings of the new seal reappeared. It was not long before he caught sight of the girl's first breath. Blood rushed to her cheeks, her heart reawoke to a steady and dependable beat, but she remained held fast in sleep. With ease, Hiashi enfolded the girl into their arms and carried her out of the grave. After ensuring the coffin had been reburied and the site smoothed over without a trace of disturbance, he took her under the cover of darkness.
He did not stop until he passed the forests by many miles, going as far eastward as he dared without being detected. With every passing hour, he knew that the girl's memory would fade to nothing yet the more distance he put between her and Konoha, he reasoned that the safer she would be. It was almost a measure of paternal protection. After all, she was the same age as his own daughter and if Hinata had been in her place, would he not wish that someone would take pity on her too?
By the time Hiashi reached his destination, dawn was just about to break. Tired but determined, he stepped into the foothills of a village that encircled a palatial temple. With Sakura in his arms, he headed for the holy sanctuary and at its gates, he found the head priestess and her entourage awaiting him. In the misty setting, they looked more like spectres clothed in their gauzy robes and hooded cloaks to shield them from the cold. A pair of porters held aloft crystal lanterns lit with candles for additional lighting in the grey gloom.
The head priestess was small for her age but carried herself with a kind of regal dignity that made her stand tall and apart from her companions. Her robes were markedly finer but like the rest of the women, her neck and hair were covered by a wimple. Their heads were crowned with a simple veil that swayed in the air, held in place by a circlet. Where the priestess' was made of gold, the others had one fashioned from iron.
"My old friend." She solemnly greeted. "I trust the journey did not take you long."
Her eyes went to the unconscious girl. With an imperious gesture of her hand, her handmaidens quickly took Sakura from Hiashi to bring into the temple. When everyone had gone, the priestess turned back to him.
"That seal..."
"...is permanent unless I or a Hyugga member removes it." Hiashi said.
"You took her memories away." The priestess studied him with caution. "I admit when I received your message last month, I was troubled by it. I do not understand why you must go to such great lengths for this girl."
"I cannot say anymore without you coming into potential harm, Asagao. Please do not renege on our agreement. You will look after her, will you not?"
"Our temple does not turn away the sick or needy." Asagao said. "You wrote that this girl will need our care for a long time. We are prepared to do so. It is the least I can do for you, considering that you did save this sanctuary once." Her eyes darkened in concern. "But can you at least explain to me why you chose that particular seal?"
"So that she may live." Hiashi answered. "I did not take away her natural martial abilities or her chakra reserves. She was a very skilled healer so I believe she can be of much use to you and to your village. I hope you can mentor and instruct her in your temple's ways."
"But not to Konoha."
"She can never return to that place and be who she once was."
Asagao looked at him with profound disapproval. "Is this the kinder fate then? Exile?"
"I had no other choice."
"No choice?" The priestess looked doubtful. "You, the head of a formidable clan, had 'no choice' you say?"
"I don't expect you of all people to understand my position." Hiashi coldly replied. "I have a legacy to protect and that girl was deemed as a threat to it. I did what I must to safeguard my family."
"At the expense of an innocent life." Asagao quietly challenged. "A child, no less."
"I may be many things but I am not a murderer." Hiashi's anger spilled over. "There has been enough senseless deaths for one generation. My brother and his son. I will not add this girl to the list of the dead."
A tense silence descended on them both at the mention of Hiashi's twin and Neji. Asagao remembered receiving the news of each passing with great sorrow for her friend. She knew how much it had tormented him to endure the longstanding rumours that he had forced his brother to his death, that he was grooming his fatherless nephew to be a servant and nothing more. Even then, he had had to keep his affections secret. To never show that he cared for those close to him in order to maintain the cruel charade of detachment and power. She had thought with the war's conclusion and Neji's death that the act would be brought to an end.
How disappointing to find that it was not to be.
"And if she asks questions, what am I to tell her? This girl, who does not even know her own name?" Asagao ventured after a long while.
"Give her a new name. Create a life story for her if you want. Anything, so long as it puts her far away from Konoha."
Asagao weighed the severity of Hiashi's words. "Is this the only way to ensure her safety?"
"In this world," Hiashi said as the sun began to rise, "that child can no longer live as Haruno Sakura but must be reborn as someone else."
It was only hours after Hiashi's departure that Asagao understood what he had meant. When the Sakura awoke, the temple servants found her screaming and thrashing about the sickroom, taken aback by her new surroundings. They had to sedate her in the end and when she rose again the next morning, she unnerved them all with her inability to recall anything.
"Who are you?" The girl blankly asked. Her green eyes seemed dulled, as if the light of life had been taken from her.
"Have no fear, my child." Asagao tried to reassure her. "You are in the safest place and the surest hands. I am the head priestess of the Hoshigakure Temple here. Our divine order is dedicated in training healers and taking care of the sick. You came to us as a novice and took on vows to renounce the world in order to become one of my apprentices. That is why you are here...Ayame."
Sakura turned to the woman, unsure. "Ayame?"
"That is your name." Asagao lied gently. "Minamoto Ayame. You came here to train under me six months ago. You were out picking herbs for our stocks when you slipped and fell, hitting your head. My guards found you and brought you back. We were worried you had a concussion but I now see the damage is worse than we thought."
"It's just..." The girl put her head in her hands, only to feel the impressions of the seal across her forehead. "...what is this?"
"My dear, you must not put yourself in a state. You must rest. Do not worry about your memories or that seal, you had it on when you came to us. It is a protection spell, powerful and permanent. It is a part of you and it will help you."
"I am your apprentice?" The girl haltingly asked.
"Yes." Asagao smiled, all the while thinking back to Hiashi's final plea. "You are my student and we have much, so much to teach you."
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Present Day
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"Come back right here, you wench! Ayame! AYAME!"
Laughing, a pair of girls sprinted away from the enraged house mother who shouted after them. They didn't stop running until they reached the bare outskirts of the temple grounds and doubled over, breathless. Their hands were sticky with overt signs of their crime. Honey dripped from their fingers and stained their robes as they hastily sought to wipe the traces off by the hem of their linen robes. Their veils languidly moved in the wind as the spring sun shone fiercely on their covered heads.
"Did you see her face?" Namiko couldn't stop giggling. "I can't believe we ate all the dango!"
"It was so worth it though." Ayame grinned.
"We'll have hell to pay when we get back." Namiko teased as she straightened her veil. With that done, she turned to see her friend still looking thoroughly disheveled. "Here, your circlet is crooked. We'd best get along before anyone sees."
"I hate this stupid thing." Ayame complained as Namiko adjusted the iron crown.
"This is our uniform, get used to it, and don't look so sulky. Make sure your wimple is tight enough and your hair isn't showing, you know how Lady Asagao feels about..." Her eyes went over to Ayame's forehead.
"I know." Ayame said quickly.
Namiko looked apologetic. Feeling awkward, she unnecessarily smoothed some creases on Ayame's veil."Are you going to see Lady Asagao off to her missionary trip?"
"No, I have to prepare the medicine kits, I don't think I'll have time." Ayame did not bother hiding her disappointment.
"Don't look so sad because you'll be stuck with me for half a year!" Namiko playfully rebuked. "Honestly, I don't know why her ladyship is so against you leaving the temple. She's taking the other girls with her and you're more experienced."
"I already asked. She told me to I have to stay here."
Namiko gave a commiserating smile. "Well, it just so happens that I disagree and I have something that will cheer you up."
"Another pastry heist?"
"Cakes would be great." Namiko agreed. "But actually, I was thinking of something more productive." She gave her a sly look. "Lady Asago received a message from Konoha. Their Hokage needs a personal physician and the Hokage's assistant asked if someone from our temple would be interested in applying. Her ladyship asked me to go but since she's leaving..."
"And?"
"And I'm going to be swamped running things here whilst she's gone so..."
Ayame's green eyes lit up. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"I thought you'd be the perfect candidate."
Ayame could have crowed in happiness but just as the joy came, it was suddenly replaced with uncertainty. "But Lady Asagao…."
"She won't know if I don't tell her that you've gone and you'll be back before she returns." Namiko waved away the concern. "Come on, I thought you'd be more excited!"
"No, I am, it's just—wait, why are you so sure I'll be back before six months? Aren't these positions supposed to be permanent?"
"Not with this Hokage. He never keeps the same one and is notorious for not keeping up with his follow up appointments."
"He sounds like an idiot."
"Well dumb as he may be, he's very powerful and talented."
Ayame was still not impressed. "What's wrong with him? What does he need?"
"Does this mean you'll go to Konoha to interview?"
"I guess so." Ayame tried to sound indifferent but the note of happiness in her voice could not escape Namiko's ears.
"Good." Namiko said cheerfully as she made her way to the main temple. "I guess someone needs to start packing…!"