It is the fifth night of Chanukah, and Chouji and Ino are sharing a box of jam doughnuts – or rather, Ino takes one and Chouji eats the rest. She doesn't mind. He's got to keep his strength up. They're due out on an escort and espionage mission in a few hours' time with Kakashi Hatake in charge, so the festivities are cut short tonight. Five candles, green, purple, yellow, red and white, burn on the Akimichi head family's menorah.
Kakashi is an old mate of her, Chouji's and Shikamaru's fathers, an affable but distant and somewhat enigmatic man who's as distant from G-d as Naruto, his old student, is close. While Naruto preaches love and forgiveness and salvation through Jesus, Kakashi is deeply cynical about the existence of any kind of benevolent god, and has long given up believing, ever since his father's suicide and his team mate Obito's death, although he still visits the boy's gravestone every day. His and Naruto's relationships with the Almighty, Shikamaru says, are in direct proportion to each other. Naruto still prays for Sasuke's soul. Kakashi has long since given up any hope of the missing-nin's salvation, as has Sakura. Ino can't help but feel sad for him, particularly knowing how, despite everything he had been through, he was still willing to sacrifice himself for Chouji when that bastard with the piercings invaded Konoha. Chouji once confessed to Ino that he had had nightmares for ages after that incident.
Faith, she reminds herself, isn't for everyone. If it hadn't been for Chouji...would I have learned to believe?
Chouji scarfs down the last doughnut and wipes his sticky mouth with the back of his hand.
"Let's go."
Author's note:
Chanukah: Jewish festival of lights
Menorah: a candlestick with nine branches - one for each night of Chanukah, plus an extra candle in the middle