"All Kill Landing Edge"
By Nes Mikel
Acknowledgment;
I hereby acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. I hereby also acknowledge that while this story is mostly based on Kishimoto Masashi's "Naruto", certain crossover elements from Type-Moon's "Garden of Sinners/Kara no Kyoukai" also exist, although knowledge of it is not a requirement. Thus, I acknowledge that the original story concept and ideas, while heavily altered for the sake of the crossover, are copyright of all its associates.
For non up-to-date readers, this fiction will contain spoilers up to the latest Naruto manga chapters.
With that said, enjoy.
"All Kill Landing Edge"
- Chapter Seven -
"Bora"
Swahili – "Ideal"
"I hate this."
Haruno Kizashi sat straight-up on the end of his lawnchair of his household and took a biting glance out across the balcony of the two-storied house. Outside, the dazzling morning sun had just rose, and the village monuments sparkled back in majestic stature. His straw-woven chair rocked back and forth rapidly as he pushed his legs along to encourage it, a clear sign of agitation, while calm winds stirred the looser strands of his dull-pink hair that he styled into the shape of a cherry blossom. He breathed out a chilled breath that turned quickly white. He was less than three hundred meters away from the Hospital native to Konoha Village, of which he could reach in a moment's notice if he so choose and stared at the building from his distance.
It had much to do with the beaten, heartbroken savagery in his fierce, blue eyes.
"We both do." Haruno Mebuki stood not too far away from him as she answered her husband's words, her hands on the railings of the terrace fence painted in white, hinged over it as she too looked out across the calm and cool village quieted by the weather and towards the rectangular building that housed their daughter within. "And I think we hate it the most because we could've seen it coming for so long."
"It's worse than that." Kizashi argued back bluntly. "It's because we hold so little control over what we can do."
Although the village hadn't seen snow for the past four days, the skies were still clouded over with dark clouds, and forecasts predicted it would begin snowing again within the next day or two. And within that period he was slated to meet with the Third Hokage, directly, with his two council advisors by his side. There was very little to look forward to for Kizashi in that meeting, because he could very well expect what they were going to ask from him as clarification in the whole incident. Trying to pretend everything was business as usual was harder than what he was accustomed to despite his many years as a jounin of Konoha.
"I wish I could tell you're both wrong, but I can't." His comrade replied from his seat in the room that had its windows bared wide open in order to connect the room and balcony, where the husband and wife sat and stood outside. Yamanaka Inoichi took a quick sip of oolong tea they had offered him earlier when he was first invited in before setting it back down on the end table next to him.
"There has to be something we can… we could…" Mebuki started to protest, anguish tightening her voice before she trailed off and stopped. She hadn't known Inoichi for very long, but long enough to understand that he was an honest, sincere man. As much as she wanted deny it, she was smart enough to not be blind about the tone of finality laced in his voice. As Inoichi had said, there was little they could all do about it.
"…I could retire from Konoha and have us relocated somewhere." Kizashi said after a moment.
"Relocate? Relocate where, Kizashi-san?" Inoichi continued in that same voice. "Not even the First Hokage would be able to escape pursuit from a couple of hundred, no, thousands of hunter-nins summoned from all five corners of the Elemental Countries. But let's say you take the route out of the Continent, which is pretty much the only way you can shake everyone off – how are you going to get your family out of here before the hunters all catch up with you? What are you going to do, singlehandedly slaughter every single pursuer? What you're trying to purpose, Kizashi-san, is a free-for-all contest in which the prize is your daughter. What Sakura had awoken is that precious, and if the other Nations ever get wind of the information that she's free game, that's what will happen."
"And what am I supposed to do then, Inoichi?" Kizashi replied. "Just sit here and be crippled with worry? She is my daughter!"
"Dear, I know how badly you want to help Sakura, we both do." Mebuki said from behind him. "But Inoichi-san's right. There's just too much risk, and you know it."
"Of course I know about it!" Kizashi's accent came far too close in snapping at his wife outright. "But it is my fault that Sakura's been put in a position like this. I must take responsibility somehow."
"Kizashi." Mebuki's voice was kind, and she reached out to rest both hands on his shoulders. "Don't forget. I agreed to it too. And although you know I would do anything to protect her, I don't want to see the worst possible outcome happening either. What do you think would happen to Sakura if we all deserted the village, deserted Konoha, Kizashi?"
Kizashi eyed her harshly, but did not say anything.
"Besides," Mebuki continued. "We should be thankful we're villagers of Konoha to begin with. If we were in any other Elemental village, I'd hate to think what would've happened to all of us. At least we still have a chance to give Sakura a normal life."
"A normal life. Hah." He cracked a hard laugh with no humor. "As a ninja, you mean. As one myself, I can tell you that's hardly normal."
"…She could've ended up as one to begin with." Inoichi tried to point out, as he finished draining the contents of his mug.
"That's hardly the point Inoichi." Kizashi sighed. "Sakura could've grown up to become anything she wanted to be. But because of my private, selfish desire, she doesn't have any other choice. If she wants to survive from now on, there's no choice but for her to become a ninja. I ruined her life." He spat out his last sentence in disgust.
"Do you hate me for it?" Inoichi asks.
"You?" The Haruno man cracked his head sideways before he saw his friend's way of thinking. He shakes his head. "No, I don't hate you. In fact, I was overjoyed when you first brought the news to us that Sakura had a second personality within her, just like our distant ancestors did so long ago. The ties our family shared with the main Ryougi line were weak even at best, as we descended from a branch of clansmen who never once awakened their other sibling. It was a dream come true for us, Inoichi. I doubt we would've ever found out about Ouka if you did not bring the news to us because we weren't looking for it. Our family had given up hope completely for ever reawakening our Ryougi traits a long, long time ago. I never would've imagined we'd be seeing it again, especially not in the form of our daughter."
"But I used-"
Inoichi was cut off before he could even properly begin. "I don't care if you approached us with the intention of acquiring those traits for your clan." Kizashi said. "You were very upfront with your demands from the very beginning anyway. We're very much alike, Inoichi – I understand perfectly well you, and your clan's, desire for it, and we're similar in that regard. Can't blame your ancestors of dreaming for Ryougi traits where one personality would be able to take one body while the other remained in their main one. It would eliminate your clan technique's weakness completely after all. Thus I gave you the permission to study Sakura and Ouka. It was a win-win situation for both of our families."
"But," Kizashi added. "At the same time, I wanted to respect Sakura and Ouka's decision in matter. Ultimately it was up for her to decide if she wanted to revive the Ryougi traits in our Haruno line, or maybe even marrying into the Yamanakas and revive the traits there, thus fulfilling your clan's long lusted-after goal. And like you said, she could've very well become a ninja, a kunoichi, as she did attend the Academy after all, but I didn't want to see her find herself in a situation where she had no other choice. And that," His voice dropped off into something that was almost inaudible. "Is our crime and punishment."
Deciding he was finished with his smoking pipe so he could grudgingly go back to work in his office inside the Hokage Tower, he was just about to leap off from his favorite spot on top of the water tank before an unexpected visitor found him.
"Inoichi." He raised a lazy hand in greeting. "What's up?"
"Wanted to talk to you. With Chouza too, actually." Inoichi quickly added the last part as he jumped up the tower and sat down besides his sleeping form, referring to their other friend in the trio. "Can we meet in the usual yakiniku barbeque place in 10 minutes?"
He was quick to pick up on Inoichi's strung out look. There was no question to the fact that he was troubled. He was not used to seeing his friend like this. "...What's the matter?"
"I wanted to discuss the future of the Ino-Shika-Cho." Inoichi said. "About our children and their team placement."
He raised an eyebrow. While it was true that their families had traditionally been in the same team for many generations, placements which were heavily insisted upon by their fathers and grandfathers, it was only an unspoken rule and never a requirement. Besides, it was still two years early to be discussing which teams their children would be placed in, and that was only if his lazy son actually managed to graduate. It was his biggest recent worry.
"Why bring this up, all of a sudden?" He asks as he extinguishes his pipe with a flick of a wrist, slowly pulling himself into a sitting position so he and Inoichi could stare eye to eye. Something was definitely unusual with his friend he knew all the way back from childhood.
Inoichi himself looked as if he were debating to himself if he should be break the news to him now rather than later during their foray in the barbeque place he earlier described, as he had his lips pressed in a hard, thin line. But after a while, Inoichi looked up and stared right back at him.
"We might have to break it up." Inoichi said finally.
Oh man. Nara Shikaku thought, apprehensive of the situation already. This is going to be troublesome.
"All Kill Landing Edge"
- Chapter Seven -
-END-
Author's Notes:
Chapter seven.
I figured that if Sakura's dad was so awesome he was able to become Hokage in an alternate universe (portrayed in a recent Naruto movie), he deserved at least a jounin title in this story. As a side note, I had expected to see multiple Naruto stories based on that alternate universe. Maybe I just haven't come across them or something.
And ain't adults dirty? Oh wait, I am one too. Shit.
Thanks for reading!
- Nes Mikel
All Kill Landing Edge, Chapter Seven "Bora", First Edition: February 22nd, 2013, Last Edit: February 23rd, 2013
