Ninja Profile: Rakuyo Kunayari
Ninjutsu: B
Genjutsu: C
Taijutsu: B
Description: Rakuyo stands at a normal height, usually found with confident posture and an easygoing smirk. She wears the shirt and skirt typical for kunoichi, tying her black hair back in a ponytail. Her eyes are hazel-green, as is her clothing.
Origin: Rakuyo hails from the Kunayari family within the Hidden Sand. The Kunayari have been producing Sand shinobi since the village was founded and Rakuyo is not one to break from their tradition. She became a ninja to honor the legacy of her ancestors, but (along with Tetsute and Kame) upon entering the academy she found that most of the students were more untalented than she'd imagined. Rather than accept that her own ancestors had been this way, Rakuyo chose to believe that the 'weaklings' she found simply didn't deserve to be ninja and treated them as such.
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Mere minutes after getting up, Kame heard a knock on the door and was met with the sight of an middle-aged male Interior Defense ninja standing just outside. When the man saw him, he sighed and delivered a message in a monotone that indicated his complete lack of interest in the task at hand: "You have been summoned to the Kazekage's office. Our lord Gaara wishes to apologize for your treatment during the recently concluded investigation. You also have the deepest apologies of the Interior Defense Corps for our misconviction of you."
Before Kame could ask for any more details, the man had already walked away, leaving the him in a confused state of suspension- So they found the real traitor, and now the Kazekage himself wants to apologize to me? Can I eat breakfast first? Is this thing right now, or…? Kame decided that perhaps it would be better to be safe than sorry, and left straight for the Kazekage's office. A long walk later and he was standing before the literal center of the Village Hidden in the Sand, preparing himself to go inside.
Even as he stepped into the building, a nagging suspicion in his head grew louder and louder. Why would the Kazekage apologize to me? This doesn't seem like a normal occurrence, and besides, it's Naziru who should be apologizing. He briefly shuddered at the absurdity of the image of that evil-looking woman apologizing to him. There was definitely something off, but Kame had little choice other than to walk forward until a shinobi stepped over and looked him in the eye. "Kame Hakiara?"
Kame could only nod, which seemed to satisfy the older ninja. The man began walking towards a door off to the left, tossing, "follow me," over his shoulder. They walked along a winding circular path, past door after door and up a good five or six floors, all in complete silence. Finally they reached a larger set of double door and his guide stopped, gesturing towards the entrance. "The Kazekage's expecting you."
Could he have phrased that any more ominously? Kame hoped that his nervous swallow wasn't noticeable as he stepped into the office of the Kazekage for the first time in his life. Upon entering, the first thing he thought was, This is actually… not that intimidating. The office was sparsely decorated with a bare minimum of a few portraits hung on the walls, a large window at the back, and a desk and two chair, upon one of which sat… I take it back, this is very intimidating. The Kazekage was staring at him with sullen blue eyes ringed in black.
Kame stood, locked in place, until Gaara gestured towards the chair and raised an eyebrow. The genin coughed a little and nodded, shuffling forwards to sit down in the seat and bowing his head in deferrence. Why isn't he talking? Am I supposed to greet him? "Um… hello… I mean, greetings, lord Kazekage!" Damn, I sounded so awkward.
Gaara sighed. "Lift up your head and look at me, Kame." Kame raised his eyes to meet the Kazekage's. "I've called you here to apologize for you being taken in during the recent investigation, which was uncalled for given what little evidence we had at the time."
Kame failed to suppress the confusion in his mind from making it to his face, and desperately tried to cover it up with a rushed statement. "B-but you're the Kazekage, why… why would you have to apologize to me, and… I mean, it… it was Naziru who pulled me in, and I don't think…"
Gaara nodded, cutting his stuttering off before it could go any further. "You're right. I wouldn't call you all the way out here to deliver a formal apology; we have mail for that purpose. But now that I've gotten that pretense out of the way, I have another subject to discuss with you, something that I need you to do."
Kame swallowed. I should feel honored that the Kazekage would give me a task, but why do I feel like this is going to be… "What is it?" He asked.
"I need you to be a better teammate to Haku Yorutsume." Lord Gaara's face had turned almost a little bit… sad? Regretful?
However, Kame was already hung up on the issue of Kame, and when someone else pushed him on it he instinctively snapped. "I have! I haven't done anything to her, it was the other kids who picked on her! I've included… I've…" He trailed off. Last night I left her alone, didn't I? I have no ground to stand on here.
The Kazekage was unimpressed. "Whatever it is that you're doing, you're failing."
"Why don't you do something, then?" Kame was reckless in his defensiveness, forgetting momentarily that he was speaking the the Kazekage.
"Because… Deihaka explained her situation to you, yes? As much as Naruto has helped to make the ninja world a more peaceful place, there remains a power balance between the village. For the Hidden Sand to have not only the onetails jinchuriki, but also a fragment of the Tentails, would upset that balance. I can't afford to pay her any undue attention or other villages would take notice. A few years ago, they did, and-" he clammed up, but looked at Kame expectantly.
I guess it doesn't even matter if she's not a strong ninja, thought Kame. As long as she holds the tentails, she's a target. "You still put her alone, far from everyone. What did you think would happen if you separated her from everyone else and left them with only one memory of her, a terrible one?"
The Kazekage was acting strangely. He leaned forward, putting his head in his hands, and sighed in defeat rather than exasperation. "I… I didn't have any choice. She attacked the other children. Every parent who had a child there was begging me to move her to another village. I can't just… wave my hands and make her accepted and loved, don't you understand?" He sounded like he was arguing to himself more than anyone else.
"I'm doing as much as I can, but neither can I." Kame shook his head.
Lord Gaara didn't even register his words, continuing to mumble. "I thought… I thought that the Kage of the past were wrong. I was so sure that I wouldn't repeat their mistakes, but… I'm no different, am I? I'm even worse."
Well, this is the most awkward I've ever felt, thought Kame. What am I supposed to do here…? Do I comfort the Kazekage? Maybe I should just leave. Suddenly Gaara seemed to snap out of whatever mental state he'd been and looked up at him. "Kame, I can't do any more for her. You have to help her, whatever it takes."
Kame was annoyed at this point. "Lord Kazekage, with all due respect, I've already told you that I'm doing everything I can!"
"Well it's not enough!" The Kazekage's eyes blazed, but Kame wouldn't back down either.
"Who are you to tell me what's enough!? You don't even know her, and you're preaching at me about what she needs! I'm trying to-"
The Kazekage cut him off with a voice devoid of passion. "Last night, Haku tried to kill herself."
What?
The news went off like a bomb in Kame's mind, and he shut up instantly. She… she tried… the simple facts refused to register. In shock, his mind drifted to the scene at the restaurant, people keeping away from her and speaking about her behind her back. He remembered Tetsute publicly forcing her to leave the restaurant, calling her Kodoku and telling her that everyone hated her. And then, he remembered himself, standing there and just watching her like every other person in the restaurant- no, like every other person in her life.
What the hell is wrong with me? Kame collapsed forward, head in his hands, just as the Kazekage had done minutes before. He imagined what Haku had felt, coming back from a mission that must have been one of the first times she'd felt accepted in her life, maybe even hoping that things had changed… Only to return to a village hating her even more than they already had. To be bullied by the same guy, silently hated by the same townspeople, pushed out of the training she'd started to enjoy, and even ignored by one of the people she'd believed in. I'm pathetic.
Lord Gaara gathered himself, facing Kame again. "Late last night, we found and dealt with the man who'd killed Genku, and I decided to go to Haku's house and apologize to her. By sheer chance I found her mid-fall off of the cliff after jumping off. If she'd died there's a good chance that the tentails would have emerged and destroyed the Hidden Sand. I caught her, did my best to calm her, and stayed with her until she eventually fell asleep and I was confident that she wouldn't try it again. However, this is unsustainable- if she was depressed enough to end her own life, then she's in pain and has been for a long time."
Kame raised himself slowly until he was sitting straight up and looking Gaara in the eye. "I… I'm going to help… I promise on my life as a Shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Sand that I will help her, however I can. I'll protect her from ever going to that place again."
The Kazekage let out a long breath. "I truly hope that you can succeed where I failed, Kame. Haku… She reminds me so much of myself, and of Naruto, but instead of blaming the people around her like I did or the flawed shinobi world like Naruto did, she blames herself. It's a heavy burden that you're trying to lift from her shoulders."
Kame nodded, now set in his course. "I'll do it. I swear to save Haku."
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When the squad next gathered, later that day, Kame had done some research and had something to suggest. This time, Miriki's tardiness didn't annoy him (much) because there was an idea he wanted to share with Deihaka and Haku. "Deihaka-sensei, Haku," he said, getting their attention, "I have a suggestion."
Deihaka looked at him curiously. "Let's hear it."
"I think that, if you're going to continue teaching us jutsu, Haku is just wasting her time." Kame felt a little bit of regret for putting it that way when he saw Haku flinch and turn away. "I think that we need a trainer who can instruct her in high-level taijutsu. No offense, sensei, but I don't think you're the right person to do that."
Deihaka shrugged but didn't object to the statement. Kame decided to keep going, seeing Haku start to look a little more happy. "I spoke to the Kazekage and he told me about someone similar to you, Haku- someone who couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu at all but ended up as a successful ninja anyway. His name is Shira and he's currently living far to the north, on the outskirts of the Land of Wind."
Haku glanced up at him and her eyes betrayed a glimmer of hope. "I… if he really can teach me, then…"
Deihaka was more skeptical. "Okay, that sounds great, except for the fact that this man lives at the northern border, and Haku is on our team. How is that going to work?"
"Well, that's the thing… Lord Kazekage told me that he's likely to respond a lot more favorably if Haku is actually in front of him, so… can we go to him?" Deihaka started to say something, his face twisting in frustration, but Kame quickly continued. "We aren't up for any missions, but since Haku's been cleared the squad should be okay to leave the village, right? We could make it there in only a day or two and then try to convince him to come back with us."
Deihaka shook his head. "I'm not taking the whole squad two days north to go harass an old retired ninja at his own home." Haku's shoulders sagged a little bit, but then- "However, we technically aren't up for any missions, so I could… hold off on resuming them for a few days. I would remain and teach Miriki, of course, but you two could go."
Kame cheered a little bit internally before turning to Haku. "Sounds great. Haku, can you pack up? We can leave this afternoon, if you want." She nodded. "Okay, let's meet up at the village gate at… two?" Another nod, then Haku darted off towards her house, leaving Kame to head towards his, stopping by Kankuro's workshop to let him know the situation.
"You're neglecting your training!? We're two lessons in, you ingrateful-"
"Master, I'm truly sorry, but… it's Haku. She needs a teacher, so I'm heading off to find one with her."
"Haku, isn't she the..." Kankuro's eyes widened in realization, but then he shook his head and resumed a frustrated expression. "What about your teacher, you disobedient, undutiful, lazy... argh. This is what I get for choosing you as the inheritor of my art?"
Kame winced. "I'm sorry, Master. But the Kazekage- I mean, Gaara, told me to help her find a better mental state, and I think this is the only way I can do that. She's in a lot of pain, and..." he trailed off, but it was enough to make Kankuro's resistance melt away.
"Go, then. I… I wish I'd been there for Gaara the way you're here for the Yorutsume girl." Kankuro's voice was no longer angry, but forlorn. Kame remembered the stories he'd heard of the Kazekage's childhood, and of the neglect and hatred he'd suffered so much like Haku had.
Kame then went straight for his house, picking up enough food for six nights (three if he shared with Haku) as well as a generous supply of ninja tools and paperbombs. Packing everything into his satchel, he then went straight for the gate. Haku arrived about the same time as he did, and wordlessly they left for their destination.
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They finally arrived in the late afternoon the next day, a bit over 24 hours after they had left the Village Hidden in the Sand. Their destination was somewhat unimpressive; a small gathering of houses with a few small farms surrounding it. They'd long since left the massive desert that the Land of Wind was famous for, the country now looking more like savannah.
Kame had spoken with Haku during the trip there, more than he ever had before- although that wasn't saying much. She was extremely reluctant to share her opinions or beliefs with him, although she was quick to comment on other things. Funnily enough, she was actually almost as much of a geek about historical ninja as he was. They'd spent a good hour arguing over the relative strengths of the members of the Akatsuki (she still maintained that Kisame would have won against Konan, despite his taijutsu being most likely worthless against her Dance of the Shikigami).
The books he'd found at her home made a little more sense now; they were histories of the Shinobi World Wars. Haku was strangely obsessed with finding more information about strong ninja, especially strong users of the various kekkegenkai scattered about the villages. However, when Kame had asked her about her own clan, she'd had very little to say. When he asked about its collapse, she'd closed up to him completely again, so he'd quickly abandoned the project.
When they found their way into the village center, a sand chunin approached them carefully. "What is your business here?" Ah, yes, this village is close to the border, so they're more likely to be suspicious of newcomers' intentions, Kame thought, remembering his parents' stories about enemy spies attempting to cross in from other lands.
He decided to take the initiative in their conversation. "I'm here to find a retired shinobi who goes by the name 'Shira'. Do you know anything about where I could locate him?"
The chunin still didn't back down. "And why are you hunting Shira?"
Kame was confused- his Sand headband was clearly visible on his forehead, as was Haku's around her neck. "We're Sand shinobi looking for another sand shinobi, I don't see what the problem is here…?"
The chunin loosened up only a little bit. "Shira is… he's not in a great state to accept visitors. His wife died a few weeks ago, and he's in mourning. Nobody's seen him since then, he's just holed himself up in that house." Crap, Kame thought, he'll never accept- wait, what am I thinking!? A woman died and all I can think about is her husband being less likely to help me!?
While he was stuck mentally reprimanding himself, Haku stepped forward. "I… I'm very sorry about his loss. However, should he really be left by himself?"
"Huh?" The chunin narrowed his eyes.
"Well, someone close to him died, and you're leaving him to deal with it alone? Does he have any friends in this village?"
"Of course!" The man seemed to take her criticism as a personal attack. "He's lived and worked here for decades, almost everyone here would count themselves among his friends!"
Haku looked at him with confusion. "But when he most needs friendship, you're leaving him to deal with the pain alone? Besides, the question isn't whether you count yourself among his friends, the question is are you being a friend to him?" Kame didn't know what to think. For someone who'd been so alone, Haku certainly had a lot to preach about friendship- although, she wasn't wrong. Maybe her loss and loneliness had helped her to understand Shira's situation better than anyone else.
The chunin's eyes widened in slight realization, but he still blocked their path. "I'm afraid that unless you tell me specifically what you're doing in this village, I need to ask you to leave."
Kame butted back in. "We're looking for taijutsu training. Haku," he gestured towards her, "needs a high-level instructor in hand-to-hand taijutsu and we weren't able to find any in the Hidden Sand. The Kazekage told us of Shira, and so we came here."
At the mention of the Kazekage's name, the chunin finally broke. "Fine, go on ahead, he lives in the house over on that hill" he said, pointing towards the house in question and stepping out of their way. As they walked by him, though, Kame heard him mutter, "If you're trying anything sneaky, I guess it's your funeral." Was he talking about Shira? Kame wondered. If he's a taijutsu specialist around Lord Gaara's age, then how dangerous could he be? Taijutsu users rely heavily on their body, and time wreaks havoc on their abilities.
Nevertheless, he pushed forward with Haku along the main street of the town, dodging a pair of giggling children. One of them tagged the other and then they ran back the way they'd come, with a reversal of who was chasing who. They were so caught up in it that the lead girl ran straight into Haku, bouncing off and falling backwards. Haku flinched, far more than she should have, and looked strangely afraid of the child, but stopped a little bit when she saw the girl get up and smile at her.
"I don' think I've seen you 'fore!" The little girl had to be five or six.
Haku smiled hesitantly. "That's because I'm just here visiting. What's your name?"
The girl pointed at her friend. "I'm Yuki, an' this is Kina!" She tilted her head, looking at Haku curiously. "What's your name? An' who are you visiting?"
Haku smiled. "My name's Haku. I'm here to see Shira, do you know him?"
The girl's smile somehow widened even further. "Shira's the best! He's always nice an' smart an' cool an' gives us candy!" She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Mom says I'm not allowed to eat too much candy, but Shira still gives it to me… 'least, he used to, 'fore auntie Yome died…" The girl bowed her head a little bit, her brilliant smile disappearing.
Haku slung her pack around, digging around inside it for a few seconds before finally pulling out a closed hand. She reached forward and opened it in front of the little girl, whose eyes widened at the sight of a few wrapped candies sitting on her open palm. After a few seconds of awe, the girl looked up at Haku. "Can I have 'em? Really?"
"Yeah, go ahead." The moment Haku's words left her mouth, the girl had snatched the candies and unwrapped one in milliseconds. "Thanks, new lady! Tell uncle Shira I said hi!" The girl darted off, offering another of the candies to her friend as they disappeared behind another building.
When they continued on their way, Kame couldn't help but glance over at Haku. Why is she so different now? He wondered what she would have been like if the Sand hadn't neglected her. Is this the real Haku? Smiling, great with kids, always wanting to lend a hand to people who are sad?
They finally reached their destination, a small cottage up on a hill near the center of the tiny town. There was no fence or gate, so Kame just shrugged and walked straight up to the door, knocking a few times. The door was opened almost the second his knuckles left the wood, and he found himself staring at an old man with hair completely white, although his weirdly youthful skin wasn't wrinkled at all.
The man spoke in a voice that was also deceptively young-sounding, more like a middle-aged man than an elder. "Hello, visitors, my name is Shira."
Kame started to reply. "Greetings. My name is Kame, and this is Ha-"
He was cut off almost immediately. "Come in, come in. Why don't you tell me your names?"
What is wrong with this guy? Kame tried again. "My name is Kame, and my friend's name is Ha-"
"Speak up! I don't hear very well anymore, you'll have to be louder than that."
Kame looked around, wondering if this was some sort of elaborate prank, before starting again, enunciating and raising his voice a bit. "Hello. My name is Kame and-"
"Come on, kid, I said I don't hear so well." Shira was like a blank slate, staring at him.
Crap, if I make him any more self-conscious about his hearing I might blow my chance at getting Haku a teacher! Kame steeled himself, before screaming (with a fair bit more voice cracking than he'd like to admit): "HELLO! MY NAME IS KAME HAKIARA AND THIS IS… Is… is…" He trailed off at the sight of Shira laughing hysterically, almost falling out of his seat. Haku was laughing right along with the older man- Haku was laughing! Kame had never heard her laugh before, and she was surprisingly loud and energetic about it, in sharp contrast to her normally shy and calm demeanor.
Shira calmed down enough to get out a few words in between chuckles. "You… you should have seen the…" he put on a squeaky fake voice: "My nAmE Is kAMe hAkiARa!" Both he and Haku dissolved into laughter again, and this time Kame couldn't help but join in. As their laughter died down, finally Shira turned to Kame and spoke. "I can hear you fine, that was just a little bit of humor- you younger generation are so gullible around people you respect."
Kame nodded. "I… Anyway, as I was saying, my name is Kame Hakiara and this is my teammate, Haku Yorutsume. Before I get to why we've come, I'd like to offer my condolences for your wife."
Shira nodded, the mirth evaporating from his face. "I appreciate your sentiment. She was…" He trailed off. How do I talk to him now? Kame was unsure how to proceed. Asking him for something now is probably a bad idea, but I can't just leave… What do I do?
Kame tested the waters a little bit. "Are you going to leave this village? Now that…"
Shira shook his head sadly. "No, I have to stay with Yome." He nodded towards a window, outside of which there was a grave sitting next to the house.
He's still attached to her, Kame thought, but decided now was as good a time as any to make his request. "Shira-san, I have a request for you." When Shira looked up at him, he continued. "I want to ask you to come to the Village Hidden in the Sand, and help train Haku."
Shira frowned. "I'm honored that you came all this way to ask for my help in training her, but… I have to stay…" He glanced again at the grave.
Haku spoke up. "Shira-san, Yuki and Kina really miss you."
"I…" At the mention of the two little girls, Shira frowned.
Kame sensed his chance, and filled in where Shira had left off. "You are mourning your wife, and I understand that. But let me tell you something about Haku, before you make your decision." Gaara had told Kame the full story of Shira and his squad before they'd left. "When Yome first came to you, what was it that drew her to you?
"You were a ninja without genjutsu or ninjutsu, and somehow through force of will you forged a path for yourself. She admired you for that, and wanted to help you, didn't she?" Shira didn't deny it. "Haku is like you. She cannot use genjutsu or ninjutsu, so taijutsu is her only way forward. I want to help her, but I'm not skilled enough at taijutsu to help her move any further forward- and neither is anyone else in the Hidden Sand. You're the only one our Lord Kazekage could think of who would be up to the challenge of this task."
Shira opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again, indecision written plain all over his face. Kame seized his chance to make a final point: "What do you think Yome would want you to do? Watch the potential of a shinobi much like you go unrealized because of her, or help the next generation like she helped you?" When Kame finished, he noticed Haku staring at him with something unreadable in her eyes. Instead of meeting her gaze, he felt himself blush a little bit and turned to hide his face.
The elder ninja at the table sighed and looked once more out the window, before turning back to the two of them. "I accept my Kazekage's wishes, then. Haku, I'll teach you everything I know before I pass from this world. Yome helped me achieve my dream, and I'll be damned if I don't help you achieve yours." Then he stood suddenly, making his way over to the refrigerator. "You two must be hungry from traveling here. We can leave for the Hidden Sand tomorrow, but for tonight you two should stay here. I'll fix us some dinner."
Kame grinned. "What are you making? I can help." He walked over to stand beside Shira in the kitchen, but stopped and rolled his eyes at the sight of a water boiler and a few packets of instant noodles. I can't really help with that, now can I? He turned around to sit back down at the table with Haku, remaining silent for the couple of minutes until Shira brought over three bowls of packaged noodles.
They were mostly done when Shira finally broke the quiet with a question. "How is Gaara these days, eh? I haven't seen him in a long time!"
Haku shifted a little in her seat. "He's… he seems to be all right. I saw him the other…" She trailed off and blushed furiously, looking away from Shira. That's right, the last time she saw Gaara was when she-
Shira started to press the topic, but Kame cut him off, coming to Haku's rescue. "Lord Gaara is quite well. Things have been mostly quiet in the Hidden Sand recently, but the times I've seen him he's been as wise and kind as ever."
The chunin nodded. "That's good to hear. I always knew he'd be a good Kazekage… I don't suppose you all know anything about Rock Lee, do you? This village is pretty isolated, so I rely on travelers to get the news. Did he end up as a splendid ninja as he'd hoped?" Kame remembered the Kazekage telling him that the two taijutsu-only users of that generation had formed a bond with each other at their chunin exams.
"Yes, he-" Haku and Kame both answered at the same time, and then Haku receded and let Kame continue. "He was fairly well known, less so now. Towards the end of the Fourth Shinobi War, he- well, his master, Might Guy, fought Madara Uchiha in single combat with only taijutsu and nearly beat him."
Apparently news of the Shinobi War at least had reached this village, or at least stories of Madara Uchiha's strength, because Shira leaned back, satisfied. "He must have… wait, did he open the eighth gate?" The satisfaction was gone, replaced with concern.
Kame nodded. "Yeah, but he was able to live somehow… I don't know, there are conflicting reports on what happened." The Eight Inner Gates: the strongest taijutsu technique there is, but with a brutal cost, he recalled. "As far as I know, after that Rock Lee has operated as a successful Leaf Ninja for a long time."
Shira smiled. "Good, good." He must have been good friends with the leaf shinobi. A few moments of silence passed, and then he abruptly stood up and pointed towards a doorway beside the kitchen. "You two take the stairs up to the bedroom. I'll sleep down here."
Kame wanted to argue that they could sleep on the floor; he didn't want to impose, but Haku was already opening the door and climbing the steps. Shrugging, he followed her and made his way up the short flight of stairs up to the bedroom. Inside he saw a single large bed and two cabinets were the only furnishings. Okay, he thought, there's only one bed, so how are we-
Haku was already lying in it, her pack, coat, and boots in a pile on the floor. Nevermind, then. Kame spread out his bedroll on the floor and laid down, quickly disappearing into sleep devoid of the nightmare that had shaken him so much the day before.
