Foreword:
Hmm... a guest wrote a review that I'm not quite sure I understand. The fact that certain words are left as lower case seems intentional and to correspond to a code. However, the grammar makes things a little difficult to piece together (perhaps, also intentional). There are a few specific phrases that give me a sense this person is trying to play a sort of game back... interesting. If I am to interpret the gist of the main body, however - it is the idea that this timeline is the result of an attempt to 'fix' a scenario where Hinata and Sasuke became a thing?
I'll refrain from spoiling things by telling you how right or wrong you are. I do like your enthusiasm, though.
And I'd be an ass if I didn't summarily give a specific shout-out to Dominator - who has been steadfast in reviewing. Frankly, I'm an ass for not publicly mentioning it, before.
Further - for those who have made it this far... the current genre settings are "Adventure and Romance." Frankly, I think the contents of this extends well beyond those two categories and am not sure which two best apply to this story. Yet, the romance subplot is rather tame, and I can't quite figure what I should put in there. Drama... suspense (maybe)... grand work of wizardry (unfortunately unavailable)... I have the same options as you all can select - so what say you? PMs are fine if you don't want to feed my review whoring.
13: Eclipse
Shizune shifted her stance in front of the stained glass window. It would have been possible that the woman portrayed simply had white eyes because of the limitations of stained glass artwork... if the symbol of the Hyuuga weren't a permanent fixture on the floor. Taking that into account, it was most certainly the Byakugan she carried. Her white hair was unusual for a Hyuuga, though, assuming that wasn't symbolic or artistic.
The sound shifted with the rising of a shadow behind her. "Still nothing?" she turned to the approaching Yamato.
"What our own Hyuugas can't see, we've scoured manually all last night." He gave a sigh. "None of the researchers or genin saw her after Konohamaru and Hanabi did."
"Has Hiashi given a response, yet?" That was some fun message traffic to write. They had to report this to the Hokage's office... so... Danzo, and the village elders were sure to have a field day.
"He's probably just now getting the message by the carrier pigeon." Yamato stretched. "He's going to have a rough morning."
If the Leaf elders were going to have a field day, then the Hyuuga elders were going to perpetrate an inquisition. Not that it wasn't at least partially justified. The past twenty four hours had been... unreal. "So... she left, then."
"It would seem." Yamato clasped his chin. "Her actions don't make any sense."
"People don't always make sense." Even the most logical and conservative of people could become irrational or whimsical. It happened all the time in the medical field to patients. Sound thinkers and strategists who would deny terminal illness and mortality, intelligent ninja would freeze when faced with the injuries of others... doctors who would refuse medical treatment they should know was necessary... not everyone had to act according to a plan.
Another hole in the sound at the doorway shifted as Sakura stepped inside. "We couldn't find her in the list of researchers." She seemed to chew on the inside of her cheek.
"You're sure?" Yamato set his eyes firmly.
"We checked every name and matched it to a person still here, and none of them are her." The Fifth's protege wrought her hands.
Ironically, the only photos they had were of 'Pomegranate,' taken earlier to ask outside sources if she was a 'familiar face.' "We should really start pushing for photo IDs." Shizune sighed. No one could agree on who should be required to have a photo ID and record, or how much it would cost... so the motion usually stalled in council.
"It's an island, though" Sakura began "people don't just pop up on islands."
"Unless they're ninjas." Shino, apparently, was in the room.
"We need to put a bell on you." Sakura leaned against a wall.
"It's a possibility that is becoming more likely, though." Yamato turned toward the stained glass. "Do we have any idea what this place is, yet?"
"Tenten thinks she found a seal similar to the one that... summoned the chamber." She motioned toward a stone tile. "Other than that, it seems to be a sort of temple."
"To ... her?" Yamato motioned toward the stained glass.
Shizune sighed. "Probably. Or to the stars. I've given up trying to figure it out at the moment." There was a possibility that sat... uneasy. The 'extra memories' of Naruto's shadow clones, Hinata's 'dreams from another person,' and the legendary tales of Hanabi's book... all pointed to this island, and all dealt with a ... 'goddess' with white hair. Now, here, there was a sort of temple with a Hyuuga marking depicting a woman with white hair and the Byakugan.
"It could also be a deliberate disinformation campaign." Yamato had his hand clasped to his chin next to her. Were her thoughts that easy for him to read?
"But they would have to know about Naruto and Hinata's..." Her words trailed off.
"Exactly." Yamato narrowed his brow at the stained glass. "The Hyuuga have never before been implicated in such a way, and suddenly they are everywhere. Naruto and Hinata conveniently have mysterious visions that line up with elements that seem out of place." He turned his eyes to her. "Whoever she is, she wants us to be focused on the Hyuuga and chasing a myth she very well could have created."
It was true enough. "But... if this is all exactly what it appears to be...?"
"Then we will uncover evidence in the days and weeks to come that is less suspect." He shifted. "I was looking through some of my old notes on the teams from their records. We do know that an edo summon was present near those chambers before we were able to secure them. Kabuto is the only known living practitioner of that jutsu, and the only one who would have the resources to obtain Mito's DNA." His eyes seemed to harden. "Kabuto also had contact with Hinata during the Chunin finals and could have taken a sample used to create the seal we unlocked using none other than an Uzumaki seal specialist."
It was a fair-enough point. It seemed rather sloppy of Kabuto to let Mito get involved in combat if that is what he used her for, yet, there was little other explanation for her presence. Unless... "Do you think it's possible that he knew she would seal herself inside of someone?"
He paused. "That is a possibility..." He gave a sigh.
"In either case..." Shizune tried to peer into the eyes of the woman in the stained glass image "it would seem this 'Pomegranate' is tied in with Kabuto."
[ v=vUoxje-zJPk ]
Pomegranate's tent was kept very simple inside. It seemed to be a simple shell of what should have been, just like the person who was once here. He shifted his position to be closer to Hinata, who was currently grabbing anything not bolted to the ground to analyze. "She knew she was going to have to leave quickly." Hinata threw open the bedroll and started prodding at the pillow.
He shifted his head to evade the edges of a blanket vortex thrown too close. Her Byakugan was obviously alight, so he wasn't quite sure why she felt the need to grab everything. "Hinata..." He wrapped her shoulders with his hands.
"I don't understand..." Her body heaved in his hands. "She felt so alone..."
"I don't get it, either." He pulled her to face him. "But, this is something her mind was set on." Her mouth quivered as he wrapped her in an embrace. "So, when we find her, we won't let her go until she starts giving some answers." It was at that moment a shadow clone elsewhere on the island returned to him with more than just its own memory.
[ v=wxQGK-mDUWk ]
"I didn't mean to do it, Dad, I swear!" Hagoromo's eyes met Bogdan's.
"We'll deal with that, later." Bogdan shoved a branch out of the way as he continued toward the shoreline. The boy was constantly throwing his powers about. "Right now, we're going to find your sister."
"We were right here" he pointed to the shoreline, "then I altered the gravity and..." The boy trailed off. That left orbit or the ocean.
"Go get your mother, I'll see what I can do." This was a trifling matter for his wife to find their daughter... the only reason Hagoromo would have come to him first was... because he knew Kaguya would not want to see her.
He heard the boy run back through the vegetation toward where his mother was. Gods... or Goddesses, in this case, didn't simply have children. Embedded in Hagoromo was the purpose to end the suffering of the planet's people - the wish and will of Kaguya, even if she didn't quite realize it. It's why the boy's eyes echoed the Dharmic Cycle and his abilities were centered around interacting with the energy in other people. Why he couldn't use that ability more often to think ahead about how his actions were going to play out... perhaps that was his own failure as a father?
He could feel a mild disturbance in the island's natural chakra flow just offshore. He dove into the water and shot to its location. Sure enough, the bed of the ocean had been shattered and buried beneath crumbled shale and sand was the girl in question. Pulling the debris apart to get to her was well within what powers he'd retained after Kaguya's ascension and a moment later he had his daughter sprawled on a rock, pushing water out of her lungs. The damage was survivable, for a child of a goddess - but far more severe than what was acceptable for a spar, and would probably not fully heal for months. Amazingly, though, the girl's raven hair was still in the braids his wife always made for her.
"Homura!" Kaguya burst onto the beach with Hagoromo in tow.
His daughter shot a cough as he was breathing air into her, as if in reply. He pulled back as the girl began to pant and cough. Bogdan gripped his daughter's shoulders firmly and rolled her onto her side just before a stream of vomit came spewing from her mouth. He could more footsteps approaching the beach just as some of the Hyuuga's medical team skidded out onto the sand. "We'll take her from here." The team shifted into place as Bogdan stood.
"Homura!" Kaguya stretched around to see the girl's face. He moved to her side and clasped her shoulders.
"She'll be okay." Her chest heaved as he wrapped her in his arms. Tears warmed his neck as he began to carry her in pursuit of their daughter.
It wasn't often Hiashi would make his own tea, but he could hardly burden the maid with the ... formalities ... this morning was going to bring. Somehow, Naruto's network beat carrier pigeons and details regarding events on the Uzumaki island arrived at Shikaku's. Space-time-summoning seals, destiny-altering seals doing God only knows what to the Kyuubi - Hyuuga themes all over the place, and a 'blind' woman wearing a Hyuuga crest at the center of it all. What a great day to be the head of the Hyuuga clan. Glory be!
"Lord Hiashi" one of the maids interrupted his thought "Lord Hokage is at the gate."
With any luck, the Hokage would get done interrogating him by time the Hyuuga elders rolled out of bed to crucify him just before the village elders shuffled their way over to lynch him. He stopped to eye the bin of tea leaves. "I will be with him, shortly... but I will be tied down most of the day and we are going to need some more tea leaves to service our guests." He could always offer them hot water... but he didn't exactly want to start the next great ninja war.
He left the water to boil as he headed for the gate. "A wonderful morning to you, Lord Hokage." He gave a mild bow "An honor it is to have you!"
"Hiashi," Danzo's stare could have frozen the rain "it's pouring rain, barely above freezing, and daylight has yet to break. Let's cut the bullshit and get inside."
And just wait until he heard all of the answers Hiashi had for him... "Well, then right this way." He led the man into the sitting room. "Most of the house hands are still asleep, so I'll put the tea on."
Hiashi returned a moment later and sat in front of Danzo. The acting Hokage gave a sigh before starting. "I take it you have heard of the suspected Hyuuga who infiltrated the expedition team?"
"I have." Hiashi confirmed.
"Then that removes a lot of the tedium." Danzo shifted. "Is she a Hyuuga?"
And, now, it was time for the Answer For the Day: "I don't know." Meeting adjourned, check back next week.
"And why the hell not?" Danzo angled his head lower.
Because I'm not God. "There are a bunch of records to check, a possibility that she is part of some isolated lineage that everyone missed, or is a former ninja we thought was dead."
"Fair enough." Danzo took off the Hokage's hat. "So, what do you know?"
"Okay, kids!" Anko belted to the organized spread of murmuring genin "Today, we've got Weapons Master Tenten here to help us with some of our training."
Said Weapons Master gave a short bow. "Miss Mitarashi is exaggerating my title, a bit." She slid open a scroll full of seals. "But I am one of the most accomplished people present."
"Don't let her fool you." Anko announced to the kids. "This little minx is like the honey badger; doesn't give a shit and will fuck you up." Anko smiled at the incredulous look cast her way from Tenten. More seriously, though - she'd heard how the girl came back with powdered bones from her fight with an edo tensei. Powdered bones was a bit of an exaggeration, but the girl had a terrifying amount of grit.
"Anyway," Tenten rolled her eyes. "we will get to the Kunai and shuriken you all should be familiar with later on. First, however" a pile of staves exploded from the seals "we are going to deal with our First Order weapons." She picked up a staff and presented it horizontal to the ground. "The staff is a first order weapon. It's simple - you can pop the end off of a broom, pick up a branch from the ground, or just about anything stiff and straight."
"Hear that, ladies?" Anko couldn't help herself.
"Everyone, come up and grab one." Tenten seemed to ignore Anko. "Then spread out so you're not going to whack anyone."
The genin all did as instructed and held their staves in various positions. "A staff," Anko tossed hers up in the air before catching it "is one of your most versatile weapons." She turned toward Tenten and swept her staff in an arc toward Tenten "You can block..."
The weapon master held her own staff up at an angle and Anko's staff contacted with a crack before sliding downward. "Don't be afraid do to this, even against swords and axes. Few opponents will have the power, even with chakra enhanced weapons, to cleave straight through a wooden staff." She held her staff out in front as if blocking toward the genin. "Keep your fingers closed behind your staff, particularly the lower hand."
"Swords, brooms, pipes," Anko propped herself on her staff "even some of those fancy new gun things can be used as a staff in a pinch." She made for another sweep at Tenten. "Notice how Tenten is always trying to block at an angle. I'm almost always hitting" she made a few more swipes "with a bit of a glancing blow."
"You can even put into practice a sweeping block" Tenten pushed with her upper arm on the next set of strikes and pulled with her lower. "The momentum from this can be carried over into a counter-attack, or ... " she quickly swept around Anko's staff and locked it in her arm "a lock." She began lightly prodding Anko in the chest with her staff.
"Don't get too attached to simple weapons." Anko gave a shove of her staff and jumped back to form hand signs. "Always try to use a lock to throw an opponent off balance and keep the pressure on them. Those who have the initiative control the flow of battle. Violence and force of action." She caught her staff as Tenten threw it back.
"All attacks," Tenten began her own offensive "are built off of what you learned with your strikes. The energy comes from the motion of the body's core and is transfered by the arms." She gave a dramatic display of twisting at her waist and holding the staff straight. "Just as before, you're trying to deliver most of your energy right at the last moment before you strike just inside of your target."
Anko drew her arm down toward the group of genin. "All of you on this side" she pointed to her left "are going to start doing some strike drills on the practice dummies with Tenten. And those of you on this side," she pointed to her right "are going to go with me for some blocking drills."
"So," Ino looked over at Sai, who was poking at a shrimp in his ramen "about that theory you were talking about the other day?"
"Which one?" The operative tilted his head.
"That one about Naruto using ninjutsu." Ino arranged her grilled skewers.
"Well," he downed the shrimp "it was one of the first odd things I noted about your class. You are all of similar age and most of you stand as the successors to influential family lines within the Village. Likewise, most of you display an aversion to many of the basic ninjutsu techniques or have yet to develop basic elemental techniques that would be common among ninja your age."
It was somewhat true. The Yamanaka did not really stress development of techniques outside the family line, and she'd found techniques outside of her family line to be relatively difficult to perform. "You think there's more to it than tradition?"
"Obviously, Danzo would keep any detailed medical or academic analysis of such weaknesses highly classified." Sai stirred his noodles. "That said, the abilities unique to your family lineages are well beyond the simple ability to combine two or more elemental forms. They reflect substantial physical alterations or codependencies. The most mild being your own Yamanaka clan and the Nara clan."
The thought that there were substantial gaps in her family's abilities known and guarded by Danzo was... a tad chilling. "So, you're suggesting that Naruto really can't use Ninjutsu?"
"Obviously, he can use some." Sai shifted. "The Uzumaki were masters of sealing techniques and it was said that their techniques were very ritualistic in their execution. Summoning is a contract seal performed by blood rite."
"That sounds a little arbitrary..." Ino quirked her mouth to the side while casting a glance to her skewers.
"Perhaps, but it is possible that the summoning techniques originated from the Uzumaki." He took a moment to consume some noodles. "Naruto's other techniques seem to be related to the Kyuubi - it's ability to transform into an attractive young woman," Ino almost forgot about his... first jutsu... "and its ability to appear in multiple places at once." The operative let the last thought hang.
"And the Rasengan is just a projection of raw power..." She finished. "If it's not related to the abilities of kitsune... then he's going to have a hard time pulling it off."
"Exactly." Sia nodded.
"Any ideas on why?" It seemed a bit unusual that ninjutsu would be out of the reach of those with chakra.
"Not exactly, although I suspect the family lineages are much older than ninjutsu and their traditions somehow reacted with chakra to create their abilities before the discipline of ninjutsu allowed more varied arts to form." The operative turned to down more noodles.
"So, chakra mutated us?" It wouldn't exactly be surprising, given chakra's mystical nature.
"Something like that, I suppose." The pale operative gave a smile. He was still giving smiles at unusual times, but at least they were genuine.
[ v=iH1Xx2sTzkI ]
"Sasuke..." Tobi perked a brow beneath the mask and glared through its hole "if this is a joke, I am not amused." The tentacle of the Eight Tails wriggled violently atop its storage seal.
"No singing Zetsu, this time?" Sasuke looked around. "You sent a ... " The teen paused for a moment and quirked a brow while working his fingers "seventeen year old out to capture a superweapon in his late twenties."
"Oh," Tobi gave a bit of a chuckle "so you're incompetent, now?"
"If I didn't know better..." Black Zetsu's golden eye seemed to burn across the distance to Sasuke "I would say the brat looks to pull one over on us."
"Well..." Kabuto slid "according to what Orochimaru uncovered for you all back in the day, we only need the chakra as a catalyst to awaken the power. I would wager that this should suffice in either case."
"And now we are to take the word of a snake?" Kisame bared his teeth.
"His words" Tobi cut into the group "are true, regardless if his tongue is forked." Tobi, scanned across the group "Unless anyone has found conflicting information?"
"Not conflicting information," Kisame shifted "but it would appear that the Hidden Leaf got their fins in a twist over sightings of a suspected Hyuuga on that island."
Black Zetsu's head shot to look at Kisame "What kind of Hyuuga?"
"Female, dark hair, blank face." Kisame recited the description.
"That's ALL the female Hyuuga!" Kabuto seemed to laugh. "What has them going skittle tits over this one?" Tobi narrowed an eye at the serpent. If anyone should have their ear to the ground, it would be Kabuto... that was twice, now, he probed the group.
"Well, apparently, there's some crazy temple there with a white-haired woman in stained glass and the Hyuuga symbol on the floor that she seemed familiar with." Kisame shrugged. "They're turning over every stone looking for where she came from and don't seem to care if it gets leaked. Any of you know her? The Leaf is offering to pay for information."
"Does she like music boxes?" Kabuto tilted his head, and Tobi considered killing him on the spot... however... doing so would tell far more than Kabuto ever could.
"It didn't say." Kisame tilted his head in response.
Black Zetsu looked up from his hands, clenched in an alternating clasp. "We must strike that team, destroy them, and anything they've uncovered."
"That seems a bit extreme." Sasuke, the hellbent avenger of all people, pulled his head back.
"And impractical." Tobi sighed. "We should think" the Sharingan cast a gaze over to Black Zetsu "before we act." Tobi panned a gaze across the group. "The Kage are going to be attending a summit in the Land of Iron, soon. That is a rare opportunity for us to impose a business meeting with them all present - present our corporate model to them, and such. Or have we lost sight of the plan?"
"Danzo attending a multinational summit?" Kisame pulled his head back. "Dire times, indeed."
"What are they meeting about?" Sasuke's stare betrayed interest. A passion for something other than revenge, perhaps?
"Countering our organization." Tobi was frank. "Though, a specific item is officially labeling you a rogue ninja and authorizing your execution on sight for any and all ninja."
"Then I'll make it easy on them and see if Danzo can finish the job he gave Itachi." The boy swiftly turned and walked out of the room. Perhaps not as much development outside of the revenge path as hoped, but the way he phrased it made it sound like he was open to facing the world rather than killing it by any means necessary.
"Naruto's group is likely to make an appearance..." Tobi stated after the boy left "Kabuto, you'll accompany me to the Summit. I suspect your failure to destroy Konan and her entourage will end up finding its way back into the equation, you can make up for it, there." He turned to Black Zetsu and Kisame "You two can go poke around on that island. However, let us keep the ultimate goal. The paradise we seek is for all the people of the world."
Kabuto flicked the ends of his tongue against the roof of his mouth while sliding behind the shadow of Tobi. "So, I am curious... why the sudden desire for a spar?" It was quite possible this was the way Tobi would try to kill him. The prospect of potentially unmasking Tobi during the fight weighted against his own death was enough to send his stomach abuzz with shivering tingles.
"Because I wish to know something before we go into battle." The figure didn't bother to look back.
"You don't mind if I go all-out, then?" He was definitely going to vaporize that mask.
"Suit yourself, but I am not interested in your combat potential." The figure rounded a corner.
"That is somewhat disappointing." Kabuto figured as much. Still, he was curious to see what The Great Pumpkin had in mind.
"Have you ever heard the tale of The Nutcracker?" Tobi actually bothered to look over his shoulder.
The serpent quirked a brow. "Sounds foreign, to me."
"It should be." The masked man turned back forward. "A long time ago, in a land far, far away - a soldier was turned into a stylized nutcracker. When he was given to a young girl for the holidays, he ended up getting broken." The two rounded another corner. "The girl refused to replace him and took care of him as a valued treasure. One day, a white rat came to terrorize the household and threaten the girl in her sleep. To repay her kindness, the nutcracker came back to life in order to fight the rat."
"A touching tale," Kabuto clasped at his heart "but I am not quite sure I grasp the relevance."
"There is none." Tobi let his tone fall flat. "I just like the story."
"And how did you hear it?" The snake didn't buy the lack of relevance for a minute. There was a purpose to telling that story.
"Now that is a story for another time." Tobi stopped in front of a blank section of wall before withdrawing a scroll. "A warning... most people throw up the first time."
There was no time to respond as the Sharingan behind the mask appeared to envelop the whole of the world.
[ v=mY9JNrQCY5M ]
The Kyuubi's spear glanced off of the ground beneath Naruto. "You keep askin' and my answer ain't exactly open to changin'!"
"You have to help me!" He landed to the side of the retracting spear.
"What variety of stupid are you?" She brought her spear back solid in front of her. "This form isn't going to last outside of this island, and even that is stretching it." She took a bite from a pastry.
That attack was more out of annoyance, he figured, than actual hostility. "You expect me to just accept that?"
The woman lowered the pastry, her mouth turned down. "You think the world is just going to bend over and kiss your ass because you have problems? What is it about physical laws that you don't understand?"
Surely, if he put enough grit into this - something would come out of it... though Naruto didn't exactly know what. "You're telling me that you don't want to exist?"
"Of course I wanna exist." The girl closed the distance swiftly and swept her spear at him. "But the world doesn't exactly work that way." He danced back from her sweep and threw a kunai that was quickly deflected by the spear's broad head. "Even if there were a way, you can't even control the power of a dumb animal." She threw the handle end of her spear at him like a chain. "You think you're going to keep me in check?"
Naruto caught the spear's handle and moved to throw it into the ground - except it merely grew to create more slack. So much for that idea. He ducked away from the spear as its handle re-hardened and was swept toward his head. "You'd try to take me over, too?" He produced several shadow clones.
"You don't seem to understand the hierarchy." The Kyuubi swept the assaulting shadow clones away in a whirling strike. "The strong set the agenda. The weak fall in line or get a lesson in what strength does."
Naruto already had a Rasenshuriken prepared behind the wave of clones. "Then I'll hit you with all I've got!"
The hurricane of energy slammed to a stop against the tip of the Kyuubi's spear, casually held in one hand. "Get over yourself." She took another bite of her pastry. "You're in here, begging me to chase away your nightmares and have the gall to think you're some kind of equal?" The Rasenshuriken fizzled into a light puff. "You piss me off!"
It had been some time since Yamato had arrived on the island... and he still had not really taken time to do much of anything in relation to the beach. He wasn't the type to strip down to his shorts and swim alone, but he would enjoy watching the waves or various creatures that could be found scuttling about. It was, also, a needed moment of solitude.
It was rather obvious that Shizune had a thing for him. He felt her absence when she wasn't around. A stone sat with a pair of tails etched into the sand from the waves and he stooped to pick it up. He really needed to talk with her about it, at some point. Frankly, he had no idea if he wanted more than a personal relationship - someone to be intimate with. It wasn't that he had decided against children... the option had never even remotely presented itself, and he hadn't exactly processed that, yet. He did know that he wanted someone to be intimate with, though. Granted, it was a rather new want, but one he certainly felt in his bones.
Shizune deserved to know where he was at before they became more intimate and they realized only too late that they were on two very different courses in life. He'd love to have found someone who was walking close enough to the path he wanted to walk on that they could share each other's company for a long way... but sometimes people's paths crossed only briefly, or a person on an erratic path crossed multiple times with more stable ones at extreme angles. Others started together, then slowly diverged, and still others started widely apart before coming together. Sure, he was strolling the beach, now - but where would he be going three or four years from now?
The life of a classic ninja was simple. Get offered to kill people for money. Kill people. Get paid. Some variations on the theme. The life of an actual person... well - it could be that simple, too. See thing you like, chase thing you like, repopulate the species without fully intending to - rinse and repeat. The goal of any fine artisan, however, was to gain mastery over the instincts. A chef didn't mindlessly feast - but worked within the bounds of taste to make a whole greater than the sum of its parts.
Ten minutes of thinking on the subject, and Yamato was already beginning to suspect he was drifting toward the idea of having children... not that it would be unreasonable for him to want children. It was, however, among the last things he would have believed himself to be thinking about three months ago. Perhaps some of it was inspired by leading the younger generation.
A sudden flash of white broke through the surface of a distant wave. Yamato trained his eyes to see if it would re-appear - and it did for a moment before disappearing in the shifting waters of the ocean. Yet again, the object broached the waves as it appeared to drift landward amid the turbulence. The former Anbu dropped the stone and began to walk closer to the object.
Through the crashing of waves, faint pattern of grunted hums began to dip and bob in and out of existence with the object. Yamato steadied himself on the churning water and began to walk across its surface and the next wave brought the 'object,' now recognized as a white tunic beneath the classic armor pattern of the Land of Lightning, rushing to a beached stop. A man of darkened skin and sun-bleached hair chanted to his beat, eyes hid behind the depths of sunglasses. "Just chillin' in the sea 'cause my name's Killer Bee!"
There was no way this was happening. "Excuse me..." he called to the man.
A wave rocked the man parallel to the beach and water churned in retreat around him. "Got water in my hand as I lay on the sand..." His rapping seemed to continue, oblivious.
"Hey!" Yamato prodded the man with a wooden protrusion from his finger and his efforts were rewarded with a lift of the head to face him. "The hell are you?"
Shikaku stood in front of his hand-picked team of researchers. When villages spontaneously exploded and cryptic blood lines started appearing in places they shouldn't, people suddenly became willing to pay for theories. Fancy that.
"You're here because I chose you not just for what knowledge you already have... but for your demonstrated abilities to find knowledge we don't have." He held up a picture of Pain. He allowed his eyes to scan each face before he continued. "If you don't know who this is, leave immediately." There would be no takers, the signs of grimace, knowing, and intrigue were on them all. "Before our village was attacked, the Rinnegan existed purely in scattered legends and myths. You're going to change that. Cross-reference accounts and use confidence assessments to resolve a source for these legends."
He held up a picture of 'Pomegranate.' "This woman was sighted among researchers on the home island of the Uzumaki before promptly disappearing. She had close contact with the Hyuuga Heiress and the Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails and was seen wearing clothing with the crest of the Hyuuga just prior to her disappearance near a structure also bearing the Hyuuga crest." He set the folder full of additional documents on the woman on the table. "You'll find more details here, and more are still to come. Hiashi Hyuuga will be by later to give you further information on matters of the Hyuuga."
He stood back with a sigh. Danzo either had not done this type of thing yet, or still felt comfortable sitting on the information if he did. He wasn't sure which of those two possibilities he preferred. "Are there any questions?"
"Wouldn't it be better..." A hand raised slightly "to dedicate our resources to locating and eliminating the Akatsuki members?"
It was a valid point. "We already have resources dedicated to that task. However, the Akatsuki are experienced in evading detection and at least one member has the capability to use a form of space-time ninjutsu." He paused. "We can't predict their movements if we have little idea what they plan to do, and we can develop few contingencies in the event they succeed in capturing the Nine Tails." That was one of the coldest lessons a strategist had to learn. Your opponents could, and would, succeed in their efforts. There was only one opportunity to stump the Akatsuki at this point - the Nine Tails. The moment they failed... as the Raikage did... they were left grasping at straws as to how to stop them.
He figured it best to chase his prior answer with a statement. "The Akatsuki seek a power that can only be described as cataclysmic in its proportions. The Raikage was arrogant and now the Akatsuki seem to be only one step away from victory." He moved to look out the window. A woman with children in tow left from a market stall with vegetables nearly toppling out of her bag. "Should they succeed, there will be no survivors to tell us what we are up against." What happened in the case of Naruto and Nagato was nothing short of a miracle.
Shikamaru gave a labored sigh before propping his head against a rock. The sky near the ocean had far fewer features than he'd prefer. Perhaps he'd take up Choji's relaxation routine of watching the water, or some leaves. A rocky face a few meters away had some lizards basking in the sun. Although it was more Ino's thing to watch creatures and assign them human personalities or characteristics.
For, perhaps the first time in his life... the young Nara was actually dissatisfied with having nothing to do. He stood with a bit of a grunt. Here he stood, alive, upon the ruins of a civilization that survived hundreds of years, perhaps longer. Their mark was clear and evident. Everywhere one turned, it was a reminder that the Uzumaki had once been. Even the Hidden Leaf seemed to be an echo of the Uzumaki, as if their existence had transcended mortality and become a part of humanity.
Shikamaru fiddled with the hair he kept tied up. He'd never particularly cared about fame and fortune. Those seemed to be things people used to validate their existence. Yet... what would remain of him? The Hokage of the next generation would have his or her face carved into the mountain... the works of many ninja and tradesmen would become cultural feats that echoed for generations... and ... his great accomplishment would be the many interpretations of clouds - what could not be seen or enjoyed by another person even just a few minutes later.
An itch... even a burn began to fill Shikamaru's forearms and shoot into his fingers as he felt the need to grasp and to forge. He began to stalk the grounds. Perhaps a painting like Sai, or some blade like Tenten - or some unbeknownst secret of the ruins only he could decipher... or a paper swan... whatever. Today was the day Shikamaru Nara would begin leaving a mark on the world - no longer would he be a vapid shadow or whimsical cloud.
He rounded the corner to see a large, dark man walking with Yamato and Shizune. His bleached hair and armor pattern told him it was not a Land of Lightning ninja, but the additional features led him to the conclusion it was the Raikage's brother. Shikamaru rounded on his heels. That was a troublesome hassle of a scenario if he ever saw one.
"Shikamaru!" He heard Yamato call his name.
Troublesome. "Yes?" He turned back around. As one of the senior ranking among the group, he was bound to be a part of... whatever this was.
"You should be part of this." Yamato motioned toward 'the briefing room.'
Yamato wasn't wrong. Shikamaru would reason as such if he were setting up a strategy where he, himself, were a cog in the works. "I suppose, I should." It didn't mean he wanted to, though.
[ v= O8Orv0ZqB9Q ]
She clipped the black, triangular framed pieces into her blue hair. It was one of the rare set of family heirlooms Konan could track down after the chaos of the land died down during Nagato's reign. Despite there being two, any photo or painting she could ever find them in always shown them being worn one next to the other. A third would be depicted as a tie clip, but it was odd for a woman to be wearing a tie, anyway. The Tennouboshi clan stretched back many generations, but as far as she could tell, she was the only survivor.
It was, interestingly enough, Orochimaru who had discovered what family she even belonged to in the first place. That knowledge had come only after promising to never reveal her family connections in a way that could get back to the Akatsuki. It had only been a personal quest at the time, so she agreed. While she had no idea what importance her family lineage could possibly have, the less they knew about her, the better. Never thought gratitude would be an emotion directed at that snake... She almost laughed at the irony as she left the room.
"Glad to see you're doing better." Temari leaned against the wall in the hallway.
"Thankyou," Konan nodded "you look as though you have something to talk about?"
"We've gotten word that there is to be a meeting of the five Kage in regard to the Akatsuki." The blonde shifted to a walk.
This made things quite a bit easier. "I've received reports of it."
"The Kazekage formally extends an invitation to have you there, as well." The two began to walk toward the commons.
Much easier. "I would accept that proposal," they rounded the corner "so long as it will not create problems among the other Kage."
"Frankly speaking," Kakashi was sprawled across the couch, one of his books tucked against his arm "most of the Kage probably find their counterparts more suspect than the Akatsuki." He slid up into a sitting position. His eye seemed to look just above her own a few times.
"He's right..." Temari shrugged "with Danzo now in the place of Tsunade, even the alliance of the Sand and Leaf is shaky."
"All of this talk of arguments is making me feel old." Gai strode into the room, stretching with a cup of tea.
Kakashi looked up at her. "We're still technically in negotiations with the Hidden Rain, so we go where you go until negotiations are over."
And I was worried... "Then, I believe we should continue these negotiations at the summit."
[ v=Yuv13YfCONI ]
The spar took place in a desolate land seemingly apart from any existence Kabuto knew. Miracle of miracles - it also had both an atmosphere at a proper pressure while containing oxygen. He'd puzzle on that a little more, later. "Well, isn't this place convenient?" He chuckled with a hiss.
"Quite." Tobi titled his head back and forth. "You are welcome to the first shot."
Kabuto actually had to take a moment to consider. It was... quite unusual to have an opponent just sit and wait for an attack. He'd probably start out with the corpse clone jutsu. Zetsu was boring to kill for the purpose, but drew less controversy than local villagers. This would allow him to probe Tobi's notoriously unusual abilities from a distance. He'd keep Chiyo's edo tensei summon in reserve. He had ample material to summon her again, if the current one was destroyed. Zetsu really was like a gift from the gods. They just kept spawning from the literal woodwork and didn't care if you killed them - they even seemed to find amusement in it. In either event, Kabuto really didn't care if he 'lost' the spar, so long as he could prod at Tobi's ability.
He unsealed around twenty corpse clones and directed them toward Tobi. "Methodical." An array of bomb balls scattered from beneath Tobi as he leaped into the air and disappeared. The clones were blown back by the subsequent blasts, but were more than durable enough to survive.
"Just who is analyzing whom?" Kabuto twisted around to the masked man behind him.
"What were you and Orochimaru planning?" The Sharingan practically jabbed at him through the distance.
"Ah, then this is an interrogation." Kabuto managed a smirk before a force suddenly collided with his throat and threw him back.
Tobi now stood in the space Kabuto once occupied. "Wrong answer." A wave of corpse clones made a bid for vengeance upon the masked figure.
As Tobi instantly appeared on near Kabuto and his corpse clones exploded from explosive tags, the snake realized this was not a direct ability of the Sharingan. Yet, if Tobi could move in such a way... "You're..." The euphoria of the epiphany quickly shifted to dread. He dropped to one knee; lies and posturing were useless, here. "To find Kaguya."
The figure stopped. "And for what purpose?"
The same reason any scientist would, Kabuto reasoned. "To understand where it all came from, how all of this came to be."
The masked marauder stared down onto the snake. "I see." There was a flip of the cape with a shifting of direction. "You should be prepared to resurrect Orochimaru following the completion of this mission." The retreating footsteps stopped and slid back to a facing position. "And Kabuto," another pause as he returned the stare "You must understand, I have spent my entire life for this one purpose. I cannot afford to risk it for anything."
As the world began to dissolve, returning to the darkened quarters of the Akatsuki base, Kabuto began to process what he'd just uncovered. How terrible...
A small sigh released through her nose. He was doing it, again. Over a dozen shadow clones were pounding on each other on the beach under the light of a waning moon. And here she was, again... looking on from the distance. She fought down the impulse to be upset that he didn't ask her for help. It was natural, after all, for someone raised on the fringes of society and whose friends came from embattled enemies, to tackle anything and everything as a lone wolf. Not that she had much of a clue for how to take on this problem.
The Nine Tails was the greatest portion of the power Kaguya used to do something as subtle as bend every blade of grass to her will, or as phenomenal as altering the orbit of two moons. To think that it could be contained by a seal, inside of a person in the first place was vexing. To be able to gain dominance over such power, Hinata had no real idea. She liked to think that she could find Naruto before he could ever completely lose himself, again... it was a romantic idea to believe they held such a bond. It would be rather naive, however, to rely on that.
The last two 'Naruto's' faced off with clashing rasengans before the clone evaporated to leave a panting Uzumaki. "Again..." He heaved as he formed the final sign for the Shadow Clone Jutsu. A fresh swarm of equally exhausted blondes appeared. A wave of desire to hold him washed through her bones. She didn't have the words, she didn't have the answers, yet to be his support - that was all she wanted to be in this moment.
"Hmm..." The voice practically shook her bones and she spun into a defensive stance "I guess the nine tails rumors weren't just for the humors." The ... guest ... from the Land of Lightning propped his elbow against a tree.
"Sorry..." she relaxed her stance, some and turned back to look at her Uzumaki "I didn't see you come up."
"Ain't no shame in playin' the ninja game." He shrugged and turned to view the blonde, as well. "The boy's got soul, but with a lack of control."
Such was the story of Naruto's life... "Forgive my selfishness," she began - it was best to cut straight to this type of question "would it be possible for you to help him control the Kyuubi?"
The man seemed to sigh for a moment, eyes blank behind the tint of his glasses. "Some lessons are learned through struggles that are almost entirely personal." He turned to her. "The real question is why is it that he stands with copies of himself out there, rather than the friends who know him the best?"
She would let the apparent contradiction of terms have a deeper philosophical meaning to be explored, later. "I'm ... not really strong enough to-"
The man interrupted with an explosion of laughter. "You kids..." he chuckled "What's a little fox next to the monster who destroyed your village?" She rolled the prompt around for a moment before he continued. "The story has spread, even to the Land of Lightning, of the girl who stood between Death and The Hero of the Leaf."
"I ... didn't really..." It was Naruto who defeated Pain. It was Naruto who saved the village.
"Those who are strong set the agenda. It's the way of the world." The lenses of the sunglasses seemed to focus on her. "Do you really think that boy would have been the hero if you hadn't been there?"
It was an unfair question. Of course she believed Naruto was more than capable of being the hero he became, even without the Nine Tails. He would have done something... She wanted to tell herself... yet... somehow... that wasn't the case. It would have turned out just like The Hidden Sand... "That's a rather arrogant way of thinking."
"But true." He looked back to the beach as sand began to fly from the flailing attacks of the Naruto clones. "I know my rapping is ... not as great as I'd like it to be. I know the concerts are just my brother's way of trying to give me something more than being a crate for the eight tails. But I always choose what it is I want to do. A man who doesn't choose what he's doing, or know why he's doing it, has no way to know who he is or what he's about."
Hinata thought she understood where he was going with this. "It isn't enough just to win, anymore."
"The top of the mountain looks a lot different from the ground... and the ground looks a lot different from the top of the mountain." Bee propped his elbow against a tree, again. "Your boy's concerns have taken an entirely new direction. He was living for himself, choosing to put his life on the line for people because it was his choice to do so. But what he wants has changed."
It was correct... Naruto had been confidence incarnate up and until Pain's assault. Where his early goals were becoming Hokage to be recognized as powerful... he'd already achieved that goal - if lacking the title. Protecting people - not just against threats like the Akatsuki, but also the beast sealed inside of him - that was becoming his new goal. Just how many times had her blood changed the course of fate... or... even more troubling... fulfilled it?
Shikaku approached the Hokage's office only to find the man waiting outside with his two guards. "Lord Nara" Danzo betrayed no movement beneath the hood.
"Lord Hokage." He similarly denied so much as a nod.
Danzo produced a scroll from inside his robes. "This will explain itself should the time come."
Shikaku took the scroll and waited for Danzo to release it. "You are leaving for the Summit, then, I take it?"
The aged man held his grip on the scroll. "I trust you will uphold the values and traditions of The Leaf."
An ironic statement, given the source... or, perhaps a plea to succeed where he failed? Hard to tell with a man as deep in his own woods as Danzo. Still, the way it was worded... "You expect this to be an ambush?"
"I expect a lot of things when I venture outside of these walls." Danzo turned. "Perhaps some of them, I even hope for." With those final words, the man departed with his entourage into the night.
Shikaku took a moment to look over the scroll. It was well sealed, and, he guessed, keyed to only unseal after Danzo commanded, or died. There was a comforting thought... a revolving door at the Hokage office.
Yamato stood in front of the group he'd called in the middle of the night. Shizune, Shikamaru, Bee, and Anko all had their arms folded. "Sorry to have woken you all so abruptly, but we just received word that the Five Kage Summit has been agreed to."
"Look, Tenzo, if that's what you dragged me out of bed for" Yamato stood "I'm going back to sleep."
"The main discussion is going to be about labeling Sasuke a rogue ninja for the kidnapping of Bee, here. Most of the Kage have already departed for the summit." Yamato tilted his head at Anko.
"I could see how that is an issue." Shikamaru sat forward and cast a glance at Bee.
"Should we just inform them via carrier pigeon?" Shizune yawned.
"None are trained for the Summit." Anko propped herself on the back of the chair.
Bee sat his hands on the table. "I know my bother pretty well; he'll want to see me alive and swell."
"Looks like you have a place you need to be, then." Anko gave Bee a slap on the back.
Shizune swept at her hair. "The Akatsuki are bound to try and capture him, again - is it wise to send him without an escort?"
"That's exactly the type of thing I was hoping to hammer out." Yamato folded his arms. "We should consider sending Bee with an escort."
"We should also consider that Naruto will learn of this as soon as he wakes up, if he hasn't already." Shikamaru had his hands folded.
"You think he would try something?" Shizune looked over at Shikamaru.
Shikamaru looked up from his hands. "Yes."
"Unfortunately," Yamato sighed with a clasp of his chin "I have to agree." He panned his eyes back across the room. "Naruto is extremely bull-headed and if he decides he needs to go argue with the Kage about Sasuke, it would take all of us to contain him."
"He has the nine tails, against which your power pales." Bee chimed in.
"What kind of weird oath did you take to wind up talking like that?" Anko tilted her head at Bee.
"I took no oath, my speech suits us both!" Bee smiled.
"At this rate, I'll believe it-tebayo." Shikamaru gave a smirk.
"Dear Lord, have mercy..." Shizune let her head drop to the table.
Karin glared at the formulas on her page in a huff. Detailed work under dim light after years of working for Orochimaru was not the problem. The problem was that she needed a computer model to simulate the intermediary reactions. There were just too many different ways the compounds could react and recomputing the temperature of each molecule after a reaction and any resulting changes in ambient pressure was just ... unreasonable.
"What's the matter, going to be harder to get laid than you thought?" Suigetsu rolled over to grin at her from behind the flames of the fire.
Then there was that ... thing. "I was actually working on a particle cannon to literally blast you into the next dimension."
"Doesn't look like a particle cannon, to me." He stretched.
"You wouldn't know the difference between chemistry equations and accelerator phase space calculations." Not that Karin knew a whole lot about particle beams... perhaps something she'd correct at some point.
Suigetsu let out a laugh. "Of course I don't. We're both sleeping without a roof, eating the same food, and following the same dejected asshole. I fail to see how phase-whatever makes any difference."
"I just aspire to be more than a fish?" What more did a shark need other than to eat and poop? There was more to living than the simple act of consumption. Although, honestly, the reality of Sasuke was quite a bit less impressive. Behind the proverbial walls of the test tube; he was a powerful, rare person who made for an intriguing case study while being the perfect subject to project all manner of hopes and dreams on. When viewed in his natural habitat, however... she'd admit she'd like her kids to have some of his attributes - but the guy had a very finite capacity for setting his own goals. Orochimaru programmed him to seek him out, Itachi programmed him to commit fratricide, Tobi programmed him to hate Danzo... at least hitmen demanded payment. Hell, the whole 'not turn over a superweapon to a shadowy guy in a mask' plan was about the first sign of behavior from him that was something more than counter-dependence. Karin was only going to be fertile for another fifteen years and didn't need to waste valuable time pining after someone who had the emotional maturity of a three year old.
"Better than breed stock." Suigetsu picked his nose.
"Female fish are literally breed stock, pea-brain." She let her eyes roll at him.
"Exactly! Female-OW!" His head splashed into water after the rock she heaved at him collided.
"That's enough, you two." Sasuke strode in from the trees.
Suigetsu rubbed his head as he sat up. "All I said was that you weren't going to fuck her and I got a boulder to the face."
The Uchiha gave him a brief glare before turning back to the group with Jugo gently stroking an owl that had perched on his arm. "We'll be heading to the Land of Iron for the Five Kage Summit."
Suigetsu momentarily tilted his head before casting a glance toward Karin, then back to Sasuke. "Why?"
"Our target is Danzo." Sasuke sat next to the fire.
"Who will be with four other Kage..." Karin perked her brow at the Uchiha.
"There will be a broader diversionary attack by the Akatsuki." Sasuke's voice could have withered a cactus.
"I am relieved that I will not have to transform." Jugo scratched at the bird's chin.
"Was... that sarcasm?" Suigetsu tilted his head at Jugo. In Karin's assessment... it most likely was. She opened up a notebook she'd been using to document Jugo's behavior since his release and made note of it.
"We will be passing through a town, soon. Acquire some clothing suitable for cold weather. We'll discuss plans in more detail once we get to the Land of Iron." Sasuke simply sat, staring into the fire.
Karin opened up another book and began to make some notes. Something about the Uchiha seemed a little different. Before, he would say such things and quickly go to sleep. Now, however, he seemed to be lost in the silence he'd ordered. Certainly not a man she was interested in as a partner... but as a subject of study... he delivered.
[ v=hYTviLNglLw ]
No matter how many ages passed, the memory burned as the ember of an inflamed nightmare. The goddess, in an act of defiance against her people many years ago, destroyed the moons over the planet. It was, perhaps, out of concern for her unborn son that she put down the rising Empire of Jashin. In her presence, deceitful and broken dealings between nations became an inconceivable risk. War became a distant echo and a relative calm came over the world's populations.
Such it was for the children of the Goddess. A world without war, without the perils of tribalism awaited them. Their simple upbringing devoid of lavish or opulent distractions would be broadened by their ventures into the wider world of humanity outside of the island - a place of wonder filled with the bounty of humanity.
It was with intrigue when people gathered to see the formation of the new moon. Kaguya's son, an ambitious boy from the start, gathered debris from the destroyed moons to form one anew. In his reasoning as a young man in his late teens, it was time to display the power of creation. It was a symbol, he argued, of his promise to gift the same power to create to the people. Who better to wield it than the many who built the vast wonders of the world?
With the full of the moon waning to a thin crescent, however, came word of renewed abductions. The Uzumaki had become widely known for their ability to heal others, and with the promise to give came the desire to have. As if sensing the rule of the Goddess was at an end, possession became more secure than faith. Pockets of conflict began to ignite as the old tensions struck from the shadows at the hearts of men.
It was to be the evening of the first full moon, the sun's light partially consumed by the mass of the moon as it hung low in the sky. The husband of the Goddess was away to deal with reports of a Jashinist cult, an unwelcome new norm for the world. From the home of the goddess came an eruption of power that scattered nearby buildings as though they were twigs. A figure emerged from the rubble, seemingly floating with its shoulders thrown back.
Where the lids around her pure white eyes had once contained compassion and concern were now imprisoned in steely judgment, fire reflected in the glaze of a distant gaze. "Life... dreams... hope... where do they come from, and where do they go?" The being asked. "Such meaningless things... in a world damned to destruction." She turned to a gathering, armed group. "Why do you all insist on building when you will only destroy it? Why do you insist on living when all you do is kill each other? You are nothing but an empty existence!" The earth trembled with the tension shaking in her arms.
"Lady Kaguya... you're talking like a Jashinist..." A man clenched his shield in hand.
"See reason!" Another pleaded.
"And what makes you any different than those who revel in death!?" She swept her hand with a gust of wind. "Fate should see little difference if it is the sword of a Jashinist against your neck or the tip of a spear through your heart from last week's friend!"
"You empty things would dare to judge your goddess!?" A smirk on her face seemed to stretch from ear to ear. "Thanks to my son's little stunt in the sky, I have a much better idea." A red glow began near the center of her forehead and an eye emerged from beneath the skin. Darkness began to fall across the land as the moon blocked the sun as though a boulder in front of a cave. As the last burst of light from the sun shimmered like a diamond on a ring, the darkened sphere took on brilliant crimson glow. "Become a part of the greater purpose!"
A wave of something more than light washed over the land. The average man and woman were instantly struck dumb and stood idle as the roots of The Tree began to ensnare them. Goddess, no longer. What reigned over the island... the world - was now nothing short of a demon.
Notes:
I still haven't seen "The Last."
For those who don't know, the name Hamura means "Feather Town." The name "Hagoromo" means 'Feather Cloak' (this is a reference to the feathered cloaks buddhist 'angels' are often depicted as wearing). Japanese place more value on their names than we do in western cultures because their language is inverted from our own. We write down the noises we make whereas they speak the names of the symbols (generally). The symbols are the language and where our names have become greatly detached from their original meanings, the Japanese still see the meaning of their name evident in its written form.
Also, a review made mention of Friedrich Nietzsche. Honestly, I was unaware of him prior to that comment despite my existing intentions regarding the parallels between Kaguya and Kefka. Nietzsche's 'Amor Fati' - the love of fate, is very similar to many Eastern philosophies regarding the notion of destiny and purpose. Hence... A Destiny Entwined... Frankly, I wonder if the Mines of Narshe are a play off of the pronunciation of Nietzsche, given the way the story is steeped in that philosophical conflict.
Also, most of this chapter was written before the "Great American Eclipse," believe it or not. I usually get about 80% done with a chapter in a very short period of time... then just kind of beat my head against the wall for a month or two trying to figure out what it is that is missing. That said, I do live in the path of totality for that Eclipse. If you all ever get a chance to see one - or can take the time to travel to a total eclipse in your region... you should see one at least once in your lifetime. It's worth seeing at least once.