The final chapter! No worries though I do plan on creating a sequel! We gotta see what happens to Kou and Sasuke right? Anyway I don't own Naruto and if you've seen the latest anime I have to say this has been some of the best animation Kishi's ever done. On with the story!
Fireworks exploded above the allied camp and lit the dark night with colorful sparks and flames. Kou couldn't see any of it and felt a slight bitterness at never getting to witness anything beautiful. The sound of the explosions and the heat from the sparks were all she could enjoy as she sat atop a cliff overlooking the entire scene.
It had taken their group three days to return to the base camp on a journey that should normally have taken them less than a day. They had to stop frequently for breaks and were in no condition to go full speed. Sai and Daichi were the slowest of the group and received the most medical attention once they had returned. Her master had sworn that this was his last adventure and he wanted to retire officially. Kou had sat at his bed side and laughed at his unusually youthful antics.
Flashback
"I'm too old for these crazy adventures with you anymore," chuckled the old monk as Kou appeared to stare out the window next to his hospital bed. He knew she just liked the warmth from the sun on her face.
"I've been saying that for years you old bastard," she turned and smiled. Both recaped of all that had happened recently, and Kou still found it odd that her master had blown someone up.
"That thing almost doesn't count as a person Master Daichi. He was so mutated and weird looking," replied the blind kunoichi as her teacher seemed to regret his killing method.
"All life is sacred. If it has a heart beat it has a purpose," lectured the earth monk.
"Yeah yeah sure… crazy old man," said Kou as she whispered the last part under her breath.
Daichi didn't seem to care that his student was openly disrespecting him. Normally he'd find some sort of training to punish her but it had never really worked in the past, and he found himself too tired to actually implement any form of abuse.
He stared for a moment at the scarf that was now wrapped the kunoichi's head to hide her baldness and chuckled, "Now you'll really fit in with the village."
Kou shot him a glare and touched her hand to her head. Daichi reached out calmly and caught her wrist turning serious, "I'm sorry. I know it's a sore subject. You could always learn how to perform a henge from Tsunade."
His student seemed to ponder the thought as he released his grip from her wrist. "Nah its ok it will grow back eventually. I'd rather not get into Lady Tsunade's habits of hiding who I really am."
"Now I can actually say you've listened to my teachings."
Kou smirked and turned to face the window once again, "Yeah I guess I picked up on a few things."
She was hiding something behind her sarcasm and humor. She had always done this even when she was a child and her master knew just what was bringing on this wall, "The trial is today."
Kou turned her head towards him and he knew she was truly attempting to stare him in the eye. He was used to her eyes never quite making contact with his own no matter how hard she tried to seem normal.
"I hope they kill him. Then this nightmare will be over," was her cold response before she went back to sunning her face.
"What have I told you about lying to others and to yourself," replied the monk sternly. This wall of hers was slowly faltering and he planned to knock it down for her sake. The more she tried to hide these deep emotions the more torn apart she would be.
"Oh c'mon just a couple months ago you were threatening to kill him!" snapped the blind kunoichi.
"That was for your safety," Daichi began with a raised voice but took a deep breath and calmed himself. "You can't keep this act up. Not when you truly care for him. Besides the boy had a hand in saving us all, and yes he used you and yes you were hurt, but we are all here right now because of his actions." The old monk paused and chose his next words carefully, "I truly believe between you, Itachi and Naruto… well you saved him from a very dark fate."
There was silence between them as Kou absorbed the truth in what he was saying. Sasuke's plan had worked and despite losing her hair and almost losing her life they were all alive. Didn't that count for something? She rose and turned from her master.
"Kou I've been thinking about whether you really need to return to the Gate Village or not," he began solemnly. She paused and turned her head a little towards his direction. "It's your choice… but I think if you wanted to return to the Leaf Village Tsunade would love to have you as a shinobi. After all you were technically born to the Leaf."
She gave him a nod and turned to walk out the door. As she exited Daichi sighed and stared at the same window she had just been facing. "I can't protect you any longer and I'm not sure I have much left to teach," he whispered to himself.
End Flashback
Kou continued to listen to the fireworks as she thought about what her sensei had said to her that day. "I am getting tired of being the only girl in that damn village," she remarked to herself. She pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs.
"But he'll be there…"
Flashback
As Kou walked from the make shift hospital wing she absorbed the sounds and smells of the camp. The sensations were much different than when she had first arrived. The wounded had been patched up for the most part, which she was thankful for because their screaming had started to drive her insane. There were still faint traces of blood that she smelled throughout the area but it was nowhere near as bad as before.
The dead had been wrapped in some sort of sheet and placed in tents with labels of their villages. She had gone over to the Hidden Leaf's tent where their dead were being kept for transportation back home. Sakura and Naruto had made a beeline for it once they arrived and had been informed as to the number of casualties. The death toll had been enormous with thousands still missing. Kou had slowly followed them to make sure they were ok. The smell of the dead bodies had made her nauseated but she remained stoic upon entering the tent. To her relief and the relief of her comrades no one they knew personally had been killed in the fighting.
Kou continued to walk along and noticed she was about the pass the small prison tent that was constructed for Sasuke Uchiha. She stopped and could feel his chakra which was mostly restrained through his bindings. She knew he had enough to probably brake through the shackles and found it interesting he was behaving so well. Before she could think too much about the boy she found herself quickly moving on to find a place to meditate.
The cliff seemed perfect. She could hide out from the celebrations and keep to herself for the time being to think over where she wanted to call home from now on. The sun was beginning to set and she heard the sounds of thousands of shinobi pouring out into the camp laughing, drinking, dancing and in some cases she could hear hugs and kisses being exchanged. Some might find such a swell of the senses overwhelming but Kou found it exciting to hear the victory party pan out.
They had won the war and the allied nations seemed to be holding true to the hope of a peaceful truce between the large ninja villages. As she breathed deeply in the kunoichi sat onto the ground and exhaled as she took her meditating posture.
The peaceful moment was brief as her favorite blond came pounding through the woods in her direction. "How'd you find me asshole," grumbled Kou as she knew her quiet moment was over.
Naruto emerged from the forest and smiled at his blind friend who had her back facing him, "Sage mode blind bat. Even with what little chakra you have I could find you."
"Shut up dick face I would have more chakra if I didn't have to save your ass all the time."
"Oooo nice one you stole that insult from Sai," replied the blind with a laugh as he sat down next to Kou. He pulled one leg towards him with his knee facing up and let the other stretch out. He let a hand rest on his knee and leaned back a little onto the other. "So not gonna celebrate with everyone?"
"I was going to make my way down eventually," she lied.
"Don't be such an anti-social bitch it'll make your hair grow back slower," grinned the jinchuriki.
Kou used her fingers to command a pebble into the air and threw it at Naruto. After rubbing the sore spot on his head and cursing under his breath the blond turned to her, "Alright, alright, no more bald jokes."
After nodding in appreciation the kunoichi spoke, "What do you want anyway? Shouldn't you be down there celebrating Mr. Hero?"
"You're a hero too ya know."
"Yeah well maybe I don't feel like we should be celebrating when so many people died," she said turning her face away from him
He didn't have an answer to her grumpy statement, which he had to admit was sort of eye opening. None of his friends had died but a lot of fathers, mothers, children, siblings and other peoples friends had. "They knew what they were dying for and everyone would have died if they didn't fight… it could have been…"
"Don't say it could have been worse Naruto!" she snapped glaring in his direction.
Unlike Daichi he was not used to the fact that she could never make eye contact with people she was talking to. It offset him a little when they conversed despite their close friendship.
"I feel the same way you do. Why couldn't we save more of them? And the truth is I don't have an answer and if we think about it for too long we'll drive ourselves insane. The fact is we saved as many as we could, we beat Madara, and won the war," he replied calmly.
She let her face relax and looked toward the ground with a slight smirk, "Since when are you all wise?"
This made Naruto laugh and soon they both wound up laughing. He was contagious and she found herself feeling a little better.
After settling down Naruto looked out over the horizon at the sunset, "I know you can't see it but it's beautiful."
Kou turned her face towards the direction of the sun as it gave off what little heat it had left, "I remember what they look like. My mother and I watched a lot of sunsets."
There was another pause as the sun fell to the west and the night sky began to consume the atmosphere. Naruto turned toward the kunoichi, "The verdict was to let Granny Tsunade deal with him. She sentenced him to two years in prison, but if he's good then the last year can be spent under house arrest. He's on probation for a year after that. He'll be all pissed about being stuck in one place, but at least they didn't kill him."
Kou took in this statement and thought about what this would mean if she lived in the Leaf Village… she would almost certainly have to see Sasuke again. "What about after the probation? Is he allowed to be a ninja again?"
"Awww you do care…" began the blond but stopped after seeing another pebble rise over her shoulder. "I mean… I don't know I'm guessing that's her line of thinking is to reinstate him back into our shinobi forces. We lost so many he'll be really important to have back."
Kou nodded at this response and turned to where the sun had been setting, "I'm not ready to see him and I don't know when I will be."
The jinchuriki stood and brushed himself off, "I figured as much. By the way we'd love to have you live in the Leaf Village. Tsunade told me she was going to make an offer to you, and your old man said it was up to you."
"I'll think about it."
Naruto knew he had pushed her enough and began to walk back towards the woods to join in the celebration. Before he left his blind friend spoke up, "I don't want to live alone I hate the silence."
He smiled, "I think we can work something out." With that he left her to be by herself.
End Flashback
The fire works had ended and the crickets had begun their song. The air was getting colder and Kou knew it would be time to return to the camp soon. She shivered as a slight breeze blew across her skin.
"Well I guess I better head down and meet my new Leaf comrades," she sighed as she stood to leave her solitude.
She knew it was time to return to her mother's home, her birthplace, and the place where she knew she could learn more and become even stronger. As she began to walk into the woods she thought about her future training. Just because the war is over and Madara is gone doesn't mean there aren't other threats, she thought to herself. And besides when Sasuke is released there is something I want to do… I need to do… I need to fight him.
She had made it back to camp a few minutes later and located Naruto and his friends at a makeshift bar that had been set up for the celebration. Naruto was of course the center of attention as he retold the fight that had taken place against Madara.
He rambled on excitedly, "Then the blind bat…"
"Her name is Kou you idiot and she's the Spirit Guardian so why don't you show her some respect!" yelled Sakura as she knocked the blond on the head.
Kou shook her head at the scene unfolding in front of her and confirmed she really did want to live in the Leaf Village. The chaos would be loud and very different from her home, but it would be more interesting that's for sure.
Naruto had regained his composure and continued on with the story. "As I was saying I was kicking some major ass while the… I mean Kou is standing around like an idiot with teme sticking his tongue down her throat…"
This statement elicits a chuckle from many of the guys sitting at the long table while most of the kunoichi glare at Naruto.
Kou had just about heard enough and was going to barge in and tell the real story before she felt a hand on her shoulder. It took her a moment to register who had stopped her because she had never actually met the fifth hokage in person.
The strong grip had been a good indication then she recognized the voice from hearing conversations in the hospital hallways. "Lady Kou I think you and I need to have a chat." The voice was sweet but the blind kunoichi knew this was an order.
They stepped away from the bar entrance and walked a few feet into the night. When no one was around to overhear the conversation Tsunade stopped and turned to the Spirit Guardian.
"Mast Daichi told me he spoke to you about living in the Village Hidden in the Leaves," she began with a business like tone.
Kou nodded and paused to make sure the hokage didn't have more to say. After a moment of silence she gave an answer, "I would like to become a Leaf shinobi my lady."
Tsunade who was so used to Naruto calling her grandma was taken aback by Kou's formality. She had been wrong to assume a friend of the blond's would be just as obnoxious as he was.
"We would love to have you. I think we can assume that after defeating a ninja of Madara's caliber that you do not need to take the chuunin exam."
Kou laughed a little, "Thank you."
Tsunade gave a smile, "Unfortunately I can't just up and make you and Naruto Jonin. You'll still have to take that exam, although I don't think you'll have much of a problem passing if the idiot, my apprentice and you are teamed up."
The blind kunoichi thought about this for a minute, "What about Sai?"
"Sai will be joining Lee and Ten Ten… you'll meet them later. I think he's adaptable enough to change teams again. The exams won't be held for a while because of the reconstruction, but I think the Konoha eleven will pass with flying colors."
Kou remembered Naruto saying a boy named Neji from their group was already a Jonin, which meant Tsunade was including her in the group. This brought about a weird feeling in her stomach. She had never truly belonged to a village, in fact she had never felt she truly belonged anywhere.
Tsunade noticed this statement had brought about some mixed emotions in her newest kunoichi. She felt sympathy for the girl who had never really figured out where her true home was, and the fifth hokage could relate. The blond reached into her jacket to pull out a forehead protector with the leaf symbol on it. She placed it into Kou's hand, "I know you won't let us down."
The hokage turned on her heels and left the newest ninja of Konoha to take in the news. Kou stood speechless as she touched the headband and lifted it to her nose. It had her mother's scent. "Thank you," she whispered to herself, and tied the fabric around her neck.
She walked toward the bar where she could hear Naruto still telling his exciting story. She leaned to the side on the frame of the entrance and crossed her arms. She smiled, Looks like I'll be going home tomorrow… my real home.
"Hey mother goose you're telling the story wrong, because I distinctly remember you getting your ass kicked by that old hag!"
Naruto went quiet and looked up as his friends turned around to see where the voice had come from. He quickly noticed the Leaf symbol around her neck and smiled, "You're a blind bat how the hell are you going to be able to tell the story. You didn't see anything!"
"NARUTO!" screamed the pink cherry blossom to his right as she threatened to hit him again. After getting the satisfaction of seeing her team mate cower in fear Sakura looked back up at Kou, "C'mon in Kou I'm sure the truth will finally be revealed if you help this idiot tell it right."
Kou walked toward the table as her new Konoha comrades made room for the Spirit Guardian. She sat down next to Sakura and leaned towards the middle of the table so everyone could see her, "What this idiot forgot to tell you was that Madara was throwing him around like a rag doll…"
Daichi watched the scene unfold from another entrance on the opposite side of the bar and whispered under his breath, "Hopefully you will finally find peace, love and happiness my dear."
So there it is the first installment of Dancing Spirits! Hope you all enjoyed and thank you for sticking with me as I wrote this story. Stay tuned for things to come!