Notes: It has recently come to my attention that there are even more "revelations" I don't care for in the Naruto manga (especially concerning Akatsuki). Only this time there are so many that I don't even care to list them all. So I'll just say that, as far as this fanfic is concerned, 1) Tobi is not Madara (nor does he think he is), 2) The Leader actually IS the leader, 3) the Yondaime Hokage's given name, while not common knowledge, is Arashi.
The Nature of Love
A Naruto Fanfic by
Nate Grey (XMAN0123-at-aol-dot-com)
Chapter 21: Akatsuki's Blue Flower
Fire Country - AprilKurenai was currently in a very awkward position, in every sense of the word. Less than ten feet away, Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame were calmly eating their lunch and discussing what they would do with her. She had no say in the matter, what with being tied to a tree and all.
And perhaps if they had only tied her to a tree, there would have been some hope of escape.
But Kisame had come up with the brilliant idea of tying her to his wrapped sword, and THEN the tree, with Samehada jammed into the ground between Kurenai and the tree. This basically meant three things: 1) any major movement that Kurenai made was instantly rewarded with a sharp, slicing pain, 2) the sword was heavy enough and so firmly planted that she couldn't have gotten far even if she did manage to free herself from the tree, and 3) the sword was eating her chakra. Kisame had bragged about this, and then he'd proved it, not that it had been difficult for him. Kurenai had had her hands full with just Itachi. But when his partner had stepped out of the woodwork, she'd promptly given up. On her best day, Itachi would still kill her without breaking a sweat. She didn't want to know what he could do with help.
Still, there was one very puzzling aspect of this encounter. When he'd first spotted her, Kisame had given her a very odd look. This wouldn't have mattered much normally... except that the Sandaime Hokage had given her the exact same look when he'd first seen Son Gohan's mark on her neck. And the more she thought about it, the more Kurenai became convinced that her meeting Itachi and Kisame here was no accident.
But why would Gohan send her straight into an encounter with these two if he valued her ability to gather information for him? They would likely just kill her... although, she had to admit that they hadn't yet. Which was a little strange, all things considered.
It was almost as if they WEREN'T going to kill her.
Despite how out of place the idea sounded, it wouldn't go away. Kisame, for example, had seemed more surprised about her mark, and less surprised about having a visitor. Itachi had just been annoyed that someone had managed to find them, or that was the impression she'd gotten.
"I'm telling you, we need her, at least for a little while," Kisame was saying.
"Yet this is the third time you've failed to explain why, Kisame," Itachi insisted.
The larger man glanced over his shoulder at her before turning back to his partner. "Because... she's got Gohan's mark. And you remember what happened the last time we killed a guy who had that."
Maybe Kurenai was imagining it, but it seemed as if Itachi flinched.
"So you suggest that we bring her along?" the Uchiha asked, frowning at the very thought.
Kisame nodded. "We almost have to. If we leave her tied up here, someone else could kill her. If we let her go, she'll tell somebody she saw us. It'll be hard enough sneaking in as it is."
Kurenai swallowed a gasp. She had hoped that the pair were just passing through. But if they were headed for Konoha, then there was very little hope of anyone stopping them. Even Kakashi would have a tough time with Itachi, and Kisame looked like he could run over just about anyone with little trouble.
Itachi and Kisame finally reached a decision, though. Kisame carefully untied her, for which Kurenai was instantly grateful (although she was certain that his blue hands brushed her body a bit more than was absolutely necessary).
"Well, there's good news and bad news, sweetheart," Kisame told her, grinning all the while. "The good news is you get to travel with two handsome devils. The bad news is that you can't exactly do it in those clothes."
Amazingly, they didn't try to strip her right there, although what they eventually had her do was nearly as bad, in Kurenai's mind. She could appreciate their position, but that didn't make it any easier for her.
Once they neared a town, Itachi instructed her to steal a whole new wardrobe. Of course, he specified that she HAD to steal it; no leaving any money behind for the vendors to find later. Kisame added the stipulation that every outfit had to show some skin, and Kurenai only complied because Itachi gave her a look that promised pain if she didn't go along with it. That was the only time that Itachi had shown any interest in what she was or was not wearing, though, so he probably did it only to ensure that she was still afraid of them.
It was then decided that she had to dye her hair. Kisame picked blue, and Itachi reluctantly agreed. Kurenai's opinion was thoroughly ignored.
In the end, Kurenai was barely recognizable as herself, which was what they'd been going for all along. Kisame gave her an appreciative whistle that made her want to kill him even more, and Itachi just said, "Hn." But since this meant a number of things in Itachi-speak, including, "I'm bored," "Fuck off, Kisame," and "This sake tastes like fresh piss," Kurenai had no idea what he really thought.
The final touch was Itachi's cloak, which was black with red clouds on it. After that, the pair had looked at each other and nodded. And then Itachi had said the words that would leave Kurenai wishing they had killed her.
"Welcome to Akatsuki, Kurenai-san."
Konoha - Dango Ditch – April
Hanabi was currently on her first mission. The Sandaime had charged her with testing out her natural power of innocent persuasion.
In other words, he wanted her to give someone a mouth full of cavities just by looking at them.
This was actually a lot harder than Hanabi had expected. For one thing, the Hyuuga didn't do cute, or at least they never got a chance to practice it. About the only person Hanabi had ever tried it on was Hinata, and she was so easy that it barely counted. Everyone else was too wary of the Hyuuga in general (or Hanabi in particular) to be swayed by a cutesy act.
A further complication was that Hanabi didn't want to approach just anyone. She wanted a challenge, someone who was not so easily manipulated by a young face. After all, if it were too easy, she would never learn and improve. And the Hokage was counting on her. She would not allow herself to fail.
That really only left one option: she would have to challenge a more experienced sleeper. But because she was a new recruit, the Sandaime had only been willing to give her one name: Hatake Anko.
Hanabi was surprised for about a minute. She'd heard stories about Anko long before she'd met the woman, as most people had. Hanabi's first impression had been that Anko was crazy, stupid, or both. Now she knew better. Anko had taken her sleeper routine to another level entirely. She could be a complete nutbag, a sadistic temptress... or even a loving mother. Anko became whatever she needed to be at the time. More than that, these were not mere acts: all of her roles were truly a part of who she was; each was a piece of Hatake Anko. She was just that good.
And Hanabi probably didn't stand a chance... but she was still going to try. She knew Anko, or at least parts of her, and told herself that she could handle anything the woman might throw at her. Besides, it wasn't as if Anko would actually hurt her. She'd probably just laugh and tease Hanabi about this for the rest of her life.
So Hanabi tracked Anko down to one of her usual hangouts: the Dango Ditch, the dango lover's answer to Ichiraku Ramen. For a time, they had actually been across the street from each other, but the Ditch attracted a slightly rougher crowd and served a wide variety of alcoholic beverages, which had led to some drunken clashes over which food was better. In the end, the Ditch had packed up and moved, ironically, because Ichiraku's regulars, while they had been smaller in number, had been sober and more aware of what they were doing in a fight.
Of course, there was no way that Hanabi could actually go inside, so she had to wait for Anko to come out.
She probably should've brought a book.
When Anko finally did emerge three hours later, Hanabi was in no mood to be cute. Actually, she was very much irritated, and had she known anything about killing intent, she could've emptied the Ditch in a few seconds.
There was some good news, though: Anko had clearly been drinking, and she was alone. This would lower her defenses, and Hanabi didn't want anyone to actually see this.
Taking a deep breath, Hanabi ran up to Anko and "bumped" into her. Really, she kind of charged, and that Anko didn't manage to evade the collision was a sign of just how drunk she was.
"Hey, who the hell?" Anko grunted, squinting down at Hanabi. She blinked a few times before a glint of recognition entered her eyes. "Heeeeeeey, 'Nabi-chan!" Anko cried loudly, scooping Hanabi up and spinning her around a few times in a very sorry attempt at what might have been ballroom dancing.
"Anko-san," Hanabi gasped, wincing as Anko breathed on her face, "you've been drinking."
"What?! Who told you! It's a damn LIE!"
"I can smell it on your breath."
"Oh. Well, it was jussssst a little!" Anko insisted. "But HEY! What are you doing out here so late? Lil' thing like you should be home in bed at this time of-"
"Anko-san," Hanabi interrupted with a frustrated scowl, "it's noon."
"Really? Then I'm early." Anko put Hanabi down and turned around, presumably to head right back into the Ditch.
Hanabi latched onto Anko's legs. "NO! You can't!"
"Sssssure I can!" Anko slurred, grinning down at her. "Sssee, all I have to do is open this door right here, and-"
"You can't because you have to take me home! I'm..." Hanabi nearly gagged as she forced the words out. "I'm... too little..."
"AWWW!!!" Anko snatched Hanabi up again, rubbing her cheek affectionately against the girl's. "Don't you worry, 'Nabi-chan! I'll get you home safe and sound!"
"Couldn't we go to your place instead?" Hanabi asked, making a fair attempt at widening her eyes adorably. "I always liked your couch better than the one at home." Really, Hanabi had only preferred Anko's couch when Gaara had sat there overnight, while everyone without insomnia slept. But since he'd moved out, it was just furniture, although Hanabi would still prefer it, based on the fact that it was well outside the Hyuuga compound.
Anko cackled loudly. "Ah, if only you knew how I broke that couch in! Actually, maybe I should just show you. So what do you think, 'Nabi-chan? Ready to become a woman, hmm?"
Of all the possible scenarios that Hanabi had planned for, this was not one of them. And it was a bit hard to think of anything except running with Anko leering at her. While Hanabi was sure that she was entirely too young for Anko's tastes, there was a whole list of things that Anko could still do, without touching her, that would scar any girl for life. After all, Morino Ibiki was one of Anko's drinking buddies, and he prided himself on torturing people just as severely mentally as he had been physically.
It never came to that, thankfully. Hanabi was saved by the one person she had never expected to come to her rescue (willingly, anyway).
"So there you are, gaki," Sasuke grunted with his usual scowl. "What are you doing in a place like this? I promised Hinata that I'd teach you ninjutsu, and I find you trying to get drunk with Anko?"
"Well, you were late," Hanabi snapped, prying herself out of Anko's arms and quickly latching onto Sasuke's wrist. "That's hardly a good quality in a husband. Maybe I should make sure Hinata knows that."
Sasuke glared down at her hand, which was gripping his wrist hard enough to leave a mark. "Come on, then. I've wasted enough time looking for you."
Hanabi followed him without protest, and the moment they ducked into a nearby alley and out of Anko's sight, she hugged Sasuke fiercely... but briefly.
"That never happened," they both said at once.
"I will consider this your wedding present," Hanabi said.
Sasuke stared at her. "What?"
Hanabi glared at him. "If our mother had lived, you would have been incredibly rude to marry her daughter without first winning her approval with a gift. But since she is dead, then I am the female relative that you should've impressed prior to the wedding. So I will graciously consider this act your belated wedding gift to me."
"No, you owe me," Sasuke decided at once. "You weren't at the ceremony. We didn't even ask you to be a witness. And you hated me long before I had an interest in your sister, so your approval was never a factor, as I always assumed I'd never get it. If it's just a case of being rude, I'd rather be that than give you anything."
Had she been anyone else, Hanabi might've been very much offended. But she had accepted that Sasuke was a jerk around everyone except Hinata, and he especially hated Hanabi... which was fine with her, so long as he kept Hinata happy. Anyway, if Hinata's getting married had depended on Hanabi's approval of her suitor, they'd probably both die old and unwed.
"Fine," Hanabi spat. "You should train with your swords more. Shisui-san left them especially to help you deal with Itachi."
The color drained out of Sasuke's face, but Hanabi could not be certain which Uchiha's name had alarmed him more. It didn't matter, though, and it certainly didn't change what Hanabi said next.
"Let's get one thing straight, Uchiha: I don't like you. I like your brother even less. But for now, at least, you are my brother. And I won't let you or him infect this family with whatever deathwish you two have. We've got enough problems as it is. So do what you need to do to protect my sister and take care of Itachi. If you don't, I'll kill you myself and spit on your grave every day for the rest of my life."
Slowly, the color returned to Sasuke's face, and he looked away, angrily stuffing his hands into his pockets as he turned and began to walk off.
Hanabi was just about to go in the opposite direction when he called her.
"Oi, gaki. Where do you think you're going? I promised my wife I'd teach you, so don't think you're getting out of it that easy."
Her failure with Anko was instantly forgotten as Hanabi decided that Sasuke would be her new target. For one thing, she already knew how to manipulate him, and for another, watching him squirm would be fun. Smirking, she ran to catch up with Sasuke and extended her hand. "Well?"
Sasuke glanced at her hand as if it were somehow poisonous. "What?"
Hanabi grinned up at him. "You have to hold my hand while we walk."
Sasuke stopped. "WHAT?" he demanded.
"I'm little," Hanabi informed him, surprised at how much easier the word came out this time, "and you're responsible for me while I'm with you. So you have to hold my hand while we walk. You don't mind, do you, onii-chan?"
The Uchiha boy looked as if he were having trouble keeping his breakfast down for several seconds. "Today," he said firmly, seizing her hand reluctantly. "Tomorrow, I'm getting you a leash, gaki."
As she was not sure the Sandaime would consider this a success, Hanabi was already making plans to further manipulate Sasuke as they headed towards the Uchiha compound. Perhaps if she dragged Sasuke into the Hokage's office on the way back...
Ino had had her share of problems before. But all of her current ones seemed to overlap into one very big problem.
First and foremost, she had been captured and raped. There really was no way to sugarcoat that, and Ino didn't want to. She had managed to minimize and delay a great deal of the mental anguish, but it was still there, in the back of her mind, and the closer they got to Konoha, the more Ino felt her mental shields cracking. Soon, they would crumble entirely, and when that happened... well, at least she would be home then, surrounded by people who loved her. She would need them all.
Next, Haku was dead. Ino hadn't been with him at the time, and while that upset her, she was more bothered by the fact that Haku had rejected her invitation to come to Konoha. That meant that if he had lived, he would've preferred to wander aimlessly, or take his own life. Could being with her really have seemed so bad to him, or did he still feel unworthy of such an offer?
Then there was Sasuke, and the person he had become under Gaara's command. Now that her first time was no longer an issue, Ino could readily admit that she had been saving herself for Sasuke. She had never been so cocky as to believe that she could keep him once she had him, but at the very least, she'd wanted the one time to look back on fondly. Now, though, Ino doubted she would ever choose to have sex, and even if she did, it certainly wouldn't be with Sasuke. She could barely stand to look at him without thinking of the casual way he had talked about killing Haku for no good reason. A very small part of her wondered if Sasuke had always been this way, if Gaara had really changed him at all, and if she'd just never noticed that a cute boy like Sasuke actually had no heart.
And Shikamaru... Ino had no idea what she was going to do with him. He had been keeping his distance, yet he always remained in sight, as if to constantly remind her that he was there for her. When she did admit to needing help, he was the first to offer. But the more he did this, the more attractive Ino found him... and that only made her think about sex, something she wanted no part of. She had no doubt that Shikamaru would never hurt her that way, but her mind was not so quick to accept anything she had taken for granted before. At this point, the only males she could tolerate being around were Chouji, who was too childlike to be a threat, and Asuma, who would have to do until she was reunited with her father.
Ino's newest problem, however, was her inability to get a full night's sleep. This was not, however, due to nightmares or anything of the sort. Sometimes she would sleep for anywhere from few minutes to an hour, but then her eyes would snap open, and largely remain that way until morning. She knew that the lack of nightmares was due only to her mental shields still holding, but the thought of them failing soon only worried her more.
The traveling was made more difficult by Ino's refusal to go anywhere near Sasuke or Gaara. Asuma and Chouji stayed on either side of her, while Gaara and Sasuke walked several feet ahead of them, and Hinata and Shikamaru brought up the rear. Oddly enough, this formation did not lend itself to conversation... but only in Ino's case. Gaara and Sasuke seemed to have plenty to discuss, and though Shikamaru wasn't saying much these days, Ino had noticed that she was hearing Hinata's voice a lot more often than she ever had before. If she hadn't been so sure that Hinata was in love with Sasuke, Ino might've been jealous.
Ino was so distracted that she was actually surprised to look up one day and notice that they were approaching the large, green gates of Konoha. She was filled with a great sense of relief at the sight... that is, until she noticed her father, Sakura, Kiba, and Akamaru waiting on the other side.
Nothing about this should've alarmed or surprised her. Of course her father would be among the first to welcome her home. He most likely would've cleared his schedule to do that even if the mission had gone perfectly. Sakura and Ino had rediscovered their former closeness, and calling the pink-haired girl her best friend was no long an exaggeration. As for Kiba, Ino largely thought of him and Akamaru both as Sakura's puppies now, so she was even glad to see them (it wasn't as if Sakura went many places without them, anyway).
Still... perhaps it was too great a reminder of what the coming days held in store for her. Whatever the reason, only a few seconds after she saw the group waiting for her, Ino's mental shields collapsed. The world became a blur of colors after that, and Ino was only certain that she fell at one point, and that she could see a lot of pink at another.
Several days had passed by the time that Ino could finally make sense of anything again, and what she found was not really surprising. She was in the hospital, and Sakura was faithfully standing guard over her, with only Akamaru to keep her company. All men had been barred from the hospital room. Ino thought that a little extreme, especially since her father had to be going nuts by then, so she sent him mushy little motes through Sakura: that she was glad to be home, that she'd missed him terribly, that she couldn't wait to be back in her own room. Sometimes, but not often enough, she even meant them.
Land of Waves - April
Life was slowly but surely improving for the people of the Land of Waves. Gaara's squad hadn't realized it at the time, but their visit had left the small island nation with some very valuable keepsakes.
With some instruction from the builders who had worked for Tazuna, Gaara and Sasuke had completed the bridge almost entirely by themselves. Cement was a bit harder to manipulate with chakra than sand or rock, but Gaara had managed, and Sasuke had little trouble helping it dry and harden. Hinata had kept a constant eye out for any weak spots in the construction.
Tsunami had asked that Gaara be the one to name the bridge in the end, and he had immediately given her his answer.
Only Sasuke and Hinata understood his meaning. The other townspeople had demanded to know why their bridge was to be named after a fishcake. But Gaara remained firm and answered no questions, and Tsunami was grateful enough that she didn't ask any.
But despite or even because of its name, the bridge became famous. Thanks to the Great Naruto Bridge, word spread throughout the Fire Country of how Gaara's squad had saved the Land of Waves. The story behind the bridge's name was often disputed, and many people just assumed that the builders had been ramen lovers. Even the local children picked up on that belief, and it became a common dare to cling to the underside of the bridge long enough to draw a fishcake on the bottom. Not surprisingly, Inari had been the first.
Yugito had vanished soon after Gaara's squad departed, but she left Tsunami a very tasty ramen recipe. Tsunami had sold it to a trio of local cooks, her only condition being that they kept the name that Yugito had insisted on. A month later, Uzumaki Ramen had become the most profitable restaurant for miles around. Tsunami was still considered its founder, and received large payments every month despite her protests.
Tsunami truly didn't have much use for the money. She made a few improvements around the house, bought Inari a cat (dogs were loyal, but cats were smarter, he claimed), and put the rest away for emergencies. Had she been younger or just a little more hopeful, she might have paid for a specialist to look at her arm, which she had never regained full use of. But she did not resent Yugito for teaching her, and looked at her battle scars occasionally, to remind herself that Kaiza would be proud. He'd always talked about protecting important things with both arms, but it had only cost her one to avenge him, and she was proud of that.
Still, it made everyday tasks like carrying the groceries home far trickier, something which Tsunami always managed to forget until after Inari had gone out to play, and she was left facing a fairly long walk. But she had her pride, and she made herself promise that she'd never ask for help doing it... unless it rained.
Sometimes, though, help came along without being asked. Usually, it was someone who had known her father. This latest time, it was someone who had known Sasuke. That much was clear from the pair's red and black eyes, which they had shown her as proof of their good intentions.
Tsunami couldn't help thinking that they were nice, but odd. The big one stumbled over his words from time to time, and his smaller companion thought it great fun to dart between his legs unexpectedly. He had the patience of a saint, though, and never once lost his temper.
The strangers had been very interested in the real story behind the bridge, and the little one had insisted on eating at Uzumaki Ramen before they parted ways. Tsunami always ate for free there, although she had never been more thankful of that: the big one ate only a bowl of miso ramen, but the little one put away nearly seven bowls of the seafood special before her companion dragged her out.
The truly peculiar thing about them, though, was their eyes. At least, the big one's eyes, anyway. Tsunami distinctly remembered staring into them for a long moment, and yet, when she waved goodbye to them, she noticed, for the first and only time, that he was wearing a mask. Yet she had no recollection of him ever removing it or putting it on in the first place. Even stranger, she could not recall his name, or why his little companion's hair had so many different colors in it. All she could say with certainty was that they had helped her carry her groceries, then taken her to lunch, and that, overall, it had been a rather nice way to spend an afternoon.
Inari later confirmed that he had seen them at the bridge later that same day. The little one had colored a total of thirty-seven fishcakes on the side of the bridge before she fell off, and Inari had carved her name near them so no one would forget her. He seemed confused about whether or not she had kissed him afterwards, but he was positive that her name was Hami, and that her breath smelled very strongly of fishcakes.
Suna – Training Area - April
Temari hated to admit it, but she was getting used to being second best. First, Gaara had outshined her, and then it was Naruto. But now that Kankurou had obviously stepped up his game, she was not going to quitely accept third place among them.
It was just so HARD trying to pass either of them, though.
She had no talent for ninja puppetry, so beating Kankurou at his own game was out of the question. Unfortunately, that left Naruto, and while they were both well-versed in wind jutsu, Temari wasn't overflowing with chakra, demonic or otherwise. Aside from that, she was having a harder time mastering her own wind spirit.
But it was entirely her fault, according to Kamatari. He had been somewhat against their partnership from the start: he didn't much care for females of any sort (he couldn't stand Meg for more than a minute at time), and had only agreed because she was the Kazekage's oldest child. Even then, he had been a strict taskmaster: for the first month, Temari had outright hated him. But every time she complained, Kamatari would immediately call her "little girl" and say she wasn't ready for his training.
Despite the setbacks, they had made much progress together. In order to summon a wind spirit, a ninja first had to perform their weasel's signature attack perfectly, which would earn their summon's respect and permission. But learning an animal's attack was difficult enough for a normal human. It had taken Naruto half a year to copy Meg's Tenbatsutekimen (it was a lot faster than anyone had first thought, and Meg hadn't declared it a success until he could do it "with plenty of style and flare").
Temari, on the other hand, had been required to produce a wind jutsu that could rival Kamatari's most powerful attack: Kirikiri Mai (Quick Beheading Dance), which was apparently one of the most powerful wind jutsu in existence. Even worse, Kamatari had refused to give her any hints.
It had taken Temari an entire year to figure out that, even using everything she had, she couldn't hope to match Kamatari's power. After all, there was little point to a summoner summoning a creature less powerful than them. And that, as it turned out, was the answer: to invent a jutsu that didn't use all of her power, yet still managed to reflect all of his. Even that had been incredibly difficult: it had been a matter of creating a cyclone around her body, infused with and maintained entirely by her chakra, in order to swing Kamatari's attack around her and send it back at him with nearly twice the force. But if she wasn't in precisely the right position, or if the attack managed to overpower her own winds at any given moment, her jutsu would fail.
But, finally, she had performed the Gufuu no Jutsu (Hurricane Technique) correctly enough times that Kamatari was satisfied, and he had given her his permission, if a little reluctantly. Temari had just assumed that he was being difficult again, but now she understood his hesitance.
The wind spirits were nothing like the weasels. They literally were the wind in somewhat humanoid form. If they had concepts of loyalty or allies, those were loose at best. They could be befriended, rarely, but never tamed or controlled. Many a foolish ninja had been destroyed by a wind spirit he had tried to overpower or just hadn't shown enough respect to. The wind spirits were proud, moody creatures, and they were ruthless when upset.
As was his way, Naruto had won over his wind spirit with persistence. It came eagerly when he called, and enjoyed battle even more than he did. Sometimes, it even assumed a visible form so they could train together, both of which were unheard of. Naruto had taken to fondly calling it Arashi.
Temari's wind spirit was especially mischievous. It delighted in hiding her fan, hurling sand at her back, and stealing all of her hair ties while she slept so that she had nothing to restrain her hair with hair in the morning. Kamatari claimed it had to be another silly female, a comment which had gotten his Sand headband stolen and stashed in Kankurou's underwear drawer. But the few times Temari had gotten her wind spirit to cooperate, she had never felt more powerful.
Yet, it just wasn't enough. Temari could still only use her wind spirit to boost her wind jutsu. Naruto could instruct Arashi to fight on its own while he engaged another enemy. Kankurou had come so far that he could control multiple puppets at once, all while still fighting himself (and she was still amazed he even remembered how).
It seemed like all of her brothers had surpassed her. But Temari took some pride in knowing that they had only managed it because she had managed them, in her own way. True, Naruto was the only one who clung to her still, but Gaara and Kankurou would be different, much darker people without her influence. She was the only person who could really take credit for raising them: it had been her duty, and after Naruto, her pleasure. Maybe she would be stronger, if she hadn't spent that extra time mothering them, but someone had to, and Temari didn't regret her choice. She remembered the cautious little boy that Naruto had been upon his arrival, and if left alone, he would have become another Gaara, fueled by the hatred that he'd recieved from others.
It was a sobering thought, one that sent Temari running to find Naruto. When she finally did, she did not pause to consider that he and Arashi were sparring at the moment. All that mattered was getting to Naruto, throwing her arms around his neck, and holding him tightly.
Much to her relief, Naruto did not ask what she was thinking, or yell at her for interrupting. He merely dismissed Arashi with a glance, then returned Temari's embrace, welcoming the familiar pressure of her chin resting on his head.
They could have stood there, holding each other, for just a few seconds or several hours, and neither would've noticed the difference. But, as with most things considered good and pure, this had to end.
Naruto was the first to notice Kin, mostly because she was poking him insistently. "What?"
"Mind if I cut in?" Kin asked in a way that was more of a demand.
"If you have to," Naruto sighed, "but it's gonna be weird to watch my girlfriend hug my sister."
Kin scowled and punched his arm. "Don't be stupid!"
"Well, the moment's ruined now," Temari groaned, releasing Naruto. "You two can have at it."
"I'm not in the mood anymore," Kin grunted, giving Naruto a sour look.
Naruto opened his mouth, no doubt about to make the situation worse, but Temari decided to take pity on him. It wasn't that he didn't understand Kin, it was that he was far too used to picking fights with her (or in many cases, furthering fights that Kin started) just so they could make up later. That was fine so long as it worked, but for once, Temari didn't want them to waste time fighting, not when they'd be separated soon with the invasion looming over them. They needed to spend as much time together as was possible, without fighting.
"Do you two know how lucky you are? To have each other and be in love?" Temari asked.
Kin blinked, the angry scowl dropping off of her face at once. She actually seemed a little ashamed now. Naruto just smiled slightly, realizing what Temari was up to.
"I know people who love each other are supposed to fight a lot, but you two really take it too far. Which reminds me, I've never actually heard either of you say the words. Right here, right now, I want to hear them."
Naruto shrugged, calmly turned to Kin, and looked straight into her eyes. "I love you, Kin-chan," he said firmly. "You're my girl. You know that."
Temari smirked as Kin turned bright red. Usually, the Sound kunoichi was so gruff and outspoken with Naruto, and it was nice to see that she could still be... well, a normal girl in love.
"Naruto-kun..." Kin said softly, looking away.
Rolling her eyes, Temari prodded Kin with a finger. "We're waiting."
Kin flashed Temari a dirty look before forcing herself to face Naruto. "You have my heart, Naruto-kun," she murmured.
Temari was about to complain that Kin wasn't technically done, but Naruto shot her a pleading look, so she let it go. "That's better. Now go make out or something."
Naruto grinned. "So now it's okay for us to do 'or something,' huh? Last time you said not until I'm-"
"NO 'OR SOMETHING!'" Temari shouted, glaring at him. "I mean... YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT!"
Konoha – Uchiha Compound – April
Hanabi hated to admit it, but Sasuke was a good teacher. She didn't even have to listen to him. Just seeing him perform a jutsu first was usually enough for her to get it inside three tries.
Although, in retrospect, she wondered if it was her unique heritage, and not Sasuke's teaching ability, that was assisting her. It might even be both of their bloodlines that was doing it, but Hanabi doubted that Sasuke would knowingly give her a shortcut, unless he just really hated being around her that much and wanted to get it over with.
But if so, why, then, were they currently sitting in the grass doing nothing? Sasuke had said it was time for a break, but neither of them seemed tired. Hanabi had used very little energy so far, and was in fact ready to start again whenever Sasuke said. Unless you were actually doing something to stay busy, the Uchiha compound was really very boring to look at, in her opinion. Probably it had to do with Sasuke being the only other person there, and even though he wasn't exactly one for conversation, he could at least make a decent attempt at entertaining one or both of them.
And then, it hit her.
"You want to know how I knew about Shisui-san."
Sasuke didn't look at her, but his eyes seemed to darken. "Yes," he said simply.
"I can't tell you," Hanabi replied honestly. The Sandaime had forbidden her to speak of her origins, not that she had planned on telling anyone, anyway.
"Can't or won't?" Sasuke countered.
"Take your pick. It only matters that I do know. And that I know more." She paused, staring at him intently. "Will you trust me on that?"
He frowned. "I don't suppose I have much of a choice."
She rolled her eyes. "Sasuke, I want you to defeat Itachi, too. Has it ever occurred to you that the best way to go about that it to get advice from someone who knew him?"
"You say that as if you've spoken to Shisui," Sasuke murmured, narrowing his eyes.
"Is there any way to convince you I have without seeming insane?" Hanabi countered. She was starting to feel a little silly, especially since she could SEE Shisui, standing right beside them, and picking his nose, no less. She had to force herself not to smile as he reached out to wipe his finger clean in Sasuke's hair.
After a long moment of silence, Sasuke finally spoke. "Tell me something only he would know."
"The two swords he left you are part of a set. The third sword in the set, Youshin, is with Itachi. It is a sword of fire."
Sasuke gaped at her. Obviously, he hadn't even known that much.
"Oh, and there's something else," Hanabi added with a smile. "He's half Nara on his mother's side."
Sasuke took that a little better than she'd expected; he only grunted. Probably he was just happy that Shisui hadn't been half Akimichi. "Why should I believe any of this?" he asked. "You don't have any proof."
Hanabi didn't say anything at first. Sasuke just assumed she had run out of excuses, but from the way she tilted her head, it was almost as if someone were whispering to her. Before he could say anything, Hanabi suddenly grinned and vanished from view.
Sasuke was instantly on his guard. He could still sense Hanabi in the area, but he could not narrow down her exact location... at least, not until he felt the weight of her small body clinging to his back.
"Don't worry, onii-chan," Hanabi said into his ear, sounding very pleased with herself. "You're not slow. It's just that Shisui-san knows a version of Kage Buyo (Shadow of the Dancing Leaf) that's much faster, and uses less chakra. High-speed movement was his specialty, after all."
"And you just learned it," Sasuke replied angrily. "Just like that."
Hanabi frowned. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you the truth, Sasuke. What else can I do?"
"Tell me how you're talking to him!" Sasuke shouted, shaking her off. "Tell me why I can't!"
She quickly backed away, seeing the telltale flash of red in Sasuke's black eyes. "You can talk to him," she insisted. "You just can't hear anything he says back. He's been here the whole time."
"So this is what Kikyou meant," Sasuke muttered, glaring at the ground. "Shisui has been with me ever since he died? Why are you the only one who can see or hear him? Why have you never mentioned this before?"
"Yes, I don't know, and what do you think would happen to me if I went around telling everybody that I could talk to dead people?" Hanabi sighed and shook her head. "I haven't even told Hinata."
Sasuke frowned, not liking the position this put him in. Technically, Hinata would want him to protect Hanabi's secret. But this definitely seemed like something that he shouldn't be keeping from his wife. Frankly, he found it very strange that Hanabi hadn't trusted Hinata with her secret already. They'd had their differences, but Hinata would do anything for Hanabi, and they both knew it.
"Shisui-san thinks we should tell her together," Hanabi murmured, sounding reluctant. "He says that's really important, for some reason."
"Anything else?" Sasuke asked, barely managing to keep the bitterness out of his voice. It still stung that he had to depend on Hanabi, of all people, to talk to Shisui.
"Yes. He says Itachi is mad."
"I knew that already," Sasuke snapped.
"You're not listening," Hanabi insisted. "He's not crazy, he's angry."
Sasuke glared at her. "Of course he's crazy! He killed our entire clan just to test his power! He could've just defeated them! He didn't have to-"
"Have you ever stopped to consider what might have driven him to do that, though? Surely he didn't hate everyone in the clan?"
It made a strange kind of sense, now that Sasuke forced himself to think about it. Itachi had been indifferent with most people. Hatred would've required effort and time, neither of which Itachi bothered wasting on people he considered beneath him. Even as Itachi had stood over the bodies of their parents, he had not displayed any emotion. That was one of the things that had bothered Sasuke the most. Itachi had several confrontations with their father that Sasuke could recall, and afterwards, their mother had always been the one to take Itachi aside and offer him reassurance. Itachi had never looked all that reassured, but he had tolerated her little speeches every time, and had not pulled away when she hugged him and kissed his forehead. If he had hated her, Itachi had gone to great lengths to conceal that fact. But murdering her out of love made even less sense.
Uchiha Itachi did not consider himself crazy. It was true that he allowed himself to be called that, even encouraged the illusion at times, but if there was one thing Itachi had always been, it was sane.
It was just that most people refused to pay attention to logic, and when they came across someone who recognized it down the to smallest detail, the way Itachi did, they labeled those rare individuals with negative names.
No, Itachi wasn't crazy. He was smart.
Konoha was not the paradise that many of its residents liked to think it was. Even as a boy, Itachi had noticed that everyone was not quite as fortunate as his clan was. He saw how those ninja who did not possess many talents, or were severely injured in the field, got forced into mundane jobs or early retirement. They were all just killing machines, and when a machine broke, if it was too expensive to fix, you put it to the side and moved on.
And if it had just ended there, Itachi might be the Uchiha clan head today, however reluctantly.
But no. Some of the machines were put aside. But others were branded for life and forced into slavery, or destroyed outright just to gain more power.
Itachi could accept that he was a machine. He could even accept the fact that he would probably live to be old and blind one day, and when that happened, he would have to step aside gracefully. He could not and would not accept that the end of his life might be someone else's stepping stone. Especially not if that someone came from his own clan. He had worked too hard to gain his power, and he refused to give it up.
Learning about the existence of the Mangekyou had been one of the darker days in his life. He hadn't exactly trusted his clan before then, but after that, he suspected everyone of treachery. Even gentle Shisui, who he had loved like a brother. But Itachi had not become an ANBU captain by being a trusting fool. To this day, he had no idea to what lengths Shisui would've carried out his final mission. Perhaps he would've had a change of heart, and told Itachi everything. Perhaps he would've stabbed Itachi in the back, gained the Mangekyou, and become even greater.
In the end, it only mattered that Itachi hadn't given him the chance. They'd known each other too well, and Itachi had known exactly when and how to catch Shisui off guard.
It was one of the hardest things Itachi had ever done, but it was over so very quickly.
And it couldn't have ended there, he knew. So long as there was another Uchiha alive, there was a chance that Itachi could be killed to gain the Mangekyou.
Why, then, had he spared Sasuke?
Even Itachi wasn't quite clear on that. Could it be that even as he had been slaughtering his clan, Itachi had wanted to preserve it? If he had been so sure that Sasuke would never reach his level, why even leave him alive? Was it something as simple as brotherly affection? Probably not, but Itachi could not be sure anymore. Sometimes, though, he wished he had that elusive answer.
It would probably go a long way towards explaining why his mother had chosen to haunt him... and why she didn't seem the least bit bitter towards him. Although if she had hated him, it would definitely explain why she insisted on waking him up at 4 AM every single day, just as she had when she was alive. Of course, it rarely hurt to be an early riser, but Itachi got tired just like everyone else, and occasionally liked to sleep late, but no such luck.
It was the same thing every morning, and honestly, he was extremely tired of it.
"Good morning, my clever little weasel!"
Itachi scowled and opened his eyes, deciding not to dignify her usual greeting with a response.
But Uchiha Mikoto just beamed down at him, the way she always had until he'd dragged himself out of bed. A quick glance around the clearing showed him nothing to be concerned about. Kurenai was wrapped up tightly in her cloak, as she'd probably been tossing and turning all night. Kisame was sitting against a nearby tree, picking his teeth with a kunai.
"You have to be the only guy I know that can wake up at the same time every damn day," Kisame grunted, clearly impressed. "That's some internal alarm you got."
Since Kisame was not aware that Itachi considered that an insult, the Uchiha only said, "Hn." Then he got up, doing his best to ignore his mother's cheerful humming (for some reason, being called an alarm always amused her), and decided it was time for some answers. "Kisame. Remind me why we're going to Konoha without being ordered to."
Kisame grinned. "I forgot, you were asleep at the time. The kid called last night. She says the Nibi and the Gobi are together, and that they're eventually headed to Konoha, too."
That made Itachi pause. "It can't be. Four demon vessels in the same place, at the same time?" Still, Hatsumi was never wrong when it came to tracking, and she would not have bothered to tell them unless she was positive about her information.
"I told you: nobody misses the chuunin exams," Kisame said triumphantly. "The only downside is that it's going to be very crowded. Seems like everyone we know is going to be there. So either we can accomplish our goals during all the confusion..."
"Or it complicates every detail of our task." Itachi glared at nothing in particular. "But we have to risk it. If the Nibi manages to convince the other vessels to work together, there is no telling what they might accomplish."
At that point, Kurenai raised her head. "The two of you expect to take on four demon vessels?"
"There is a distinct difference between four unified demon vessels, and only two that have committed to working as a team, Kurenai-san," Itachi replied. "Also, the last time I counted, there were three of us."
Kurenai glared at him. "You can't really expect to parade me through Konoha? I may look completely different, but SOMEONE will recognize me, by my chakra signature if nothing else."
"Very possible," Itachi agreed. "I suspect the next thing they notice will be your new traveling companions, since you won't be going anywhere without one or both of us."
"There's too much that could go wrong with that plan," Kurenai insisted.
Itachi smirked. "Of course. It is Kisame's plan."
"Fuck you, Itachi," Kisame growled.
"I think it would be healthier for all of us if you didn't, Kisame."
Kurenai stared at them, wondering if it would be less dangerous for her to laugh or pretend she hadn't heard anything. In the end, she decided to turn away, but was both shocked and appalled by the fact that she found her lips curving into a definite smile.
Forest Near the Waterfall Village – April
Haku was now officially a Cloud-nin, and he had the lightning burns to prove it.
Actually, he was amazed that it hadn't taken much more effort on his part. Haku had always assumed that ice was his element, and that he would never be proficient in any other. But as Kyojuu had pointed out when they started the training, that only meant he was halfway there already.
The first day had been the hardest. For an hour, Haku and Kyojuu fought each other, while knee-deep in water, no less. Haku lost badly: none of his ice attacks even seemed to touch the larger boy, while all of Kyojuu's lightning attacks were amplified by their surroundings.
Later, Kyojuu admitted to having an unfair advantage: he could manipulate water just as easily as he could lightning, so Haku would've lost no matter what he did. But the point had been to show that Haku could only rely entirely on ice when his opponent didn't know how to use it against him.
The second day, Yugito and Kyojuu fought, just so Haku could see more of the lightning attacks he would need. It was one of the more amazing things he had seen in his second life so far. Lightning was unlike ice in that it had a life of its own. Ice only flew in one direction once it was launched, but lightning could turn back on the user if they weren't careful and focused. The two demon vessels handled lightning like old pros, though, and Kyojuu was somehow able to absorb it entirely without any visible effort.
"Don't expect to pick this up too quickly, no matter how good you are," Yugito had told Haku each time she had to massage feeling back into his burned, numb hands. "Well, unless you're hiding a demon in you, that is. Then you can cheat like we do."
Haku found his own way of cheating: his senbon. It was much easier to aim the lightning using them as targets, and the frozen ones were especially good for guiding the lightning away from him in mid air.
As he always had, Haku learned quickly. Admittedly, his control was not good enough to pass for a Cloud chuunin... which was fine, since he was posing as a genin. His taijutsu, which had been above average thanks to Zabuza's training, improved drastically: Yugito's speed and Kyojuu's power made them overwhelming but extremely useful sparring partners. Haku suspected that just being around them was making him stronger; they seemed to have that much strength and skill to spare.
Contrary to Zabuza, though, they were also good friends. Yugito insisted he was too thin, and kept cooking huge meals that Haku couldn't possibly eat alone (which worked out fine, since Kyojuu and Yorishiro ate even when they weren't hungry). Once Haku completed his training, Kyojuu gave him a strange, furry cloak that was chilly in heat and warm against cold. Yugito gave him a pair of black gloves that absorbed any kind of heat. "Made them from my own back hair," she'd joked, but something in her eyes made Haku feel she wasn't entirely kidding.
One of the more interesting aspects of his new friends was how they shopped. Once a week, Kyojuu sent Yorishiro into the Hidden Waterfall Village, and she would come back dragging a bag of sweets, used clothing, and discarded weapons. Haku had no clue how she managed it, but he assumed the local children were responsible, since Yorishiro often came back with ribbons around her ears or an old collar around her neck. Kyojuu didn't consider it stealing, since Yorishiro would be sure to play with (and thoroughly lick) anyone who contributed to their cause.
But as he went to bed each night, reflecting on all he had learned, Haku realized that he was not at all concerned about their mission. He was confident in his abilities, and those of his teammates (he was still startled at how easy it was to think of them that way). The only thing that truly worried him was what he would say to Ino when he saw her next.
After two weeks of close observation, Ino was allowed to go home... and rest. This was annoying because that was all she had been doing in the hospital, although she was a lot more comfortable at home. Even better, Sakura got permission to move in with her temporarily (not a difficult feat, since Ino's father knew her, and was doing anything he could to make Ino happy).
But Ino was not happy. She was frustrated.
She liked having Sakura around all of the time, but she also noticed how alert Sakura was when they were alone together. Kiba was far less deliberate when he did it, probably because his senses were so strong to start with, but Ino could tell when she was being protected, and it bothered her.
Ino could admit (though she didn't like to aloud) that she had been raped. But that had in no way dulled her skills as a kunoichi. If anything, the long period of rest with no training had done that. True, she would probably fall apart if she ever saw a man who even slightly resembled ones that had violated her. But it hadn't happened so far, and Ino was confident that if Gaara said he'd killed the men responsible, then they were very much dead. She would never trust so easily again either, but a certain amount of paranoia went hand in hand with being a ninja.
But they wouldn't let her train: not her father, not Sakura, not even Kiba, and he lived for training. The only times Ino saw Chouji was when he came to visit. Shikamaru didn't visit at all. Asuma checked on her often, but not nearly as often as he would have were she still on active duty.
It didn't take long for Ino to realize that the rest of her team was still on active duty. That didn't make her angry, but it did make her more determined to get in some training of her own.
So one morning while her father was out, Ino dragged Sakura into the backyard, and with no warning at all, attacked her.
It was more than a little embarrassing.
Surprised as she was, Sakura recovered far more quickly than Ino had expected. One second, Ino's fist was headed for Sakura's face, and the next, Sakura was behind her, with both of Ino's arms pinned between them.
"Ino," Sakura said calmly but firmly, "you really shouldn't do that. I almost broke your arm."
Ino opened her mouth to make a cutting reply, but the next thing she knew, she had burst into tears.
Sakura instantly let go of her friend's arms and hugged her gently. "Ino, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice full of concern.
"I'm not DEAD, dammit!" Ino screamed, pulling away from her. "I can still be useful! I'm still a kunoichi!"
Sakura bit her lip. "I know that, but you need to recover-"
"I'm never going to recover if I don't train! You saw how slow I've gotten!"
"We just don't want anything to happen to you."
"It's LIFE!" Ino shouted. "SOMETHING has to happen! None of you could stop me from being raped, and you can't stop this, either!"
Sakura's face fell. "That's not fair, Ino. You know I'd do anything to-"
"Then help me train," Ino demanded. "If nothing else, show me some good genjutsu." She figured that starting out with something that didn't require much physical effort was best to convince Sakura.
"Okay, fine," Sakura sighed heavily. "But when your father finds out, you better remember how bad you wanted this. I'm not taking the fall by myself."
Kankurou woke up in the middle of the night, wincing from the phantom pains in his right arm. But this was a bit misleading, because from his right elbow on down, Kankurou's arm was composed of steel, wood, rubber, and depending on his mood, either enough poison to contaminate an entire village, or enough explosive to reduce much of one to rubble.
His actual right forearm had been sacrificed in the pursuit of true puppet mastery. As for its current location, that, too, was a bit misleading. The arm had been divided into five pieces by Kankurou himself, all while he was still bleeding from the fresh stump. He had passed out immediately afterward, and upon waking up, he discovered he was able to control his puppets even if he was miles away from them. Kankurou didn't quite understand it, but as Sasori had explained to him, each of his puppets would be embedded with a piece of his arm (each piece had a finger, that was very important). Preserving the remaining two pieces of his arm had been easy enough, as Sasori had special storage containers specifically for that purpose.
Sasori had also placed a piece of himself, usually just a hair or two, into each puppet he had ever created. With some effort, he could make Karasu speak in his voice, or control the puppet entirely, if Kankurou should ever become incapacitated in the field.
"The puppet master is the brain," Sasori had told him, "and even if pieces of him should be separated from the main body, those pieces still seek out signals from the brain. By focusing your chakra in the proper way, you can re-connect with those pieces, and make them remember that they are still under your control."
Taking a deep breath, Kankurou closed his eyes and reached out with his mind. His middle finger, buried deep inside his still uncompleted puppet, was itching for action. Smiling, Kankurou opened his eyes again.
"Patience, Jorougumo. Your time is coming soon."
End of Chapter 21.
Endnotes:
Arashi: storm; tempest
Youshin: leaf blade
Jorougumo: Oriental species of golden orb-weaving spider, a.k.a. wasp spider
I prefer the idea of the Yondaime Hokage's name being Arashi. Why? I like that name better than Minato (I keep picturing Sailor Venus with day-old stubble). While we're on that subject, I have another gripe. I realize the Yondaime didn't want Naruto to have his name for all the danger it might attract from enemies, but seems like it would've at least made Naruto safe from the majority of the village, not to mention how many people would lay down their lives to protect the son of the Yondaime. I assume they would, at least, if they're dumb enough to think Konohamaru was worthy of respect just because he's the Sandaime's grandson.
I like funny Tobi better than pseudo-Madara Tobi (honestly, I think a lot of us preferred the first one). I have a hard time accepting that there could be two Uchiha in Akatsuki, especially if one of them is Itachi. Geez, Tobi somehow being Obito makes more sense than him being Madara. All of which leads me to believe that whoever Tobi is, he's nuts. Perhaps nuts enough to just believe he's Madara, instead of actually being him? No such luck, I'd bet.
And is it me or is Akatsuki dying off a little too quickly all of a sudden? These guys are supposed to be tougher than demons, yet they're falling like dominoes.
Kamatari's jutsu:
Kirikiri Mai (Quick Beheading Dance):
Kamatari unleashes slicing winds powerful enough to flatten a whole forest.
Temari's jutsu:
Gufuu no Jutsu (Hurricane Technique):
Temari creates a cyclone, with herself at the center, to curve a foe's attack around her body, adding her own winds to increase the attack's momentum as it is aimed back at the sender.
Hanabi's jutsu:
Kage Buyo (Shadow of the Dancing Leaf):
A taijutsu technique that relies on high-speed movement (couldn't be anything else, since Lee can do it with ease) to suddenly appear directly behind an enemy. If the target is airborne, then the user jumps in such a way as to appear below the target while following a similar trajectory through the air. Since the victim is airborne, he is in a vulnerable position to a more damaging attack.
It should be noted that Shisui's version of this might actually have more to do with shadows than speed, or at least a mix of the two.