Asunder

Chapter Twenty One

Acquiescence

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

― Dr. Seuss

Some people would react in a different manner, she supposed. What she did was an order, yes, but she knew enough that shinobi often weren't expected orders to the letter. In this case, she knew very well that others could fill in for these tasks just as well. Or perhaps even better.

Looking at her unconscious patient, she wondered why she felt so conflicted. It was fairly easy, actually. She was the medic, and her patient required her help. So why was she so contemplative? Was it jealousy?

'I'm really disgusting,' she scolded herself. 'When I thought she was dead, I felt sad for her even though I didn't even know her, but kept hoping like a fool. And now that she's alive again… why do I have to feel so damn disappointed?'

She was disgusted by her own thoughts. Ajisai had never asked for any of this, nor had Naruto. These things had simply happened to them. So who was she to stand in their way?

'But Naruto loves you!' the tiny treacherous voice in her head urged.

'He… doesn't. Not anymore,' Ino grimaced. 'Her' Naruto had gone out on a mission, all that time ago, and had gone missing. 'Her' Naruto had been presumed dead, although he never truly died. He had merely lost his memories, during what was in hindsight the first attempt from Zetsu to control Naruto. 'Perhaps it is better to just say that Naruto-kun perished that day,' Ino sighed. Yes, the Naruto who had returned had been nothing like the Naruto she had waved goodbye. The bright and cheerful boy who had been ready to conquer the world with his unbridled enthusiasm had returned as a broken young man, scarred in both physical and mental ways that Ino could barely fathom.

'But he still cares for you, he said so!'

Her heart and her mind were in disagreement. Yes, he still cared, obviously, as he could remember everything. But his feelings weren't the same. In spite of those memories he had apologized to her, telling her that he was confused. He had admitted that he still loved Ajisai. And that disgusting little voice in her head told her to wait and let him grieve, until he was ready for her again.

And now Ajisai had been revived.

Ino didn't know what she was supposed to feel. Part of her was happy for Naruto to, if they managed to free him from Zetsu's grasp, get a chance to reunite with his loved one. The other part was jealous. But jealous of what?

'The Naruto I love is gone,' she told herself. 'Time passed, and the hardships he has gone through left him changed. I… I can't even say that I understand him anymore. Not like I once did. I guess that's why he told me everything he had gone through… it is gap between us. And this girl, she already stands at the other side, at his side, doesn't she?'

To her surprise, she found herself staring in the purple ripple-pattern eyes of the girl whom had been the focus of her thoughts. How long had she been lost in thought, standing next to Ajisai? Ino couldn't tell. Nothing had alerted her to Ajisai waking up either. It left her feeling like she was caught, even though Ajisai could hardly have read her mind.

"Do you hate me?" Ajisai asked calmly. For a moment, Ino felt the color draining from her face, thinking her mind had indeed been read.

"I… no! W-why would I?"

"Suiren told me," the orange-haired girl remained perfectly calm, but her purple eyes were staring at Ino. Ino, who felt as if she could look straight through her. "You and Naruto-kun were close, before he… lost his memories."

"We were," Ino gulped. "But that's-"

"I'm standing between you and Naruto-kun, it is perfectly normal to have certain emotions about that," Ajisai smiled a bit, amused by the range of emotions that crossed the blonde's face. "In Amegakure, these sorts of things often led to conflicts, either openly or covertly."

"Conflict?" Ino blinked.

"Are you intending to kill me, Yamanaka Ino?" Ajisai asked bluntly.

"Wha… kill?!"

"Tenshi… Konan-sama said I would become strong, so now would be the best point for you to resolve this rivalry."

"Why would I want to kill you?" Ino tried to laugh it off, but was disturbed by the calmness in Ajisai's voice. As if she completely resigned herself.

"You are confused and are in pain," Ajisai's eyes narrowed. "I can see it clearly enough in the flow of your chakra, so why would you try to laugh it away like that? Suiren told me you knew Naruto-kun far longer than I have, so I cannot imagine that you would back off that easily."

"…but that doesn't mean I would sink as low as trying to assault the person whom Naruto-kun loves," Ino turned away and quickly walked out of the tent, fleeing. As soon as she did, papers fluttered through the tent, forming the mistress of origami herself.

"I told you to stop using that honorific, Ajisai," Konan said calmly. "Then again, I remember you teasing Naruto with it as well…" she smiled when she saw that Ajisai was rendered speechless. She laid down a bundle of papers, and left without saying a word. When Ajisai gathered her wits- shocked that Konan would think that she made fun of her- and looked at the bundle, she was left in tears.

Apparently Konan had gone to her apartment. That was where Ajisai remembered leaving these drawings. She was amazed that Konan would have kept her belongings. Still… seeing her drawing of Fuyō hurt terribly.

Under the cover of a complex genjutsu that completely concealed his presence, Jiraiya shook his head. Konan's methods of motivating the girl were rather brutal. He couldn't say that it wasn't effective, though, as he saw a determination on her face which he knew she would need. Her training would be harsh, as there was little time for relaxation. Once the girl was healed, there wouldn't be much time for her to ponder about the things which had happened to her.

Jiraiya offered a silent prayer to whatever gods were out there, asking them to lend the girl the strength she'd need. The world of shinobi would need the power of the rinnegan if they were to stand a chance at liberating Naruto and preventing the Jūbi from rising again.

'Kill? Attack? Assassination? Was she joking? No, the way she said it, it was no joke at all,' Ino tried to get control over the annoyingly trembling lip. She wanted to remain calm, to show no weaknesses. She had mostly managed to do that during the time in which she had believed that Naruto had died, so why was it so difficult now?

The conclusion seemed simple: she began to accept that she had lost Naruto.

The objective side of her mind had concluded long ago that she was been going through the stages. Denial, anger, she'd gone through it all. Her parents had taught her too much on the matter of psychology- a form of training which was essential to any Yamanaka- to be unaware of it. And yet she had never truly accepted Naruto's death, especially not when she first saw 'Kūnomori'.

Yet now, more than ever before, she felt like she had lost him. She sighed, and moved into her own tent. Later today she'd have to say goodbye to her teammates, as Shikamaru and Chōji would be staying with the forces which Konoha left in Amegakure to oversee the aftermath of this war. Shikamaru would even lead it. While that was somewhat unusual considering how he was 'just' a chūnin, she knew that none of the jōnin that would stay in Ame would even get close to her friend's sharp mind. While she understood why they'd stay, she did feel lonely without them.

On the plus side, she'd get back home soon, so she'd be able to empty her heart with her parents. Though, she wasn't entirely sure whether she would be able to hold off her breakdown until then. 'If only Shizune was still around…' she let herself fall into her field bed.

Naruto had once told her that the people of Amegakure had strange customs. That they were short tempered. The casual way in which Ajisai had brought up the issue of them fighting for the same man was… disturbing.

Still, when Ajisai had steered the conversation in that direction, Ino had been forced to reach her conclusion. She knew how Naruto was, even if his mind was scarred due to a chain of horrible experiences, she knew that his essence was still the same. He'd go through hell and back, beat up the Shinigami itself, for those he cared about. And that made hurting Ajisai impossible for Ino.

'I care too much about Naruto to wish that the person he now loves most to get hurt,' Ino repeated her conclusion to herself. But what now? You cannot ungrow two trees that have developed a lean or grown unevenly because of a now-absent obstacle, to make them fine and straight again.

Oddly, the first person she related herself to was Sakura. Young as they had been at the time, Sakura had been oddly persistent, some would even say obsessive, with regard to her feelings for Uchiha Sasuke. And then Sasuke's older brother had snapped, and massacred the entire clan. Ino had seen up close how much Sakura had suffered.

Just like she knew, and had seen, how Tsunade suffered. But unlike Sakura, who, after some time, eventually gathered herself and moved on, Tsunade had never been able to let it go. Ever since Dan had died, Tsunade had never stopped grieving. Not until Naruto had somehow managed to wriggle his way into her broken heart, and had brought her back to Konoha. Yet even after that, Tsunade had been unable to deal with loss. Shizune had basically thrown away her own love life to support her broken teacher, never having bonded with anyone while she remained at Tsunade side.

'Would I take my loss just as badly as Tsunade-sama did? Is that what I will become, a drunk who tries to escape her own past?'

A Yamanaka was trained, from the very start, to have a very strong mind. Psychology training taught her that she first had to deal with her own emotions, before she could even consider delving into the minds of others. So she couldn't be that weak. Not when her father had said that she had the potential to eventually lead their clan. Would she lose all that because Naruto had returned as a changed person? Would she allow herself to become a broken person?

Hell no.

It was painful, but it was inevitable. She had to cope with the truth, no matter how hard it was. And she wouldn't become like Tsunade and linger in the past. What Naruto had experienced had left its scars on him, but he would live. He had been forced to move on, and had found happiness with Ajisai. He loved Ajisai, she had seen it in his eyes. If… if he could move on… 'If Naruto can do it, so must I,' Ino cringed at her own thoughts, but knew that it was true. Either she allowed herself to wallow in her loss, or she'd stand up and move on.

'I'll never forget, and I'll never need to, but… I loved you, Naruto-kun,' Ino felt the tears flow, and was glad she was all alone now. They had been happy, and she had so many fond memories of his mischief and trespasses. But that was it: they were memories. Loss, shame, and jealousy: Ino was better than that. She could see the folly of trying to hold her childhood love to any commitment. She'd only hurt herself by futilely trying to grab hold of what was no long there.

'I'll free you from Zetsu. I swear it. I'll do everything I can to rescue you, but not for myself. I'll do it for you and for Ajisai.'

Everything hurt. He could swear that his head was currently just a collection of lumps, with his white manes sticking out of the top. It hurt, but he knew he had it coming. Still, it was something he'd have to go through.

"Eye twolb you eye wab swobby!"

Whack!

"Err, I think he just said he was sorry, Ma," the little green toad sighed. "Could you please hand me my stick back?"

"Hmpf, fine," Shima grumbled. "But this ain't over yet!"

"Eye 'now," Jiraiya muttered, taking a few moments for himself to heal, so that he'd at least be able to talk normally again.

"When Bunta returned, telling us that you were battling Tsunade-chan, we thought you had finally lost it," Fukasaku sighed. "But ta old geezer insisted that he was still right, so… that's ta sole reason why we answered when you tried to summon us. I can't say I'm perfectly happy with yer explanation, though."

Shima harrumphed and seemed to struggle against the urge to smack Jiraiya again.

"I lost hope," Jiraiya said quietly. "After Minato and Kushina, after Sarutobi-sensei, after… I thought I had lost Naruto too. Then I found Nagato and Konan. Can you blame me for that? Nagato and Konan were the only bonds I had left, after Tsunade blamed me for Naruto's death. But now… all I want now is to see to it that my godson lives a better life than I did," the withered shinobi grimaced. "I was wrong with what I have done, I know. But now is not the time to linger on these things."

"We need ta find Naruto-chan," Shima agreed.

"And quickly," Fukasaku nodded. "If Naruto-chan is ta one to bring great revolution to ta world, we can't allow him ta be controlled by this 'Zetsu' figure. Even if there's a new person carrying ta rinnegan, she won't get ta time to grow strong 'nough to beat Naruto-chan by herself."

"Can I count on you two?"

"We won't retract ta summoning contract from you, no," Shima huffed. "But don't ya think for a moment that I'm done with ya, Jiraiya-chan!"

"Again."

She groaned affirmatively, though could barely keep herself standing up. Her legs trembled, feeling as thin as twigs. Her arms weren't doing much better. The injuries left by Pein piercings had been healed, but her body still ached. Those had not been your average type of injury, not even for someone as skilled as Tsunade. But she had to move. She had to succeed.

'Naruto-kun,' the now orange haired Ajisai stared at her merciless teacher. What did a little pain and exhaustion matter to her when his life was at stake? Likewise, she had never truly wished for anyone to die, but for what happened to Fuyō, and what he was now doing to Naruto, Ajisai truly wanted to kill Zetsu. Well, she also wished that she could slaughter the men who had raped and murdered her sister, but she had never seen their faces, and they had most likely perished at Hanzō's hands, so… that felt different.

"Shinra Tensei," Ajisai forced all of her chakra outwards, trying to create a stronger force. The enormous boulder in front of her barely budged, though.

"Again," Konan repeated herself. She had warned Ajisai that this training would be harsh, so she didn't relent. The girl still had power within her, Konan was sure of that, so all she needed to do was to push her until that power manifested itself.

It wasn't very surprising that Ajisai had immediately shown that the abilities of the Animal Path were like a second nature to her. She had been 'created' for that purpose, so Konan suspected that Nagato had somehow optimized the girl for that path. So, with nothing left to teach her in that respect- although Jiraiya had lectured quite a bit on the matter of summoning and summoning contracts- Konan had moved on to what she saw as the two most important paths: Deva Path and Preta Path.

Deva Path covered both offense and defense, and Nagato had often proven how devastating it could be. Preta Path was perhaps even more important, considering how the ability to absorb chakra was the perfect counter against any ninjutsu, while also covering the greatest weakness which Ajisai had in comparison to Naruto: her chakra reserves. With the ability of the Preta Path she would be able to gather chakra and continue fighting, instead of running out of chakra and losing due to exhaustion. Still… Konan wasn't comfortable. Naruto had defeated Nagato, had found ways to best each of Nagato's abilities. Would the inexperienced Ajisai be able to make a difference?

"Shinra Tensei!" A crack appeared in the boulder, and it seemed like it was pushed back by another few inches. Ajisai fell to her knees, panting, but Konan was proud to see the girl quickly getting on her feet again, ready for yet another attempt.

These small moments of pride were a welcome distraction from the aching wound in her heart. While Nagato had strayed from his path, and she had part of the blame for not realizing this sooner, Konan felt terribly lonely without him. She had met Yahiko shortly after she had lost her parent in the wars, and soon after that they had met Nagato. The three of them had spent their time together, for a while also under the tutelage of Jiraiya, until Yahiko had perished. Since then Nagato had been the only constant in her life, for over twenty five years… and now he was gone.

She had thought of leaving Nagato's corpse in a hall, laying him out for his final rest within a sea of origami flowers. But she had decided against it, no matter how it pained her. Tsunade had transplanted Nagato's eyes (Konan refused to accept that Zetsu had somehow given them to him) but still there was no guarantee that Zetsu wouldn't be after Nagato's body. He had, after all, carried the rinnegan for over three decades. Although if one had looked at his body one would have thought that he had lived threefold that amount of years.

Still, regardless of her emotions Konan had not wanted to risk Zetsu learning anything, so she had given Nagato a true shinobi funeral: she had, together with Jiraiya, cremated Nagato's remains. No secrets were left behind. No trace of him… except the memories she held. Her last friend. The man who had given up his life to revive the girl in front of her, the girl who could have a chance at defeating Zetsu, although perhaps he had done it out of a sense of guilt as well. Even Konan couldn't tell. In his final moment, when the true depth of Zetsu's deception had come to light, Nagato had seemed oddly regretful. It was odd, because Konan had been there when Nagato had mercilessly slaughtered Hanzo and his bloodline…

"Again," Konan droned, seeing that Ajisai was leaning forward, her hands resting on her knees as if she was supporting herself.

"Yes," Ajisai panted. "I'll… never give… up."

"Is it vengeance you seek?"

Ajisai gave Konan a look, almost quizzically. It wasn't anger that controlled the girl. No, it was desperation.

"Nagato sometimes said that the abilities of the Deva Path were his favorite because they forced him to calm down," Konan informed her 'student'. "It isn't anger that distracts you, but the sadness you feel for Fuyō and the desperation because of Naruto will hold you back. Clear your mind of those desires. Calm yourself. Gravitation is, after all, a rather singular force. It cannot be harnessed when your resolve is fragile."

"I'll try, Konan-sensei," Ajisai nodded tiredly. "But… I can't say it will be easy," she admitted right after.

"Nothing in life that is worth anything will ever be easy," Konan smiled faintly before gesturing that Ajisai should try again.

Even if the younger girl wouldn't succeed right away with regard to the abilities of the Deva Path, this method had more than one purpose. Ajisai had to relearn how to control her chakra, as she needed to adapt to the way Nagato had altered her body and tenketsu. Konan was slightly amused by the fact that the girl still hadn't realized how much stronger she already was. Before her death her reserves had been only a fraction of what it was now, possibly just enough to last for three attempts at Shinra Tensei, rather than the over two dozen attempts that had passed now.

Beyond the different flow and amounts of chakra, there was also the issue that the nature of Ajisai's chakra had changed. The 'most exalted' amongst the three great dōjutsu offered its wielder, whether the eyes were transplanted or not, the ability to master any jutsu as well as all five nature transformations. While the rinnegan would not offer the insight of the byakugan, or the copying and predicting abilities of the sharingan, the power of the rinnegan was unsurpassed regardless. The key to its overwhelming power might be the Rikudō no Jutsu (Six Paths Technique), but its versatility with regard to ninjutsu was, even though often overlooked, a great advantage as well.

Jiraiya had lectured long and had explored many of the details which he had originally discussed with Nagato, back when the sennin had taken the three Ame orphans in his care. Nagato had struggled with control, as contradictory as it might sound, simply due to that versatility. Konan had never realized, back then, how Nagato had done it. It had seemed so simple, as if it was a 'free gift' from the dōjutsu.

But when she saw how Jiraiya showed Ajisai the five nature transformations, even though his mastery over raiton was rather poor, Konan was amazed that Ajisai could so easily replicate the flow of chakra and let the piece of paper in her hands ignite, cut, soak, wrinkle, or turn to dirt. Still, even though that step was easy enough to replicate, using real jutsu was a wholly different story. Ajisai needed to relearn her chakra control for that. The rinnegan allowed the girl to see, but not to effortlessly copy a jutsu. The true terror, in this regard, would be if one would wield both the rinnegan and sharingan at the same time.

Unfortunately, that was not the case for Ajisai. So, Konan had to push the girl to her limits if she wished to be of any use. She had failed to protect the girl once, but she wouldn't allow the girl to be harmed a second time. That was the least she owed Ajisai and Naruto. Konan swore to herself she'd do whatever she could to atone for Nagato's transgressions.

"That borders treason, Nara."

"If summing up several facts is treason, then we live in a village filled with traitors," Shikaku said offhandedly. "But don't tell me you haven't seen the same information, Hiashi."

The head of the Hyūga clan was wary of the head of the Nara clan. The intelligence of the latter made him a difficult person to deal with, even if the Nara clan had far less influence within the village. Neither, however, would risk challenging the Hokage office, though.

"Sightings of the boy are a poorly kept secret," Hiashi admitted.

"Exactly. Meanwhile, the Hokage has her strange story, in which she still seems to hide half the facts, and sends out as many of her Anbu in all directions," Shikaku was a bit annoyed that he had to waste the effort repeating himself, but unfortunately not everyone could process information as fast as a Nara. "And is it so unusual to think that he betrayed us? You heard his words: he had no interest in joining Konoha again."

"But with his power, it will be difficult to force him," Hiashi remained stoic. Whether the jinchūriki was a traitor or not, it would be something which would be difficult to change, as there didn't seem to be any shinobi in their village who would be able to defeat him.

"Individually, he is unmatched, but when we focus our efforts..." Shikaku drawled, wondering why the Hyūga didn't see it yet.

"Hokage-sama is locating the boy, after which she aims to force him back."

"Indeed," Shikaku successfully resisted the urge to throw his hands in the air and exclaim 'finally'. Then again, it was very well possible that the Hyūga was just playing a defensive role, withholding as much information as he possibly could. "That takes us to my other point: why are we wasting our power on a boy we cannot control, when the other nations are all too vulnerable to do anything against us?"

"Your agenda is known," Hyūga Hiashi had heard the Nara on this matter in the council meeting. Not that he disagreed on the matter, as it was easy to see that the current situation was in their favor, while the other four villages were either too weak or too distracted by (civil) war. He didn't think, however, that things would be all that easy. Sure, Iwagakure had lost a lot during the war on Amegarkure, most notably their Tsuchikage, but they still wouldn't be easily defeated. Kumogakure's misplaced desire to avenge their fallen Raikage and jinchūriki only made the matter more explosive.

"I'm aware you would rather stay out of that mess, I know. But don't you think we should take our responsibility?" Shikaku reasoned. "As long as the current system of the hidden villages is in place, conflict and war will continue to exist. While I disagreed on many points, Danzō was right that unifying the world under one rule would make things far more peaceful."

"Except that Shimaru Danzō wanted to unify the world under his rule. Are you planning to do the same, Shikaku-san?" Hiashi's voice was icily cold. His dislike of the former village elder was well known.

"...I had presumed you were smarter than that, Hiashi," Shikaku sighed disappointedly. "But my actions are not for my own benefit. I merely see a chance to end this era of strife. Shodai-sama certainly made the world more peaceful than it had been in the era prior to him, but regardless of that the world still doesn't truly know peace. My sole interest in this situation is that I might leave a world to the next generations that is filled with fewer battles and wars than my world has been."

"So you intend to change the fate of the world," Hiashi frowned. Thoughtfully, he considered the possible benefits of that idea. A noble goal, surely, but he wondered how feasible it was. Still, if it was a Nara who came with the idea…

"It seems as if Tsunade-sama isn't acting in the best interest of the village. And this isn't the first time such a thing happens, if I am honest. Shizune has covered for a lot of her faults in these past years, as has Inoichi's daughter. This opportunity, however, is too great to leave in the hands of someone whose capability is already questionable. The letter she spoke of is even more questionable," Shikaku scowled. "Those promises and requests, even if they were made by the granddaughter of the former Tsuchikage, mean nothing as long as that girl holds no true power. We both know all too well that the promises of Iwagakure mean little."

"As much as we can trust Kumogakure," Hiashi had never forgotten their attempt to steal his daughter. An attempt which ended in the death of his brother, as the snakes had demanded compensation for the death of the kidnapper as well.

"Kumo's greed for power and bloodlines will never allow for peace. This is why I see the current situation as a chance: Kumo and Iwa will weaken each other during their war, which will leave us, if we are properly prepared, a perfect opportunity to eliminate both weakened armies."

"Except your proposal would never be passed while the Hokage opposes it, unless the majority of the clans is strong enough to overrule that decision," Hiashi knew all too well why Shikaku had come to him. "I take it that this is also why you have visited the Aburame and the Inuzuka?"

The sly smile was enough of an answer. "One last thing, Hiashi… there is something going on just outside Konoha. Inoichi couldn't get an answer from Ino, but I heard some disturbing rumors. Do you know something about this? What they are doing?"

"I do not," Hiashi kept his pokerface in perfect shape.

"Your nephew, Neji, is part of the squad that was assigned to guard-"

"Whether he is a member of my clan or not, I do not break the chain of command by ordering him to spill the contents of a classified mission," Hiashi began to lose his cool a little. What was the Nara thinking? If a clan head would reason like that, the village would collapse within a generation. Such a crude violation of the authority of the Hokage would in turn invite the Hokage to violate the authority, and quite possible even the autonomy, of the clans. No, this request was going several steps too far. Traditions were there because they had many years of proof that they worked. That balance had to be maintained.

"My apologies."

"I give the current state of the world a lot of thought," Hiashi said in such a manner that even the Nara knew that it was time to hurry up and leave.

Shikaku hoped that he had convinced the Hyūga. This needed to be done. War was wrong, yes, but he gladly sinned if it meant that his children or grandchildren would never be forced to do battle. They were the ones who were important, not him. Shikaku knew very well that his current generation was too caught up in old feuds and petty grudges. If nothing else, the war against Amegakure had opened his eyes. Tsunade dreamt of alliances and friendships, but Shikaku had seen how fragile those dreams were. All it took was a little confusion, and friends would cut down friends. And it took even less for allies to turn on each other.

That, along with the multiple reports that Uzumaki Naruto had been sighted leaving the battlefield and traveling through the country, had convinced Shikaku that Tsunade was wrong. And Shikaku would rather be damned as a traitor than let the future generations pay the price for her foolishness. Her depression and alcoholism had already rendered her incompetent, in his view, but in this mad quest to chase a supposedly 'possessed' jinchūriki was nothing but a waste. Shikaku had seen Naruto well enough that no simple spy would be able to control him. Besides, none of the reported sightings spoke of half of Naruto body being covered in a black substance.

To Shikaku, it seemed more likely that after the defeat of Pein, and the defection of Naruto, Pein's lieutenant had somehow manipulated Tsunade's frail mind. Why else would she have let that woman live? Why else did she allow that woman to do some sort of training just outside the village? Why else would she not have taken measures to punish Jiraiya? That man had been part of Akatsuki according to some very confidential information that Shikaku had gathered. Tsunade made a mistake by ignoring this opportunity and wasting resources on a runaway jinchūriki. The logical mind of the Nara saw too many connections to ignore the pattern. Every bit of new information only reinforced that idea.

Sadly, he couldn't thoroughly check every source of information. A shortcoming which, in spite of Shikaku's good intentions, was happily exploited by Zetsu…

"I'm not handicapped, you know."

"I know, but I still like doing this."

"It's not like it serves a point."

"Why not? Because you're constantly training? Even then you have the right to look at your best. Besides, I like doing this."

"Thanks, Suiren."

"Don't mention it," the green-haired girl shrugged. While she had little interest in her own appearance, as she regarded herself to be unattractive due to the scars on the lower half of her face, Suiren still found it oddly relaxing to mess around with hair. She often had aided Fuyō with it, since Fuyō usually lacked the patience to pay too much attention to it- and the two had lived near each other anyway. "Besides, there isn't much I can do for you, so could you please leave me this?"

"Okay, I give up," Ajisai giggled. "But you're doing far more than just that, Suiren. You're my friend. Without you… losing Fuyō is difficult enough as it is. I don't know if I could've gone through with all this if not…"

"Of course you could," Suiren was strangely upbeat about it, and Ajisai knew that the girl only tried to improve her mood. "You've got Naruto to fight for, right? Now, I've finished your hair, let's get something to eat. Ino was busy with breakfast, and I'm hungry."

They watched as the orange-haired girl stepped out of the tent, with the green-haired girl following. This little camp was just outside Konoha, far enough to avoid unwanted attention yet close enough for Konoha's forces to swoop in and aid when needed. Also close enough for the four of them to locate the place quickly enough.

They had all lost friends, teammates, or family in this futile war. Amegakure had been defeated, subjugated, and Akatsuki had been eliminated. Or so they thought. The Anbu that had warned them had been right. The blue haired woman they saw, peacefully enjoying breakfast with the orange- and green-haired girls, as well as the Yamanaka girl, she was the right hand of Akatsuki's leader. None of the four had actually seen her during the battle, but many jōnin had gotten a global description that would have enabled them to spot the members of Akatsuki.

Konan, Amegakure's 'angel'. Why was she here? Why would the Hokage allow that murderer to remain so close to their village? And Pein, Akatsuki's leader, was said to have orange hair. Was the girl they saw down there related to him? A daughter?

They didn't care. All they saw were the people they had lost to Akatsuki. A surprise attack, swift and deadly, even if they were merely chūnin they knew that these villains would be caught off guard. Even if that only led to the deaths of one or two of them…

A green blur went past them. A second blur followed. The kunai, with A-grade explosive tags at the ready, were suddenly gone from their hands. A whistle-like sound which they were all too familiar with- the sound of kunai flying through the air- reached their ears. All four scattered, without even looking at each other. All four, however, found that there was no escaping the kunai. There were too many and were thrown too accurately to dodge.

"How unyouthful," a green-clad boy sighed, looking down at the four gravely injured men.

"They deserved no less, Lee," a larger version, with the same haircut and green abomination of a leotard, boomed. "We gave them all the time and room to back away, but instead they drew their kunai. They were about to attack, so they were traitors."

"It is a bit disappointing," a brown-haired girl who had her hair styled in two buns landed next to the two. "Neji's already sending word to Tsunade-sama about this. Why would these fools try something like this, sensei?"

"There is no easy answer, Tenten," Maito Gai was unusually serious. "There are many people within the village who are consumed by a desire to avenge our fallen. Who rather wish for war, even when those who were to blame for the previous war have perished. It worries me how many rather discard peace, favoring war. It shames me that even I… when fighting Akatsuki I could only think of Kakashi," Gai grimaced. "It shows that I need to train harder. Because, my students, it wasn't the risk of losing my life that worried me, but it was that my failure forced you to enter my battle."

"But Sensei, we-"

"No, Lee. Listen to what I want to say," Gai grabbed Lee by the shoulders and shook him. "Never let yourself be consumed by the desire to avenge those who have already passed away. Fight for those who are alive, to protect them however you can. These men lost the springtime of their youth because they saw only what they had lost, rather than what they still had."

"Yes, Sensei," Lee saluted, although Tenten had serious doubts whether Lee truly understood. She'd probably need to smack the information through that thick skull of his in the near future. On the other hand, considering what Neji had gone through, before he had bettered his life after the first Chūnin Exams in which they had participated, the team was already supposed to know this lesson.

"Sensei, I'll go down to inform them of the situation. Suiren is a sensor, and knowing Konan-san she's aware of this too, so I guess it is for the best to tell them how we resolved this."

"Very well, Tenten," Gai nodded. "Lee, go the vantage point on the other side and keep watch, I will wait for Neji to return."

"Yes, Gai-sensei," both chūnin chimed. Tenten sped towards the four kunoichi who were enjoying their breakfast. Although the lack of surprise made it obvious to her that none of them had failed to notice the little skirmish.

"Four shinobi from Konoha tried to attack, our team neutralized them," Tenten reported. "Neji and Gai-sensei will ensure that these men are brought to T&I."

"It was to be expected that people would try this," Konan focused on her food again. "Though it wasn't like four chūnin level shinobi would have stood a chance, even against Ajisai alone."

"Perhaps if they had gotten the element of surprise," Suiren shrugged. "It seems they didn't even consider the possibility that one of us would be a sensor. And I thought the shinobi from Amegakure were too hotheaded."

Tenten laughed and then excused herself, before she could leave, however, Konan halted her. "Would you perhaps be willing to help us in Ajisai's training, Tenten-san?"

"Help?" the weapon mistress blinked. "Me? How would I be able to help?"

"Aren't you carrying Samehada ever since Kisame died?"

"Yeah," Tenten frowned. "When I tried to give Same-chan to Tsunade-sama she attacked her."

"Same-chan?" Konan looked up from her food, surprise showing in spite of her usually stoic demeanor. "Kisame mentioned that Samehada was a sentient blade, who picked its wielders. We always assumed that the blade was attracted to the chakra of people, but… apparently we were wrong."

"Yeah, I'm not much a chakra-monster, I know. Thanks," Tenten deadpanned.

"She's more of a weapons-nerd," Ino supplied, making Tenten scowl. "Tenten can wield any weapon she touches, even if it is one of Kirigakure's legendary blades. I swear she has half of Konoha's armory stocked within her seals."

"You're exaggerating, Ino," the girl huffed. "Anyway, Same-chan doesn't like it when others touch her. She's still sad about Kisame."

"I understand," Konan nodded calmly. "But I am not asking you to give up Samehada. I'm asking if you are will to help with training Ajisai. Samehada has the ability to absorb chakra, quite similar to the abilities of the Preta Path. With the restriction in time, seeing and feeling Samehada's chakra absorption could prove to be a valuable shortcut in Ajisai's training."

"You want me to use Samehada against Ajisai? Well, if you say so," Tenten looked at Ajisai, who nodded affirmatively, before she agreed.

While the Konoha council had chosen Gai's team to guard their 'guests', they had not been aware of the bonds between the team and the two younger kunoichi from Amegakure. Gai had been selected because he was one of the only jōnin within Konoha who'd be strong enough to defeat a former member of Akatsuki, and his team had gathered a lot of recognition as well. Unfortunately, they weren't looking at the foreign kunoichi with the same distrust as the council, considering how they had already met.

The Chūnin Exams in Sunagekure had led to a strange chain of events where Lee and Neji had been forced to cooperate with Fuyō and Suiren, after Tenten and Ajisai had been trapped in a collapsed underground system. In spite of the animosity between the two teams, they had managed to look past their grudges and survived the obstacles they had been facing together. While they weren't exactly the best of friends, that had grown a certain level of respect. It had also led to Ajisai somewhat changing her views about foreign shinobi.

In spite of his rather unusual behavior, Maito Gai was very well aware of this conflict in interests. So he had kept his team separated from the kunoichi they were guarding, aiming to keep things professional enough. After all, if the council figured that Gai's team was too friendly with what they perceived as possible hostiles, they would assign a different team. A different team who would likely mess up. And with what Tsunade had confided to him, Gai considered Ajisai and Konan to be too important to antagonize.

With all the uncertainty within the world, as wars were looming in three of the surrounding nations, Tsunade had to be very careful. The exact details on Naruto's disappearance had thus been kept to a need-to-know basis, especially after the council had voiced its skepticism regarding Naruto. Gai, however, was convinced by Tsunade's side of the story: that Naruto had been taken by Zetsu. With all the tensions, the aid of Konan and the new wielder of the rinnegan would be invaluable in their quest to liberate Naruto- or in the worst case to stop the mokuton user from causing too much havoc.

Even with all eight of his gates, Maito Gai had his doubts whether he would be able to defeat the power he had felt on the battlefield. But if he, Jiraiya, and Tsunade could get the aid of Konan and Ajisai, their odds would improve drastically.

Unfortunately, politics were rarely a youthful business. People rather denied the existence of a threat, when they saw other opportunities that suited their interest better.

"Any idea where he has taken us?"

"I told you," the reply came tersely, "that I only get vague impressions. I try to suppress my chakra as much as I possibly can, after all."

"Yeah, or else he'd be able to use it… this sucks. Is there nothing we can do?"

"No. And yes, this situation is definitely not optimal. But if I had not taken us here, the consequences would have been even worse."

"How strong is he?"

"Right now? Even with that stuff he's using to amplify his power he is still weaker than you were when I aided you."

"Ugh… I still can't believe we lost like that."

"He outsmarted us all."

They remained silent, until Naruto once again got bored by the silence and the absolute nothingness of this realm. This 'deeper level of consciousness', as Kurama had explained it, was nothing more than a limitless and dark area where only a single source of light existed. It was boring. And Naruto's boredom aggravated a certain enormous nine-tailed fox who was trying to look like he was asleep.

"Kokuō's chakra is weak, it won't be much longer," Kurama grumbled. "That greedy bastard took nearly a quarter tail worth of chakra in the moment I peeked through the seal, though."

"Kokuō?"

"The Gobi, the five-tails," Kurama sighed. "His jinchūriki will die soon. I think six days have passed in the outside world, so things are progressing faster than I would have liked."

"Dammit," Naruto added a few more words which no underage child should hear or read. The times when he had met Kisame and Hidan had certain expanded his vocabulary, and not in the good way.

"There is the possibility that those Akatsuki idiots had already started the sealing before this war started," Kurama pondered. "In that case we'd still have less than a month until Zetsu is finished."

"I hope the others find us quickly."

"It would be… preferable."

"See, even you can't hate every human," Naruto smiled. Kurama frowned before he opened his large red eyes.

"Don't speak of things you know nothing about."

"I'm aware that I know little. You're the one with centuries of experience, so you have far more wisdom than I have. So, teach me!"

"…I doubt anything can cure your ignorance," Kurama sighed. "But I suppose it will be less irritating than having to witness your boredom for another month."

The fox moved until he was lying in position that allowed him to look at the boy with both eyes. For a jinchūriki, the brat was definitely unusual. Then again, Mito and Kushina had treated him like an enemy, binding him down, whereas Naruto seemed to view him as an equal. The boy's offer of letting Kurama free once he reached his goals was even more unusual. The extraction killed a jinchūriki. But this boy seemed to care little about his own death. This lack of self-preservation was not what Kurama was used to seeing in mankind.

"Humans are usually selfish and prone to act solely in their own self-interest," Kurama sighed. "Take you, for example. Even when you knew that Akatsuki's goals were wrong, you still hunted and killed another jinchūriki… why?"

"You already know," Naruto sighed, not too happy to be reminded of that.

"Because you put the life of the girl you loved over that of the other humans," Kurama ignored Naruto's annoyance. "That is the fundamental flaw of humanity: you discriminate between things. That which you consider 'yours', you consider to be more important than that of another, and you'll protect it at the cost of others, which is how conflicts arise."

"I suppose you're right. I indeed did something bad, simply because I feared that if I didn't do it Ajisai would be harmed. Although, I also considered that the cost of not doing what I did had resulted in even more needless deaths."

"A noble statement, but we both know that the girl was your first concern," the fox shook his head. "But it is pointless to argue about the details. The result is the same. It always is. I've seen it happen, over and over again. Humans often do bad things out of good intentions. Wars which start because one of the parties thinks that peace can only exist when the other group is annihilated. Etcetera, etcetera,"Kurama sighed."It becomes quite boring after a while, to tell the truth. The predictability of it all is just… saddening."

"How often have you seen this happen?"

"I told you that it was the Rikudō Sennin who created me, out of the Jūbi, did I not?"

"Yeah. The Sage of the Six Paths, who defeated the Jūbi, sealed it within himself, created you guys, and was the one who practically founded the shinobi world."

"It seems you have a better memory than I expected you to have," Kurama chuckled, not able to resist riling the boy up a little. "You could consider him my 'father', and he… he strived to make the world a peaceful place. But as strong as he was, he never truly succeeded. He did not know why, but in the end there were always those who rather created conflict to gain that which they desired. His presence alone prevented conflicts from escalating, but, in time, just like any other human, he grew old and died. He had two sons, human sons that is," he added, before Naruto could make any weird assumptions. "Before we set out into the world, we resided in the inner world of our father, much like I do within yours right now. We saw… the younger son showed a path of love and forgiveness, one which our father believed to be able to lead to a world of peace."

"The way you're saying this… this went wrong, didn't it?"

"The Rikudō Sennin named his younger son as his heir, but the elder son objected. He was more powerful, and believed himself to offer a better solution to the conflicts in the world. He wanted to use force to bring peace to the world. Obviously, that led to a conflict between the two."

"The elder one won, I take it?" Naruto guessed, taking the current state of the world in consideration, as well as what he knew about the history of how the world had been before Hashirama founded the era of the hidden villages.

"Wrong, the younger son was victorious."

"Eh? But you said-"

"That he believed love and forgiveness was the answer," Kurama nodded. "Indeed he did, but it changed little. In spite of all his efforts, mankind never ceased to be in conflict. It is a part of their nature to create conflict. Misunderstanding will always arise, and conflict will also ensue. Whether people try it through good or bad intentions, no one can ever stop that cycle."

"Then what you're saying is that my promise to Aji-chan…"

"As long as there are humans, there will be conflict. True peace is impossible, and I dare say it is even something you shouldn't long for. A world without conflict is a utopia that will always be out of your reach."

"You're just saying that because you gave up!" Naruto sputtered, although deep down he knew… he had reached that conclusion long ago: humans only had limited comprehension. As a species, he had to acknowledge that they were either too arrogant or too oblivious. Oblivious, as they did not seem to realize how little they truly understood of the world. This was arrogance, because they replaced their doubts and confusions with foolish beliefs, fearing the state of not-knowing; preferring to be misguided over being unknowing.

"No, brat… I'm saying that because no matter what anyone tried, no matter how strong the one who tried, mankind always created new conflicts. Through the ages, I mostly wandered alone. But sometimes I sensed places in the world with so many negative emotions that I attacked. I wiped it out, cleansing the world of that evil. But rather than thanking me, mankind feared me. Although that fear was more interesting than the foolish idea they had before that. Not until Madara did anyone manage to capture me…"

Naruto frowned. "Are things really that bad? I thought-"

"You thought you were doing good too," Kurama interrupted. "But look at what you helped creating. I too thought that stopping Akatsuki was the right thing to do, and look at us now! We played right into Zetsu's hands!"

That gave Naruto some pause. Yes, what he had done had led to more bad than good, he didn't even want to try to deny that. His efforts to bring peace had led to war, their efforts to halt Akatsuki had given opportunity to Zetsu, and all the people who perished due to their actions… so many had died in the war. And yet it were those who had died due to Naruto's own actions that pained him most: Ajisai, Fū, Guren, or that poor Yamanaka woman- none of them had needed to die. None of them would have died if he had done the right thing.

But what was the right thing?

Life and death were interlinked. Saving one life often meant that another would be lost. All life consumed the remnants of other life, in whatever form, to grow and sustain itself. It was a march of progress that led in no particular direction, or at least no direction which any limited human would ever comprehend. Was peace the same thing? Was this what Kurama was trying to tell him? That the desire for peace was just like trying to save a life, that it would bring war and death?

"I don't know anymore," Naruto sighed, his mind straining in a futile attempt to comprehend that paradox. "What is good? What is evil?"

"I think the younger son of the Rikudō Sennin was correct in one thing: it takes cooperation between people to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles. It might not lead to a perfect world, but cooperation at least leads to a better world than one where people attempt to pursue their interests individually," Kurama spoke in earnest, although Naruto heard an odd tremor in his voice: Kurama was just as uncertain as much as he was! He, who had witnessed humanity for centuries, honestly did not know a better solution. It humbled Naruto, and more than anything it gave him a clear impression of how incredibly difficult it was to find a good solution. "Although cooperation has advantages and disadvantages, of course. The advantage being that there is less conflict."

"And the disadvantage?"

"What do you think?" Kurama scowled. "If humans band together yet still get into conflict, the scale of that conflict is far greater than when there is conflict between two individuals. Still, in a world where people unite in groups, there is less chaos. The ability to pursue individual greed is limited more."

"But it is no solution, as conflict would still exist. No, worse: the solution of the younger son only introduced the notion of war, did it not?"

"What makes you think that humanity wasn't well acquainted with war already, long before father changed the world?" Kurama laughed mirthlessly.

"I see," Naruto felt exhausted. "So the conflict between the two sons was irrelevant. At least, with regard to finding a path to peace."

"You are naïve, boy," Kurama shook his massive head, although his voice was surprisingly gentle. "It was not irrelevant, I never said it was. But it was merely one more step on a long road. Do not blind yourself by thinking you can reach the destination with a single step. He, like the Rikudō Sennin before him, knew very well that his dream would be impossible to realize. And yet he persisted. The only thing I can really hold against him was his naivety. His trust and forgiveness ruined everything he tried to build, as he didn't stop mankind from straying from the path he laid out for them. You, of all people, should know that love and trust lead to mistakes just as well as greed and strive."

"It is because we're all biased and limited, only thinking from our own perspectives," Naruto agreed with the less than happy conclusion. "It seems that was our downfall as well. We only saw Pein as the real threat, underestimating what Zetsu could do. Then I let my rage get the better of me, blocking you out…"

"Neither of us saw it coming," Kurama admitted. "Your promise to bring a world of peace was admirable, but ultimately stupidly naïve. Especially since you, deep down, knew better."

"Hey, at least I managed to get the mighty Kyūbi, the supposed embodiment of hatred and evil, to talk with me," Naruto chuckled lightly, showing some of his old bravado. "Even if we're about to die, I'm glad I managed to do that. I'm glad I don't have to die alone."

"Tsk."

"I'm sorry, Kurama," Naruto's mood just as suddenly shifted back to being completely serious. "To me this'll only mean death, and I'll go to the afterlife, hopefully rejoining Ajisai and my family, but you… my failure will mean you'll suffer a fate worse than death. I know it means little to you, and you'll likely say that it is bullshit anyway, but still I want to apologize for my failure. I never wanted this to happen to anyone, least of all to one of my friends."

Zetsu had only won by the smallest of margins. Now the parasitic creature could just leech off Kurama's chakra, growing stronger if he'd try to break free. Due to the nature of the seal that held him back, combined with the suppressing qualities of mokuton, Kurama couldn't instantly burst his full power through. Not without killing Naruto, at least. And since Naruto's death would leave him at Zetsu's mercy, Kurama knew that there was no easy way out. No, he didn't blame the boy. Kurama blamed himself. If only he had seen this coming. If only he had been a little stronger…

"…we both failed, Naruto," Kurama said softly, after have remained silent for a few seconds.

Author's notes

Ino's part in the chapter brought me quite a few headaches. I wanted her to get some closure, while not creating some sort of dramatic sob story out of it, so… it was hard to put into words. Ironically my intentions were easily captured in one word, the title of this chapter, but writing it out was far more challenging. But eventually I did manage to write down what I wanted. A big thank-you needs to be given to my former beta who was willing to give me his opinion on the matter. I even shamelessly copy-pasted some of your words, Illuminated, so your influence lives on!

Ino has moved on, even while she's sad about it she accepted the truth and was mature enough to deal with it. I know that some of you wished for me to somehow add her to the Naruto/Ajisai pairing, but… that wasn't what I had in mind. That's why I never advertised this story as a Naruto/Ino one, and I think I hinted enough that it wouldn't happen either, so I hope no one is left disappointed.

'till the next chapter, and please leave reviews! (Or Tenten will swing Same-chan at ya ;-)

-Ziltoid-