Find anything and everything you know about Kato Dan including the relationship between him and Tsunade. He could go and possibly become the Godaime Hokage. I heard that he had been gone from between two to three years, so it was from before when we arrived. I don't know whether to regard him as a suspicious person or not, and I'm hoping for the latter. Reports on Suna and Iwa would be appreciated.
H.S.
.
Kato Dan, age 44. Renowned jounin of Konohagakure, most known for his advocacy of having med-nin assigned to each team. Born December 4th, Blood Type A, registration number 002973, biological uncle to Shizune: Tsunade's first apprentice. Two jutsu he's known for is the Chakra Transfer Jutsu and the Reika no Jutsu, where the user's spirit materializes and takes possession of a target and decays said target from the inside out. He fought in the Second Shinobi World War and killed countless shinobi until suffering a fatal wound.
He was healed by Tsunade.
The two established a romantic relationship before and after that particular war. And here's when I run into complications with that information. No one knows exactly what happened between the two of them that caused both her and Shizune to leave over ten years ago, but he's been looking for them ever since. He's had no leads and there aren't any local reports of Tsunade sightings as far as I've seen.
I remember him from stories of my younger years. He was supposed to die in the war.
But he'll be a fine enough Kage. Nothing bad in his history, though I suggest you keep tabs on him just in case.
Suna: no progression. He's just as I've left him and has yet to make amends with his uncle.
Iwa: no progression. The Tsuchikage continues to train him and there's no sign of him wanting to abandon his village.
You've got nothing to worry about. Things are going smoothly on my end. By the way, how have the pills been working? I'd like to hear that they're being used appropriately.
Marionette
.
They're sleeping pills, not L-pills. Contrary to popular belief, I actually know how to use them.
There also aren't any immediate enemies in Konoha. I'll have eyes on Dan soon enough. As of right now, I'm already monitoring the Uchiha Clan as a whole, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Obito, Danzo, and a few other students in my year. The village is peaceful.
A bit... too peaceful to be comfortable.
Keep your ears open for any new piece of information.
H.S.
.
Peace isn't a bad thing. I hope you don't forget that.
Remember that you're young again and you don't have anything you've sworn yourself to. You're what, seven years old? Seven year olds aren't supposed to have any obligation to the world. We've already both felt what death is like and have succumbed to the hopelessness.
Start over. Help yourself. Look to the brighter side of things. I don't think we'll ever get this chance again.
Marionette
.
If I don't get stronger then I can't protect everyone else form a fate they all could have. It doesn't matter if I have to die all over again for them to be safe because they have to be safe. And they will be. I don't know why we were brought back or who thought it was a great idea for it to be the two of us, but I'm going to make the most of it.
When I was a young girl, I was vain and only cared of how people thought of me. I was weak and only wanted for people to notice my looks. I was never at my best and only did I accept it when I realized people died on my watch because of it.
You saw it for yourself. If Chiyo-baa-sama wasn't there then I would have never stood a chance against you.
Look, I know you're concerned, but I'm not going to let everything happen all over again.
H.S.
.
And it won't. I promise.
Life isn't supposed to be a mission.
Marionette
.
But mine is.
H.S.
::
"Some of your friends are coming over today, right?" Shikaku asked. He was sat at the kitchen island as his wife Yoshino took out ingredients to make a cake. He made a constant motion to sneak some of the chocolate chips into his mouth, but Yoshino kept smacking his hand with her spoon.
"Yeah," Shikamaru replied as he scratched the back of his head, "it's my turn."
"Turn?"
"We take turns going to each other's places now for studying. First we went to Chouji's. Now it's me."
In all honesty, his son having more friends was a godsend. The boy was more active and was more inclined to do things without his parents having to force him- something they never thought was possible.
"Do you think they'll enjoy sweets?" Yoshino questioned. After glaring her husband into a pouty, glumly accepting state and moving the chocolate chips to another table, she turned around and preheated the oven. Her son nodded.
"They eat anything. Like potatoes."
"... Potatoes?" Shikamaru sighed.
"It's a really long story."
Ding-Dong.
The boy padded out of the kitchen and to the front door. Shikaku propped up his chin and watched as his son left the area. He didn't know exactly who was coming over except for Chouji and most likely that Haruno Sakura girl. Still, he was very curious about her. He had yet to find out what it was that caused Shiranui Genma and Morino Ibiki of all people to take an interest in her and bring her under their care.
A prodigy? And she had to be of Hatake Kakashi or Uchiha caliber. Though, he'd never heard of such a phenomenon occurring in the civilian sector.
He straightened in his seat when a flood of voices poured into the house. Shikamaru re-emerged into his parent's sight with a mass of six Academy students following close behind him. Shikaku and Yoshino couldn't restrain their surprise.
He had this many friends?!
"Tou-san, Kaa-san, we'll be in the living room," the boy said.
"A-Alright."
His father quickly scanned a critical eye over the mismatched bunch, his incredulity growing with each passing millisecond. The first one to catch his eye was the blonde jinchuriki, happily chatting to Chouji. Naruto, he remembered. He wasn't the scared, timid thing he sometimes spotted ambling alone in public and taking in the villagers hate without backlash.
Second was Fugaku's youngest: Sasuke. For having a high placement in such a prestigious clan, especially in the head household, it was hard to believe that Fugaku would even allow one of his own to mingle with a stretch of different classes. He was talking to Shikamaru and the third person he noticed- one of the reclusive Aburame. Shino, he presumed. That boy held some odd looking bug in his hand and was explaining something about its functions.
Fourth was the Hyuuga girl. Main house, definitely, and more likely than not the heir. She was a powerful asset as one of Konoha's noble clans and should have a branch member at her side at all times. How was she even allowed to come? Her face was pink as she talked excitedly with the only other girl of the group, Sakura. She was wholly attentive to what her friend was saying.
Which made Shikaku frown the slightest bit.
As she passed the doorway, he sent a nearly invisible shadow thread her direction. His frown deepened when she intentionally sidestepped just a centimeter to the right to avoid it and walk forward like nothing happened. There was a flicker of narrowed green his way before she disappeared from view.
Shikaku rubbed at his chin.
He couldn't let this slip by.
::
Fuck.
She made it even further up on his watchlist. What was she supposed to do? Just let the shadow jutsu catch her and not uphold Ibiki's and Genma's teachings?
Sakura tapped her pencil against her notebook as she casually watched the group study the curriculum. They were working through the set of practice problems she herself had created to steer them towards an A on next week's test. All of them looked engaged enough and were melding well with each other, but she could tell that Sasuke and Naruto were taking it much more serious than the rest of them.
If those two kept this up, then they'd be able to graduate earlier than they did in the other timeline. She leaned to the right.
"Shikamaru, can I use the bathroom?"
He pointed behind him. "To the left of that hallway and the last door on the right."
Sakura stood and silently made her way out of the living room. Outside, the sun was still high up in the sky. It probably had been an hour or so since they came to the house and she guessed that they had another two or three hours until the study session was over.
Halfway down the hall, she saw Shikaku. He was cross-legged on the back porch and staring out into the vastness of the Nara forest. "Sakura."
"Nara-san."
He lazily raised an arm and motioned two fingers in his direction. She obliged to the simple command and sat down a few feet from him. There was a calm silence around them until Shikaku decided to break it.
"I'm curious. To how all these different Academy students from different backgrounds can come together and work without boundaries. They seven year olds who are still naive about the world despite where they are in society."
She laced her fingers together. "Is that all you're curious about?"
"No," he admitted. She then felt a sharp glance in her direction, "I'm also curious to how advanced one of those seven year olds could be to notice and avoid one of the clan's secret techniques within the span of a second, and how you were able to reach out to six others in such a short period of time. I don't know how you would take it, but I think anyone would be more than suspicious."
Sakura didn't meet his eye, but tilted her head in thought. She took her time to carefully pick out her words.
"I wouldn't call myself suspicious, but more... cognizant. Of my own intellectual acuity and interpersonal skills."
Shikaku noted that she no longer presented herself as one of the Academy students, but rather a seasoned shinobi just as experienced as he.
"How?"
"I'm young, Nara-san, as you can clearly see. But I'd like to consider myself a quick, observant learner. When I was five, I was able to cultivate my own transportation-protection seals from studying ones akin to the Hiraishin. The ones the Yondaime utilized."
It wasn't a lie. During the war, the intelligence faction were scrambling and working together to find a way to somehow combat the space-time ninjutsu that the sharingan users employed. In her spare time, she would contribute to these studies to try and advance their favor. Most of her learning occurred after the medical unit bombing.
His face was drenched in pure shock, yet she continued. "Not too long after, I met Naruto. Shy and aggressive; of course he was. People treat him like he's the plague. Why do they act like that? What brought them on to hate a helpless little boy? The only way to find out the right answers is to ask the right questions. So I did. I approached people of all ages and backgrounds and asked them what they valued and what they feared. Merchants, the elderly, little kids, civilians, shinobi, teachers, strippers, sex workers..."
That agglomeration of people she mentioned had been those very same types she met on a three week assignment to Konoha. She handled numerous cases while she was there and met quite a number of interesting souls. Listening to their stories really opened her mind to their perception of the world.
"You learn a lot about a person when you ask them those two things. You learn that no one is ever the same and you can't talk with a mentality that everyone's going to be okay with what you say. So with that in mind, I learned how to approach a variety of others and brought them together based on a common goal. Then everything else will follow."
Sakura turned her head."Does that answer your question, Nara-san?"
::
"It was wonderful meeting all of you." Yoshino smiled. The diverse group of kids were sat on the ground as they pulled on their sandals and prepared themselves to leave. They eventually stood and presented their cheery faces up to her.
"Thank you for having us!" they chorused. The front door popped open and they trickled out, saying their goodbyes to Shikamaru and waving as they left. Shikaku hung just a little bit behind his wife and son, deep concentration swimming in his eyes.
What happened to that girl?
::
They all split to go to their respective homes once they arrived at their first meeting spot. Sakura, though, accompanied Hinata back to the Hyuuga Estate because she promised Hiashi that she'd bring his daughter back before dark. Now that she thought about it, her meeting with him could've gone better.
"Who are you?"
Sakura's face was blank as she regarded the Hyuuga Head in a respectful manner and bowed her head. His pearly white eyes narrowed at the sight of her.
"Haruno Sakura, sir. I'm a friend of Hinata's and I'm here to pick her up," she replied. Hiashi's narrowed even further, scanning the seven year old from her bright pink hair to her arm bandages, then to the weights around her ankles. She didn't look like much, but he knew appearances could be deceiving. He, being one of the most able-bodied shinobi in sensing chakra even without the Byakugan, could see the immensely great chakra control this girl possessed.
"And you're a classmate of her's as well."
"Yes, sir."
"Why are you in her year if you're so advanced?"
She twitched. She knew there wasn't anything wrong behind his questioning, but he just happened to be one of the more prideful and less polite of the clan heads. She put up a small smile and tightly held her hands behind her back. "I'm not sure I understand your question."
"I will not repeat myself."
Sakura's jaw shifted, causing Hiashi to raise an eyebrow.
"... I'm not interested in getting ahead for my own personal gain, Hyuuga-sama. There are two others I want to graduate alongside," she said. She profusely thanked her lucky stars when Hinata came to the door, stopping her father from asking any more questions. "It was nice meeting you, sir. I'll be sure to bring her back safe and sound."
"Hm."
"Sorry for ma-making you wait, S-Sakura-san!" Hinata exclaimed. Sakura waved her off before bowing to Hiashi and leaving with her. She could feel his burning gaze on her back until she was far off from the estate.
"Tha-Thank you for walking me back," Hinata stammered. She took a key from her pocket and opened her front door, shyly avoiding the other girl's affable stare. Sakura grinned and tousled her short black hair, laughing when her face flamed up.
"It's no problem. Have a good evening, Hinata."
"Y-Y-You too, Sak-kura-san!"
Sakura ambled away from the estate with her hands stuffed in her pockets and a careless expression on her face. She had a lot of time to spare since her parents were having the day to themselves since it was their wedding anniversary (she made the two of them a big breakfast to celebrate before leaving for the Academy), and there was no need for her at the T&I building today.
Just as she was about to leave the reaches of the Hyuuga Estate, she passed by a boy a little taller than herself. He cast her a sidelong glance, distrusting and piercing, before furthering his steps and turning into the residence.
Neji. Cold as ever.
She always wondered about that.
Sakura tucked that piece of information at the back of her mind and wandered into the busy Konoha streets. None of her summons had anything to report and just recently she had sent one of them out to try and see if they could seek any trail of Tsunade. Perhaps she could go ask Nekomata for help? He was the boss of the ninneko underworld and was bound so know something.
"Sakura-chan?"
She looked over her shoulder to see Dan, a positive smile on his face.
"Ah, so it is! I suppose it would be since I haven't come to know any other pink-haired Academy students," he said. There was a small collection of books held in one arm. "How has your day been?"
"Fine. I haven't done much. And you, Kato-san?"
He gestured to the books in his grip.
"I've been doing some cleaning at my place and stumbled across some interesting books. I was going to drop these off at the Archives... but now that I think about it, maybe you can find some use in them. Well, this one, at least," he decided. Dan handed her an old, timeworn journal that she immediately began to eye with interest.
"Whose is it?"
"Uzumaki Mito's. Maybe you've heard of her? The wife of the Shodai Hokage?"
She turned the cover to a yellowed page, gazing at the incredibly neat handwriting. Uzumaki. She was a revered fuuinjutsu user and the first jinchuriki for the nine-tails.
"I have. She was the first person to seal—" Sakura stopped. Dan leaned forward curiously, head tilted to the side.
"Seal...?"
She shut the book and looked up at him with blank eyes. "Seal chakra well enough to form the Yin Seal on her forehead. I've read about it, and heard that it's the pinnacle of chakra control. I imagine she was an amazing kunoichi."
His smile stayed true and apparent on his face. "I'm sure she was."
She looked back down to the journal. "Are you sure this is alright for me to have?"
"Of course! I went through it already and it's perfectly fine for you to read through," he answered. Sakura thumbed through it for a few seconds before nodding.
"I'll make sure to take care of it. Thank you, Kato-san."
They talked for a little while longer before Sakura bid him goodbye and went on her way home. Once she was gone, Dan's smile slowly slipped off his face as he changed his original route towards the Hokage Tower.
He knew exactly what she was going to say.
And he didn't know how to feel about that.
::
EDITED 1/31/18