A month had passed since the final chunin exam. Hanako still couldn't believe she was a chunin now. It seemed like a dream. The reality of it was that it was not a dream. It was something more. She owned her own flak still hadn't worn it anywhere. The only person to wear his flak jacket was Lee. Speaking of Lee, him and his team had also been promoted to chunin. So that made it a total of four people passing to chunin this time around for the leaf. Sadly Sakura nor Ino passed this round. Next time for sure they promised.
Gaara and his team also passed the chunin exams, along with someone else from the Waterfall village. Gaara had been the crowd's favorite to win the championship and he did not disappoint. Since he had won the tournament, the Sand was getting more business for their village. Temari's stay at the Leaf had to be cut short; they needed her to go on missions for their village while it was still prosperous.
Ever since Hanako became a chunin, she had been assigned on more solo missions than before. Hanako had noticed there were a lot of unassigned missions seeking medical help and questioned it to Tsunade. Tsunade told her that it wasn't possible because of the lack of funds. She wanted to help but there was nothing she could do about it. Hanako reviewed the different missions and saw only people that needed help but had no available help to them. After arguing about it, Hanako did the unsuspected. She offered to pay for the medicine herself and do the missions. Tsunade started to laugh and finally approved of her to go to different towns to help heal their sick and injured. It didn't leave much time for training.
Tsunade had four rules for the girls to learn. She beat it into their brains.
1. No medic ninja shall ever stop medical treatment until the lives of their party members have come to an end.
2. No medic ninja shall ever stand on the front lines.
3. No medic ninja shall ever die until they are the last of their platoon.
4. Only those medic ninja who have mastered the Strength of a Hundred Technique of the ninja art Creation Rebirth are permitted to discard the above-mentioned rules.
With that, their days were spent training and dodging Tsunade's attacks. They didn't train together for the most part. Hanako was considered more advanced. The only time they trained together was when she was teaching them about the various techniques.
"It is a technique, that I only posses." Tsunade explained to the girls. "It require absolute chakra control. To do so, you focus the chakra to your forehead. However since you have to devote chakra to that point, you will only be able to use half your chakra at all times. Even when healing others. This is the big risk in any situation. Not everyone can do this technique. Even Shizune can't do this. So any questions?"
"Just one," Sakura said, raising her hand. "How long will it take?"
"Depends on the person. For me, I can gather more chakra after a few days. Who knows about you guys?" Hanako looked at the ground. She wanted to succeed at this technique.
"What happens when we succeed?" Hanako asked. Tsunade looked shocked at the question.
"Well you'll be able to break the rules. I have high hopes for you guys." Tsunade smiled at them. They were her star pupils. Sakura worked hard everyday. She stumbled, but never gave up. It warmed her heart. It reminded her of her past self. Sakura tended to doubt herself from time to time, but she always snapped out of it. She was smart. With time, Sakura would be able to master it all. She just knew it. She looked at Hanako, whose head was in the clouds. Her appeared aloof sometimes, but she knew that Hanako took everything she said and analyzed it over and over in her head. Hanako took everything in stride, she learned quickly. What would take Sakura months, could take Hanako days. Hanako worked herself too hard. Tsuande didn't understand what drove her. Sakura was an open book, she wished to help Naruto get Sasuke back. She didn't know what drove Hanako. Hanako was independent. She studied on her own. She practiced on her own. And she still went on missions with Gai's team. Their relationship was good. She knew about Hanako's old team. One of her old teammates had murdered the other. She couldn't imagine how that felt at that age. Yet Hanako moved forward. She wondered what would happen in the future.
Since their lesson on the rules, Hanako had been putting chakra at her forehead. It required a lot of focus. She had never had to do it at a single point before, so this was new. The first time she tried, she had drained herself on accident. She put too much away and left herself tired and exhausted. Yet with more practice it was getting easier. She was putting an eighth of her chakra in the point. That was all she could do in her current state. On days of rest, she put away half. Or what she felt like was half. It was still tricky. She saw that Sakura was struggling just like her.
Finally it was time for Hanako to go back to Suna. She was excited to see everyone. They were on a mission and would stop by the Leaf. They would stay for a couple of days so Temari could get her paperwork. Then she would leave with them. It was an ideal situation. That way she didn't need an escort. The joys of not having a team.
Temari and Kankuro showed up at her apartment. Hanako opened the door. She looked around. Temari looked as elegant as ever. Kankuro had once again changed his face paint. Still one person was missing and it was painfully obvious who was.
"Where's Gaara?"
The two looked at one another. Temari cleared her throat.
"He joined the normal forces. So he won't be on any missions with us for awhile." Hanako blinked. Then she smiled. It was still nice to see Temari and Kankuro.
"Welcome back!" She smiled widely. She engulfed them in a hug. She had missed her friends dearly. They hugged back awkwardly. Hanako still surprised them. Sure the first things out her mouth was Gaara-related but she was still happy to see them. Come in, come in, she told them. She ushered them in the apartment. Hanako served them tea. Since she was due to leave soon, she had the week off.
"How have you guys been?"
"It's good. In fact, your pupils are excited to see you again." Temari laughed. "They keep asking when we're bringing you back. It's amazing really. They were considered.. er.. not shinobi quality. But somehow you managed to make them part of the top class. So we've been using your training scroll for the rest of the pupils. I hope you don't mind." Temari said.
Hanako smiled. Her pupils were part of the best. She had expected nothing less.
"I don't mind."
They got to talking about the past few months. Kankuro and Temari took turns talking about Suna and Gaara. Hanako told them of her training with Tsunade. Even though she was taught to dodge she still wanted them to know how to protect themselves, just in case. They were a bit shocked but Hanako smiled on like it was nothing. They then knew not to fool around her any longer.
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Hanako was full of energy when they made it back to Suna. Temari had to quickly leave to turn in her report. Kankuro and Hanako decided to competition on who could eat more bowls of an all you can eat buffet. The winner didn't pay.
Hanako won and they were no longer welcomed back.
Kankuro shrugged as if he didn't care. Secretly he did. His wallet had suffered a defeat.
As they walked around, school let out. Hanako ended up running into her trainees. They tackled her into a hug and began to tell their tale. They had become part of the best and there were more offers to be regular ninja instead of a medic but each proudly declared that they stuck to there initial plan. They still wanted to help people. Listening to them, warmed up Hanako's heart. Kankuro smiled at the future of Suna's medical field.
Upon arriving at home, Hanako ran to her room. It looked well kept and neat. She breathed in the warm air. She finally wasn't alone anymore. She quickly unpacked and went down to the kitchen. She rummaged around and saw she needed to stock up on food. She hurried to the grocery store. Kankuro already left for the puppet shop, so she was on her own. It was fine with her. Gaara was suppose to be back tonight, so she was filled with glee. She would surprise them and make dinner tonight. It had been awhile since she last cooked for someone else other than herself.
Just as she was leaving the grocery store, she ran into Gaara. He had grown a few inches taller. His clothes were more maroon than before. She couldn't believe it herself. He was also surprised to see her. She would have hugged him but she had bags of groceries so she could only call out his name affectionately. It was a moment for only them.
"You're here!" Gaara said.
"I am."
Gaara coughed in awkwardness. He wasn't expecting this. Temari and Kankuro weren't due back for another few days. Still he was glad. He then noticed the bags she was carrying.
"I'll hold the bags."
"Oh yeah! Sure." Hanako gave him the bags. It had been six months since she last saw him. She studied him. He was still pale as ever. His hair still went everywhere. She couldn't help but notice how much taller than her he had gotten. He towered over. It was like every time she saw him, he just kept getting taller. It wasn't fair. His hands were larger too. She saw when he grabbed the bags from her.
"What?" He asked. He noticed her studying him.
"You've grown." Her violet eyes pierced his.
Gaara felt his ears go red. "Thanks." Only she had this power that made him feel like this. He felt a pool of heat gather in his stomach. They were thirteen. She would be fourteen soon. Time didn't seem real with her by his side. They were growing still, but they were doing things like adults. Gaara still aimed to be kazekage and his goal was getting closer. He was earning the trust of his comrades. It seemed likely that he would be chosen as the new Kazekage. He looked at Hanako. She was growing in more ways than one. He tried not to notice but it was there. She didn't seem to notice or care. Her hair was long as ever, even in the braid. He briefly wondered how often Hanako had trouble with it.
"No problem. I remember when I was taller than you. Now it seems like a far off dream." Hanako smiled.
"I recall." He nodded in memory. He had been short. She was a weird one back then. She had said things that no one else would have said to him before.
Together they walked home in comfortable silence. Relishing in being in each other's presence again.
When they got home, Temari was sitting on the couch lazily.
"Welcome back."
"I'm home!" Hanako smiled. Gaara nodded. It wasn't as warm without Hanako's smile he noted.
"You bought groceries?" Temari questioned.
"Yes. I saw the state of the kitchen and decided that I'll make dinner tonight."
"Oh! I look forward to it then." She smiled. Hanako looked at her. She was so beautiful with her smile. She could see why Shikamaru was infatuated with Temari. Not that she noticed it's what Ino kept saying and Ino is his teammate and she mostly knew what she was talking about. Why did the sand siblings have to be so beautiful she wondered in annoyance. It would only get harder to keep focused on her tasks instead of them.
"I'll help." Gaara offered. Hanako looked at him. Last time she ate his food, he had been getting better.
She nodded and they got to cooking. They made Tempura Udon. Gaara went to fetch Kankuro and Hanako got Temari. They ate together and the two gushed about how good the cooking was. Hanako smiled. It really was warm here. She missed cooking for other people. Something she didn't do often at Konoha. She had often made meals for Nii and Sasuke but they both had left the village.
Hanako was off of cleaning duty so she went to the roof. Looking around she realized she had missed this place more than she thought. Here, no one knew her. She didn't have to prove herself more than others. Everyone just assumed she was another leaf shinobi here for a mission. It was simple and easy. At the hospital they liked her. She helped out. She trained. It was amazing not having anyone think she was going to betray them.
"I figured you'd be up here." a voice said. It startled Hanako. She hadn't been paying attention. Gaara often could sneak up on her without meaning to.
"Of course. The stars are gorgeous. The village is down below, put them together and it's a breathtaking view. I could look at them all night."
Gaara looked up. He had gotten used to the starry night. Looking at it, he could see the beauty again.
"Dinner was good." Hanako smiled. "You have certainly improved. How's life with the normal shinobi?"
"They aren't afraid of me anymore."
"That's great!" Hanako gushed. "For sure you'll be depended on! Then your dream to be Kazekage will come true! When that happens, I'll support you with everything I've got."
Gaara looked at her. He nodded. "I want to change. I want them to rely on me."
"And they will. Right now you're gaining their trust. You're showing them who the real Gaara is. That is the best course of action for now."
They talked for a few more hours. About their life and dreams. Hanako told him how they still distrusted her even after a year. She wasn't a spy. Gaara nodded in understanding. The village elders were not as forgiving as the younger ninja. He only had their support right now. They all agreed that he would be a good fit as Kazekage. Even Hanako admitted he was perfect for the job. He was strong. Stronger than any of the ninja in the sand. He was calm and level-headed too. He also cared deeply for his village.
Hanako left first. She had a big day tomorrow. She would return to her post.
Morning came too quickly. Hanako walked to the other side of the building. There she noticed piles of paperwork on her desk. Just exactly where did it come from? She shifted through the paperwork and almost gave up. Most of the papers needed a good amount of attention for it. Hospital notices. Things from the greenhouse. More from the school. She got to work and read as fast as she could. She was so engrossed her work, she didn't realize that so much time had passed by.
Her pupils came by to check up on her. She didn't hear them knock. So Taiga, Risa, and Soma walked in. They snickered at her.
"Lady Hanako!" Soma shouted. He launched himself at her, breaking the trance she was in. The others went in and hugged her.
"Soma?" Hanako gasped. He had surprised her. A feat for them. "What are you guys doing here? Shouldn't you guys still be at academy?"
"It's over." Risa said.
"School finished already." Soma added.
"We missed you." Taiga told her. She smiled.
"I missed you guys too."
"I'm almost your height!" Soma added. He was standing at his tip toes and was on par with her.
"No. Don't. I can't take another heart break." Hanako sadly spoke.
"What?" They questioned.
"Nevermind that. How have you guys been with your training? Has your chakra control gotten better?"
"It has." Risa told her. "We are the top students at that. Just like you wanted us to be. Can we finally be your official students?" She asked.
"Um.. I'm not sure how the village would react to that. I'm not a Suna civilian after all."
"But you live here for like half the year!" Soma whined.
"We heard about you and how you donated your time and money to help other people who can't pay for it!" Taiga told her in admiration. "Everyone at the hospital was talking about it. They say you're like Lady Tsunade and might even surpass her!"
"Well she is my sensei.. For the most part. She a whole different level. I've been lucky to have more than one sensei actually." Hanako decided it was time to tell them of her training days. She told them how her first teacher had basically plunged her into the world with little to no training except with concepts and chakra control. She could have permanently damaged a person. Back then she was filled with pride and happiness but once she saw how actual training went, she was horrified at how barbaric hers was. They gasped in shock. She told them, things happened and now she was Tsunade's pupil but in name only. She still learned a few more techniques but now she was able to go to different towns and heal on her own. That's how her story was being told.
"Well, I'm just glad you're a better teacher than your first teacher." Soma said.
"I would have cried." Risa replied.
"That's.. scary. I don't know what I would have done." Taiga told her.
"I was a dumb student who believed in her sensei. I'm just glad I didn't kill anyone."
"Have you ever lost a patient?" Risa asked.
"A few.. Sometimes... I don't make it in time." Hanako told them truthfully. There were times when she arrived too late and they were beyond saving. She persisted and most of them happen to be in vain.
"It's okay. At least you did something, unlike other people." Soma tried to comfort her. She smiled. Just six months had passed between them and they were already growing up so fast.
Hanako stood up from her desk and her stomach gurgled the song of her people.
"Oh. I'm hungry."
"When was the last time you ate?" Taiga asked, ever the sweetheart.
"Um.. Breakfast."
"Oh no! It's past five! You need to eat now!" Soma insisted. They hurriedly pushed her outside her office. She had missed them. They bumped into Gaara and now they didn't shy away from him. Instead they talked to him animatedly. Hanako was shocked at how quickly things had changed. It was a good change.
"I was just coming to get you." Gaara informed her.
"Really?"
"Yes. Temari insisted that you had to be stopped." He chuckled. "But I see they have beaten me to it."
"Of course! You're too slow!" Soma declared proudly. Risa hit him on the side of his head.
"Stupid! Don't act like that towards, Lord Gaara!" She blushed. Hanako laughed at the two. Friendships were nice when you could act a certain way with people.
"What is Temari doing?" Hanako asked.
"She's cleaning her weapons. She wanted to know what was the plan for tonight."
"Plan?"
"Food wise."
"Oh. Hmm.. Not sure. I'm just hungry." Hanako told him. Her stomach agreed by rumbling again. Gaara nodded and the two bid farewell to the youngsters. They came to a burning smell and there was Temari in the kitchen. She was pulling out a charcoaled mess. They immediately rushed to her aid. Hanako opened up the windows and Gaara threw away the mess.
"What happened? I wasn't even gone for more than ten minutes?" Gaara questioned.
"Well the recipe said leave it in the oven for thirty minutes. I thought maybe if I rose the heat it would cook faster. And so I made a big mistake." Temari said scratching her head. She was mumbling about the concept of theories and math. Hanako giggled at the chaos before her. This was a home. She felt a pang in her heart. She hadn't heard from her brother in over a year. He hadn't sent any messages, and Tsunade didn't know where they were. It was weird. It was lonely. It was painful.
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Hanako was having a few more problems than last time. She was noticing Gaara more than before. She was more aware of Gaara. She didn't know what it was. She couldn't help it. He was taller than her. So she thought it was that at first. She once asked Temari if she had problems with Shikamaru like that. Temari sputtered and chopped her head. So Hanako didn't get her answer. Was it normal to notice everything so clearly? She noticed his absences. She couldn't help but be unnerved by this unexpected development.
Sometimes, when Gaara was on a mission, she would absentmindedly sigh. Even her students noticed this. Taiga noticed the cause but didn't say anything about it. Soma and Risa were trying to figure out why their teacher would sigh a lot. Hanako didn't even know she was sighing a lot. Kankuro noticed but he thought it was because of Naruto. Temari was busy traveling between Suna and Konoha. She didn't get to have the leisure of stay six months at a time like Hanako. Her village needed her on missions too so it couldn't be helped. Hanako didn't mind Temari staying at the apartment, so she gave her a key.
One day Gaara was back from another mission. Hanako was overjoyed that he was okay. Sure his sand protected him, but there have been times when his sand had been bypassed. Nii had been one of the few to actually hit him. So who knew who he might end up fighting?
Gaara enjoyed coming back from missions. It made him happy to see Hanako after his missions. With her around, he felt as if he could make his dreams come true. His people were warming up to him. He couldn't deny that Hanako was a part of the reason why. At the hospital she had a considerable amount of influence with the staff. They were learning more techniques passed down from Lady Tsunade to them. She also participated in the medical research of the plants they had. Since Hanako was okay with Gaara, they were okay with him too. The influence of him being Kazekage was spreading like a wildfire. His village was accepting him as a shinobi of the sand. He was grateful to Hanako for not being afraid of knowing him. For talking to him despite his past actions. It led the other people to see that Gaara wasn't a bad person. He had found his way and it showed.
During their rare day off, they liked to spend it at home. Hanako stayed in the same room as him, reading her latest book. Gaara would be meditating. It was a peaceful day. It's hard to find someone like that. Someone who you could spend your day doing nothing, but enjoy it all the same. Where someone understood life like you did. Someone who understood that it's the little things that count. Hanako had read plenty of teenage novels. She wasn't born a normal teenager, who fantasized about love like the girls her age did. She was a healer first. She knew how to kill and how to save a life. So this foreign thing that everyone obsessed with, was completely new to her, but it felt right. Being near Gaara felt right. Seeing him smile, made her smile. When he walked in a room, it was like the lights around him brightened up just for him. He was like the sun. He shined in her eyes and she didn't understand why. She only understood that he was important to her. Like her brother, except he shone in a different light. Gaara's light was different. His light was gentle.. understanding.. warm. It pained her knowing she would have to leave again. Six months in Suna went by too quick. It's almost like she didn't have time to breathe.
Hanako was working in her office when the three medics in training came in.
"Lady Hanako! I'm bored. Train with us!" Soma whined at her. Hanako looked up from her work and just shook her head.
"I told you it wasn't going to work." Risa whispered.
"We aren't trying hard enough." Soma reasoned. Taiga walked up to her desk. He gave his best puppy eyes and asked again. Hanako couldn't look away. She sighed and relented. She gave them a smile.
"Just know, I won't go easy on you guys." The three shuddered in fear, suddenly wondering if this had been the right decision.
They walked towards the training grounds. Hanako put on her gloves. They gulped in response.
"What's the most important thing about being a medic, especially in the battlefield?" Hanako asked.
"Saving lives." Risa said.
"Wrong! Anyone else?"
"It's not saving lives?" Soma asked in question.
"Dodging attacks." Taiga answered. Hanako smiled in approval.
"Correct. Can anyone tell me why this is so?"
"Because if we die, then there will be no one to save the surviving." Taiga answered again.
"Right again! I'll treat you to mochi after practice." Hanako grinned. Suddenly she looked dangerous. "Now dodge me!" Hanako shouted. She hit the rock next to her and it broke into a bunch of little pieces. Risa and Soma panicked and ran into each other. Taiga quickly assessed the situation and dodged the bigger pieces, avoiding getting hit. Hanako grabbed the rocks and threw it at them. Risa in fear avoided it all miraculously. Soma finally after getting over the shock ran from the rocks. He wasn't as graceful as Taiga but he did a good job at it. Hanako nodded in approval. They had gotten better.
She broke apart another rock. She showed no favoritism to her pupils. She attacked them rigorously without moving from her spot. When there was no more rocks near her to throw, she called it quits.
They fell to the ground in exhaustion.
"You're..a demon." Soma panted. "Gaara is nicer.. than you."
"Thanks." Hanako smiled.
"Soma you idiot!" Risa smacked him. He howled in pain. They where tired from the training.
"Have you ever had to fight for you life?" Taiga asked.
"I have. Plenty of times. I've been on several B rank missions. Even an A rank one."
"I want to know! You're always stuck behind the desk or in the hospital so I wasn't sure if you've ever been on any dangerous missions!" Soma jumped up.
"Let's move to the shade then." Hanako walked under a big rock. The three sat before her. "One time, my Nii found an unconscious man."
"You have a brother!?" Soma interrupted!
"Yes. He's the older twin."
"A twin!?" Risa said in shock.
"We want to know what he looks like!" They shouted in unison. Hanako sweatdropped.
"Sure.. I'll draw a picture of him." Hanako got a stick and tried to draw her Nii as best as she could. She made his head and then drew his eyes, they were full of mischief. Then she drew his hair that went everywhere. She drew the stripes on his face and a mischievous smile he always had. It was her best drawing yet. She was full of pride. "There! This is what Nii looks like." She gestured at her drawing.
They fell in shock. They learned that day that Hanako Uzumaki couldn't draw to save her life. The picure had eyes that were huge and a big grin. The stripes made no sense to people who never seen him and his hair was huge and spiky. They mumbled and couldn't look her in the eye. She was super proud of her drawing and couldn't burst her bubble.
"As I was saying, Nii came back from a mission with some roots and an unconscious man."
"What did the guy look like?" Soma asked.
"He had curly light blond hair, grey eyes.. About my height. As I was saying, Nii brought him back to the village. And he dumped it on a friend of mine at the hospital. Now we have a rule where we aren't allowed to have outsiders in our hospital but Nii just brought him over and left him." Hanako laughed. "He left him there, just to go deliver some bamboo shoots for ramen. Now when he woke up, the guy had amnesia."
"You mean he had no idea who he was!?" Soma kept interrupting.
"Yes. He didn't even know his own name. So Tsunade made my brother in charge of the guy. Since he didn't know his own name, Nii named him Menma. After the bamboo shoots he found him from. He was okay with the name. Well a fire happened in the hospital."
"Did Menma start the fire?"
"No, Soma. He saved a baby from the burning fire. So after that he was discharged and came to live with us. Nii had taken full responsibility for the guy. We went to eat ramen, and ended up making a date to eat the pickled menma ramen together." Hanako said with a far off look. The three noticed the stare but she continued on. "So basically our home was his home. He had to sleep in Nii's room and honestly, his room is a mess. So the next morning, I woke up to Menma cleaning up Nii's room. It was amazing to see his room so clean! He even did Nii's laundry! So I knew we would get along great and we did. I had to go to work at the hospital so Nii and Menma were left alone to their own devices. When I went to report to Tsunade about something, there were presents in the office for them both. Turns out they were helping elderly people in the village."
"When are we getting to the good part?" Soma interrupted.
"Shh! Stop interrupting!" Risa whispered yelled at him.
"Oh. Am I taking too long? Okay okay. Um let's see.. Menma had an ocarina. Whenever he played a certain tune, he could enhance his abilities or someone else's. After playing the ocarina, we figured he might originate from the land of rice patties. So my usual team and I were going there to see if Menma would remember anything but Nii insisted on going as well. My team didn't trust Menma. Neji especially was full of hostility. Menma didn't care. He was fine with it. Then we came across a burnt village. We got attacked by the villagers."
"Did you win?"
"Well after they knew we were Leaf Shinobi, they let us go. So we continued a little further on until we reached a river. While we were resting, a woman showed herself. She had followed us. She asked us for a favor. She wanted us to save her village. Bandits had been attacking the village because of a gold mine. Then the village leader came and showed us their grave. A third of the villagers had died.. We were about to leave but then Menma wouldn't budge. He wanted to help the villagers. I decided to stay. Nii agreed with us. Neji and Tenten stayed around. We got to building a wall around the village. The villagers let us do whatever and the three of us got to working. It was hard work and tedious. A day had passed and Tenten ended up helping us. She even saved my Nii from being smashed into oblivion. Little by little, the villagers ended up helping us. Our work progressed much faster. Then we were attacked by a bandit."
"Finally!" Soma groaned. Risa smacked him.
"It's okay. A good story takes time. We mustn't rush. Tenten and I stayed behind while Neji and Nii went after the guy. We were going to protect the villagers just incase. When they came back, Menma was injured. While we were rushing to treat him, the head leader noticed a tattoo on Menma. He wasn't going to treat him and he didn't want me treating him. The tattoo was a symbol of the guys who attacked the village. What was unique about it was that it only appeared when someone sweats. So that's why our hospital didn't know he even had a tattoo."
"You mean Menma was a bad guy!?" Risa shouted in horror.
"Not necessarily. He had made bad choices in the past. But the Menma I had gotten to know wasn't a bad guy. He had been helpful and kind-hearted. He was one of the nicest people I had ever known. He cared a great deal about people and wanted to help everyone. How could he had been a bad guy?"
"Sounds like you like him." Soma grinned wickedly. Hanako smiled sadly. Then the look was gone as quick as it appeared.
"Whatever was then, doesn't matter today." Hanako said. "Carrying on with the story, the guy didn't want to Menma to be treated because he had been part of the bandits who attacked the village. Well I ended up saving his life. It was crude work. I didn't have pain killers on hand. There were times when he passed out from the pain. I had Nii and my team hold him down to keep him from thrashing. In the end, he was healed. The villagers kept an eye on us so we wouldn't do anything funny. Even so, Menma was injured and kept on building the wall. He completed it. The villagers ended up trying to attack him.." Hanako paused. She was recalling the memory. "We came to his aide. So they threatened us. They even threw rocks at us! And then! We were attacked by the bandits again! We made the villagers hide while the four of us were in charge of defending. This one guy used a flute to attack us."
"A flute!? What!?" Soma cried out.
"Yes. He used a flute. I'm not sure what it was, a type of genjutsu maybe? But it made everything heavy. We couldn't move a muscle. But Menma helped us. He used his ocarina to cancel the jutsu and we were able to defend ourselves from the kunai. So we took care of the other ninja while Nii went after his flute. This was a fight for our lives and the rest of the villages. They had killed innocent people. We couldn't show any mercy. But they were bandits with no training like us, so it was easy. In the process, Menma opened up his wounds again protecting the little girl. When Nii and I got to him, he asked if we defeated the leader but we hadn't. He had got away during the commotion. That's when Menma told us of his plan to wipe the village clean using an explosive on their dam. If it succeeded, everyone would perish but the gold mine would still be intact. Menma came up with a plan to blow up the mine to stop the flooding of the dam. So Nii carried him and that's when he told us of his story. He had been an orphan. But the bandits took him in. So he hadn't been alone. The bandits had once made a name for themselves but the the Sound village popped up. One by one, they defected to them. Eventually the rice patties stopped hiring them and so the leader of the bandits wanted to provide for his group and that's why he targeted the gold mine. So even though it seemed like he was a villain, he was only looking out for his group. However attacking a village isn't the way to go if you're ever in this situation." Hanako reminded them. They all nodded and she continued. "He had saved the little girl and fell off the cliff. He gave himself amnesia because he couldn't handle what his clan had done. Turns out though, he had remembered everything after a few hours."
"You mean he knew this whole time and he still pretended he knew nothing?!" Soma shouted. Risa and Taiga were in agreement.
"Yes. He had known who he was that entire time. He apologized over and over. He had wanted to turn over a new leaf. But the village kept haunting him. So he thought if he could get the Leaf ninjas to the village, we could defeat him. Nii was angry. He felt betrayed. I was in shock but I understood. If I had been in his shoes... I might have done the same. What could he do against his clan? Trained shinobi were better suited than him. He told us he finally had found his purpose. It was to save the village. He couldn't let anymore be killed. He didn't want the final plan to happen... So he gave Nii his.. ocarina. Menma had already decided he would set off the paper bombs himself. He let us know that he wanted us to take care of the leader."
"Wait! If he did that then does that mean-" Soma said.
"Yes.. Menma died."
"What!? You mean after all that Menma ended up dead!? He found his purpose and he just up and died!"
"He chose to sacrifice himself for the village his clan had tormented. He found his life to finally be meaningful. I didn't agree with it, but he wanted it this way. After he gave Nii his ocarina, then Menma pushed him off the cliff..." Hanako went silent. She recalled his final memory. His eyes had shined. He truly believed in what he was doing. He had looked at peace.. He told her he was sorry for everything and that he was glad to have met the two of them. That he cherished being normal. He had given her a smile and said that if they had met in different circumstances maybe things would have been different and they would have gotten to know one another better. Then he had given her a kiss and in her shock, just like what he had done with Nii, he pushed her down the cliff. "I was pushed down the cliff too.. Menma.." A tear slid down Hanako's face. She had gotten close to Menma. Then he died.. Her friend. The three noticed the tear. "Ahh. I'm sorry. I.. he was a friend you know? It hurts when people close to you die. I hope that you won't go through this pain.. At least not so early. If anything until you're in your thirties. Menma saved the village, with his sacrifice. Nii and I survived the fall. Nii wasn't okay. He can't hide anything. He wears his emotions on his sleeve so you know how exactly what's on his mind. Well Nii was angry. We went searching for the leader and found him. Nii and I defeated him. The village honored Menma. We came back home. Nii and I ate the Menma ramen together and had an extra bowl for his memory." Hanako finished her story. A lot of time had passed. The sun was setting.
"That was an awesome story!" Risa said.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Taiga told her.
"Oh it's fine. Time heals all wounds." Hanako smiled to show them that she was fine. She walked them all home. Soma had been strangely quiet. He was the last one so she asked him what was wrong.
"It's just.. Menma.. He had been a good guy. If he had come across different people, he wouldn't have been part of the bandits. He might still have been alive!"
"That's true. But Menma.. He died how he wanted to. He death was unfortunate.. but he was happy. He smiled as he told us about his purpose in life."
"I.."
"It changes your perspective on people doesn't it?" Hanako grinned. Soma nodded. "Like his leader, he was only trying to help his clan. The gold mine would have kept them fed. His methods weren't right but his goal was. Menma didn't want to hurt people so he tried to help them instead. He save that little girl countless times."
"I want to help people too! I want to heal everyone! Regardless of who they are!" Soma shouted.
"That's a good goal to have."
"What's your goal?"
"Me? Well.. Same as you, I guess. Heal or help. I want to stop this cycle of hate. I want peace between the nations and stop this needless bloodshed." Hanako said thinking about her goal. Soma stared at her in wonder. Her goals were huge. She thought of things he hadn't. He felt as if he could never catch up to her. "You're not suppose to catch up to me. I'm your sensei." Hanako laughed.
"W-what? How did you know!?"
"You're like Nii. You wear everything on your sleeve too. Good night." Hanako said. She dropped him off at his house. and then walked home. She opened the door and everyone was already home. Gaara was in the kitchen cooking. Temari was polishing her fan. Kankuro was tinkering with a puppre of his.
"Welcome back, Hanako." Temari greeted.
"You're here." Kankuro nodded. Hanako smiled.
"I'm home." She walked in the house. It was nothing like her empty apartment. It was full of warmth and love. She was happy to be back, a pang of homesickness struck and it was for the leaf. It was for Nii. She wanted to see him.
Honestly I just didn't feel like writing out the battling scenes. I'm sorry about it if you were looking forward to it. I am honestly exhausted. I ended up having two jobs now! I work at Le Sonic and at a hair place. So much fun. I work back to back and lemme tell you! It's a lot of work! I'm pretty much on my feet for 10 hours straight and when I get home all i want to do is take a bath and rest my weary feet! The sad part is there's no time for anime! T_T I want to watch my shows! Buuuuuut with the money I'll be able to buy my merch ;)
And I've always liked this filler episode and thought it would be nice to retell it. I did like Menma as a character. Redemption characters are totally my weakness. OwO
R&R
Mwah! Love to all you lovely readers! :*
