The Inuzuka had a superstition about bad weather on the days one of their clan members went off on a mission. Really, all clans had some kind of superstition about leaving ninja. But the Inuzuka kind was unique in how it could be taken by those that had no idea how the clan truly worked.
The Aburame's superstition was that each ninja that left was to leave behind a small flower planted in their home's garden. And if anything were to happen to that flower, whatever happened to it was to happen to the member that had planted it. And if a member was ever to forget to plant the small flower, they must be too busy thinking on ways to betray their village and were then deemed traitors. It was safe to say that no Aburame had ever forgotten to plant their flower.
The Hyuuga believed that if the adult shinobi that was to leave on a mission was not able to defeat their partner in the last spar before the mission, they were not to go on it. For being defeated by another of their own clean meant that fate had intervened and deemed them not strong enough to go. It was all about fate making decisions with that one last spar. And every last spar was treated with the severity deserved of such a serious moment in a shinobi's life.
The Inuzuka's own belief, though, was much more complex than either of those two. And it could be easily misconstrued by those that knew nothing of the clan.
It all began with the night before the certain member of the clan went off on their mission. The whole family would come together and eat the table with every member of the family, including all of the nin dogs, and they'd eat the leaving member's favorite food. It was seen as a good luck sign to get the whole family together and share. But, in case anything were to go wrong, it was also seen as a final meal, a final grace.
One of the reasons why it was so easily mistaken by those that knew nothing of the Inuzuka was because it had to do with how many members were to go off on a mission on that same day. It was generally seen as a very good sign for every member of the family to have something important to do on the same day. If all members were shinobi and were to go on a mission, it was seen as ideal, almost perfect, and even good luck.
This would be considered a bad omen for other people. For every member of the family to be out of village at the same time was considered bad. But for the Inuzuka, it was the ideal situation. They were a clan of warriors and proud shinobi. Having every member of the family in charge of some kind of important matter meant the family was prosperous and strong.
After that, once the member was on their mission, the members of the family that had stayed behind would go about their normal lives without giving too much thought to the member of the clan that had left. Instead, they would pay all their attention to their jobs and the oncoming weather. And if the weather was good, they would be at ease for it meant that everything would be fine. If there were difficulties with the weather, it meant that some difficulties would come to the member that was on the mission.
Of course, this all had to do with the season of time that the year found itself in. But, seeing how Konoha was usually always sunny, it was seen as good news that it kept being sunny. But if it was the rainy season, the rain was seen as that good omen.
The definite sign of bad news came from what might be seen as good by most, though. Rain was seen as not good, but it wasn't considered ultimately bad. The definite sign of complications and even death came in the appearance of a rainbow near the members of the clan that stayed behind. There wasn't a definite origin as to why the rainbow was bad, but the Inuzuka didn't question it. They merely saw the rainbow as a sign of bad rather than good, unlike many others tended to do.
On the day Kiba had left for his C-Ranked mission, Hana and Tsume Inuzuka had not had any pressing matters to attend to. Everything was peaceful and there was no reason for them to worry about their individual lives.
This had been the first sign for Hana Inuzuka that something might go wrong with her little brother. They had been able to get together to eat, but it had not been Kiba's favorite food. But Hana had not payed much attention to that before everything went right and easy in her job. Nothing ever went right in the clinic.
Then, as she went about her usual work in the clinic with her mind on the weather and her job, it had begun to rain. Heavy rain.
When lightning had struck, the young woman had found that she needed to force herself to not worry too much and keep her hope in her little brother's skills. Kiba was more than capable enough to go through a C-Rank without too many problems.
But as the rain calmed down and she walked out at five in the afternoon to return home after a rather simple day of work- with something dark itching at the back of her head- she'd seen the rainbow that had made her blood run cold. It had been only a few buildings away from the clinic and faced her directly, silently telling her that her brother's fate had been sealed.
Her knees had buckled and her chest had tightened so much that she hadn't been able to move. Instead she had faced the rainbow with wide eyes, fear running rampant and turning all of her thoughts against her.
When one of her coworkers had broken her out of the trance she had fallen in, the elderly man had not said a single thing. He was Inuzuka just like her and had known that her brother had left the village on his mission. He'd merely patted her softly on the shoulder, offered his silent strength, and begun to make his way back to his own home.
Hana had run back home after that with the Haimaru Brothers close to her, for they had understood just why their master had reacted the way she had and didn't have to question her. And when she had returned home, breathing heavily with her eyes wide, the woman had found Tsume glaring out the kitchen's window with a stern frown on her lips.
She had been glaring at a rainbow.
Hana had closed her eyes then, trying to come to terms with the bad omen. No words had been shared between either woman and Hana had made her way to her room. None of their dogs had howled at the full moon that night. There had been no dinner shared between either woman. It had been as if news of Kiba's death had already reached them and they were in full-on mourning.
Then Tsume had been sent on an S-Ranked mission and Hana had found herself breaking down. She had been forced to take a whole day off from her job. For on the day Tsume had left on her mission, they had not been able to share a final dinner, it had rained, and a rainbow had appeared as well.
It had been as if she had lost two family members, although she had yet to receive any definite word as to their deaths.
The S-Rank had kept Tsume out of Konoha for a full month. And Kiba had yet to return in that time.
Hana had asked for council with the Hokage during that whole month. But the woman was never able to meet with her. And this had angered and caused the young woman to despair even further. But she had somehow managed to continue working in the clinic. She even treated it as her stress relief rather than a simple job, throwing her full efforts to each dog that came in, always arriving early, and always leaving late.
Then her mother had returned with grim news of the death of one of her teammates, with more bandages showing than skin, and a broken arm. But when Hana had seen her, she'd thrown herself into her mother's arms, ignoring the clear shout of pain from the woman, tears burning at her eyes. Tsume had returned. And in S-Rank terms, that was a completely successful mission.
In the coming days, Kiba had yet to return. And with every day that passed, Hana felt a piece of herself go. Not having Kiba around was such a change... One that she had not been prepared for. One she despised.
She missed shouting at her little brother for being an idiot. She missed having to dodge a sugar-crazed Kiba and Akamaru when they managed to break into the stash their mother kept under lock and key. And she missed those deep talks they would sometimes share after their mom had gone to sleep, those sibling bonding moments that would never be forgotten by her.
"Yo, Hana."
Blinking at the fingers snapping in front of her, the dark haired woman looked up at her lunch partner.
Genma Shiranui was a laid back man that usually didn't question her sudden silences. He was the perfect person to go out with for lunch because he took most things without needing too many explanations. And he had also been one of Hana's greatest friends since she had made chunin... He was also one of the few people that didn't ask her about her health every time they saw her.
She had been forced to take days off from work because, sometimes, the lack of knowing ate at her so much that she just wasn't able to function anymore.
Sighing softly, Hana looked up at the senbon enthusiast. "Yeah, Genma?"
"Still thinking 'bout the brat?" The man asked as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, left eyebrow quirked just slightly.
His brown eyes didn't leave hers. And this made the young woman feel much too vulnerable, so she looked away with a shuddering breath. "Yeah... He hasn't come back, Genma. It's been two months since he went off on his mission and his team came back."
The whole Inuzuka Clan was worried about the fact that the clan heir had yet to come back. But the Hokage had told them she had decided to give Kiba another mission while he was already out there, with chunin as his teammates rather than genin, because they would need his tracking skills. But when she had told them this, Hana had felt something off about her words. Although she had seemed honest... Hana had been able to smell a rat nearby.
And smells were great omens about a person's character.
"You heard the Hokage." Genma shrugged. "He's off making a real name for himself by tracking down a criminal. You should be happy about it."
Looking down at her untouched plate of food, the woman couldn't help shake the feeling of wrong that had been eating at her since the day her mother had left on the S-Rank.
"... I know..." She breathed out, picking up her chopsticks to begin to push at the food.
Something just feels really wrong.
He had never shown his anger so clearly.
An Aburame always kept a level head. No matter the situation. His clan was famous for keeping steady even in the most harrowing of situations and this was a very great skill to have in the life of a Shinobi.
Well... An Aburame usually kept a level head. But sometimes they were placed in a situation where it was just impossible to not get fed up. And Shino was just a teenager, no older than thirteen. It could only be expected that after being put through so much stress and heartache, that he wouldn't be the most composed kid to find.
With a glare on his face and his insects buzzing viciously, the boy looked at Naruto.
"You mean to tell me that the Hokage knew who Kisame and Itachi were the whole time?" His voice was like something none of the kids surrounding him had ever heard. It was filled with anger and pain. Emotions he never showed so clearly. "She allowed us to believe everything would be fine even though we had just left our teammate with two S-Ranked criminals?!"
Hinata jumped at the shout. Naruto took a step back. And Akamaru's own sneer reflected the one Shino's glasses and clothes hid.
"Shino-" Naruto tried to reach out to the boy to calm him down, but a small swarm of bugs stopped his hand.
"She knew Kiba was injured. She knew that we were terrified. And she knew we wanted answers." His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, speaking more to himself than to those around him. "Yet she fed us lies!"
Shino Aburame was pissed. And he didn't give a damn about images or maintaining a calm head anymore.
"I am sick and tired of being treated like a child!" He screamed suddenly, "She allowed my best friend to get kidnapped! And for what? What could she possibly gain from allowing Kiba to get taken? The Inuzuka Clan is perfect for regaining him! They could-"
And suddenly the shouts stopped. Shino closed his eyes with a gasp, turning away from his teammates. And if seeing him losing his head and screaming had shocked the kids, him suddenly going quiet surprised them even more.
"B-But, Shino kun... Sh-She must have had a r-reason. This is Lady Tsu-Tsunade. The H-Hokage." Hinata whispered shakily, deciding to finally say something before her friend began to scream again. "Maybe she-"
The boy raised a hand to her quickly, immediately shutting her up. But he stayed quiet for a few more seconds before he turned once more to his teammates with the calm he had lost seconds ago.
Hinata stared at him in fear. Naruto looked more curious and skeptical than worried.
"We are not to speak of this to anyone. Kiba's current status as 'traitor' is to be kept a secret." Shino told all of them with a serious tone of voice, looking at Hinata before he turned to Naruto. "Have I been understood?"
His voice held no room for argument. But Naruto answered as soon as he had finished speaking, "Not at all! Shino, you can't possibly think we're going to lie to Grandma Tsunade! She's the Hokage!"
Shino didn't flinch at the shout. He merely turned around and began to walk once more in the direction of the village.
"There are two things I know, Naruto... One is that Tsunade kept this information from us. The second is that she did not have to lie to me or Hinata about our teammate." Shino hissed as he walked, but didn't stop to face his teammates. "I do not trust her now. She is not to know anything of Kiba Inuzuka anymore. She does not deserve to know. We will be the ones to deal with anything that has to do with him from now on."
"B-But, Shino kun! We can't lie to the H-Hokage!" Hinata gasped as she ran after her teammate, catching up to him quickly.
"We are not lying." Shino answered simply, "We are omitting the truth. Technically, that is not lying."
He continued to walk, not even sparing a glance at Hinata. "Akamaru, when Kuromaru asks you what happened, you are to give the answers I will tell you to give. No one is to know what has happened with Kiba. Have I been understood?"
The dog barked in acceptance immediately, apparently being the only one to not think that Shino had gone insane.
"But, Shino!" Naruto finally ran after both other preteens, eyes wide at the very idea of keeping the truth from Tsunade. Sure, she had lied. And that had been wrong. But Shino couldn't lie in retaliation! He had to confront her and find out why she had lied! "We can't-"
"Hush, Naruto!" The Aburame hissed, voice raising once more. "We can and we will, for it will keep Kiba safe." With this he stopped and turned to the blonde, eyebrows narrowed. "Tell me, do you want our friend to be hunted down by every Konoha shinobi that happens to leave the village?"
"No... But, Shino, why-"
"Because if we tell that woman the truth, she will strike him down as a missing nin to make up for her mistakes!"
After the shout, Naruto could only stare at the angered Aburame. Shino's words had left him stunned and wordless.
Straightening himself, Shino looked away from Naruto and began to walk once more. "Now come on. We must get back to Konoha with the plan set. We cannot commit any mistakes if we wish our friend to remain safe. And, to ensure that, I will tell you everything you need to know."
"Naruto kun, are you okay?" Hinata whispered once Shino had stepped far enough away, eyes wide and body slightly shaking.
She had never seen Shino like this. And it terrified her.
Blinking, Naruto turned to look at Shino, who continued to walk away. He did not want to lie to Grandma Tsunade. But if Shino felt so strongly about this... If he thought it was worth lying to keep their friend safe...
"Yeah, Hinata... Let's... Let's get going."
And with this, he too began to move. Although his steps were stiff, his mind much too occupied with being completely confused to bother with moving like he normally would.
Iruka Umino had been there on the day Shino and Hinata had returned from their mission. He had seen the fear and helplessness in their eyes and had heard how truly dismayed they had been.
Because he had been there, Iruka Umino had not been able to believe the lies the Hokage had told the Inuzuka Clan about their heir.
And he knew that Hana and Tsume themselves couldn't force themselves to believe it, even though they most probably wanted to. He had spoken with Hana since Kiba had gone off on that mission and he'd even helped her over at the clinic every now and then when things became too much with the paperwork. He felt like it was the least he could do for the grieving woman.
But he'd continued working and going on missions like the proper chunin he was, always going on missions the Hokage assigned him to.
One of the reasons, though, as to why he couldn't bring himself to believe the Hokage's words was because he had seen how Kakashi had been left a few days after whatever had happened to Kiba had happened.
The man had been left in a state akin to that of what he'd been forced into during his first confrontation with Itachi Uchiha. And... Well... It was odd, really. That a few days after Shino and Hinata had returned so frenzied, Kakashi had come back from wherever he had gone in an almost coma.
"You think too much, Iruka Sensei."
"And you observe too much, Kakashi. What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be teaching your students?" Iruka answered easily, even though he knew that Kakashi knew more than he let on.
The man was a genius. And Iruka hated it whenever he feigned innocence.
Kakashi lay lazily on a tree branch while Iruka leaned on the trunk, looking over the group of academy students that ran around. But he looked up to see the Copy Nin, looking more like a lazy cat than resting human.
"Ma..." The man waved his hand lazily, "Sakura is too busy being the Hokage's student to care about me. And Naruto is off on a mission. I have nothing to do now. And the Hokage won't give me anything to do until I've 'healed' completely."
Healed. Iruka looked over the man's bandaged arm and couldn't help the small scoff. This was another reason why he couldn't understand why they were being lied to.
Someone had hurt Kakashi real bad. And the Hokage had wanted them to stay peaceful and calm? She wanted them to remain ignorant.
"You could do something productive you know..." Iruka muttered softly with a shake of his head, then looked the man in the eyes. "Kakashi, tell me the truth."
"Is this about the Inuzuka again, Iruka Sensei?" Kakashi drawled slowly, even though Iruka had wanted to speak about this seriously. "You heard the Hokage. He's on a mission and earning his stripes."
But Kakashi, even with his faked lazy, was still very serious about the subject. He wanted Iruka to drop it. And if the man cared enough about it to not want to talk about it, it meant that he knew more than he was telling the young teacher.
"Fine. Don't tell me anything." Iruka shook his head as he pushed off the tree, then took a few steps to go back to his kids. But, once he was a few feet away, he stopped and looked at Kakashi one final time, "Tell me, have you gone to talk to Hana or Tsume? I hear that Hana has broken down at least twice on the job."
It was a dirty trick. Bringing family into anything with Kakashi was one of the lowest things to do. But the man refused to tell Iruka anything. Maybe reminding him of the distraught family left behind by Kiba would spur the man into some sort of action.
"Asuma... Do you think he's okay?"
The man took in a long drag of his cigarette before he looked at the woman that had spoken up, breathing out to release the smoke that had made its way into his lungs.
Kurenai had been forced to completely separate from her team. Days after they had returned from their failed retrieval mission, the woman had gotten word of the Hokage sending what was left of Team 8 on a month long mission with Naruto. And this had meant that Kurenai had gone from being a very hands on and always present teacher to her genin team to not having them near at all.
He had been fortunate enough to still have Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji with him. Which, when one looked at all of the misfortunes that had stricken the Rookie 9 with the likes of Sasuke and now Kiba, he counted all of his lucky stars every single night.
"He's a strong kid, Kurenai." The man breathed out with a look out at the village from the balcony they were eating on.
Kurenai had invited him over for dinner. Because she had not had her kids with her, the Hokage had given her many kinds of in-village missions. It hadn't been said, but Kurenai not being ready for anything out of village because of the issue with Kiba had been heavily implied with each new C and B-Rank given to her.
"I know..." The woman looked away from Asuma then, looking out at the setting sky. "I just... You heard the Hokage, Asuma. He was raped."
With a soft sigh, Asuma leaned over the table between them and softly grasped her hand, "She never said that."
"But it was implied." The woman snapped with a hiss, snatching her hand away from his as if she had been burned. "And then she allowed him to be taken. Asuma, we shouldn't have let that happen. We should have fought on."
The tanned man looked down at his hand with pain snipping at his heart, then leaned back in his chair and shook his head softly.
It seemed as if Kiba was the only conversation topic Kurenai ever wanted to discuss.
"And what would you have had us do?" He questioned more roughly than he would have liked, flinching minutely at the anger in his voice, but still continued, "Fight both Kisame and Itachi? Kurenai, we were barely able to stop Kisame alone!"
"I know that!" The woman hissed, head turning to glare at him and making her dark hair whip to the side, "But we should have done more!"
Both of them kept quiet, glaring at one another. Then, with his heart squeezing at the fire in Kurenai's eyes, Asuma sighed and looked away.
"I don't like fighting." He admitted, keeping his eyes on the wall to his right.
"... I don't either..." Kurenai breathed out after a while, "But it's all we seem to do anymore."
The words hurt. It was an admission to just how bad everything had gotten between them.
Chancing one look at the beautiful woman, Asuma found that she was, once more, looking at the darkening sky. And the fact that she didn't dare look at him made his stomach churn uncomfortably.
"I'll..." He began awkwardly, mechanically standing up. "I'll see myself out."
She didn't look at him. She didn't stand up. And she didn't say goodbye.
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