It took her longer than expected to find the place.
Sections of the forest had crumbled with the blasts, rocky terrain sliding forth to fill the caves, uprooted trees and vegetation interspersing the havoc all around. She had to wonder while stumbling over the gnarled roots and upturned boulders, how this whole thing might have been perceived if they had never known about the base's existence. Would Konoha have assumed a landslide had occurred? Would they have suspected such an extensive infiltration attempt so close to the joint borders of the Lands of Fire, Wind and Earth?
She almost passed the place over, backtracking to make sure. The mouth of the cave before which Shikaku had waited was gone – it had collapsed in on itself, leaving nothing but a pile of rocks and rubble in its wake, the crisp scent of fresh soil, rubble and ashes hanging all about. The chunks of rocks that had flown out with the blast had crashed in the nearby pines, felling them neatly. Here and there the darkened sides of charred stones caught her eyes, cracked with an immediate blast, hinting at a tag placed cleverly at the very entrance to the base Iwa hadn't wanted discovered. A dried smear of blood – Kaede's blood – against the yellowed gravel at the edge of a boulder beside Kushina was the only indication that this had been the place at all.
But there was no sign of the injured kunoichi, or of Shikaku and his captives. No sign of Ryota, being whisked to safety in a last-minute rush.
No sign of Minato.
She blinked once, twice, trembling fingers lifting to brush a strand of hair behind one ear as she made to swallow past a dry throat. She ought to call out for them, but her voice had lodged in her throat, an impassable lump.
Because calling out meant maybe not getting an answer. Calling out meant, potentially, being met with silence, the implications of which loomed before her like a gaping chasm.
Her eyes swept the place, looking for traces of impact, traces of movement, traces of a seal, traces of anything at all, and finding none. The wisps of panic were quietly sneaking down her frame. Where had he placed his marker? On one of these boulders? On a tree? On the cracked rocks below her feet? Or was it with Shikaku, who was nowhere to be found?
Or had he not made it to a Hiraishin tag at all? Was he somewhere there, trapped below the tons of rubble, dying or dead? She could feel the sting in her eyes, her body reacting even as she tried her best to rationalise the fear.
The rustle of foliage behind her was deliberate, the footsteps purposefully audible, meant to be noticed, meant not to startle; the warmth of the chakra-imprint there, casually open to the world, made her breath hitch in her throat and she whipped around instantly.
Minato was standing at the edge of the blast clearing, looking more like an apparition than a real person just then. A fine layer of white dust had coated his hair, his clothes and even his skin, remnant of the rubble from the earlier blasts. There was a shallow cut above his eyebrow, rivulets of blood coming down the side of his face, startlingly red against the dusty white.
But he was alive. He was well.
"Kushina." he said softly, worried eyes taking her in as he took a step forward before stopping uncertainly.
The relief that flooded through her then might have been a palpable thing, could have made her knees buckle below her if her muscles hadn't locked in place. It swelled almost painfully in her chest, took her breath away. She squished it in instinct, gulping against the lump in her throat, propping a hand on her hip instead.
"There you are." she said, surprised at her own ability to keep the tremor out of her voice. Mostly. And then her legs finally budged, stepping forward almost confidently, "Where have you been? Had to go looking for you, ya know, what's up with that?"
Her tone was deceptively light, words tumbling out in a lilt, but lacking the punch behind the otherwise accusatory line. She tried for a smile, but her lips felt like rubber, unyielding to good humour just yet. Minato had stilled before her and she could feel his look on her, but she kept her eyes away from his face stubbornly, avoiding his piercing gaze.
"I… I ran in a complication or two." he said uncertainly and she nodded, planting her feet before him.
"Ryota?"
"He's with Shikaku and Kaede, a mile east from here. They had to move when the blasts started. I… he's somewhat injured, but I made it in time."
She nodded again. Of course he had made it in time – leave it to a sensor to find one of the few men left in an recently-abandoned base. Of course Shikaku would move to safety. Of course they were all well. Her panic of earlier seemed almost silly in hindsight, irrational, unsuitable for a shinobi trained in emotional control.
"He and you both, by the looks of it. Leave it to you to find trouble, ya know."
She had aimed for levity, but her voice quivered. Her hand lifted up on its own accord, trembling fingers slowly wrapping around the edge of his sleeve and she gulped, fixing her own hand with a look. The barest of contact, such a simple thing, but she felt the worry drain out of her still, his safety reaffirmed in her touch.
The softest sigh and he gently turned his hand palm-up, replacing the fabric below her clumsy fingers with his own hand. His fingers brushed against hers in a feather-light touch, almost as an afterthought.
"Kushina..." he murmured her name, a near whisper, and she finally looked up to meet the cloudless blue of his eyes. His look was almost pained, conflicted and he gulped, lips pursing against so much unsaid.
But this was not the time. They'd have time later, to sort out this mess. This touch, this look, these assurances, would have to be enough for now. Would have to be enough for longer. This time, when she tried to smile, she found it a little less hard. After all, he was well – it was all that mattered.
"We should get back to the others. Enough worrying people for one day, yeah?" she said and she could see his eyebrows furrow ever so slightly, could see the tiny v forming between.
There was more that he wanted to say, it was there in the shadows of his eyes, in the tenseness of his shoulders, in the way he opened his mouth once, no words coming out before he swallowed uneasily and nodded.
His fingers wrapped about hers more firmly and within less than a second, they had teleported below the spotted shade of a birch tree, its leaves whispering about lazily with the breeze. Shikaku had crouched at its base, beside a kneeling Ryota who was supporting Kaede's unconscious form. His one arm had gripped her tightly, knuckles almost turning white, while the other hung limply by his side. A few paces back Kushina could make out the forms of Shikaku's three captives, now knocked out and tied up firmly against one another.
The dark-haired jōnin cast Kushina and Minato a cursory glance, already used to Minato's sudden appearances by now, unlike Ryota who visibly tensed up briefly before realising that no one was, in fact, coming back for him or Kaede.
"Kushina-san!" he called out, relief evident in his voice and she half-smiled, stepping forward quickly and kneeling beside the brown-haired man as well. "I'm so glad you're well!"
"Me too, Ryota-san. You gave me a fright there, getting all of that base on your tail, ya know."
"I guess I was aiming for that ruckus we discussed." he said before the momentary mirth dropped from his face, replaced by worry when his eyes found Kaede again.
Beside her Shikaku pushed lightly to his feet and made his way to Minato, the two of them retreating to the side, rushing through hushed words.
"How is she?" Kushina asked, directing her attention to the girl as well, suppressing a wince at seeing just how bad her injuries were in broad daylight.
They had been quick – Kaede couldn't have been in their hands longer than an hour. Her face was swollen and puffy, adorned with a number of bruises and a shallow cut dangerously close to her eye. Her head had been hastily bandaged, probably by Shikaku, but red blothes had already coloured the bandages, the rest of her hair matted by blood, indicating a head injury that may or may not have caused a concussion as well. Her hands had been given the same treatment, blood-soaked bandages not managing to hide the fact that she had lost a finger on one hand and two on the other. Worse yet, there was an ashen tint to her skin and her pale lips, speaking of dangerous blood loss.
"She's… she's unconscious… But she's alive. I… Nara-sama explained that you found her. Thank you, for keeping her alive. For keeping her safe."
"I'm sorry we couldn't get to her sooner, Ryota-san… But we'll get her help now." She said, throwing a quick glance at his own limp right arm. She frowned. "And we'll get you help too. You're injured yourself."
"It's nothing. A broken arm. I had engaged an enemy nin when the Yellow Flash found me." He said and there was reverence in his voice now, a quiet fascination, as if he couldn't quite believe what had occurred.
He threw a quick glance at the man he had been speaking about and Kushina was compelled to follow that look. Shikaku and Minato seemed to be having a quiet exchange, the former handing out a bloodied satchel. The blonde nodded, slinging the bag over one shoulder and Kushina felt her curiosity bubbling up before Ryota continued in a quieter voice.
"I was… I'm afraid I wasn't faring that well. He showed up just in time, but, well… The Iwa guy took one look at him and then he was activating some technique and then there were explosions all around… The sound was like nothing I'd heard, I was sure we would die. There was so much dust and rubble, it blew in from the corridor and blinded me and I could tell the ceiling was collapsing and then, I don't know what happened, but he was next to me, Namikaze-sama. He just flew across the distance, it was amazing. He grabbed me and then next thing I know we were out, only there were trees falling down and Nara-sama was there, but on the move and these Iwa nin were after him, but they weren't really, you know, he was controlling them… It was absolute chaos. I actually thought we were being attacked again since Namikaze-sama was suddenly on high alert and you know, for him of all people to be this terrified, I thought… but there were no actual enemies; he asked Nara-sama about you straight away and then he just shot off. At first I feared you had stayed behind in the base. I think he thought so too. He really seems to care about his comrades, risking his life like that for me and then being so distressed about your health too…"
Kushina stilled, eyes widening with the man's last words as her look fell on Minato once again. He had seemed so unnaturally still when he had found her, muscles locked against the agitation she could see in his look. His quiet sigh, full of relief, and his light touch, his skin feeling almost feverish against hers… the words that hadn't come... It all clicked into place.
Just then his eyes slid back to hers for the briefest of seconds and she had to wonder if he had heard their conversation after all.
"Yeah… Yeah, you have no idea, ya know."
Ryota opened his mouth to say something else, but his attention was caught by Minato who quickly crouched, placing a palm against the forest floor. The kanji that expanded below his fingers, followed by a puff of smoke, were familiar and Kushina wasn't surprised to see the small plump frog that appeared after, large scroll attached to its back. She couldn't quite hear what her friend was discussing with his summon, but the frog listened intently before nodding once just as Shikaku turned around, nearing Ryota and herself in a firm step.
"Ryota-san, Minato will take you and Kaede-san back to Konoha now. You should be in the hospital in the next few minutes." he informed the brown-haired man quietly.
The chūnin was just starting to voice his confusion when Kushina noticed Minato get back to his feet and incline his head, motioning soundlessly to her and she hurried back up as well, leaving the Nara at his explanations. Even as she approached her friend, she could see the anxiety in his posture and in his look. His fingers twisted around the strap of the satchel in an uneasy grip.
"I have to take them back to Konoha, they need medical attention, Kaede-san especially." he said quietly as she approached and she nodded.
That much was obvious. They had no med nins with them.
"How are your chakra levels?"
They had had a fight mere moments ago and Minato hadn't spared his techniques. And then he had utilised his Hiraishin, such as his minimal markers in there were, in a frantic search…
"Well enough. I can take them both and those three too, even if it pushes it some." He said, indicating at the unconscious captives.
"Minato… you need to rest after."
She had to agree that it really was the best plan – both Ryota and Kaede needed immediate help and, with so many unknowns, the Iwa nin had to be moved to a secure location – there were definitely more exits to that base and some of their teammates could have gotten out; could be planning a counter attack even now, to free their friends. They couldn't afford to lose them now – the intel they could provide them with would be precious.
Yes, it was the best plan, but even so Minato looked conflicted as he spoke.
"I would take you and Shikaku back as well, but there's a support team heading this way, someone should meet and brief them. And leaving only one person behind would be dangerous." he continued in a rush before halting, hesitating, his eyes roaming over hers uneasily.
"And it would cost you too much chakra besides." she said through a frown and he shrugged as if that part was highly insignificant. It only made her want to roll her eyes. It was the reckless rescues all over again. "We'll be fine, Minato, we can handle whoever, ya know."
Apparently this wasn't the answer he had needed - his eyebrows furrowed, jaw setting as he took a step closer to her.
"I know what it means to you, but don't go looking for him."
It took her a beat to comprehend of whom he spoke and her teeth clenched almost audibly.
"He's not to be underestimated. He's one of Kiri's Seven, arguably the strongest one after their leader. The power he wields is said to equate that of Ichibi."
Perfect match, she thought, feeling the ghost of her earlier fury coiling in her chest and her eyes narrowed, the words burning on the tip of her tongue, Kushina suddenly finding herself on the verge of telling him what she had avoided saying for so long.
"I'm not to be underestimated either, ya know." she said instead, failing at keeping the edge out of her voice entirely
Minato was already shaking his head.
"I know. Trust me, I know, I saw, but this… We don't know Kiri's part in this, we don't know whether they have more men out here. It's dangerous to engage him, not when the other six might be around also." he said in a rush and she could hear the exasperation in his voice, the desperation.
And she suddenly knew quite well why he was so on edge – he didn't want to go. He knew it was needed, it was prudent, it was best. But it meant leaving his friends vulnerable, potentially outnumbered by powerful enemies. Agitation was rolling off of him, feverish eyes boring into hers, imploring.
She sighed.
"I won't look for him." she said quietly, holding his look "We'll be fine, Minato. The Konoha team will be here soon too. But you can't afford to wait… Kaede can't afford to wait. You should go now."
She could see her words did little to qualm his worries; could see he feared beyond her search – feared that they might be attacked instead. But there was nothing that she or he could say to change things. And time was of the essence.
He closed his eyes, pained grimace marring his face as he lifted one hand to pinch the bridge of his nose before exhaling, fixing her with a fervent look one last time.
"I'm leaving Gamatechi behind, he'll be able to summon me back at once if anything happens. I… I'll be back as soon as I can. Please… stay safe."
She could only nod. His hand lifted slowly, seemingly to brush a finger against her cheek, but then he stopped halfway through abruptly as if catching himself doing something that he shouldn't. His eyebrows had formed that agitated v again, and he sighed, lowering his arm. And then he was stepping past her, quickly making his way to Ryota and Kaede, whom Shikaku had helped to move beside the three captives.
Within a minute he had extended his arms, securing their injured teammates with one hand and the three unconscious nin with the other; and then he was off, disappearing quietly into nothingness.
The door shut somewhat forcefully behind Koharu as she entered the council room. Her appearance made four, all members of his council having finally gathered, and Hiruzen felt the slight shift as the ANBU stationed in the shadows moved soundlessly to secure the room. The barest trickle of chakra and the security seals activated, isolating them from the world outside.
The woman took her seat beside Homura on the couch, as was their custom, her head held stiffly, an air of indignation about her movements. Sandaime very carefully repressed a tired sigh – his old friends had taken slight about being informed so late of the situation, even if he had let them know as soon as he deemed possible in the rush. Koharu especially would find it hard to forgive, he decided, seeing the thin line of her pursed lips. Once, a long time ago, they would have been first on the front line, first to be called, first to jump in the fray; but the days of their impassioned youth had long gone past and Koharu Utatane seemed to have failed to make peace with that truth just yet.
But this meeting had little to do with their personal offenses.
"Now then." Hiruzen began, bringing his pipe down as he spoke. "You've all been briefed about the situation, roughly."
"At long last." she interjected.
The Hokage all but ignored her.
"There have been new developments." Homura said, more of a factual statement than a question - they wouldn't have been called in if there was nothing new to discuss – but Hiruzen nodded his acknowledgement still.
"Indeed. And it's not all good, I'm afraid, my friends." he said and could see both Koharu and Himura tense up. Danzou remained impassive – he already knew all that Hiruzen was about to say, as necessitated by his post as Root's Commander. Still, he would sit through the discussion regardless – his voice was an important part of their council.
"As you know, Minato Namikaze returned earlier today, or rather yesterday now" he amended, seeing the clock by the door marking a good two hours after midnight, "with injured teammates, captives and important information."
The council members nodded sombrely – they had kept track of the events of the day, each in their own way. This much was known even outside this room – Minato's sudden appearance in the Hokage's office had been expected, as agreed initially, but it had quickly caused a stir nevertheless. Some of his companions were no surprise – Shikaku and he had been instructed to keep captives if possible, assassinate if not. But the two injured shinobi in tow had been an unexpected addition.
"The boy seems to always be in the thick of it lately, doesn't he?" Homura said, eyebrows drawn and Hiruzen felt the corners of his lips pull up in a smile.
"Like teacher, like student I would say."
"That might come back to bite you, Hiruzen, knowing who his teacher's teacher was."
The Hokage chuckled, palms lifting up in a humorous surrender. They had him there.
"What did we make of the two unauthorised Konoha nin?" Koharu asked curiously, more of a passing question before the discussion turned pointed.
"Three unauthorised nin." Danzou corrected almost soundlessly. The Hokage didn't acknowledge his comment.
"Wrong place, wrong time. The girl hasn't woken up yet, she was… interrogated quite forcefully. We don't know as of yet if she said anything and if the ones asking managed to get out alive."
Koharu shook her head in mild disbelief.
"How did they even end up there?"
"We'll have to ask her when she wakes. Her teammate informs us that she was the sensor shinobi at their outpost. She had been doing morning routes when she sent a clone to inform of suspicious activity before being captured. We assume Iwa got restless when their own operative in Konoha failed to report and sent out summons to scout the area for potential ambushes. The girl probably sensed or spotted something unusual and was captured when investigating."
"And then Konoha's Jinchūriki was there to rescue her." Homura said bitterly, dry sarcasm sharp in his words.
Hiruzen could only sigh wearily; there was only so much wilful ignoring you could do when the testy situation was brought up again and again.
"Another matter… for another time. She had been chosen for supply runs. Let's avoid the topic of cosmic coincidences for the time being."
Koharu all but snorted. Hiruzen quietly brought his pipe back up to his lips, taking a long drag. A cloud of smoke engulfed him in the following brief silence.
"What of the captives? Did they speak?"
"Not directly as such." Danzou interjected, deciding to answer the question himself. He had been in contact with the T&I division more throughout the day. "But Inoichi Yamanaka and his team have made some progress."
Koharu and Homura nodded thoughtfully.
"Good boy, that one. Excellent asset. He's walking in his father's footsteps."
Hiruzen hmm-ed his assent as Homura shrugged, as if to say that this was nothing unexpected.
"Have we learned anything new?"
"They've been occupying the base for a little over four months." the bandaged man continued, "There were thirty-seven of them, an unusually large number for an infiltration mission, but they were kept in reserve to be used as a strike team from behind our lines, if needed. They were all prepared to infiltrate towns or fronts, or to allow for immediate support and supplies for their men on the more dangerous front lines; you know the base was near the disputed regions. We've had some supply line disruptions from unexpected strike teams in the last few months – it's now been confirmed that the majority of them were carried out by people stationed at that base."
Koharu clicked her tongue irately and Hiruzen was willing to wager that she was trying very hard not to use uncivilised language. It was Kumogakure that she had little love for, ever since that incident with the Kinkaku Force, but he was lately finding her personal dislike for Iwagakure to match that hatred well.
"So did we find out how Iwa came to know of a hidden war base from the First Shinobi World War, one on our territory if I may add?" Homura asked, a tad testily.
Hiruzen couldn't begrudge him the vexation – the history of their nations had been fraught with skirmishes and wars; decommissioned bases from previous such encounters were discovered occasionally. Some of them were known of, but no longer put in use with the shifting borders; others were kept secret by the clans that had used them. The knowledge of their existence was either being passed down as private clan business or completely forgotten even amongst their descendants. Even so, Iwa had little business knowing of such places within Konoha's territory. And what's worse – Kiri even less so.
"Yes and no." he said, rubbing a hand over his temples tiredly. "There was little we could gather with absolute certainty from the men captured – most of them weren't ranked high enough to have confidential information. But two of them seem to be under the same impression about the information's source – Iwa was contacted by Kiri and offered the information about the base's location." at this Homura's eyes widened in shock just as Koharu shot up to her feet as well, outraged. "They traded it for information – Iwagakure would man the base and provide the infiltrators and Kirigakure would have access to whatever it is they found out in exchange."
"Kirigakure are working with Iwagakure?!" the woman hissed just as the man beside her spoke up as well with a well-placed question – "And how would Kirigakure know of a Senju base?"
"We don't know, as of yet. We don't know the extent of their involvement, but a Kiri operative was spotted at the scene, giving credibility to this version. One of Kiri's Seven Swordsmen – they didn't risk someone unskilled who'd be easy to capture. He got away."
More curses and Koharu sat back down ceremoniously, keeping exactly none of her outrage hidden. She seemed to have forgotten the attempts at being civilised.
"We thought they'd remain under the thick sea rock they'd crawled out of, after the debacle with Uzu, which, may I add, we still haven't avenged."
"We hoped, is what you mean, Koharu. And it's not our job to avenge Uzushiogakure's demise – we tried to help, but that's the extent we can offer an ally during wartime with two fronts already open to the west." Homura said, mouth twisting in a sour expression. "And now we might be looking at a third to the east regardless."
"We don't know if they've formed any alliances. It might have been a temporary agreement of mutual benefit. Kirigakure might be collecting information to stay a step ahead of us in case we decided to seek retribution for our ally."
"You can't believe that, Hiruzen." Danzou said solemnly, to the agreement of the other two. "Why would they risk their skins with the showdown at Uzu if they didn't intend to get a piece of the pie? Their Mizukage is singularly bloodthirsty. And you yourself know what Jiraya has been reporting."
At this Koharu and Homura threw questioning glances towards Hiruzen, who could simply sigh.
"Kumo has been… gathering people. They haven't announced anything yet or made any moves, but… we can't exclude future involvement." he explained warily to the other two.
The atmosphere in the room had turned icy with the pregnant silence.
"Gods be good." Koharu whispered finally, "A third Shinobi World War?"
It was Danzou who stepped in, his cane echoing dully against the tiled floor when the man stepped closer to the table.
"We don't know yet, but we need to prepare for all eventualities. We can't allow to be surrounded by enemies on all sides."
The woman near hissed at his words, eyes narrowing dangerously.
"You can't be thinking what I think you're thinking! We can't seek Kumo's alliance!" she near-snarled. Danzou didn't even flinch. "Need I remind you it was at their hands that our previous Hokage, our own teacher, died? Absolutely impermissible, the public would lynch us, have our heads on spikes. If there's any nation we should be in arms against, it's them!"
"Calm down, Koharu. I was suggesting no such thing. I was merely stating facts." the bandaged man said stoically, "If anything, it might be worth looking into covert warfare. Perhaps an undercover team of ours, posing as Iwagakure shinobi, causing ruckus on the Kumo-Iwa border. Make them focus on each other rather than on us."
Koharu piped down somewhat, chewing over his words thoughtfully.
"Yes… that could work…"
"Unless they are captured." Homura interjected and the barest hint of a smile graced the dark-haired man's lips.
"My men would never let themselves be captured alive."
Hiruzen cleared his throat at that, more than willing not to dwell on the topic too long. Root's operatives weren't any more capable or committed than their counterparts in ANBU, but they did seem to have been trained particularly callously at times, not just willing but almost happy to lay down their lives for any cause. More than once he had considered bringing the matter up with Danzou, but he was well aware that their views and methods differed; and even if he didn't always agree with his old friend, Danzou Himura was singularly effective and driven when Konoha's welfare was concerned. And so were his men.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. We should still prepare for a potential military involvement from all five nations. And our location between them all puts us in a precarious situation, my friends."
"We should have prepared for that years ago." Danzou said, a palpable steely undertone to his words that drew a pointed look from Sandaime.
This particular disagreement between himself and Danzou gaped wider than ever now, when a trained Jinchūriki could make all the difference; when Jiraya's reports also spoke of Kumo's intent attempts to master their own.
"Covert operations are a good option, but the notion of treaties isn't bad either, in our situation. Kirigakure took down our longest-standing ally and Kumogakure are an impossibility for obvious reasons. There is too much blood between us and Iwagakure. That old prune of a Kage would spit in our faces even if we trampled our own pride and tried to negotiate, what with his son's death at Minato Namikaze's hands." Homura summarised, tapping a finger against his chin. "That leaves us with…"
"…Sunagakure." Hiruzen concluded and sighed yet again. "There's more to that than you may think."
"Oh?"
"Minato didn't just return with captives; he also brought a bag full of documents and scrolls they obtained from the men captured, as well as others such he found while searching their base. I asked him to lend his hand to the Intelligence Division once again upon his return. His reports and their joint efforts at breaking through the enemy seals and codes and going through all the information, has provided us with some invaluable Intel."
Koharu raised an eyebrow at that, looking at the Hokage expectantly, but it was Danzou who took over.
"Iwagakure haven't been observing us alone. The base was positioned near both borders. They have a man in Suna too, perhaps even better informed than the one here. They've managed to gather a lot of intel from them as well. Some of it made its way here."
"That's… interesting."
"A bargaining chip. We could offer them the information to negotiate a treaty between Suna and Konoha against Iwa." Koharu mused, well in thought.
"Or use it to destroy them." Danzou said quietly, almost softly, his tone contrasting sharply to the menace in his words. "Suna is weakened. They have no host for their Bijuu and they've lost many of the fertile lands they depend on for resources. Surely you don't mean to debase us by stooping so low as to ask for their help. We could use the information gathered to bring them down to their knees once and for all, send a message to the rest of our enemies."
"Negotiating a treaty is not akin to asking enemies for help; peace should never be a second-best option when half the nation carry the bedraggled clothes of war, my friend."
Danzou fixed him with a pointed look, squaring his shoulders.
"Would you have us cave to their demands too, when they come? You know what they would want in exchange for cooperation. They'd ask for the return of the fertile border lands we fought hard to win over. Lands soaked with the blood of our shinobi who died for them."
His words hung between them, heavy in their verity. It was a hard-swallowed truth, but then, so many truths were. If there was an easy way out of this, Hiruzen would have happily taken it by now.
"Negotiations would be had, as is proper. Regardless, I see this as the best path for Konoha and the Land of Fire. What do the others think?"
Homura sighed theatrically, levelling them both with a look before closing his eyes and leaning back.
"Aye. I'm with Hiruzen. Overwhelming them will bring us little merit. It's pointless spilling blood over their wizened lands, there's naught to gain from it."
"I second that." Koharu said and that was that.
Danzou's reaction was well-concealed; if Hiruzen didn't know him better he might have missed the slight tightening of his jaw, the disapproval glinting in the opaque of his eyes before the man lowered his head.
"So be it. The council has spoken."
The Hokage relaxed ever so slightly, inclining his head in acknowledgement of their final decisions.
"Koharu, you will be sent to inform the Daimiyo first thing tomorrow morning, he should be made aware of any international negotiations before they occur. I'll arrange for an ANBU escort for you. Homura, I'll need you to convene the clan heads." Hiruzen said, mouth twisting despite himself as he pre-tasted the challenge in the following task. Clans were notoriously difficult when clan secrets were concerned, even amongst allies within a village. But it had to be done still. "We need to gather as much information from them about old bunkers and bases from previous wars that have remained unoccupied throughout the years. The same mistakes cannot be afforded. Coordinate with Danzou. I trust his Root operatives can track any additional information about bases unknown to the general populace. I want every such place put on a map. Jiraya is already working on trying to find out where Kiri got their information from, but seeing as he can't leave Kumo's mobilisation unobserved, he's stretched somewhat thin for the time being."
They all nodded wordlessly, accepting their assigned tasks with little protest. They knew their roles well by now; despite their occasional disagreements, the Konoha council operated efficiently together, like a well-oiled machine. Hiruzen hoped that in whatever afterlife Tobirama Senju was now, he could somehow know and take pride in the students he had raised.
And above all he hoped they could do right by the students they had raised themselves.
It was close to midnight when Minato accompanied Haya Fumiko to the Hokage's office with their last report on everything that they had found. It had been a couple of hours since his return and yet it still felt like it had been ages, the minutes spent under the fluorescent glare of the Intelligence Division offices trickling by agonisingly slowly. He had known he'd be asked to give accounts of what had occurred and to submit reports; he had even suspected he might be tasked with going through the new intel collected, but he had still hoped that the time spent on formalities wouldn't be quite as long.
Restless agitation had coursed through him, barely contained below the surface, making his thoughts scattered more often than not throughout the day. Adrenaline kept charging through him in a semi-battle-ready state as he found himself on the edge of his seat constantly, waiting and dreading being called back to a battlefield that contained his friends outnumbered and overwhelmed. In between that, the little rest, and the plenitude of information gathered before them that needed concentrated assimilation and analysis, he had found himself suspended between the numbness of necessitated work and agitated worry that left him little peace of mind.
When the time had come to consolidate their efforts and report all their findings, he had been almost giddy with relief to be done and the speed that he had set as they moved through the corridors towards the Hokage office had been inconsiderate, almost rude, as Fumiko-san hurried ahead in a near-jog in order to keep up with him. He had to remind himself to slow down, consciously refraining from using a Hiraishin outside of an immediate emergency.
Their talk had been relatively quick, even if it had seemed long still to Minato, but soon enough Sandaime was thanking their efforts and leaving for a meeting with his council and Fumiko-san was bidding him goodbye, claiming exhaustion and retreating in the night.
No sooner had she turned to go than he had activated his Hiraishin, flying through his markers outside of Konoha and down the path of tags he had created across the more travelled routes in the Land of Fire. The last leg of his journey he took on foot, having gotten close enough to the approximate location he thought he might find his friends in, breaking off the markers' path and hurrying ahead amongst the darkened trees of the forest.
It took him a few minutes, but soon enough he felt the Hiraishin tag he had given to Shikaku brush against the edge of his senses, like a distant source of light on the horizon. A mile or so more and he was within range, reaching out mentally for the beacon and stepping lightly on the other side. He barely noticed the brief constriction anymore, the jumps having become almost second nature to him. One second he was rushing across rustling branches and the next he had quietly landed in a calm opening, taking his surroundings in with a blink.
His feet had just touched solid ground when he felt his body go rigid, muscles locking in place uncomfortably. Numbness shot through him straight away, an almost detached sense when his mind instinctively commanded his legs to move, move now, but his body betrayed him, unresponsive to his wishes. His panic lasted a fraction of a second before he realised what had just occurred, feeling Shikaku's calm chakra nearby. A glance out of the corner of his eyes informed him that the jōnin was leaning casually against a fat tree trunk nearby, not even having turned to face him.
Oh he was quite quick, his Nara friend.
Before that thought had registered fully he had moved on to the next chakra imprint nearby, burning brightly against his senses, and he sought her out with a look almost instinctively, like a moth drawn to the very fire of her presence. She was lying down a few feet away, blazing locks sprawled about her like autumn leaves. Her steady breathing informed him that she was fast-asleep, curled below a breezy travel cloak near the smouldering embers of a campfire. Apparently Shikaku had taken first watch.
The breath of relief that escaped him as he beheld her was almost audible, calmness washing over him so suddenly that he might have sagged down against the forest floor if Shikaku's shadows weren't still holding him steady.
"Sentry shifts tend to be quite troublesome, I would say." Shikaku said calmly, casually, his words a carefully-measured whisper "I usually spend them contemplating shogi. You wouldn't happen to recall our last game? The move I used to beat you?"
"Actually, if memory serves me right, it was I who beat you last time; even if it was mostly thanks to Yoshino-san's distractions. And I used the Dancing Pawns."
Shikaku grinned.
"One of my favourites. It was unfortunate, falling to it as I did." he said as the tendrils of shadows retreated soundlessly and Minato had to hold himself from stumbling ahead as control returned to his body in a rush, his limbs suddenly feeling heavy in the aftermath.
"I've learned from the best." Minato whispered back to which Shikako snorted quietly.
He made his way to sit beside his dark-haired friend soundlessly, exhaling as he leaned his back against the same tree. The clearing they had chosen was small, lined by poplars and low vegetation, mostly soft grass, giving a good view of the surrounding forest. A stream was burbling nearby, its melody mixing with that of the spring crickets and the occasional hoots of the night birds and Minato found himself relaxing, tension easing out of him as he realised that there really seemed to be no danger, not for now.
As if to confirm his observations, a rustle in the tall grass nearby caught his attention and the third familiar chakra signature appeared beside him in a neat leap, stopping beside his leg.
"Gamatechi-san." he greeted through a tired smile and the frog saluted.
"Nothing to report, Minato-kun. It's been quiet all day."
"Thank you for all your hard work. It made my day bearable."
Gamatechi smiled, waving him off with one webbed-hand.
"Make none of it. It was a pleasure really." his summon said, flashing a wide-mouthed grin, gesturing to Kushina's sleeping form. "Your friend there is a joy to talk to. She found all I said very entertaining. Was delighted with my stories about your frequent training visits to Mount Myobuku when you were younger."
He groaned.
"Gamatechi-san…"
Shikaku seemed to be fighting laughter, shaking soundlessly beside him. Minato shot him a dirty look.
"Now, now, Minato. What shinobi hasn't kissed their frog friends in their youth." The Nara heir said through merry gasps and Gamatechi gave him a thumbs up.
Minato thumped his head back against the tree trunk in exasperation.
"That was one time, Gamatechi-san! And it wasn't- It was a genjutsu, Gamariki-san has this technique where he kisses the enemy- he was teaching me to dispel it- No, don't give me that look- gah!" he said in a rush, finding it somewhat of a challenge to keep his voice down to hushed whispers as he felt his face heat up.
Kushina had heard this? He wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole.
"Well, I'll be off!" the frog said with a quick wave and disappeared in a quiet puff of smoke before Minato could say anything else, like issuing a quick reminder how he could summon him in a tub full of salt next time if Gamatechi kept spilling embarrassing stories.
He shook his head, muttering soundless curses in his head.
"Not a word of this to the others."
His friend was grinning.
"My lips are sealed. Metaphorically. No fūinjutsu, or in fact genjutsu needed." he said and Minato elbowed him in the ribs.
Shikaku's quiet chuckles finally subdued and he also leaned back against the tree, casting a look at the starry sky. No moon tonight, leaving the forest submerged in comfortable darkness. Which was also probably why Shikaku had lit the small campfire despite the infiltrators discovered recently in Land of Fire territory – contrary to popular belief, a dark night was not a Nara's best fighting time. He needed light to be at his most lethal – there were no shadows without it.
"What came of it, in the end?" Shikaku asked finally, a tint of seriousness returning to his voice.
Minato had no qualms about telling him, being certain that in his current post as Substitute Jōnin Commander and Advisor in his father's absence, he would be briefed upon his immediate return anyway. He summarised their findings quickly, the Nara heir listening intently as he did so, arms crossed and chin tucked low to his chest, showing as usual that he was in thought. A heavy sigh followed the blonde's words.
"Troublesome." he said most predictably and this time around Minato couldn't help but agree with him wholeheartedly. "To think an operation like that would go on for so long, right under our nose…"
"Some infiltrators remain on post for years. I'd say we did alright."
His friend hmm-ed thoughtfully beside him as they both lapsed in silence, eyeing the dying embers as a near-burned branch popped audibly in the fallen hush.
"What about you? What did I miss?" Minato ventured finally.
"Nothing much, as Gamatechi told you. The reinforcement team arrived a few hours after you, the falcon must have reached them swiftly at their station. We briefed them and showed them the locations where we had found entrances. The one Kushina and Ryota used was a few miles south of ours, closer to the Central West Outpost."
"I assume the team stayed behind to investigate the area?"
Shikaku nodded.
"We gave them as much information as we could before heading back home. They stayed behind to comb the place through, see if any tunnels stayed standing, but I'd bet Iwa were thorough. They also sent two men to the Central West Outpost, to replace Kaede and Ryota for the time-being. I'd say… we pretty much got off lightly."
Just then Kushina shifted below her blanket, turning ever-so-slightly in her sleep and his eyes fixed on her on their own accord. She had turned to the side now, her hands folded beside her face, fingers twitching ever so slightly with her dreams.
"No sign of them then?" Minato whispered near soundlessly and his friend simply shook his head beside him.
"I assume he was alone; he fled straight away. He didn't seem interested in fighting us… or in her in particular." Shikaku mouthed back carefully.
Minato nodded quietly. He had noticed the implication in his words, promptly deciding to leave it at that. He was certain that the Nara heir was clever enough to have made his own informed conclusions about Kushina, same as him. But none of them would discuss it, not in the open like this, not behind her back, not when they were most likely not supposed to know, unless told by her.
His eyes fell on her sleeping form once again and he felt his chest tighten, an ache running down his body, ice-cold as it went, and for a second he was back in those tunnels as he watched the Iwa nin pull her up by her hair, pressing a blade at her throat; watched him leer at her, the disgusting words twisting invisible knives in his stomach. And then the man had thrown his kunai away, his one chance to get to her; and her eyes had been narrowed, resolute, not a hint of fear in them as she endured it all silently; the moment was imprinted in his memory and it had been all he could do not to think of it throughout the day as his agitation got the better of him. The thick bubbling rage that had overtaken him then had been so overwhelming that he thought he might have seen red; it had crystallised his attention to a single point of contempt, honing it, sharpening it; he had never wanted to kill a man as much as he had then. He also thought he had rarely felt quite so helpless as he watched the kunai scratch at her skin, drawing blood.
His breathing picked up, sweat breaking out at the back of his neck and he clenched his hand as his memory carried him further despite himself, to the moment he grabbed Ryota and jumped back to Shikaku just in time as the explosive tags had started going off; the moment he had seen the Nara on the move over the shifting terrain and it had taken him but a second to realise that Kushina wasn't there; and then he had frozen, the dread near-crippling him as if someone had smashed through his chest with a hammer, winding him. For a moment he had been certain that she had gone back in the tunnels to look for him, the tunnels that were collapsing, the tunnels where she would die-
-and he was back in those caves in Uzu, those caves he dreamt of every night, only in his dreams Kushina was there too, wounded by their enemies, buried alive by the collapsing ceiling, out of his reach as he left her behind-
He had lived through it so many times in that Iwa prison, the genjutsu leaving him breathless and aching every time, no matter how many times he had told himself it wasn't real; the nightmares had mixed with fears, had intruded on reality, had made him question his own memory, had almost broken him.
And today, in a single second, it had all come crashing back viciously, terrifyingly, cripplingly. Shikaku's answering shout had seemed so far away, drowned out by the buzz in his ears and his friend had had to drag him away amongst a collapsing forest floor, repeating his words again feverishly until they had reached him, until he had shot off after her-
And then, to have all the following hours to picture her and Shikaku facing Kiri's Seven alone… It had all but undone him.
It hadn't been a wonderful day.
A firm hand grasped his shoulder and he turned a wary look back to his friend, exhausted. It was all catching up to him now, a bone-deep tiredness.
"She was safe, Minato. I swear it."
A lump had formed somewhere in his throat and he swallowed past it. He hadn't asked Shikaku to watch over her; if anything, he had been worried for them both as he left. But he was still immensely grateful, knowing that his friend had understood his worry; had made sure she was well.
"Thank you, Shikaku. That makes twice now."
The dark-haired man flashed him a lopsided grin.
"Sounds like you owe me a drink over shogi then."
Minato could only chuckle, folding a hand over his knee.
"Deal."
She awoke some time later in the night, her internal clock having adjusted to the idea of mission sentry shifts, especially with potential Kiri nin around. She judged she might have been right on time, judging by the fire that had completely died out, submerging them in near-darkness. Shikaku's shadows wouldn't be as effective now, but it wasn't his turn to keep watch anymore and the nearby light source wouldn't do her favours; night blindness could affect even shinobi after all.
"Anything?" she said as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, pushing up to her feet.
"Nothing." Shikaku whispered back, still hushed, and her eyes widened as they finally fell on the form beside him.
Even in the semi-darkness she could make-out his light locks, now appearing ashen in the dead of night. He was slumped against a tree trunk, fast-asleep if his light breaths were any indication to go by.
Shikaku sighed and also got up soundlessly, nearing her in slow steps.
"When did he…?"
"Shortly after you fell asleep. Took some convincing, but I made him get some shut-eye in the end since he looked like the walking dead there."
She nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Thanks for keeping watch. I'll take over now, ya know."
The Nara smiled as he stepped past her and made his way back to the now-extinguished fire. Within a minute or so he had taken out his own travel cloak, throwing it over himself against the spring night chill.
Kushina hesitated only for a second before making her way to a tree in the opposite end of the clearing; she told herself she didn't want to wake him up, but she knew well she could be near-soundless if she so wished. In truth, she simply didn't want to test herself so, being near him again, knowing how it usually affected her. She had a job to do after all – they were relying on her to keep watch and it wouldn't do to be distracted.
The forest had turned quieter with the latter hours of the night and she soon found herself lapsing in a pleasant meditative state, scanning her surroundings methodically.
She didn't know how much time passed that way, perhaps no longer than an hour or so, forest still pitch black, when she felt the change. There was a slight shift from ahead of her as Minato's breathing gradually picked up with whatever dream he was having and Kushina fixed him with a steady look. He was breathing heavily now, raggedly, as he shifted again, and her heart gave a pang as she realised he was having a nightmare, as he had said he often did. Without thinking she pushed up to her feet, quietly making her way to his side and kneeling beside him.
His eyebrows had furrowed, jaw clenching; his eyes jumped below closed eyelids and he shifted uncomfortably again. A fine sheen of sweat had broken over his forehead, his hands clenching in his sleep. A near inaudible groan made its way past his lips as he turned and she lifted her hand without thinking, brushing her fingers against his shoulder lightly.
His reaction was instantaneous, as if stung – he gasped, sucking in a startled breath and sitting up at once, coiled as a spring, eyes wide as he took in his surroundings instantly, crashing out of whatever dream he had been having. Her hand dropped instinctively, Kushina staring at him through wide eyes. His breath was coming out in pants, chest heaving, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face as his eyes finally found hers.
His throat bobbed as he swallowed thickly, face twisting in a pained look and she felt a pang shoot through her, flaring in her chest. Without thinking she was reaching forward, finding his hand clenched over one knee and covering it with her own.
His breath caught as he stilled, clenched muscles relaxing in her touch; and then he exhaled, hand opening, fingers interlacing with hers ever so gently.
"Kushina…" he murmured quietly, almost as a sigh, voice somewhat broken even in its hush, much the same as earlier yesterday when he had found her.
This time she understood.
"I'm here, Minato." she whispered quietly. "Rest, okay?"
He swallowed again, nodding, fingers tightening about hers.
Quietly she shifted, sitting beside him and leaning against the same tree, hand still resting with his, reminding her of another similar night they had spent at a ryokan not too long ago. And when she leaned her head against the side of his shoulder again, he sighed, resting his cheek over her locks as well, his breathing finally calming beside her.
Morning found them still side by side, Kushina keeping watch and Minato finally sleeping lightly, dreamlessly, by her side.
AN: Aaand here we go, another longer chapter, I hope it satisfies the craves! I'm sorry for being a tad bit late on this one, but I'm back to work now and I had to go through the brief crash of coming back from a relaxing holiday and jumping in feet-first into adulting :D In any case, I hope you guys enjoyed it!
I know it was a bit politically-heavy at times or rather militaristic, but I have to say I am quite interested in exploring this aspect of the world as well. I'm trying to tie events up from cannon and, as you can see, currently working my way up to the alliance with Suna that Konoha seemed to have during the Third Shinobi World War. And, speaking of, said war is finally brewing on the horizon. Time to bring Kumo out to play (I do love them a lot, this shall be fun).
I know this frog-kiss sounds ridiculous, but it IS cannon, if you guys remember, Gamariki had a once-in-a-lifetime way of casting genjutsu and I just couldn't resist the jibe.
Also, yes, Minato is being a bit of a train-wreck with his newly developed ptsd+fears-turning-to-phobias, but hey, he'll be working past them.
Alright, next chapter would be a big one in terms of events taking place and, symbolically, it's Chapter 30 – such a nice round number. Even more symbolically, my birthday's coming up, so it might go up then. A little gift from me to me :D So you can expect it by 15th Sept latest.
Thank you once again for reading! I would very much appreciate your comments, as usual, I love hearing your ideas and your thoughts, they always make my day!
Ja ne~