It's too bad that this story gains traction in such slight increments. It's really one of my favorites to write in terms of character interaction, but because the Naruto category gets updated so frequently, no story gets to stay on the front page very long. I guess that problem could be alleviated if I had the opportunity to update more frequently, but unfortunately that's just not feasible.
That said the fic will always keep trucking at some pace or another, as I enjoy it too much to put it on hold or drop it. Good news for anyone that actually cares to read this far, huh?
Unfortunately, even with Tenten's extremely versatile sealing abilities, storing all of the weapons the Hokage had ordered from Iō was a long-winded endeavor that took most of the day following the defeat of the rogue ninja that had attacked the workshop. After all, only Tenten and Shoseki had any skill in sealing, which left the others to simply bundle up kunai or shuriken to be stored in larger quantities per seal. Thankfully that was a feasible tactic, because sealing each weapon one at a time would have been an infuriatingly frustrating nightmare.
Since it was late evening by the time they had finished doing all of that, the Genin trio spent that night in the area again, electing to wait until morning to begin the return trip to Konoha. When the time came, the appropriate goodbyes were made to Iō and Shoseki, though it was pretty likely that they would be visited by Leaf ninja again soon enough. After all, even with Tenten's scrolls and their capacity, she just didn't have the space to bring back all of the basic weapons and the special ones Iō was allowing them to take as well. Moreover, it was pretty certain that Konoha would need more weapons soon enough, since their current haul definitely wasn't enough to resupply them completely after what had happened.
By now the Genin were all on the road, heading back to Konoha, their haul and their prizes in hand. It had only been a few hours since they had left Iō's workshop, a time which had included more silence than usual. Granted, it wasn't because of any awkward air this time: Tenten had spent most of the time poring over the high quality katana she had acquired from Iō, likely debating how she was going to utilize it or how she would train in its use. After all, few ninja used the traditionally samurai weapon, so finding someone skilled in its use would probably be difficult. Then again, Tenten had mostly honed all of her skills of her own accord, so she wasn't too worried about the situation overall.
Ash's thoughts were likewise on the item he had received from Iō, but they were notably more dour. Before laying eyes on the foreign steel helmet he now held in his hands, Ash had not paid much thought to the nature of the nightmares he had experienced over the years. Of course he knew that the mind couldn't conjure up anything it had not experienced in some form, but Ash had always assumed the content of his nightmares was just some twisted amalgamation of various normal things he had seen before.
But now that he had laid eyes on this helmet, the blonde realized that maybe the truth was very straightforward: maybe he had seen it all before. Maybe the steel clad warriors with their alien weapons and foreign ship had graced his vision at some point in life. But Ash had no memories of anything like that. He couldn't recall much of anything in detail prior to Suna, and the only thing he 'remembered' from before that time was extremely vague and spotty memories of waterfalls and trees. No matter how hard he wracked his brain the estranged ninja couldn't identify a single specific memory that included those metal warriors or anything else from his nightmares.
Iō had claimed that this rusted helmet had come from the Land of Waves, but Ash wasn't sure if he could take that to mean the country was undoubtedly tied to the whole thing. It was just as possible that the man who had sold this helmet in the Land of Waves had acquired it from some other country entirely. That said, the nightmare always took place on a ship, so it was logical to assume that an ocean-based country was involved somehow...
Ash had never really cared that much about his origins: after all, where he had come from didn't really affect what was going on in his life right now. But then again, he had never known before that the totally alien images and events from his nightmares were real. Knowing that definitely added more weight to his origins, and Ash had to admit that he was very interested in discerning more about all of this, though he had no idea how he'd go about that or when.
While Tenten was dedicating a fair deal of attention to her own less dire situation, she wasn't oblivious to the somber expression on Ash's face. She had been concerned for her boyfriend since the day before, but she didn't quite know what to say about the situation. The blonde had mentioned that his interest in that helmet was related to some sort of recurring nightmare, but she wasn't sure if it was something he would be comfortable talking about.
Ultimately though, Tenten felt that it was alright to at least bring it up. Her experience with Ash thus far had revealed him to be very reasonable and open to discussion even on very sensitive topics. If he was truly uncomfortable with it the blonde would say as much, and if he was wiling to talk about it he would probably be grateful that Tenten cared enough to ask. Taking that into consideration, the young kunoichi dispelled the silence between the three Genin.
"Ash, if you don't want to talk about it just say so, but..."
Not nearly dense enough to miss the implication all things considered, Ash responded immediately.
"It's fine. It's not like I have some traumatic connection to this helmet or anything. I mean, for all I know nothing at all ever actually happened and it's just a nightmare."
Despite not knowing Ash all that well on a personal level, Neji found this line of questioning interesting. Even someone as stoic as him had to admit that this situation with foreign armor intrigued him.
"If you don't mind my asking, what happens in this nightmare?"
Considering that he hadn't actually experienced the nightmare in question in some time, Ash had to focus on the memories he had of it.
"It always takes place on a ship... a huge vessel with three masts and massive sails. The sails have some sort of reptile with wings on them, and there's these huge crossbow contraptions on the sides. The deck of the ship has several warriors in steel armor milling about. Everything is fine, at first. Then a massive spear pierces right through one of the men on the deck, pinning him to the center mast. Everyone panics, but in moments a horde of warriors in leather and pelts are clambering over the sides of the ship. A fight breaks out: the metal warriors fight tooth and nail, but they're hopelessly outnumbered. I watch them fall one after another, but my vision goes dark before I see the fight come to an end."
For a moment, Neji and Tenten thought Ash's story to be over, but he was not finished.
"But even though it's dark, I can still hear. The sounds of weapons and armor clashing continues for a few moments, then there's a horrific, ear-splitting roar like thunder. Everything goes quiet after that, save for this labored breathing. There's footsteps, noise that sounds like someone fumbling around... soon after I hear a noise like a door closing, and it gets hard to breathe. I don't hear or see anything after that, and I almost always wake up from the nightmare soon after."
A little worried by the frown on Ash's face, Tenten nevertheless inquired further.
"And this nightmare always plays out like this? Nothing ever changes?"
Returning his gaze to his companions, Ash responded in a way Tenten didn't particularly like.
"Always. Down to the last detail."
Neji commented on this reply.
"I don't claim to be an expert on dreams and the like, but is it not strange that this nightmare frequently occurs, with no change in detail at all? I feel as though nightmares rarely follow rhyme or reason, yet yours is quite specific and consistent on details."
Glancing at the metal helmet in his hand once again, Ash's brow furrowed.
"I know what you mean. Before I didn't really pay it any mind, but after seeing this helmet, straight from one of those metal warriors in the dream... I don't know. Maybe this nightmare has a lot more basis in reality than I thought."
Tenten weighed in once again.
"What would that mean though? If this nightmare is more than a figment of your imagination, what does that mean for the things you've seen in it? Nothing like what you've described exists anywhere on this continent."
Neji replied to this despite the question being directed at Ash.
"That we know of. Lack of awareness regarding something does not exclude it from existing. That said, there is no mention of such things in records as far as I am aware, and I find it hard to believe that no one in the Elemental Nations has encountered these metal clad warriors before."
Finally placing the rusted steel helmet in question in his bag, Ash shelved the conversation and his thoughts on it, since there was little deliberation to be had when nobody knew any facts.
"Maybe the answer lies beyond this continent. The nightmare includes a seafaring vessel, after all."
The implication of foreigners from across the sea wasn't lost on Ash's two teammates, though they weren't sure how much merit could be put into it. The history of the shinobi world did not include any sort of civilization beyond the ocean. And considering that typical civilization was advanced enough to travel the seas, it seemed unlikely that no foreign civilization had been encountered on the high seas, unless they were so distant no one had ever bothered sailing so far. Granted, maybe that wasn't too much of a stretch, since the Elemental Nations had never invested too much in exploration beyond their continent. Everyone was too busy fighting each other or preparing to do so to bother exploring the far reaches of the world.
It was something Ash nor either of his companions had ever really thought about. For Ash's part, he didn't consider the potential existence of some foreign people from another continent all that important. If they did exist, they hadn't had an influence on his life or even on the history of the ninja world thus far. So what did it matter?
Of course, now that he was of the mind that his nightmares weren't necessarily the product of imagination, he couldn't quite say that the theoretical existence of a foreign continent didn't affect him. Hell, his whole life could have been tied to that existence somehow. Then again, even if that was true, maybe it would have no effect on his life beyond this point.
Would he really care about any of this if it didn't affect his friends or family? Ash normally would have said no, but at this point he had to question that notion a bit more seriously. However, he wasn't going to come to an answer immediately: he still had a lot more important things to worry about.
He was still in a tenuous situation in the Hidden Leaf, under the watchful eye of the ANBU. Moreover, it was likely some people within Konoha still wanted to take him out as recompense for his actions against them. He still didn't know where Temari or Kankuro were, and when he did find them, he would have to share news of Baki's demise if they didn't know already. And on top of all of that, Ash still had no clue what the state of the Hidden Sand was following their defeat. Not that he cared about the village itself of course, but he did care about the fate of his friends and loved ones there. He hadn't seen Matsuri, Yukata or Sari since leaving Suna for the invasion plan, and he had no idea what had become of Maki, Sen, Yome or Shura either. He'd managed to keep his anxiousness regarding their fate suppressed for some time, but every once in awhile the fear surged back. It was the unknown that made him so anxious about it: until he learned the truth it was technically equally likely for them to be dead as alive.
Having sufficiently worried himself with this particular line of thought, Ash turned his mind towards something he could actually prepare for: keeping himself safe from potential enemies within the Hidden Leaf. Clutching the detailed plan Pakura had left him in one of his hoodie pockets, Ash hoped the strategy he had set into motion would succeed. Seeing as how he would soon be back in the Hidden Leaf, he'd swiftly see if that was so.
But seeing as how he couldn't actually make any further progress on the plan right now, Ash decided it was simply better to eliminate the awkward silence in the air that had followed his comment on foreigners.
"Tenten, are you going to keep that katana in a scroll like your other weapons or actually wear it on your person?"
Considering the previous topic and the silence that had dominated the past few moments, this change in topic was a little unexpected for both Tenten and Neji, but the prior wasn't going to complain about her boyfriend's interest.
"I'm not sure yet. I guess it would depend on how well I learn to use it. It doesn't weigh much, but it could weigh even less when sealed, so maybe..."
The remainder of the trip back to the Hidden Leaf excluded any unpleasant discussion regarding nightmares. Instead, it was primarily filled with casual talk, mostly between Ash and Tenten. Neji chimed in from time to time, but only when the discussion at hand was something he possessed some knowledge on or that he particularly cared about. It was obvious to Ash that the Hyuuga prodigy wasn't the type of person to comment when he had nothing to be invested in, but he didn't necessarily come off as anti-social. It was more reserved, and honestly Ash was the same way, so he didn't mind. Considering that Tenten had never gone out of her way to invite Neji to any of the conversations he had excluded himself from, it was pretty obvious that she didn't mind either.
Regardless, they had made it back to Konoha with no obstacles or problems whatsoever at late noon. Ash noted that the walls surrounding the village were already back up: granted, the reconstructed patches were rough as all hell and looked like a mud wall compared to the undamaged sections next to them, but then again they had probably been hastily erected with some sort of earth ninjutsu until real walls could be constructed in their place. Even with the low quality, the speed of Konoha's recovery was impressive. If the Hidden Sand had suffered an attack of an equal magnitude they would have been crippled, if they had even survived in the first place.
Upon walking through the large gates of the village, Ash immediately felt the eyes of his ANBU detail upon him. Not literally of course: as always, he was nowhere near skilled enough to detect ANBU level shinobi if they were hiding their presence. But he still felt absolutely assured that they were there. Hopefully his purple-haired favorite was among them. Even more hopefully, they did not detect anything amiss on his person, but if they did, none of them appeared to confront him.
As usual, the trio's arrival was quickly followed by a visit to the Hokage, who was still using a room in the Academy as his temporary office. As best as Ash could tell, no work had been made on repairing the actual Hokage's tower just yet. He would have appreciated Konoha's commitment to foregoing vanity in favor of practicality in these trying times, if only they weren't currently rebuilding the Hokage Monument.
Regardless, the report to the now one-armed Hokage went smoothly. While the Genin trio had actually failed to accomplish the mission on a technicality seeing as how they had not returned with the full total of standard weapons, the Hokage had been most pleased with their decision to bring back more specialized weapons instead, determining that they had made a good judgment call of their own volition. Moreover, he was quite impressed with the team's success in defeating a pair of rogue ninja. Of course one of those rogue ninja had survived the engagement, but Hiruzen had assured them that an appropriate team would be dispatched to bring him in, confident that Iō could keep the fellow under control until then.
Frankly Ash didn't care for the Hokage's praise or approval of their actions. Not that Ash didn't respect the man: for one, anyone so powerful deserved respect for that alone, but he was also reasonable and quite generous. He had spared the lives of both Ash and his siblings, something that the blonde was truly grateful for. But at the end of the day the Hokage was still forcing subservience Ash had never agreed to upon him. Ash absolutely had to obey this man or face serious consequences that could include death. The blonde could never be happy with that, even if the man he was forced to serve was better than most.
But it was still good that the mission was a success, and Ash had no intention of doing anything to alienate himself. Seeing as how this was his very first mission under Konoha's banner, the fact that he was an assimilated conscript and not a Konoha citizen was not lost on him. Rocking the boat this early on was asking for trouble.
Once the report was done, the trio had the rest of the day off. They didn't have to stick around for their monthly wages to get totaled. And considering that the vast majority of the money Ash made wouldn't even go to him, he wasn't eager to. Neji was quick to say his farewells once they were outside, leaving Ash and Tenten alone, a situation that neither of them was complaining about. Tenten made it clear that she had no desire to go home yet.
"So... ice-cream?"
The cheeky smile on her face made it clear that the brunette was calling back to some of their earliest dates, and Ash was all for it. Anything that would take his mind off of his life's troubles was welcome in his book, even if he wouldn't let those things distract him from more serious issues indefinitely.
"Oh, absolutely. I really have to branch out and try all those other crazy flavors. I lived a sheltered life, after all."
His humor elicited a bigger smile from his girlfriend.
"Well you've certainly been sheltered from good food, that's for sure. Let's go!"
Right away, Ash could tell that Tenten was heading for the same place they had ordered ice-cream in their earliest dates. The fact that she considered it a meaningful location for them as a couple made Ash happier than he thought it would have. Unfortunately, he didn't get to dwell on that sweet thought for long, though he was sure Tenten wasn't trying to sour his mood as they walked towards their destination.
"Sorry that I didn't ask this earlier Ash, but, um... the rest of your family is alright aren't they? I mean, you didn't say anything to imply otherwise, but I'd like to be sure..."
Naturally his separation from his siblings and his inability to do anything about it was something Ash considered as a major source of anxiety, but on the other hand he was glad Tenten was worried about them: even if was only an extension of worrying about him.
"They're fine, at least since the last time I checked. At any rate they didn't die during the invasion itself."
"Well that's a relief. I have no idea how I'd console you in that scenario."
With a sardonic smirk, Ash made his thoughts on that theoretical scenario clear.
"Well, you probably wouldn't have to: I would have definitely died in an enraged assault against their killers before you could."
In hindsight Ash should have figured that Tenten wouldn't find his response amusing, but then again, it wasn't exactly a joke. Losing Baki was seriously painful, and Ash would never forget it. But if something had happened to Kankuro or Temari, he was absolutely certain that the result would have been an all or nothing attempt to kill the one that had done it. Either he would die or they would, but blowing up a forest in a fit of rage definitely wouldn't have been enough to cope.
For the briefest of moments, Ash wondered if the death of his siblings would push him to a state where he'd unleash the Hakkegan without reserve, but he didn't give the notion thought for very long, simply because the implication terrified him.
Either way, Tenten made it clear how she felt about Ash's suicidal charge against the enemy, or lack thereof.
"Please tell me you wouldn't do something like that knowing that you would die, Ash."
"Come on Tenten, the most important thing in my life is my loved ones. Why go on living without them?"
While he thought nothing negative about his comment, the displeased expression on Tenten's face made it clear that she did not feel the same.
"I see... so life's not worth living without your siblings huh? Doesn't matter if I'm still in it."
Ash's face drained of color as he acknowledged the most foolhardy thing he had ever said in all his life. He was normally much more competent when it came to saying what he meant and not implying anything that he didn't mean to. But caught off-guard as he was by this huge misstep, Ash managed to make his case without stuttering. He didn't get flustered when it came to serious implications like this.
"I assure you I didn't mean it in that light. But... now that you mention it, I'm not sure what that means for me..."
Having not truly been upset about his choice of words since she knew he didn't mean to imply anything bad, Tenten asked for further clarification on this.
"How do you mean?"
Made somber by the topic in question, Ash's expression changed to a contemplative frown.
"Well, if I were to lose Temari or Kankuro, I would absolutely have to strike back against the person who took them from me. But if I got myself killed doing something like that, I'd just hurt other people I love, like you. But there's no way I'd be able to just let it go. What would I even do in that situation...?"
Tenten didn't give an immediate answer to that, though it was pretty understandable why she would need more than a moment to formulate a response. In fact, the silence lasted long enough that Ash figured she wouldn't give him an answer at all. But as they came into view of the ice cream stand, she surprised him.
"Well, maybe instead of going on an immediate rampage all by yourself, we could figure out some way to take revenge with a cunning plan that doesn't get us killed. Then we both get what we want, right?"
Ash stopped in his tracks, staring at Tenten's back as she continued her walk towards their destination, unperturbed by any of the implications her words carried. She had said it so nonchalantly, the blonde wasn't sure if she had meant it as a joke.
"Uh, Tenten… are you saying you would go on some mission of revenge at my side, even if it was against people from your own village?"
Perhaps not expecting him to be unsure of what she had said at all, Tenten's expression was surprised as she looked over her shoulder.
"Yeah. I mean, within reason of course."
"Wow. Marry me?"
This put both a blush and a smile on Tenten's face.
"Is that really what you're looking for in a woman? You've got weird taste, Ash."
Seeing that bright smile brought a similar one to Ash's own face.
"You like me, so your tastes are even weirder."
"Two peas in a pod I guess. So, you want to try strawberry this time?"
"I don't think anything can beat chocolate and marshmallows, but sure, let's be adventurous. The real question is, what to put in it..."
Considering the rather late time they had arrived and the fact that he had spent most of the evening with Tenten, it was night before Ash found himself alone again. That being the case he figured it would be best to put off the many other things on his checklist until tomorrow, provided he wasn't saddled with another mission that would require leaving the village.
That checklist included the usual things about finding out where his siblings where, but also meeting up with Hanabi to thank her for her role in expediting the recovery of his relationship with Tenten. Granted, ultimately Ash would have seen Tenten soon enough without Hanabi's help, seeing as how he had been selected for a mission with her, but that didn't diminish Hanabi's efforts on his behalf. Besides, it had been a little while since they had seen each other last, and honestly that was reason enough to pay her a visit if possible.
As he stepped into the still demolished apartment he called home at the moment, Ash noted that nothing about it had changed at all. His apartment was exactly as he had left it, blasted out back wall and all. Normally the thought would have been a little depressing, but in reality it was fine. This was all according to Ash's plan, at least as far as one thing was concerned.
Unfortunately, it would take time for it to come to fruition, so for now the blonde retreated into his room, which was the only part of the apartment that still had four walls. He thanked the stars for that, believing it would be especially uncomfortable to sleep in a situation where he was exposed to the outdoors in such a manner. Sleeping in a room with a missing wall wasn't quite the same as sleeping in a tent outside.
Placing the steel helmet he had gotten from Iō on the dresser, Ash removed his backpack and sat on the bed. The bedroom as a whole was miraculously intact considering the circumstances. Not for the first time, Ash wondered who had slept here before him. Were they dead or alive? Had they lost everything in the attack? Did someone they know die?
The same could be asked about the entire apartment complex. With the entire back half of the place blown to kingdom come, Ash imagined he was the only person living in it right now. And with the level of damage sustained, he couldn't imagine that no one had been killed when this happened during the invasion. Everything had happened much to fast for everyone to have evacuated before the attack made it this far.
The real question was why it had occurred at all. The apartment complex had no strategic value at all, so maybe it had just been an accident? A poorly aimed jutsu could have done this, or maybe it was the result of those rampaging serpents that had been summoned. But then again, it was just as likely that the destruction was intentional. Lots of people from the Hidden Sand hated Konoha, especially in the ninja ranks, where the disadvantages forced on them by Konoha's economical superiority were apparent. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to imagine someone had attacked this civilian target on purpose.
While Ash hardly cared for condemning war on its own merits, he couldn't condone the unnecessary destruction of civilian life. Killing your enemies was one thing, but what was the point of striking out at those who had done nothing to you? Those types of people were well and truly abhorrent, running around killing people because they couldn't find any meaning in life otherwise. The least they could have done was kill people that had earned it.
Turning his thoughts away from the morbid reality of the world, Ash laid eyes on the foreign helmet once again. It was a rare day that his interest was piqued by something so arbitrary, but he couldn't help himself now. Even if his origin wasn't tied to this helmet at all, he still would have been interested: after all, a piece of armor unrecognizable to the common people of the land? The implications were startling. Warriors from across the sea? Some sort of hidden society? Maybe an ancient culture that had once existed here? There was no way to be certain.
Of course, finding out more was going to be a hassle. None of the people Ash had ever asked about this knew anything about it, including Pakura, who was just about the most knowledgeable person the blonde knew. That said, Iō had claimed to get this helmet from someone in the Land of Waves, which was pretty far away from Suna. The Hidden Leaf was much closer to that country, so it was possible they may have a bit more information. At any rate, their library probably had some different books to take a look at, and there was no harm in asking some new faces if they had any information.
That said, Ash wasn't sure what he would do with any information that he actually learned. Maybe there wouldn't be anything to do with it other than know it existed. But just possessing the knowledge was enough of a reason to pursue it, at least in this scenario.
With little else to do and a relatively full schedule the next day, Ash shelved all the thoughts that would keep him awake for the night, figuring they could be tackled at a later date.
When morning came, it was a lot earlier than Ash would normally have allowed it. Or rather, he was experiencing the morning much earlier than he usually preferred. He woke up early because he had lots of things to do today, and no guarantee as to when he would be called away on another mission or task. If he woke up as early as six, he'd have several hours to go about his business prior to noon, which was when less than urgent missions often got assigned.
So naturally, he was getting up early, in hopes of accomplishing what he could before life got in the way. And since he still hadn't done any grocery shopping all things considered, he figured breakfast could be gotten from a vendor of some sort. With little to do in the way of preparation, Ash was out the door pretty quickly, but he didn't make it very far. In fact, he didn't make it more than two steps outside of his apartment, because someone of note was waiting there for him.
Well, maybe waiting was a strong word. Crouching down next to Ash's door was a certain white, spiky haired old man that was poring over what happened to be a lascivious magazine. Recognizing Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin wasn't very difficult, for his activities if nothing else.
Despite how enraptured he was by the scantily clad women on the pages of his preferred literature, Jiraiya didn't miss the arrival of the person he had been waiting for, as evidenced by the shift in attention towards the blonde.
"Awake so soon? And here I thought I'd have to wait another couple of hours for a kid your age to get up. It's barely the crack of dawn, kid."
Ash's eyes narrowed, out of suspicion more than aggression. He couldn't help but question why this person was here to see him. He also couldn't imagine that it was for anything good.
"I wanted to get some things done before possibly getting called away for another mission. Why are you here?"
Rising to his full and admittedly imposing height, Jiraiya pocketed the magazine he'd been reading. He couldn't blame the kid for being a bit suspicious, all things considered.
"Don't be so cold. Maybe I was just checking on one of my fans?"
Ash cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Your fans?"
"Yeah. I saw a copy of Make-Out Paradise while perusing your room."
"Not while I was sleeping in it I hope."
"Details. Anyway, that book's worn as hell. You've probably read it cover to cover at least three times."
Ash folded his arms, not seeing where this was going.
"Ok... this makes me your fan how exactly?"
For Jiraiya's part, the expression on his face was flummoxed. Was this kid punking him right now?
"Don't you know who wrote the book?"
"Ah. Didn't think the Jiraiya that wrote a bunch of smut was the same as the one in the Sannin."
"The book said 'Jiraiya the great and magnanimous!"
"Was that supposed to clarify things?"
A little miffed by the way the conversation had turned out, Jiraiya decided to get to the actual point of his visit. Besides, his pride got wounded regularly enough by Tsunade and Kushina, there was no point in letting this kid sting it too.
"Alright wise guy, forget about it. I'm not here for that. This is about that eye of yours."
"I already told you what I know about it. What else is there to say?"
"It's not about what you can tell me, it's what I'm about to tell you. I forgot to mention it during your initial interrogation: your eye has been sealed. Or eyes, rather."
Ash's expression clouded as he took in this information. If it was true, he had been unable to tell at any point, which was worrisome in and of itself.
"You didn't think to mention that before I went on a mission? What if I had needed it?"
"You said before that Ibiki was the first time you've ever used it in combat. It's obvious that you use this power very sparingly. Besides, if you needed it on something as simple as placing an order for weapons, what does that say about you? Also, I uh... kinda forgot..."
"That's beside the point... how'd you even seal something if you don't know how it works?"
All the Legendary Sannin had to offer was a shrug.
"It's simple enough really. Just place a seal that blocks all chakra being focused to the eyes. Of course it's kind of blanket solution: it would stop you from doing any other type of jutsu with your eyes, or even pouring chakra into them for visual enhancement. But you're right in saying we don't know how it works, and if you're to be believed you don't either. So this is the only solution."
Ash's brow furrowed as he considered this revelation. Quite frankly, he wasn't sure if his Hakkegan could be sealed in this way. Like his flames, Ash wasn't actually sure if the Hakkegan was actually a jutsu, and if it actually used chakra. It was entirely possible that this seal wouldn't even do anything other than block those other tricks Jiraiya had mentioned.
Ash hadn't really thought about it before, but maybe his unique powers had something to do with the origin of that helmet as well? If he really were from some far off land... that could explain some part of his mysterious powers. How they functioned without chakra was still a mystery though.
Either way, the blonde had no intention of revealing any of this to Jiraiya.
"I don't suppose you people could just trust me not to use it?"
While it was sarcastic on Ash's part, the expression on Jiraiya's face grew serious. But considering what he knew, it wasn't all that surprising.
"Don't take it the wrong way, but after what happened to Ibiki… it's too much to risk on your good faith alone."
Sensing a certain dismay in the old man's voice, Ash couldn't help but ask what was on his mind.
"Did his condition worsen?"
"The medics decided on an induced coma. With the state his psyche had deteriorated to, it's the only option short of putting him out of his misery. The hope is that he may recover to an extent if he's out of commission for some time."
The blonde before Jiraiya took a deep breath, eyes closed in consternation for a moment. Maybe he was contemplating the honesty of his response.
"I'm sorry it had to be done. But I won't apologize for doing it. It was us or him."
Frankly, Jiraiya appreciated the kid's guts. He wasn't one to balk, at the very least.
"Ibiki was a good man, dedicated to the village and its people. Losing him like this is lamentable, but the fault lies with the powers that be, not the tools they wield. A world at peace would have never seen this outcome..."
"As long as the system exists as it does now, that kind of world is impossible."
Jiraiya could only sigh at that, a little surprised to get such a morbid truth out of someone so young. He definitely seemed to be a realist: Jiraiya couldn't help but wonder if he would actually accept news that the Sannin himself had been the one to slay his mentor during the battle. Maybe he'd write it off as the cruelty of war. Then again, considering that whole 'incinerating the forest' incident, Jiraiya figured the kid wasn't logical beyond emotion. That said, there was no need to reveal that particular piece of information. Instead he'd just settle on what he was here to share.
"I guess so. By the way, I'm also here to tell you something else. It's about your siblings."
Ash's gaze narrowed, but Jiraiya put him at ease quickly.
"Don't worry, it's not bad news. Hiruzen's decided that you don't have to be kept apart anymore. Something about 'fostering animosity unnecessarily.' I guess he figures there's no harm in letting you three get together if the ANBU is still watching you. Plotting anything should be impossible."
While he was happy to hear this news, Ash couldn't help but be a little skeptical.
"Should?"
"Well, far be it from me to claim that Leaf Ninja can't do everything, but if you know anyone that's infallible, feel free to share. Still, both the Hokage and myself feel fairly confident that you brats won't try anything: you've proven to be pretty smart and rational so far. And I'm assuming you have no interest in dying."
"That's an accurate assumption."
"Well then, you three should meet up at the Academy at six this afternoon. I've yet to tell the other two this, but I will. None of you will have missions today, so don't worry about that either."
Sensing the conversation coming to a conclusion, Ash prepared to head out for what he had originally intended.
"I guess it wasn't actually your discretion, but I appreciate it regardless. Thank you."
"I'd say no problem for a fan, but you didn't even know it was me..."
"Hey, I'm still a fan. Of the one book I've read anyway."
With the mood shifting entirely, Jiraiya's tone of voice got a lot more jovial.
"Only one!? How can you call yourself a fan if you've only read one book!?"
"Hey, you're lucky I even got one. Books aren't a particularly prominent import in the Hidden Sand."
"Well damn kid, visit a bookstore around here! The whole trilogy is easy to come by in Konoha."
"So they're not selling well, then?"
The Sannin's expression fell flat upon hearing this. Truth be told his books had never sold exceptionally well, even if they had a cult following. Needless to say he probably wouldn't have been able to make a living off of the books, especially considering his... expensive lifestyle choices. But did the kid have to be so damn frank about it?
"Tell you what, maybe I can hook you up with a free copy..."
About two hours later, Ash found himself in front of the gates of the Hyuuga estate. His conversation with Jiraiya had carried on a little longer than intended, as he had gotten seriously invested in furthering his collection of the man's books. But even knowing that he had the day to himself and that he had a practically guaranteed window to meet his siblings, the blonde had things to do, so he managed to get underway eventually. Still, he had managed to extract a promise of a copy of the next Make-Out book from Jiraiya before doing so.
After that, he had gone to secure breakfast, not only to feed himself but to also buy a little time. He didn't want to show up at a renowned clan's estate barely past the crack of dawn. But it was a bit closer to a normal time for people to wake up now, especially since Ash could see Hanabi's strict father making her do so.
And speaking of that father, Ash actually found himself pretty nervous about the prospect of meeting him. Based on the little he had heard from both Neji and Hanabi, it seemed that he was a rather intimidating man. It was kind or ironic that the first time he was anxious over meeting the father of a girl had nothing to do with a girlfriend or romance of any sort.
That amusing irony didn't calm his nerves though. What if he was angry that Ash had pulled that stunt when he had first met Hanabi? What if he thought his daughter was too good to spend time with someone like him? He had attacked the village, after all. He could do something drastic, like take measures to keep Hanabi away from him at all times... hell, maybe Hanabi hadn't even told her father about him. In that case making an entrance like this would be bad. Did he even have to do this? He could always just stumble upon the little Hyuuga girl at a later date...
Deciding that was probably a good idea, Ash swiftly turned his back on the Hyuuga compound, but he had only taken one step before someone called out to him.
"Not even patient enough to wait these days, are we?"
Stiffening at a mature voice that was familiar but just slightly beyond recognition, Ash carefully glanced over his shoulder to identify the speaker. Upon doing so, he laid eyes on a somewhat familiar face: the green-haired Natsu, that apron wearing Hyuuga that was constantly watching over Hanabi. That said, Hanabi wasn't actually with the woman, whose expression was thankfully not condemning nor stern. In fact, she didn't actually seem bothered by his presence at all.
"Ah, um... Ms. Natsu. How exactly did you know I was here?"
"Lady Hanabi was in the midst of training a few minutes ago. She spotted your arrival, since her Byakugan was active. It's a tad troubling that she can recognize you so quickly without intentionally looking for you..."
Unsure of how she meant that, Ash could only assume it wasn't an entirely positive notion.
"I uh, suppose you're here to tell me to go away. Hanabi must be busy..."
"She is indeed quite busy. Why did you come here?"
Seeing that Hyuugas in general were just good at keeping their emotions difficult to read, Ash was still unsure how Natsu felt about his presence here or his existence in general. Would it have killed her to speak with either more hostility or a smile on her face?
"I just needed to thank her for something really important she did for me a little while ago. B-but I get that she's busy right now, so..."
With the faintest of smiles gracing her features, Natsu cut the boy off.
"That may be true, but I believe she can take small break. Besides, she would be quite irate if she knew you had come to visit and I kept her locked away inside the estate. I will bring her out to spend a few minutes with you."
"Oh, well, I appreciate that, but... will her dad be alright with that?"
Natsu's expression grew just slightly more tense.
"Ah, suffice to say that Lord Hiashi… doesn't know of your existence. Lady Hanabi has not shared it with him, and considering your hand in unsavory recent events, I do not blame her."
"T-that's fair... but then why are you...?"
"As much as it pains me to admit it, my negligence has provided you with many opportunities to harm Lady Hanabi by now. If you had wished to do so, I have no doubt the current situation would not be happening. Moreover..."
Ash cocked an eyebrow at the woman as a gentle smile overtook her features, though her eyes looked elsewhere.
"Lady Hanabi is always so happy when she speaks of you. You are a figure of solace from her daily routine: a chance for her to be herself and actually act her age. It is not out of spite or disdain, but Lord Hiashi is... too overzealous. His relationship to Lady Hanabi is just as much teacher to pupil as it is father to daughter. And because of the tension between Lady Hinata and Lord Hiashi, Lady Hanabi rarely gets to spend time with her sister. As for the rest of us, our station demands we hold Lady Hanabi in a respectful regard: one that is too detached for the type of companionship a child her age needs. I'll admit that I'd prefer to know more about someone with whom she spends so much time, but I cannot deny that your relationship to Lady Hanabi makes her a happier person, and I do not wish to ruin that."
The Suna blonde across from Natsu was at a loss for words, having never spoken to the older Hyuuga woman at such length. One would think he would have heard all of this from Hanabi first, but perhaps it was a subject a little too close to her heart. He got the feeling that it wasn't a matter of trust though, so much as Hanabi just not wanting to sour their time together whenever they managed to get it. Today might not be a good time, but Ash would make sure she knew he was there for her to talk to regardless of the topic.
"Of course, if you ended up hurting Lady Hanabi, I'd have to kill you."
Ash's musings ground to a halt as he registered Natsu's threat. It was made more unsettling by the still present smile on her face. Thankfully, she was quick to bow to him so she could go about her business.
"I will fetch Lady Hanabi. Please be aware that she may only take a break of a few minutes."
"Ah, yeah..."
Left standing alone in front of the Hyuuga compound, Ash felt like he deserved to pat himself on the back. Not that he had any doubt considering how well he'd done for himself in relationships thus far, but apparently he was quite the charmer. Even Natsu had come to appreciate him in a way, even it if was derivative of her concern for Hanabi's well-being.
That said, Natsu was quite the punctual woman, and she didn't waste time doing things when she put her mind to it. So Ash didn't have to wait long before Hanabi was jogging down the path from her family's compound, a beaming smile on her face. Ash noted that Natsu was standing further back, no doubt keeping watch as always. Her trust didn't extend far enough to leave them entirely alone apparently, but she was far enough away that she wouldn't be able to hear their conversation, so she understood the notion of giving them privacy at any rate.
Either way, Ash had no time to offer any sort of greeting to the girl he was here to meet, as the shorter Hanabi practically leaped into him with her arms wide, encompassing him in a hug before he could do anything. That being the case, hugging her back was the only right choice.
"Ash! It's been so long, I almost thought you'd forgotten about me!"
With her infectious attitude putting a smile on his face, Ash let her know his stance on such a hypothesis.
"I don't think anyone could forget someone as great as you, Hanabi. Least of all someone with such keen memory as myself."
Hanabi glanced to the side sheepishly, perhaps embarrassed by his high praise. But it wasn't long before her snowy gaze was locked with his own, and with a look of concern no less.
"So, you know... did everything work out?"
Recalling that the last time he had seen Hanabi was just before Tenten had punched him out, and knowing that she had been the one to lead Tenten to him later so they could reconcile, Ash could understand why the younger girl was unaware of how things had panned out, and why she would be reasonably worried about it.
"Tenten and I made up, and in no small part thanks to you. I came today to thank you for doing that. Really Hanabi, I can't express how grateful I am to you."
Blushing, Hanabi averted her gaze once again. She wasn't quite used to praise in this overly earnest manner. Sure, Father praised her a lot, but it was always in regards to her abilities or potential.
"Ah, well... she was the one who wanted to make up, so it would have happened without me anyway..."
"That may be so, but it's not the point. It's the fact that you were that concerned over me. You took the initiative to help even though you didn't have to. Sure, maybe that's just 'the right thing to do' but... well, I'm just really grateful that I got a chance to meet and befriend a girl as amazing as you, Hanabi. I count myself lucky."
Having expected this reunion to be more along the lines of their usual conversations, what with easygoing small-talk and wisecracks, Hanabi found herself a lot more embarrassed by the reality. It wasn't every day that one got this kind of praise from someone they really admired.
"By the way, what's all this talk of you knowing my 'unique chakra signature?' Tenten mentioned that you could identify me from pretty far away..."
With memorization of a chakra signature being a similar process to deeply analyzing someone's physique, not to mention the many implications of why a Hyuuga would go about memorizing such a signature if no practical reason to existed, Hanabi naturally found it difficult to answer this question, her face taking on a deep scarlet hue.
"T-t-that's just, y'know-! T-training! It's something I have to learn to do w-with my Byakugan, so I mean, w-why not you?! But it coulda been anyone, y'know, i-it just happened to be you! That's all!"
Well aware that this excuse was exactly that, Ash figured he would spare Hanabi any teasing at her expense. On the other hand, he had to admit that having this level of affection from a younger girl was a lot different than the situation with Tenten or other girls his age in general. For one, there was no physical aspect to it: naturally he felt nothing along the lines of physical desire for a girl Hanabi's age, and he imagined that her rather innocent mind didn't think of him that way either. Because that was the case, he kind of felt honored more than anything else. For someone her age, the only thing that could be desired was his personality, and if someone as incredible as this particular Hyuuga liked that, it spoke well of him as an individual. It was also just really cute.
"Lady Hanabi, I apologize for cutting this visit so short, but if you are away from training for too long it will be suspicious..."
Seeing that Natsu had approached the duo to make this statement, Ash lamented the truly brief interaction they had been afforded. As for Hanabi, while she would usually be displeased by this scenario, she was sort of finding herself on her back foot as far as holding a decent conversation was concerned. She couldn't help but feel like she needed to fall back and regroup, almost like a battle.
Still, she could tell by the expression on his face that Ash was disappointed, which made her happy. She liked knowing that he felt such a way about their time being interrupted.
"Sorry Ash, but Natsu is probably right... I'm going to be training with my father pretty intensely for the next few days, but... you'll come visit again, right?"
"Of course I will. Maybe night time would be better..."
Natsu leveled a harsh glare at him, for reasons that, in hindsight, were a little obvious. The implication of an illicit night visit to a girl's house wasn't lost on him. Poor choice of words. That said, surely she knew that wasn't the intent.
Hanabi naturally didn't get any such implication from his statement. She took it at face value and was happy about it.
"Alright! And when I finally get some free time, we can hang out again! I mean... if you're not busy doing something with Tenten, of course..."
Finding it funny that she would be concerned over such a thing, Ash patted the younger girl on the head.
"Don't worry about something like that, Hanabi. I'll make time for you no matter the situation."
"Milady, we really must be going..."
With Natsu trying her utmost to usher Hanabi away, the two children figured it was time to call it quits for now. With a smile not quite the same as her usual ones, though not in a bad way, Hanabi waved to her only non-Hyuuga companion in life as Natsu lead her back into the compound. This left Ash at a bit of an impasse as he waved back to her: he hadn't expected this meeting to be over so quickly, and he still had the whole day ahead of him before meeting up with his siblings, assuming Jiraiya had been telling the truth before.
It occurred to him that maybe he should ask Tenten where she lived next time he saw her: aside from the fact that such information probably should have been known to him prior to now, it would have given him another option when days like this one cropped up.
The rest of the day leading up to the reunion with his siblings was a dull one. Spending most of it just wandering about the village in the midst of its reconstruction, Ash had encountered no one that he was personally familiar with. He was either unlucky or they were all away on missions. He imagined someone like Sakura was still bridging the gap in medical personnel, but for that exact reason the blonde hadn't gone out of his way to look for her at any likely location: she would surely be busy.
Glancing into the Yamanaka flower shop when he had passed it had not revealed Ino's presence there, so that had been a bust as well. He would have checked a training area for Tenten and her team, but seeing as how he had incinerated their usual place, he didn't actually know where they had relocated to. Besides, while he was interested in picking up more taijutsu from Guy and Lee, he couldn't afford to get roped into one of their training marathons today. It was hard to escape their clutches once you were involved and he had places to be later.
So for the duration of the day, he was without companionship. As he weaved between crowds of strangers, some of which gave him the evil eye for reasons he could certainly understand, Ash admitted that he was a little off-balance being alone. Not that there hadn't been a few stints of isolation in the past, but ever since being adopted he had almost always been in a group of some sort. Existing outside of his relationship to other people was kind of alien to him. He'd always considered himself in relation to other people: his siblings' brother, Pakura and Baki's student, Matsuri and Yukata's friend, Tenten's boyfriend... honestly Ash barely knew what to do with himself when he was alone. He hardly cared for anything in life other than the people whose lives he valued, so he felt adrift when none of them were around.
Thinking of isolation made the boy think of a few other faces: Kin, first and foremost. Betrayed by her teacher, her teammates dead, on the run from potential assassins and far away from her one friend in this world. Ash imagined she was feeling quite lonely right about now. He hoped she had found some way to live comfortably during this time, as opposed to camping out in the woods or something.
He hated to admit it, but Ash's thoughts didn't go out to her as regularly as he would have liked. He supposed it made sense that this was the case: he hadn't seen her in some time, and they had no means of communicating. She wasn't part of his day to day life, so it was hard to keep her in mind every single day. But when she did pop into his head, Ash always felt a little guilty. Even though they had both been involved in the debacle that was the invasion, he had gotten off pretty easy. Sure, he was currently living in half a building, but most of the people he cared about were still alive and he wasn't actively on the run from anything.
Maybe if she had stayed, Kin could have ended up in a similar situation as he and his siblings... but he doubted that. Ash knew the main reason his family was in their current situation was because of their relation to the Kazekage, which made them valuable. A disposable grunt like Kin probably would have been tortured, interrogated and promptly disposed of, because there would be no notable consequences to doing so.
Then again, maybe that wasn't the case. It was unlikely that she knew anything truly crucial regarding Orochimaru, but her sound-based ninjutsu was definitely rare and certainly would have been worth investigating for the Leaf. Heck, just for practical reasons Ash wished she were still around to teach him a thing or two about her techniques. They did seem pretty devastating.
That said, in another light Ash couldn't help but wonder what the current situation between him and Tenten would be if Kin hadn't left. She'd made it kind of obvious that she liked him prior to leaving, and Ash had already admitted to himself that he liked her too. Considering the state of his relationship with Tenten immediately after the invasion, would they have ever made up if Kin was there to fill the gap? Not that he viewed her as some backup option or something, but it was easy to develop deeper feelings for someone that was there for you when your significant other wasn't.
Naturally, Ash could only assume that the whole situation would be very complicated and probably not good for his overall well-being. Last time he checked, sharing someone's affection wasn't very popular with the ladies. Or with anyone, for that matter.
A little confused by his own contrived thoughts on the matter, Ash turned his attention to a few other people on his mind, though they were by no means people he was particularly close to. Coincidentally, they were both redheads.
First up was that girl with the glasses he had met in the Forest of Death. Ash wouldn't say he thought about her often: or at all, really. Frankly this was the first thought he had spared her since their meeting, or pretty close to it at any rate. He didn't even know her name.
And yet, he thought of her right this moment, while dwelling on how it felt to be alone. Maybe he was just making assumptions, as he didn't actually know anything about the girl. But she had struck him as someone that was alone in life: the way she had spoken of the village she served implied she wasn't particularly fond of the position. Moreover, her entire demeanor had just been... withdrawn. Closed up to avoid harm from those around her. People like that always had reasons for being so defensive, and it was usually because they had been hurt by those around them. It was all just guessing on Ash's part though. Maybe she actually lead a perfectly happy life and had lots of friends. Who knew?
However, it was certain that the next person in his thoughts did not have such a luxury. Ash had never met Gaara, but provided that the boy was still alive, thinking of how his life must be always put a sour taste in the blonde's mouth. Not that he cared for Gaara personally: he could hardly do that for a complete stranger, but just on a level of common human empathy, he didn't wish Gaara's fate on anyone. Imbued with some sort of murderous demon, betrayed by the one person you trusted, then fleeing into the harsh and unforgiving desert to who knows what end... Ash could only imagine that Gaara was some sort of isolated psychopath that had no idea what human love felt like at this point, if he was still alive at all.
And if he was still alive... what was he doing? What was his goal? Was he just living out in the desert like some hermit, with no other intent than to be left in peace? Was he waiting patiently for an opportunity to strike back against the Hidden Sand? Had he just fucked off into some far-off country, never to be seen in his homeland again? Honestly all of these options were pretty plausible.
By the time these thoughts had taken shape, Ash had already reached the Academy where he had been instructed to reunite with his siblings. A lone swing hanging from a tree branch had called to his lazy side, and it wasn't long before he was waiting there for Temari and Kankuro.
Now that his reunion with the two of them was imminent, the blonde was plagued with more pressing thoughts: namely, whether or not Temari or Kankuro knew about Baki. If not, it would be his job to break it to them. And while he had been given some time to cope with the loss by now, Ash wasn't sure if he'd be able to do that without faltering. The loss wasn't that far in the past, and truth be told he had been doing so well because it had been put from his mind to some capacity, in no small part thanks to his reconciliation with Tenten.
Sitting now, just dwelling on how he was going to tell his siblings that their mentor was dead, drove home the reality of his absence. The whole thing just made Ash feel a little empty inside. Even now, he wondered if he could really let it go if he learned who had killed him. Even though his rational side told him no one could be blamed for defending themselves, their home or their comrades, his emotional side demanded revenge. But like Tenten had said, running off on a suicide mission of vengeance would just hurt the other people he cared about, so when he thought of that, Ash was certain he could rein in his currently aimless rage. Perhaps it was better that the simmering anger didn't have a target.
"Still kickin' are we? Didn't expect anything less, but I'm glad anyway."
Glancing over his shoulder, Ash laid eyes on Kankuro, the usual facepaint absent form his face. No point if there wasn't going to be a mission, after all. With relieved smiles, the two brothers exchanged a quick hug, with Ash answering his initial statement.
"You know me: can't afford to die, or Sis will kill me. She's much scarier than death when she gets angry."
"You're telling me. How's the Leaf treating you?"
"Well my apartment building is missing the entire back half of itself, but it's three walls and half a roof. You have an ANBU escort watching you in the shower?"
Kankuro glanced around, as if looking for those exact ANBU. Naturally he couldn't see anyone.
"Yep. Creepy pricks, every one of them. Haven't said a word to me since telling me the rules."
"Oh, bummer. At least my ANBU has a pretty lady in it."
"How would you know? You can't see her face."
Realizing that this was in fact true, and that Ash had no idea what the ANBU in question actually looked like, he spoke aloud to his surroundings, assuming she was listening, as always.
"That's fair. Hey Kitten, you're pretty, right?"
Naturally, only silence answered this cheeky question, prompting Ash to swiftly return his attention to Kankuro again.
"She didn't say anything, but I promise she was thinking 'of course I am, you twerp.'
Whatever Kankuro had to say to that was lost in the void, as a certain familiar presence soon dominated the area. It was the aura of a rapidly approaching sister, though it couldn't be identified until she had practically tackled the two of them with a hug around both necks.
"Oh, thank God you're both okay! Have they done anything to you?! Did anyone try to hurt you?"
Accepting the suffocating embrace because he knew Temari needed it, Ash spoke past it.
"I'm fine. If anyone tried to kill me, they did such a bad job I failed to notice."
Kankuro, on the other hand, had a very different answer.
"Uh, some Chunin whose niece got killed tried to stab me-"
"What?! What the hell-"
"Calm down Temari, the ANBU took care of him before I even had a chance to do anything. Though they didn't really seem happy to do it..."
A look of disdain crossed Temari's face.
"No surprise there, faceless assholes..."
Seeing that both of his siblings had unlikeable ANBU escorts, Ash felt a lot more grateful for the fact that Kitten seemed to be kind and reasonable, especially for a spec ops shinobi. Either way, Temari reiterated one of her earlier questions.
"Have they done anything to you guys? Like, experiments and stuff?"
Kankuro motioned towards his empty back.
"Any day I don't have a mission, they confiscate my puppets for what I assume is research. I'm guessing that's where your fan is right now?"
Temari's expression soured quite a bit at the mention of her missing weapon. Her signature battle fan was very important to her, and without that familiar weight on her back, she honestly felt naked. Vulnerable really. Really, if those bastards damaged it somehow...
"Yeah, I hate to just fork over our village's weapons and techniques like this, but it's not like we can actually stop them... what about you Ash? You don't have any item for them to take, so... they haven't been experimenting on you or something, have they?"
"My Hakkegan has been sealed by Jiraiya of the Sannin. Other than that, no one has tried deducing the nature of my flames or anything, though that would be pretty pointless on their part."
Naturally, Ash omitted the fact that he had some doubts as to whether or not his Hakkegan was truly sealed. With the ANBU listening in, it was better for him to act as though he had just taken Jiraiya at his word. Because if the Hakkegan really was still available to him, then he had a really powerful ace up his sleeve if worse came to worst. Of course, there was no way to guarantee the Hakkegan was still working unless he tried it on someone, and he wasn't too keen on that at the best of times.
Temari started to say something about the untold fury of hell she would unleash if the Leaf did anything to harm either of her brothers, a tirade that gave Ash an opportunity to think of his next words. Unfortunately, he couldn't formulate any way to say what he needed to with care. He was certain that if he tried to craft a lengthy intro or something, he'd crack and cry. So instead he just cut Temari off.
"Baki's dead."
Temari's voice died in her throat as both she and Kankuro leveled utterly shocked gazes at their youngest brother. It was Kankuro who managed to speak first, though there wasn't much to say.
"What? H-how..."
"I don't know. I asked the Hokage to investigate. He told me he was dead. Didn't say how or by who."
The expression on Temari's face was one of restrained pain. She was clearly struggling to hold back tears.
"D-dammit... just like that? We didn't even get to... say anything..."
Naturally Ash wanted to console his siblings, but he didn't know how to do that. He couldn't say that things would be alright, because that was a lie. He couldn't swear vengeance, because there was no viable target to take vengeance on. He couldn't really do anything.
At some point, Temari's self-control failed, and she started to cry. Kankuro didn't do the same, but his agonized expression was evidence enough of his grief. Like before, Ash just felt empty. In this moment, witnessing the effects of Baki's death on his brother and sister, he was reminded of something that had mostly eluded his musings lately.
He truly despised the society and the system that had lead to all of this. Villages, Kage, Ninja... all elements of an eternal power struggle that would never end, a cycle of war that would continue to inflict pain such as theirs. Until the system was broken, things would never change.
Ash had no idea how one would go about doing that, but he was very determined to put some serious thought into it, starting today.
Question time, 'cuz I feel like questions get people to be a little more vocal (that said, feel free to include feedback and your answers, in case you have something to say about the story itself).
Is there a character you wish had lasted much longer than they did, in terms or relevance to the overall plot? For me, it was Tayuya. Aside from having a cool technique, she was the very first fiery redhead in the series. I would have loved to see a Shippuden timeskip version of her. That said, I wish all of the Sound Four had gotten fleshed out a bit more, they made for an interesting antagonistic force.
Final question: how many of you watched every single episode of Naruto, from OG to Shippuden, all fillers included? So many people in the community skip, I'm just curious to know who went through the same ordeal as myself.