The next day, Shikamaru and Hanara decided to walk together to the Hokage Tower– Hanara to the Cryptanalysis Office and Shikamaru to the Chunin Exams meeting. She didn't have to go to all of them but Shikamaru wasn't so lucky.
On the way there, they ran into someone.
"Oh, Shikama–" Naruto cut himself off after realizing that she was there. "You knew and you didn't tell me!"
Hanara stared at Naruto, confused, wondering what he could be upset about now.
"The Grass Village. You knew."
'She's sending him on that mission? After my repeated reports of him letting his emotions get the better of him?'
"It was confidential information! It was up to Lady Hokage to decide if it was even true! I couldn't very well tell you and get your hopes up! Besides, she has just as much a right, if not more than you, you know? It wasn't up to me to tell!"
"Just because she's the Hokage–"
"It's not that!"
"Then tell me what it is!"
Maybe it was the stress getting to her, but she lost it.
"Dammit, Naruto! What the fuck about 'it's not my story to tell' don't you get? What, would you have appreciated it if I yelled about what's in you from the rooftops at the top of my lungs the moment I found out? No! Fucking hell! Accept it if people don't tell you something!"
"Uh... Shikamaru? Hanara?" said Choji's voice from behind them. "Yoshino asked me to give you your–"
He was cut off by two huge tigers heading straight for Naruto.
Choji punched it, making it burst into an explosion of ink. Immediately, she knew it was a jutsu and activated her Byakugan. As Choji dealt with the second tiger, she took in the ninja sending ink tigers at them.
"He has ink and scrolls on him everywhere as well as a tanto. Leaf ninja," she informed them.
"Someone like that... you attack first and then send to T&I," Shikamaru growled.
Hanara nodded and formed some chakra threads from her exposed forearms, another trick she'd taught herself. She was not in the mood for a long, dramatic, drawn-out, fight. He couldn't be harder to catch than Sasori, but with his ink animals they'd need her jutsus.
The boy drew more tigers and sent them after the four ninja, but Hanara spat Water Bullets at them and attempted to catch the boy with her chakra threads. Between her bullets and Shikamaru, Choji, and Naruto, the tigers were destroyed easily. Hanara wrapped her threads around the black-haired boy and jerked her right arm back, pulling him like a doll until he was mere inches away from them.
"'Maru?"
He nodded and put his hands in the rat seal.
"Shadow Stitching Jutsu."
Hanara released her chakra threads and spoke.
"Now, usually, I'd let you explain yourself and then fight, but you've caught me in a bad mood right now. So, unless you don't explain yourself right now, you'll find yourself without a limb. Or two." she shot him a fake smile.
"I was merely testing the capabilities of my new teammate," the boy said. "Now I know he hides behind girls."
"Who? Naruto?"
The boy nodded.
"I don't hide–" Naruto started.
"What's your name?" Shikamaru asked. "And, who sent you here?"
"My name is Sai, and I cannot say who sent me here."
Sighing, Hanara created some chakra threads.
"I'll take him to Lady Tsunade. You go to your meeting, Shikamaru."
No one's Perspective:
Choji turned to Naruto. "Hanara's been really stressed lately, don't blame her if she snaps at you."
"She didn't tell me– I could have family alive somewhere, and she didn't tell me!"
"Naruto, if it was about another Uzumaki, then surely you realize why." Shikamaru said.
"What do you mean?"
"You've never searched in the library for your last name? Looked on the memorial stone? Anything?" Choji asked incredulously.
At Naruto's blank face, Shikamaru elaborated.
"The Uzumakis were once a clan that lived in the Village Hidden in the Eddies. The First Hokage's wife was an Uzumaki. Lady Tsunade's grandmother was an Uzumaki. And, Lady Tsunade knew her grandmother– she even modelled the seal on her forehead after the one on her grandmother's forehead."
"Granny Tsunade's related to me? She knew an Uzumaki?"
Choji and Shikamaru nodded.
There was a solemn silence.
"HEY!" Ino called, running up towards the boys a few minutes later. "Asuma-sensei's looking for you, Choji!"
"Sorry, Ino, some weirdo just attacked us." Choji said.
"Weirdo..." Ino said thoughtfully, looking around. "So, Naruto?"
"No–"
Ino cut Choji off, "Hey Naruto! Long time no see!"
"Not him!" Choji exclaimed.
"Save your breath," Shikamaru sighed. "It's not worth it."
Sasuke's Perspective, Hidden Sound Village:
After convincing Karin to leave the Hidden Grass Village with countless stolen jutsu scrolls, Sasuke had travelled all around the Elemental Nations for six months, fighting and killing many ninja for their bounties in order to survive. During his many battles, he used his Sharingan to copy their jutsus. Whenever he was injured, Karin allowed Sasuke to bite her, healing him. Once he was positive that he could survive against Orochimaru's lackeys, he went back to the Sound Village, finding it nearly empty save for the few trapped in Orochimaru's labs. Sasuke freed them and then studied Orochimaru's many scrolls. Although Orochimaru's lack of morals disgusted Sasuke, the jutsus fascinated him.
Sasuke knew that the Naruto and the rest of the Hidden Leaf would come after him, so he never stayed in one of Orochimaru's bases long. With Karin by his side, it was easy to avoid people when he wanted to. He never imagined getting stronger like this, but it worked.
Hanara's Perspective:
It was nighttime, and Neji was spending the night in his old home, which Hanara now owned.
"Hey, Neji?" Hanara asked, lying on the couch with him on another, opposite to her.
"Yes?"
"What if you knew horrible things were going to happen in the future, but you don't know enough details to stop them? Essentially, you knew everyone's destiny, but you don't know how they got there."
"I would do my best to redirect it," Neji answered instantly. "That is what Naruto has taught me."
Hanara mulled that over. "Okay."
But it didn't help– not really.
A Few Days Later:
"Hanara, Lady Tsunade wants you in her office." the head of department, Mitoku, said.
'Huh, I wonder why...'
"Okay..." she nodded.
Hanara made her way to the Hokage's Office and knocked.
"Come in," she heard Lady Tsunade call.
Hanara walked inside the office.
"You asked for me?"
"Yes, the information you had given us was indeed correct. There was an Uzumaki in the Hidden Grass Village, but she went rogue. Her name was Karin Uzumaki. When she had been inside the Hidden Grass Village, she had been abused. In fact, they indirectly killed her mother. When Karin went rogue, she had been in contact with Sasuke. They are rumoured to be hiding in Orochimaru's old bases." Tsunade said.
"Oh..." Hanara said thoughtfully. "Have they found her?"
"They found her handing in a bounty with Sasuke, but both of them refused to come to the Leaf Village."
"I see..."
"He has become extremely proficient with both Lightning and Fire ninjutsu, as well." Tsunade added.
"Is there no hope of him returning to the Leaf?"
"If Naruto and Sakura couldn't convince him..." Tsunade trailed off.
"Thank you for informing me," Hanara bowed.
'It's just one thing after another with this world, isn't it?' Hanara thought. 'I'm getting sick of this.'
A few hours later, that's where Asuma-sensei found her: in her room, sitting on the floor with her head in her hands.
"Oh, I missed you coming back, didn't I?" she asked weakly.
"I don't blame you," Asuma-sensei said, crouching down to speak to her eye-to-eye. "You're allowed to take days off, you know. It's not healthy for you to be working when you're stressed out like this."
"I– It's stupid!" she exclaimed. "I don't know why I even feel so guilty! It's not like I can do anything or even know anything but I still feel responsible for everything! I feel like I'm lying and hiding things from everyone close to me but I can't tell them because they'll never trust me ever again, or they'll think I'm insane and– There's going to be a war! I thought I accepted it, I thought I got strong enough, but no matter how many times I cry about it, I can't get over it!"
'And after that fight with Naruto... He really hits where it hurts, doesn't he.'
"Hanara, do you know anything that you haven't already mentioned?" Asuma-sensei asked gently.
"No..." she responded, her voice cracking.
"Then you have nothing to be guilty about," he said.
'But I could've said all this earlier... Why isn't he prodding me for answers?'
"Why...?" she asked.
"It isn't endangering the village in any way. You're allowed secrets, Hanara. If you want to tell us, you will when you're ready," Asuma-sensei said. "Anyway, since we finished a mission, we were planning on going to Yakiniku. You can join."
Hanara smiled, feeling a lot lighter than she had in weeks.
'Maybe two meltdowns was what I needed...'
She ran up to hug her sensei, once more appreciating the fact that he went above and beyond for her.
"Thank you."
