ACADEMY DAYS VIII - SHINOBI UNION 4
Hidden Leaf hospital
Now in a proper hospital, Sakura is better equipped to heal Hanabi's injured hand. Not that the infirmary is poorly equipped but it's definitely designed more for first-aid. Besides the facility, she has an assistant, too. Ameno, Jounin from the Hidden Sand and practitioner of a very unique form of medical ninjutsu.
Ameno has conjured her [Medical Water Style: Jellyfish] and had it latch on Hanabi's shoulder. It pulsates and pumps water down her arm and to her hand.
"This is… weird." Hanabi eyes the jellyfish.
Ameno chuckles. "I imagine it's your first time encountering it?"
Hanabi nods in response.
Sakura, using her [Mystical Palm], gathers the water that drips down and integrates into her own jutsu. "It's a powerful form of medical ninjutsu. It'll be really helpful on top of everything. I'm glad you came, Ameno."
"How could I not? You don't always get the chance to work closely in the medical system Lady Tsunade established." Ameno smiles.
"So you're a big fan of hers, too?" Hanabi asks.
"Of course!" Ameno answers with glee. "Even though we've been enemies, Lady Tsunade is who people looked up to while studying as medics, in the same way puppet-users looked up to Lady Chiyo."
That name means nothing to Hanabi but she decides against asking, instead focusing on her own recovery.
"It just goes to show how much she revolutionized the practice." Sakura stops using her Mystical Palm and turns to the figure staying back. "Alright, you're up."
Naruto is leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and an annoyed expression on his face. He opens his eyes to reveal a blood-red hue instead of the usual blue.
Kurama walks over and sits next to Hanabi. "Hundreds of years of living, of dominating the world, or instilling terror into whatever hapless fool crosses my path. And now I'm to play nurse for a reckless brat?" He whines. "I think I'd rather be back in the Gedo Mazo."
"Yes, yes." Sakura sighs. "You've made your feelings very clear."
"Honestly I didn't know Tailed Beasts were like… this." Ameno motions to Kurama.
Kurama scoffs. "There's so much you don't know, child. How many nations existed before your precious Lands of Wind or Fire, how many times shinobi villages were founded and crumbled before yours. You can't comprehend how much you don't know."
Hanabi stares in disbelief, being taken aback at that voice coming out of Naruto's face.
Sakura shakes her head. "How does Naruto put up with you…"
Kurama turns his head away and places a hand on Hanabi's shoulder, transferring his chakra to her. The girl's robe takes on an orange glow with the usual black markings crossing through it.
Her breath stops for a second when the surge of power washes over her, a feeling unlike anything she's ever felt before. 'With this amount of power, I probably could have fought all the other 32 Genin at once. And Naruto lives with this power all day?' She admires the strength.
In her mind, she hears a deep chuckle. 'This much is nothing compared to the power Naruto and I wield.'
Hanabi finds herself in an unfamiliar headspace, a light white surrounds her in every direction. She looks down and definitely feels like she's stepping on something even when it doesn't look like there's a floor.
The voice comes from behind her this time. "Don't spend too much time being surprised. I'd rather we get this over with soon."
She turns around only to be met by the giant figure of the Demon Fox, all nine tails swishing back and forth behind. She stares in awe at the massive overbearing form.
Hidden Leaf training grounds
Yokumaru watches in confusion as Kotori rides an ostrich, running at full speed in circles. She has her arms outstretched and she's taking in the wind blowing in her face.
"I still don't know how that'll help…" He wonders.
"It's to feel the wind in my hair!" Kotori shouts an answer.
"Will that help?" He turns to Mutsu sitting next to him.
Mutsu shrugs. "Maybe? It's not how I learned but my jutsu's different."
"I'm telling you, it's foolproof!" Kotori reassures them. "I'll be flying in no time!"
"That's spirit, Kotori!" Kashiwama cheers. "If anyone can figure it out, you can!" As he focuses on Kotori for a moment, a fist comes flying at him. He manages to see it in time and dodges, turning his attention back to his opponent.
Shoto takes his stance. "Not the time to be distracted."
The Senju smirks. "I can multitask."
Over to the side, Genzai and Jiriki are similarly locked in combat, the young Sarutobi using a flurry of punches and kicks that even Jiriki has a hard time keeping up with.
"I'm surprised you came with us." Genzai notes. "I thought you didn't like them."
"I don't." Jiriki answers. "But you insist on hanging with them for some reason."
Genzai chuckles. "Jealous?"
Jiriki delivers a harder hit in annoyance. "As if. You're just the only one who can put up a fight against me."
"Is that what you call this?" Genzai pushes Jiriki's arms away and shoulder barges him. A swift leg sweep knocks the Hyuga to the ground. Genzai offers him a hand. "If I treated you the way you treat others, we wouldn't be friends, you know that, right?"
Jiriki clicks his tongue and stands up on his own. "So you see nothing wrong with that?" He motions to Kotori riding an ostrich. "Fruitless and pointless so-called training?"
"Of course not." Genzai shrugs. "It's fun."
"Guys!" Kotori calls out to everyone. "Let's go eat! I'm getting hungry."
"Giving up on training?" Shoto asks as he and Kashiwama exchange blows.
"Of course not!" She says in defiance, offended at the mere thought of giving up. "I just figure we should take a," her stomach growls, "Break." She becomes flustered.
Shoto laughs. "Okay, sure." He lowers his guard.
Unable to stop his fist in time, Kashiwama punches Shoto on the nose. "Uh… sorry?"
"What the hell, man?!" Shoto holds his sore face.
-x-
Ramen Ichiraku
The food of choice is, of course, ramen at Ichiraku. It's surprisingly filled to the brim, with every table being occupied, most of them by foreign shinobi of all villages. It seems that word of this restaurant has spread.
Teuchi gladly welcomes the kids. "Welcome, welcome! Take a seat." He motions to the stools at the bar. "Sorry, Yokumaru, your mom's not on shift today."
"That's fine, we're just stopping for a bite." He sits down with the rest.
Kotori looks around at the full establishment. "You don't need the help?"
"Ayame, Matsu, and Nishi got it handled, don't you worry. So, what can I get you all?"
The kids place their orders and dig in. At some point Ayame comes out to switch with her dad and catches up with what the kids are up to while she serves other customers. They're all eager to share in their studies and in their training, except for maybe Jiriki who's content with just eating his ramen.
As Kotori explains how she's definitely going to learn to fly, a familiar to her voice chimes in. "You think you've reached that point, huh?"
She turns around on her stool to see Samui standing behind her
"Samui!" Kotori exclaims and hugs her.
Samui remains frozen at the display of affection. She's still not the best with kids. "Hello to you, too." She gives Kotori an awkward pat on the back. "You seem well."
Genzai looks over the Cloud kunoichi over. "Aren't you the leader of the Hidden Cloud Genin's leader?"
"Very observant." She nods. "I am, indeed. You're all Kotori's friends, I take it?"
"We are." They all introduce themselves in turn. "How do you know each other?" Shoto asks.
"Oh! We stayed in Samui's home when we were visiting the Cloud! She really helped me train and taught me a lot!" Kotori answers. "And now you're like an actual teacher, huh? Just like you said."
"I don't speak lightly, you know. If I say I'll do something, I do it."
"Your team looked really strong." Yokumaru notes.
"But not strong enough to defeat Lady Hanabi." Jiriki eats his ramen.
"I suppose that's to be seen. You're a Hyuga, huh? Hinata's coussin?" Samui asks.
"And Lady Hanabi's. Fifth cousin, thrice removed." Jiriki clarifies.
"I see."
Kotori raises brow. "You know the whole family tree?"
"Of course I do." He says, still focused on his ramen. "We've a-"
"- proud history and tradition." Genzai finishes the sentence for him.
Jiriki glares at him.
"Well, either way I look forward to seeing how your Lady Hanabi will fare. You'll cheer me on, right, Kotori?" Samui looks at the girl.
"I… uh…" She frantically looks around, not knowing how to answer. On one hand, Samui was of great help when they lived with her, but Hanabi is also her mom's sister.
Seeing Kotori's distress, Samui gives a light smile. "I was only joking. You don't need to worry so much over it. We'll see each other again, Kotori. I'm curious how you've grown." She turns to take her leave.
"Definitely!" Kotori gives a determined nod.
Shinobi Union meeting hall
Over the course of the 4 days of the Chunin Exams, the village leaders kept their regular meetings, ironing out the details of the future of the shinobi world.
There was some friction, mainly among the Hidden Star and Hidden Grass. Some were apprehensive toward the Hidden Mountain and especially how big their land had gotten. After all, it's not every day that 3 whole nations become one. Still, that's more to do with the Land of Woods and not particularly the Hidden Mountain Village itself, even though they've benefited greatly, as would be expected.
Kaidomaru taps the table with a finger. "You realize this is a tall order. Orochimaru's research became ours the moment the Land of Rice Paddies was absorbed into the Land of Woods. It's ours by every legal right."
Ay nods. "And what research there is that doesn't pertain to any other village is to remain yours."
Onoki leans on the table. "We simply ask that any sensitive information about other villages be returned to said villages."
"You could argue that that's everything. Orochimaru once was a member of the Hidden Leaf. Should studies on his unique physiology be sent to the Hidden Leaf?" Kaidomaru asks.
"No." Tsunade clarifies. "Only what immediately would affect the security of a hidden village or its secrets."
"That's still such a broad definition." Kaidomaru sighs.
"But also left to your own interpretation, isn't it?" Konan looks to her fellow leader. "You can send whatever information you deem fits the criteria."
"And conversely, if something would later come to light that you all believe met the criteria but I didn't, that becomes an issue." Kaidomaru says.
"If something like that happens," Tsunade speaks, "We can negotiate once more and come to an understanding. You do have the winning hand here, since we don't know exactly what intel Orochimaru had gathered. We can't be precise with your treaty because we don't know the extent of what you've gathered, and you wouldn't allow us access until a treaty is signed. So you can see the bind we're in."
"Perhaps you're right. It's the time of goodwill, is it not?" Kaidomaru gives an unreadable smile. He signs his name on the bottom and pushes the folder forward. "The Hidden Mountain Village agrees to the Shinobi Union's demands."
Gaara nods. "Thank you for your understanding."
Konan signs her name and pushes her folder forward. "The Hidden Rain Village agrees to the Shinobi Union's demands."
Arare does the same. "Likewise, the Hidden Frost Village agrees to the demands."
Shibuki follows. "The Hidden Waterfall Village, as well."
Nakago sighs. He takes the pen and holds it over the documents for a moment. "With some protest from our own, the Hidden Star Village accepts the demands." He signs his name and pushes the folder forward.
Only Taiga remains in her seat, one leg over the other, staring at the folder.
"Taiga?" Mei tries to grab her attention.
"Ya talk a whole lot 'bout the demands of the Union. What about mine?" She looks up to Tsunade.
The Hokage narrows her eyes. "And what would that be?"
"You know damn well what. Karin Uzumaki."
"And you know equally well that the answer was, is, and will be 'No'."
Taiga clicks her tongue. "What's your obsession with a dead clan? Think we ain't done our homework? We know the Uzumaki ya got are barely shinobi. Genin and Chunin. A small handful of Jonin. Let them be what they're good at- chakra batteries."
Kaidomaru
"You've been warned to be mindful of your speech, Taiga Hazama." Tsunade balls up her fist.
"Hokage…" Ay whispers, trying to remind her not to do something she'll later regret.
"The Uzumaki ain't a clan no more. They're weak but they can actually be useful if you know how to use them."
Kaidomaru breathes in deeply.
"Hazama." Tsunade growls.
"They're tools, Hokage. Nothing more, nothing less." Taiga sneers.
Tsunade had heard enough. She stands up, not actually knowing what she'll say or do just yet but knowing she needs to be shut up.
Before she can, however, someone else takes action.
From one seat over, Kaidomaru summons his giant axe and brings it down on Taiga in an instant. The seat is completely destroyed but Taiga managed to get out the way just in time. The entourage gathered immediately spring into action.
The Grass Jounin ready their weapons, as do the Mountain shinobi. Mizushi has a large tortoise shell planted in front of him, Kuga and Doraneko have their claws out, Takeshi has his tanto at the ready, and Kikyo, with her Ketsuryugan active, makes two small cuts on her forearms and uses her dojutsu to summon a string of blood ready to lash out.
The two groups stare each other down. Every other shinobi also move to defend their leaders.
Arare Kanno, who was sitting between Kaidomaru and Taiga, Flickered back to safety.
Ay slams his fist on the table. "What's the meaning of this?!"
Taiga smirks. "Kaidomaru Sakata. What a surprise. Was it something I said?"
"Your voice is grating." Kaidomaru glares at her while pulling his axe out of the ground and slinging it over his shoulder.
A woman made of sand stands between the Grass and Mountain shonobi, blocking them off from each other.
"Whatever happens, this cannot escalate further." Gaara states.
"Taiga, Kaidomaru, please stand down." Mei requests. "We gathered here specifically to prevent this kind of thing from happening again."
"Me stand down?" Taiga snorts. "I ain't tried to cleave someone in half. But I get the message loud and clear. This Union ain't gonna work out."
"And what do you intend to do, Taiga?" Onoki asks. "Continue to operate on your own?"
"It's how we always done it so far. Worked out fine, didn't it?" Taiga shrugs and turns to leave. "And when this little party of yours comes crumbling down, we'll be there to pick up the pieces."
"Taiga, wait." Mei pleads. "Think this through. The Union is-"
"Not gonna last." Taiga cuts her off. "You lot have fun now." With that, Taiga and the Grass shinobi take their leave.
Ay turns his attention to Kikyo. "Those eyes… So you're the Chinoike."
Kikyo glares at the Raikage and deactivate her Ketsuryugan without a word, returning to her spot in the back.
Onoki growls. "Sakata, explain yourself."
"You heard her, Tsuchikage." Kaidomaru places his axe back in its containment scroll. "She never believed in the Union to begin with. She was here just to get back Karin Uzumaki."
"And you thought to attack her on the spot?!"
Kaidomaru looks at the ruined chair. "Apparently I did."
Tsunade sits down with her head in her palms. "Honestly, I might've done the same. Either way, it's done. And he's right; she made her intentions clear. It's likely she had no intention of joining the Union to begin with."
"A true shame." Mei shakes her head. "I hope she doesn't come to regret her decision."
Arare only now sits back on his chair, with the commotion having died down. "It was certainly a brash course of action but not one made lightly. Is it, Lord Sakata?"
Kaidomaru looks at the Frost leader without saying a word.
Shibuki sighs. "Perhaps an added point is to not attack fellow members of the Union, and choose discourse before violence."
"But she was not a member of the Union, was she?" Konan says. "So even if such a point was added, it wasn't broken in this case."
Nakago rubs the back of his head. "For what it's worth, I'm somewhat relieved. I was beginning to worry about the Union if someone with her attitude was part of it."
"Still," Ay sits in his chair, "We've made good progress; the Shinobi Union has doubled in size. Now, we can focus on truly growing and changing the shinobi world."
"Can hardly wait." Kaidomaru remarks with a smirk.
-x-
"What was that?" Kuga demands. "Was that freakout some master plan, 'cause a warning would've been nice." She hounds Kaidomaru outside of the meeting hall once the final meeting ends.
"It was… an impulse decision." Kaidomaru grumbles.
"I'm inclined to agree that it felt a reckless course of action." Mizushi says. "However, it is one I can understand.
Takeshi cocks his head, still in his oni mask. "I'm surprised. You've always been good at keeping a level head. You're not growing emotional, are you, Kaidomaru?"
The Mountain leader walks right into Takeshi's personal space, staring into his mask's eye holes. "I've always been emotional, Takeshi. Emotion fuels everything I do and it's gotten us to a point where no one else could have gotten us, and it's never been a cause for complaint in the time we've known each other. If you've begun taking an issue now, then you're the one who's 'growing' something." He pats the ANBU leader on the shoulder. "I just don't know what."
"Is she a concern?" Kikyo asks, uncaring for the internal dispute going on right now.
"Who, Taiga?" Kaidomaru steps away from Takeshi. "Not even remotely. The only thing the Hidden Grass can do now is lay low. They're surrounded by the Union from all sides and unless they have a secret Tailed Beast they're hiding, they can't afford to do anything."
"So what's next for us?" Mizushi asks.
"Well, once we go home tomorrow, we have to return back sensitive information to their villages." Kaidomaru shrugs. "After that, we study, learn, and grow. We wait patiently."
Shushu-ya
As one of the Hidden Leaf's top sake shops, Shushu-ya sees its fair bit of clientele. This evening, however, they closed early to accommodate their special guests.
"You really didn't need to…" Naruto looks apologetically to the owner. "I don't want you losing clients or anything."
"Nonsense, sir!" The owner reassures. "It's with our greatest pleasure that we offer you our best service. Please enjoy." He places another bottle of sake. "On the house." And takes his leave.
Naruto rubs the back of his shead. "Sorry 'bout this. Didn't wanna attract this much attention."
Gaara chuckles on the opposite site of the table. "I don't believe you're capable of not attracting attention. And I am somewhat conspicuous, myself."
Bee lifts his cup. "If you ain't attractin' attention, you ain't living right. Gotta go big, bro!"
Hinata takes the bottle and fills up both of their cups before filling her own. "Contrary to his boasting, Naruto doesn't actually handle being famous well." She giggles.
"You don't have to tell them that." Naruto grumbles.
"Then you've learned nothin'!" Bee slams his cup on the table. "Looks like I gotta stick around some more, teach you to be bombastic as you oughta be."
Naruto waves his hands defensively in front of himself. "I… don't think we need to go that far."
"Still, I'm pleased we could meet up." Gaara sips his drink. "These past days have been busy."
"Hey, you don't have to tell me. I'm not even part of the negotiations and I'm swamped with work. Is being a Kage also this tiring? Geez…" Naruto sighs.
"Perhaps even more so." Gaara nods. "There's so much to pay heed to."
"It's the price for being a boss; you get recognition but your free time takes a loss." Bee laughs. "Why I don't get myself involved in that stuff. I like living free and playing rough."
"But you're Lord Raikage's brother, correct?" Hinata asks. "Aren't you expected to help him in leading the village?"
"Nope! The Hidden Cloud's Bee is the jinchuriki. Bee keeps safe, protects, and defends,"
"Those are all the same thing." Gaara notes.
Bee finishes his rhyme, "And that's where our job starts and where it ends. For other stuff, that's where Darui and Cee come in. And lately Samui's been getting more involved."
"Aides are of great importance. Lady Hokage has Shizune, Shikamaru, Kakashi-sensei...They're all an invaluable part of her team." Hinata adds.
"I agree. Kankuro in particular has been invaluable. I'd have wished Temari be by my side but she was adamant in being the Union's representative here in the Leaf."
"Termari was the one who insisted?" Hinata raises a brow.
"Why would she want that?" Naruto asks. "I mean, not that she shouldn't but still."
Gaara shrugs. "She wouldn't divulge. Kankuro claims to know but is yet to actually say anything."
Hinata smiles a knowing smile. Not that she's one to gossip but word does get around, especially if you spend any amount of time around Ino. Gossip about what, or who, led Temari here.
"Say, Gaara, have you had any luck with the Great Beasts? Or that weird… thing we fought in the Land of Wind?" Naruto brings up the big topic on most shinobi's thoughts
Gaara shakes his head. "I'm afraid not. They've disappeared as if they never existed. I spoke with Shukaku to ask for his aid in the matter. He agreed but not out of love for the Hidden Villages."
"Matatabi's gonna look around, too, while me and Gyuki do our thing."
"And what thing is that?" Naruto asks.
"Ah, you know." Bee clears his throat. "Eight Tails things." He hides himself behind his cup. "But nevermind that, how's the clan life?" He tries to change the topic.
It's clear to Gaara and Hinata that Bee apparently intends on taking it easy.
The four of them talk well into the evening, using their last evening here to catch up. They finally got some semblance of free time, enough to speak to friends in a casual setting. Or as casual as a setting can be, given that the entire place was emptied just for them.
Still, it's nice to be among friends.
Hokage tower
Tsunade walks down the corridor, tired and stretching her arms with a yawn. She wasn't expecting to get this worked up. As she's thinking of the sweet, sweet sake awaiting her, a voice calls out to her.
"Hokage, wait." Mei catches up to her. "If you're free tonight, why not come with us to let off some steam?"
"Us who?" Tsunade stops to talk.
Mei looks back and Tsunade follows her gaze to Konan who's standing a bit back.
"It's been a heavy few days. Us ladies deserve some time to relax, away from the boorish men."
Tsunade chuckles. "Maybe you're right but I'm pretty boorish myself. I don't think I'd make good company."
Konan steps forward. "If this is about my presence, I'd like to try and make amends. If nothing else, I owe at least that much to Naruto."
"Alright, fine." Tsunade sighs. "Come on, if it's relaxation you want, I know all the good onsen that serve sake." She beckons them to follow her.
The two other women share a look. "Just the ones that serve sake?"
A very brief walk later, the three women find themselves at the Leaf Hot Springs, one of the larger onsen in the village and among Tsunade's favourite. It's also the spiritual successor to the onsen where she most often found Jiraiya peeping in their younger days. And in their older days, truth be told.
They quickly get themselves comfortable in the hot waters with special plates for sake that float in the water delivered to them, with the sake itself, of course.
Tsunade leans against the edge of the onsen. "I think I really needed this."
Mei chuckles. "I told you. We need to loosen up after everything that happened."
Konan looks around, feeling a bit out of place. "I'm still not sure why you'd want to invite me along."
"Because we need to stick together." Mei smiles. "Us kunoichi have to fight especially hard to rise to the top and even harder to remain there. If we don't support each other, who will?"
"It was just during my grandfather's time that most women were expected to stay out of the dangers of the battlefield, so they could keep strengthening their clans with more children. We've come a long way since then." Tsunade explains.
"But certainly not all women, right?" Konan asks.
"Of course not, but many still were." Mei shrugs. "So we should celebrate how far we've managed to come."
Konan shakes her head. "I don't know how much I should be celebrated. Since I was young, I just followed Yahiko's dreams and when he died, I followed Nagato on his quest for vengeance." She leans her head back on the stones. "And then I couldn't even stop Madara, or I guess Obito, and fell into a coma. I certainly don't feel empowered."
"Come on, is this the attitude you attacked the Leaf with. Now I'm even angrier we lost." Tsunade shakes her head.
Konan slides further into the water in embarrassment.
"It doesn't matter how it was until now. What matters is that you've now put yourself in a position where you can be your own person and do things how you want to do them. It's not about when it happens, but what you do with it when it does." Mei reassures Konan.
"You're going to great lengths to lift the spirits of a former criminal." Konan notes.
Mei shrugs. "Like I said, we should rely on each other. Besides, none of us are wholly innocent. I didn't get to my position without doing many heinous things, some to my own countrymen and fellow shinobi. It's a bloody world. The faster we move away from past feuds, the better."
"I certainly hope we can." Konan smiles.
"Well," Tsunade shakes her cup, "That's not going to happen if you don't drink. Our hot springs might not be as good as the Land of Water or Land of Hot Springs but our sake is some of the best."
Mei chuckles and drinks from her own cup. "I'm inclined to agree."
Konan does, as well. "We have a few indoor hot springs in the Hidden Rain but much of it is powered by our machines. A natural hot spring like this is definitely something else."
The three spend much of the evening in pleasant conversation. Small talk, mostly. Building friendship and opening up more. It's honestly more fun than any of them has been able to have in a long while so it's a more than welcome breath of fresh air. Even a moment's respite from the worries of managing a shinobi village can do wonders for the soul.
Eventually, Tsunade's drinks get to her and she has to head home before she consumes too much to function the following day. Mei and Konan, meanwhile, are still able to go through the night and do just that.
Deciding that too much more steam would be bad for their health, they instead continue their drinks in the Mizukage's quarters.
Konan gives a light laugh. "And now I'm surrounded by Mist shinobi everyone. I suppose this sake really is good if I put myself at such odds."
"You still don't trust?" Mei sits on her bed and leans against the board. "You don't need to worry, I wouldn't do that in my room, even if that room is temporary. Someone else's room, maybe, but not mine. My love life is in enough disarray that I don't need to add bloodshed to it."
"Not had any luck in that department?" Konan asks. "I would've thought a woman in your position would be swarmed with suitors."
Mei laughs. "If only. No, I'm afraid no man stays around long enough for anything meaningful. I'll have to wait a long time to see myself in a wedding dress." She sighs and looks at her reflection in the body mirror in the corner.
"That's a shame. I think you'd look amazing in it." She lifts her hand, sending out a multitude of small paper towards Mei.
The Mizukage raises a brow but sees there's nothing malicious about her action or in the movements of the papers. The small pieces come together around Mei's entire body. The first layer forms into a straight dress while the other papers twist and bend to create further decorations. Laces are formed on the bottom half of the dress, flowers decorate her chest and waist. In the end, Mei is dressed in a beautiful white gown.
"You don't need to wait." Konan smiles.
Mei stands up from the edge of her bed and walks closer to the mirror, never taking her eyes off it. "It's more beautiful than I've imagined. You have some gift."
"It can't all be used for killing, after all. And with this, you don't need to wait for any man to see how beautiful you'll look."
Mei runs her hands down the dress, admiring every fine little detail. Some papers are so paper-thing, they're see-through. You'd really think this is an actual gown. "What about for yourself? Never thought of yourself in one?"
Konan shakes her head. "With everything that happened, weddings were never part of my schedule." She stands up and her papers swirl around her, her cloak changing from dark blue to white, more and more details being added on top of it. With a gown of her own, she stands shoulder to shoulder with Mei. "I doubt I'll find a man to wear this for, anyway."
Mei admires the dress before lifting her gaze to admire the wearer. "Maybe that's our problem." She inches closer, pressing her body against Konan.
Their faces are close enough where they can feel the heat, be it from the sake or from the onsen or maybe just from the current mood.
Konan herself inches closer. "That we thought we should be waiting for a man?"
Mei grabs Konan on the back of the head pulling her in a passionate kiss. She brings Konan closer to the bed as papers fly across the room.
-x-
Next day
The morning after, Konan frantically puts on her cloak, appearing in a hurry.
"You look distressed." Mei notes, still in bed. "You don't regret it, do you?"
"Yes. I mean, no." She shakes her thoughts into place. "I mean… I don't know. People in our position, we're not really a position for… this. At least not with each other…"
"You're right. Maybe we can't have more than this one night but that was what both of us needed, don't you think?"
A light smile creeps across Konan's face. "I think so."
"Then don't have such a panicked expression." Mei stands up and goes behind Konan, pressing her head against the other woman's. "It makes a lady worry."
"I still need to go. I have to check with my son." Konan turns around to look at Mei.
"Then go. We'll see each other at the arena."
With that, Konan turns to papers, each of them flying out of the open window and into the village.
Hokage monument
Kaidomaru sits atop the Hokage monument overlooking the village. A symbol meant to remind the people that they're always protected, or maybe a symbol of arrogance. For him, it's the latter but some would probably argue otherwise.
Still, the view is undoubtedly remarkable and oddly calming. Maybe Hashirama Senju saw something to this monument concept that he doesn't.
His moment of quiet comes to an end when someone comes looking for him all the way up here.
"Yo." Naruto gives a mock salute. "Didn't think I'd find an outsider here."
"Naruto Uzumaki. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Kaidomaru stands up to greet him.
"I heard what happened at the Union meeting. About what the Grass leader said and how you reacted."
"I don't suppose you're here to say it was an unacceptable emotional outburst?" Kaidomaru shakes his head.
"The opposite, actually. You stood up for my family. Even if it probably damaged the Union's growth, I don't think her words could just be ignored. So, thanks." Naruto offers him a handshake, which he accepts.
"Thanks isn't needed. I just… couldn't stand to hear someone talk about a group of people like that. It's not right."
"I don't really know much about what the Uzumaki clan's been through but I know people like Taiga Hazama made their lives difficult, even impossible. If she didn't see how it's a problem, then… I dunno if she coulda stayed in the Union."
"I'm of the same opinion. After all, how could anyone not find all life worth protecting?" Kaidomaru gives the most genuine fake smile he can muster.
"I'm glad we agree." Naruto returns the smile. "I hope we can work together, now that we're allies."
"I hope so, too. I've heard the stories about you but I'm curious to get to know the real hero."
Naruto rubs his head in embarrassment. "Ah, people like to exaggerate a lot. Not like I was ever fighting alone. Every last person who fought is a hero." He looks out toward the village.
Kaidomaru looks at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. "No, the stories are definitely true. I can see that now. The Fuma clan also has nothing but praise for you, and their words come from long before the war. Sasame was overjoyed when I picked her to be our representative here in the Leaf."
"Thank you for choosing her for that." Naruto nods.
Kaidomaru shrugs. "She was the obvious choice. If we want to build positive relations, we need people eager to do that. With her connection to you, she has the drive to make the Shinobi Union a success."
"Yeah, I'm really surprised how well it's worked so far. The five founding villages and now the five new members… Everyone's giving their all for the future. I gotta do my part, too! It's not just up to the Union reps to do this."
"I fully agree." Kaidomaru nods.
"I don't wanna take up any more of your time." Naruto pats Kaidomaru on the back. "The Chunin Exam finals are startin' in a bit. Gotta go check up on everyone."
"Of course. It's a busy time, after all."
Kaidomaru watches as Naruto Flickers down the Hokage monument and towards the village, taking to the rooftops to get to where he needs to go.
Kaidomaru grips the stone underneath him. 'You're a good man, Naruto, but you're not an Uzumaki. You never lived among us, you never knew us, you never knew the kind of loss we experienced. We weren't just treated harshly, we were slaves. We experienced cruelty that went beyond skirmishes or war casualties. The kind that can't be fixed with a simple apology or an alliance.' He walks to the edge of the monument and looks down. 'Your heart's in the right place but heart alone won't make this right.'
He lets himself fall off the edge. He closes his eyes as the wind hits his face. Close to the ground, he Flickers to safety on the ground.
'It'll be a real shame when I have to kill you, cousin.'
Kaidomaru looks to the rooftops in the distance from where Sasuke is watching like a hawk.
Hidden Leaf arena
Hanabi breaths in and out, in and out. Calm, measured breaths. Meditative.
"How are you feeling, Hanabi?" Hinata asks.
"Much better." She looks at her right palm. It's still a shade of blue but nowhere near what it was before. "I can put up a fight, thanks to you all." She turns to her medics- Sakura, Ameno, and even Kurama once again inhabiting one of Naruto's Shadow Clones.
"I simply hope it's enough." Ameno worries.
"It'll have to be." Sakura sighs. "It's the best job we could do. Normally you'd need several weeks of rest but thankfully we had a method of speeding up the healing process."
"Yo!" Naruto calls out, running down the corridor, enthusiastically waving at them. "I made it! You ready, Hanabi? All healed up?"
"I am!" She pumps her fist. "I won't let the Hidden Leaf down."
"Hm." Kurama blows air out his nose. "Of course she's all healed. Who do you think was responsible for that."
"I was." Sakura raises her hand.
"I, as well." Ameno raises her hand.
"And it's only because of my chakra that your mediocre healing did anything!" Kurama boasts.
Sakura turns to Naruto. "How do you put up with him?"
Hinata giggles. "Well, thank all of you for doing what you did. I'm sure you'd have preferred to have more free time than you did."
"Oh, not at all." Ameno reassures her. "I got to work closely with Sakura and see firsthand Lady Tsunade's innovations in medical ninjutsu. It's everything I could've hoped for." She gives a bright smile.
Naruto chuckles. "Ya did say you wanted to work with Sakura before."
A siren sounds from the arena.
The Chunin Exam finals are about to commence.
Hanabi takes one final deep breath and begins walking to the exit. "It's time."
"We'll be rooting for you!" Hinata calls out.
"You'd better." Hanabi turns to her with a grin.
Walking along, she tries to clear her mind of distraction. She focuses on the fight ahead, on her opponent. When not being healed, Hiashi helped in her recovery and in her training, namely how to not entirely rely on her dominant right hand and to keep fighting even without relying on it. He ran her through all the strategies her opponent had used up to the semi-finals and how she's most likely to fight today. Focus on all of that. No other distraction.
Speaking of…
Konohamaru's leaning against the wall just before the arena exit. A part of her wants to just pretend he's not here but that strategy only makes him more annoying. She stops next to him and sighs, waiting for him to say whatever nonsense he will so she can go about her way.
Konohamaru looks to her bruised hand and back to her. His face is serious; his usual goofy expression nowhere in sight.
He holds up his hand, palm facing toward her. "Win."
Hanabi turns to him with a raised brow. Not what she expected of him.
She high-fives him and continues walking. "Naturally."
-x-
Shinobi Union Chunin Exams finals
Hanabi Hyuga of the Hidden Leaf vs. Umai of the Hidden Cloud
[Lightning Style: Electric Field]
Umai plants a metal rod into the ground, sending her chakra through it to make a field of electricity that would shock anyone who steps into or even near it.
Hanabi has no intention of getting struck by any of that.
[Gentle Fist: Vacuum Palm]
She sends a gust of chakra at Umai, hoping to force her to move out of the field she'd created. Umai does but very quickly hops back in.
The Cloud Genin takes out six shuriken, three in each hand, and charges them with her chakra nature. Her own chakra empowered by the [Electric Field] around her make them spark far more intensely than normal
[Lightning Style: Shuriken Storm]
She throws the lightning-infused shuriken fly at her from multiple directions. She's well aware that even a close call could jolt her so giving them a wide berth is best in this situation. Normally she could use her [One Blow] jutsu but that would require them to reach her.
Instead, a simple dodge, allowing them to just fly over and around her. As she does, Umai begins weaving her chakra again.
'If she thinks she can catch me off-guard, she's sorely mistaken.' Hanabi prepares her [Vacuum Palm] to push back whatever lightning is to come after her this time.
[Lightning Style: Lightning Net]
The electricity on the shuriken begins flying off of them. Each shuriken has what looks like a small lightning bolt jut out and connect to the nearest shuriken by its own bolt. The six shuriken form a web of lightning that Hanabi does not see coming.
The lightning strikes her and she screams in pain. The shuriken wrap around her with their lightning, striking her more and more. Her muscles spasm and she falls to one knee. Unable to keep herself standing, she falls down. The shuriken return to normal.
'She… never used that in the other fight. Damnit… Damnit!' Hanabi tries to fight against her own body but it's refusing to listen to any command. 'I can barely mold my chakra. This is bad.'
Umai sees her chance and approaches the fallen Hyuga. Even her fists become surrounded in sparking chakra, ready to finish the fight.
Genma stands on the side, trying to gauge the situation. This definitely looks like a decided match. There's not much of a chance to turn this around for Hanabi Hyuga but he's been wrong before. He stays back until the very last second.
The Cloud Genin stands above Hanabi and brings down her fist to deliver a powerful blow to knock her out.
Hanabi, despite her body not listening, musters something out of her chakra. A jutsu for which you don't need your body. In fact, it's a jutsu designed specifically for situations when you can't.
[One Blow Body]
She emits a powerful blast of chakra from every single chakra point in her body. The force takes Umai by surprise and knocks her back and dazes her for a second. Umai braces herself and goes in for another strike, this time with more force knowing that Hanabi can still fight back in this situation.
'That wasn't enough. I need more time. A more powerful blow. More chakra.' She grits her teeth and molds her chakra one more time.
[ONE BLOW BURST]
Where the [One Blow Body] sends out chakra in the user's immediate vicinity, this one has a much, much increased radius and force. The jutsu digs into the ground, creating a crater centered around Hanabi. Everything around her, even larger rocks and Umai herself, are blown away with an intense force. Umai falls against a rock, opening a wound on the back of her head.
-x-
On the village leaders' stand, Konan watches on in surprise. "That jutsu… It's almost like…"
"Nagato's Almighty Push." On the other side of the arena, Naruto has the exact same thought. "She can even do something like that…"
-x-
Hanabi regains control of her body and stands up. She's still dazed from the jutsu she was exposed to but she can't afford to let that slow her down.
While Umai herself is still dazed from her chakra system from being jostled, Hanabi comes in close. Using her Gentle Fist, the Hyuga tries to stop her from weaving any more chakra but the Cloud kunoichi isn't about to back off.
With neither in best shape, one still reeling from the effects of the electricity and the other- from the pushback, they engage in one last desperate attempt to knock the other out.
Hanabi manages to get a few good hits in and close off some chakra points but it's not enough to actually disrupt the chakra flow, as Umai still has lightning covering her fists which numbers her own arms.
Umai relies mainly on punching, delivering jabs and hooks that either miss or come close to hitting. Either way, her jutsu allows her an extended reach of sorts. Hanabi's Gente Fist as always is more fluid, relying on light jabs.
After an intense bout, neither giving in and relying on their ability's passive effect to take over their foe, Umai lands a deciding punch to Hanabi's jaw. The Hyuga is stunned for a moment, allowing Umai to deliver another punch to the gut, and to the side. When Hanabi loses her balance and bends over, one final hit to the head knocks her out cold.
Genma Flickers to them when Hanabi falls. He checks her vitals and for signs of awareness but finds none.
"The winner of the Shinobi Union's first joint Chunin Exams- Umai of the Hidden Cloud."
The crowd cheers, while some of the Leaf citizens and shinobi show visible disappointment that the one they were rooting for lost.
Hidden Leaf streets
While everyone is at the arena to watch the final fight, Karin and Jugo take this opportunity to do some shopping. Karin's tried to stay as far away from foreign shinobi as possible but if they're all in the arena, then she has some time to move about as she wishes.
Of course, the ANBU stationed to protect her are still around. If she focuses on her sensory abilities, she can feel where they are but she still has to focus more than usual to pinpoint them. If she didn't know where they are, she'd have difficulty tracking them. They're pretty good at what they do.
Not that she needed a reminder. She spent a good year as a prisoner in the Hidden Leaf and always had ANBU around her back then. Where they used to keep an eye on her, now they protect her. How times have changed.
As she and Jugo go around to buy food, Jugo keeps particularly close to her. The two practically look glued together.
"Well, well, well…" A very familiar voice causes Karin to freeze in place. A voice she has absolutely no fond memories of. "Ain't you goin' on without a care in the world."
Karin slowly turns her head to see Taiga Hazama standing with some of her Grass shinobi behind her.
"Taiga… why… why are you here?"
Jugo stands in front of her.
"You been avoidin' me this whole time. After all we been through. That's real rude, Karin." Taiga steps closer to her.
"Don't… come any closer!" Karin demands.
"Or what?" Taiga growls.
Jugo activates his senjutsu, the entire right side of his body taking on the grey monstrous appearance. "She said stay back."
Taiga claps. "So you found someone dumb enough to protect you. Congrats. Now be a good girl and come home."
"I already am." Karin states, the initial fear she experienced fading away, finding her strength. "Go away, Hazama."
"You little… Apparently you didn't learn any manners. I'll have to beat it into you, then."
An ethereal voice joins the conversation. "You'll do nothing of the sort."
A man appears in front of Taiga Hazama out of nowhere. This wasn't a Body Flicker or anything like that. He didn't step in front , he just… materialized.
Sasuke places himself on the scene before anything can escalate further. However, the moment he intervened, a few other figures also surrounded them- a team of ANBU. No weapons drawn, but definitely threatening.
Sai places a hand on his tanto, only slightly removing it from its sheath. "Taiga Hazama of the Hidden Grass Village. You're formally requested to leave the territory of the Hidden Leaf Village. We hope you've enjoyed your stay."
"So this is how it's gonna be, huh, Hokage?" Taiga glares at Sai and Sasuke. "Fine. But don't think this is over, Karin. You're comin' with me, one way or another."
"No." Karin remains firm. "If you think you can scare me then you're sorely mistaken. Because I've learned just how much of a weak and powerless bully you actually are. You can't do anything to me."
"We'll see how long you can keep up that attitude, girl."
Sai motions to his team to escort the Grass shinobi out of the village. He himself remains to check up on Karin. "Are you well?"
"Yeah, I am." Karin nods. "Thanks."
Sasuke looks over Karin and Jugo before turning to walk away.
"Sasuke, wait." Kairn calls out to him as she steps closer. She still hesitates for a moment but approaches him. "Thanks. And… sorry."
Sasuke shakes his head. "No, I should be saying that. I never apologized for… everything."
"Not like I gave you a chance. Even Jugo didn't come to talk to you so he wouldn't upset me."
Jugo walks up to them, placing a hand on Karin's shoulder. "I thought it'd be for the best."
"You're a good man, Jugo." Sasuke says. "Better than I ever was."
"From now on, it's important who we can be, not who we were. I believe that's a lesson we all learned from the same person." Jugo smiles.
Sasuke chuckles lightly. "I suppose it is."
"How about… we all meet up some day? Actually have a conversation?" Karin offers.
"That'd be nice. But now it might be better you head home." Sasuke motions to the ANBU. "Your guards look on edge."
"Sorry about this." Jugo apologizes to Sai and his team.
"It's quite alright." Sai reassures them.
Jugo and Karin bid their farewells and go back to the Uzumaki district while the ANBU return to the shadows.
"You were slow." Sasuke jokes at Sai's expense.
"You're simply too fast." Sai jokes back. "I didn't actually think she'd be crazy enough to approach Karin Uzumaki. She knew was being closely monitored."
"Goes to show some people don't know better." Sasuke shrugs. "I'll leave you back to your work."
The two men part ways, as well. Sasuke thinks about going to the arena to watch but it's probably over by this point. The foreign villages are likely already preparing to go home.
With the Chunin Exams now officially over, it's also time for the new Shinobi Union to part ways and begin the process to facilitate a better future, where all shinobi work in unity.
One by one, each village's groups take their leave after saying their farewells to people from the Leaf they're on good terms with and with their village's representative.
Gaara and Kankuro hug their elder sister.
"Was good to see you again, Temari." Kankuro squeezes her.
"Yeah, alright, now let go." She laughs while patting him on the back.
"We will try to stay in touch more often." Gaara gives a light smile.
Kankuro looks back to Shikamaru. "And remember, she really likes Kenchin soup. Can't get enough of the stuff."
A flustered Temari smacks him over the head. "You keep your big mouth shut."
To the side, Ameno and Sakura say their farewells, too.
"I'm glad we got to work together. A shame it came to an end so soon." Ameno laments.
"We might be able to. Lady Tsunade wants us to send medics to all the Shinobi Union nations for training. I'll just get myself assigned to the Sand." Sakura gives a playful wink.
"I look forward to it." Ameno giggles.
-x-
Bee fistbumps Naruto. "We hear anything, we'll shout. We'll overcome this trouble like all others no doubt."
"I sure hope so. Even with the info we got, we still know damn nothing about what's going on."
"Ey, don't sweat it, my man. We got some of the best minds tickin' so we leave it to them. And when they do their thing, we do ours, you feel me?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
Samui walks up to them, patting Bee on the back. "As casual as always, Bee."
"Hey, you know me!" Bee laughs.
Samui nods to Naruto. "It was good to see you again."
"You, too! Looks like being a sensei's going good for you." Naruto grins. "Even though you were so awkward with Kotori."
Samui looks away. "Yes, well, Genin are a bit easier to deal with. I do admit I'll miss this when they all become Chunin."
"Then you could take on another team, right?"
"Maybe. We'll see. Who knows, next time my students will have to fight yours." Samui smiles.
"Hah, just don't count on winning then, too!" Naruto declares. "Kotori, Yokumaru, and Shoto are only gonna get stronger from now."
"I look forward to it."
-x-
Kashiwama firmly shakes Mutsu's hand. "Alright, I permit you to visit again."
Kotori flicks his ear. "Not your call to make." She then goes to hug Mutsu. "Does us being allies mean we can see each other often?"
"Maybe?" Mutsu wonders. "I'll ask mom. Maybe you can come see the Rain when it's less... "
"Combaty" Yokumaru jokes.
"Yeah, that." Mutsu laughs.
Shoto nods. "I'd be interested in seeing it."
"Then it's a deal!" Mutsu smiles widely.
Konan shakes Tsunade's hand. "Thank you for this chance."
"Well, I owe it to him, after all." Tsunade sighs.
"To Naruto?"
"No. Jiraiya." Tsunade clarifies. "He believed in me when few else would. Gambled that I could become the kind of person that could be Hokage. If I don't give others the chance he gave me, then I wouldn't be able to look him in the eyes when I join him. Especially since I know he'd welcome you with open arms."
"I see." Konan smiles. "He was certainly a different cut from others."
"He was." Tsunade laughs.
As the Rain shinobi begin to leave, Konan glances back to the Mist shinobi still getting everything in order. She smiles as her eyes meet Mei's and the two give each other a silent goodbye.
-x-
Sumaru throws his bag on his back. "We're all ready, Hoshikage."
Nakago shakes his head. "That's not my name, Sumaru, and you know that."
"The big villages can shove it." Sumaru waves dismissively.
Mizura laughs nervously. "I don't know if that's the attitude we should have now."
"Whatever my title is, what I do and what's most important do not change. 'Hoshikage' or not, I remain the same person. Don't get bogged down by formalities."
Sumaru looks to the very familiar head of blonde hair approaching them. "I won't let this stop me."
"I'm sure it won't." Naruto answers. "Listen, man, this is way above me and even Gra- the Hokage. But what we want to do doesn't change, does it?"
"No, I guess not." Sumaru looks back to Nakago who said as much before. "Whether it's Kage or village leader, I'll still get there before you, though. Then you'll have to bow down before me."
"That's not a thing." Nakago shakes his head, although his words fall on deaf ears.
"Careful. Next time you come here, my face'll be up on the mountain. You won't even need to bow 'cause I'll always be over you."
Sumaru laughs and offers a hand. "Sorry for how I was before."
Naruto firmly returns the handshake. "It's fine."
-x-
Just as the Hidden Mountain group is about to leave, they're actually met by an unexpected sight. An official group belonging to the Daimyo arrives, with 4 people carrying a palanquin. One Lady Mikoto, daughter of the former Daimyo of the Land of Rice Paddies, hops out and runs towards Kaidomaru, or as much as it can be called running when you're dressed in the overly large kimono she wears.
Kaidomaru furrows his brow. "Lady Mikoto? What brings you here?"
She runs into his arms. "I couldn't wait for you to return! So I thought to come meet you."
Kaidomaru smiles and takes her hand, kissing it. "Your kindness warms my heart."
Mikoto pouts. "Then maybe you should stop calling me 'Lady'."
"Your station is still above my own, I'm afraid. When we're among others, I must." He laughs.
Mikoto looks behind him to see the Hokage coming to greet her. "Lady Hokage. It's a pleasure to meet you again."
"You, as well, Lady Mikoto. We would have prepared to properly greet you had we known you were coming. We were only prepared for people to depart, not arrive."
"You needn't worry. I'm not here to stay. Besides, you saved the life of the one I love." She looks up lovingly to Kaidomaru. "As far as I'm concerned, you needn't do anything else for me."
Tsunade smiles. "I'm glad you're doing well after everything."
"We are." Kaidomaru nods. "Better than ever. I don't want to keep you, Hokage, you have others to tend to. We'll be on our way."
"Safe travels." Tsunade heads back to wrap things up as the Mountain shinobi head for home.
-x-
When all the villages' groups leave, Tsunade breathes a sigh of relief. "Finally some peace and quiet."
Naruto chuckles. "Y'know, if being Hokage's too much for ya…"
She flicks his forehead. "Forget it, kid. You don't have the attention span just yet. Besides, if you become Hokage now, you won't be able to be Kotori's sensei."
"Yeah, that's true. Guess it'll have to wait." Naruto nods.
"You know what doesn't need to wait, though?" She drapes an arm over Naruto's shoulder. "A nice drink. Your treat."
"Why is it my treat?" He complains. "Besides, should you be drinking right now?"
She eyes him over. "Have you been hanging around Shizune or something? Come on, you're a man now. A little alcohol in your system does wonders."
"Fine, but I'm not paying for yours. I know how much you drink."
Tsunade laughs. "Now you're learning!"
Shinobi Union meeting hall
For the leaders' meeting, a new table was set for the Kage and leaders to sit, as the previous one was smaller, just enough for the representatives of the five founding villages. Now, that larger table remains in place for the expanded Union.
Hinata Hyuga of the Hidden Leaf,
Temari of the Hidden Sand,
Ittan of the Hidden Stone,
Kiri of the Hidden Mist,
Karui of the Hidden Cloud.
The original five still have their seats and are still placed next to each other as they were before. The five new seats besides them are now occupied by the new representatives.
Ryusui of the Hidden Rain, an older man of light brown hair kept under his bandana and black goatee,
Kegon of the Hidden Waterfall, a man of brown curly hair,
Sasame Fuma of the Hidden Mountain, a young woman of long orange hair,
Tsurara of the Hidden Frost, an older woman of long flowing silver hair,
Mizura of the Hidden Star, a young man of dull purple hair.
Ryusui looks around with a sheepish grin. "Well, I didn't think I'd go from prisoner to hotshot. This is quite the honour." He laughs.
Kegon raises a brow. "Prisoner?"
"Ah, yeah, well, you see, when Master Jiraiya infiltrated the Hidden Rain a couple years ago to get intel on Lord Pain, he took me prisoner. It's actually quite the honour now that I think about it, haha!" Ryusui explains.
Hinata looks over everyone gathered. "Whatever our past circumstances, I'm glad we could come to where we currently are. I know this will take some getting used to but we're all here to assist each other and work together. So if there are any questions, please never hesitate to ask." She gives a bright smile. "Now, let's commence today's meeting."
Name Meanings
Tsurara (ツララ,Tsurara) = 'icicle'
Trivia
Kegon is one of Fuu's teammates in 'In Naruto's Footsteps: The Friends' Paths' (Naruto Shippuden episodes 394 to 413)