The remnant sun
Chapter seven: Changing tides
A/N: Sorry for the lapse in updates, hopefully this chapter lives up to the wait, Thank you for all the attention this fic has received. It means a lot.
X X
A gust of wind dragged the ground crushing the leaves of Autumn into a swirl of red and golden petals.
Kazue sighed, placing a blue gloved hand to the side of her cheek.
"Kazu-chan, it's been three weeks since we've been back, you need to get out of this slump, sensei and I are starting to worry."
Kazue looked at her brown haired teammate who was leaning against a tree folding her hands in her purple leather jacket.
"I'm trying, it's just…"
Akira nodded, lowering her gaze to the dirt.
"Tanji."
Kazue grasped the curled strands of crimson hair that framed her face lightly between her fingers, restlessly she began to twirl them.
"He still hasn't woken up yet.. What-what if-"
The Inuzuka girl raised a finger to her teammate's lips, silencing her.
"We can't afford to think that way, Tanji will be fine, I feel it in my heart, he's in there right now, fighting his way back to us."
Kazue nodded in half-agreement but concern was etched into her brow.
Akira pushed a palm on Kazue's lower back nudging her gently forward.
"Come on, we need to meet Sensei for training, he wants us to get back into fighting shape for when we resume active duty."
Sighing, Kazue let the dog girl lead her to the familiar scenery of Ground 2.
Standing with a hand resting on his hip was their sensei, looking up, his black shades twinkled with the afternoon light.
"Ah, Kazue, Akira, welcome back, please fall in."
The two girls obliged their sensei, gathering in front of him and looking expectantly for his direction.
He adjusted his shades with his fingers and gave them an awkward but authentic smile.
"It's been a bit since our last training session, I hope you've been training in your free time, as shinobi we have a duty to physical discipline even during rest leave."
Akira nodded enthusiastically.
"I get plenty of exercise helping Hana-sama at the kennels, you wouldn't believe the effort it takes to restrain a Ninken for a nail trim."
Kazue shrugged.
"I've been going for morning jogs around the compound, sometimes my brother asks me to tutor him on Shurikenjutsu."
Aoba seemed satisfied with their response, removing his glasses to clean them with his shirt sleeve.
"Glad to hear it, it would've been embarrassing if you two were rusty and didn't give a good showing today."
Kazue's eyebrow raised.
"What do you mean sensei, is there a test today?"
Aoba nodded.
"In a manner of speaking, I've asked my fellow Jonin for a joint training session, I wanted to see how you stacked up to your peers."
Footsteps could be heard crunching on the fallen leaves.
"Ah Aoba, is it too soon to drop by?"
A large bald, bearded man in a standard Jonin uniform scratched his chin in embarrassment.
"No, it's alright Kuga, I was just telling my students about today's exhibition."
The man noticed the two students and gave them a bow.
Kazue noted as the man leaned over to bow that he was taller than anyone she had seen in the Leaf village prior.
The full-bearded man seemed to notice her gaze and gave her a friendly look with his amber eyes.
"You're Kazue right, Minato-sama's daughter, it's an honor to make your acquaintance, Kuga Sarutobi,"
The man extended one of his proportionally large hands to her and she shook it earning a cordial nod from the man.
"-My Uncle and your Grandfather were close, I believe that clans owe it to maintain old friendships, if you ever need help with your training feel free to ask."
Kazue smiled up at the man, he gave off a relaxed genial energy that reminded her of the Sandaime.
"Thank you Kuga-sensei, it's nice to meet you as well."
Two girls and one boy arrived shortly behind the man.
He swiveled his head, changing his aura to that of a strict mentor.
"What was the delay, you should have no problem following behind me at this point, do you want to be Genin forever?"
His students, a blonde girl, a brunette girl, and a masked boy all bowed stiffly at the ice in his words.
"S-sorry-sensei we need to do better."
The man sighed reaching into his flak jacket and pulled out a can of snuff, dropping the tobacco in his jaw.
"Don't just state the obvious, fall in."
The students did so quickly and uniformly joined the circle.
Akira instantly got an annoyed glint in her eye as she recognized one of the other students.
"Mi-yarou you passed the final test, did you learn to drop the makeup brush and pick up a kunai finally?"
The blonde girl whose hair was wavy and laced with white ribbons smirked.
"Akira, I should say the same for you, how did a lout like you not get sent back to the academy, surely they have no need for a 'girl' who rolls around in the mud like an animal."
The Inuzuka snarled at her, raising a fist in a show of intent.
Kazue placed a hand across her chest holding her back.
"Come on Akira, we're ninja now you shouldn't stoop to old rivals."
The brunette girl nodded in agreement clutching the red bow-tied headband that was used as the band in her long Miko-style hair.
"Miyori-chan you shouldn't be so cold to her, j-just because she's a little.. Different."
The blonde girl scoffed haughtily.
"Who's side are you on anyway Atsuko, aren't you supposed to be my best friend?"
The brunette girl looked crestfallen, as she nodded submissively.
The masked boy for his part was impartial, he seemed bored tugging at the edge of his black ninja mask, his silver hair was in a windswept style.
Their sensei snapped his forefingers on the palm of his opposite hand and it made a loud clapping sound that caused them all to stiffen.
"Shut up, you're ninja, not children; if you can't show some professionalism I'll remove you from the program."
Kazue was impressed by the way the man had them trained, though it made her feel a twang of sympathy for the Genin.
A throat-clearing was heard followed by three sets of footsteps on leaves.
A brown haired man with a jagged scar across his face nodded to the other sensei.
"Squad 1 reporting for duty."
Aoba shook his head at the man.
"Raido-kun it's just joint training, no need to be so formal."
The man slightly blushed, nodding.
"You're right of course, my apologies."
His students joined the circle, and Kazue smiled at them.
"Fuwa-chan, Tomoko-chan, Juro-kun."
The Uchiha girl hnn'd in a way reminiscent of her distant younger cousin, The Hyuga girl bowed with a slight smile, the Aburame was emotionless just lifting his hand in a robotic wave.
Raido looked up at Aoba, and the sensei stepped away from their teams to converse in a hushed tone.
"I was surprised you wanted to arrange this with one of your students out of commission."
Aoba scratched his ear.
"Well I was planning to reschedule but Gai broke his leg in a 'Battle-Karaoke tournament' whatever that entails, I figured with his team unable to compete my team might have a chance."
Kuga raised his eyebrow at the man's statement.
"Are you sure your team can handle it, even if it's only two teams, a free for all is no simple task."
Aoba nodded.
"I have faith in my students, don't underestimate their potential."
Raido chuckled.
"Well, if it's Minato and Kushina's child I have no doubt she'll impress, but... My students have certain advantages that your team won't anticipate."
Aoba's eyes widened under his shades.
"You can't mean?"
The scarred-jonin nodded.
"Just watch."
Aoba straightened his posture dramatically clearing his throat and turning his attention back to the Genin.
"Today we'll be performing a joint training exam to test the current level of you Genin."
The Jonin adjusted his shades dramatically, attempting to look cool though it just made him look dorky.
"You'll be fighting in a full contact free-for-all team battle, the rules are simple, no attacking members of your team,"
The jonin reached behind his back drawing his tanto.
"-you are allowed to work with one of the other teams if you choose, the victor will be decided when only members of a single team remain."
Raising it above his head he formed the one handed sign of initiation.
"Hajime!"
Slicing down ceremonially with his blade, he, along with the other sensei disappeared amid leaves, leaving their Genin behind in the field.
Kazue and Akira shared a look, turning to face the other teams who all seemed to be deciding how to begin.
In a moment of chilling unity they nodded to each other and both teams faced the duo.
Fuwa smirked her raven hair flapping in the slight breeze.
The blonde girl Miyori seemed to share Fuwa's sentiment, rushing with her team to flank the girls.
"Strike for the weak point!"/ "We can fight after!"
Kazue paled as she realized they were surrounded, raising her left palm outward she held a closed fist with her right arm tensed near her body at her hip.
The starting stance of the Uzuken fighting kata which let her body coil in preparation with the ability to step into multiple attacks utilizing natural momentum.
Akira bit her thumb, drawing blood, and she along with her ninken Shokumaru disappeared in a layer of smoke.
Kazue used the brief moment of distraction to launch the first attack.
Stepping forward with rapid steps, quick, and light to the ground Kazue closed in on Tomoko who was directly in front of her.
'She's the biggest threat at close range, I don't know if I can handle a Hyuga in a taijutsu battle.'
Striking the girl with a rotating fist and using the elaborate motion of her palm and fist swapping positions, Kazue was able to catch the Hyuga girl off guard with a close hook to the jaw.
The Hyuga cried out in shock as a small line of her blood fell from her lip, she was sent back and tripped in the leaves.
Kazue didn't waste a moment snapping her attention to Juro and kicking at him with a side kick aimed for his gut.
As expected he hopped away but the purpose of the weaker side kick was as a tool to control the opponent's position.
Flipping into the air she lowered the heel of her foot in an axe kick that caught the Aburame boy in the side of his head.
It connected with a fleshy smack and the thud of cleated rubber meeting cartilage.
'He's the weakest at Taijutsu, so a direct attack early on was the best way to sideline him.'
Kazue's sixth sense was alerting her to the approaching threat, she spun to meet it, narrowly intercepting a flying strike aimed for her face.
Fuwa's onyx eyes opened in shock.
"You countered it."
Kazue didn't respond, her cerulean eyes steeled with focus.
Despite her close attention she was in no position to counter as a blunt object struck her in the gut, knocking wind from her body, and spit from her mouth.
Falling to the ground she felt the hard dirt slam into her side, her head dizzy from the impact.
She was faintly able to make out the tonfa and chain which made a ringing noise as Miyori pulled it back to her.
Before she could fully register the attack she felt a weight on her chest and saw Atsuko sitting on her chest with a kunai held shakily to her neck.
"C-concede Kazu-chan, I don't want to hurt you."
Kazue felt a sense of slight guilt but laced her arm through the girl's guard, gripping her wrist tightly and bending it at an angle so that the brunette yelped in pain and dropped her blade.
Grabbing her by the kimono she pulled her forward and caught her in the forehead with an elbow which knocked her unconscious.
Setting the smaller girl down at her side, Kazue rolled away just in time to avoid a tonfa which slammed into the ground where she had previously been.
Standing she planted her foot on the chain near the handle of the tonfa and grabbed the chain in front of her tugging it with all the strength she could.
The motion succeeded as her superior strength was able to pull Miyori to her before she could remove the chain which was around her arm.
Kazue raised her arm and readied a forearm to knock the girl over.
Before she could swing out she felt a sharp pain in her side as Fuwa caught her under the arm with a raised knee.
Kazue turned to face the Uchiha girl and switched into a defensive stance circling her guard around her to parry the girl's repeated jabs and kicks.
Despite her limited knowledge from their time in the academy, Kazue was unable to counter the Uchiha interceptor style which was too quick and varied to fully deflect.
As such, she caught numerous jabs in the ribs and chest which hit like blunt daggers.
Coughing Kazue watched as Fuwa readied a crescent kick raising her toned leg in the air to knock the girl out.
At the last second a yell was heard drawing the eye of the Uchiha.
"Spreadshot Tunneling fang!"
A spiral of wind and fury slammed into the ground tunneling beneath the earth in an instant.
The impact forced both combatants to hop away.
Fuwa who was in the air was unable to react as numerous holes were tunneled from the ground with smoke and sparks billowing from each of them.
It wasn't until the last second that she saw Akira fly out of one of them with an elbow that caught her in the gut.
Fuwa groaned in pain falling to the ground rolling in pain and holding her stomach.
Akira gave Kazue a wink with her feral looking eyes.
"Sorry to leave you in the mix like that, I needed to handle Fuwa-chan and this was my only idea."
Kazue nodded out of breath.
"That was… really something."
Akira chuckled.
"I've been working on my fighting style, ever since that mission I've realized that the clan techniques alone wouldn't cut it, I had to expand upon it in my own way."
She pointed to Shokumaru, and Kazue noticed that the ninken had black gladiator sandals on his paws with curved blades that covered his claws;
And a dark green armored dog vest with a saddle harness, equipped with saddle bags containing ninja tools.
A pair of burnt orange goggles rested on his neck, designed to protect the ninken's eyes from flying debris.
"I had to take out a small loan from the main family to afford it, but I was able to give Shokumaru some handy new gear, now he can dig through the hardest stone with ease."
Akira returned her attention to Miyori who was watching them from a distance with her tonfa raised.
"I'll handle the blonde, watch my back, that silver haired Iteba guy is hiding out somewhere nearby."
Kazue nodded scanning the area with her eyes, she couldn't find the masked boy nearby.
Raising her hands in a stance she kept her senses aimed on Akira, while keeping part of her focused on any attacks targeting her.
Akira ran forward, engaging her blonde rival;
Shokumaru, bound along behind her barking and trailing sparks with his claws.
Though Akira had the superior taijutsu ability due to her more muscular physique and intensity;
Miyori was able to keep her at a distance with the threat of the bone-breaking tonfa on either of her forearms.
The blonde was also slightly quicker, and able to evade attacks using her lithe frame.
Kazue had prepared to flank the girl but felt a hand brush the underside of her arm.
'S-shit I dropped my guard!'
Snapping her head she saw the Silver-haired masked boy smirking at her with his green eyes.
"You've shown impressive skill, but this is the end."
Kazue attempted to swipe at him with her arm but he caught it in his hand and gripped her in a standing armbar.
She clenched her teeth as she felt the sharp burning pain of her arm muscles being forcefully extended away from her body.
The boy was able to drop her to her knees with a precise toe-kick to the back of her leg.
'M-my muscles, so heavy, what is this sensation.'
The boy gripped her other arm underneath and pinned it behind her head.
"You put up a great fight, there is no shame in defeat at this point."
She heard his words distorted as everything spiralled around her.
"G-genjutsu…"
The boy chuckled.
"Ah, you noticed, I'm afraid it's too late to free yourself, both in this illusion and the real world I have disabled your arms, thus you cannot form the signs to escape."
Kazue gritted her teeth with annoyance.
'He's right, but I can't leave Akira alone, not after we've come this close to victory.'
Closing her eyes, Kazue focused on her breathing.
The boy's eye narrowed as he saw her posture suddenly slouch.
"Is that a concession then?"
Kazue's eyes snapped open, and with a growl of exertion she pushed forward with all of her might, ignoring the sharp pain and crunching sound as her arm snapped in the boy's grip.
Horrified he dropped his hands for a moment.
"Your arm, you broke it to escape?!"
Kazue smiled between the pain as she formed a hand sign.
"You shifted the landscape a moment ago, besides you mentioned a need to pin my arms in the real world, that means this is a mental genjutsu, my real body won't be affected."
With a command of release Kazue flooded her chakra out, the genjutsu lifted and she noticed the boy was in the midst of tying her arms with ninja wire.
One of her arms was half entangled but she was able to spin around and draw a kunai cutting herself loose and hopping away.
"That was close, but I won't fall for genjutsu a second time."
Iteba shook his head with a palm to the side of his face.
"I should have expected as much from the daughter of Kakashi's sensei."
The masked boy sighed languidly.
"I assure you, I'm competent in each ninja art, though you managed to dispel my genjutsu, I'll end this now, with taijutsu."
Kazue from the corner of her eye saw Akira still struggling with Miyori as the two had a heated exchange of blows.
She watched the boy's feet and arms for a hint to what style he might use.
He turned his feet, outward facing from each other, holding both his forearms low and close to either side of his body.
His posture slightly lowered.
'What is that stance?'
The silver haired boy watched her with a hawk-like intensity, not moving a muscle, even micro movements, like his breath were subtle to the point of invisibility;
The only sign he wasn't a statue was the slight flickering of his eyes which followed her motions.
It was clear he was waiting for her to move so he could counterattack, she decided the best way to combat him was to create distance.
She hopped back three times on her heels each time creating a few meters distance.
With space between her and the boy, she watched him carefully, preparing a counterattack if he decided to engage her.
A loud crash was heard and Akira let out a groan of pain.
"W-what?"
Kazue turned to check on her teammate, who had been knocked into the dirt by something.
In the split second she looked away she felt a presence shift.
Looking back she saw Iteba had reappeared directly in front of her in that split second.
'S-so fast!'
She couldn't react as three lightning quick blows landed in her stomach, a fourth caught her in the jaw ragdolling her;
And she felt the pain of the initial strikes hit all at once as her back landed.
"Augh...un."
Kazue groaned her eyes shut in pain.
"Apologies, but I hate to lose."
The boy dusted off his fists ritualistically.
"Goodbye, Uzumaki-san."
She heard him disappear with a light flapping of wind.
Turning her head and opening her eyes in a wince, she saw what had beaten Akira, not Miyori like she had initially guessed, as the blonde girl was lying unconscious on the ground.
Fuwa was standing in the Uchiha interceptor style, in her eyes was a crimson light, with black tomoe spinning around, three in her left eye, two in her right.
"S-sharingan…"
As Kazue watched lying pained on the ground she saw Fuwa and Iteba engage in taijutsu, it was an amazing display.
Iteba was incredibly fast, and his stance was mysterious, but Fuwa with her sharingan and Interceptor prowess was able to match him blow for blow.
It came down to the wire, but Iteba was the victor as he dropped to the ground and spun with a reverse sweep, his leg out behind him.
It was an unpredictable attack, and almost resembled a strange dance, the quick sweeping attack took the legs out from under the Uchiha girl.
The moment of Fuwa being knocked off balance was enough for him to catch her in both arms with jabs that disabled her pressure points, dropping her arms to her sides slack.
Then with a wheel fist he slammed his palm into her unguarded head, knocking her unconscious.
The boy sighed with relief.
"Uchiha prowess is not to be underestimated, but I cannot lose here, thank you for pushing the limits of my ability Uchiha-san."
The silver-haired boy gathered his unconscious teammates under either arm, grunting with mild effort as he carried them back to the center of the field.
Noticing Kazue was awake he stepped over, offering her a hand.
"The bout is over, so please, accept my assistance Uzumaki-san."
Kazue nodded respectfully, accepting the boy's hand and shakily standing.
"Iteba-san, your taijutsu is amazing."
His green eyes flickered with a tinge of satisfaction.
"My copy fist is an entirely new taijutsu, it's still a work in progress, but when it's finished no-one will be able to counter it."
It was clear from the way he beamed, that he was passionate about training.
'A genius of hard work, or a hardworking genius, either way, he reminds me a bit of how you were.. Tou-san.'
Kazue raised her hand to her chest smiling melancholically.
A groan drew her attention and she saw Akira nursing her head in a half seated position.
"Y-yowch, what a slug."
The genin stirred as their sensei returned to the area.
Atsuko helped her friend to a seated position.
Aoba was the first to walk over, and check the students for any debilitating injuries, when it was clear no serious damage had been done he let out a breath of relief.
"Well, Kuga, it seems your team was victorious."
The Sarutobi nodded, his eyes only revealing a hint of pride for his students.
"They did alright I suppose, still your students had the early advantage, if they had been allowed to use lethal force both our teams would have been dead."
The man scratched his beard musingly.
Raido nodded.
"It's clear our teams all still have room to grow, when the chunin exams come around, the stakes will be higher than just simple bragging rights."
Kazue's ears perked up.
"The chunin exam, but I thought rookie Genin weren't allowed."
Aoba shook his head.
"That's more a recommendation than a rule, it's up to the sensei to put their teams forward to be instated."
Akira beamed with excitement.
"Does this mean we'll get to participate!"
Aoba looked downcast behind his glasses.
"Well, I was planning to instate you but…"
Kazue's hand fell to her side.
"Tanji…"
Akira paled as the condition of her teammate returned to the front of her mind.
"Sensei… do you think, Tanji will recover?"
Aoba took his glasses off wiping them on his jacket.
"It's hard to say, the long term results of his injuries could be career ending, but I think the chances of him recovering in time for the exam, are next to zero."
The man frowned, returning his shades to his face.
"It's harsh, but we have to face the truth, Tanjiro's time as a shinobi may be over, I'm just glad he's alive."
Kazue nodded.
"I have to see him, please sensei, can we head to the hospital today."
The jonin nodded.
"Of course, let's finish training then we can visit together."
Aoba turned to the other teams who had been silently observing the exchange.
"Kuga, Raido, thank you for the assistance today, please if you need any assistance with training, Team 2 is available."
The jonin exchanged a swift bow, rounding up their respective teams they left to resume individual training at their own assigned fields.
When they had vanished from sight, Aoba returned his attention to the girls.
"Kazue, Akira, you work well together, but your communication could use some work; I want to start with a friendly spar, if you learn eachother's weaknesses, you'll be better at covering them."
Adjusting the collar of his flak jacket, the man stepped back guiding them to take a starting stance across from each other.
"Ready, bow.. stand, Hajime!"
The team finished their training as the first signs of sunfall hit the leaves, bathing the field in an orange glow.
Kazue wiped sweat from her brow, breathing with some labor her chest rising and falling.
"Very good team, we'll call it a day, let's go see Tanji, I'm sure he'll appreciate the company."
The genin let out a sigh of relief, glad to be finished with the training.
"Come on, visitation is open for a few more hours."
Aoba folded a hand into his pocket crossing the field to one of the quaint roads leading back into the village market district.
Akira followed closely behind him, while Kazue deep in thought trailed behind.
After a few minutes of walking through the village streets, they arrived at the entrance to the Hospital.
Kazue perked up stepping quickly to the door, she was almost knocked over as a nurse eagerly ran up to Jonin.
"Ah Aoba-san I'm so glad you're here, Kitamura-kun has woken up, he was asking for you."
Kazue's eyes widened.
"H-he's awake, really!"
The nurse nodded with a soft smile.
"We've been keeping a close eye on him to make sure his condition doesn't worsen again, but it seems he's regained his mental faculties fully at this time."
Kazue ran in ignoring the protests of her sensei and the receptionist at the front.
Pulling the door open she ran into the room where Tanjiro was being taken care of.
Stepping into the room she raised her cerulean gaze and locked eyes with the boy, she had been visiting him at every chance to talk to him in his coma.
Still it felt surreal to see him looking back at her, awake and moving again.
"T-tanji-kun…"
The boy smiled at her, losing a grimace he had been holding before her arrival.
"Ah, Zee-chan, hey."
He went to speak but she teared up nearly tackling him with a hug.
She lay her face in the boy's shoulder and he could feel warm tears soak his shirt.
"O-ow, careful Zee, I just got use of my arm back, I don't want to be in here any longer."
She felt his arm wrap around her back, he rigidly moved his head to plant a kiss on her brow.
"D-do you remember anything… after?"
Tanjiro nodded weakly, reaching up with his phantom limb, the bandaged forearm moved shakily.
"Yes, it's a blur, I wasn't fully conscious but I remember medical ninja operating on me; then there was this strange darkness, it unnerved me, but you were there, talking to me."
Kazue sat back on the edge of his bed, crossing her legs and holding his arm in both her hands afraid to let him out of her grasp.
"I knew you would hear me Tanji, I never believed you would give up so easily."
The boy's curly black hair fell in a way which obscured his features.
"I...thank you Kazue."
He looked down nervously.
"They say I have to stay here a few more weeks, in case the bone platelets in my spine slide, if they don't heal properly I could become a quadriplegic again."
Kazue held his hand firmly.
"They won't let that happen Tanji, don't give up... you'll be out of here before you know it."
He nodded looking up at her, his hair parted with the motion revealing his cool blue eyes.
With a staggered motion he leaned forward, she accepted his advance letting him place his lips on hers.
Before the two could take in the moment the door opened widely.
"Tanjiro, you're awake!"
Akira ran in with Shokumaru bounding behind her, the excited dog hopped up on the bed, knocking Kazue out of the way and began licking the boy's cheek.
Kazue's eye twitched with annoyance, but Tanjiro took it with a light heart and a smile.
"Hey Sho-ku, I've missed you too."
He pet the large dog's ruff laying his head against its side.
Akira blushed realizing what she had interrupted and scratched the side of her head bashfully.
A moment later the head nurse entered with Aoba.
"Here, these are his charts, we'll need to run a few more tests over the coming weeks to make sure he heals properly, but he's not in danger in his current state."
The sensei gratefully took the clipboard and began examining the papers.
His expression lowered but he attempted to hide it from the eyes of his students.
"I'll need to speak with his case doctor, can you leave a ticket with them please."
The nurse nodded.
"Of course, I'll leave you to visit with your student, but, visitation ends in thirty minutes, I ask that you respect the rules and let him recover."
Aoba nodded.
"Of course, thank you miss."
The nurse bowed and stepped out of the room to find the trauma doctor.
Aoba let out a labored sigh turning to his student.
"Tanji-kun, you look well."
The boy nodded.
"I'm just happy to be able to move again… still... "
Aoba looked at his legs and knew what he meant immediately.
"I understand, I'm sorry Tanjiro, as your sensei this is my fault, I should have protected you back there."
The man bowed stiffly, his lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed in an expression of immense guilt.
Tanjiro looked away grimly.
"Sensei… it's not your fault, I was weak… if I had just been able to move, this wouldn't have happened."
The boy's fist tightened, his bottom lip quivering as he stared at his motionless legs, beneath the white hospital sheets.
"The doctor told me… they might be able to fix my spine…"
Tanjiro's eyes rose to look at his team.
"They were able to fix my neck and right shoulder, but due to the angle of my spine they had to leave it, it's a dangerous operation, with only a 13% chance of survival."
He bit his lip in frustration.
"They said if Tsunade had been in the village she could have devised a case plan that increased the odds, but not even Sandaime-sama could convince her to come back and look at my case."
He gripped the railing of his bed tightly.
"I wanted them to go ahead with the operation, but my father forbade it, he said he won't risk my life; he doesn't understand… being a shinobi it's-it's all I've ever wanted."
Tanjiro's eyes began to glisten with tears of frustration, a few falling down his cheeks and landing on the white sheets near his feet.
"Why… why won't he understand sensei… I can't live like this… unable to move my legs, unable to fight for my friends, for my village, how-how will I ever be Hokage now..."
The boy's chest sank as he lowered his head, Aoba began to tear up as he could hear the boy stifling a sob.
"Tanji…"
The sensei couldn't bring himself to say anything just dropping his palm against the wall.
Akira and Kazue were both looking at him with sadness etched into their faces.
Seeing the ambitious boy so hopeless was heart crushing.
Kazue lay her hand on his arm softly, he looked up at her wiping the tears from his eye.
"Tanji-kun.. I won't leave you, I'll be here everyday, and when you get out, I'll be there too, please… don't lose hope."
Akira nodded.
"That goes for us too, don't think we'll think less of you."
She piled her hand on the boy's shoulder.
Shokumaru let out a loud but friendly bark.
Aoba collected himself and nodded.
"We'll figure this out Tanji... I have to talk with your doctor, but I'll see what I can do, in the meantime, keep your mind sharp, do what you can."
The boy nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"R-right thank you guys… sorry I let my emotions get the best of me, I realize it's against the shinobi code of conduct."
A gentle rap at the door drew the attention of the guests.
The head nurse stepped in.
"Aoba-san, if you'll come with me, the doctor is available, I'm going to have to ask the rest of you to leave, visiting hours are over."
The genin nodded apologetically.
Akira gave Tanjiro a peace sign smiling at him with her wolfish grin.
"Seeya man."
Kazue leaned in giving Tanjiro a kiss on the cheek.
"I'll visit tomorrow Tanji, please get lots of rest."
The boy nodded, blushing lightly.
"Bye Zee, Aki."
Aoba and the genin left the room, The jonin turned to his students.
"I'll see the two of you tomorrow at noon, we have training again, make sure to rest tonight."
They nodded respectfully to the man who left with the nurse to a room where an older man in a white coat was standing.
Akira turned to Kazue with an amiable smile.
"See ya Kazue, give your baby brother a hug for me."
Kazue smiled.
"You should come with me to see him sometime, he always enjoys visits from my friends."
Akira nodded.
"Definitely, I love that gaki, he's got guts, he reminds me of how I was at that age."
Kazue giggled.
"He'd be happy to hear you say that, he always talks about how cool Akira-nee is."
Akira blushed.
"R-really, aww man, I knew that kid was alright, fine I'll drop by and show him a few things sometime."
Kazue chuckled.
"See ya Akira."
Heading back to the Namikaze compound at the back of the Hokage mountains, Kazue let out a sigh of relief as she stepped through the door and kicked off her sandals.
"Naru, you here?!"
Kazue unzipped her green jacket hanging it by the door, while she waited for her brother to come running.
To her confusion he didn't.
"Huh.. he should be back from the academy by now."
Walking over to the counter she checked for a note.
"He didn't head out, which means he hasn't made it back yet."
Sighing, she dropped her headband on the counter, turning around to put her sandals back on.
She opened the door, and headed back out.
"I hope he didn't get detention again, Iruka-san has his hands full."
Their grandmother was still away on long term deployment, so since Kazue had come back she had been picking her brother up from the academy, though some days he had to do so alone.
Whenever he didn't make it back by dinner it meant he had either received detention, or was out pranking some poor citizen of the leaf.
Either way she would have to give him a tongue lashing so he wouldn't act so recklessly.
In a few short minutes, she had managed to arrive by way of rooftop travel to the red roofed exterior of the academy building.
Hopping down to the ground she landed gracefully and approached the door of the building.
Making her way past the empty classrooms to the faculty office at the back of the building, she knocked gently on the door.
A tired sounding but warm male voice answered.
"Enter."
Opening the door she saw Iruka clutching his temples while grading papers.
"Iruka-sensei is Naruto-kun here?"
The man looked up at her surprised.
"You mean he's not with you?"
Shaking her head she looked at him confused.
"Did he show up for class today?"
Iruka nodded.
"He did, but he disappeared during second period lunch time, I figured he'd just skipped, you know Naruto."
Kazue looked confused, a slight hint of worry creeping onto her features.
"When was the last time you saw him?"
Iruka set his pen down pondering with a thumb to his lip.
"He was sitting on the swing, he had just finished his lunch and seemed to be working up the courage to approach Hinata and some other students,"
The man set his pen down, locking eyes with the Uzumaki girl.
"- I had to help out another problem student, who had hurt himself goofing around, so I don't know where he went next, do you think he might've gotten himself in trouble?"
Kazue seemed unsure, but shook her head.
"If Naruto got himself in a mess it would be loud, no one would be able to miss it, still something doesn't sit right about this, please sensei, if he shows up here keep him here till I return."
Iruka nodded.
"Of course Kazue-kun."
Closing the office door behind her, Kazue climbed out of an askew window and hopped gracefully to the Academy exterior.
Surveying the area, she noticed a pair of faint footprints leading out to the nearby woods.
Following them, she noticed a few white threads, like a scarf had been torn.
A ways down the trail ended, but she continued in the same direction.
Eventually she came upon a pair of green goggles, and realized they were the same pair Naruto wore around his neck sometimes.
"Naruto, Naruto are you out here!"
She was beginning to worry when she heard a light groan in the distance.
Running over to it she saw a flash of blonde and orange.
"Naru-kun what happened!"
She knelt down next to her brother, who was nursing a black eye in one of his hands.
He was bruised and had clearly been kicked repeatedly on the ground based off the dirt and partial footprints on his jacket.
"Ugh-ow… t-temes."
Kazue felt maternal rage creep into her mouth which formed a manic smile of pure aggression.
"Who did this?"
Naruto sat up weakly with her help and held his knee.
"T-those jerks, they were bullying Hinata-chan; I couldn't just stand by and watch."
She checked his knee, and he winced when she tried to move it.
'His leg is broken…'
Kazue had to fight to contain her rage, putting on a gentle face to comfort her brother.
"Come on Naru, I'm going to carry you back to the academy, the Nurse should still be in."
The boy nodded, wrapping his arms around her neck as she lifted him gently into her arms.
Handing him his goggles, she carried him back out of the forest.
He was trying to put on a brave face, but every so often he would wince, or let out a pained yelp.
Each time she felt her blood pressure spike.
'Whoever did this, is going to lose some teeth.'
Eventually, the red-roofed academy building returned to her sight; opening the main entrance she stepped through.
Carefully holding Naruto she walked to the Nurses office setting him down on an operating counter.
"Wait here for a second Naru, I'll be right back okay?"
The boy nodded.
"Alright Neechan."
Kazue ruffled his wild blonde hair, planting a kiss on his forehead and closed the door behind her.
Speedwalking back to the faculty office she knocked more urgently.
"Ah Kazue, did you find Naruto?"
She nodded deliberately focusing on holding back her fury.
"Yes, He got beaten up in the nearby woods, his leg was broken, so I had to carry him back."
Iruka's eyes widened in horror.
"W-what, who did that?!"
Kazue shook her head.
"If I knew that I wouldn't be here right now."
He nodded understanding her implication.
"I'll get the nurse, please take a seat."
She nodded sitting down in one of the leatherbound chairs, her fingers wrapped it tightly as she squeezed the arms to vent some of her anger.
A few moments later Iruka returned with an older woman with brown bunned hair.
"Nurse Katsuragi, Naruto-kun has been injured, please can you take a look at him for us."
The woman smiled.
"Of course dear, come with me."
Iruka bowed to them.
"Give him my best wishes, I'll buy him ramen next time I see him."
Kazue smiled.
"Thank you Iruka-sensei, I hope you know you are very precious to him."
The man blushed.
"Aww shucks, well I guess I'll have to go easier on him about his grades"
Iruka scratched his head bashfully returning to the faculty office.
Kazue returned to the exam room with the nurse who closed the door behind them grabbing a pen and clipboard and she looked at Naruto.
"Tell me what hurts, be honest, be thorough, I don't want to miss anything."
The boy nodded.
"My leg hurts, and my stomach."
The nurse looked at Kazue.
"Can you help him with his shirt, I need to make sure he doesn't have any serious internal injury."
Kazue nodded.
"Naru-kun let's get your shirt off so Katsuragi-san can examine you."
Naruto blushed but obliged his sister, lifting his arms so she could remove his shirt.
He winced as she pulled it over his arms and the nurse jotted something down on her clipboard.
The woman walked over and checked the boy for bruising, softly prodding his skin with her thumb to test his reactions.
"It doesn't seem to be serious, however."
Pointing to his leg with her pencil she noted the way it was stiffly leaning to the right.
"His leg is broken, it needs to be reset."
Kazue paled as she realized what needed to be done.
"R-right, I'll try to distract him."
Kazue smiled down at her brother and he noticed her gaze, turning his cerulean eyes up to hers.
"W-what, why are you staring at me like that Kazu-nee?"
She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his head and pulled him into a hug.
Due to the height difference and her lack of a jacket, his face was buried in her cleavage, as she wore a low cut tan sport top from her earlier training.
Naruto blushed neon red and began to squirm lightly with embarrassment.
"H-hey, I can't breathe- KAZU-NEE *mggggfffh*"
The nurse almost lost her focus as she had to muffle a laugh at the scene, but she was able to place both arms on the boy's leg and with a precision push she popped the leg back into place.
The boy instantly flinched with pain, but was still distracted by the faceful of cleavage cushioning he was being pressed into.
Kazue looked back at the nurse holding the boy in a half headlock hug.
She raised her eyebrow inquisitively and the nurse nodded.
"He should be fine now, he just needs to rest until the leg has healed, it could be a couple weeks, but Naruto-kun has a reputation for recovering quickly, I'd guess six days tops."
Kazue nodded gratefully, only remembering to release her brother from the push-up prison when he began to tap out on the table.
Blushing Kazue released her grip on the boy, who scooted back blushing neon, with a look of absolute mortification in his eyes.
"W-what the heck Onee-chan I'm not your play-thing, *hmph* you can't just smother me like that."
Kazue chuckled.
"Of course Naru-chan, I'm sorry, let's go home, I'll make you some apology ramen."
The R word took all the wind out of his sails as he began drooling.
"M-miso ramen…"
The nurse rolled her eyes with a smirk.
"Have a nice weekend Naruto-chan."
The boy nodded faintly but was clearly daydreaming about ramen.
Katsuragi bowed to the girl, excusing herself from the room.
"Come on Naru-kun, get on my back, you need to stay off your feet for a few days."
Kazue helped the boy onto her back; though he grumbled about it, he had a faint blush that gave away the fact he did in fact enjoy the attention from his big sister.
"Okay Onee."
He wrapped his arms around her neck as she held his legs under her arms as leverage to hold him up on her back.
She stepped out of the academy building and began the trek back to the Namikaze compound.
Turning to look back at the boy on her back she saw he was smiling down at her.
He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers.
"I love you Onee."
She smiled up at him, nose kissing him playfully.
"I love you too Naru-kun always, and forever."
X END X