Harbinger

by tigerowl

Naruto's friendship with his teammates Gaara and Haku is put to the test as they prepare to deal with the threat of the Akatsuki. The secrets Jiraiya has kept come to a head, and Naruto must shoulder the responsibility of protecting much more than the Leaf Village. Continuation of Forlorn. AU NaruHina, GaaSaku, NejiTen, ObiRin, OCs *Taoism, Self-Indulgent World Building, longfic

55. Keiseki House

Note: Thank you for your reviews and for tuning in again, peeps.

Chapter 55- Keiseki House

Chapter Soundtrack: "Bakara" by Polo & Pan

& "Kokubo Sosho Battle" by Amon Tobin

"Tie it this way, like this—"

"The inner tie has to be done first, Naruto." Haku set about knotting strings to close the unusual top he had put on. Naruto twiddled with the jeogori, quite stumped about how it was meant to be fastened. No instructions were included in the satin bag Haku had retrieved it from.

It was the morning of Haku's departure, post-breakfast, and prior to attending the auction he had been told (by Zabuza) to establish a convincing disguise first. He neglected to tell his friends that the opulent hanbok that had been loaned to him had come from Koseki Inagawa, one of the most notorious gangsters in the Land of Water. As it happened, no one had asked. When Kankuro peeked in on their progress, he just marveled at the garments and imagined what it was like to walk around looking like a real aristocrat.

As it was described to Haku, his sale at the auction would go much better if he blended in with the affluent crowd. So there he and Naruto were upstairs in Gaara's home, trying to discern how the outfit was meant to look. Hell. None of them could even put on kimono correctly without assistance, never mind jeogori or baji from another country.

"It's really bright." Naruto noted as they finally started to figure it out, patting and tugging the attire into place.

"Bright colors are worn by the upper class." Haku recited a tidbit of what he'd learned at Inagawa's hideout.

"So you've got to pretend to be rich?" Naruto gathered.

"I suppose so."

"What if they figure out you're a ne'er-do-well, former farm-kid?"

"Perhaps I might give subliminal peasant signals, but how could anyone guess an agricultural background? That was long ago!"

"Rich people can smell that stuff!" Naruto insisted superstitiously, "They can look at you and know you've never been spoiled, and that you've worked at least one hard day of labor in your life."

"Oh please, Naruto. No one is going to realize." Haku batted his friend's hands out of the way to tie a final belt.

Naruto stood back and titled his head. The outer collar of the jeogori was an eye-catching turquoise that contrasted ocean blue and black of the top. Other features were subtle; flowing jacquard sleeves of white silk, embroidery sewed at the shoulders of the vest depicting snowing clouds above deer, pheasants, and rabbits. Once dressed, Haku pulled on boots and asked Naruto, "What else does the list say?"

He glanced over the checklist of how to prepare, "Talk to an appraiser…"

"No, no, before that. Appearance-wise."

"Oh! Put your hair up. Like, way up on top of your head in a top knot, with some of it loose. See? There's a sketch here." Naruto fished around the clothing bag, "Here's the fastener."

"It says that?" Haku's hand wavered over his long, customary ponytail.

"Yeah, it must be some bougie style thing."

Sighing, Haku shook his hair free and pulled it smooth again, preparing to tie it as recommended.

"It also says put on a horse-hair hat." Naruto kept reading, "What the hell is that? Did one come in the bag?"

"Just this, I'm afraid."

"Oh, here's a headband." Shaking the bag to determine it was finally empty, Naruto gave the last piece of blue silk to Haku, "You're supposed to wear it like the picture." He held up the paper again and watched as Haku replicated the style as best he could.

Haku had transmogrified into a handsome, patrician-class man from a fairytale land. He then stuffed the clothing pouch into his travel bag, felt around for the precious gems and baubles he was meant to sell, and fetched a few additional knives and senbon quivers to hide in his outfit for protection. The Master Scroll was clipped to a holster on his leg, trousers hidden beneath long robes, and his tessen was hidden in his left sleeve.

"Okay, so my biggest question is…" Naruto began as they exited the guest room, marching down the hall to head downstairs, "Why not just wear hakama like every other guy does at fancy outings? That's standard around here!"

"Exactly. I don't want to seem as though I am from a shinobi nation. A hanbok is foreign enough to at least outwardly diffuse suspicion, and from what I understand…this will be a very international, multi-cultural event."

"Meaning—?"

"People from all around the world will be there. Not just the great nations, or the Kingdoms of Han and Joseon, but the other far continents as well."

Naruto squinted an eye, wary, "What do foreigners want that's in the Land of Mountains?"

Haku replied with a full-body shrug as he had asked himself that question at least 20 times already. What indeed? Why would any person from the other side of the world come to an auction such as this, if Haku were merely dropping in to sell stolen riches and jewels? That couldn't be what they were after. He had a gut feeling about it.

Downstairs, Jiraiya got one look at Haku and assessed, "That is one whacky getup. What's with the colors?"

"Rich people love colors." Naruto declared. He and Haku blew raspberries at the thought while Jiraiya shook his head.

"Just seems a bit weird since it's not a common fashion in our area, or practical for, you know, stealthy ninja missions."

"It's more practical than you may think." Haku stopped in a slant of sunlight that shone through the sitting room window, "Do I look like a ninja?"

"Well…no." Jiraiya conceded, "Not to burst your bubble or anything, but Keiseki House is going to have a lot of people that aren't ninja who are still quite dangerous. So just as you are masquerading around…beware other revelers who might want to get the jump on you or anyone else."

"I will attend with the utmost vigilance." Haku confirmed, "Where did Gaara go?"

"Pretty sure he evicted your rabbit after she started going after the sofa cushions too. Notice the stuffing everywhere." With a hand, Jiraiya gestured pretty much all around the room.

"Ah." Haku followed after Naruto through the egress of the house, and sure enough Gaara was outside, having gently corralled the pregnant, nest-obsessed rabbit in a ring of sand.

The Kazekage moodily glanced over his shoulder, "Why did it take you so long to get changed?"

"I apologize for the mess she made." Haku contritely plucked up his rabbit, "I can replace—"

Gaara held up a hand to interrupt him, "It's fine. Just get her away from here. Until the destructive urges pass."

Naruto was chuckling, "Won't be too much longer now, I'm guessing. Are you taking Pua with you?"

"I am. I'll probably need her on this mission…and I expect she can handle it." Haku said with dubious certainty as he looked Pua in her whiskered face, as if to ask: Can you? Jiraiya snickered disbelievingly from behind him.

"You really can't stay any longer?" Naruto tried to weasel out additional quality time with Haku.

"Not without risking my entry to this auction, and Zabuza would be hideously uncooperative and belligerent if I did." Haku forecasted.

"How is that different from any other day?" Gaara asked. Without looking, he raised his hand to accept a silent high-five from Jiraiya.

The sigh that came from Haku could have propelled a sailboat. The gaggle proceeded towards the village gate together, chattering about was on their agendas for the next time they met.

Jiraiya tossed in a cryptic footnote for Haku, "Oh, did I mention—? You ought to be on the lookout at this thing, uh…I know I said Keiseki House is chock full of unsavory types, but you might run into a friend there." Jiraiya smiled, "A friend of mine."

Gaara and Naruto exchanged wary looks while Haku canted his head, hoping to extract more information, "Which friend?"

"You'll know this friend when you meet 'em. If you make it look like you're deliberately in search of someone, then that might be counterproductive… Let him come to you. I gave him the head's up." Jiraiya explained, "I never had any intention of letting you traipse into a lion's den solo just because Zabuza demanded it like a whiny bitch. If anything goes haywire, you'll have some extension of help."

"I appreciate that, Sensei." Haku gave his master a small bow when they stopped at the entrance of the village gate. From a sentinel post above on the gate, Temari drifted down after sighting them.

"O-kay." Naruto loudly expelled a burst of anxiety, stepping forward to pull Haku into a hug, "Don't do any dumb stuff that requires rescuing. You hear me? Also…come back soon…" His smile tilted between joy and heartbreak.

"Please try not to worry, Naruto. I've gotten good at infiltrating dangerous places." Haku assured him with a squeeze, and he moved to Gaara who was dawdling on the periphery, "I know you're not quite so worried, Gaara."

"You do?" With his famously flat expression, Gaara insisted, "This is my worried face."

"So very fretful." Haku appreciated the Kazekage's subtle humor, and gave Gaara a warm scrunch about the shoulders as well. "Both of you be well, and stay far away from our enemies. Sensei," He said pointedly to Jiraiya, "Be on your guard."

"From now on, I am in a semi-permanent state of on-guardedness. More vigilant than even my last decade of paranoia and freelance investigations." Jiraiya gestured moodily, "I oughta have a funeral for my leisure time and carefree days, since those are dead and gone… But I guess you punks are worth it." When he grinned, Haku smiled back at him.

Haku turned to pass through the behemoth walls of the gate where Temari was waiting. He could hear Naruto's mutters as he moved on: "I'm not choked up— I'm not!"

Temari fell into an easy step beside Haku, "I'll escort you close to the country border, but no further."

"You don't have to—"

"Sure I don't, but for my own peace of mind I will. Every time we part it's been so abrupt… there's no harm in dragging this one out."

"Ah, well I can't disagree with that." Rather genial despite the occasion, Haku found himself smiling more. He noted Pua hopping in the gap between him and Temari, paws touching down gingerly over hot desert sand.

In companionable silence, they moved westward, further inland over gentle slopes that were being rearranged by intermittent, yawning winds. Haku would take a northwestern route to his destination, out of desert and into rocky, pine-swathed mountains.

His eyes darted to Temari beside him, whose churning energy was barely concealed beneath her otherwise impassive affect. He suspected that he could prompt her to share some of her cares.

"Temari…"

"Mm."

"You can tell me what you're thinking."

"I don't know if I should." Her eyes were trained forward when she spoke, "It's the first time I've thought about…things like this. I'd come off as a killjoy."

"You won't." Haku vowed, "I live with one of those, and he is absolutely superlative in his worst qualities. Whatever you have to say can't be as bad as what Zabuza routinely spews."

"Ha! Well…" She folded her arms and smiled, "I thought…what I want…might not be good for you. Might not work for you…"

"And what is it that you want?"

"For you to— eventually…stay. With me, here. But that's—"

"I intend to." Haku offered the plain truth.

"But," Temari repeated, "That's not necessarily going to make your life as a shinobi easy."

"Why would I care if my life is easy?"

"If you lived here, how would you use Water Ninjutsu?"

"I wouldn't." He found the simple answer digestible. She did not.

"What a waste! You can't be serious." Temari gestured at him like he had copped out, "That's a part of who you are! And you'd just squander it here in the desert…at most you'd do fun tricks in a sink or tub if you stuck around."

"That's fine. I would still be content to live with you and Gaara."

Temari was not taking kindly to his line of thinking, "Maybe you should stay in Leaf. So you don't have to sacrifice—"

"It doesn't make any material difference to me what kind of jutsu I am using. Not to sound conceited, but when I take the time to, I can develop new jutsu. I have before." Haku wanted to laugh at her angry face, "Why do you think that trade-off is so terrible?"

"When Gaara lived in Leaf, he couldn't use the full scope of his powers."

"He was still perfectly happy. And capable." Haku could testify.

"But when he came here, it was different. Everything was at his disposal, and he could be a Kage. Considering that he was literally in his element."

"Temari, forgive me, but this is a trivial concern."

"Think of what you could be, elsewhere." She suggested, hands pointing out the dry barrens all around them.

"I don't want to." Haku turned his chin up, "I have no anxiety about what it costs to have a life with you. Were you worried about that?"

Temari gave no response, stewing in silence.

He let the quiet persist. It wasn't as if he couldn't understand where she was coming from: that it could be considered unnatural to immigrate to a place where one of his elemental natures was scarce. Not that he would let that become a disadvantage; Haku had since learned to depend on other skills. But, he supposed, maybe Temari had thought further ahead. If she had entertained the idea of children— and a father to them he might someday be, how could they be taught if they dwelled in the desert, if the Hyōton were passed down to them?

It felt ridiculous to think of such a thing. That likely was not what she wanted, or was even remotely what Temari was trying to infer by this conversation. Haku glanced down to his rabbit loping beside him as they hiked, 'You've made me think of such strange things now, Pua. I never thought you'd put me in such a predicament!'

Haku fished for other possible concerns Temari had, "If that were the only thing I would have to renounce while in Suna…it would be a pittance to pay. To be with you." He could tell she was watching him from the corner of her eye, "To have to travel, conduct secret missions, and be away from you…well. That's much more difficult, and that's the price I'm paying now."

She turned her face away as her cheeks pinkened, "Nice of you to say that…"

"It's true."

"Though you might just…hate living in Suna. It's not relaxing. Have you ever had to rush home before a sandstorm rolls in, and Gaara's not around to stop it? Gotten stuck in one?" Temari aired some of her complaints, "How about when there's a food or resource shortage? And water rations are required, meaning that even if you stink after a mission, and the council declares an emergency cap on daily limits— sometimes you can't bathe. Plus, every other place you'd like to be is a two day's journey at minimum, even the Tide Village."

"Ah." He was nodding, "Where is the part where you tell me something that changes my mind?"

Temari balked at him.

"Every village has its pros and—"

"My dad would've disliked you." Temari imagined, "Not that it matters what a dead man thinks. But I swear he haunts the house, and if you lived with us he might—"

Haku gave his head a shake and listened as Temari circumlocuted her actual fears. He tried to reason with her, "Your-? Haunting? Temari, that's nonsense, and if it happens to be true, what on earth would stop us from living in a place of our own?"

"I'm just—"

"Why not tell me what actually makes you think…" Haku leveled his gaze with hers, "It wouldn't work?"

Again, Temari was not very prompt with a response as she wrestled with whatever was rankling at her. They scaled a tall outcrop of basalt and stopped at the peak. Temari waffled for a time before looking at him again, "I…just haven't started to believe that you actually want to."

He smiled softly, "Feel free to start."

"If it were that easy-! I…still…don't know for certain that you'll be back. That you won't end up in a ditch, bash your head and forget all of this, get captured or blackmailed— that you might find someone you like better." Temari confessed the cynical ideas that had been dogging her, "Because of what you're doing, I've got to be a little skeptical of everything. You burned me once and I can't forget that. I wouldn't do that to you…I don't think I could."

Haku's face fell as the words sunk in.

"I've never needed to fall back on anyone thanks to my dad's stubbornness— that quality rubbed off on me. I always looked out for Kankuro and my team, and now Gaara…I've led squads and I answer to councils. If things get fucked up, I have to deal with it on my own." She blinked her eyes hard, refusing to cry, "If I could choose who I want to catch me when I finally go down, I want it to be you. So say that's what I choose. Am I as good as caught? Is this where I put my trust even when it is one of the hardest things for me, to do that?"

Between their feet, Pua had slumped sideways and begun eating some mystery desert grass. Temari held Haku's stare and watched him process the mental sledgehammer she had deployed. She drew the line in the sand here. If he bungled it, or expressed any doubts of his own, Temari expected that she may never see him again, or something close to it. After having laid all of her cards on the table like this, she had promised herself she would only do it once.

Haku's fingertips slid beneath her hands, enfolding them in his own as he spoke, "You are all I need."

'Ah shit, he didn't bungle it.' She puffed her cheeks slightly, now so sentimental that she was almost sick of herself. It had been a gradual transformation, converting her into sappy dreamer with a tough-looking exterior. Wow, Temari thought. She actually ate this romantic hooey up.

"I've had plenty of time to learn what I don't need." Haku clarified, thinking back to when he had rashly parted from Gaara's group when they had originally set out for Suna years back, "Though if I'd listened to you from the start, it would have saved us much time."

"Thank you for finally admitting that." She wore a satisfied smirk.

"Oh, not at all. I should be thanking you for humoring such a stupid person."

"Heh! You wouldn't be the first one I've put up with." Her mood improved.

He bent to kiss her and Temari angled herself into him, thrilled to put her hands on him, and that he was dressed like some faraway land's prince. Hake palmed the side of her face and relished the feeling for as long as he could. She could have confidence in him. He could hand-deliver every single reason she needed to be sure that he would return, and hold her, kiss her just like this. She could fall and never know the ground, because he would be there.

"I will…" Haku promised her, "Be back as soon as I can. Or rather, it would be quicker and more efficient to meet you in the middle."

"The Tide Village is perfectly suited for a casual date night."

"Didn't you say you have a vacation property there?" Haku recalled.

Temari nodded, "I already put a slip with the address in your travel bag. Of course, I would've told you to burn it if you'd messed this up."

"I am not," He kissed her, then continued, "Messing anything up."

"Mnn." She believed it and tilted her head up for another kiss.

The greatest misfortune of the moment was that the day would not wait, and Haku had to move on and reach the cover of foothills beyond the Land of Wind by nightfall. He set out after fond parting words and lingering touches. Temari took flight on her fan, following Haku for a distance as her shadow trickled on the ground beside his own. Near the border, she turned 'round as she had said she would.

And Haku's heart felt so light and free through dark footpaths and valleys, climbing up and up. His rabbit was a sheen of white on the first mountain's spine, and his own spirit a glowing blue.

---

It was a full day's journey before the towering peaks and faces of the Land of Mountains crowded the skyline.

Autumn cold had set in fully here, frosting the ground and dimming the sky above tall, murky conifers. Streams rolling down divots in rock were ruthlessly chilled to the touch. Haku camped beside a rushing brook overnight, huddled up with his rabbit, and was woken by a sunrise that pierced the dreary landscape, assailing his eyelids. He refilled a canteen, checked his inventory of valuables for sale, secured weapon holsters, and then reviewed his instructions.

'It is key that I do not give vital information about myself in a place like this. And Zabuza said it would be inevitable that people will ask.' He recalled as he hiked on, 'Those attending this auction are incredibly well-connected with contacts and information channels. However unlikely it is that someone recognizes something about me…I have to ensure that no one knows what village I am affiliated with.' The premise seemed easy enough. He looked so totally other at the moment, and could act as ambiguously as he wished. The trick was, hopefully, not encountering anyone he knew at this event.

Jiraiya had advised, 'If you see or sense Orochimaru there, leave. I don't care if you walk out with the money or not. Don't use your Cursed Seal, obviously. Actually…don't use any Seals if you can help it.' And also, 'Try to stay away from the really foreign people. Some of them have more mercenary ambitions than most shinobi, and what's worse, you'll probably have no idea what they are until it's too late.'

He was no xenophobe, but Haku could not help but be rattled by such an assertion about the exotic folk he might encounter. What could they possibly want? Wasn't he going to this place to sell some heirloom jewelry and baubles to make a swift profit? 'If other transactions take place here, I don't want to know about it…'

Pua seemed to be in excellent health and kept pace very well over the final ridge. On the far side of a mountain, terraced from top to bottom with tree cover and gigantic, glacier-deposited stones…there was a glimpse of a magnificent estate. Between pine boughs Haku could see the genesis of a network of buildings so immaculately constructed that it seemed a mistake to place them in such difficult terrain. Sprawling, walled gardens with flowers that seemed sprung from dreams— copper and gold gilded roofs, replete with statues and enormous shachihoko…white stone, massive timber beams supporting a house that could fit an emperor and all of his court.

As Haku drew nearer, he could then see a few visitors climbing up the winding path from the mountain's bottom, proceeding to the front gate of Keiseki House. He too made his way there and instructed Pua, "Get past the retaining wall and then go to one of the gardens. Wait for me there, Pua. Do not attract anyone's attention, alright?" His rabbit obediently did as she was told, disappearing into the bramble of the forest.

Stepping lightly down the slope, Haku finally arrived at the entryway of the estate, and was acknowledged by a well-dressed greeter, "Good morning, sir. Are you here for the exhibition and auction? If you did not reserve in advance, and intend to sell any merchandise today, please follow the signs to our appraisers' office. They'll help set a starting price and confirm the authenticity of your goods."

"Thank you." Haku then asked, "What time does the auction begin?"

"You're quite early! The exhibition begins just after noon with a banquet and refreshments. The auction is scheduled for 4:00 this afternoon."

Haku thanked the greeter again before moving on over a cobbled walkway hedged with flowers, ficus, and fruit trees. As prospective buyers moved leftward up a staircase into the building proper, Haku followed a directory towards a ground-floor office on the right, entering on that level to find servants scurrying about the place. A man in a suit spied him from across the room, and beckoned with his hand. Haku crossed the lavish space to a counter equipped with lamps, velvet trays and delicate tools. He was taken off-guard to be greeted by a handshake, as opposed to a traditional bow.

How are you today, good sir?

Ah. Oh gosh. What was the business language here again? Haku kept his breathing steady as he realized that he could not understand the appraiser at all.

The suited man detected Haku's reluctance and then tried again in Nihongo, "How are you today, good sir?"

"Oh! Very well, thank you."

"I apologize. Many of our vendors speak Hanwen at this event." The man adjusted soft gloves on his hands, "How can I help you? What sort of product are you offering today?"

And on that cue Haku presented the remaining treasures that Zabuza had stolen from a rich dignitary in the Land of Water. If the appraiser, who introduced himself as Kunizo, found the items at all suspicious, nothing in his face or actions suggested it in the slightest. He methodically turned the pieces over in his hands one by one, examining each with a glass eye piece, searching for identifiers like creator, age, metal, geography, occasionally jotting notes onto a pad.

After what felt like fifteen minutes or so, Kunizo tapped numbers into a calculator and then scratched totals down. He worked with virtually no verbal feedback to Haku. When the appraiser picked up an ornate collar necklace, he gave a pressing look to Haku, "This is hard to price."

"It is?"

"It could be priceless, in today's market. It may be worth keeping, as this will only increase in value over time. Jade is extremely valuable and sought after, and you won't see many pieces at the exhibition nearly this fine. These here?" Kunizo pointed out smaller stones set in the metal with a tweezer, "These are sapphires. And here, diamonds." He pointed out the row of inlaid gems, "This gold is a high carat weight, and the mix of green jade with mutton fat jade is guaranteed to draw every eye here. You could ask whatever you wanted for it and be sure to sell…"

"How much for the rest?" Haku wondered, as if he had any reason to keep an heirloom piece.

"This here," Kunizo motioned over a velvet tray of jewelry he'd examined, "Altogether, could fetch between 500,000 and 800,000 Ryo. Offers may go slightly higher. I have each piece priced and they will be categorized accordingly on the exhibition floor. This tea cup…" He motioned to a jade teacup, "Could fetch 600,000 by itself, considering its age and condition, but there are many others available like it today. The necklace…" Kunizo exhaled, thinking, "15 million Ryo, easily. In the future, much more."

"I intend to sell it today."

Kunizo smiled, "Not interested in an investment, I see. But that's well enough, considering its rarity and exquisite craftsmanship. This bracelet," He pointed out, "Is counterfeit. It is not permitted to be sold here."

Haku smiled and extended his hand, "Thank you for telling me. I can give it to a young girl at home who would like it."

Kunizo returned the fake bracelet to Haku, sorted the rest, and hovered his pen over the pricing sheet, "Your name, sir?"

"…Yuki Haku."

Kunizo took down the details, "Selling as a proxy, or yourself?"

"Myself." He could not implicate Zabuza.

"Very good. The auction will begin promptly at 4 o'clock. Would you like to make these items," Kunizo indicated the tray of less valuable jewelry, "Available on the exhibition floor? Should you set a maximum price that is met or exceeded, you can permit an automatic sale my office will transact for you. The jade cup and necklace are better suited for auction bidding."

"I would prefer that, yes." It sounded like the best way to save time.

"Very well." Kunizo finally smiled a fake, close-mouthed smile that almost reflected goodwill. He seemed to have picked up on the fact that Haku was not the handshaking type, and instead bowed slightly, "Please follow that staircase at the edge of the room to our exhibition upstairs, Yuki-san. It won't be completely set up until noon, but please make yourself comfortable in our atrium or gardens if you wish. An attendant will bring you anything you ask, if you wear this." He handed Haku an amber stone pin, "To indicate you're a vendor. They are treated with preference."

Haku bowed in kind, "Thank you, Kunizo-san." He fit the pin to the front of his vest and carried on upstairs.

How surreal. He had no idea that the politician in the Water Country who had been traveling with a pathetic excuse for a guard, could have the gall to carry such expensive valuables where a shinobi like Zabuza might stray into his path. Though that dignitary had escaped with his life after being ambushed and robbed, he had probably wept every night since. That's what Haku imagined, at any rate.

To his surprise, it was already quite crowded on the palace's main level, and it was only morning. Many guests must have arrived days in advance and secured accommodations. Haku supposed those must have been more high-profile visitors.

He tried not to whip his head wildly around to take in his surroundings. The ceilings must have been 15 meters high, with two levels above the main floor railed off so that guests could look down on the atrium he stood in. Skylights poured morning sun into the space.

Flowering trees grew from recesses in the wood floor, and a large koi pond with charming masonry and stonework had gathered many delighted guests who tossed feed into the water. He reminded himself he was still indoors, though so many natural aspects had been incorporated in the home's interior. Haku calmly surveyed from the edge of the atrium, mapping the wood beams, terraces, stairways, exits and corridors in his mind's eye.

Had he not been warned that awful people would be present, Haku might've assumed this to be a glamorous, enchanting venue. It was unlike anything he had ever seen in great shinobi nations.

On the north side of the atrium, he found huge wooden doors into which mythological creatures had been carved. Beyond that was the sprawling exhibition hall, filled with glass cases of all sizes, demarcated by the types of items being sold. Haku peeked in but did not enter. He could see antiques, jewelry, historical artifacts, texts, books and scrolls; ostentatious, rich costumes set on full body mannequins— all facets of aristocratic bliss and indulgence. He slipped away from the heavy doors and crossed back toward an exit, where gardens awaited beyond the stone steps.

Haku marveled at birds perching overhead in the eaves of the roof, narrow beams and nestboxes deliberately placed there to house them. Peafowl roamed without borders. Finches, cotingas, and topaz swooped to land on garden keepers stooped in flowerbeds, pestering them for treats. When he glanced to a fence on his left that supported fronds of wisteria, a modest, brown lyrebird perched there and observed him. Haku stared at it and then gaped when the bird reproduced the sounds of a koto, the first movement of a song it had heard and committed to memory. It was a pure mimic of the instrument.

'This is absolutely…' Haku wandered around and thought, 'The most gratuitous place in existence.'

He kind of loved it.

It catered to his appreciation of nature and the arts. Fine pottery and sculpture abounded. The building itself was a masterpiece. By God, if he hadn't vowed to live a humble life, he might've worked his way into this circuit if he had known of it.

Being born to impoverished farmers had certainly lowered his chances of ever seeing a place like Keiseki House, but Haku supposed all odds could be conquered, even those worse than his own. He had even thought for only a moment that he ought to keep the priceless jade necklace for himself, and to return one day when it had doubled in value.

That, of course, ignored the short-term consequences of electing such an investment. The lack of a sale could mean less funding to attract the rebels Zabuza was desperate to recruit. A lack of shinobi forces meant less of a chance of retaking the Mist Village, and ousting the Akatsuki there. To that end, such a choice could negatively impact Gaara and Naruto.

So Haku had only been tempted for a moment, and the idea passed when he thought of the people he loved and what threatened them.

He spent the morning in the wilds of the garden, silently reuniting with Pua there as she lounged in the clover beds, gorging herself. Watching his voracious pet made him hungry too.

Haku requested something for a meal, anything simple like rice and fish, but nothing was simple here. He was led by a servant to a veranda that overlooked the garden and its circus of birds, and at a small tea table he was served a pretentious meal that even a daimyo could get flustered over. Haku savored every bite as he watched two peacocks in the garden challenge each other, fanning their tails in an attempt to curry favor with a neighboring peahen. Shortly after noon, he was refreshed, delighted, and prepared to explore the estate more. The exhibition was underway.

Haku left through the vast garden's opposite end, into another sector of the house where he discovered a lofty room outfitted with the most boggling formations of stones and minerals that could be extracted from the earth. Gigantic quartzes of all colors as tall as human beings, some unrefined and others polished. Obelisks of striped onyx stood nearly the height of the ceiling. Agates, citrine, lazulite, azurite, rutile of all sizes, bismuth crystals grown to uncanny volumes… Polished faces in petrified wood, endless rows of fossils, geode halves that could house a grown person, if one chose to climb inside the jagged crystal. Truly, nothing was simple here. It was all too much. No normal collector would know what to do with such superfluous mineral curiosities.

Keeping to himself as collectors fawned over the displays, Haku circled the room twice, choosing his favorite stones and gems before noticing a corridor perpendicular to the mineral exhibit. No one had come from or ventured into the hall, though signs pointed out that the show continued into the passageway. He treaded through the corridor and immediately noted how it was unlit. Devoid of lamps or windows. It was completely enclosed, and as he ventured further he realized why.

Shortwave ultraviolet lamps were positioned all about the rectangular room Haku arrived in, setting the fluorescing specimens within aglow. A dozen pedestals on one side of the room displayed impressive, spherical stones polished to a high gloss, radiating different colored light. On the room's opposite side, spheres of immense size were seated on a dais, emitting a jade-green glow. It was as if celestial bodies had been pulled down from the sky to be put for sale.

"Quite something, aren't they?" A voice came from the dark.

Haku was puzzled when he squinted around, unable to spot another occupant. Rather than assume he was contacted by a ghost, or that he'd gone mad, he replied politely, "These are magnificent! What are they?"

A presence appeared beside him, setting Haku's hairs on end when he got an explanation, "These are Yemengzhu, luminous pearls that came from a mine in the Kingdom of Han."

"Perhaps a misnomer? These are no pearls." Haku pointed out, trying to discretely get a look at the other guest.

"Right. This is fluorite and it will glow unassisted in the dark. My family has always said that simply touching it will bless you with years of luck." The voice sounded amused, "You should touch this one if you plan to sell anything. You'll make a better sale."

"You think so?" Haku patted the giant orb, "Isn't there a story that says dragons gather these?"

"There is and they do." The voice chuckled, "I am a dragon."

Surprised again, Haku turned to see the specter in the dark and beheld a man about his age, dressed in a fine tang suit. He was faced away from Haku, eyes settled on the largest sphere, arms folded. He was smiling.

"I don't suppose dragons can afford these, then?" Haku quipped.

A laugh in reply, "Hardly. What my parents have at home is small and cherished. Why would I waste 205 million Ryo on Yemengzhu so preposterously large-? When the smaller is just as lucky?"

"I would think the same." Haku agreed.

"There's more exhibition to see. I've been here a few times before, but the glowing hall is what I gravitate to." The young man said, "Care for a tour? Mister—?"

"Haku."

"This way, Haku-san." He moved to the far end of the room, "I am Huo."

Haku smiled in fright and simultaneously began to sweat more. No, surely not that Huo, the one his friends had spoken of? Not the dangerous one that used Tao Arts. Not that one.

Out in the light, passing through the gem hall once again, Huo stopped at a table of jaspers that came in every color of the rainbow. He then took a closer look at Haku, assessing him, and his narrow eyes widened slightly, "Hanbok."

"I didn't think it was too formal." Haku reasoned playfully, trying to be as friendly as possible. So his odd attire had become a conversation starter. Wonderful.

When Huo spoke again, it was in another language, What family are you from? Do you speak Joseon-mal?

"Ah…" Haku was crestfallen by the codeswitching, "I don't understand."

"Dressed like that, I thought you were from Joseon. I don't speak that language so well. Hanwen is my mother-tongue." Huo explained, "You are from neither Han or Joseon, nor Sindhu, no…not with your look." He scrunched his face to make a determination, "Your Nihongo is perfect."

"Perhaps because I," Haku moved down the table, "Am from Nihon."

Haku heard a clatter as a piece of jasper was picked up from a tray, and he detected a spike of movement. He turned quickly and caught the rock thrown at his head.

Huo was startled that he hadn't knocked the pretty boy in the hanbok senseless. His mouth pulled into a half-smile, "Ninja."

"Huo-san, has anyone ever told you it's rude to throw goods that are for sale?" Like a scolding mother, Haku dared take Huo's hand and placed the jasper in it, "Put that back or they'll call you a thief."

Oddly, Huo did just that. He followed Haku as they proceeded through the gem exhibit to the next, where large art installations were arranged in a gallery.

"Several of these are my father's." Huo noted, eyeing the submissions of contemporary, three-dimensional art, "My adoptive father. I wondered if he would be here today, but he is selling through an agent again."

"Do you not see him often?" Haku examined the sculpture; some kind of beautiful, polished resin of transparent to opaque white tones, forming a human eye. Within the pupil (a hollow feature) was a butterfly carved from crystal. Haku could not think about what the art was trying to convey, but rather, what did it say about the man who made it? And what his son thought of him?

"It's been a long time." Huo acknowledged, "I imagine they would like me to come home, after I've been gone for so long…but my obligations no longer allow me to see my parents in Iwagakure."

"If they are involved in the arts, is that why you are here? Hoping to see them?" Haku guessed.

Huo smiled ruefully at the observation, "They are also collectors. But I didn't have much of a hope that they'd travel this far. Besides, I have other business to attend to here."

"I am sorry to hear that you must stay parted from them." Haku could actually lend a bit of sympathy, "I know how difficult that can be."

Huo raised his brows, "Oh? Can you relate to…being part of a despised clan?"

Haku was not sure how to answer that as they walked beneath an archway made entirely of seashells.

"That your birth parents believed things that were fundamentally wrong, and refused to recant those beliefs. Then when they were killed, you were an infant spared from bloodshed, and given to a childless, affluent couple who were overjoyed to have you?" Huo continued to stare at his father's eye sculpture, "And that you loved them deeply, but knew the sins of your birth parents weighed on you, so you agreed to atone for them? And learned from a master who showed you the true way?"

"…no, I…can't relate to those particulars."

"No? That you couldn't stop the witch who perpetuated those evils in your clan, stop her from returning life after life, or secure the weapons that could stop her? That she and her lackeys dishonored you? Tried to kill you? That you fought for your freedom and learned who your true friends are, in spite of it all?" Huo added, "And that you won't fail again?"

Like a deer in headlights, Haku stood there and understood why people were afraid of Huo.

"Then, Haku-san…" Huo treaded towards the westward exit, to a veranda outside of the house, "You don't know how difficult it was. At all."

When Haku did not initially follow, Huo was surprised. Haku thought it comedic. Did he not realize how he made other people feel? He seemed to be perfectly relaxed again, motioning for Haku to follow, "It's tea hour. Don't just stand there. There's no better tea in the world than what's served here."

How supremely odd it was to sit at a tea table with someone who swung wildly from mood to mood. Haku sat and made conversation, attempting not to say anything triggering or suggest that he understood Huo in some way, because clearly Huo didn't like that. They had an appreciation for the arts and history in common, which didn't require deeply personal information, thank goodness. And yes, the tea was an experience. They downed large pots of Dragon Well and Master Mountain Silver Needle teas consecutively.

Disregarding tact, Huo eventually asked, "Which clan are you from?"

"That's not something I feel at ease talking about in a place like this." Haku wanted to steer away from the subject. It wasn't his clan, after all. He knew he was descended from the Yuki clan, but they had no actual claim to him, and vice versa. Was there any use in explaining that?

"I am of the Sa Gou, the Sasagainu clan, as it's called here. Though my clan is virtually nonexistent, these days." Huo dangled his heritage as if to indicate there was no harm in doing so, though no one really believed that. He was just too cavalier about, well, everything, Haku figured.

"Is that right?" He delayed with a sip of tea.

Huo motioned to refill their tea cups, "Come now, don't be a coy tiger. If you have claws then reveal them. Shinobi need not hide who they are."

"It depends on the shinobi."

"You're not a native of Iwagakure. Not Kumogakure either, judging by your complexion."

"How can you be so sure?" Haku was bemused.

"I can be so sure. I am well versed and well-traveled."

'How unfortunate for me.' Haku thought.

"What do you think I care about such trifling information?" Huo scoffed, "If a Kamizuru clansman or descendant of the Senju sat here, what more would I do other than tell them to fuck off?" He reasoned, "And you are neither of those."

"I suppose…it would be announced at the auction anyway, since I am a vendor." Haku recalled, "Yuki is my family name."

There was a silence as Huo sipped tea and stared unseeing into the gardens, as if the name had dissipated into thin air and been wasted on him. Haku did not truly expect anyone to be familiar with such an obscure, reclusive clan anyway.

"No wonder." Huo muttered.

There was a moment in which Haku nearly went into full cardiac arrest, astonished that someone could actually recognize the name or perhaps know more about it. Know more than he did.

Haku probed carefully, "Oh, so you've heard of us?"

"Your situation is not so different from my own, then. From one member of a diminished clan to another." Huo acknowledged and added, "It would explain why you are here to sell goods. Times must be hard."

Haku nodded wearily in an attempt to play along.

"Those wars in Hidden Mist did the Water Country's clans no favors, yours least of all. Are you still nomads?"

Nomads! Haku wanted to exclaim, but he had to contain himself. "At present, yes." He supplied answers he hoped Huo could believe.

"What a shame. My comfort for the loss of your leader. I see you've been named after him. I suppose Kahyō took up the mantle in his place?" Huo began to drop names and again, Haku wanted to pitch a fit as he was presented with incalculably rare information.

"You know her?" Haku inferred Kahyō was a feminine name.

"Not very well. Her brother is that big man, Rahyō. We've met before. As far as I know, they are the only warriors in your clan brave enough to show their faces internationally." Huo smiled wickedly, "The rest are timid and talentless."

"Do you wish to insult me?" Haku cautioned him.

"I don't. It's curious to see someone young like you here. How were you trained? You must be…especially gifted." Huo supposed.

"To be homeless and scraping by to survive…I've learned that I have to relentlessly better myself."

"And that you did." Huo agreed.

Though he would've paid any insane price to do so, Haku could not keep the subject on the Yuki clan, try as he might. It was too treacherous to navigate conversation as if he knew them, and not give any hints to Huo that in fact he did not. Huo had only gleaned superficial information about the clan in his brief encounters with them, but the nuggets of information he shared made all of the difference in the world to Haku. He was named after the leader of the Yuki clan! He had relatives he could now name and search for. He could confirm the clan was transitory, most likely without a permanent residence.

'And what would it have taken…to actually wring this information out of Zabuza?' Haku thought darkly.

Conversation returned to their opinions on the mineral exhibit and the art gallery, and Huo suggested that Haku visit the vintage fashions gallery at least once before the auction was in full swing.

"Few here actually come for the gemstones, clothing or, really, any cultured exhibit that Keiseki House has to offer. It's sad." Huo sniffed, "Year after year there seems to be less interest. These rich fools care not for their roots or ancestry."

"Then what does capture their interest?" Haku wondered.

"The weapons." Huo stated simply, "Have you seen that exhibit? It's a disgrace. So small and specialized. The technology gallery too, enthralls them. All of modernity and the future excites them like schoolchildren— money burning a hole in their pockets."

Raising his brows, Haku noted, "I don't think I've seen those exhibits yet."

"No?" Huo clacked his cup down, "Let's go look. So you can see the absurdity for yourself."

They rose from the table to re-enter the building, moving eastward through doorways and corridors, bypassing the atrium and arriving at the most crowded gallery of all. Indeed, the displays were fewer as Huo had said. Only a single glass case contained what Haku considered relevant shinobi weapons. A few chokuto swords shined; hilts and guards inlaid with unnecessary gold and gems. Beside those were jian and rare assassination weapons more commonly found in the Kingdom of Han. Aside from those, there was nothing at all that a ninja could be interested in.

There were display stands on tables crowded with people, allowed to touch and examine whatever was for sale. Small devices controlled by tactile screens, lightweight in the hand. Huo lifted one to ridicule it.

Haku was dubious over the contraption, "What is that?"

"A mobile. They're all the rage in Orbis, Euroa, and Sindhu. Han and Joseon are producing these and advancing them, as all of society becomes obsessed." Huo roughly dumped the device back on its stand, "It's for civilizations that lack jutsu, and can't comprehend a division of shinobi who can communicate thoughts and orders through their minds. Or Seal complex ideas, physical matrices and energy for outcomes that," He jabbed his thumb at the mobile, "No little screen can perform."

"Well, shinobi are not the sort to proliferate in this world. They've kept to the great villages and lands of Nihon." Haku reasoned, "Other nations need to find ways to progress and improve themselves too."

Huo turned for the gallery's exit and reasoned, "They're all brainwashed. You'll see."

Haku wished to linger, "Huo-san, do you mind if I stay here a while to look around?"

"Do as you like. I have to meet with my master and prepare to bid for auction items." Huo bowed respectfully to him, "I appreciate your company today, Haku-san. Perhaps we will meet again later this evening."

Though it felt sort of wrong, Haku smiled at him, "Thank you for showing me around, Huo-san. Take care."

Once Huo had vacated the modern gallery he detested, Haku allowed himself to be more inquisitive about the world's technological offerings. He dithered over displays, poking his face between shoulder-to-shoulder crowds. The "tech" here, or so guests referred to it, was top of line as far as they were concerned. It wasn't like the cathode ray tube televisions that some shinobi villages had around, landline telephones that were gradually being introduced, or radios that ninja squads relied on (though those were advancing rapidly as well.)

This was something else. These communicated through transmissions, through air, faster than radio waves. These things wanted speed and cable fibers. These things were bright screens and convenience and a network of intelligence and communication that so far shinobi were oblivious to. Or perhaps not. Maybe some villages were aware of this tech, and wished to harness it?

Haku puzzled over a row of box-like machines that were sleekly designed, had few inputs and sparse blinking lights, internal fans whirring to keep them cool. "What are these?" Haku asked another guest.

The man chuckled at him, "Have you ever seen something like this? It's the newest hardware for servers. Something like 100 terabytes, my brother said."

"Terabytes." Haku repeated. He glanced around, wondering if there was material to review that actually explained all of this.

His drifting eventually brought him beyond the small and medium screens, past the recondite hardware and accessories, and to displays with curious products that could be handled. When Haku stopped at the standing table in a free space, he met eyes with another guest on the opposite side.

'…Rock Lee?!' Haku could not believe it.

No, he couldn't.

What the devil would Lee be doing in such a grandiose exhibition that did not overlap with his ambitions in any way? Haku made a quick determination he was not looking at Lee, however this person was in most every way the spitting image of him. The eyes and prominent brows, the dark hair, complexion and facial features, down to the physical frame and body type— though this man was most certainly older and was dressed to the nines. Furthermore, he'd noticed Haku wasn't blinking.

"…ēn…?" The man said uncertainly.

"Ah, I apologize." Haku reinstated his manners, "I just thought…I knew you from somewhere?"

"Maybe you do!" The man was instantly cheerful, "If you noticed any new cinema posters, then maybe. I just wrapped my last shoot."

"A film star? Here?" Haku acted surprised but was not even remotely.

"Celebrity." The man corrected with a sparkling white grin, "Damn, I thought I wouldn't be recognized out here. Nǐ huì shuō Hànyǔ ma?"

To the best of Haku's knowledge, he'd been asked again if he spoke Hanwen.

"No, I don't."

"Méi wèn tí. You really don't know who I am?" The man pouted, "Just a vague thing, eh? Well I am much bigger in the west, so that's not unusual. Nihon has no taste at all."

"If that were so, local nobles would not be throwing their money away in Keiseki House." Haku disagreed.

"Right, right!" The man laughed, "Then let me indulge and introduce myself as an ordinary man, then, to a non-fan. The name's Wan Kam." Again, Haku had to deal with an informal hand shake as opposed to bowing, but he was quickly getting used to it.

He replied in kind, "I'm Haku."

"Xìng huì, xìng huì!" He was very friendly, in spite of slipping in-between languages.

"Have you ever been to one of these exhibitions before, Wan Kam-san—?"

Wan Kam flicked his hands disdainfully, "No, no, no…honorifics…ugh, that's so stuffy. I won't be calling you Haku-san or whatever they say around here."

"Ah." This level of informality was weird, Haku thought. The whiplash could have been caused by speaking to Huo, who was very formal in his speech…while also being shockingly rude.

"Yeah, I've been here a few times." Wan Kam confirmed as he perused the display table, "Every other year or so, I like to come back here."

"It is an irresistible place." Haku agreed, "You're from the Kingdom of Han?"

"I am. I live and work there now, though I used to…" Wan Kam lifted an item from a display to turn it over in his hands, "Live in the Fire Country, for a short time."

Oh.

This was not a cosmic coincidence.

This person was probably related to Lee. Very closely related. Haku was sure of it.

Wan Kam flagged down a passing servant, "Ah! Xiǎojiě, qǐng gěi wǒ lái yī bēi hóngjiǔ—" He amended his order when he considered Haku was present, "Èr bēi! Èr bēi hóngjiǔ. Xiè xie!"

The young woman nodded politely and scurried off, and Wan Kam explained, "I ordered us something to drink. It's afternoon now."

"You're too kind. I didn't need anything." Really, Haku thought, alcohol was not going to help him get through this.

"Don't be so polite." Wan Kam waved the display product in his hand, "Nice outfit. Are you from Joseon?"

"Thereabouts."

"I'm no good with Joseon-mal. There's plenty of people here who'll speak it, though." He changed the subject, "So! Have you come here to see these?" Wan Kam indicated the for-sale item in his palm.

"I can't say that I have. What is it?" Haku asked.

Wan Kam flipped his hand with ease and pressed the barrel to Haku's forehead, a sharp twinkle in his eye, "It's a pistol."

"A what?"

"A gun! To kill people with!" Wan Kam explained merrily, drawing the weapon back, "Much quicker than the old-fashioned weapons people use out here."

Haku rubbed the tender spot on his forehead, alarmed by Wan Kam's disregard for boundaries.

"Sorry, Haku. Didn't frighten you there, did I?"

"Ignorance shielded me." Haku admitted.

"Heh heh! Someone from Joseon who doesn't flinch at guns…" His smile grew shadowy, knowing, "Don't you try to fool me, young fella. I know what you are."

Haku was undaunted, "What am I?"

"A ninja, of course. I've met those types. Like I said, I was stuck in the Fire Country for a while." Wan Kam spun the pistol in his hand, "Got out of that dump as soon as I had the chance…"

"Should you be toying around with that?" Haku now had a greater respect for the weapon.

"Nah, none of these are loaded on the exhibition floor. If you want to try them out you have to go downstairs to the firing range and be supervised. I like this model." Wan Kam explained, "I'll be buying it today. And another. Can't wait to see what else the auction has to offer…"

"Is this what people are interested in?" Haku tried to veil his disgust.

"Oh sure! That and the tech. It's funny because Nihon really doesn't have systems to support all of this stuff yet. Tch! As if they'd work on infrastructure while they're busy waging war with their shuriken and caltrops!" Wan Kam snorted with laughter.

Unwilling to even pretend to smile, Haku reserved his reply and let his eyes scan the room again. Maybe he would glimpse Huo and his associates, or find some reason to excuse himself.

"You know…" There was a lilt of caution in Wan Kam's voice, "You don't want to get near that one…Sasagainu Huo."

Haku gave Wan Kam an unimpressed look as the man played with a different model of firearm.

"Ha! I'm one to talk, right?" Wan Kam jokingly positioned the gun under his own chin, then set it down again, "I saw you come in here with him. Guess he doesn't seem any more threatening than the rest of us…but I've heard a thing or two. Huo's a fanatic. He believes in some pretty crazy things."

"Such things were briefly discussed." Haku granted.

"Did he make you a believer?"

"There are few people in this world who make me believe in anything." Haku wagered, "And he isn't one of them."

The attendant returned with two glasses of wine, and Wan Kam gratefully accepted them. He passed a glass of the red vintage to Haku, raising his cup in a small toast, "Then bless the few you believe in! And damn the many you see straight through." He took a gulp after that while Haku hovered, unsure of how to interact with someone he saw little reason to trust.

"Huo isn't wrong about everything he says. I've overheard him years back, prattling on to his companions and whatnot. The Tao is a part of this world, and he does understand its path and purpose in the Three Realms, the convergence of spirituality and karma…" Wan Kam acknowledged, "And it's true that some folks can take advantage of Tao Arts…and cultivate powers or immortality. But the balance of the Tao will exact a price for those things. I bet he and his pals hate paying the steep prices for the gifts they so badly want to have."

"Are Tao Arts inherent to some people…only a privileged few?" Haku asked a question that he'd thought of back in Suna, "Or is anyone able to learn?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Wan Kam smiled above his wine glass.

"It'd be silly not to ask."

A titter of squeals and excitement interrupted them, and Haku sidestepped a gaggle of young women who had spotted Wan Kam and rushed up to him, fawning over him in Hanwen. His debonair cooing seemed to placate as the group ordered themselves, throwing up v-signs with their fingers to pose for photos. Some wished for autographs and some exchanged contact numbers. One particularly attractive girl lagged behind her peers as Wan Kam whispered something in her ear, and Haku did note how her eyes flicked to the egress of the room where accommodations for guests were located. She had been instructed where to appear that night, he supposed.

Once the girls had moved on, Wan Kam came to stand beside Haku, facing away as he clapped his hand on the young man's shoulder, "Listen up, Mr. Shinobi…"

Haku could detect the man's phony congeniality evaporating.

"I think you and all of your kind are trash. And the people who live in your ramshackle shinobi villages are trash too. You can repeat the cycle of war, ceasefire, rebuilding, and fucking it all up until the end of time while the rest of this planet moves on without you. I learned that long ago. I wait for no one." Wan Kam seemed joyful in his condescension, "You're not worthy of Tao Arts and you'll never learn. You're as pretty as you are dumb, so next time, you swat the gun out of the other man's hand, got it? Bèndàn."

When he patted Haku's shoulder again, Haku batted his hand away, hatred creeping into the soft lines of his face.

"Ha! What an expression. The sneer of a true non-fan. Been a while since I last saw that…" Wan Kam swirled wine in his glass and sauntered away, "Don't you dare fuck up my evening with your shinobi nonsense."

Haku walked calmly out of the gallery, down an attached corridor towards a far garden exit. He picked up speed to pitch the drinking glass out of an open window and into greenery. Flushed from his ears down to his neck, Haku simmered in anger. What a poisonous man.

How? How could such a person be related to Lee? Or be divided from him? Wan Kam was a product of affluence and drama, instead of sparsity and martial discipline, in Lee's case.

The foot traffic of guests began to flow towards the interior, bound for the auditorium where the auction was to take place. Gradually, Haku worked his way there, but could not stomach the prospect of being seated near any of the people he had met earlier. He stood near the back of the room to observe. The auctioneer at the front podium was robotic with his smiles and introductions, thanking sponsors and partners, and leading off with the sale of a gigantic, flawless diamond displayed in a case. It was also projected on a screen behind the podium.

Frantic bids began, curious sign language and bobbing cards directed the auctioneer's attention, while vendors and non-participant guests stayed on the peripheries to watch. The diamond, and many fine gemstones featured after it, sold for a scandalous sum, and numbers seemed to blur together as new items were offered. Old literary works, books, and texts fetched impressive bids. Those offerings were followed by an ancient urn adorned with historical paintings and poetry, various screens with classical artwork on each face, modern and antique master paintings, impressionistic sculpture. Indescribable, small technologies whose function Haku was uncertain of were also hot-ticket items. Then a sequence of precious jade ornaments, pottery, and other items were introduced. The collar necklace Haku had put up for sale was brought out in due course.

"This piece is estimated to be less than one hundred years old, and possesses stunning cut diamonds and sapphire embellishments. The green and mutton fat jade incorporated in this necklace have no rival that can duplicate such exquisite beauty. Originally crafted in the Kingdom of Han, this piece has called Nihon home for some time now…" The necklace was briefly described before the auctioneer announced, "Bidding will begin at 15 million Ryo. Do we have fifteen—? Ah, thank you. Sixteen—?"

The numbers ticked up and gave Haku a high, half shocked that bid cards were being raised to signal interest. Could anyone tell this was an ill-gotten piece of jewelry? Did no one care? How many other items here were stolen? Haku began to wonder. Bids exceeded 21 million and began to slow.

"Thank you. Do we have twenty-two? Twenty-two for this magnificent work?" The agent fished for a higher price, scanning those gathered with beady eyes, "Is there— ah!" He noticed a single bid card rise up, which Haku zeroed-in on as well. It was Huo who making the offer. Haku's stomach did petrified flips.

"Thank you, young sir! Twenty-three?" The auctioneer continued, "An offer of twenty-three? Thank you!" He acknowledged a man who seemed to hesitate, but his offer was trounced when a woman raised her card, "Ah! Twenty-four, thank you ma'am. Do we have twenty-five? Anyone here for twenty-five?" Bidding had halted entirely, "Going once, is there twenty-five? Twice…and— sold. Thank you!" The woman in a cape adjusted her fur collar, dithering as her companion leaned over to whisper congratulations.

Immediately afterward, the jade cup Haku had brought was also sold quickly for 700,000 Ryo. And that was that. He had accomplished his task as promised and maybe in those moments, far away in the Land of Water, Zabuza's palms started to itch now that he had become a richer man. Haku slipped silently from the auditorium to get air in the atrium, where crowds were slightly less dense than they had been.

He flagged down an attendant and requested a glass of water. Nearby on a bench beneath a mango tree that grew between slats of the wood floor, Haku sat down and gathered his thoughts. 'I think I can return to the appraiser's office for payment. I don't know how long that will take, but I'll leave as soon as the money is in hand.'

He considered again how Zabuza would feel about this, 'He never did care about getting rich, now that I think of it. He's never used money to secure himself luxuries or shelter. Not that that'd be very wise, considering his wanted status.' Haku concluded, 'If this plan works…and we do secure the cooperation of rebels that have been supporting Terumi Mei…what will his life be like afterward? I know what I want for myself. But maybe Zabuza will pursue wealth and an easy lifestyle after all the trouble he's gone through. He even told me he doesn't know exactly what to do, once the goal is accomplished.'

Really, Haku thought, Zabuza would make a terrible rich man. He'd probably forget to buy himself a home and just spend money on prostitutes incessantly.

A different server stopped by Haku and bowed in greeting before extending her hand, "Good evening. A gentleman asked me to give this to you."

Puzzled, Haku reached out and accepted a small, velvet pouch. She departed before Haku could ask any questions.

"What in the world…?" Haku mumbled to himself as he fiddled around, opening the pouch and finding it to be empty. He prodded and flattened it to make entirely sure, but indeed, he'd been given an empty sack. "Is this an insult?" He frowned to himself. What was the purpose? Was he missing another cultural nuance here, so that Wan Kam could call him bèndàn again?

On a whim, Haku turned the pouch inside out and discovered characters embroidered in the fabric. The words read: Make this flat and then fold it in half, then in half again. Squash it in your left hand…and then see what happens!

Certainly this was a joke. Just so some mystery person watching him could observe as he made a fool of himself, following nonsense instructions. But Haku's gut instinct did not quite agree. There didn't seem to be any kind of shinobi Sealing technique or otherwise on the pouch…but there was an intention present. Not quite malicious, and not quite trustworthy. Haku folded the velvet bag as instructed and squeezed it in his fist. When he opened his hand again— his skin could tell first— the bag had become something else. A piece of cardstock, no larger than the bag had been.

He felt a little nauseous. He hadn't imagined it. He had performed a magician's trick, made ever the more wild when Haku flipped the card and read the words on the reverse side: Huge fruit bowl.

'There is NO WAY,' Haku reaffirmed as he glanced around, 'One object just BECOMES something else. Material and all. And the words! What on earth— if it were POSSIBLE, it may as well have been a detonator for a bomb.' He flushed his head space with chakra in the hope a Genjutsu had caught him unawares, but no. He was untampered with. Haku squeezed the business card between the pads of his fingers, searched for any hint of velvet. It was well and truly paper. How could his perceptions betray him this way?

When his eyes fell upon the banquet area, Haku recalled the fruit bowl message. It so happened the banquet was abundant with produce. He stalked over to the dining area, shoulders tensing, and stopped once the large fruit bowl in question came into view. It was situated on an oak table banquette, and a lone man sat at there, his face turned downward, attention fixed on a mobile-type product. Haku had half a mind to ready senbon needles between his knuckles as he approached. The man seemed totally heedless. He had a cut up orange on a plate in front of him, and tapped away at the screen in his hands. Haku cleared his throat to get attention.

The man looked up and Haku beheld a rather handsome fellow, middling in age. He smiled so that the corners of his eyes scrunched with crow's feet, "Sit down, Haku."

Flabbergasted, he refused to sit, "I've had enough of people speaking to me as if we're old friends. Who are you?"

"Sit, good grief. I'm just trying to work this thing out. Gotta set up passwords and junk." The man typed with a tiny keyboard on the screen, "This'll be unsupported back at home, but I guess I can use it sometimes when I travel and have connectivity."

Warily, Haku sat on the bench but kept a wide berth from the occupant.

"Orange?" The man offered without looking up again.

Haku glanced at the plate and asked, "How did you…do that? With the pouch and card?"

"Hm. Well." The man put the mobile down and stretched his arms, "Firstly, it wasn't two objects I gave you. It was one."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Really! Look!" The stranger lifted the mobile and pressed it between his palms flat-ways, obscuring it for a moment before it transformed into a round, white porcelain ornament. He set it down on the table, "Go on and touch it. It's real."

Haku dared not. He must've been losing his mind.

The man sighed, a bit disappointed. He lifted the now-ornament to work it between his hands again, changing it back into a mobile. "It's easy to fear the things you don't understand. But trust me, this is a pretty innocuous trick of mine. I would've gone a different route if I intended you any harm." He tapped the central button on the mobile and lit up the screen. When he held it up for Haku to see, there was a cartoonish depiction of Gamabunta in the background, beneath a military time clock reading.

A gasp stuck in his throat as Haku realized who he was speaking to: one of Jiraiya's old students!

"You're…Namba?" Haku asked.

"Yes, I am Namba. Now kindly keep your voice down." He too lowered his volume, "It can hurt to say too much out loud here."

"I had no idea if— Sensei said that—"

"I know he gave you some kind of warning that you'd find a friend here. It would work out better if you weren't actively looking for me, because…I don't want anyone actively looking for me." Namba smiled pleasantly, "Though I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, Haku. Sensei wrote to me and told me all about you…and Gaara and Naruto, of course."

All of the sour feelings that Haku had accumulated from his social interactions that day began to flake away, replaced by elation and curiosity. A veteran! A contemporary of the Fourth Hokage! What should he say?

"It's excellent to meet you." Haku smiled back, "It's a relief. I thought that no one trustworthy could be found here."

"Generally, no. Our meeting would be the rare exception to that rule. As it is, I'm technically not here. Not on official business, anyway. The Raikage would never allow me to investigate a place like this." Namba explained, "But I am inclined to help Sensei and Tsunade-sama when I can keep quiet about it."

"Oh yes, Hidden Cloud. You live there." The information was drifting back to Haku.

"It hasn't been easy. I've been treated like some backstabbing traitor for nearly two decades, even after I married, had children, and completed missions in Cloud. I suppose they'll always suspect I want to run back to Konoha, but what for?" Namba began chomping on orange slices, "I don't have to betray either of the villages I love to see them do better. Try as I might to promote that concept…some will nevertheless doubt me."

"Are you involved in diplomacy or councils-?"

"You bet. Heh heh! If you get into that kind of work, don't expect them to come up with nice nicknames for you. When it's my turn to speak, someone usually retorts with a "Leaf Scoundrel" or "Toad's Wart" or "Ass Clown" thinking I can't hear them chiming in from the back of the committee." Namba chewed more fiercely, "Such is life. I can tolerate it. It's when they try to insult my kids that my fangs come out." His eyes flashed dangerously.

"I've thought of doing something similar in my life. Settling down in Suna, possibly."

"Sensei mentioned that. A lateral transition in which an alliance already exists is bound to be easier."

Though it had taken a while, a frazzled-looking server darted over to Haku and presented him with a glass of water. He bowed apologetically, as if he'd lost track of Haku in the room after he'd wandered off. Haku sipped the drink gratefully as Namba ordered some sort of coffee beverage. After that, he re-thought his order, "I probably don't want all that acid in my stomach, but I just can't resist…"

"Namba, how did you change the mobile into an ornament?" Haku just had to know.

"Oh yes! Well…" He rubbed the corners of his mouth with his thumb, collecting orange rind bits, "You have a Kekkei Genkai yourself, so you understand what most needs to be understood. Though…my family has no history with this power. I'm the first to have it." Namba gestured at himself, "A genetic anomaly occurs and then…boom. New technique. If you think on it, most bloodline gifts resulted from mutations that were favorable, that, coupled with jutsu or affinities that clans already strived to work with. Then, those clans selectively bred to increase the frequency of characteristics they wanted to express. It's just much weirder when you're the first one expressing your anomaly. Or call it a quirk, if you're a Horikoshi fan."

"I can understand that." Haku agreed with the gist of it, "It doesn't seem like a fusion-type ability."

"It isn't. Not as far as I can tell…but tampering with the physical composition of things…by way of Yang element…very teensy increments I'm talking about here— it's something like that. I call it Revise." Namba filled him in, "I can't revise anything big. I can work on objects about a meter or less in length, but beyond that it wipes me out…or I can't get the composition right and it'll come out wrong. Super wrong. Most of the time I can't change things back when I mess them up that bad."

Eyes goggling, Haku listened about the strange ability Namba possessed.

"Also, I don't revise anything organic or alive. Ever." Namba nodded to himself, "Not to say that I couldn't change something small that was alive…but reconstituting matter even in tiny increments hurts something that can feel. I tried to revise a mouse once when I was younger…and when it started screaming I couldn't go on with it. I vowed never to try it again."

"That is fascinating." Haku yielded, "Even so…an ability like that could be incredibly valuable to espionage and object-focused missions."

Namba tried not to be too haughty about it, "I do tend to get top marks there. Everyone has a specialty."

"By that line of thinking…I might assume you came here for something." Haku reasoned.

"My, my, you are sharp." Namba was delighted, "Indeed. I wouldn't come here without a good reason. You saw the first segment of the auction, yes? Up until you made your own sales?"

"I did."

"Did you notice anything strange?"

"I…don't think so." Haku thought back on it.

"Good!" Namba said sunnily. He accepted his coffee drink when it arrived, nipping at the foam top before he went on, "What you and probably everyone else overlooked was a bid made during the introduction of those old texts and scrolls. I don't think many people came here looking for ancient records or literature. They want jewelry, technology and weapons," He took a deeper sip of his drink and a line of foam clung above his lip like a mustache, "And the uninformed would never suspect a powerful weapon hidden within a scroll."

Haku pointed to his own mouth to indicate to Namba that he was now mustachioed. Namba removed the foam with a swipe of his tongue and went on, "A Tao Weapon was sealed in one of those scrolls."

Again, Haku endeavored not to shout in disbelief when he heard the news. He kept his voice down, "Did anyone know? Was it sold?"

"Someone certainly knew that Chōten was disguised among those old scrolls. No appraiser would be able to deduce exactly what it was, given its unique Sealing properties." Namba said quietly, "But Dintei Bi knew, and he was the one that won that bid. It's as good as his."

Now would not be an opportune time to scream, Haku thought, or overreact to the fact that he had been lollygagging about as a top-ranked criminal made a strategic move. He only knew so much, after all. Though he had heard enough from Jiraiya to know that Bihokokuni was not someone even a Kage would choose to oppose one-on-one, and that Bi likely colluded with Orochimaru and the Akatsuki to some extent.

"Yeah. 12 million Ryo bought Chōten, if you can believe it. And they mistakenly labeled it a Taoist text. Bi won that bid, but what he'll actually be picking up tonight is this—" Namba pulled a book from his tunic sleeve.

Icha Icha Paradise.

"Oh. O-Oh…" Haku was deeply concerned, "Did you—" He whispered, "Swap them?"

Something in Namba's grin echoed Jiraiya's mischief. Dear God it was true. He absolutely was a student of the Toad Sage, and Haku could not deny it after seeing such a dastardly smile.

Muffling a wild chuckle, Namba gulped his coffee again and then said, "I did it very carefully! I disguised Icha Icha as the scroll that Chōten was contained in— I had a good look at it in the gallery and could replicate it. As for the real Chōten…" He handed the smutty book to Haku, "I gave it a new dust jacket."

Haku muttered, "You do realize that if he finds out there will be pandemonium-!"

"No one is going to find out, Haku. What I revise does not convert back to its original form until 48 hours have passed. Or, if I've set instructions for it to change back. Or! Until I manually change its appearance. We'll be long gone by then."

"How does this not conflict with the object's original properties? Do you know for sure this scroll will still summon a weapon once it changes back?" Haku hissed.

"I am damn sure it'll work just as it's supposed to when it changes back."

"Then tell me this," Haku ventured further, "Will the copy of Sensei's book, as you've revised it, be able to produce a fake weapon? If Bi tries to summon from it?"

"Well…no…" He downed the last of his drink, "It'll be a dud."

"A summon won't work?"

"In reality it's merely a book. It won't have any Tao Arts or anything attached to it. It's just a lump of matter, linked to protocols I design." Namba twiddled his fingers for emphasis, "I can't create any kind of property that doesn't already exist in the object I affect. Certainly not a Tao Art! But it's a moot point, currently."

"So we need to get this out of here as quickly as possible." Haku concluded.

"That goes without saying." Namba concurred, "And I need you to transport it."

"No." Haku said flatly.

"I have no discreet means of getting this to the Hokage." Namba countered, "You do."

"I did not come here to engage in a high-risk retrieval, or provoke a ninja who is wanted dead by every nation!"

"Half the battle was showing up. Besides, Bi's cronies are probably going to notice when I leave this banquet and follow me out of here. It'll give you the chance to escape while their attention is on me."

Haku wondered, "Is this what Sensei had planned for me as well? To retrieve this?"

"He might've suggested it as an extra credit project for you."

"I will have his head." Haku took the fake book and concealed it in the layered folds of his vest.

"That's a good sport." Namba commended him, "I understand this is an imperiling inconvenience, but you have my word that Bi won't come after you tonight. Even if I have to face him myself, I'll make sure he doesn't follow you. Alright?"

"That doesn't necessarily make me feel better." Haku admitted, "You could be killed."

"Could be." Namba nodded.

"Why would you agree to this? You have a family waiting for you to return."

"I know…" Staring out into the atrium, Namba was quiet for a moment before he went on, "There are many problems…many loose ends, still dangling after the last war. Even the previous wars. And some of those things can rip the foundations right out from under the villages I care about. If Minato were still alive, I know he'd be working tirelessly to stop these things. Now that he can't, I know that I must. Because I'm his friend." Namba smiled sadly, "I had the chance to live and be happy. If I need to give that up, I know I have a good reason to."

Haku surveyed the room in silence. He'd have to wait for the lump in his throat to pass. He could relate to those feelings perfectly.

"Anyway, the auction is ongoing. Now is the time to move. Go to the appraiser's office and collect your money." Namba advised, "And then disappear. Many are going to be up all night partying here and celebrating their excess. While they do, you run and, hopefully, I run."

"Alright." Haku accepted the plan.

"Thank you." Namba breathed a long sigh, "I apologize for complicating things. I hope you know that the Hokage has been searching for this weapon for a long time. With it out of the markets, it means Bi will have none of the Tao Weapons he's been searching for."

"How many are there?"

"Three. They're all in Hidden Leaf." Namba explained, "The only other person who can wield them lives there."

Haku accepted the information with a nod, and briefly free-associated to Tenten and her mastery over Bukijutsu. If any soul seemed fit enough to wield such weapons, it would certainly be her. Though that was only intuition talking and not concrete facts, Haku knew. In time, he'd probably find out who in Leaf stood opposed to Bi's faction.

"Goodbye for now, and be cautious." Namba bid Haku farewell as he stood from the table, "I'll take a short while to try to figure out this Tube app." He tucked back into his mobile device, looking like every other face-in-screen patron in the palace.

With not a moment to lose, Haku backtracked through the grand building toward the appraiser's office downstairs. There was an accumulation of vendors and appraisers independent of Keiseki House cramping the space. It was excruciating to wait in a short queue to be seen by a clerk.

"Are you here to confirm your sales?" A woman in a suit asked Haku, once he was finally able to reach the counter.

"I am." He provided his name, "Yuki Haku."

"Ah yes, one moment. An agent already came by to pick up those auction items for the winning bids. One of your pieces on the exhibition floor has yet to receive any—"

"Unfortunately, I won't be able to stay this evening. I've been called away on short notice." Haku fibbed, "Is there any way for me to leave that lingering piece here?"

"Certainly, you can donate it to the Keiseki House, if you like. Or leave it for sale to return at next quarter's auction."

"I'd like to donate it." It was the fastest solution.

"How generous of you." The clerk bowed her head, "Thank you, Yuki-san. The other pieces on the exhibition floor met their minimums, for a total of 785,000 Ryo. Please allow me a moment to calculate. Do you have account information to wire this to?"

"I do not." He was trying to be even-keeled and not tap his foot as if he were in a rush.

"If you prefer a cash payout, there will be a 2 percent fee." The clerk tapped on her calculator, "On your winning bids, 25,485,000 Ryo, that would be assessed a fee of 509,700 Ryo."

He could not even be upset about that. It was a mere papercut of a setback monetarily, if it meant he could be out of here with both the money and stolen Tao scroll in hand. Haku agreed to the fee and the clerk continued processing, tapping out numbers, and she ripped a page from her transaction pad to hand him the carbon copy receipt. Another clerk had to watch her count out the packets of money notes to ensure no mistake was made, and double-count it down. Each stack was re-strapped afterward.

"Thank you for visiting us and come again soon." The clerk bowed again after presenting the payment over the counter, and Haku echoed the pleasantry before exiting the bottom stairwell, and then sending a diversionary Shadow Clone back into the house. He would have it keep watch from high rafters and the eaves of the roof, in the hope it could detect a problem if indeed Bi's group realized they had been swindled.

Like a trespassing cat, Haku slipped through a hedge of ficus, through a servant's footpath below an adjoining building and then leapt up. He scaled the gigantic house to cross over the roof, dropping down to the other side and into the garden where he had last seen Pua. His rabbit was still there of course, loafing around. Haku ducked down into the cover of flowering bushes, thankful for the absence of any humans in the garden.

"What a day it's been, Pua… I knew it was right to bring you. I need help." Kneeling, Haku retrieved spare tool summoning scrolls that he had primed, and first pulled the fraudulent Icha Icha paperback out of his vest, laying it down on parchment, "This must be brought to Tsunade-sama immediately." With a hand sign, Haku contained the revised Tao scroll for Chōten into the tool scroll. He also jotted down a note to the Hokage explaining what she would find, then rolled up the tool scroll and fitted it to the harness hidden beneath his rabbit's bandana.

Next, he took the obscene pile of money he had walked out with and sealed it into the other tool scroll. He tucked it away in his vest again, trying to take deep breaths.

"Pua," He rubbed a spot between her ears as he instructed, "Take the scroll I gave you directly to the Hokage, in the Leaf Village. Don't stop for food or for any distractions until you arrive. Do you understand?"

"Yes!" She chirped.

"Very good." He gave her a final, loving pat, "I'll be with you again soon."

The rabbit licked and nibbled the back of his hand to declare her love in return, and then scampered into the dark of the garden.

What crazy fortune had led him to plunder Keiseki House on two accounts; once for selling stolen treasures, and again for thieving a treasure right out from under a buyer's nose. Haku hardly could fathom even signing up for the first task, and yet, he thought as he snuck into a much larger, anterior garden, that may as well have been his luck as the child of destitute farmers.

In the dark, he took care not to scare up any creatures or sleeping peafowl. He was feeling confident that he would make a clean getaway until the sound of steps followed him across a red footbridge. They stopped when he did. Haku looked over his shoulder and spied two young men, hesitating on the far end of the walk.

"You're that Yuki guy." One of them spoke up. He was the taller of the pair, dressed in Han-style clothing.

Beside the stranger was a shorter teenager, a lookalike who could be the brother, in fact. He tugged on his companion's sleeve and kept his voice down, "Qin, come on. Just don't. You don't know for sure—"

"I am." Haku turned around to face them fully, maybe 10 meters away from the duo, "And who are you?"

Qin cleared his throat, "Kuang Qin! And my bro, Ga-Fen. We're patrons of Keiseki House…"

"Qin, quit it." Ga-fen hissed, and then muttered something in Hanwen.

"I saw you talking to that trashman from Hidden Cloud. I have it out for him. Thinks he's so smart…" Qin was grinding his teeth, "You better not be an accomplice of his!"

"He is just. Some. Random. Rich. Fuck." Ga-Fen flexed his hands, squeezing them into fists, "You are paranoid. Stop wasting time out here!"

"He might've taken it."

"How? You didn't see it happen."

"He was talking to that freak."

"No one in the Sect is concerned. Don't you think they would've—?"

"I'm not gonna ignore my instincts." Qin rubbed his nose and looked back toward Haku, "I think you have something that belongs to us. If you don't want trouble, you'll give it back."

"You're the one looking for trouble." The frigid temperament he often took on around Zabuza settled in his features, and Haku narrowed his eyes at the blathering teens, "I have nothing of yours."

"Turn out your pockets, then." Qin spat, ignoring his brother's protest in Hanwen.

Haku turned his back on the pair and warned, "Return to your party while you can."

There was a shuffle of feet as Ga-Fen attempted to hold his brother back; Qin was spitting mad, "Yeah? While we can—? You fucking cut-sleeve! I'll go back after crushing your head-!"

The piercing sting of killing intent silenced Qin and halted him just a few steps onto the footbridge. Ga-Fen quivered a few paces behind his brother, goggling as the feeling seared through them both like a liquid firebrand of hate.

In the past, Haku had experimented with condensing and weaponizing his worst emotions when the Cursed Seal had been a viable option. Though he was not a proponent of scare tactics and cheap shots, training with Zabuza had further demonstrated to him the utility of freezing an enemy where they stood. It drove home a point that few words could adequately capture; that he wouldn't be fucked with. That they didn't stand a chance. Most importantly, Haku had experienced his all-around worst day of socialization in recent memory, and could inject exactly how he was feeling into the two unprepared snitches.

Qin's knees were knocking as he tried to rustle up some nerve, "No way that y-you're…innocent. Definitely…up t-to something…"

Ga-Fen's breathing was shallow and he was unable to communicate with his brother beyond soft squeaks of terror.

"I told myself that I wouldn't create a mess in my wake, after leaving Keiseki House." Haku slowly turned and pressure mounted on his targets, "Why did you have to change my mind?"

Qin remained convinced, "…y-you s-stole—"

"Stole what? I am no thief."

"I know…he switched it. H-He was watching…"

With a sleight of hand Haku readied two senbon between his knuckles, "If you insist on harassing me, I'll respond in kind."

While Qin sputtered, the pair of needles were pitched past him and sunk into his brother's kneecaps. Ga-Fen screeched and collapsed down to the boards of the bridge, more terrified than he was hurt.

Surprisingly, the sight tripped something in Qin, and he regained mobility in his leaden limbs, "Don't you fucking touch him!" He charged forward, teary-eyed and salivating, profoundly frustrated by the stranger he had to confront for Chōten.

Haku reacted to Qin's attack as he fired sooty dust from his sleeves by way of Earth Style technique, and in a single movement, Haku pulled a jet of pond water from beneath the bridge to consume its inferior element, soddening and splaying Qin spread-eagle on the wooden planks. With no mercy left in reserve, Haku snapped open his war fan and burst a small gale on Qin and Ga-Fen, who went a-tumbling back to the far end of the walkway.

Harried, Qin wheezed and regained his feet, yanking on Ga-Fen as he pulled the needles from his knees and winced, realizing the effects on his nerve endings still lingered. "Together, come on!" Qin growled, "We can take him together!"

"What for-?" Ga-Fen rasped.

"You have to trust me. We can't let him leave."

"You could be completely wrong about this!" No sooner had the words left Ga-Fen's lips, his brother jerked and slackened, eyes rolling back into his head. Qin fell forward onto his face, and it was then Ga-Fen could see Haku stuck needles into the back of his brother's neck.

"He was just confused! What did you—? Why did you do that?" Ga-Fen shrieked, bending over to take Qin's pulse, which was decidedly absent to the young man's horror, "Did you…kill him?"

Taking catlike steps, Haku raised more senbon to take aim, "I have had enough of you people."

"H-Hey, wait! I won't say anything!" Ga-Fen teetered and fell to his backside as he recoiled, patting his unresponsive sibling, "It was a mix-up, right? Just forget it! I've got to help—"

"I never said I wasn't involved. I just assured him I wasn't the thief." His glare was compassionless, "Since he knew more than I'd like anyone to know…I ought to quiet you too."

Ga-Fen's pupils shrank as he stared up at the throwing spines, about to be plunged who knew where as Haku poised himself. The jig was up. He had his brother to thank for their unwitting demise.

Or, he thought that was the case even as a figure darted out of a stone statue's shadow, and kicked Haku clear to the other side of the bridge. The senbon clattered uselessly out of his hands.

Haku had to collect his wits as he rolled back to his feet, watching none other than Huo bend down to examine the Kuang brothers. He was scrutinizing Qin's injury, and carefully pulled the needles out of his teammate's neck. Qin did not come to.

"Is he dead?" Ga-Fen was distraught, "I didn't know what to do…"

"It's Shinjutsu. It can produce a death-like state, but he should wake up later." Huo assessed and asked, "Can you use your Guanyin Hell Song to pacify him?" By him, he meant Haku.

"No, my legs are messed up…" Ga-Fen wobbled to his feet, hauling Qin's arm over his shoulder, "I'll take Qin back to the Sect and tell Master!"

"Tell him what? That you provoked an attack?" Huo scoffed, glancing back at Haku, "Haku has every right to defend himself."

"He doesn't!" Ga-Fen had learned otherwise and declared, "He admitted it! That he helped steal Chōten."

Huo went silent.

"That shifty-handed clown must've given it to him, must've swapped our scroll with something!"

"Bi-sama's scroll." Huo corrected, "Why would he? He knows nothing of the Tao and can't use it."

"He has a reason. Look at what he did to Qin! He doesn't want anyone to know. Ain't that guilt?" Ga-Fen reasoned.

Huo rose up from his crouch and rested a hand on his hip, cocking his head at Haku. He was ruminating on the matter. He then motioned for Ga-Fen to move it, "Return to the Sect. I will make him return Chōten."

"Huo…"

"I'm not a pathetic weakling like you. Will you stay and burden me with protecting you again?" Huo huffed at him, "I won't repeat myself."

Tension seized Haku's muscles as he watched Ga-Fen obediently hobble away with his unconscious brother, and Huo appeared truly aloof when he extended his open hand toward Haku, making a give it here motion.

"I have to believe that if you willfully attacked my friends, then you do have something to hide. Ga-Fen thought you had Chōten. Well, do you? Don't be foolish. Give it to me and all is forgiven." Huo assured him, "I like you well enough, Haku. If you were tricked into some scheme, I wouldn't blame you for participating in a heist here if you thought it might improve the station of your clan. You Yuki miscreants are desperate enough to do the craziest things…"

"I don't have anything to give you." Haku tried to recall the layout of the giant garden, prepared to rush toward the nearest exit, "I don't have it."

"Lying tires me." Huo drawled.

"I don't have it, Huo."

"Were they mistaken? No. I doubt it." Huo frowned, "That Tao artifact is of prime importance to my Sect and my Master. You are neck-high in peril and I offer you the opportunity to peaceably disengage yourself from this situation."

"I understand, but I have nothing to give you. I don't know what you're talking about." Haku tried to play the ignorance angle, even if it was a bit late for it. Huo seemed to think he was stupid and manipulable, like everyone else did around here.

"This is the last time I pity a pauper." Huo decided. He melted down into the shadow of carved masonry that framed the rails of the footbridge.

Haku had thought his eyes were deceiving him. Naruto had said that Huo was known for moving through shadows, an ability that had made the most recent Chunin Exam in Konoha calamitous. His eyes darted in every direction, dismayed that lantern light and the glow of the house cast hundreds of shadows throughout the garden. He would never know from which one Huo would reappear. His most educated guess was that he would be attacked from the rear, where blind spots lurked on the edge of his peripheral vision.

And true to form, movement from behind tweaked Haku's senses and he turned, spinning to block the incoming strike. A stone paffed against his jeogori. Terror flumed through Haku's veins as he realized Huo had tossed a rock from the shadows to distract him— a repeat trick. So simple! Haku braced for the ruthless kick that did connect with his back and flattened him again. From there, several strikes battered him, sending Haku spinning. Huo was quick, illuminated by lantern-light, melting in and out of the dark.

In the seconds after Haku gathered his wits to bounce up and block punches to his head and torso, Huo's face twisted with something akin to exasperation. He didn't want a serious fight. He wanted to pummel Haku down without mortally wounding him. Then he'd pluck the contentious item away from him and march off with a clear conscience. Huo had no qualms with killing, but he was the sort to ask: What was the use in killing someone you actually got along with?

Not to mention, Huo had no idea that Chōten was not actually on Haku's person. It had been sent away with a ninja rabbit into the deep of the night, and there was no way Haku was ever going to confess to that. So a fight it was— a struggle far more serious than even Huo realized. After Haku had been thoroughly bruised, he'd managed to stick Huo with three senbon needles while his guard was down. Huo backed away and unstuck himself, tossing the needles into underbrush, clicking his tongue angrily that Haku had the gall to try to immobilize him. Nearby, Haku slowly hauled himself to his feet again, pressing a hand to his bruise-splotched face.

"Ridiculous." Huo sneered, "Truly ridiculous. Have you any idea who you are challenging? Your tricks won't work on me. I can counter Shinjutsu. I can control all of my meridians. Don't be stubborn."

"I don't think you understand…how desperate my situation is." Haku charged forward with speed; a complete miss once Huo dove into a shadow.

Huo reappeared beneath the bridge, emerging from the dark to stride across the pond, "Desperate? No circumstance of yours will have ever been as desperate as the moment you decided to cross me, Haku. If you take a single step more, I will not hesitate."

The threat had not even completely left Huo's mouth by the time Haku was fleeing at full-tilt speed. He sought to position himself somewhere darker in the garden, where light could not cast shadows. It was his only fighting chance, he thought, catching glimpses of Huo chasing him in a fury. A shining array also briefly illuminated itself around Huo in what Haku could only assume was a Tao Art. 'Oh. Perfect.' He felt his heart folding up like origami paper, courage wavering.

Within striking distance of Haku, Huo turned to wheel around in a meteoric kick, and Haku lashed out with his war fan at the last second. Huo was knocked airborne, whipping through night air and tree branches before crashing into the magenta fronds of a rhododendron below. Consequently, he wrenched himself out of the shrub and tore the damn thing out of the ground with freakish strength, hurling it angrily in Haku's direction.

When Haku blocked the plant projectile with a burst of Wind Release, Huo instantly closed the gap and swept Haku's legs out from under him. The first blow came, then the second, third, fourth, and fifth in rapid succession. Haku could hardly track the punches and palm blows Huo delivered. At some point during the hand-to-hand tumult, Haku's fan was dropped in the garden clover.

"How desperate…" Huo asked as he ducked under Haku's Taijutsu, retaliating with a Long Fist punch, "Is your situation now?"

Haku struck the garden wall, wheezing, tasting blood in his mouth. Somehow, he was quick enough to side step the next swing Huo threw at him, shattering a span of the rampart when the blow missed. They were far enough from the house and lit paths for Haku to assume that Shadow Step was not presently a threat. He'd endured enough of Huo's Taijutsu to anticipate a few of his go-to attacks, though he seemed to be getting more creative with his combinations. Huo bounded off of the wall for a heel-drop kick while Haku was staggered, dizzy and bloody.

An abrupt Ninjutsu counter caught Huo as Haku completed hand signs, "Needle Jizō!" The black surge of Haku's hair was unavoidable, snaking, billowing into a spire to surround him with razor-sharp points. Huo crashed into the counter and his Tao barrier ate the impact with charged energy, protecting him from impalement. Likewise, Haku was also perfectly defended by his technique.

Huo's aggressive brand of curiosity was on full display as he pounded ruthlessly on the hair-spike mass, since he could afford to with a barrier that prevented bodily harm. He tried to upend Haku, searching in vain for a weakness to exploit, "What is this…porcupine defense?" He was puzzled, maybe even impressed. Huo back-flipped away to conserve the cultivation energy stored in his barrier.

The moment Huo's guard lowered, Haku took advantage, "Needle Hell!"

What had seemed like a defensive jutsu was now offensive, firing a million-dart rain of hair at Huo. Each needle struck a golden ripple in the spherical barrier Huo employed, like blinking fairy lights whittling away at his defense. He'd never seen such a bizarre technique. It did thoroughly hamper his Wushu strikes, Huo granted as he slipped away into the cover of garden foliage. However, Haku's odd hair techniques seemed to render him immobile, and so were not conducive to his escape.

'He's going to make a break for it and drop his defenses.' Huo smiled to himself, 'And my defense can move with me.'

Doubt was cast on Huo's prediction when sharp hair spikes wound all through the garden, manipulated by sublime chakra control or perhaps some other-worldly ability. Huo jolted in surprise, dodging backwards from the continuing needle hair technique, wrenching past a young sapling's stuck branch that bent and snapped back as he escaped. He watched the branch pass through the creeping hair, alerting him to the fact that it was illusory. Fuming, Huo dispelled the Genjutsu that had caught him, 'That was well-woven for me to miss it! Overstating his capabilities in an illusion to fool me!' He gave chase again.

Free from his spike defense, Haku had reunited with his tessen and unleashed a timely windstorm, thrashing plants, leaves, and garden creatures alike that scattered in all directions. Huo was elated.

Without hand signs, Huo exhaled flames from his mouth; a terrible, blinding solar-flare that lit the dark landscape and fed on the Wind Nature that Haku had contributed. The decorative brook that cut through the garden and beneath the footbridge was the sole means of escape Haku had, dropping into the water to be fully submerged as fire feasted on everything above. Even the water was uncomfortably heated, hissing steam at the surface. Underwater, Haku propelled himself just short of the red bridge before surfacing.

Again, Huo was upon him, a black, lithe silhouette against the blaze consuming the periphery of the garden, spreading towards the grand house. Light and heat tongued the air and shadows danced. Close-quarters snaps and eye-spinning blows resumed in a frenzy. His thoughts matched the rhythm of the struggle, and Haku registered as he flitted and blocked that Fire Tao Arts were Huo's ace for fighting at night. If no shadows existed in full dark, he could manufacture them with fire. Huo moved as freely as ever, and Haku cursed his brainless move of relying on his Wind Nature, 'I was even told that he relied on Fire Techniques!' Zabuza may have said something like Quick hand, slow mind to sum up his mistake.

The perfectly timed kick to the solar-plexus that Haku would have landed only met Huo's defensive Tao Barrier, which absorbed the shock with energy and glimmer of light. Like everything else, that technique would expire, right? Haku could not plan much further on how to dismantle the shield, because his arm was caught and twisted, his torso pushed one way as Huo tripped his legs in the opposite direction to off-balance him. Paff, Haku's back hit the dirt, and his hands splayed to push himself up again in a rebound. Meanwhile, Huo charged down with an elbow-strike, cracking violent force down on Haku's left hand and shattering bones.

Had anyone in the house heard him scream, there was no indication of it. Servants at the rear of the house were scurrying to helplessly toss basins of water on the garden fire until someone came along who could properly douse the threat. They hadn't even noticed one young man pinned beneath another on the far bank beyond the bridge, screeching in pain.

Haku squirmed as Huo sat his full weight down on him, like a hunter on a captured beast, "You stupid fool." His hand slipped beneath the first fold of Haku's jeogori, sliding down into clothing in search of something. A signal of horror blinked through all his nerve endings, deadening the pain in his broken hand. Haku watched as Huo lifted a tool scroll, examining it archly and wondering, "Did you hide Chōten in here?"

Not quite. Chōten was in a different scroll, being transported via rabbit to the Hidden Leaf Village. Furthermore, Haku could not admit that Huo was holding almost 25 million Ryo needed to fund rebels for a coup on Hidden Mist. Haku's panic carried in a trill, "That isn't what you're looking for-!"

Huo slowly ground his foot on Haku's broken hand, cutting off his speech as he shrieked in pain.

"It's not?" Huo was abruptly calm and patient again, inquiring, "Where is it?"

"…I…I-I…d-don't…have it…"

"Then what is this?"

"—it's—!"

"Scurry back to your clan, and do not cross the Dintei Sect again." Huo warned him as he stood, illuminated once more by firelight. He raised his free hand and willed the flames still, extinguishing them. Frantic servants of the house stared stupidly at the garden's sudden lack of an urgent fire. They inspected the area again in puzzlement before retreating inside to report the phenomenon.

In no conceivable scenario would Zabuza forgive such a failure. Such a setback would derail most of their other plans, and there was no other way to so easily come by funding to coerce mercenaries. And so, as Haku flooded his broken hand with chakra from his own Palm Healing jutsu, he slipped his legs beneath him to sway and stand. The beat-down had felt familiar— felt like when Jiraiya had thoroughly whooped him, 'But the more time I spent facing Sensei, the better I got at countering him…' Huo's tactics had not been so different.

The bright idea came. If Huo thought him a stupid fool, then he'd better use that to his advantage. He attacked once more with Wind Release, lashing his tessen and pouring chakra into the technique. It unleashed a veritable hurricane at Huo's back as he walked away. Never one to be caught pants-to-ankles, Huo spun, deadly quick, exhaling his Fire Tao Art in his usual counter to absorb the Wind Nature. And oh. Were his eyes deceiving him? It seemed Haku's hand was functional again, helping him form hand signs.

A perfectly timed Water Jutsu launched from the brook to meet the wind-and-fire hellstorm behind the house, devouring the empowered Fire Nature faithfully. Huo uttered a yelp and was swallowed by the surge. The raging torrent rose up to the height of the roof for a few wild seconds, water smashing him into the side of Keiseki House and nearly drowning him there before the technique waned. It was mortification repeated— much like what he'd experienced at the Chunin Exam in Konoha.

'This garden is already ruined…' Haku reasoned as he froze over the surplus water swamping the courtyard with his Kekkei Genkai. Trees were iced top-to-bottom, waves along the building's outer walls frozen upright in cold crescents, icicles hanging from boughs and roof eaves… Huo gaped at the sight as he ordered himself and stepped onto solid ice, his breath puffing vapor into frigid air.

"…the Hyōton…" Huo grinned, "It's true. I'd thought you'd fibbed about that as well— being one of those Yuki chickens…"

He could not dignify that with a response. Any doubts Huo had about him were to his advantage, or so Haku hoped. Huo charged over the slick surface of the ground, steady on the ice as he closed in to batter Haku once more with Taijutsu. His solid punch met nothing but air, an insult to Huo's eyes as he witnessed Haku disappear into a mirror-like surface of ice beneath his feet. He was there, and then he was everywhere— reflected in a myriad of ice mirrors melded into the landscape.

"Ahh, and who taught you this?" Huo was amused, fire-breathing recklessly at each reflection, searing ice wherever he could as he flitted in the dark yard. Flames failed to stick to any kindling that was by then damp or frozen. Until the space dried out, Huo could only slip through shadows nearest to the house, where light glowed from windows. He Shadow-Stepped until he caught up with Haku as he exited an Ice Mirror, though it seemed to be a deliberate encounter.

Haku blocked several of Huo's recycled Wushu blows, anticipating them, and when Huo's frustration mounted his ferocity increased, forcing Haku to counter once again with Needle Jizō. Damage and defense clashed against the orb of light that guarded Huo, and he leapt backwards to retreat from the spikes, reassessing, "Hmph! And that! Where did that come from? What members of the Yuki clan know how to travel through ice? Those dolts! Since when?" He growled, "Making hair a weapon? None could be so clever. You're too well-taught. All these tricks…"

"I am largely self-taught." His confidence was rebounding, and Haku was compelled to boast, "Though I've had quite a few skilled teachers outside of my clan."

Huo nearly caught him in a blindingly fast pounce, and his kicks smashed the nearest mirrors with incomprehensible force before his Fire Tao Art followed. Haku was in one mirror and out another, but he was caught again, and this time Huo's soul-crushing jab struck true. Haku was bent in half from the blow, the force of it rattling the air as Huo connected…and what Huo thought was his opponent revealed its true composition; a Shadow Clone. Or worse, a Shadow Clone imbued with Haku's Ice Nature, and the horrid thing emulated its maker's earlier porcupine defense by ballooning out into a ball of ice spikes.

The damage had whittled Huo's Tao barrier more than what he could tolerate, infuriated as he wrenched himself away from the frozen urchin with a struggle, "What sick mind—?"

He felt himself patted down from behind, a gentle touch that didn't warrant his barrier's protection. Haku stole back his tool scroll and ducked beneath Huo's retaliating round kick, disappearing into another Ice Mirror before they came to blows again.

"You HAD BEST," Huo announced with crazed eyes, "Rethink your actions, Haku, for I am so weary of these games." He exhaled fire that was fortified with resentful energy, and it tinged green to Haku's infinite surprise, decimating and melting down the Ice Mirrors nearest to Huo.

At this rate, Haku thought, he'd be wasting chakra to create more mirrors if Huo could simply destroy them. Yet, his mirrors had been an invaluable means of escaping harm and keeping up with such a fast enemy. He had to go on the offensive somehow. Haku crouched on the far side of the garden, his eyes glued to Huo's glowering, fiery presence while he retrieved a scroll from a holster strapped to his leg. The Master Scroll was intended for last-resort situations, though Haku felt his current plight applied. He summoned Nuibari and spun it several times over his right hand, letting it wake up for him.

"How shameless." Huo snorted, "I come here with no weapon of my own and you dare—"

Nuibari nearly stuck him through the back, rattling his barrier from behind. Haku had pitched the needle sword through an Ice Mirror and directed it to exit from a sneakily made Ice Mirror behind Huo. Of course, Huo was further incensed by the deceitful tactic, "Ack! What's this?" He was growling as he dove away from Haku's ranged needle sword, evading the thin razor wire that was strung around by the blasted thing.

"…Sewing Needle?" Huo acknowledged what kind of weapon Haku was wielding. At the last possible moment, he phased through a shadow before Nuibari could sail through the air and pierce him— and the sword moved freely through an Ice Mirror that Haku had created previously. Trajectory altered by the dimensional warp, Nuibari exited from another random mirror and soared for Haku. He merely reached out his hand and the sword landed neatly in it, obedient.

Huo indeed knew many things, for he recognized Nuibari for what it was. Huo managed to catch Haku in close-quarters once more, snarling furiously as they fought.

"Desperate! Ha! So you were desperate enough to become a Swordsman of Mist? You really are a lowly criminal, Haku!" Huo jeered, weaving away from Nuibari's swipes, responding with whirlwind kicks and locks, "Only a reprobate does such a thing! Ugh, I can't believe I socialized with the likes of you!"

"And you are no such criminal?" Haku spat, their footwork sliding and skidding; a Long Fist punch grazed his side as Nuibari punctured Huo's upper arm as his Tao Barrier weakened— then they darted apart.

Huo's fire breathing could maintain a comfortable distance between him and his target, until he found another shadow to move through. Several times he ambushed Haku this way, often prompting Haku to dash through an Ice Mirror to escape. Twice more, Nuibari was able to breach Huo's failing Tao Barrier, though it only split skin in glancing blows as Huo bent and contorted himself out of harm's way.

The deadlock of exchanges grew fevered as Huo sought a means of immobilizing Haku with a crippling blow, his movements growing erratic. He couldn't seek out his Sect and request help. He had to deal with this nuisance on his own! There was no explanation for how a member of the Yuki Clan could be formidable in battle, or adapt to his fighting style so quickly. This was no amateur, for sure, but Huo was at a loss for what exactly Haku was in actuality. He fit no mold.

He had to prove himself. He had to dispose of this threat and reclaim what belonged to his Shifu.

In a wild charge, Huo got in Haku's face and allowed his forearm to be pierced, narrow point perforating, wire sewn through his flesh as he kept moving, getting a grip on Haku's hand to force the blade down— and Nuibari cut its own wire free. Haku was kneed in the gut with such force that he flew, tumbling over the icy ground. He barely escaped through an Ice Mirror that Huo smashed after him with a battering-ram blow, shattering other mirrors he could find in the garden until at last— Haku flashed at the far end of the bridge and he had him. Superior speed got him there, and Huo's combination had him dead to rights, clobbering Haku in the head, face and chest before his knees were kicked to buckle him. As Haku spilled to the ground, Huo leapt to come down with a spinning kick to crush more of his bones. Instead, he broke a Shadow Clone apart in a puff of smoke.

Boards of the bridge had splintered apart, dust and flecks drifting in air. Huo swung his head left and right to look for the escaped rascal. It was an agonizing moment of uncertainty, his breaths heavy for several moments prior to him thinking to look upward. He had good instincts, at least. Haku had dove down from a mirror suspended much higher in the air, plummeting at a rate such that Huo could not even blink before he'd be struck.

In his hand was a dense, spiraling orb of blue chakra, and Haku pitched it down at Huo with a cry, "Rasengan!"

It was all so familiar— the volume of destructive, spinning chakra grinding him into the ground and dissolving the last bits of his Tao Barrier. The residual energy of the blow clobbered him, leaving him spread-eagled, and it aggravated some of the old complaints of his body from the last time he'd been hit and wounded with such a technique. Huo was able to push himself up to his hands and knees in the dust cloud, his brain tilted madly with a sensation of déjà vu and bile rising in his throat. How could it have happened again? By another's hand!

For Haku, it had also been a familiar experience. He had employed many of the strategies he had needed to use against Jiraiya to win their sparring match. In compensation for his efforts, Jiraiya had bequeathed several techniques to him. It was only prudent to make use of what he'd been taught.

To Haku's dismay, Huo staggered to his feet, trembling as he turned to face Haku. He was seething.

Haku reached his hand up toward the Ice Mirror he'd used for his ambush and Nuibari fell free of it, returning to his hand. Huo's deranged laughter rang in his ears.

"That." Huo slurped saliva back into his mouth, sick with fury and disbelief, "That. Is from Leaf. I know plenty of other lands, but that…I know from a first-hand encounter."

How had Huo's small eyes blown so wide? Haku felt a wave of killing intent so fresh that it nearly had him stuck, and it was an endeavor to keep his limbs loose as all of him wanted to clam up in response to the roiling hatred Huo ached to pin him with.

"What a picture you paint for me…you try to hide what you are and what you're doing…but I think I know." Huo tilted his head, his teeth peeking out from between his lips, "A down-on-his-luck mercenary joins the Seven Swords…but accepts tasks from any paying village. So that's how it is? You agreed to deliver Chōten to Hidden Leaf. And as thanks you receive training there— to learn that damned jutsu!" Strings of spit flew from his mouth as he roared, "Like that BITCH USED TO HUMILIATE ME!"

Maybe it had been too optimistic to think a direct blow with Rasengan would have put Huo down. Certainly, his application of the technique could never be as dense or as damaging as Naruto's version of the jutsu, or even Jiraiya's when he used Senjutsu. Fear dripped down Haku's spine as he watched Huo unleash a torrent of energy in some kind of Tao Art that illuminated him— a corona of power that glowed gold, green, and vermilion; his Phoenix Tao Art exerting pressure on the air around them. Huo's braid lashed wildly behind him as he stared at his quarry, possessed.

It was enough of a cue for Haku to make break for it when Huo raised two fingers in half a Ram Seal, concentrating, and then erupted in a Fire Tao Art from his mouth and every pore in his body. The area of effect was monstrous, a violent green heat incinerating the landscape, vaporizing remnants of ice, and catching the back half of the house alight— just a hair's breadth short of an explosion. Haku had thrown himself off of the rampart of the property and dropped into forest, eyes trained upward to witness the thunderhead of flames rolling through the air as he fell. He would be a charred skeleton if he'd been foolish enough to stay.

Burning debris floated down, catching a few pine boughs on fire. His mad rush through wilderness liquefied the contents stomach, breathing haggard as Huo closed in on him with unthinkable speed; a bright comet in the dark. Haku could barely dodge the strike when Huo struck down and gouged a giant pit in the ground. Seamlessly, he stood and formed hand signs for Ninjutsu, not allowing Haku an inch to escape.

"Stone Press!" He had uprooted more than 20 square meters of earth, a deep piece of rock that rose up beneath Huo's feet as he flipped and hurled the slab at Haku.

Haku narrowly avoided the crashing jutsu by sliding into a ditch, however the fragments of the Stone Press broke apart and pelleted him in the back and head. As he'd feared, when he popped out of the eroded ditch on the mountainside, Huo's fist met his stomach immediately. From there, his mind ceased to register what was happening. It was the precipice of death. The cracks and fractures, the ruthless twists and snaps— metacarpals, wrists, arms, shoulders, ribs, cheekbone, vertebra, hips and legs: nothing was spared. Even if he had trained nonstop in Taijutsu from youth up until that moment, Haku knew he still would never have stood a chance against the brutality inflicted upon him with Fènghuáng wushu.

When all was still again, Huo lifted him up by the collar of his hanbok, calm and inspecting him like a broken toy. The light radiating from him helped Haku see, though his vision was swimming with spots. His hands weakly tried to pry at Huo's grip.

"Beg." Huo demanded.

A sputter escaped Haku's lips with a trickle of blood.

"Beg for your two-faced, thief life, Haku." Huo callously tossed him to the rock and pine litter, watching him limply roll.

His faculties were short-circuited by waves of pain, breathing laborious and coming in rasps. If he stayed for a few moments more, his life was absolutely forfeit. On the off-chance his legs worked— oh! By some miracle he'd wobbled to his knees…though he could never run away fast enough. Huo would catch him; grab him by his loose hair or tattered hanbok and reel him in for a killing blow. It'd take guts to escape. It would take something that Huo couldn't counter, but what was beyond his control at present? Haku struggled to mold chakra and focus. The night air out here was cool and humid. His attempt to condense water with a hand sign went unnoticed by Huo.

Huo's attention was faced away, looking up the slope toward Keiseki House as screams and frantic activity responded to the fire on the other side of the rampart. The damage was regrettable. He raised his hands to tamp it down, but it took significant effort for him to suppress the Fire Nature that was consuming the exterior of the estate. Once that was done he looked back and saw Haku had hauled himself inside of a pitiful Ice Mirror— his last ditch trick. Huo laughed in earnest, "What do you think you're doing?" He stalked closer, "Return the scroll to me and appeal to my mercy. Cry. Curse me. Scream out your clansmen's names. But don't be so stupid that you think you can fight!"

When Haku did none of those things, Huo's temper flared once more, and he rushed with a running kick that shattered the mirror into specks. Within the scattering, frozen detritus, in what Haku called the white dimension, he had enough chakra to stretch the trail of fragmentized ice with a manipulated tendril of Yang element. It formed into the Ice Path he had first created under Jiraiya's guidance. Matter compressed so that he soared through the kaleidoscoping, tiny mirrors, and shot through an ice-dust trail before Huo's disbelieving eyes. The warp trail escaped into the dark of the wooded mountains and Haku dared not exit. He took the risk and moved through the far dimension's space to relocate in his proper reality, where Huo bayed like a bloodhound and pursued.

All sensation was dulled by adrenalin and the need to put distance between himself and this horrible place. The field of view from within the distending, light-prism path only afforded Haku short glimpses of Huo pursuing by foot at his top speed, keeping up. Where shadows were born from beams of moonlight, Huo bridged himself between them. His roaring tapered off when he decided to hunt in silence. At the edge of the mountain ridge, Haku's Ice Path continued on into open valley air as land ended in a sheer drop. Stubbornly, Huo descended into the valley to follow him along the ground.

The ache of fear, of not knowing if the chase would ever end, pushed him— willed him to plunge his chakra into the technique. He might have celebrated the fact that he was flying, Haku thought, if he ignored the fact that whenever he descended he'd be killed on the spot. Unknowable stretches of time passed. Pain crept back. His vision was failing.

Below, the Land of Mountains had given way to the Land of Earth, and then to the eastern reaches where the coast lay beyond. Haku told himself as the sun rose that Huo was no longer there. That Huo wouldn't be able to follow a flickering trail of ice and light through the clouds all night. The hard reality was that he couldn't keep it up. He would have to surrender and thank fear for its heavy dose of motivation. By dawn, nothing was left. His conscious mind closed up shop. Haku let the jutsu lapse and plummeted from the sky, hair and robes whipping, wind whistling in his ears.

He'd fallen for quite a while before he groggily cracked his eyes open, and then realized he was plunging to an alternative, certain death. Haku allowed himself a hoarse scream as tree tops grew dangerously near, scrounging the last dredges of his chakra and concentration to make a hasty Ice Path. He flashed through the trail, approaching the slopes of a new mountainside, through branches bushy with leaves, and finally met the earth again. Dropping only a meter off the ground, he thanked his lucky stars when he hit moss and weeds…though he'd nearly fallen onto a fence.

Weary, Haku peeked at his surroundings while prostrate, surprised that he had reached some vestige of civilization. Or…not really. Chance had delivered him into the fenced grounds of a large Shinto temple on a mountaintop. He was behind the honden, the main hall of the temple's cluster of buildings; in dim morning light, God only knew where. He could not even care if Huo found him like this, 'I can't move. I'm exhausted.' Every part of his body seared in pain, with a few odd exceptions that he could attribute to numbness or nerve damage.

He would have to heal himself…but that would require chakra. Of which he had precious little.

'Sleep. I just need sleep. I'll stay here until I have enough strength to use the Palm Healing jutsu.' His most serious injuries were the ones that made it difficult to close his eyes, breathe, and relax. Haku was acutely aware of multiple, horrific breaks in his left leg. Certainly his other limbs were worse for the wear, but judging from the number of fractures in his worst leg, Huo might've taken sadistic pleasure in repeatedly attacking his injuries. Broken ribs made every little movement of his torso a nightmare. The taste of iron in his mouth— he'd been punched and his teeth sliced open his lip, crusted over with dried blood. His arms, hands, and back…he was in disrepair. Defenseless.

'…whatever kami resides at this shrine…please.' He closed his eyes, 'I wish for safety. Whatever you can give a wretch like me…' Haku had been agnostic for most of his life, but if convenience and faith intersected somewhere, he had likely landed smack at the crossroads.

He was unconscious for several hours. Daylight was bright and direct overhead by the time he heard murmuring voices. Well, he reasoned, if those sounds were quiet and confused it probably wasn't Huo.

Haku cracked an eye open. A nettle of weeds obscured the view, but he could see the faces of the head priest and shrine maidens stealing a look from around the corner of the building at him. To say they were surprised was an understatement. They debated among themselves: Who is this? What happened to him? Is that a hanbok? So, some kind of foreigner? Look at all that blood! Was he in a fight?

They elected to be careful, their conversation carrying far enough for Haku to hear, "We've had too many attacks here by Iwa nin, so why take a chance on this stranger? It could make for trouble. Let's have a ninja investigate."

Oh great. They were going to ask a local shinobi to inspect him.

He slept some more.

The next thing he knew, a wet nose stamped his forehead. Haku drowsily opened his eyes and beheld a massive dog sniffing his hair. The animal eventually backed off. Then, two fingers attached to a person beyond his peripheral vision poked the carotid artery in his neck, proceeding to gently feel along his arms and the back of his neck. Haku shifted weakly and croaked, "Please don't mind me. I just need…a bit of rest…and then I'll be on my way."

"Doesn't look like it, fella." It was a woman's voice, "Your injuries are pretty bad."

"I can heal myself…once I have a bit more chakra." He strained to look up at whoever was leaning over him, "Please tell the shrine attendants I am very sorry for the inconvenience."

"Oh psh!" She was amused, "The shrine keepers were concerned, that's why they asked me personally to check on you. Besides, my son is more of a bother around here! You're nice and quiet. And you said you can use Healing Jutsu, huh? Good news." The kunoichi carefully righted him to his back, "So can I. If I have your word that you don't mean anyone in Shincha harm, I can help you. How does that sound?"

His sincerest answer, "That sounds wonderful."

With the deal struck, the woman beckoned over the watching priest and asked him to assist with lifting Haku. Due to the seriousness of his injuries (and frightening yelps of pain) the pair ended up carrying him like a horizontal log, and delivered him to the shamusho, the priest's living quarters and office. One of the shrine maidens had arranged a few drop cloths on the tatami floor to prevent blood from smearing, and Haku was set down carefully.

"Let me bring some water and a washcloth, Rin-san." The priest hurriedly exited the small building and ushered the maidens along. Though just barely, Haku registered the name of the woman who was scanning his body for injuries with the System Survey technique.

The large dog took a seat beside Haku, sniffing inquisitively, "Something beneath the blood and sweat…I've smelled before. But I don't know what…"

Haku jerked in surprise, "It speaks!"

"Relax." Rin pushed him back down.

"That's a ninken!"

"I know. Sesshu is my trusted partner." Her smile was tilted with worry, "Try not to move anymore."

Healing light began to work fractured ribs back together and Haku laid flat, eyes closed again, thoughts running wild in his head. A talented medic-nin here, in the middle of nowhere? With a ninja dog companion? He just had to ask, "Excuse me, Miss…but…are you from the Hidden Leaf Village?"

Her hands stilled in their work.

"I don't mean to pry." Through slitted eyes he could see tension tugging at Rin's face, "That village has—"

"What's it to you, stranger?" Rin never approached the subject carelessly.

That seemed like an affirmative. Also, how in the world could this gigantic dog lazing about beside him, with its capability of speech to boot, not be the product of breeding from Leaf's own Inuzuka clan? Haku had taken enough risks in the last 24 hours to perhaps take one more.

"I am from Hidden Leaf." Haku outed himself, "I'm Haku, one of Gama-sennin's students."

A small gasp escaped her, and Rin's hands did a frightened dance over him after hearing such an explanation.

"Oh, so that's what I smelled." Sesshu supposed.

"…Haku?" She knew the name and felt like panicking, attending a bit more diligently on worrisome leg fractures after she'd addressed torso injuries, "Yes…I've heard that name. Gaara's teammate."

"Yea—" He tried to acknowledge that statement but instead hissed in pain as Rin worked.

"Well, that explains it. This outfit threw me off…but I guess those working for Jiraiya-sama have to dress up strangely to avoid suspicion." Rin smiled ruefully, "My husband does too, when he's on assignment."

The priest returned with a basin of water and a cloth, and Rin thanked him before he saw himself out. She blotted bloody wounds while Haku's mind spun, putting these meager facts together. Her husband was working for Jiraiya? Since Haku had heard the official list of spies working covertly for the Toad Sage, he deduced that Rin was talking about Obito.

"My family isn't living in Leaf right now, but we're going to have to return there soon. Things have gotten dangerous." She explained, adding, "Please keep this to yourself, Haku. We've been trying to lay low. When I was told you were behind the temple, for a minute I thought you might be Kirin."

"…oh…" He wondered in a weak voice, "Who is Kirin?"

"He's a shinobi who's been stalking my family for quite a while, but…he doesn't seem to have any malicious intent. He's supervising us, as if he's warding away threats. My son told me that he keeps Sound ninja away from this town."

"That's…unusual." Haku offered.

"You're telling me. Every day I fear he might snap and hurt us…but he just…watches."

He didn't like the sound of that. Was Jiraiya aware of this situation?

"What luck you came to Shincha! If you'd gone any further, no one would've been able to help you. And if you'd ended up further west, you'd be detained by Iwagakure." Rin reasoned, "Now do you mind telling me how you ended up in this state? This wasn't the Akatsuki's doing, was it?"

"No, no…it…was an unexpected task that Jiraiya-sensei put me up to."

Rin ground her teeth, "Really? He needs to stop doing that to his subordinates. My husband almost got killed on his last mission and Gama-sennin had the audacity to show up late for the upheaval."

"If he could, he'd be everywhere at once. Please don't think badly of Sensei." Haku told her, "He did his best to reach Obito-san in time."

"—eh! How do you—?"

"I've been told about the other spies working for Sensei, since I'm one myself now. I…only know as much as I need to know." He waffled slightly on that because, well, he unfortunately knew too much about Obito. He did not want to speak carelessly on the subject of the Uchiha Clan.

"I see." Rin relaxed again, her hands glowing as she addressed other wounds, "It's alright. I don't think badly of him. Much of what goes wrong…is beyond our control anyway."

"You said you want to return to Konoha." Haku prodded at the subject, "Do you have…any family to talk to there? Or a place to live?"

"I've been corresponding with my big sister. I think she'd be happy to help us transition back."

"Oh! That's good." He sighed a little, hoping not to be obvious, "Speak to her as much as you can. Many things…have changed in the village." For one thing, the Uchiha Clan did not exist anymore. Not that he ought to be the one to speak such a terrible truth aloud.

"I'm sure they have since I left so long ago." Rin figured, "I've changed a lot too. I hope…my old friends…still accept me. Accept me and my family." She shook her head and then resumed her Palm Healing jutsu, which had flickered out while she was distracted, "How's the leg?"

"Which one?" He wanted to laugh. Everything was broken.

"Left leg, I mean."

"Not excruciating, but I can tell it's still not quite right."

"I did some touch ups, but I'll need to set it. Please hold tight for a bit while I fetch some of my supplies, alright? How's your breathing?"

"Somewhat better."

"Good! Sesshu, look after him."

The dog didn't even twitch on the mats, unruffled by the events that had taken place.

Haku laid there in silence. So he'd fallen straight into the care of an ally. That was prodigious good fortune. He'd spent every last drop of his luck just to get away from Huo. He'd also beseeched the kami of a random shrine for help, though he wasn't so convinced his salvation was thanks to that spur-of-the moment prayer. It felt like something else was at work. A nebulous tug on his spirit, one that he could not exactly place, but sometimes when he woke from deep dreams he could describe it.

'Because I have something important to live for, I will resolutely work for it and dedicate myself to it.' Once he had learned his course, Haku strove to achieve the end goal, particularly since his efforts now defended the lives of his friends. 'There are times, though…' He shut his eyes, breathing slowly, 'It feels like…I've done this before. Dedicated myself to something.' But he couldn't have, of course. He was only just coming of age and entering the fray. The fight ahead could be a long and bitter one, and there were no struggles behind him, save for the tragic fates of his parents.

When in the Water Country, the been-here, done-this sensation could get overwhelmingly strong. He'd noticed it happening more often. A feeling of having been to certain places— having certain experiences before. He'd been living as an outlaw for too long, Haku assumed.

"Hello!"

Haku turned his head and beheld a young boy tottering through the door with a heavy basket. He politely removed his shoes before crossing to the tatami floor.

"Hello." Haku greeted in kind.

"I'm Yuma. Mama sent me up with our lunch basket since we were gonna eat, but then she got called to the shrine. She says you can eat with us." He plopped the basket full of food down, then dropped down to his butt beside Sesshu.

"Oh, how very nice. Thank you—" Sheepishly, Haku told him, "I'm afraid I can't move at all right now, so I don't know how I could join you for a meal…"

"Whoa. You have got a lot," Yuma frowned at Haku's ragged look, "Of ouchies."

"A lot." Haku agreed.

"I'm also supposed to tell you…Mama might take a bit longer since she was gonna try to find you some clothes too." He gestured at Haku, "Your dress is all torn up."

"Yes, I know. It's called a hanbok."

"Want me to put blueberries in your mouth?" Yuma offered, "So you don't have to move."

"I'd hate to distract you from your lunch, Yuma-chan."

"It's fine." He began fishing around the basket, "What's your name again?"

"Haku."

Because he couldn't wait, Yuma shoveled a handful of blueberries into his own mouth from the container, chewing when he spoke again, "Nice to meet ya."

What a messy kid. He was exceedingly friendly, though. Haku felt further scandalized as the child dropped blueberries one by one into his open mouth, and he endeavored not to choke. There was no doubt in his mind that the "cute little kid" of Obito's that Naruto had described was this one, treating this bird-style feeding like a game.

"How about some meatballs? Oh— Sesshu, this is for you." Yuma distractedly set a container on the floor for the dog, and then plucked meatballs out of a lunchbox with chopsticks. Judging by sight, Haku supposed they were small enough to consume without accidentally lodging in his airway. Yuma clumsily dropped a sauced meatball on his face.

"You know…maybe this isn't a good idea. I'm not that hungry." Which wasn't true. He indeed was hungry, but Haku wasn't feeling so enthusiastic about eating after Yuma five-second-ruled the fallen meatball from the tarp and back to his mouth. He had sort of forgotten how gross children could be. It was a moot point, however, since he was a foul sight himself.

"Sorry about your face, Haku-san. I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, but it sounded like Mama knew you…so do you wanna hear about my school? And my jutsu? Oh! And I can tell you about the garden too— I helped it grow a lot this year." He air-dropped another meatball, "Are you a ninja? Can you tell me about your missions?" A gasp, "Do you know my Dad?"

"Slow down, please."

Again, Yuma took the opportunity to shovel several more lunchbox morsels into his own mouth.

"There are…only a few things I can tell you." Haku offered, "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers either."

"That's okay, then."

"Good. Well, where to start?" Haku took a moment to think, "I grew up in the Hidden Leaf Village with my two best friends…"

---

That evening, far to the west in the Land of Mountains, Huo returned to Keiseki House empty-handed.

The stink of the burned garden and rear porch of the estate wafted all through the grounds, and Huo searched vainly for signs of his Sect, though he was already quite certain they had abandoned the auction house. Shame gnawed at his guts. He had given it his all last night, but Haku had slipped through his fingers and into the night sky as nothing more than a shimmer of ice dust. How could he have known the whelp had such a trick up his sleeve?

He left the estate and traveled northwest up mountain slopes, out of the cover of the pine wilderness, and beyond exposed faces of rock and plateaus. His limbs ached. The skin of his knuckles had split open, raw from hitting Haku so many times, 'I never should have let him take that scroll back. How could I let my guard down?'

The answer was already clear to him. At first, he had not been serious about stopping Haku at all. He'd taken quite a shine to the dignified rogue. Their interactions had been pleasant and thoughtful, unlike most of Huo's exchanges over the last six months. He'd endured failure and struggle repeatedly. Lost Susumajin to that witch, had his treasured sabre broken apart, been beaten and interrogated by an enemy village, lost contact with his parents, and had been labeled a nukenin, officially, by Hidden Rock. The auction was supposed to be a relaxing, elegant affair, and an easy victory for his Sect. Another victory for Hidden Leaf to snatch away.

The thought stuck like a needle in his brain and Huo was incensed again, punching apart a column of limestone that shattered and skipped down the slope. It tore open the worn out flesh of his hand again, bleeding fresh.

No. How stupid could he be? Expecting to make an authentic friend? Of course Leaf would worm its way into his path again and ruin that. The only source of friendship he had ever had were the Kuang brothers, though their support felt more like hero-worship than the respect of peers.

Then, at the top of the mountain pass, he finally spied a small red sparkler fizzling on a bluff. It was a telltale signal that he was close to the group, who marked the trail for him to reunite with them. Huo scaled the ridge, stamped out the sparkler, and crunched across gravel tiredly, revealing himself to those seated and lounging at the edges of the stone patch. Near the center, a tea pot was set atop a flat stone beside the tree stump Bihokokuni was seated on, who poured a cup for himself. On the ground was a charred book. He did not bother looking up when he greeted, "Huo."

At the edge of the yard, Koinyu glanced over his shoulder while rummaging through his travel bag. His eyes went a little wide, trying to get a read on why the Sect leader's most gifted pupil had been gone overnight.

"Do you have the new emeici or not, bolts for brains?" Another Sect member grunted at Koinyu, "Give 'em here."

Koinyu passed over the needle weapons he'd stored in his bag, "You only paid me half for these, Tsunetane."

"Right. Because I bought some very nice company last night. I'll pay you next week."

"Tch." Koinyu's eyes scanned the space again, stopping briefly on Huo as he sat across from his master and accepted a cup of tea. He then looked around at the other occupants, shouting out to them, "Jué, Yu; you both owe me half for what you bid on yesterday."

"Yeah, yeah…" They waved him off.

"Kanshou, you owe me the full amount for that new jian…"

The man didn't fuss and instead fished around his satchel for money notes.

"Liang, Takami, and Sō, you all paid me in full yesterday, so you're off the hook…" He rattled off debts, "Huo pays for himself, like always…Cheng?" Koinyu scowled at a final Sect member on his immediate right, "Did you get anything?"

Besides your mother's fat ass? Cheng snarked in Hanwen, which incited an uproar of laughter from the group. Bihokokuni raised his hand to quiet them all again, not keen on giving away their position to any ears in the mountain range.

After a moment, Cheng hurled a wad of money notes in Koinyu's face. Since Koinyu was more shinobi than anyone else, lacked most Tao talents others did, and played double-agent for Orochimaru, he tended to receive poor treatment from Sect members. He put up with the treatment stonily.

"Where are Qin and Ga-Fen?" Huo asked at length.

All went silent.

Bihokokuni tipped back the last sip from his tea cup and set it down, rising to cross the tract of gravel and overlook the valley from the cliff's edge. "Before that," He spoke with his back to Huo, "Where is Chōten?"

Put on the spot, Huo ignored onlookers and steeled himself when he answered truthfully, "It escaped in the hands of a thief."

"And was retrieved?"

"I…" He felt many gazes watching him, "I pursued, but the culprit escaped."

"Very well." Bihokokuni accepted the explanation with ease, "Where was the scroll being taken?"

Huo felt his tongue stick in his mouth, finding it harder to reply, "To…Hidden Leaf."

The murmurs started. How are they doing this? How can Leaf have all three Tao treasures in its possession? Surely they could not be so well-informed?

"That thief was a match for you, I see." Bihokokuni glanced over his shoulder.

"He was no match. He barely escaped with his life." Huo spat, "A no-account swordsman with The Seven, a young one. He's one of those Yuki degenerates— Yuki Haku."

"Why was he accepting a mission from Hidden Leaf?"

"I do not know."

Koinyu chimed in with a grin, "Because he's from Hidden Leaf, you silly child!" He laughed at Huo, "Did you decide to trust him because he seemed like a sympathetic stray? Hidden Leaf adopted him when he was orphaned, so I hear. Not even wanted by his own clan! Orochimaru has had that boy marked for quite some time! He's as clever as they come."

"You shut your disgusting mouth, you insect." Huo rounded on Koinyu.

Packing away the collected money notes into his rucksack, Koinyu kept smiling, "Does my disgusting mouth remind you of your shortcomings, Huo? Should you speak like that to someone who laid the Copy Ninja flat on his back, and pilfered Hidden Leaf's cemetery—?"

"You're proud for a coward." In a flash of shadow, Huo was in front of him, glaring eye-to-eye with the braggart, "You'd be dead without Shifu's Shadow Gate to retrieve you. Worthless louse."

"You must give Leaf so much credit because they defeat you time and time again." Koinyu could not relent, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. He'd practically invited Huo's fist to his shirt collar, dragging him to his knees.

Huo bared his teeth, where a few gleamed gold in the daylight, "Your cultivation is pathetic—your Tao Arts unfit even for the dime store sales bin-!"

"Why," Bihokokuni had turned around and asked, "Do you take pride in your cultivation level, Huo?"

Silence prevailed again, and the other members of the Sect discreetly fidgeted in their seats among stones. Huo's hand loosened and Koinyu wriggled away, lifted up his pack to retreat several steps.

Huo explained himself, "Tao Arts are invaluable tools—"

"They are tools. They were her tools." Bihokokuni acknowledged, "We are shinobi. Sworn to defeat Tian Tian and her faction with their own heretic arts. It is the only way to counter them, you understand this." He folded his arms behind his back, "We adapted the discipline she founded to cut her down with it, as Lord Indra asked."

Nearby, Cheng and Yu muttered ecstatically while listening to the mission statement: Deliver the ultimate insult. Give her a taste of her own medicine.

"Just as he asked." Huo agreed in a soft breath.

"Your cultivation energy is too high. You depend on Tao Arts too much." Bihokokuni observed, "It was you who burned Keiseki House."

"Haku was—!"

"Could you not defeat him with your Ninjutsu? Your Taijutsu?" Bihokokuni pressed.

"I fought him fairly, for the sake of our Sect! Why should the methods matter?" He was careful not to raise a disrespectful tone with the Sect Leader.

"Why should it matter?" Koinyu echoed in a shriek, astounded.

"The methods matter, Huo, because dedicating oneself to cultivation means that one is no better than Tian Tian herself, the deviant." The Sect Leader was perfectly calm as he illustrated the point, "She harnessed chakra that was given to us from the Shinju, and she selfishly enriched herself with the cultivation qi of this world as well— a student of two conflicting schools…and then renounced Ninshu altogether. Will you do the same? To hoard power that isn't yours? Power that should be returned to Lord Indra?"

Huo swallowed the lump in his throat. He could not deny that he often relied on Tao Arts, even though doing so was principally discouraged by his Sect unless absolutely necessary. He flaunted his unique abilities. He took pride in something that the witch once took pride in, long ago. So indeed, what did that make him in the eyes of his Sect? Many here only used the bare minimum of Tao Arts, most especially in efforts to stymie targeted ninja villages that had no hope of countering them. Huo used his techniques as a matter of course, for whatever the occasion. This habit had not gone unnoticed.

"All that we do…aspires to return to Indra what is rightfully his. This is our way. Not for the sake of any Ōtsutsuki eminence other than he. The rest are false, pliable…and take pity on the ignorant."

Murmurs of agreement started up again, and Huo dared glance around at Sect members he had always thought himself superior to. His philosophy had taken a backseat to improving himself, shirking the communal goal of the Sect. Maybe his peers could be struck down in a fight against him, but was he a worthy servant when he acted in his own self-interest? No one here thought so.

"I bet your jindan is nearly as developed as Bi-sama's." Koinyu jeered, "I bet you have more cultivation energy in your body than shinju chakra! You'll stop aging before long— try to make your sword fly-!"

Huo whirled around and tried to cuff Koinyu in the face, but Cheng caught his wrist to restrain him, preventing a brawl. Huo shook free and began pacing.

"It's nothing like that!" Huo's humiliation was cresting, eyes glassy, "Me? Rely on those aberrant techniques! For what? You would accuse me! When I risk my life over and over to confront our enemies?"

"Huo," Bihokokuni drew his attention once more, "Each time, you have failed."

His heart crumbled to dust in his chest, trickling down into the acidic pits of his stomach. Those words had left his Master's mouth. For all to hear. He stood in silence and tried to overcome the apex moment of dejection, of being taken to task for his repeated disappointments.

"Shifu," He swallowed his pride and dropped to his knees, "I beg your forgiveness. I will not lose my way. Everything I do is for the Sect and for Lord Indra's awakening."

"You are forgiven." Bihokokuni crossed over to his teapot again to pour a new cup.

Huo rose and ignored the titters of amusement from those watching. He asked once more, "Where are Qin and Ga-Fen? Did they not accompany-?"

Bihokokuni flicked his fingers, signaling to Takami and Tsunetane to handle it. The two ninja stalked off into bramble and boulders beyond the gravel patch, leaving Huo to stare dumbly. When they returned, Qin and Ga-Fen were boneless, floppy and unresponsive, and were dragged into the clearing and roughly tossed to the ground. Huo bolted over to them and crouched down to examine them. Their throats had been slit.

"You may have them." Bihokokuni granted him.

Shaking, Huo frantically tried to make sense of why his friends had been killed. They had committed no offense! They had frequently found reliable shelter and resources for the Sect each time they relocated. They had forsaken their lives and responsibilities in Hidden Rock to help him. Why had they been disposed of? He rolled each boy over to slide their eyelids shut.

Koinyu and a few other Sect members snorted in amusement.

"You laugh." Huo launched to his feet, tormented, "The deaths of your own comrades are entertaining?"

Kanshou spoke in a deep voice from beside a withered tree, "They were never a part of us."

"They were a liability!" Yu agreed.

"Just your young, dumbass tag-alongs from Hidden Rock." Cheng explained it for him, "If they were caught and interrogated they'd only slow us down. Like you did. We cut the dead weight while you were gone."

"Who did this?" A furious sheen of tears glinted in Huo's eyes.

When no one answered and Bihokokuni sat leisurely sipping tea, Huo looked to each one of those smirking, unremorseful faces. Finally, when he settled on Koinyu, the man could not keep up his façade. His shoulders began to bounce as he laughed wildly, "Ha, ha, ha! Who do you think?"

Huo was on him in an instant, screaming as he beat Koinyu into the dirt, frenzied in his violence. Sect members scrambled to pull the two apart. After several seconds of tussling Bihokokuni demanded they knock it off, as if it were some casual scuffle. It took four men to hold Huo back as Koinyu limped away angrily, leaning on Takami as they put distance between themselves and the outraged disgrace.

Writhing, Huo escaped the grip of other Sect members, hocking and spitting at them, "All of you act without a shred of honor! Complacent in the murder of juniors!"

Shouts of protest, "They weren't even disciples! They were useless!"

"Enough." Bihokokuni's voice pierced the clamor.

Huo faced his Master, "Do you tolerate the—?"

"I ordered it." The truth came in a deadpan statement from their leader.

Going still again, Huo swallowed and blinked, trying to make sense of this horror.

"We've no time for rescues or unnecessary clashes. The weak aren't welcome here." Bihokokuni told him, "I wanted to give you the opportunity to redeem yourself, Huo. Your strength is promising. Your follow-through is not. Koinyu succeeds at most every task I give to him-"

Blatant disrespect dripped from Huo's interruption, "He's a murderer with no honor!"

"Be that so, he hasn't failed me."

"I will retrieve Chōten, with your leave."

"You will fail again."

Crazy-eyed, Huo screeched, "I won't!"

"I will make it so that you cannot fail again." Bihokokuni assured him.

Recognition flickered on Huo's face as he pieced his situation together, and immediately called upon his Phoenix Tao Art, preparing himself as Bihokokuni drew the dao from the scabbard at his side. It was all a crock of shit, not that any of them knew it. Huo was exhausted from his time fighting at Keiseki House, and he could not defend himself for more than a few minutes before his technique expired.

"No student's achievement has ever rivaled yours. But please don't give your Master any more grief." Bihokokuni placated him, "In death, you will never disappoint me."

"I could never do anything while dead." Huo retorted, "So I refuse."

"You're wrong about that." Bihokokuni corrected him.

All around, Sect members shrank back in bewilderment as their leader prepared to root out their most gifted trouble-spot. They knew better than to interfere.

Huo struck first and had his blow reflected back at him, rebounding off of Bihokokuni's Reversal Array. He was splayed on his back for a moment, heaving himself back to his feet with effort.

"We shall contribute to a powerful technique that can stall any force that might rise against Lord Indra's will." Bihokokuni spun the dao in his hand, raising half of a Ram Seal to focus cultivation qi instead of chakra, "The dead can be controlled with cultivation, but it is an imperfect practice. With Forbidden Ninjutsu, one can exert full control over corpses, and even command them to use techniques they used in life. Only one question remains…"

Huo scoured the space for the nearest shadow, prepared to make an earnest run for it.

"…and that is…can a corpse controlled in this way use Tao Arts?" Bihokokuni wondered.

Oh. So that was the meaning of this nonsensical betrayal. It was to experiment with some kind of Reanimation Jutsu that Huo had heard whispers of, based on Koinyu's machinations with the Snake Sennin. He was going to be used to test if Tao Arts were viable after death. 'That's what he thinks!' Huo had little left to lose.

He dashed through a long shadow at the edge of the bluff, disappearing into the dark. In the same moment, Bihokokuni had let go of his dao as it was suspended in the air, manipulated by qi. With his will and a thought to direct it, the sabre flew into another shadow, and within that realm, connected with its target. Huo was stuck front to back on the blade, falling backwards— back into daylight. He hit the ground with a puff of dust.

Unruffled, Bihokokuni crossed the patch and pulled his sword free, ignoring Huo's helpless rasp.

"You will be much more than you are now— you shall become a valuable tool in his service. Do not fret, Huo. Your karma will be restored. Your pain will end." He struck down with the sabre's point, down through his student's heart, "Embrace vacancy and the void."

That principle of the Tao— of empty space and non-action— was one Huo had hoped to grasp in life, not in death. Once he had gone still and his light went out, Sect members spoke quietly again, in concert with their leader's mantra.

Emptiness.

Emptiness.

Emptiness.

---

Note: Did that last bit f**k you up? It hurt a little bit to put it to paper. Or, word-processor, in this case. Don't join cults, kids! Thank you for reading and let me know what you thought in the comment box below!

Chapter 56- Anew

---

lll

Also, here is another Q&A convo with fiveflyingsquirrels that we thought would be worth a share:

Be honest, T.O. Have you ever had writer's block?

I don't think I have ever had a block that lasted for more than a few months. It isn't so much that I do not come up with ideas as it is not having the time or the physical capability to write.

Can you tell me what was the worst comment someone has ever given you on a fic?

Well, I can't give you the full scope of it considering the profanity and vitriol, but a certain plot element in Harbinger upset a reader so much that he explained to me exactly how I was not catering to his needs as a reader. I was also called Thiefowl for robbing him of his enjoyment of the story, which made me lol so hard. Sometimes I call myself Thiefowl when I am being mischievous.

What fandom's stories do you enjoy reading at the moment, or have you enjoyed in the past?

The list would get too long if I rattled off every fandom I swan-dove into, but more recently I have been reading HunterxHunter and Miraculous Ladybug fanfics. I read physical books more often than fanfiction, but I still love me some fanfiction.

Many fanfic authors stop writing for various reasons, even after several years of productivity or in the middle of an unfinished fic. How have you kept going for so long?

I don't actually know… I've enjoyed writing and never really stopped for the past decade. It feels like a cooldown exercise I use now to relax. Over time it became a natural habit. I never pressured myself to finish a story, or produce anything that could make me feel less inclined to work on it.

Language plays a subtle role in Harbinger. What motivated you to add a language barrier or multilingual characters to the story?

My undergraduate studies were in modern languages, and since it is such a passion of mine it felt right to inject language and associated themes into Harbinger in particular. It prompts cultural exchange and character development in many scenarios, and I think it also makes the reader a bit more curious about the world at large in the story.

I have read your other stories too, btw. "Against Policy" is a quick and very enjoyable fic that made me wonder why you do not write more one-shots. Is that something you would do?

Yes, definitely. I just need to get around to it.

Does the world in your story have any cameos of characters from other manga, anime, or fandoms? Would you ever consider writing a crossover fic if you have the time?

I have thought about character cameos in my stories, but do not have any planned soon. Some characters I created appear in Harbinger and also in The Ocean in a Teacup, which a few readers have noticed. Without saying too much about where Harbinger is going plot wise, I guess it kind of is a crossover AU already? But there has been no indication yet of which worlds are shared thus far. Taoism has been a big clue. Some other clues I can provide are the Xianxia genre, flying swords, and Emperor's Smile.

While I have you talking about Harbinger, I had a question based on the chapter you just let me beta-read. It seems like there was more to Huo than just being a terrifying villain. He cared (in his own weird way) about his family and friends. He even sort of became friends with Haku! Was this padding to make his death more upsetting?

Ohh…I kind of don't want to answer.

Why not?

Because I changed much of Huo's original plot to accommodate the storyline and focus on established main characters. Due to his failures he was going to end up beaten and rejected by his Sect, but escape with his life. Since blame and rage would make him seek out who he thought was responsible for his disgrace and the deaths of his only friends, he went after Haku to settle the score. Through a series of twists and development, Huo ends up as a member of Haku and Zabuza's ragtag group as more of an anti-hero than a villain, and he progresses in his philosophy of what is worth fighting for. He was meant to have a more satisfying and intriguing outcome in spite of his past actions. Much of this plot would have eaten into time and space that ought to be devoted to other story elements and so it was edited out. Likewise, he was also more vulnerable to the machinations his Sect than he had ever thought, which tragically made him an easy victim to pick off based on the current plot as well. I do not normally bring up the details that get changed in my writing, since I don't want to generate too much "what could have been?" speculation.

Crap, you're right. I would have loved to see that play out.

That's what I mean. I wish to be free to capriciously change my mind and no one can influence me otherwise!

I get it. Moving on! Do the main characters in Harbinger actually have flaws? If they always stay good friends, where is the source of conflict going to come from?

At least in the case of the main trio, they have been at odds with other over various minor things, but you are right in that the conflict has never been catastrophic. Storytelling convention suggests that conflict can bubble up reliably from whatever lie the character believes. Naruto, Haku, and Gaara do not develop strife with each other, but rather end up at war with themselves. There is already ample evidence of each going through the motions of realizing they are not living up to some kind of expectation they have of themselves. This tension is set to come to a boiling point once each realizes the reality of the lie they've each deluded themselves with. The concept trickles over into other characters' arcs as well. Gaara believes he is being a conscientious and good leader for his village, a role he has fulfilled thus far. Haku believes he will be able to protect those he cares about whenever they need him. Naruto believes that he will have proven himself/lived up to his parents' legacy and become content if he can reach the level of Kage. All of these are lies and will create an earthquake of consequences.

The tone of "The Ocean in a Teacup" is noticeably different from your other fics. It follows an alternative timeline of events that could have happened in the Hidden Mist Village. Why do you frame most of that story from the perspective of a medic-nin, and how did you make Zabuza a sympathetic character? In Harbinger, he is portrayed as an egotistic douchebag who takes advantage of others. Why do I like him so much in Teacup?

This question requires a bit less athleticism to answer, thanks! One of the perspectives in The Ocean in a Teacup happens to be a disgruntled, selfish medic-nin saddled with ancestral and emotional baggage. That POV flips to that of swordsmen (various members of the Seven Swords) to create a split screen of the environment. Some other snippets of character perspectives pop up, but the combination serves to paint Hidden Mist from different angles and contexts. What is it like trying to treat patients there? For example. What is society like? Zabuza is purposefully awful and untrustworthy in Harbinger, yes that is true. In Teacup, I worked to supersede those qualities with a sense of righteousness and purpose. When you read the story and witness how he conducts himself, how he lives, and how he treats Haku, Zabuza's character is measured against that of the supposedly "virtuous" characters, who turn out to be less just and principled than him. It's fun to play with expectation.

What can I do to become a better writer? Sometimes I think about making my own fic, but I've never liked anything I made or it never got noticed when I posted.

Ah, the age-old question. I cannot give a foolproof recipe, but I can give some standard and non-standard advice if you want. Standard advice: Read a lot. Not just fan fiction. Read biographical stuff, historical stuff, relevant nonfiction works that can support the "background" and environment of the story you want to make. Keep notes! Heck, even business news and social anthropology essays will make a difference. Read novels by authors you admire and try to develop the tone of your writing based on their prose and patterns. When you sample from many sources, your voice develops in the written word. Good advice: Set goals and do not punish yourself. Do not take abuse. Be civil with real criticism and compliments. Keep growing and know that everything you wrote before that sucked is just as much a reference as all that stuff you read to get inspired. All of it becomes your springboard for ideas and technique. Non-standard advice: Get weird. Do things you haven't seen yet, mess around with perspective, format, timing, shock-factor, and so on. But ALWAYS pair your risks with good judgement. If you want people to read your story and digest it, try to avoid alienating them with incomprehensible or poorly-planned writing. Take your time and edit. Find a friend to beta read. Or proofread the heck out of your stuff. Organization is your friend, especially when you take a risk. If you have the skeleton of your fic planned and can be consistent with an outline, your work will commensurately improve. Yeah. Be weird and daydream. Come up with things that entertain you. That's when you have the ideas that can entertain someone else.

Thanks again for answering! Before I go, can you give me any spoilers for Harbinger? That's what I read most often.

Sure. An important character will die.

Maybe I walked into that one…

I'm just messing with you! LOL Multiple important characters die.

#$ &%!? Why would you tell me that? That is so evil!

Are you saying you didn't expect something like that to happen?

…okay. I kind of did. But I did not really want the confirmation.

You've gotta take the good with the bad, Squirrels. If this makes it so you don't bombard me with questions in your next PM to me, I'd say it was worth it. Don't freak out. Since I want to make a great story, good things are bound to happen too. Balance, you know.

I know. I still love you, Thiefowl.

Oh lawd.