The Wanderers
Chapter 62 – Willingness to Commit
A/N: To anyone who was concerned Tobi was taken out too easily last chapter; that was a little bit of the point. I didn't want to drag his fight out too long (which is what the real story is doing at the moment), and I wanted to show Hinata's growth and how they worked together. Besides, I really don't like him as a bad guy, even now.
Also sorry this took so long to get out. Commitments are a pain in the ass. Now that my studies are done for the year, I'll be trying to get these chapters out every 7 to 9 days as before.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, it would show that sometimes people die in undramatic and dull ways. Heroes can fall from horses and break their necks.
***Previously-On***
Having been stuck in battle with the remaining Swordsmen of Kirigakure, Naruto and Killer Bee were finally able to defeat their opponents, though they left Mangetsu and Ameyuri alive. Discovering Roshi's body and Han's disappearance, the two of them left the battlefield. Naruto was summoned by Gaara to the water battlefield and saw the devastation the two defenders had wrought among the Quiraji fleet. Naruto confronted Kyoukou on the deck of one of the ships, but could do nothing as the enemy leader killed Utakata in front of him, but Naruto was able to destroy the ship he was on and delay the invasion even further. Both he and Gaara left back to the rally point, and after being greeted by Gaara's spy, Naruto took her assistance in discovering what had happened to his wife. Within the strange dimension they had been taken to, Hinata and her companions fought against the enigmatic Tobi. They worked together and took down the strange Zetsu creature that was protecting Tobi from their attacks before finally taking him down and killing him once and for all. After a few minutes, Naruto appeared to come to the rescue, but seeing that the fight was over he simply took the kunoichi out of the dimension with his Hiraishin technique.
***End Summary***
Naruto and Hinata landed gracefully on the floor within the Mizukage's office, with the young Hyuuga heiress pecking her husband on the cheek before regarding the room. Naruto smirked and reached down to offer a hand to the two women who had fallen onto the floor.
Both Fu and Yugito groaned as they picked themselves up both of them holding their stomachs sorely from the transition.
"What the hell was that?" stammered Fu, clutching at her head in an attempt to stop the world from spinning so quickly.
"Sorry about that," said Naruto with a comforting smile. "For some reason the technique didn't work as well as it normally does."
"It was a different dimension, honey," said Hinata, placing a hand on Yugito's head to heal her thumping headache. "Spiritual energy didn't work the way it should normally."
Fu shook herself out of it and gave the married couple a suspicious look from the ground, "And the two of you weren't hurt at all?"
The two of them looked at each for a moment before shrugging to the green-haired girl and turning to regard the occupants of the room.
The Mizukage smirked at the new arrivals, looking over at the previous Mizukage for a moment before finally looking back at Hinata. "Is he dead?"
Hinata nodded before turning her gaze to Yagura and finding herself shocked at what she could see through her Byakugan. It wasn't obvious on the outside, but his system was eating itself up inside him. "Yagura…"
The Fourth Mizukage put up a hand to stop her, "It's fine, Hinata."
Mei gave Naruto a curious look, "How did you get into this office? We didn't even see you enter."
The Uzumaki shinobi chuckled and kept his wife's arm tightly at his side, before frowning and realising that there was something he had forgotten. He turned back to her, but before he could ask she let his arm go and gave him the slightest of nods.
"Naruto, where are you going?" demanded Yagura as the blonde shinobi quickly made his way to the entrance.
He turned around and gave their leader a curious look, "I just came to make sure Hinata was okay. We aren't done yet."
"Yes we are," said Yugito with a tired sigh. "The bad guy is dead and the village is secure."
Naruto looked at her for a moment before shrugging and trotting back to her side. "Well that's that, I guess. What do we do now?"
Taking a moment to thank the girls for their help, the Mizukage reached forward and flipped her old desk up to its proper position. She took a moment to sigh at the state of her office before stepping around and sitting at the chair that had been spared any damage from the fighting.
"It's strange seeing someone else behind that desk," said Yagura, with the hint of a smile on his face.
"Missing your old job?" she said with a smirk.
The shorter Mizukage shook his head, concealing a grimace of pain, "That's not my place anymore. I wanted to secure my home while I could…"
"…and you have done just that." Mei looked around to see if there was any paper left in the office, but it seemed that the doppelganger hadn't been using any for a long time. She turned her gaze back to her predecessor. "I will speak to the villagers on your behalf and set the record straight."
Yagura took a moment before turning to their companions, "Can you give us some time to speak alone? There are things I need to tell her that needs to stay in this room."
They all nodded quickly, though only Hinata could really tell what his true intentions were.
"You should all wait in a nearby room before going out into the village," said Mei from behind her desk. "Our shinobi have been on high alert, they would likely attack you on sight."
The door swung open in perfect timing and Ao walked in with several ANBU shinobi, immediately taking up offensive positions around the foreigners before Mei put up her hands to stand them down.
"Ao, well done. Tell our forces to stand down and get a clean-up crew in here at once."
The one-eyed shinobi bowed quickly to the Mizukage and signalled orders to the ANBU accompanying him. They gave the intruders stares for a moment before leaving to go about their business. Mei knew that within hours the village would be at rest, but she had a thousand things to fix and no time to do them.
"I guess we should go get Gaara and Killer Bee then," said Naruto. He went to leave but stopped as he clutched at his stomach with a loud groan.
Hinata rolled her eyes and pulled his arm up over her shoulder, turning her gaze to her female companions, "Excuse me; I have to make sure my husband hasn't killed himself through some…stupid manner."
Fu and Yugito both chuckled at the scene, though the Seven-Tails container jumped as she heard a strange female voice in her ear. Fu frowned and turned to Hinata, "Apparently Gaara is already on his way. Something about not wanting to wait on ceremony."
"Wait, you mean that Killer Bee is by himself?"
Naruto groaned as he looked up and gave the Two-Tails container a stare, "He's a big boy, he can handle himself."
Yugito cursed loudly and stomped her way to the doorway, "I'm going to kill him." She swung the door open and stepped into the corridor. "I'm going to kill him!"
"Yugito!" called out Hinata, causing the blonde kunoichi to turn with a furious look on her face. The Hyuuga heiress bowed her head slightly and smiled, "It was a pleasure working with you."
The Kumogakure shinobi sighed quietly and nodded at her before disappearing towards the exit.
"Not much for feelings, is she?" commented Naruto with a smirk.
"Leave her alone, dear. She's duty-bound to her village." She leaned down and kissed the top of his head, "Now let's get you somewhere where you can lie down before your stomach bursts."
Fu watched the two of them walk out before shrugging and following behind, leaving the Mizukage's to their discussion.
Once the door was closed, Mei stood up from her desk and gave her predecessor a deep respectful bow. "Thank you for all your help, Yagura."
"Give me your hands, Mei," said the Three-Tails container bluntly, stepping in front of her desk and offering his hands to her.
The red haired leader frowned in confusion, "Didn't you say there were some things you wanted to talk about?"
"Give me your hands," repeated Yagura. He took her outstretched hands into his, "I have to finish the transfer before my body collapses. I don't think I was meant to have much more time than this."
Mei sighed in response and stared into his purple eyes, "You're a good man, Yagura. You've done this village a great service."
Fuelling chakra through their hands, Yagura bit back a laugh and shook his head slightly. "Be wary of when he comes out of his cage. Isobu has a tendency to bite."
"Anywhere you want to be buried?"
"The old plot was fine. It had a nice spread."
Yugito sped through the village, cursing her circumstances several times over while ignoring the odd stares of the returning Kirigakure citizens. She may have been given a free pass from the Mizukage, but Yugito didn't like moving through a hostile environment regardless of how things had turned out.
If he's gone, I'm going to track him down and beat him to death.
She jumped off the edge of a roof with a single bound, looking up to see a torrent of rain come crashing onto her face. Putting up an arm to shield her face, Yugito swore under her breath and increased her speed substantially.
Matatabi, can you check to see if the Eight-Tails is nearby? I can't sense anything.
Leaping over the wall of Kirigakure in several bounds, Yugito tried to get her bearings in mid-air, while repeating her question to her occupant. The Two Tails had been suspiciously silent since they'd returned from the strange dimension, but Yugito could feel her still inside so she wasn't sure why she wasn't responding.
The deluge continued as she made her way to the rally point they had agreed on before the mission. She hated the fact that she seemed to always be chasing the insufferable man; it was her lot in life.
By the time she had gotten to where Killer Bee had been seen last, the rain had turned into a heavy storm that Yugito was struggling to move quickly through. Her primary element was fire, and she'd been with her occupant so long that anything that was her antithesis was also Yugito's. Leaping from wet branches onto the ground, the Two-Tails container sought shelter underneath a large rock formation, taking a moment to catch her breath and take an account of her situation.
She hadn't recovered from her battle with the man called Tobi, but she couldn't let Killer Bee run off on his own. She sighed again and reached up to feel at her hair, grimacing as her hands came back drenched in water. Yugito put little account in appearance, but she liked her blonde hair the way it was.
Pulling apart her ponytail and wringing the water out of it carefully, Yugito found herself sinking to the ground with her back to a large rock that was surprisingly dry.
Matatabi…talk to me. Are you there?
Once again she was greeted by silence.
If you're snubbing me, that's fine. I don't need this at the moment anyway…
Leaning her head on the rock behind her with her hair strewn across her shoulders, chuckling to herself that she probably looked quite the fright. She'd never wanted a stiff drink so much in her life, but couldn't bring herself to go back to Kirigakure and wait out the storm. Yugito was known for her stubborn nature and she wasn't going to change just because she was a little bit tired.
Though she was pretty tired, and felt like she hadn't slept in weeks.
Hours later Yugito shook herself awake, simultaneously feeling relief and disgust in herself. Instinctively she yawned widely and scratched at the back of her neck, looking around at the area through tired eyes. The rain had eased up to a light drizzle, but Yugito doubted that her quarry would have left a trail she could follow after such a deluge.
"Didn't even get a drink. The Raikage's going to kill me."
"I'm sure he'll understand, Yugito."
"You're still alive in there, huh? Wasn't sure whether you were snubbing me or not."
She heard a number of illegible sounds from her occupant, though the fact that she got a response was encouraging to the Two-Tails container.
Taking a long breath, Yugito picked herself up from the ground and went to dust herself off when she saw something that turned her face to a deep scowl.
With a sigh she reached down and removed the small piece of paper stuck to her breastplate, flipping it over and reading it twice to make sure she was reading it right.
Yugito
You looked so innocent sitting there, I couldn't help but
exploit the opportunity. I wanted to leave and get my Enka on, but
I figured that'd be rude. Sometimes you've gotta let the rap take its own course.
I'm heading back to brother. Sometimes you've gotta face the music.
Killer Bee
P.S. You really shouldn't leave yourself defenceless like that.
Weaker men would have taken advantage.
I only stole a kiss.
Feeling a rage seething through her teeth, Yugito crumpled up her note and got her bearings once again.
"What are you going to do, Yugito?"
"I should have never had that night with him. He's been insufferable since then."
Checking her muscles to make sure she was reasonably rested, Yugito began the long journey back to her home village. A part of her didn't want to have to explain to the Raikage that she was gone for so long and yet his younger brother came back of his own accord.
"What are you going to tell your fiancé?"
Yugito swore loudly as she moved across the ocean at top speed.
She hadn't thought of that.
Hinata saw her husband's face when they entered the bathhouse, flashing him an amused smile before gently closing his mouth from his chin and stepped into the tiled room. The apartment they had been loaned for the night had been a simple affair, with the Kirigakure shinobi still suspicious of their intentions despite the Mizukage's pronouncement of them as allies.
But access to the bathing house was fair game and the two of them had not had a decent bath in years.
"I think I might actually cry," muttered Naruto, following his young wife in with the same look of amazement he had first adopted.
"I wouldn't recommend that," said Hinata as she turned around to regard her husband through her pure white eyes. "It's not the most attractive look on you."
"Is that so?" Naruto walked past her and slapped her lightly on her backside playfully, causing her to jump slightly before he shouldering off his shirt and placing it on a nearby rack.
In front of them was a large bathing pool that appeared to be heated through a complex set of machinery, with several different areas that looked like they could accommodate a large family.
They had put up a sign on the door; they had no intention of sharing that night.
Naruto sighed loudly as he slipped into the hot water, feeling all his senses heightened by the recent battles and finally being in an area that he could spread his legs out without hitting the edge of a barrel.
"How's the water?" asked Hinata as she started to ball her hair behind her head and tie it with one of her hair ties.
Naruto didn't give a response, choosing to stretch out his arms and let the water soak up to his neck.
For several moments he kept his senses focused on trying to relax, it felt like centuries since he'd been able to properly relax. He knew they were still in a dangerous place; the Mizukage's intentions weren't particularly clear to him. But at that moment he didn't care at all.
"Ah…that really is nice…" said Hinata as she slipped a single leg into the water, feeling it press on her muscles immediately upon entry.
Naruto turned his head slightly to watch his partner enter the water, remarking at how much she had changed since they had last seen their friends. He'd considered Hinata a lovely girl when he'd finally gotten it through his head that she was there and that she was a girl, but she'd slowly transformed into a beautiful woman in the years they had spent together.
Remembering the looks his parents used to give each other when he'd met them in his mindscape, he was able to recognise the same expression he gave her whenever he saw her. They'd been hardened by some of the things they had seen, but there were times that Hinata would flash him that small half-smile of hers and soft look in her eyes, and Naruto would marvel at the beauty in front of him.
"Are you okay, dear?" asked his wife, gently placing a hand on his cheek. "You're staring."
Naruto smiled affectionately, reaching up to gently stroke the back of her hand with his fingers, "I can't help myself. You have this stunning glow about you, I can't quite place it."
Hinata returned his smile and leaned down to kiss him lightly on the lips before looking into his eyes, "You have that effect on me, my love. You are looking quite handsome yourself."
She turned around and finished lowering herself into bath, sighing in pleasure before taking a seat beside her husband.
"Want me to wash your back?"
"Maybe later," replied Hinata, looking at the small fountain on the wall of the bathhouse. "Gods…I feel like I've never sat down before in my life."
Naruto nodded in agreement, even during the easy times on Grace's ship they'd always been occupied by some task or another. "When this is all said and done, we need to take a vacation."
"Definitely," muttered Hinata, leaning her shoulder on his and feeling his body heat adding to that of the water. "Somewhere sunny…"
"…with a beach," finished Naruto. "I think you'd look lovely in a bikini."
"I don't look lovely now?" she asked with a pout.
Naruto reached over and pulled her head towards him so he could kiss the back of her hair, "That's not fair, Hinata. You know I can't say no to you, especially when you make that face."
Bringing up an arm and letting the water slowly drip into the pool, Hinata patted him on the leg affectionately. "Well sometimes you need a bit of a push."
For several minutes they lay like that, comforted by each other's presence without needing to say much beyond affections that they commonly said to each other each day. The air had begun to fog up before they started to wash themselves and each other.
"So where are we going to go now, do you think?" asked Naruto as he ran his soap-covered hands along Hinata's bare back. He knew each place from her backside to her shoulders that she was sensitive, and wasn't above exploiting them to hear his wife stifled sounds of approval.
"I'd…like to visit Neji first. I thought he was dead…and he likely thought me the same."
Her husband nodded as he began to massage her sore shoulders. She hadn't mentioned they were sore, but Naruto knew the signs and wasn't going to let her leave until she was feeling better. "That's a fine idea. He'll live a few minutes in happiness before dying of shock when he finds out we're married."
Hinata laughed quietly at the thought of Neji's reaction, "It'll be interesting, that's for sure. We can probably help him with whatever he's doing with that village too."
Naruto sighed loudly, dropping his hands off of her shoulders and staring down at the water between them. Hinata turned around slowly, reaching out to run a hand through his blonde hair, "Something on your mind?"
"It's nothing…" started Naruto, before falling victim to his wife's eyes once again. "It's just…we're always fighting someone. It's been years since the Chuunin Exams and it just hasn't stopped."
"I know how you feel," said Hinata, moving herself so she could lean her head into his chest. Subconsciously Naruto began to stroke her hair, with Hinata not commenting on the fact that he was pulling it out of its tie and would get wet when she didn't want it to.
"I just wonder when we'll get the chance to be people, rather than shinobi. Settle in a home, have children…that sort of thing."
"You want to have children?" asked Hinata as she closed her eyes and enjoyed her husband's touch on her head.
"Of course I do," said Naruto with a peck to her forehead. "A boy first, so I could teach him how to be a man. Then a girl to keep him in check."
"Do I get any say in this?"
"Nope," he said with a grin. "You get to be the best mother in the world though, so it's not all bad."
Hinata giggled slightly and nuzzled into his chest, "But I'll get fat and slow. You won't be able to stand the sight of me."
"Don't be ridiculous! You will look stunning, I know it." Naruto voice cracked slightly as he held her head close to him, "We'll have the chance. I'll make sure of it."
"Naruto?" asked Hinata with a slight concern at his change in tone.
"It's nothing," he said quickly, stroking her long dark blue hair through his fingers. "Just making silent vows, you know me."
She smiled at him warmly before moving her head off his chest and motioning with her fingers, "Turn around, I'll do your back now."
Naruto complied and groaned as her slender fingers moved along his muscles with the expertise that only a Hyuuga could properly achieve. He felt himself fall into a trance as his wife found more aches and pains than he cared to count, making sure not to hurt him as she massaged and washed his back.
"I look forward to trying," she said quietly to herself before kissing the middle of his back affectionately.
They didn't say much else to each other throughout the night, though not for a lack of items to speak about.
They had other things to do with their time.
Stepping into the Mizukage's office, Gaara immediately noticed the changes that a single day had done to the large circular room from what Matsuri had told him. Any evidence of the battle that had been fought within was gone without a trace, and the shelfs had been restacked with books and scrolls, though Gaara was certain that was mostly for show.
A meeting between people of their positions tended towards showmanship as much as discourse.
Mei Terumi leaned forward on her desk and puckered her lips, showing him just enough skin to make him slightly uncomfortable without demonstrating any impropriety. "It is good of you to come, Kazekage-sama."
Gaara bowed at his waist, lamenting his lack of proper clothing for the occasion. "It was my pleasure, Mizukage-sama. Recent events have given us much to discuss."
A small chuckle came from the Kirigakure leader's lips, "That may be the understatement of the century." She indicated to the seat opposite her desk, "Please, take a seat."
Placing his gourd beside the chair, Gaara sat down carefully and regarded his equal with calculating eyes. If any of the past few days had worn on the red haired leader, she showed none of it as she looked nothing like the malnourished prisoner Naruto's wife had described to him earlier.
Gaara took a deep breath and went to begin their negotiations, but he found himself hesitating at a key piece of information. Mei noticed his hesitation, but waited patiently for him to speak.
The Kazekage considered how to frame his question for a moment before resuming his posture and looked into her eyes as an equal.
"Have you analysed everything that man did as your duplicate?"
She eyed him cautiously, hiding her surprise with the temperament of a born leader. "We have. Why?"
Leaning forward slightly, Gaara collected a wealth of information about how he should deal with her in comparison to when he had negotiated with her doppelganger at the Summit. "I want to make sure that none of the things he enacted have adversely affected what we will discuss. Sunagakure will not tolerate any interference from another village to our detriment."
Mei Terumi thought about his point for a moment before leaning back and widening her smile.
"It would seem your reputation as a Kage is well deserved. You do your village justice."
"Thank you," said Gaara politely, though he was sure she was only placating him so that he would be more open than he should be. "I was saddened to hear of the Fourth Mizukage's passing. He was a good man."
Mei nodded, and for a moment Gaara caught a glimpse of regret in her eyes before she recovered her visage and regarded him once again with the same Kage stare. "He was. I will make sure he is remembered as such, even if it means I have to speak to everyone who ever interacted with him."
"Noble," replied Gaara quietly. "The rest of the shinobi world will not hear about what has transpired here, I will make sure of it."
"Unless your demands are met?"
The Kazekage was not an expressive man so he was easily able to hide what he thought about her accusation. Regardless of how true it was. "I have no interest in such things. I came here to ensure there would be a good relationship between our two villages."
"Indeed?" The Mizukage leaned forward and clasped her hands together, "I have some documentation of the discussion you had without the pretender. Regardless of his intentions, our village has been in the motions of preparing for this war for quite some time."
"During my tenure I have noticed as such. However the problems we discussed still remain."
Mei nodded grimly. She'd been absent for far too long and while their military had seemingly thrived under Tobi's control he had blatantly ignored dozens of administrative and social problems that had left the village on the brink of destroying itself from the inside.
"You would have me honour the arrangement you made with the pretender?"
"It was a fair deal at the time and the offer still stands. There is no reason why our villages cannot work together for the betterment of both." Gaara reached into his small pack and produced a scroll that had hastily written information contained within. He placed it on the desk and slowly pushed it towards her.
She looked at the closed scroll for a moment before pushing it to one side, "You are giving more than you are receiving. A cautious person would be suspicious of such an offer."
"But a desperate person has limited choices," pointed out Gaara. "We both want the same things, Mizukage-sama. I need your people to survive so that you can help us with the coming war and you need my people to keep the Quiraji occupied so they don't return to finish the job."
He waited patiently for the Mizukage to make her choice; he was pushing for the deal mostly for show. Because his spy had been in the village for so long, he already had the information he required from her, but he didn't want to see her people die when he had the ability to help.
Gaara also knew that an offer for negotiation would be better received than an offer of assistance.
Eventually Mei Terumi let out a long sigh and shook her head, "It's a strange time when such things are needed. I will provide you with our training procedures. How will you deliver the food though? My people do not have a wide area to produce crops like yours do."
"I'll send a few of my shinobi to set up an area so we can transport food from our stores to yours, without fear of interference from the Quiraji."
The Mizukage slowly rose from her desk, "I would be a fool not to say that I am grateful for your assistance here. If not for your intervention earlier, we would be fighting off an invasion at this very moment, and the transition would not be pleasant."
Gaara put up a hand as if showing it was nothing unusual, "I have one final request before I leave, Mizukage-sama."
His red haired counterpart stared at him for a moment before crossing her arms over her chest, "You wish for an alliance, no?"
"As I would think you would. The Otokage and I have a standing agreement to assist each other when it comes to the Quiraji, as Sunagakure is on the forefront of the battle and are the ones doing the dying."
"Do not overstep your authority, Kazekage-sama. You do not command my forces, and I've already had to suffer the law of another."
Gaara slowly stood up from his chair, staring into the green eyes of the Mizukage with a new understanding of what the woman had been through. He regretted that these were the things he had to do as the leader of his village, but he also didn't see any other choice.
"I am speaking about survival, Mizukage-sama. I would not seek to give you any commands at all. We've spent too long fighting ourselves that we don't even know how to trust one another. All I am speaking about is an understanding that when the time comes, your people will do what they need to do to survive."
He felt a pang of anger and couldn't help placing a hand on top of his gourd nearby, "Either we all survive this war or none of us do. I will not watch my people die because we cannot find a middle ground to stand on."
The Mizukage stared at him for several moments, finding herself intrigued by the young leader. A smile slowly crept onto her full lips and she relaxed her body, "Such a young, pure child. You've spent time in war, yet you hold onto such values. I think it would be fascinating to know you."
Despite the situation, Gaara felt a tiny blush creep onto his cheeks before he slammed it back down and cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm not asking for anything in writing, Mizukage-sama. But a greater war is coming than the one here, and we are facing extinction."
"I know, Kazekage-sama, you don't need to keep repeating yourself." Mei began organising some of the papers on her desk before turning her gaze back to Gaara. "I will not make promises that put my village at risk, but Kirigakure understands the situation we face. We know our place."
"Then I will depart for my village," said Gaara before bowing formally to the Mizukage. "It has been a pleasure visiting your village, Mizukage-sama."
A smirk sat on Mei's face as she nodded slightly, "I don't doubt. Do you require an escort? I hear the road is dangerous these days."
Hefting his gourd onto his back, Gaara turned around and made his way to the door, "That will not be necessary."
Watching the Kazekage leave, Mei Terumi found herself smiling at the outcome. It had been as she had expected, but compared to the other shinobi leaders the young red haired was a breath of fresh air.
She shook her head for a moment before turning to the documents she needed to organise. There was a lot of work to be done, and she had lost a lot of time.
Fu turned to gaze at the village one last time as she shouldered her pack and approached the gate guards. She felt an odd emptiness in her chest, something she hadn't expected when they'd started their mission. Within her mind, her occupant was still silent, refusing to answer any of her concerned questions since they had learnt of Utakata's death.
The gate guards jerked to alertness as she stood in front of the large gates, taking a moment to make sure she was who she appeared to be before pulling the crank to open up the gates. The Mizukage had given them free reign to leave the village, though Fu didn't doubt that she would be followed.
"Leaving so soon?"
Fu turned her head to see her white eyed companion leaning on the outside of the gates, the same warm smile that she always wore sitting on her face. The Seven-Tails container gave her a tired smirk and walked over to her, "This didn't turn out the way I wanted it to."
"And what way was that?" asked Hinata gently, noticing the grief written on Fu's expression.
The green-haired kunoichi shrugged in response, "I dunno. An answer to a question I don't know how to ask?"
"That sounds complicated. You don't want to come with my husband and me and see if the question is out there somewhere?"
"No…I don't think that would be wise." Fu stared at the ground with a sad expression, "People have a tendency of dying around me. It would be better if I was on my own."
Hinata sighed and uncrossed her arms, taking a few steps forward to stand in front of her new friend, "I understand how you feel. I've lost friends over the years…family…and I've wondered whether or not I was the cause."
"You don't feel like that anymore?" asked Fu with a slight sense of hope in her voice.
Hinata considered her question for a moment before smiling at the younger girl, "There are some things that are within your control and others that aren't. Even if something was your fault, you can't let it run your life. Take responsibility for your actions, but don't be bogged down by your failures."
Fu stared at her for several moments before smiling and letting out a short giggle, feeling it through her sides. "Thanks for the sermon. I feel like I haven't laughed in a long time."
"If you want to go out on your own, that's fine," said Hinata. "I can understand not wanting to put others in danger. Just…be careful out there, okay?"
Nodding to reassure her friend, Fu held onto one of the straps on her bag carefully, "I will. I'm not alone…not really. If in doubt, Choumei will look after me. She always has."
"Well, I should probably get back inside," said Hinata, straightening out her dress from leaning on the gates. "If my husband wakes up and I'm not there, he's likely to tear down the building."
"You're lucky to have someone like that," said Fu with a small hint of jealousy. "Would he really tear down the building?"
With a short laugh, Hinata nodded quickly, "Just for starters. Though I'm just as bad as he is. You should hear about the time he was training on an island and I nearly tore the ship we were sailing on apart worrying about him."
Fu laughed with her before turning her gaze to the night sky in front of them, "Perhaps another time. I'd like to get some distance before setting up for the night."
Hinata reached out and offered her hand to Fu, who took it and shook happily. "Well Fu, I hope the next time we meet is under better circumstances."
The Seven-Tails container gave her one final smirk before taking to the air as her wings appeared on her back. Hinata felt a compulsion to follow after her and help her through her problems, but she knew she had other problems that had to come first.
"Couldn't stop her, huh?" came a familiar voice behind her.
Hinata turned around and threaded an arm around her husband's waist, "You know I wasn't trying to. I just wanted to make sure she knew that she had a friend in us, that's all."
"You're a good friend, Hinata. I'm sure the others miss you terribly."
"Not as much as you and Sasuke, right?" said Hinata with a sly grin.
"Damn straight! I owe that Uchiha bastard a beating for slacking off so much that he didn't try and find us," said Naruto with a clenched fist, entirely missing his wife's sarcasm.
Shaking her head with a warm laugh, Hinata led him back into Kirigakure towards their temporary accommodation. She didn't ask why he had come out to the front gates, and figured he didn't know properly himself.
For the time being, she was happy to let him rant about Sasuke and enjoy the relative freedom they had for the time being.
She had no doubts that things were about to change, and these small moments were the things she cherished the most.
Mei Terumi stopped the head doctor in his tracks and waved off his stammering of a greeting before gesturing to the large double door at the end of the corridor.
"How are their conditions?"
Taking a moment to make sure that what he was doing would be covered by a nearby nurse, the head doctor indicated for her to follow him to the room. "Stable, none of them are critical. The enemy seemed to go out of their way not to seriously injure them."
"Yes, he did tell them to do that," muttered the Mizukage softly.
"What was that, madam?" inquired the head doctor; though his question was waved off as they entered the room.
The large patient room had eight large beds with accompanying medial implements, but only four were occupied closest to the end of the room as the doctor ran through the specifics of their injuries.
Mei only listened half-heartedly; she could see how they were doing by how they appeared in their beds.
A short person under normal circumstances, Chojuro appeared tiny under the sheets of his bed; even as the doctor pointed out that he'd only suffered a concussion and mild burns to his chest. He'd been kept in the ward primarily because of his position, though hearing the rumours about the dissent in the ranks of his organisation it wouldn't surprise her if he were to re-join her regular shinobi. He slept soundlessly as the drugs allowing him to heal didn't require him to be conscious to do so.
Coming to the next bed, Mei let out a long sigh as she saw the unconscious body of her favourite Swordsman, looking like she'd been through hell and back. The head doctor indicated that she would make a full recovery from the lightning burns, but Mei was aware of Ameyuri's somewhat weak constitution and couldn't be certain of anything these days.
Reaching out she gently placed a hand on the red haired girl's leg, hoping that she recovered soon. Unlike some of the women in her village, Ameyuri was a breath of fresh air; she always seemed happy to do whatever was necessary and would argue with her if she thought she was wrong. She knew the young girl idolised her, and at times she had exploited that for the benefit of the village, but she did admit to having a soft spot for her.
The remaining two beds were empty, which only served to cause the head doctor to sigh in exasperation and busy himself with the charts of the occupants.
Leaving the remaining members for a moment, Mei turned to regard the empty beds with a sense of frustration and grief. She knew she was partially responsible for their deaths, but she took solace in the fact that their killers were themselves taken out. By the sounds of it, they had been given the only death a shinobi truly expects, and she knew that the three of them had likely respected the fact that their opponents had done them such a service.
"Are you okay, madam?"
The Mizukage turned to the head doctor and smiled the smile she gave when she was hiding her frustration, "I'm fine. How long until Ameyuri and Chojuro are recovered?"
"They should be awake in a few days, but it'll be two weeks at least for them to be back in service. Do you mind if I ask a question, madam?"
Feeling a spike of anger, Mei edged closer to the doctor, "Only if you stop calling me that. I'm not old enough to be called that by someone like you."
The head doctor shirked backwards and apologised quickly, but Mei waved him off and gestured for him to ask his question.
Motioning towards the first empty bed in the room, the head doctor gave her a puzzled look, "I've worked here a long time, and no one has ever told me why there are eight beds in here. Aren't they called the Seven Swordsman because there are always seven of them?"
"It's not surprising you don't know, the Swordsman don't speak of their practises much beyond their own ranks." Mei ran a hand along the sheet of one of the empty beds, as if recalling some long past discussion on the topic. "While there are always seven of them, they train an eighth under the principle that if one of them falls the eighth will take their place. When Raiga left, Ameyuri took his place. Chojuro came in when Zabuza was killed, and when we heard of Kisame's demise at the hands of his partner Mangetsu's younger brother was initiated."
She sighed as she thought about their current predicament, "They may not recover from the evens of the past few days. While they are an arrogant bunch, more than one of them dying at once hasn't happened since the Wars."
Mei turned to the head doctor and gave him a knowing look, with the head doctor understanding that he wasn't to repeat anything he had heard.
"I'm telling you this because things are going to have to change in this place. The attack had taught us that we need to be prepared."
"Of course, ma…Mizukage-sama. If there is anything we can do here, please don't hesitate to ask!"
But Mei was already on her way out of the room, leaving the head doctor to tend to the injured Swordsman. She had somewhere she needed to be.
oOoOoOo
Suigetsu clutched at his chest tenderly as he stared out at Kirigakure from above. He had healed as much as he was going to without specialist care, but he hated hospitals and doctors since escaping from Orochimaru's grasp and was grateful for the fresh air even if it did cause him some discomfort.
Flexing a hand carefully he noted how he was beginning to get his strength back, but his confidence was in tatters. He wouldn't tell anyone, but his defeat at the hands of the blonde shinobi with such relative ease had made him question whether he was truly ready to be a Swordsman. It had been a string of lucky circumstances that had landed him his much-coveted role, but for the first time in his life Suigetsu wondered if he'd earned his place.
Taking a cautious glance at the figure sitting with his legs over the edge of the roof, Suigetsu found himself concerned about him for the first time in nearly a decade. Since they'd been recovered from the battlefield and healed within the hospital, his older brother hadn't said a word. He wasn't the most talkative person to begin with, unlike Suigetsu, but even when asked directed questions he seemed barely even hear them.
Suigetsu sighed and put his hands behind his head, "Never thought this place would turn out like this. Maybe I shouldn't have come back at all."
"This is your home, Suigetsu. You shouldn't say things like that."
The younger Houzuki brother and his eyes widened in surprise as he saw the warm smile on the Mizukage's face as she walked towards them. His surprise was quickly replaced with anger as he found himself blaming this figure for what had happened to them.
"What do you want?" he said with a low growl.
Mei felt her guilt rise to the surface but she knocked it down and approached him with open arms, "To ask for your help."
Suigetsu was momentarily stunned by her declaration and took a step back, "That's…what?"
His older brother frowned and turned his head, regarding the Mizukage with calculating eyes. For a moment he wasn't sure what to say as the red headed leader waited patiently for him to make sense of the situation.
"Brother?" inquired Suigetsu with a confused look. He'd never seen his brother so unsure in their lives, and while normally he would give Mangetsu grief he felt the situation warranted his silence.
The older Houzuki brother seemed to come to a conclusion as he slowly turned his piercing gaze to his brother. "Get the others."
"Brother?" repeated Suigetsu, unsure what he wanted.
Mangetsu gave him the same snarl he had when Suigetsu had previously left the village, "Now, brother. Bring Ameyuri and Chojuro here."
"You know they are both bedridden, right?"
The Swordsmen leader gave him a stare that could have killed a herd of bison in its tracks.
Suigetsu immediately put his hands up in surrender and began walking to the door, shaking his head at being ordered around like some kind of servant.
Once he was gone the Mizukage gave the Swordsman a raised eyebrow, but Mangetsu's expression didn't change.
"You look healthy for a man who was stabbed through the chest recently."
Mangetsu stared at her for several moments without saying anything before his eyes narrowed and he turned his back on the tall woman, "…how long have you been back?"
"A day, maybe more." Mei moved to his side to look over her village, "How long have you known?"
"Since it began," said Mangetsu bluntly. He gritted his sharp teeth as he thought back to that time, his fists clenching. "You abandoned your people."
Mei winced at his accusation, but didn't deny it. "Did you try and stop him? I could not see you sitting idly by while someone like that takes over the village."
The Swordsman leader snarled at her loudly, "Of course I tried! But I…it doesn't matter."
"Yet you didn't leave? You could have taken the Swordsmen away and made a living outside of his influence."
"We might be killers, but this is our home. I refuse to see it fall to ruin because one woman couldn't keep a hold on her position." Mangetsu winced unintentionally, his wounds were not completely healed and his chakra was dangerously low. He hated hospitals as much as his brother did, but he wasn't as vocal about it. "I guess he did what he said he would…"
"Hmm? Who did?" asked a confused Mei.
Mangetsu ignored her question and turned around to see Suigetsu walk through the roof entrance. Shortly following behind him was a sickly looking Chojuro, who looked ready to keel over at the first gust of wind that came his way. The young Swordsman looked around the roof with exhausted eyes before seeing the Mizukage standing next to his superior. His eyes turned to anger for a moment, but the slightest look from Mangetsu made him reconsider his view of her.
"Are you sure he should be out of bed?" asked the Mizukage. "He looks ready to collapse."
Chojuro didn't say anything as he came to his fellow Swordsmen's side, remembering the primary order of their ranks. Unless the leader says 'jump', you don't move a muscle.
"What the hell is this all about?" came a loud female voice from the entrance, drifting off as Ameyuri stumbled into view. Her eyes widened as she saw the Mizukage standing in front of them, and she wanted to greet her, but just like Chojuro held off as she recognised the gravity of the situation.
"Stand in line," ordered Mangetsu, waiting for the injured redhead to stand beside his other subordinates. The Mizukage was clearly surprised by the show, but kept all comments to herself and waited.
The leader of the Seven Swordsmen stepped forward and stared directly into the Kirigakure leader's eyes, "I did not agree with your appointment when you were made the Mizukage. It was an impulse decision after the disaster that was the Fourth, and since you were so easily manipulated I believe my original observation to be correct."
Mei kept her normal expression despite his statements, aware that her control of the village would be easier if he were her ally rather than her enemy. "What do you propose? Will you challenge my position? That is your right."
"Why the hell are we standing here?" demanded Suigetsu impatiently. "Does he seriously think we are going to keep up this charade?"
Mangetsu glared at his younger brother angrily, but Mei put up her hands, "I've clearly wronged all of you. But that man is dead, that you can be sure of." She turned her gaze to the female of the group, "I'm glad you are still alive, dear. I've missed your company."
Ameyuri's resolve wavered momentarily; her affection for the Mizukage was well-known since her recovery from her illness. The day they had discovered she'd been replaced, Ameyuri had gone on a murder spree on other villages that had threatened to consume her entirely.
"There is a war coming, Mangetsu."
"There is always war," said the Swordsmen leader. "And war always has soldiers."
He crossed his arms over his chest, "We will not kneel to you until you have proven that you are able to make this village as great as it is meant to be."
Mei nodded with a serious expression, "Of course. We both want the same things."
Mangetsu stared at her for several moments before turning back to the other Swordsmen and muttering several quiet orders to them. The Mizukage took the moment to leave them to their discussion as she looked out over her village as she loved to do.
She didn't expect to gain their respect immediately, but the Swordsmen were a tradition and the older Houzuki brother was a leader that could bring the village together.
Naruto frowned slightly as he saw the devastation at the front of the Kirigakure gates, wishing that his wife didn't have to see the battlefield. She was clearly able to sense his discomfort as Hinata tapped her head slightly on his shoulder, "You okay?"
"It's nothing," said Naruto quietly. "Just wish that we didn't lose Roshi and Han."
"You didn't even like Han though." Before Naruto could answer though, Hinata squeezed his arm in sympathy and turned the two of them around to greet the approaching Kazekage.
Gaara wore his original sand gourd on his back with no visible sign of the damage suffered on the ocean. He nodded courteously to Hinata before turning his pale-green gaze to his old friend.
"Are you sure you won't come to Sunagakure, Naruto? We could certainly use you and your wife's skills."
Naruto shook his head with a smile on his face, "Thanks, Gaara. But we should really see Hinata's cousin first. It sounds like Neji is in the middle of everything. Besides, we're much faster on our own."
"And Neji should be told that we are alive, I'm sure he was worried about us."
Gaara scoffed uncharacteristically, "That man has spies everywhere. I'll bet he knew what you two did last night before you did."
The married couple gave each other an awkward stare before both coughed awkwardly through chuckles.
"Oh please, you guys aren't fooling anyone," came a female voice behind them.
Approaching from the village proper was the Mizukage with a wide smile on her face. She was accompanied by a score of Kirigakure shinobi, a demonstration of both force and understanding on their diverging paths.
"Well then," said Gaara, turning back to Naruto. "Stay safe, Naruto."
"You too."
The Kazekage extended a hand towards the blonde shinobi, and Naruto only hesitated for a moment before shaking it with a cheesy grin.
Naruto turned to Hinata, "You ready to go?"
The young Hyuuga heiress nodded quickly and the two of them paid their final respects to the Mizukage before disappearing in a flash of lightning.
"Will you require an escort?" asked the Mizukage to Gaara.
The Kazekage shook his head and put up a hand into a handseal, summoning a tiny amount of chakra.
He summoned up a small platform of sand from his gourd, nodding to the Mizukage in respect before turning his gaze to the journey ahead.
"Are you coming?" he asked to the open air.
The Kirigakure shinobi in attendance all jumped as his Sunagakure spy appeared from thin air. She was kneeling in front of the sand platform in a respectful salute.
"Are you sure, sir?"
The red haired Kage looked down at the young girl and motioned with his hand, "We are leaving, Matsuri."
She looked up at him for a moment before shrugging and hopping up onto his sand platform. She thought about it for a second further before sitting down close to Gaara, just a bit closer than decorum should have allowed.
Gaara paid no attention to her as he raised their sand platform high up into the sky on the path back to their home.
oOoOoOo
For hours the two Sunagakure shinobi flew over the countryside silently, Gaara's sand hovering them at such a height that they had little to fear from the Quiraji in the Land of Fire beneath. Matsuri found herself slowly edging towards the Kazekage, her efforts concentrated on not making it obvious how uncomfortable she was with the height they were flying at.
"Matsuri…" started Gaara, causing the young girl to jump in surprise at his breaking the silence, nearing falling off the small sand platform they both sat on.
She smiled at him awkwardly, "Yes, Gaara-sama?"
"You handled yourself with honour and duty beyond your standing orders," he said, oblivious to her awkwardness. "I am impressed."
Matsuri's cheeks reddened at the compliment and could only nod meekly in response.
With his hands crossed over his chest, Gaara continued to fly them towards the village by the most direct route, it taking little effort to control his sand now that he'd had a day to rest.
"How long have you been in the ANBU, Matsuri?"
The brown haired girl thought about it for a moment, "Almost a year, Gaara-sama. I was given special consideration from Temari-sensei in my initiation." She grinned characteristically as she thought about it. "I was the youngest ANBU in our history," she said proudly.
"Your skills have proven her assessment correct. When we return to Suna I shall speak to the head of the ANBU about a promotion."
Matsuri was overjoyed by his statement, but hesitated when she actually thought about it and turned to him with a confused look, "I don't understand. The ANBU have no ranks, sir. I'm a spy because of my skills, that's all."
"I was speaking of outside the ANBU. We are heading into a war, and I want my best shinobi doing what is necessary."
"What are you talking about?" asked Matsuri, though she could understand what he was alluding to.
Gaara turned his head slightly so that he could talk directly to her face, "You will be my assistant, conducting the missions that require the utmost secrecy. You've proven yourself most capable and I need people like you at my side."
For almost a minute Matsuri sat in shocked silence, unable to believe what he was asking. Gaara waited patiently for her response, understanding that it was a big commitment from the young girl, rife with danger.
Eventually Matsuri realised it was an easy decision and stalling wasn't going to change anything. She hopped up onto her feet before kneeling in front of him on top of their sand platform.
"It would be an honour, Kazekage-sama. I pledge my life to your service."
Gaara found a faint smile resting on his face, though the moment was spoiled as his third eye caught a strange black energy screaming towards them before below. He tilted their sand platform and watched as the energy missed them by a hair's breadth, increasing their speed substantially.
Having been kneeling at the time, Matsuri was almost thrown from the sand platform, but Gaara reached out and clutched one of her arms with his hands, pulling her back onto the flat surface. The manoeuvre caused Matsuri to fly straight into Gaara's chest as he stabilised the sand platform. Completely beyond her control, Matsuri steadied herself by grabbing her arms around the Kazekage's waist, her face extremely close to his own. She could feel his red hair gently tickling her face, and held it for as long as she thought she could get away with it before jumping back and stammering an apology quickly.
Gaara wasn't sure what the proper etiquette was for the situation, so he simply turned and stared out at the sky in front of them.
The two of them sat in silence for what felt like hours before Matsuri finally couldn't take it anymore.
"I'm really sorry about earlier," she muttered quietly, finding herself reverting back to her old shy ways.
Gaara hesitated for a moment before relaxing himself slightly, "It's…fine. It was not…it's fine."
The young ANBU shinobi nodded quickly before giving the Kazekage a curious look. She wasn't how to phrase what she wanted to ask next, but Matsuri also figured there was only a short window of opportunity remaining.
"Gaara-sama…when we return home…I could make you some…dinner or something. I've been told my cooking is quite good and…uh…oh just forget about it…stupid idea…"
The Kazekage kept his stoic expression throughout her awkward question, though his time with Shikamaru had given him an insight into things that he once didn't care much for.
He waited the appropriate time before turning to the brown haired girl with a small smile on his face, "I would like that, Matsuri," he said quietly.
"Really?" stammered Matsuri, her eyes widening in conjunction with the expression on her face. "I mean great! Is there anything you want to eat?"
Gaara shrugged and recrossed his arms over his chest, "I will be your guest, so it is your choice."
A wide smile sat on the young girl's face, thinly veiled by her deep blush. "Can…can I hold your hand?"
"Don't go too fast, Matsuri. I'm still your superior."
"Yes sir."
Author's Note:
First of all I would like to apologise for the quality of the previous couple of chapters. I want to get them out in a timely fashion, but I only have so much time to dedicate to my writing at the moment and I know that has likely caused some things to seem a bit off.
There have been times when I've considered leaving this story and writing some of the things that I want to get published, but I'm dedicated to finishing the story and I will do just that. I'm not going to put in a half-assed effort either, I have a plan for the final quarter of this story and it'll probably be a while before it is finished.
There are a few things I've wanted to explore in this story that wouldn't necessarily be as long a chapter as I've been writing. The relationship between Lee and Sakura for an example, and the one between Kiba and Ino. So in the near future there may be slightly smaller chapters that are more concentrated, or I might put the two together. The other parts I'm planning on integrating into the main story chapters.
Anyway, that's all I wanted to say for this bit. The next chapter will be the last for this section, and then we are going into the final part of the story. So I hope you are still interested to see what happens, because I'm still looking forward to writing it.
Please review and tell me what you think. I try to take each review into account, and believe me I read them all. Tell me what can be improved, what you liked, what you didn't, everything. I'm a writer so I'm always open to criticism.