Frayed Lines arc
The cleanup of the aftermath dragged on late into the night, which was to be expected, but Namikaze Minato still cannot help but let out a short sigh of relief once everything was said and done. Things have reached a conclusion, for now.
Ay had no other choice but to agree to retreat when Minato brought proof that he had been to his village. Kumo had no other choice but to retreat when Konoha had proven that their Hokage could teleport and wipe out their village faster than they could wipe out their forces at the warfront. Kumo had no other choice, because the price to wipe out Konoha once and for all was too steep a price for them to pay and they were unwilling to make such a gamble.
So, Kumo had no choice but to agree to a ceasefire, and Iwa also had no other choice but to back out after Kumo pulled out from the conflict. Together, the Hokage, Raikage, and Tsuchikage sat down around the same table and came to an agreement. The paper is worth as much as the three village leaders trust each other, which isn't much, but it will guarantee that there will be some semblance of peace for at least the next couple of years.
Minato's feet brought him to the medical tents where the medical team under Tsunade's lead were toiling hard round the clock trying to keep casualties down to a minimum. The presence of the Hokage did raise the morale of the people there as he made his rounds and thanked his fellow shinobis for their hard work, promising them that their efforts were the reason why they finally gained the upper hand in this conflict they never asked for despite how unfavourable the situation was.
It wasn't long before he reached that one medical tent that he intended to visit all along, the tent under Rin's supervision where the shinobis with critical injuries are relocated to.
"Sensei?"
"Don't let me bother you, I'm just here to see Haku," He reassured his student who was already sporting dark circles around her eyes, proof that she had been working diligently without rest since the start of this war.
"His condition has stabilised for now. Although, there were a few moments that we really thought we were going to lose him. I understand that we are at war, but seriously, what made him think that popping six soldier pills consecutively was a good idea? Even academy students knew better than to do that."
Minato remained silent as his student began to rant about her concerns for his godson, with good reasons too. There are very good reasons why shinobis are discouraged from continuously consuming soldier pills because like any other form of medicine, consuming them in huge amounts would bring about detrimental results instead.
So, he chose to remain silent as they both walked towards where Haku was resting because what Haku evidently did to his body really wasn't the wisest decision he could make. To his knowledge, the boy hasn't woken up ever since he succumbed to his exhaustion when they finally reunited at Kumo.
"-know that doing so can cause irreversible damage to his chakra coils? Wasn't he taught about the concept of "chakra debt"? Chakra doesn't just come from nowhere-"
"I was thinking of transporting shinobis who can no longer stay and fight back to the village, in several batches. Can Haku be moved given his condition?"
"He still needs to be closely monitored, but strictly speaking, the most dangerous and crucial period has passed," Rin informed with a slight sigh while massaging her temples with her free hand. "So, yes, he can be moved, but there needs to be at least one medic on standby in case of a relapse of the chakra debt he incurred in his body. Either a medic, or someone with near perfect chakra control that is also able to accurately deduce the state of his body's chakra level at all times."
"What about the Hyugas? They are known for their chakra control."
Rin's response was to let out another sigh.
"Chakra control is one thing, chakra compatibility is another. I will skip the technicalities, but like how there are different blood types and some blood types simply don't mix, there are times where chakra compatibility between the medic and the patient gets in the way of a successful treatment. Haku's lucky that my chakra is compatible with his, there are very few medics here with the level of chakra control needed for his treatment and has chakra compatible with his and has both the knowledge and skills needed for his treatment."
They had reached Haku by now. The boy is asleep, and it seems that Rin had helped change his bloodied clothes out for cleaner ones while she was administering treatment. They had also recovered many scrolls sealed into his weapons pouch upon further investigation. Minato had no idea whose idea it was, whether it was Haku's or their previous Hokages', but it wasn't hard to deduce that Haku had apparently pillaged anything he felt was important from the Raikage Tower. He could still remember the surprise he felt when he randomly unsealed one of the scrolls only to find himself staring at Kumo's famed Amber Purifying Pot.
Of course, Minato had no plans to reveal to Kumo that Konoha had already pillaged everything important that they could scavenge out of that burning Raikage Tower and also stole their precious pot; Ay would figure out that surprise himself when he returned to his village. Onoki would also be around to receive the "present" that Konoha had left for him the moment he returned. It's just too bad that he couldn't be there to see it for himself.
"And in the village?"
"I'm certain that there will be more options available if we get him back to the village, if we can get him back there safely."
"I will get him back to the village with the Flying Thunder God."
"Sensei?" Rin looked up, surprised at her teacher's decision.
"I was planning to make a trip there either way. After Dan's death, there is currently no leader in the village. The ANBU Commander may be temporarily handling things in his stead as per wartime protocols and things may appear fine for now, but there is an urgent need to stabilise the situation back home as soon as possible. Since I will be heading back, I might as well bring Haku back with me. Kakashi and Obito can handle things here in my stead until I return."
"Will it be too much to ask to bring me along? Seeing how the situation had developed, there is a need to update the medical team back home on what kind of supplies they should prioritise sending over to the frontlines and what kind of preparations are needed for the troops that will be returning to the village. I can also inform the team back home about Haku's unique condition and how to administer further treatment."
"That will be for the best," Minato agreed. "Get some rest, Rin. I will come back again in about an hour, then we will head back to the village."
Minato wasted no time teleporting back to the village after informing the war council that he will head back to the village for a few short hours. The ANBU Commander had been waiting for his return when Minato appeared within his office in a yellow flicker with Rin and Haku in tow. He left Rin to do what she needed to do at the hospital as she brought the unconscious Haku with her.
He, on the other hand, listened to what the ANBU Commander had to report within the privacy of his office. ANBU Dragon knelt down in front of him and Minato waved his hand, signalling for the hidden ANBU guards within the office to leave them alone for this conversation is confidential.
"ANBU Dragon reporting in, Hokage-sama."
"Rise, Dragon. You may remove your mask."
Dragon rose to his full height before removing his mask, revealing the face of a young man behind it. The transformation disguising him dropped the moment the mask was removed, revealing the short unkempt dark hair of the ANBU Commander. His nose is broader than most and his eyelashes well-defined, but his most striking features are the red eyes of the Uchiha clan, the sharingan.
"I've read the report you sent over, but I still want to hear the details from you. How was it?"
"Hokage-sama, Kotoamatsukami had been successfully implanted in both the Gobi and in Han, and is slated to activate the next time Onoki and Han meet. If all goes as planned, the Gobi will go on a rampage within Iwagakure and the Tsuchikage will be forced to kill Han to stop him."
Minato nodded in agreement. It's only right that Iwa got a taste of their own medicine with what they had tried to do in Konoha while he was away. Not only that, if all goes well and Han is killed and the Gobi dispersed, it would ensure that Iwa will be one jinchuriki short for a few years while the Gobi reforms its body, reducing Iwa's overall strength and dissuading them from starting another conflict in this time period. Even if Iwa do successfully recapture the Gobi, training a jinchuriki is a time consuming process. It will be a long while before the Gobi jinchuriki can be weaponized. This will be beneficial to Konoha.
And if Onoki is injured or forced into retirement, or better still, killed in the resulting battle, things would be great. Haku had said that Onoki was the reason why Kushina died and he is currently unable to touch a single hair on Onoki on the account of the ceasefire agreement that was just made. However, with this…
He will accept this outcome as the next best arrangement short of assassinating the Tsuchikage himself. In any case, there is no way Onoki will be able to come out unscathed if he has to subdue Han.
Minato's mind quickly processed what this would mean for Konoha. Kiri is embroiled in a civil war; Konoha, Kumo, and Suna have to recover from what they lost in this invasion, and with Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, it is almost guaranteed that Onoki will suffer grievous injuries or be killed. Either way, Iwa would need a new Tsuchikage soon. With that, now each of the Big Five will have to lay low to lick their own wounds, buying the precious time that Konoha needs for her recovery.
He can accept this outcome.
"And your eyes?"
"Implanting the suggestion onto the Gobi and Han wasn't easy. By my estimation, I wouldn't be able to activate Kotoamatsukami for the next two years," Shisui admitted. "I'm considering the possibility of implanting Hashirama cells into my body, seeing the success of the procedure performed on Obito-senpai."
"It's your own choice, I just want you to know that there is always such an option," Minato assured. "You have done well, Shisui, good job. Thank you for protecting the village in my absence."
He would have to thank Dan too, but he's no longer around to hear it.
"It's my duty, Hokage-sama," Shisui replied with a respectful dip of his head before raising it once more. "About the issue of the breach…"
"Unfortunately, we still don't have concrete proof, so while we have casted the net, it is not yet time to reel it in. Continue to monitor the situation and report to me when there is progress on this matter."
Shisui stayed for a little longer to discuss matters that needed his attention before leaving with further instructions. Minato leaned back in his chair and released a tired sigh the moment he's alone once more, his thoughts fleeting back to his daughter and the death of his wife.
Naruto would not take the news very well. He himself never even had the time to grieve for Kushina. Then again, that goes for everybody else. Nobody has time to grieve for the people they lost in this war.
He heard two knocks on the door.
"Hokage-sama, you called?"
"Come in," Minato answered as he stood up, already dreading what was to follow. His genin teammate entered the office, still clad in combat attire and ready for her next instructions.
"It's just us here, so just address me by my name," Minato forced a smile upon finding himself face-to-face with Uchiha Mikoto. "I know there are many questions that you are dying to ask, but I have to head back to the frontlines in a few hours, I cannot stay in the village for long. Let's just get the work done first and I will answer any questions you have in the remaining time."
"Glad to see that you are alright," Mikoto replied with an equally uneasy smile before going back to being a professional shinobi. "Naruto and Hanabi are fine, and Hanabi seemed to have made improvements in controlling the Nibi's power when Iwa and Kumo besieged the village. However, Hanabi reported that the assailants were aware of the byakugan's weakness and tried to use that against her, which is worrying because that meant that Konoha still had spies within the village that we had not yet identified. I have already transferred Naruto and Hanabi to Safehouse G just to be safe, and we will be switching places every eight hours."
"Thank you. As for who those spies may be, ANBU will take care of them, so for now, just focus on Naruto and Hanabi's safety until we return."
"The frontlines…"
"We entered into a ceasefire agreement, although I cannot say for sure for how long it will last. If all goes well, I will be able to pull the entire force back after a month or two when we are certain that nobody is up to any mischief."
Minato took a brief pause before deciding to just come clean with his long time friend.
"Kushina… She didn't make it."
The look of shock on Mikoto's face was plain to see. She had even subconsciously activated her sharingan after hearing the news.
"Onoki killed her, from what I was told, and…"
"My children and Fugaku too?"
"Itachi and Sasuke are fine," Minato quickly assured her, "but… Fugaku sacrificed himself in the line of duty in order to allow our forces to safely retreat. I'm sorry, Mikoto."
He took out and handed over a scroll to Mikoto. It's a scroll marked with a black band, a colour code that every shinobi of Konoha is familiar with. The only thing that one could find in a black coded scroll are the remains of their comrades and loved ones.
"Itachi had awakened the mangekyo as a result, and he ensured that Fugaku's eyes did not come to harm. Those are sealed in the scroll as well. He told me to tell you that he will be fine, and that he will protect Sasuke too, and that you should take care of yourself."
Mikoto visibly struggled to get words out of her mouth as she took the scroll which contained her husband's remains with trembling hands. She cradled the scroll close to her chest, unable to stop her tears.
"I… This…" Mikoto took a deep breath before wiping her tears away, knowing that this is not the time to grieve nor is this the time to break down. She still has a job to do as a shinobi of Konohagakure and as the matriarch of the Uchiha clan. She has to hold her clan together in her husband's absence until her eldest returns home. She has to ensure the safety of their village's jinchuriki until Minato is able to return to properly reassume leadership of the village.
This is her duty as Uchiha Mikoto, shinobi of Konohagakure and matriarch of the Uchiha clan
"... Thank you. I… I will be fine. Is there anything else?"
"Unfortunately, yes. I'm sorry to do this, Mikoto, but considering the current situation, I need to reappoint someone to look over the village until I make a permanent return. You are the only one left that I can trust. It will only be for a few days, a week at most. I just need time to lay down arrangements to ensure that I have everything settled on the frontlines and that Kumo and Iwa are not up to any funny business. ANBU Dragon will assist you during this period."
"Don't worry, I will hold the fort here until you return," Mikoto managed to squeeze out a smile, knowing that desperate times call for desperate measures. How ironic, that this will be how she found herself in the Hokage seat, albeit temporarily. Now, everyone on their genin team would have been Hokage at least once.
That still does little to comfort her now that she has lost her husband forever.
She excused herself to take her leave when Minato had no more instructions for her, but paused in her tracks when Minato called after her just when she was about to open the door.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be," she replied, "I know you tried your best, and if given the choice to choose again I know Fugaku would choose to do the same thing again, because he is a shinobi of Konoha. He died an honourable death, even if I prefer if he returned alive instead. You take care too, Minato, don't make Kushina worry over you. As for Naruto…"
"You can break the news to her, if you want to. If not, I will tell her myself when I return from the frontlines."
"She deserves to know," Mikoto agreed. "Leave Naruto to me, I will take care of her in your and Kushina's absence. Stay safe, Minato."
The door closed shut, the silence never felt louder.
Hanabi wasn't sure if she should be happy that he came back alive or she should be mad at him for doing something so stupid.
Even so, she cannot help but worry. She had heard the gist of what happened from Rin, and Haku had not woken up ever since she first lay her eyes on him again almost a week ago. The only good news she had heard thus far is that none of her family or friends have died, and that the first batch of the troops on the frontlines is expected to arrive back at the village together with the Hokage either tomorrow or the day after.
She supposed this ceasefire could be interpreted as Konoha's victory, even if she is still unaware of the specifics of what really happened at the frontlines because Rin was being vague about it due to confidentiality, only that her stupid idiot had been involved somehow and had played a key role. Stupid Haku.
Hanabi continued to keep a vigil by his bedside while holding his hand in hers, fighting the stifling urge to yawn because she needs to be awake in case his condition relapses again. Rin had told her that Haku is suffering from a severe case of chakra debt, a common symptom observed in shinobis who ingested too many soldier pills in a short period of time. Chakra doesn't come from nowhere, and contrary to the popular misconception, soldier pills do not provide chakra but rather, simulate and force the body to produce a huge burst of chakra instantaneously.
The most common analogy used to explain this medical condition would be to compare a shinobi's body to a sponge, and the chakra within the shinobi as the water stored in said sponge. A wet sponge would always seem to have water to squeeze out of no matter how you squeezed it, just that the amount of water derived from the sponge would inevitably decrease with each subsequent squeeze.
If the shinobi's body is the sponge and his chakra is the water in it, then soldier pills are the "squeeze" needed to squeeze chakra out of a shinobi's body. This is why the chakra boost provided by a soldier pill is the largest on the first intake, and would decrease on every subsequent intake. In the end, the chakra produced originates from the shinobi's body and that is why the amount of chakra replenished with each subsequent pill taken will diminish, because there is a limit on how much chakra can be squeezed out of a shinobi's body until they run dry, and by the time the shinobi's body truly ran out of chakra it would mean their death as well because no living organisms in this world can survive without having chakra in it.
This is why the side effect of overconsuming soldier pills is called "chakra debt", because soldier pills do not provide chakra but rather force the body to produce more chakra that it could never produce otherwise. This would cause the shinobi's body to suffer from a sudden chakra withdrawal as the additional chakra produced will have to be "returned", eventually, which is why this is called a "debt". Usually, shinobis do not consume more than one soldier pill within 24 hours and the side effect can be easily slept off with a good rest, but eating six of those in quick succession? Now that's just suicide.
Chakra is ever present, and every living organism, no matter how big or small, requires chakra to stay alive as chakra is needed to keep basic bodily functions to continue functioning. After Haku had stupidly squeezed his body dry of chakra his body had entered a state of chakra debt because there is barely enough chakra left in him to sustain the basic bodily functions required to stay alive. Any chakra that his body is currently producing are all immediately being collected to repay this debt, and in his case the rate that his body is collecting the debt is faster than what his body can currently produce in his weakened state. The only viable treatment in such a situation would be a chakra transfusion from somebody else, to help pay off the chakra debt until Haku's body can produce chakra faster than his body is collecting the incurred debt.
This is why shinobis are warned against taking so many soldier pills in quick succession, because the crash that came after can be life threatening if not handled well and the huge bursts of chakra that was forced from the body can also place heavy stress on the chakra coils. If left untreated, it can possibly cause irreversible damage to the chakra pathways and strip a shinobi away from their career.
It is a wonder that Haku is still alive. Even Rin had chalked this impossibility up to the mysterious ways his Ice Release works and left it at that. He was lucky that Rin was able to continuously transfer chakra over whenever his body was calling for the return of the chakra debt. If chakra was not transferred over in time, Haku's body would simply shut down as there was not enough chakra for his body to keep up with the basic functions his body requires to continue to stay alive.
Not only that, as Haku's chakra pathways had been through heavy stress from the consummation of so many soldier pills, the person doing the chakra transfer must have near perfect chakra control in order to not accidentally overload his strained and still recovering chakra coils. The amount of chakra transferred must be adjusted accordingly too, because overloading the patient with too much chakra would be harmful and it would be better if the patient's body could naturally produce the chakra required to return the debt by itself to reduce the unhealthy dependency of external transfusion. The treatment process sounded easy on paper, but extremely tedious to put into practice.
When Rin brought up the issue of chakra compatibility Hanabi had thought she wouldn't fit the bill. After all, her chakra is fire-natured while Haku's is primarily water and wind-natured, until Rin told her that chakra compatibility had very little to do with one's chakra nature although it might sometimes be an influencing factor. Thankfully, after Rin quickly ran through a series of checks that Hanabi still couldn't comprehend, it turned out that her chakra is compatible with Haku's. With her impeccable chakra control, her near unlimited reservoir of chakra, their chakra compatibility, and her byakugan capable of showing her just how much chakra she can safely inject into Haku's body at any one time, she became the perfect candidate to administer this tedious and delicate treatment process to her stupid idiot.
It might be for the best. The hospital's resources are being heavily strained as of this moment, what with the war out there and the casualties incurred during the recent combined invasion of both Iwa and Kumo forces that were trying to kidnap her and Naruto. At least this way, she can help the hospital free up some much needed manpower that could be better directed elsewhere. At least this way, she can do something to help contribute to the war efforts instead of being stuck in a safehouse all day long doing nothing.
She had honestly lost count on just how many times Haku's body experienced sudden violent withdrawal from the chakra debt and she had to inject chakra to save his life. Thankfully, the frequency of that happening had lessened over the days. Rin had told her that Haku should be in the clear the moment he wakes up, because if he could wake up it would mean that his body would be capable of functioning beyond the very basic function of keeping himself alive and thus, it would mean that the chakra debt would have been repaid in full.
It's been close to a week, and it really makes her wonder just how huge of a chakra debt Haku's body incurred for him to be in comatose for so long.
Trying to stay awake was an uphill battle she was fighting. Trying to keep her eyes open is a battle she is losing on all fronts. Still, she cannot afford to rest just in case Haku's condition relapses in the worst possible time. At the very least, she has to wait until he wakes up because that would mean that he would be truly out of danger and then she can finally rest easy.
Stupid Haku, making her worry like this.
Tried as she might, she was steadily nodding off until she felt the hand that she was holding onto making a slight twitch. She jolted awake, because she was sure that she wasn't imagining things. True enough, Haku was starting to stir.
"Haku? Haku?"
She saw how his eyes started to open and how his eyes gradually focused and looked at her. She could tell that he was surprised, even if the surprise only lasted for a short moment.
"Hana…bi…?"
"You are finally awake," She let out a visible sigh of relief, finally dropping the worry that was weighing her heart for so many days. He's finally out of danger now.
Still, she insisted on having a doctor check on him. Rin had gone back to the frontlines with the Hokage after quickly teaching her how to treat Haku's chakra debt condition, but not before arranging for a doctor at the hospital to continue to monitor Haku in her absence, just in case an emergency showed itself. Hanabi only truly felt relieved when the doctor finally gave the all clear, telling her that Haku had truly recovered and that there was nothing to worry about any longer.
"The first wave should be back sometime tomorrow, from what I was told we had a ceasefire agreement with Kumo and Iwa. The Hokage will also be returning with them."
She knew he would want to know what he had missed out while he was asleep, so she filled him in while trying to feed him some warm porridge. He might have woken up, but his body was still recovering and feeble. He's barely able to move his limbs so she took the liberty to help feed him.
"She… died."
"I heard," Hanabi acknowledged, knowing that it's just a matter of time before this topic was brought up. Naruto was inconsolable when they first heard this terrible news from Mikoto. "We weren't told of the specifics, only that Onoki was involved."
"It was him," Haku affirmed the truth, a downcast look in his eyes. "I… I wasn't able to save her. Not like how I did for you."
Her heart contracted a little after hearing the broken tone in his voice but she didn't know what to say, so she showed her support by gently grabbing onto his hand and giving it a light squeeze. He remained as still as a statue, but she saw how tears started to well in his eyes before silently falling down his face.
"She would want you to be happy."
"I know," He replied with a hoarse voice, "it still doesn't make it hurt any less."
She put down the unfinished bowl of porridge aside and sat herself down beside him on the bed, slowly pulling him into a hug and letting him cry into her shoulder.
"We will avenge her one day."
"What use is there when she's already dead?"
She doesn't know what or how to reply, the only thing that she could do is to pat his back and continue to lend him her shoulder to cry on.
Soon, he called out to her in a soft voice.
"Hanabi?"
"Yes?"
"Don't die before me."
She felt her heart clench upon hearing those words, as though it had stopped beating for a second or two before continuing.
"Okay, I won't."
Perhaps it was because they were both exhausted, physically and mentally, but that was how they ended up falling asleep shortly after, with her hugging him as they both somehow fit themselves onto the same bed.
She will grow strong, strong enough to not allow herself to be killed. Like this, she will be able to be of help to him, to be able to protect him and not let anyone hurt him ever again. Like this, she will be able to keep his promise to him, that she wouldn't go before him.
If this world is cursed, if this world is wrong, then she will help him right it, one step at a time, no matter what price they might have to pay. That was what she promised him.
Because he is her Haku, and she is his Hanabi.