Author's Note: This time, I didn't forget about updating! The wonders of not being as stressed as of lately. Anyway, this is the last chapter of the year, and the decade. So I hope you find it to your liking:
Chapter 92:
The More the Merrier?
or
The Mandatory Hot Springs Chapter
It has been three days since Jiraiya left with Tsunade and Itachi for the Land of Iron, and so far, it seemed that calmness had finally replaced the tension following the devastating Akatsuki attack. People continued working tirelessly on the reconstruction of the village, which went quite fast thanks to the effort of all its ninjas, but among them, those with unique abilities.
In just those three days, Tenzo, Rin and Kaida managed to replace about two thirds of the houses that were completely destroyed by creating new ones with their Wood Release. However, their powers only went so far, and most of those houses still needed glasses, plumbing, electricity and furniture, but they were habitable and definitely beat sleeping in the streets.
Other ninjas that sped up the reconstruction process were Choji and the rest of his clanmates, whose body expansion jutsu made rebuilding houses as easy as if they were toys, while Gaara's control over sand provided similar results. And naturally, Naruto's army of clones provided a massive boost to the workforce, speeding the process even further.
"Heh, at this pace, maybe we'll have most of the village rebuilt by the time dad gets back from the Land of Iron," Naruto said in pride, as he watched his clones work. The summit would be in a week and a half, and Jiraiya would take at least another week to get back to Konoha.
As the clones started to dispel little by little, Naruto's brain received their memories, and with them, a little of their mental fatigue and exhaustion.
"Man, I thought using clones would get me out of the hard work," Naruto complained to no one in particular. His hands went to his right pocket, where it found something. Pulling it out, it was the gift that his father had given him during their last conversation before he had to depart for the Land of Iron. "Maybe it's a good time to put this to use. I could use some relaxing."
"I think I could agree with that, Naruto-kun," a female voice said. Naruto turned around, and saw Hinata standing in front of him.
"Oh, hey, hime," Naruto greeted her with a kiss on the lips. "What's up?
"I just finished helping with the rebuilding of some houses, and decided to call it a day for now," Hinata replied, sounding a little exhausted. "Do you have any plans?"
"As a matter of fact, I do," the blond replied, as he handed her the item in question.
Wordlessly, Hinata took it and gave it a good look. Her eyes opened up in surprise a little.
"Oh," Hinata said, fighting a blush from developing on her pale face. "You plan to use this today? With... us?"
"I was planning to use it with all of our friends, you know," Naruto told her. "You said it would be nice if we did something together as a group, and I think this is a pretty good chance."
"I see," Hinata said, before nodding. "Yes, with how much everybody is working, I guess they also deserve a little reward and relaxation."
"Nice! Hopefully nobody will have any plans for this afternoon," Naruto said. "Can you go look for your cousin's team and Shikamaru's team? I'll get Karin's team and Kakashi-sensei's team myself."
"Alright. I'll see you in the place in an hour," Hinata said with a nod, before flying away.
…
Hyuga Estate
Hikari was in her study –which used to belong to her husband when he was alive– reading a scroll. It wasn't just any scroll, but one of those the Moon Acolytes had brought with them to Konoha. The former but still acting Clan Head had shown a lot of interest in knowing the true story of her clan, which was mired in mysteries, due the clan's nomadic nature prior joining Konoha.
Most of the historical documents, even if they were well preserved, showed their age. That's why Hikari ordered the clan's scholars to instantly copy them, and translate them to a more modern version of their language in order to make their reading far easier.
Even if the Acolytes themselves, as well as Hinata, already told them the true history of their clan, there were many details that they left out. The history of the Otsutsuki and later the Hyuga spanned for over a thousand years, and thus there was a lot to cover. Hikari believed that, by carefully studying their history, they could uncover more clan secrets. Because who said that the Tenseigan was the only one?
However, there was a part that left her intrigued. One that, no matter how many documents revised, she simply couldn't find a proper answer. So, rolling the scroll, she got up from her chair, and decided to ask somebody for answers.
It didn't take her long to find the person she was looking for. When he wasn't overseeing her daughters' training with the Tenseigan, Takuya was often in the Hyuga Library, alongside other Acolytes and more studious Hyuga members, working on copying said historical documents, reading the books and scrolls they already had, or organizing the library as a whole.
Little by little, Takuya had made that place into his little domain. Not that any of the Hyuga minded, since most saw it as a boring, thankless job, and were grateful to have somebody willing to keep their library organized. Right now, the leader of the Moon Acolytes was putting in the shelves some scrolls that had just been copied. He quickly noticed Hikari's presence.
"Ah, Hikari-sama," the older man said, making a bow. "What can I do for you?"
Hikari nodded back, and walked towards him, handing him the scroll before speaking. "I have decided to educate myself on the history of our clan and our ancestors. Today I have been reading that scroll."
"Ah, the fall of the Main Otsutsuki Clan, and their exile on Earth," the monk said, nodding as he quickly read the unfurled scroll. "A very poignant point of the history of both your clan and my order."
"Indeed. However, there's something I can't understand," Hikari said.
Takuya smiled, and rolled the scroll again. "Well, that's why I'm here. I'm more than happy to explain anything you want to know."
"You see, in all the records I reviewed, they mention a terrible weapon created by the Branch Otsutsuki," Hikari began. "But none of them specify the nature of that weapon. I thought that maybe you could cast some light upon this mystery?"
Takuya's face darkened a little, as his smile vanished.
"I'm afraid, my dear Hikari-sama, that neither me nor the Acolytes, know about that," Takuya replied. "All we know it's that it was a weapon of terrible power. Unfortunately, the ensuing war and destruction, there was no time nor opportunity to make an extensive record of such weapon. In fact, many of our records were lost to that war; they were either destroyed or remain on the moon."
"I see. The weapon also remains on the moon, correct?" Hikari asked.
"I'm afraid so, Hikari-sama," Takuya replied.
"Then... how can we destroy a weapon that brought down the Otsutsuki Clan when it was in its prime?" Hikari asked. "Because it's said to be a weapon that can match and even surpass the Tenseigan."
"I'm afraid I have no answer for that, Hikari-sama," Takuya gravely said.
…
Training Ground Seven
Kiba, Tamaki and Shino were in the middle of an intense training session, a spar against Kakashi using the Sharingan. The Inuzuka heir and the cat kunoichi were covered in sweat and dirt, breathing heavily, but were smiling confidenlty. Shino, on the other hand, looked far less exhausted and dirty, though his body language revealed that he hadn't been merely watching while his teammates fought.
"What about that, Kakashi-sensei?" Tamaki asked, eager for praise.
"Okay, I admit it," Kakashi replied. "At first I had my doubts, but both you and Kiba managed to do it."
"Ha, of course we did!" Kiba boasted, with Akamaru vigorously barking in agreement. "Did you have any doubts?"
"I have to admit, it was quite an exercise of creativity and outside the box thinking on your part," Shino chimed in.
"Eh, it wasn't really that hard," Tamaki said, with a dismissive hand wave. "There are countless ways to circumvent a jutsu's weakness. Kiba and I just used one of the most obvious."
"Even then, it's not something I can-"
"Hey!" a new voice said, interrupting Shino.
Everybody turned around to see Naruto happily running towards them. Their stances relaxed, as they came closer and walked towards the blond in order to meet him in the middle.
"Hey, look at that! That's too good to be a coincidence!" Kiba said, grinning wildly. "Hey Naruto, you came here just in time! Fight me! I have a new jutsu that-"
"While I appreciate your passion, I doubt Naruto came here thinking in fighting you, Kiba," Kakashi interrupted him.
"Besides, you should know that, even with our new jutsu, Naruto would still be too much for us," Tamaki reminded him.
Kiba's excitement was so big, he felt he could take on any opponent, Naruto included. And while in another time he would have argued with Tamaki for that, the more rational part of his brain won out, and all he did was cross his arms and huff in anoyance..
"Okay, whaveter," Kiba said in resignation. "But I'm not going to stop training until the gap between us closes!"
"I'll be holding you to that boast, Kiba," Kakashi said in his jovial tone, but everybody could sense a "you're going to regret saying that" there. He then turned towards the blond. "So, what can we do for you, Naruto?"
"I wanted to ask Kiba, Tamaki and Shino something," Naruto began, as he pulled a small, crumpled paper out of his pocket. He straightened the paper as much as he could, and showed it to his friends. "Dad gave me this before he left for the Kage Summit. He thought that we could use some relaxation after the whole debacle with Danzo and the Akatsuki."
Shino held the paper between his hands, as he and his teammates and sensei read it. It was a coupon for one of Konoha's most expensive hot springs, cutting its price per person in more than half. However, the coupon was only valid for large groups, meaning ten people or more. And on top of that, said group would have one of the springs reserved for them, instead of having to share it with others.
"I thought we could spend the afternoon there, and then have a nice dinner together," Naruto said. "I already asked Shikamaru's team, and they said yes. Hinata-hime is asking Karin and Neji's team, respectively, to come."
"Yeah, count me in!" Kiba excidetly said. "After how hard we worked today, we deserve a reward!"
"It's okay if I ask Rin to come with us?" Tamaki asked.
"I also thought that Fu would enjoy some time in the hot springs as well," Shino added.
"Sure, the more the merrier!" Naruto happily agreed.
"Sorry for asking, but it's that invitation just for my students? Or are the sensei invited as well?" Kakashi asked.
"Yeah, you and the other sensei can come if you want too," Naruto said. "The coupon doesn't say anything about how big the group must be. Anyway, it's so great to know that you'll be coming! Meet us at the entrance at five sharp!"
And thus,. Naruto left as quickly as he had come.
"It was so nice that Naruto decided to invite us grownups as well," Kakashi said, sounding pleased. "Don't worry, I'll make sure none of us get in your way or anything. Anyway, how about if we end the training for today?"
"Sure, I want to get ready for the hot springs," Tamaki agreed. Kiba and Shino nodded as well.
And with that, the group dispersed. However, as they returned to their homes, there was a single thought that filled both Kiba, Shino and Tamaki's heads.
"We will be able to see Kakashi-sensei without the mask."
…
Hot Springs, that afternoon
After picking Haku up, Naruto and Hinata arrived at the Hot Springs. They noticed there were already more people there, a pretty large crowd. In fact, they were the last ones to arrive. Teams Gai, Kakashi, Shizune and Asuma. Kurenai was also there, presumedly coming with her husband. The Hot Springs were going to be pretty crowded today.
"Hey there!" Naruto greeted the group, as he and his teammates walked closer. "Good to see that you managed to come!"
"We already told you that we would come, didn't we?" Neji asked. "It would be rude if we decided to just leave you hanging after that."
"Hey, Tenten!" Haku happily said, as he walked towards his girlfriend. She greeted him with a kiss. "I'm so glad you could came."
"Yeah, it feels like we haven't been together for months!" Tenten said, just as gleeful. "Though... wouldn't you melt if you go into the Hot Springs? The water is pretty hot."
"I think my ice can manage," Haku said with a chuckle. He found that joke a bit cringey, but decided to humor his girlfriend.
"Thanks a lot for this invitation, Naruto-kun!" Lee excitedly said. "However, now I must think of something to return such generosity! Too bad I can't think in anything yet."
"Eh, it's okay, Lee. It's my dad who-"
"And if I can't think anything, I'll climb the Hokage monument with one hand with weights on my belt!" Lee declared, just as excited.
"Well done! There's nothing to stimulate the mind that intense exercise, Lee!" Gai told Lee in a congratulatory manner. Neji merely sighed, while Tenten shook her head.
"I have to agree with Lee on this one, Naruto," Shikamaru said. "Usually all the stuff you organize is about training and the like, but a relaxing day at the hot spring? Heh, that's something I can't miss."
"Yeah, it was a pretty good idea," Choji added, nodding. "By the way, Naruto, you told us that there was no limit to the size of the group, right?"
"Yeah, what about it?" Naruto asked.
"Well, I did ask Karui if she wanted to come," Choji replied.
"I asked the same to Temari," Shikamaru said. "She was so happy to hear that. With some luck, she may forgive all the misgivings from the past months."
"Oh, yes. I remember that those Kumo and Suna ninjas were in the village. Oh shit! I totally forgot to extend an invitation to Gaara! Maybe I can send a clone..." The blond distressingly thought. "Um, yeah," Naruto said, now having doubts about the size of the group. "As long as-"
"I also brought Shisui with me," Shizune chimed in. The blond noticed that the oldest Uchiha was indeed besides Naruto's surrogate sister, who smiled and waved at him happily. "We don't have much of a chance to do something like this together!"
"Yeah, it was such a nice detail on your part, Naruto!" Shisui added.
"I also brought Sai," Ino intervened, pulling the pale brunet closer to her.
"Ino thinks that such gathering will be good for both my rehabilitation and to train my social skills," Sai stated.
"Er, okay," Naruto said. "In that case, we should wait for the rest of the people that the others have told to come before going all in."
"I think we won't have to wait much," Hinata said.
Naruto turned around, and saw the trio of Kumo ninjas that had delivered the Raikage's message walking towards them. Naturally, the three of them looked way happier than they have been in the past days. A smile formed on Choji as he went to greet the girl he had a crush on.
"Oh man, hot springs! I can't wait to get to them! I have never been in one!" Omoi excitedly said.
"Same here," T added. "After all these stressful days, we are in desperate need of relaxation."
"Oh... Karui brought her teammates too," Naruto noticed, as he started to sweat a little. There was no way all of them could fit inside two hot springs alone.
"Naruto-kun," Hinata said, tapping his shoulder. He turned towards his girlfriend, who wordlessly pointed back.
Naruto turned around, and saw Gaara, Kankuro and Temari. Of course, it was obvious that Temari would ask her brothers to come with her. However, they weren't the only ones; walking besides them was another trio of Suna ninjas: Matsuri, Yukata and Mikoshi.
"Hey, look at that! It seems that everybody is here already," Kankuro observed, before he turned at his sister. "Told you you were spending way too much time getting ready!"
"Hey, I don't get many chances to go to a hot spring, so I wanted to make sure to have everything!" Temari angrily shot back.
As Kankuro and Temari continued to argue, Gaara walked towards Naruto.
"In Suna's name, thank you for your invitation, Naruto," Gaara told the blond in his usual stoic tone. "Once again, you're a credit to Konoha's hospitality."
"Yay, hot springs!" Yukata chimed in.
"Let's hope there are mixed baths..." Matsuri whispered, as she shot a look at Gaara, while blushing a little.
"Sure, you're helping us a lot, so this is the least we could have done for you!" Naruto said, laughing awkwardly. He sighed in relief inwardly. "Well, that solves one problem. At least I won't come off as rude for forgetting to invite him"
The blond then looked at the truly massive group that had formed at the entrance of the hot springs, all of them speaking with each other, the sound of their chattering combining into a cacophony of multiple conversations chaotically intermingled with each other.
"Let's get everybody inside before more people decide to show up," Naruto said.
There were three hot springs: one for men, another for women, and another mixed, the three of them sharing the same spring, separated by a divider made of bamboo. Naturally, most couples wanted to be in the mixed one in order to be with their significant other, but there was a problem: just like Naruto had predicted, there were too many of them and they wouldn't fit inside the mixed bath.
The owners of the springs, a couple in their early sixties, not wanting to lose such a large group, devised a solution: they removed the dividers and decided to made the springs into a single, mixed bath. This solution seemed to please everybody, who quickly rushed towards the changing room, so they could enjoy the hot baths.
…
Undisclosed Location
After a rather long trek, Kisame and Deidara finally reached their goal, much to their relief. Deidara was tired of walking and complained about his feet hurting –he wanted to use his clay constructs to just fly there, but Obito had told him that doing so would alert the enemy of their presence–, and was glad that they were done walking.
Kisame was tired of Deidara's constant complains, and was glad that he didn't have to hear the Iwa missing-nin's grouses. Still, the perspective of a good battle was enough to push the frustration he had built over the past few days away.
"So, this is the place," Deidara said, as he eyed the fortress cleverly built into the mountain, which could be easily missed unless you knew what were you looking for. Such a place would be hard to siege or break into, even with a large army. "That's it, if Zetsu's intel is correct."
"Our intel has always been good, Deidara-san," Kisame replied. "There's no reason to doubt our spymaster."
"I dunno, it looks kind of small," Deidara said, eyeing the place with a critical eye. "Not the place I'll use a hideout."
"Appearances can be deceiving," Kisame observed. "The fortress could extend into the mountain, or even down below. Besides, if I needed to hide, I'd use a small place as not to draw attention."
"Whatever. So, what's the plan?" Deidara asked. "I think I should fly above the place, drop some of my art, force the son of a bitch out, then we crush him between the two of us. Simple, fast and effective."
"While I do agree with your plan, we should make sure there aren't any secret doors or escape routes he can use to evade us," Kisame told Deidara, as he gave him a mocking grin. "We don't want a repeat of what happened our last mission, do we?"
"You were there with me, you asshole! It was as much your fault as it was mine!" the blond heatedly protested.
"I know. That's why I said we should approach this mission with care," Kisame said, grinning at the Iwa missing-nin. "Why did you think I was talking about you alone?"
Deidara just huffed, and crossed his arms. Kisame ignored him, and watched the mountain the fortress was built on more closely.
"Thankfully this mountain isn't too big. Let's circle it while we look for any hidden exit," Kisame proposed. "I take the left, you take the right."
"Understood."
Both Akatsuki split for the time moment, as they prepared the terrain for their impending hunt.
…
Back in Konoha
Inside the hot springs, Naruto and Hinata were resting as the hot water nursed their bodies. The two of them were leaning against one of the walls of the stone, the water reaching to their shoulders. Hinata's head was resting on Naruto's shoulder.
"Ahhhh..." the Hyuga Clan head moaned. "This is so good... I don't know why we didn't do this anytime sooner. Don't you agree, Naruto-kun?"
"Indeed," Naruto said, so relaxed it almost sounded like a purr. "All my worries seem so far away..."
"This is perfect. You, me..."
"And literally dozens of people around us."
Because yes, even if the hot springs were pretty big now that the three pools had been merged into one, it was bursting with people, to the point that the water level had raised considerably. Fortunately, everybody else was quiet, as they also either relaxed, or merely talked with their friends or significant others.
"CANNONBALL!"
That's it, until Fu joined them, and bombed into the spring so hard, she created a large wave of hot water, splashing everybody around her. Fu happily emerged from the water, as several people started to telling her off.
"Goddamit Fu!"
"You can't do that in a hot spring!"
"This is not a kiddie pool!"
"Sheesh, I get it, I get it!" Fu replied, as she held her hands defensively. "You should try to chill out a bit, you know. You'll live longer."
Soon they quickly forgot about such small incident, and continued to relax, chatter and enjoy the warm and pleasant water. Kurenai was saying something to Asuma, who nodded, before the Genjutsu mistress waddled her way to where Naruto and Hinata were relaxing. She'd wish Haku wasn't so far away from the other two, but it would have to do for now.
"Hey, Naruto, Hinata," Kurenai called them.
"Hello, Kurenai-sensei," Hinata greeted back.
"So, enjoying the baths?" Naruto asked.
"Plenty. It was a very thoughtful gift, Naruto," Kurenai said with a smile. "Anyway, there's something I wanted to talk to you about, and I feel this is a good moment as good as any other."
"Let me guess: you're pregnant again!" Naruto said with a cheeky grin.
Kurenai clicked her tongue in annoyance, but decided to ignore the blond's guess. "Remember Yakumo Kurama? The girl I trained before I was your sensei, and thought she was dead?"
"Who wasn't dead and turned out to be a Root agent," Hinata finished, already imagining what was she going to ask. "What about her?"
Kurenai tensed up a little as she moved to the side. "Well..."
Turns out, Kurenai wasn't alone. Behind her was a girl with pale skin and shoulder-length brown hair. Like most women there, she had a towel wrapped around her body. She was visibly nervous and even a little uncomfortable.
"...this is her," Kurenai finished. "Yakumo, these are two of my new students, Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga. Naruto, Hinata, meet Yakumo."
"Um... hi," Yakumo shyly said.
Naruto and Hinata spend a few long, tense moments staring at her, without saying anything. Until Hinata's natural born politeness won over, and returned the greeting.
"Hello, Yakumo-san. I hope you're having a nice time with us," Hinata said.
"Uh, sorry if I sound rude, but shouldn't she be in jail or something like that?" Naruto bluntly asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kurenai sighed in resignation. Even if the jinchuriki was indeed blunt to the point of being insensitive, he was raising a good point. She hoped they would be willing to give the last member of the Kurama clan another chance.
"Hokage-sama released the most mentally stable Root ex-agents under probation, living in foster homes. Yakumo is living with us in the Sarutobi Clan compound," Kurenai explained. "I thought that Yakumo being with more people her age would be good for her mental development. Sorry for not telling you about this before."
"It's okay, Kurenai-sensei. We understand," Hinata replied, before looking around. "However... there are far too many people here. Such a multitude might not be the best place for somebody in Yakumo's position," Hinata pointed out.
"I know, but I don't have that many options. You guys are my only hope," Kurenai said, in almost pleading tone. "Just like Yakumo was not given the option to refuse Danzo. She really needs friends her age, and I would consider it a huge favor if you agreed."
"Kurenai-sensei, please, I don't want to be a burden-" Yakumo began, but was interrupted by Hinata.
"Nobody considers you a burden, Yakumo-san," Hinata said, before turning her eyes towards the raven haired woman. "I know firsthand how much damage Danzo caused, and that most of his minions were also his victims. If by helping Yakumo-san I can help to undo some of that damage, I'm for it."
"I guess it would be very hypocritical of me to hold against somebody something that's out of their control," Naruto said. "So yeah, you can call me your friend if you wish so."
"I... thank you. Thank you a lot," Yakumo said, bowing her head multiple times.
"Again, I'm sorry for this," Kurenai insisted. "Thankfully, unlike most Root agents, Yakumo hasn't been that long in Root. Undoing Danzo's conditioning shouldn't take that much effort compared to other agents."
"Not that I liked working for him," Yakumo said, shaking her head. "Being a Root ninja was... it was... it was horrible," Yakumo said, sobbing a little.
"Don't worry, I think that the nightmare is already over..." Hinata said sympathetically and placed a comforting hand on the brown-haired girl's shoulder. "Danzo is gone, and he will never be coming back."
"And Konoha will be all the better for it," Kurenai said with a nod. "I'm going back to Asuma and the other adults. I'll leave Yakumo in your care. If you need anything from me, just call. Oh, and introduce her to Haku, will you?"
"Sure, you can leave her in our hands, Kurenai-sensei!" Naruto said with a grin, giving the raven haired woman a thumbs up.
Kurenai smiled and nodded, before turning around and going back where all the adults were gathering.
"So, Yakumo, right?" Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry for saying that you should be in jail."
"Don't be. I did quite a lot of awful things while working under Danzo. Including helping him escape the first time," the brunette said. She was about to say that she was also instrumental in the Rinnegan theft, which ended up in Akatsuki's hands, but decided against it. At least, for the time being. "A few days ago, we were enemies."
"We weren't enemies because of your choice," Naruto said. "And now we have the chance to choose to be your friends," Naruto said, nodding, before making a grimace. "Okay, I think that sounded a little too cheesy..."
Hinata giggled. "Cheesy or not, I think it was the right thing to say, Naruto-kun."
"It would be nice to have some friends," Yakumo softly said.
"I'm guessing that Danzo didn't allow you to grow attached to any of your fellow agents, did he?" Naruto assumed. "With that guy's stance on 'a ninja should be an emotionless drone'."
"No. He was adamant that there was nothing more important than the mission," Yakumo replied. "And if we had to choose between the mission and the lives of our partners, we couldn't hesitate to choose the former."
"How horrible," Hinata said, scowling a little.
"And it wasn't just that," Yakumo continued. "Everything has to be secondary to the mission, including our own lives. Though thankfully, I was never in a situation that demanded my life. I don't think I'd be able to do it."
"Guess that, since you're the last bearer of a powerful Bloodline Limit, he considered you less expendable than the rest of his goons," Hinata deduced.
"By the way, Yakumo," Naruto interceded. "Do you think that Danzo would have liked seeing you like this? Having fun on a hot springs while chatting with us?"
This made the brown haired girl laugh a little. "Kami, no! We were banned from taking such activities, that he considered 'wasteful'. If we had no missions, we had to train all the time. Danzo would be fuming if we decided to do something purely for our pleasure."
"In that case, think that Danzo is watching you from wherever hellish afterlife he's now, and is completely impotent to do anything about it," Naruto told the brunette with a grin.
"Heh..." she chuckled again. "That's something I'd like to see."
"By the way, Yakumo-san," this time, it was Hinata's turn to intercede. "Kurenai-sensei told us about you. Though she didn't mention other students. How is that you didn't have any teammates? It's custom for rookie ninjas to have teams of three."
"Technically I wasn't a ninja yet. Due my medical condition, I couldn't afford to go to the Academy," Yakumo explained. "Hence why they had Kurenai-sensei teach me how to control my powers while Tsunade-sama worked on a treatment. I guess that, once I had graduated the Academy, I would be assigned to a traditional four man team. Speaking of which... where is your other teammate? Kurenai-sensei told me she was training three people."
"Ah, yes, Haku! He's probably locking lips with Tenten," Naruto said, as he looked around, trying to discern his other teammate among the crowd.
However, Hinata beat him to the punch thanks to her Tenseigan. "Found him. And your prediction was a correct one, Naruto-kun."
"I knew it," Naruto said, shaking his head, but grinning a little. "Come on Yakumo! You need to meet Haku!"
"This Haku guy... what kind of person is he?" Yakumo asked.,
"Well, you can say that he is..." Naruto began, trying to look for the most suitable words to describe his teammate. His lips formed a grin when he found them. "...a pretty cool guy."
Hinata merely rolled her eyes.
…
"You know, it's kinda weird seeing you guys like that," Shikamaru said.
Rather than his team, Shikamaru chose to take a spot near the Suna ninjas, clearly to be near his girlfriend. Speaking of which, Temari's hair was no longer styled in four ponytails, but let it fall loose on her back, revealing it to be deceptively long.
"I'm so used seeing you with your ponytails that you almost look like a different person," Shikamaru continued, before his eyes drifted towards Kankuro, who was obviously not wearing any face paint on his face nor a black hood over his head. "And that goes double to you."
"Look who's talking," Kankuro said, with an eye roll. "Guess that your hair isn't permanently stuck in the shape of pineapple after all."
Kankuro's comment made Temari giggle and Shikamaru to scowl a little. Just like Temari, Shikamaru wasn't wearing his hair in a ponytail either, letting it loose.
"Yeah, but in my case the contrast isn't so big," Shikamaru tried to defend himself, though he decided it was probably better to change the topic before his girlfriend and her brother took offense. "Anyway, are you enjoying the baths? I don't think there are any in Suna or the Land of Wind."
"Nope!" it wasn't Kankuro nor Temari who replied, but Matsuri, who was sitting between Gaara and Yukata. "And I'm so glad you guys invited us to this place! Like, we came here on a mission, but being allowed into a hot spring during it... it's so cool!"
"But... water in a hot spring is hot, not cool," Yukata chimed in, looked a bit confused. "I mean, it's like, in the name."
"It was a figure of speech, Yukata-chan," Matsuri replied, sounding a little tired. "We already went through this before."
"We did? Oh, right, yes!" Yukata said, smiling and nodding. "By the way, how many times can we go here?"
"We came here to help Konoha rebuild, Yukata," Gaara called out. "Not to relax. This is a gesture of their gratitude, not something to be done every day."
"Though you can come here every day if you want," Shikamaru added. "Though don't expect to pay as little as you did today. We managed to get such a huge discount thanks to a coupon Naruto had."
"I didn't bring that much money," Yukata said, before an idea dawned upon her. "Oh, I know! Gaara-sama, can we get the hot spring's price discounted from our mission revenue?"
"Like I said before, this is a mission to help an ally village. None of us are getting paid for this," Gaara said.
"We don't!?" Yukata replied, outraged. "Aw, shucks."
"If it makes you feel any better, think that this stay at the hot springs is Konoha's way of repaying us," Gaara told her.
"I'd like to be paid in hot spring tickets rather than money," Yukata said. "It feels nicer."
"Or you can spend the money you earn on missions on hot springs if you wish?" Shikamaru suggested.
"That works too!" Yukata happily agreed.
Shikamaru grimaced, and looked at his girlfriend. "Is this girl for real?" he whispered to her.
Temari sighed and nodded. "She can be kind of... absent minded. But she's a brave and a sweet girl."
"Regardless of her other qualities, I don't think I could stand being near somebody so lacking in the brain department," Shikamaru said in a dispproving tone. "I don't think my sanity could hold for long."
"She isn't so bad once you get used to her," Temari said with a shrug, as she shifted on her seat. "It takes some time, though."
"Hey," Shikamaru said, as she grabbed one of Temari's biceps. "It's my imagination, or did these get even bigger?"
"Why yes, Shikamaru, I've been training a lot, thanks for your compliment," Temari said in an overly sarcastic tone, as she narrowed her eyes dangerously at the Nara.
"Hey, I didn't mean to disparage you," Shikamaru said, holding his hands in defense. "I was simply surprised. It was just a harmless comment. I'm not used to seeing you without clothes, you know. You have a very fit body."
"Maybe not fit enough. After my loss against Akatsuki and Gaara almost dying, we decided to redouble our training. Being so close to death really opens your eyes." Temari told him. She shifted her position again, subtly inching closer to her boyfriend. "What about you? Aren't you training either?"
"Well, as you can see, right now I'm kind of busy picking up the pieces of our wrecked village," Shikamaru dryly said. "But yeah, I am. Asuma-sensei says that we're ready for a promotion, and both my teammates and I are getting ready for it."
Temari smiled, pleased, and nodded. "Good. You have a lot of talent, Shikamaru, and it would be a pity if you decided to waste it by staying a rank unbefitting to you just because it's too 'troublesome'."
"Hey, I don't say that that often, do I?" Shikamaru protested. "I'm trying to complain less about hard work."
"That's good," Temari said with a grin. "Otherwise, you and I wouldn't last much longer together."
"Though I hope you don't mind if I don't end up as jacked up as you are," Shikamaru said, now his turn to grin.
Temari scowled at him, and slapped his shoulder, while splashing some water. "Oh come on! I'm not THAT jacked up!"
"I thought you'd be happy I have no complex about dating a woman stronger than I am," Shikamaru added, his grin still present.
"People as nonchalant as you rarely have any complex about anything," Temari replied. "Besides, as much as I train, I don't think I'll ever will –or want– to end up as big as her."
Temari pointed to another group near them, and Shikamaru immediately realized who she was pointing out. Fu was talking happily with the Animal Squad, and now that he had set his eyes on her, he realized how muscular the girl was. Temari could be considered skinny by comparion.
"Man, look at that broad back," Shikamaru said. "I didn't even know that we had so many muscles there."
"I feel sorry for Shino if that girl feels like playing rough in the bed," Temari sympathetically said. "Though I'd prefer if your eyes were only on my body, you know. You won't have a chance like this in some time, so you better take your chance."
Shikamaru smiled. "If you put it that way, how can I say no?"
Meanwhile near Shikamaru and Temari, the Chunin of Kakashi's Animal Squad were rather pissed that something they planned didn't go as expected. They had thought that being at a hot spring would force their sensei to take their mask off but apparently not...
"I can't believe it!" Kiba protested, throwing his hands in the air, making a splash once they came down. "We're at a hot springs, and the asshole still keeps his mask on!"
They were all expectantly waiting for Kakashi to appear unmasked when they heard he was also going to go to the hot springs. But even if he wasn't wearing anything under his neck, the mask remained firmly in place.
"The guy must be suffocating with all this steam," Tamaki said, narrowing her eyes at her sensei.
"He doesn't look like he's suffocating to me," Shino replied, also looking at Kakashi. "Maybe is easier to breathe through that mask than it appears at first sight."
"And what about you?" Kiba asked, as he moved closer towards Shino. "Why are you still wearing those shades?"
"I like wearing them, even in a place like this. Is that a problem to you?" Shino defiantly answered.
"Come on, leave Shino alone," Fu interceded, as she adjusted the towel wrapped around her body. "A man must have some mystery. That makes them more attractive to us," Fu said, as she placed an arm around Shino's shoulders, pulling the Aburame slightly closer to her.
"In Kakashi's case, I don't think it's working, or if that's his intention," Tamaki noted. "I don't think I ever saw Kakashi-sensei with a woman, ever."
"Or a man," Kiba added. "Though he and Guy-sensei tend to hang out a lot..."
"Correction: Guy-sensei is the one who hounds Kakashi-sensei," Tamaki observed.
"Going back to the original topic," Shino interceded, clearly not wanting to discuss his sensei's possible sexuality. "There's somebody who may solve the issue regarding what does Kakashi hides behind his mask," the Aburame heir said, as he nodded towards a girl coming from the female locker room: Rin Nohara. The brown haired girl noticed the trio, and quickly moved towards them.
"Hey guys!" Rin happily greeted them, as she entered the water. "Wow, the water is just perfect! So warm! It was really nice of Naruto to invite us here, wasn't it?"
"Rin, you've known Kakashi since you were a little kid," Kiba impatiently said, ignoring the medic-nin's greeting. "Can you tell us what's under his mask?"
"Huh?" Rin dumbly asked, before her brain actually processed the question. She smiled awkwardly. "Uh... I'm afraid I have no idea."
"WHAT!?" Kiba shouted, startling the medic-nin a little.
"You're telling us that Kakashi-sensei wore that mask since he was five?" Tamaki asked, just as skeptical.
"Pretty much, yeah," Rin said. "There were many people, including Obito and I, who wanted to know what does he look under that mask. None of us suceeded. Whatever secret Kakashi is hiding, he guards it with zeal."
"Maybe a scar, or a birth deformity?" Kiba guessed. "Because I can't think why he's so averse to show his face."
"Maybe he does to create an aura of mystery around him? I admit that's something that I found attractive of him," Rin confessed.
"Heh, that's exactly what Fu said," Tamaki said, turning towards her Takigakure friend. However, the green haired girl wasn't there anymore. "Fu...?"
"Coming~!" Fu chirped, as she forded her way back to the group. However, they noticed that she wasn't alone, as a certain silver haired man followed her.
"Kakashi-sensei?" Tamaki asked.
"Why did you bring him?" Kiba asked.
"Well, Fu told me that you were talking about me, so I thought it would be fitting if I was part of your little chat, given that I'm the topic," Kakashi nonchalantly said, giving them his usual eye-smile. "More specifically, why I hide my face under a mask all the time."
"So I asked him if he could come and show us his face," Fu helpfully added. "And he said yes!"
"Wait... that's it? That's what it takes? Just asking him to unmask?" Kiba asked, his disbelief growing with each passing second-
"There are many people who have tried to see what's underneath my mask. They employed all sorts of ambushes, traps and schemes," Kakashi began, as his visible eye rested on Rin, who laughed awkwardly as a faint blush colored her face. "Though for some reason, nobody ever thought about asking. Until Fu, that's it. Anyway here you go."
Everybody held their breath as Kakashi removed his mask to reveal... an admitedly good looking but still mundane face. The Jonin smiled in amusement to their disappointment. No birth deformities or hideous scars crossing his face. He had a strong jawline, and a mouth full of pearly white teeth. The closest thing to a facial defect would be a small dot under the left corner of his mouth.
"So, what's with those reactions?" Kakashi asked, using an irritatingly jovial tone that bordered on mocking. "You wanted to see my face, and now you're seeing it."
"But... you're completely normal!" Kiba protested.
"I think I'll take that as a compliment," Kakashi said, before pulling his mask up to his nose once again. "What did you expect to see?"
"Something worth hiding!" Tamaki shouted, as she punched the water with both fists in exasperation, splashing some hot water around. "If you hide your face with such zeal, it has to be because of something meaningful."
"And didn't you think that maybe I wear a mask because I just like it?" Kakashi asked.
"While it's a possibility, any line of logic would say that somebody who wears all the time tries to hide something," Shino intervened.
"If you weren't hiding something, then why is that whenever somebody tries to unmask you, you resisted so much?" Kiba asked.
"If somebody sneaked up on you from behind and tried to pull your pants down, would you let him? Or would you fight him?" Kakashi replied with another question.
"That's not the same thing!" the Inuzuka protested.
"I can't see how they aren't," Kakashi said with a shrug, before turning around, and moving back with the other adults. "If that's everything, I'll leave you guys alone."
The members of the Animal Squad, Rin and Fu shared a moment of very awkward silence, until the Wood Release user opened her mouth.
"So many years wondering what was under Kakashi's face, and all I had to do was ask," Rin said, mostly to herself. She then looked at everybody else. "Do you guys feel stupid, or it's just me?"
"Nope, I don't feel stupid!" Fu brightly replied.
"And in the end, he turned out to look perfectly normal," Kiba added, sighing a little.
You call that normal? Boy, your sensei looks really hot. I don't know why he hides such a handsome face behind that mask all the time," Fu commented before pulling Shino closer to herself. "Of course, he's still nowhere near as cute as my Shino, that's for sure!"
"Sometimes I feel that Kakashi only does the things he does to mess with people," Tamaki reflected. "Because that's how I'm feeling right now."
Everybody, both teens and adults, continued talking and having fun at the hot springs. They would remember that day as one of relaxation and enjoyment, not only because of the good time everybody got, but because it would be the last time they would be able to experience such pleasure for the foreseeable future.
…
Land of Iron, a few days later
After a week of travel, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Itachi managed to reach the capital of the Land of Iron. There were still a few days until the summit began, and Jiraiya wanted to use that time to discuss with his two escorts possible strategies and topics to broach in what was going to be a five way discussion. Hopefully, he could convince Kumo and Iwa to join Konoha, Kiri and Suna into an unfified front against Akatsuki.
The trio of Konoha ninjas crossed the snow covered city until they reached the Three Wolves Mountain. Inside said mountain was the Iron Fortress, seat of power of the Samurai, from where the High Shogun ruled the small but powerful country.
The entrance hall of the Iron Fortress was a huge, cavernous instance, so wide and long an entire army could fill it, and the roof so high it one needed to crank their neck to see it. Said roof was supported by massive pillars, evenly spread around the place. Despite being so big, it was also empty and scarce, with only torches on the walls providing some illumination.
There were several groups of samurai guarding the place. Most of them wearing white full body armors with gas masks that completely hid their faces. Other samurai wore red, bulkier armors, probably to show their higher rank. One of these red-armored samurai, flanked by two regular ones, walked towards the newcomers.
"Hello, and welcome to the Land of Iron, ninjas of Konoha," the samurai officer greeted the Hokage and his escorts, making a polite bow. "You're the first to arrive. Though I must say we weren't expecting any of you to arrive so soon."
"I hope my early arrival is not a problem," Jiraiya said.
"Not in the slightest. We already prepared all the guest rooms ahead of time precisely if something like this happened," the samurai explained. "While we don't mind you being early, you're going to have to wait some days until the others come. Hopefully you'll have a way to pass the time until the summit begins."
"We do have, don't worry," Jiraiya told him. "Now, if you can show us where are we going to stay, we'd appreciate it. It has been a long journey and my escorts and I would wish to rest."
"Sure," the samurai said as he and his two subordinates turned around and started to walk away, the Konoha ninjas following them. "We prepared two rooms, one for you and another for your escorts. We hope you find them to your liking."
"If it's possible, I'd prefer if one of my escorts shared a room with me," Jiraiya said, as he and Tsunade briefly exchanged a look. "I hope that's not a problem."
"Of course, it can be arranged," the samurai said.
The next days would indeed be boring, though Jiraiya and Tsunade knew how to use all that time to their enjoyment.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the hot springs chapter. Despite all the people that ended shwoing up, I was unable to come up with something for all of them to do or talk about, so in the end could only focus on a few groups.
Those of you worried about Yakumo Kurama, I hope that this chapter put your worries to rest. As you can see, she's doing pretty good under Kurenai's tutelage, and she befriended Naruto and Hinata. She still has a long way to go until all Danzo's negative influence is washing away, but hey, it's a good beginning for her, don't you think so?
Also, regarding Kakashi's mask... I saw a couple episodes where Naruto and co. tried to remove his mask to see what his face looks like. However, I don't remember anybody in those episodes simply asking Kakashi to do so. Guess that wacky shenenigans are funnier than taking a reasonable course of action. And of course, Fu was the one behind such genius concept. It's only natural that the most simple minded people are the ones coming up with the simplest solutions.
Though, not everything in this chapter is fun and relaxation: as you can see, Kisame and Deidara are on the hunt once again. Did they locate Killer B already? You'll see soon enough.
And lastly, as you could see, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Itachi had finally arrived to the Land of Iron. Yep, what you guys have been waiting for is going to happen, the Five Kage Summit! Are you as excited as I am?
Well, that's all, see you next year! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my beloved readers! I hoped you liked this little Christmas Present. You can give me a present as well by reviewing this chapter! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!