Disclaimer: Again, I don't own anything or anybody except Tomoko, her family, and Nagareboshi Cafe. Any concepts/ideas mentioned in this fanfiction that seem to be borrowed from another media/piece of continuity - note that I don't mean to plagiarize anything or anybody in any way! This fanfic was made for entertainment purposes, not for pissing off others! So yeah!
The theme for this chapter is Animenz Piano Sheets' cover of Again from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Even though I still need to finish the Fullmetal Alchemist anime in general, this song really stood out to me for showing the uncertainty and tension felt by the various characters in its visuals. You WANT to root for Edward and Alphonse, but at the same time, care about them to where you question their actions at moments - at least that was how it was for me reading the first 10 volumes of the original manga. So based on that, I felt that this theme fits the chapter perfectly.
On the other hand, for an alternate theme, I'll point you to the unnamed soundtrack that was played during the newly released trailer of No Game No Life: Zero, the animated movie currently being made specifically for the No Game No Life series. Seeing this trailer really helped me with writing this chapter, and please check the trailer out for yourself if you're a fan of the original 2014 anime and the light novels! Madhouse did ANOTHER amazing job!
Please enjoy!
Chapter 35: Discord or Disboard?
"Excuse my language, sir, but what the fuck?!"
Namikaze Minato immediately found himself covering up his mouth as the Third Hokage lurched back (or more specifically flinched) in his seat at the sudden outburst. Out of anything the Third was expecting, that wasn't it.
Was he taking cues from Kushina of all people?
Or was it Judai?
"... Do you have a problem with my decision, Minato?" The Third asked slowly.
"I-I mean…" Minato sighed into his hands before letting them drop at his sides. "Hokage-sama, you saw as much of Tomoko's memories as I did. My team is in those memories, facing their deaths, more so than any other operative in the supposed future of this war. And yet you recommend them to…" He paused, forcing himself to breathe deeply instead of yell the first thing on his mind. "You recommend my own team, my students, to go out near the front lines instead of going in the Chunin Exams?!"
"MINATO!" All it took for the tension to cut on itself was Hiruzen's slamming of his fist into his desk, and the named Jounin immediately clammed up. The Third, despite his angry gesture, had hints of regret in the old face as he slowly raised his hand from the new crater on his desk, ignoring the very noticeable splinters in said hand. "I understand how you feel. But Konoha is losing men very quickly in this war. If we could get more operatives and build them up to be as exemplary as they can, then we could have a chance."
"But, sir," Minato gulped the lump in his throat down in exchange for speaking. "Kakashi and the others are still 10 years old. Are you sure about sending them so close to the border?"
"Minato, do you doubt the orders of your superiors?" Hiruzen gave the Jounin a questioning stare, and in response, Minato averted his eyes.
"... If I can speak my mind, Hokage-sama?"
The Third raised an eyebrow while slowly plucking wood scraps from his hand. "Go ahead."
The Jounin took a deep breath before facing the village leader again with determined eyes. "Then yes, Hokage-sama, I do doubt them at times."
"... Why?" It was such a simple question, but Minato found himself hesitating to find an answer. But nevertheless, he persisted.
"Hokage-sama, up until now, I have worked under you without question. But this is something I can't just ignore." The Third didn't miss how his subordinate's fist clenched tightly to the point of the muscles bulging in the somewhat-tanned skin. "This is a matter concerning my students, and you have seen Tomoko's memories as much as I have in the past few months. I can't just ignore the fact that you are sending them out to a battlefield where they could die and risk the village's future. Not to mention that they are still young. They are much younger than I was when heading out to war."
Hiruzen blinked before resting his forehead against his hands with a sigh. "I was afraid you would say that, Minato. And I understand your feelings entirely. But the village needs their efforts more than ever. Hatake Kakashi especially."
The Jounin found himself freezing as the village leader continued. "You know as much as any other Jounin that the son of the former White Fang is special. And with the White Fang himself in semi-retirement at the Academy, we can't ask for anyone else. You as his teacher should understand that keeping him in the village won't always fly with the higher-ups behind this war. Neither will stationing yourself in the village. In this war, we NEED your power and his." Hiruzen sighed again before looking up at Minato with sad eyes. "So I'm sorry to ask this of you, but could you please take this mission? Konoha needs all of Team Minato now."
The Jounin held back every semblance of regret and remorse to bow his head and nod.
"... Alright, Hokage-sama."
I'm sorry Sakumo, Tomoko-chan. I couldn't keep them away long enough.
"-sensei? Minato-sensei?"
The Jounin immediately found himself blinking out of the memory before shaking his head. The next thing he knew, he could see his three younger students all staring up at him, with varying expressions.
Kakashi's sparked the most concern because Minato could see the incredulousness and doubt in his eyes.
But the other stares pointed at his team from the other ninja in the area was already starting to hurt.
In the end, the Jounin put on his best poker-face smile while rubbing the back of his neck. "I-I'm sorry about that, guys, I was spacing out. What is it?"
"... Why did you initially lie to us about the mission, Minato-sensei?" Ack. As expected of the resident Chunin in his team. It was hard to hide much from the son of the White Fang, but his first and longtime student? Kakashi wasn't so easy to fool as Obito and Rin, and Minato didn't know whether to feel proud of his student or regretful for how things had turned out.
Nevertheless, he had to speak. Obito and Rin were staring up at him with similar faces of curiosity, and Minato had to do something.
Just… not when he could hear the whispers of his fellow comrades in the area.
"What is that Jounin doing with those kids?"
"Wah, does he even know where he is? This isn't a playground."
"Hey, watch your mouth! That's Namikaze Minato you're talking about right there!"
"Huh, really?! I never thought he was so… young."
Minato held back the urge to facepalm and instead faced the trio in front of him. He could put those nin into their places later. "I'll explain in a moment. In the meantime, we need to find a private place first."
"To avoid the whispers, sensei?" Rin said softly, glancing behind the Jounin to look at all the whispering ninja.
A small smile found itself on his face. "Yep, to avoid the whispers. Are you all okay with that?"
"Just fine, sensei!" Obito mock-yelled with a quiet tone, giving an affirmative thumbs-up.
Kakashi just raised an eyebrow while lightly elbowing his Uchiha teammate.
Minato then pretended to ignore Obito elbowing Kakashi back in exchange for making the hand sign for teleportation.
Saying everything out in the open with prying eyes wouldn't be a good thing, after all.
Obito wasn't sure what he was expecting from his sensei.
All he was hoping for was something other than a D-Rank chore in the village that day. Not head out to what appeared to be the front lines of the war effort and also find out that Minato-sensei essentially lied to them with the initial mission debrief.
What was he supposed to think?
Something was wrong if the amazing Minato-sensei was metaphorically darting around in circles without saying anything to them.
"... Hey, don't you think Minato-sensei is acting really weird today, Kakashi?" He found himself whispering.
He… kinda had a right to say it since the named Jounin was considerably more tense than usual.
In response, the Chunin just gave him a deadpan expression - at least, as much of one as his mask could allow. "No shit there, Obito. From the looks of it, we're in something a lot deeper than we thought."
"Then again," Rin piped in softly (omigod, she looks even more cute up close). "Minato-sensei DID say we should expect a battle earlier, but what kind -"
She was promptly cut off once the three were grabbed and then transported all together to the inside of a random tent. Thankfully, there wasn't any sign of blood in the tent, and from the looks of it (with the glowing privacy seals to boot), it was just Minato-sensei and his team.
The Jounin looked at the three with a bit of remorse before clearing his throat to catch their attention. "Now that we're in a private place, I'll explain. So as you all are aware of already, this isn't just a C-Rank mission. If I could be honest, then this would be a low to middle B-rank in terms of danger because of the location. I couldn't explain the details earlier back in the village because we could risk impounding security and possible war secrets. With the dwindling manpower in the war effort, Hokage-sama put us out here for the next week to help out the other teams."
"Wait, Minato-sensei," Rin piped in again before Obito got the chance. "What exactly are we doing then?"
The Jounin looked at her with a serious face. "You three will actually be going on a scouting mission soon under another Jounin. I have to be at another part of the battlefield, so I can't exactly watch over you this time."
The disbelief rolled through the Uchiha in waves almost immediately. "B-But sensei! I thought this mission was to help replace the Chunin Exams for us! Why can't you come by and help then?"
Kakashi elbowed Obito lightly in exasperation. "Obito, Minato-sensei's needed a lot, if not more so, than us on the battlefield. Hokage-sama probably wanted us to gain field experience while Minato-sensei helps the others on the front lines."
Oh. But that didn't help the immense mass of disappointment rolling through him. "Che, so that's how it is?" Obito found himself closing his eyes and crossing his arms. "That's what you meant by a battle earlier…"
"Definitely correct on that, Obito," Even with the authoritative tone, the Uchiha knew the Jounin long enough to sense the hint of sheepishness in Minato-sensei's voice. "Anyways, it's about time for me to go report to the other Jounin in this bunker, and then I'll get your team leader for the week. You all can come back to this tent for rest or sleep, but remember that this won't be easy. Stay on your guard and be prepared for everything, alright?"
"Roger that, sensei!" Obito and Rin said in unison.
"- Wait, sensei. One last question." Huh? Obito turned only to see Kakashi as the center for the new voice and blinked. There's still more?
The Chunin had apparently caught the Jounin in the middle of leaving the tent, and Minato-sensei tensed before turning around. "What is it, Kakashi?"
"... Why did you lie about this mission to Tomoko?" Obito found himself doing a double-take. On one hand, that was somewhat expected. Kakashi did seem to have a soft spot for the civilian recently - more so considering their status as 'housemates' and 'best' friends (even if there was a part of him that suspected more to their relationship). On the other hand, why was this so important? The Chunin only mentioned that she was sick…
The puzzle pieces all came together before the Jounin even voiced his answer.
"... We shinobi don't have to tell civilians everything we do, Kakashi. And Tomoko-chan was sick with a fever, almost to the point of being delirious - I just changed the wording so that she wouldn't worry so much." There was a moment of silence before the Jounin spoke again, and if Obito didn't strain his ears to listen, he may not have heard the last part.
"We've pushed her through enough already."
And with a soft swish of the tent door, Minato-sensei was gone.
Obito looked between Kakashi and Rin. "... You guys heard that last part too, right?"
"Loud and clear, Obito," Rin said softly.
"It was way too obvious there." Kakashi agreed.
One question was left lingering in their heads.
What did he mean by 'pushed her through enough already'?
"ACHOOO!"
I found myself shaken awake by a loud sneeze on my part. Thankfully, there wasn't any snot, but it did its job of unsettling me to the point of jumping up from my futon to let the wind escape my sinuses.
And it brought the attention of the adults in the house.
Once the sneeze passed through, I could hear pounding footsteps before a tissue was almost shoved into my face.
"Tomoko-chan, blow your nose in this, alright?" Papa's voice. It sounded really muggy, but it was probably because of my rude awakening that the sound wasn't coming through clearly. I found myself blinking the blurriness out of my eyes before grabbing the offered tissue and blowing my nose as hard as I could.
It felt both liberating and disgusting to be left in bed, still feeling like crap.
Once that tissue was bundled up in its own little ball and tossed into the nearby trash can, I could then see Papa's concerned brown eyes. They weren't flickering between his heterochromatic orange and green, but they were close. "How are you feeling, Tomoko-chan?"
"... Really crappy, Papa, no offense intended." I found myself deadpanning.
Papa just smiled softly before reaching over to ruffle my hair. "I know, Tomoko-chan. Being sick sucks."
"Uh-huh." I ended up rubbing one of my eyes to get the dirt out before refocusing on him. "... What time is it?"
"Almost 4 in the afternoon, hime," Papa was still smiling as he went on to tuck a hair strand behind my ear. "You were sleeping for a while. Do you want me to get anything?"
Now that he mentions it... Think Judai-san could still do the Teleport Jutsu-thingy and check on Team Minato?
… Hisako, Papa is retired. I can't ask him to do that. Not to mention, we don't know where exactly in Suna they went.
Not sure if they actually WENT to Suna, dear.
Uh, anyways. Why did you say Teleport Jutsu-thingy?
Hey, last I checked, remembering Jutsu names was NOT my forte, Tomoko-chan. Don't look at me.
… I thought it was called the Body Flicker?
Whatever! Like I care what the damn technique is called. No matter what version it is, it ends up making you MOTION-SICK!
I ended up tuning Hisako's ranting out from there to focus on Papa. "Could I get a glass of water, Papa?"
Thankfully, Papa didn't seem to give off any indication that he noticed the mental crisis going on in my head (thanks Hisako), just grinning before poking my forehead affectionately. "Be back in a bit then, Tomoko-chan."
I smiled back, hiding my thoughts in the back of my head where Hisako couldn't reach them.
I hope this bad feeling will go away soon.
You guys better not be doing something reckless out there, ok?
Come back soon, Team Minato.
Be safe, Kakashi.
"So, you are Team Minato?"
Kakashi didn't know whether to like or dislike their new squad leader. On one hand, he had a nice face. On the other hand…
"What's with all the black?" Obito deadpanned slowly. And for once, his teammate had a point.
Black fingerless gloves, black long-sleeved jersey underneath the green Konoha flak jacket, and even black-bordering-grey shinobi pants! If not for the brown head of shaggy, curly hair that reminded him of a certain ridiculous swordsman, then he would've blended into the shadows pretty well. Oh well.
Their new leader frowned. "It's to help with stealth, which can be said more in your cases."
Oi.
Nevertheless, the man sighed while putting a gloved hand on his hip. "Let's get introductions out of the way before we head out. I'm Honda Daisuke, Jounin of Konohagakure and your senior officer for this mission. What about you three?"
"Hatake Kakashi, Chunin." He started, trying his best to not frown immediately.
"Uchiha Obito, Genin!" His Uchiha teammate yelled enthusiastically.
"Nohara Rin, also Genin." The medic said slowly with a smile.
"Alright, so Kakashi, Obito, and Rin. Nice to meet you." The Jounin just smiled back at the trio before glancing out towards the horizon, and the new angle let Kakashi see the shine of his navy blue Konoha hitai-ite (one of the only articles of clothing that WASN'T black aside from his hair) tied around his neck. "Anyways, Minato-san probably told you beforehand, but I'll say it again for the sake of a mission debrief. We're headed out on a scouting mission for a few days, going past the border of the Land of Fire to scope out Iwagakure."
"Iwagakure? I thought they were farther away in the other lands during the war so far, Honda-san," Rin said in confusion.
The Jounin blinked before waving the name off with a small grin. "You all can call me Daisuke-san. Using my surname makes me feel old." As soon as it was said, Daisuke-san then turned serious as he put on an authoritative face. "However, we have been getting rumors that Iwa has been putting footholds in smaller villages and towns, getting a little too close to our borders in the Land of Fire, so we're heading out there to see what their true intent is."
"... No intent to engage, correct?" Kakashi asked.
"No fighting whatsoever." Daisuke-san agreed. "If we can, I would like to avoid a fight because of how bad the war is, but with it being the Third Great Shinobi World War, I can't guarantee anything. You all know that, right?"
Surprisingly, Obito answered with the most seriousness, despite the glint of disappointment in his eyes. "We know, Daisuke-san. So…"
Kakashi glanced at the Uchiha. Is he going to be -?
"When are we heading out?!" Obito yelled with the most enthusiasm as possible, even having a fistbump added in.
Kakashi facepalmed while Rin giggled nervously. Or… maybe not. We're doomed.
Rin made sure to stock up on a lot of medical supplies before heading out of the village. Now she couldn't help but feel extremely grateful for doing so, because being out in the actual field needed as much as they could get.
She just couldn't stop wondering if something was going to happen. Especially with Minato-sensei gone.
Ever since Honda - no - Daisuke-san led them out of the bunker that was the many Konoha tents in the clearing to leap between the trees in a long journey past the border, Rin had a bad feeling. It wasn't painful per say - if anything, it felt like a small tingle in her mind.
Something was going to happen. And since Minato-sensei was gone on another battlefield, replaced by a completely different Jounin, she didn't know what to expect. Thankfully, her teammates were there. Even when they were currently on their 2nd to their 3rd day out traveling, hopefully reaching some destination.
After the second night under the stars, keeping watch for one another, she had lost count.
"Hey, Kakashi, when do you think we'll be able to fight?" There was Obito, trailing behind the Chunin with a bright smile.
"... Obito, you should know we're not supposed to engage, right?" And there was Kakashi, deadpan (and strangely cool) as always. "This is a scouting mission - if anything, we need to avoid the fighting."
"I-I know, I know that!" Even when a little farther ahead of her, Obito sounded as energetic and indignant as usual. The orange shine of his goggles didn't help the image in the slightest. "It just feels a little disappointing to know that we can't really fight."
"... Then you haven't seen Tomoko when she's really worried, Obito." But was it just Rin, or was Kakashi more…. gloomy than usual? He seemed a bit down, but maybe it was just her imagination bringing it up. "She can be a whole lot more worried and vocal when fights happen and physical wounds are brought in the picture."
"... More so than our fight with Satoru?" Rin finished slowly, jumping forward to be in-between the two boys.
Kakashi just nodded before looking forward and facing Daisuke-san's back. Judging by his masked grimace and quicker leaps in the trees, it wasn't her imagination.
Team Minato's resident Chunin was sulking. Why?
"... Hey Rin?" The medic didn't miss how Obito reached over to poke her shoulder and whisper into her ear, cupping a hand over his mouth so that Kakashi (who was ahead of them) wouldn't overhear. "Don't you think that Kakashi has a 'Tomoko-chan complex'?"
… Huh? "What brought this on, Obito?" Rin said slowly, ignoring the small bit of darkness in her gut.
"You know - whenever something happens to her, Kakashi seems to be more out of it!" Obito, whether for better or for worse, didn't seem to be noticing her internal plight, putting on a confused face instead. "I mean, seriously? First it was the whole drunk guy thing, where he ended up yelling in a frenzy at Minato-sensei, and now this! Tomoko-chan's sick, and with Minato-sensei having 'lied' to her, he's like, far away and really stuck between focusing and spacing out!"
Huh?
"Really? I didn't notice." Rin was really doing her best to focus on the trees in front of her, because the dark twist in her gut was starting to hurt. Why was it bothering her?
Why did hearing about Kakashi's supposed 'Tomoko-chan complex' hurt?
"Eh~? It's obvious that something else is going on with them! I mean, seriously -" Obito stopped once she had stopped running, nearly avoiding crashing into her. "What is it, Rin?"
She didn't know what to say now. They had reached a new destination, but….
"Fucking hell," Daisuke-san finished.
An innocent civilian's head, looking to be no older than a man of 23, rolled up to their location a few seconds later. It actually stopped only a few inches away from their concealed feet in the bushes, eyes bloodshot and mouth open in a dead scream.
In the middle of a song, I felt a shiver run up my back.
Huh?
It had been a few days since Kakashi and the others had left, and the fever had finally left with no big notice in the morning after their departure. I should've been relaxing considering my quick recovery, playing something like The Pokemon Center Theme to get back into my work routine at Nagareboshi. Not to mention enjoying the smiles of the various regulars who came to visit me for a song request.
From what I could see, there was Mama, Papa, Uncle Sakumo, Kurenai, Asuma, and Guy. Guy was specifically sitting next to me, bobbing his head to the beat of the song, and I couldn't help the small smile forming on my face at the sight.
So then why did it feel like hell had frozen over?
Obito was close to vomiting now.
What had they just run into?
"All of you, get into line and come quietly! Or we'll kill you!"
"Y-You're already killing us!"
SLASH!
Another head came off with a wet THUD and a rather 'soft' display of blood resulted, spraying out for a moment. The now headless body fell to its knees and collapsed in a heap, leading to the various men and women behind it to stare in horror. "If you don't agree, then we can make it a lot more painful. So MOVE!"
A baby began to cry.
The wails could've pierced the Uchiha's heart if not for it hurting his ears already.
In front of him, Rin was shuddering. He couldn't see her face, but he could tell that she was upset by her shaking shoulders. If anything, he wouldn't be surprised if she was holding back tears. "Oh my god…"
A moment later, that same baby's cries turned into pained screams as he could hear the slash of another kunai cutting through soft skin. And then tense silence.
Obito tried to hold back any moment of sickness to look around.
This should've been a normal civilian village. If anything, with the abandoned farm fields and empty homes, this should've been a farming town, a settlement if that much could be said now.
But judging by the various Iwa ninja (easily identifiable by the hitai-ates on them) trampling on those grounds and the increasing number of dead bodies like trash, why were they - ?
"They're making a message." Kakashi breathed slowly.
Obito whipped his head to face his teammate. "M-Message? For what?!"
"For the Land of Fire. For Konoha." Kakashi continued, and Obito didn't need to see his full face to know that his teammate was disgusted. The silver eyes were already narrowed enough with anger behind the leaves they all were hiding under. "This village may not be that close to the Land of Fire, but it's still close enough to where we were able to reach it in a few days. But Iwa is targeting it to say something to us while establishing a foothold in this war."
"'If you don't submit to us, then we'll do even more than this', or 'We're getting this close to you, what can you do about it', right?" Daisuke-san deadpanned. "So they know that we're close to this area."
Obito felt sick to his stomach. "B-But we have to do something! We can't just leave them -"
Another scream sounded as the same wet THUD accompanied it a few seconds later.
"No fucking way." Daisuke said.
"What." Kakashi said immediately, turning to the Jounin with what Obito could see as incredulous eyes.
"W-Why, Daisuke-san? Innocents are dying! W-We have to do something!" Rin pleaded, and even with her quiet voice, Obito knew that she was angry. "These people didn't do anything to Iwagakure! So why can't we -"
"Rin, you should know better than anyone as the medic of the team how much of a chance we stand against that number of enemy ninja!" Daisuke continued hotly, and Obito didn't miss the ferocity in his black eyes. "You too Kakashi. Even if you're a Chunin and I'm a Jounin, what difference would that make when trying to save a village of civilians from a crowd of possibly Chunin-to-Jounin level enemies? They'd only be baggage and we'd be dead as much as they are!"
Obito was sure his insides were starting to freeze over.
"B-But we can't just watch and let them die!" He protested.
"Then what do you suggest we do then, Obito?!" Daisuke shot back quietly, almost glaring if not for the foliage covering some of his face. "Go in, charge like idiots, and HOPE we get out alive?!"
"B-But…" Obito found himself trailing off, his throat suddenly dry. "We can't just…"
The Jounin sighed, shaking his head. "I know how you all feel. I hate this too, but we can't risk heading out there and exposing ourselves. This was originally a scouting mission. We only were supposed to see what was going on and report back to the camp. NOT engage."
"... So we're just going to sacrifice all those people and the town?" Rin concluded in horror, and with her head turned towards the Jounin, Obito could finally see the tears in his eyes.
And anger started to boil in his veins.
"We can't just abandon them, Daisuke-san! We have jutsu! We've trained! We can do something at least!" Obito said hotly, fist clenched. "Even if we die, then we could save at least -"
Another blood-curdling scream sounded in the distance.
"And WHAT, Obito? Die for someone who might be killed only a few seconds later?!" Daisuke nearly yelled, and the Uchiha flinched back at the volume. "We can't just risk our lives in a losing battle! You can SEE that these Stone ninja are too active! If we want to attack and avenge these people, this town, then we need to retreat and attack another day - when they're weak! Then it will be good revenge for those lost today!"
"... So we're just dooming these people already? There's nothing we can do?" Kakashi concluded quietly, and Obito turned to him in shock. Even with his teammate's lowered head, Obito could tell that Kakashi was angry. If anything, with the clenched fists and bit lip through his mask, the Uchiha knew that the Chunin was frustrated and impatient.
If he didn't know any better, Obito would've thought that Bakashi of all people would be raring to rush out there and save people himself.
"Nothing at all," Daisuke confirmed sullenly. "What we can do is avenge them in another battle."
The screams started up again in the distance, and Obito forced himself to not look.
But then Rin grabbed his hand.
What - wait, is Rin actually -?!
She tugged at him to force him to look up, and Obito raised his head only for his heart to stop.
A familiar black bob-cut and hair ribbon.
T…
Obito moved his orange goggles out of the way to rub his eyes before looking again.
His eyes seriously were going nuts if they were showing him something like this.
Tomoko-chan?!
Kakashi knew that the girl a few meters away from them wasn't Hoshino Tomoko. She wasn't wearing the signature colorful kimono dress, and this new girl didn't even have the right hair ribbon.
This girl had brown hair, styled in a way similar to the pianist with the bob-cut and bangs, but the main difference was that her ribbon was specifically a headband, originally a pink color now dirtied by brown and red. What could've been a common civilian dress was now rags covering what little skin it could, even with her hands doing their best to conceal said holes, leaving very little to interpretation. It took all he had to not think otherwise, but he couldn't stop looking at her.
So then, why?
Why?
Why did this dry, dirty, almost pitiful looking girl remind him of his best friend?
"Kakashi!"
"So, are you ready?" The ninja standing above the girl's head was grinning maliciously, kunai shining in the sunlight. Kakashi couldn't miss the Stone carving in the shinobi's hitai-ite, this one specifically tied around his neck.
And yet despite the impending danger, the girl's voice was soft amongst the screams of her fellow neighbors, almost too quiet to where Kakashi nearly missed it.
But he still heard it, loud and clear.
"I've always been ready."
And then, for a moment, she looked up, and Kakashi flinched.
This girl was looking at him.
And even if the eyes were brown instead of the original sky blue he was used to, Kakashi still got the same feeling.
Those brown eyes were staring into his soul.
Her lips moved in a small, sad smile, before mouthing something.
I'm sorry.
And then the kunai came down.
It wasn't even a clean slice. But nonetheless, a head was cleaved off the body in a horrific display of blood, and Kakashi nearly vomited at the sight.
"Kakashi! We have to go, NOW!" Daisuke whispered.
"Kakashi!" Obito and Rin said softly in unison. The Chunin didn't miss how their voices shook by a notch.
He considered himself lucky that even in his torrent of emotions, he was able to move his legs to go back, turning his head away.
And yet Kakashi couldn't shake the image of another girl he knew, a certain pianist, possibly facing a similar fate due to his inaction, while leaping between the trees to head back.
He wanted to go home.
A few days later…
It was another long day at Nagareboshi Cafe. It had been one song request after another, and I couldn't help but feel tired. Who wouldn't be? Alongside my pianist duties, there had been an increase in clientele lately to where in-between breaks, I would have to act as waitress and receptionist alongside Mama and Papa.
And it had been a week and a half since Team Minato had left.
I know that missions can last that long, sometimes a month or so, or even more if we're going by canon standards. But that didn't help my case at all.
I missed Team Minato. Even with Kushina-nee popping into Nagareboshi every now and then.
I wanted to see them all again. Minato-san, Obito-kun, Rin-chan.
Kakashi.
That bad feeling from the first day of departure still hadn't left me. If anything, even when I was helping clean up the cafe moments after closing time today, it seemed to have gotten worse.
If the first feeling could be likened to hell freezing over, then this one sensation specifically felt close to death itself.
If anything, it felt like the foreboding I should've had when Vy initially died so many years ago.
Why now?
Why did I feel so horrible now?
I tried to focus on my task of cleaning, putting away some stray glasses and plates in the sink, when I heard them.
The front doors of the cafe slowly creaking open with an ominous sound before I could pick up the noise of weary, tired footsteps.
Specifically, weary, tired sandal-steps.
I didn't want to look up. If anything, a part of me didn't want to believe it until I got vocal confirmation. After everything that's happened so far, whether that was the whole thing with Hokage-sama, the situation with Mamoru and Satoru, and etc, I just wanted something to confirm that my worries hadn't come true.
I wanted some proof to show that my friends may have come back.
Then, I heard it.
"Tomoko? I'm home…"
That gravelly voice and tired tone. There was no mistaking THAT.
I looked up, and the first thing I saw was drooping silver spikes and surprised silver eyes.
"Kakashi!" was the first thing that escaped me, and it was as if the large weight on my chest finally came off.
It was true, then.
Team Minato was back home in Konoha.
I held back any urge to jump him in a tackle-hug out of his condition, but nonetheless dropped whatever I was doing to run over.
"I-Is everything alright? How was the mission? Is there anything -"
A single, gloved hand stopped me from saying anymore. It was at that moment, in that evening with the pale moonlight shining through the cafe's windows, that I got a good look at my best friend for the first time in almost two weeks, and my heart almost stopped.
Kakashi, my best friend Kakashi, was looking at me like I was a ghost.
"Tomoko? Y-You're…" That same hand reached over to hesitantly touch my cheek, and I could feel the number of grazes and callouses on those fingers. "Y-You're here, right?"
This is bad. Hisako said. This is REALLY bad.
Without hesitating, I slowly reached over to hold Kakashi's outreached hand with mine, smiling hesitantly. "I'm here, Kakashi. I'm right here."
"Y-You're…" My best friend was openly gaping through his mask, and the shock continued to roll through me at the sight of tears beginning to bud in his eyes. "Y-You're alive, Tomoko, right?"
Even with the amount of tension in the air, I was surprised that I was staying so calm, even with the question posed to me. That question should've shocked me with the underlying context, but then again, this was a different situation. The smile on my face was quickly becoming a constant thing, and I endeavored to keep it on.
For Kakashi's sake at least. His hand was shaking in my grasp now.
I then turned his hand over so that I could place my other hand over his palm, sandwiching it in-between both of mine while smiling all the same. I did my best to not cry, and nodded. "I-I'm alive, Kakashi. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be able to touch you like this, right?"
We then stared at each other for a few moments.
Then, without warning, my best friend yanked me into a hug.
Immediately, the first scent I could register was a combination of metallic accents and blood. His familiar pine scent didn't even come through until about a minute later, and by then, my nose was fully buried in Kakashi's neck. His shoulders were actively trembling and his hands were shaking, clutching onto the back of my kimono dress almost for dear life as I was squeezed into his chest.
With the position we were in, I couldn't see his face, but the close distance let me feel the wet tears that were falling from his eyes and soaking his mask.
I pushed the feeling of horror back into the crevices of my mind to blink and reach over to rub Kakashi's back with both of my hands, breathing in his new scent as he slowly fell to his knees.
Even with the new position, I didn't miss the silhouettes of what appeared to be a shaking Obito and Rin at the front doors as well.
Something happened.
Something happened to all three of them in the week and a half they were gone, and I didn't know what it was.
But right now, that didn't matter.
They were finally home.
And it was time for me to do my job of helping clean up after the battles were over.
That was the Civilian Pianist's original purpose, after all.
"Kakashi, I'm here. Welcome home."
"T-Tomoko…"
"Hey, Mama's making broiled saury in the house right now. How about you, Obito-kun, and Rin-chan all come in? We'll have a nice, big dinner, just like before."
A soft pause. "... Broiled saury? With miso soup and eggplant?"
I smiled before making some distance with my best friend to nod, reaching up to wipe at his eyes. "With miso soup and eggplant. Let's get you all inside, okay?" I made sure to look out and make eye contact with his teammates, and I didn't miss the haunted, surprised looks in their eyes either. "You need something to eat."
Kakashi breathed in shakily, blinking away tears before nodding.
"Alright."
Author's Notes: … Don't know whether or not I should see myself as a troll for ending Chapter 35 like this. I don't like playing with your guys' emotions!
But I am REALLY sorry for taking so long with this chapter. I ended up recently getting hired for a tutoring job for an old friend, and adding in with writer's block and organization for the next quarter of school, it's been busy to the point where this chapter was delayed. Thank you all for waiting so patiently.
Oh, and before I forget, I should've said this sooner, but Chapter 34's covering of this mission was NOT supposed to lead to Kannabi. Kannabi Bridge is STILL going to happen when Kakashi and Tomoko are 13-14 years old, alongside Obito and Rin, but Chapter 34-35 was my way of showing a taste of the Third Shinobi War. One of the things that confused me in canon was how Kakashi and the others were already so used to going out to war, so this current arc will be filling in the start of that - how they got used to it and in turn, how Tomoko will grow emotionally dealing with that fact.
Anyways, for a quick Easter Egg, the Jounin that supervised Team Minato in this chapter, Honda Daisuke, has his name written out like this in Japanese: 本田大輔, which can roughly be translated to (from what I've read on the Internet anyways) as "Field Root of Great Helper". I wanted to go with the ironic aspect again, so yeah.
But nonetheless, I want to give a warm thanks to all my readers, favoriters, and followers thus far. Because as of this chapter's publication, March 31st, we have 598 reviews, 803 favorites, and (holy shit) 1,010 followers. We've hit the one thousand follower mark AND the 800 favorites mark! Thank you all so much for the support - with special thanks going to Elena Parker, littlewave500, MyDearGoddessofthemoonandsun, Goldspark1, EmilyKayros, nanoidManicist, ThatIdioticMelody, and OneWhoReadsTooMuch. Your reviews of Chapter 34 really helped with the inspiration and encouragement department of Chapter 35, so again, thank you.
Love you all so much! This is Writer-and-Artist27 signing out to soon go back into school for Spring Quarter AND brainstorm Chapter 36!