It was impossible to protect them from the fallout. That was the scariest part. Not the impending punishment. Not the likely cell where she'd be bled dry of all she knew. Those things paled in comparison. They were finite. There was no making sure they came out on the other side. Genma-sensei was wheeled in, face carefully placid. She could feel the worry, the concern. She could feel how much he wanted to place himself between her and all of this.
Miho couldn't look at him for more than a few seconds. She stared at the windows behind the Hokage, the darkened village. She wondered if Naruto was sleeping. She hoped so. He needed the rest.
He'd been so worried when she'd walked him to his apartment.
The Hokage kept silent, as he had since he'd sent for Team Ten and her teacher. His gnarled hands were folded in front of his lips, hiding his emotions. Miho couldn't look at him for more than a few seconds.
When Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji were marched into the Hokage's office at three in the morning, Miho wished. Even though she knew that wishing was naïve. Too naïve for where she stood. For what she'd done. For the situation she was in.
Still, Miho wished she'd never been reborn into this world.
It didn't matter where else her soul went, where it landed. It should've never been this place.
Then, they wouldn't have to deal with this, deal with her. Deal with any of it.
Then, her father wouldn't look so… conflicted.
Then, Chōji wouldn't look so hurt.
Miho turned her back on them, unable to look at Team Ten any longer. She'd figure out how to explain it all away. Take the blame. She'd figure out some way to save them from all this.
Saving them from the Hokage was one thing.
Saving them from Danzō was another.
Miho fought the shiver at the base of her spine.
Ino was at her side then and, like a true heiress, she fell into a bow to the Hokage. Miho fought the urge to push her back toward the door. Instead, she gripped the edge of her yukata, rubbing the little leaf details with her thumbs.
"Lord Third, none of our actions were to harm Konohagakure."
Miho flinched, feeling a presence to her left. She glanced over to see Shikamaru slouched at her side. He looked up from under his lashes, tiredly communicating how much of a drag all of this was. There was an angry tilt to his thin lips. The kind he usually had when he was pissed off. Shikamaru's anger was palpable. She could feel it on her skin somehow.
"Thank you for that preface, Yamanaka Ino." Lord Hokage pulled smoke into his lungs and he it for a moment before breathing it out. Miho decided that there were only a few smells that she absolutely loathed. The scent of Sarutobi Hiruzen's tobacco was ranked just as high as brined corn. "While your insight is appreciated, I am afraid that I have quite a different perspective."
Ino rose up, face carefully blank. Her head turned and her eyes looked to Miho's face before sliding to the presence at the door. Miho could imagine Chōji standing there, with her father and his teacher. The teacher who was going to die.
Maybe if Lord Third understood with his own eyes… Maybe then…
Danzō didn't yet know. Maybe it could be avoided.
Ino's father and Aoba-sensei had recounted, described.
She'd kept silent while the "witnesses" were called. She'd kept her head down, not saying anything while Aoba was grilled and her teacher answered, carefully avoiding anything too incriminating. She stayed quiet when Yamanaka Inoichi recited the events as if they were a grocery list. She gritted her teeth when he side-stepped truths.
She knew of the Uchiha Massacre.
Nothing more than its occurrence.
Not why it happened or who had a role in it.
She knew of the coming invasion.
Not who was pulling the strings from the inside, giving Orochimaru all the access to Konoha he needed. Who was using Orochimaru and Suna to prove the village's weaknesses. Who was the utilitarian mastermind behind countless deaths.
"Lord Hokage." Her voice was rough and she felt small. She felt smaller than she'd ever felt. And Miho knew that she was never meant to feel small. In a world of small people, she was always meant to be large. It felt like her weight was drawing her down and Miho lowered herself to one knee, pulling her arm over her chest.
She wondered if her father was ashamed of her as she moved.
Ashamed that she fell into the Akimichi's formal salute.
Ashamed of her.
She swallowed.
No matter how much she wanted to cry.
She was a kunoichi. And she had people to protect.
If there was anything that could keep her out of a cell, it was this.
"Lord Hokage, please let me show you. Please let Lord Yamanaka show you." Raising her eyes up from the floor, she held the old man's stare. She didn't shiver, but she could feel a cold sensation on her back. "I beg of you, sir. There is so much more to it. Yes, we were hiding the information, but there is a reason we did that. Hearing it and seeing it are very—"
"Akimichi Miho."
Miho looked up at the leader of her village.
The grandfather figure everyone looked to for guidance.
"You are charged with treason against Konoha."
"But, Lord Ho—"
Fear lurched through her stomach as her heart stopped. She felt a presence at her side as an ANBU appeared, a strong hand gripping her shoulder and forcing her to stand. Miho struggled upright, knees popping with the movement.
This…This wasn't what she expected.
Some part of her, a very small and hopeful part, believed that he would hear her out.
Some part of her— wanted to think that he was a character that was better than this.
Character? No. Miho shook her head.
He was never better than this, was he?
That's not what he was meant to stand for in the story.
The story. Miho wanted to scream.
"You will be held until after this affair with Suna and Oto is settled. Until th—"
Genma-sensei was at her side, but she wasn't sure how or when he got there. She could feel that the hand on her shoulder was gone. When she looked up, it was to see her teacher had the ANBU's arm pulled behind his back, palm pushed up between his shoulder blades. Genma-sensei's eyes were cold and hard. Unrelenting. He jerked the ANBU's arm up again and she winced at the movement, knowing that the ANBU would've been trained to endure that kind of pain.
She wasn't sure why the ANBU didn't retaliate.
Genma-sensei's eyes never left the Hokage. "Lord Third, Miho is a kunoichi loyal to Konoha. There are reasons for her silence that I suspect have not been disclosed, given our location and audience." Her teacher's free hand rested on her shoulder, gripping tightly.
The Hokage's eyes shut and opened slowly, a strange owlish look that made him seem even more dangerous. She wondered how many ways he'd already envisioned her dead, even if he espoused peace.
He would have no qualms killing children. After all, Miho shuddered, look what he put Itachi through. And Shisui. What he was willing to put Naruto through. And Sasuke. What he allowed Kakashi to go through without support. This man didn't care that she was a child. He didn't care that she was a human. He wouldn't care about Ino or Shikamaru or Chōji if they weren't the sons and daughters of major clans.
At least, they were somewhat protected in that regard.
But the Uchiha…
Clan status didn't protect them, did it?
Genma-sensei's hand tightened when another figure stepped forward. She glanced over to see Aoba-sensei angling just slightly in front of her on her other side. He reached up to adjust his glasses, but she could briefly see his eyes in the movement.
He looked so worried.
And scared.
Miho shivered as he began to talk.
"As I stated earlier, Lord Hokage, Miho made the best decision available to her. There are extenuating—"
"You are both components in this charge of treason, Aoba, Genma. I would suggest you stay silent."
"Sir, with all due respect, every action that Miho has undertaken has been in service to Konoha— to Uzumaki Naruto, to her friends and family. She has the Will of Fire."
Miho shook at the mention of Naruto's name.
He wouldn't understand.
She wouldn't be there for his final match and he wouldn't understand.
If she died, would he ever know why?
Lee, too. They'd never know.
She heard the footsteps and saw the Hokage's patient eyes fall on a figure that planted himself firmly in front of her.
Like a wall.
Chōji held out both arms. As if that would do anything.
She felt her teacher's hand tighten on her shoulder, giving a warning squeeze.
"Lord Hokage, please. My sister is not a traitor. She loves Konohagakure. Everything she's ever done has been to protect it. I told my father because I believed it was the right thing to do." Miho felt her entire body jerk as Chōji's voice cut through the office. It was sharp as a blade, so different from his usual calm and even demeanor. She resisted the urge to step forward. "Let me show you, Lord Hokage. Let me show you everything."
His shoulders were tensed, his fisted hands fell to his sides.
She could imagine the determined set of his jaw and his narrowed eyes. The same eyes that he always had when he felt he was doing something right and damn the consequences.
Except her brother was facing down the Hokage— the God of Shinobi— holding his stare.
Genma-sensei edged her back until she was behind him and Aoba-sensei. His hand stayed on her, fingers gripping her yukata tightly as his other hand lingered closer to his holster. The ANBU shifted with Genma-sensei and, for some reason, she could sense a bland sort of frustration in the movement. The shade of the man's hair was familiar, though she couldn't place it. He seemed to sigh.
The Hokage's eyes rose and he looked blandly at her teacher.
"Genma." His voice held a warning. The old man turned back to Chōji. "Inoichi has told me enough." The Hokage looked to the Yamanaka Clan Head, who minutely shook his head. The Hokage's mouth opened before his eyes slowly blinked and he frowned.
"Showing and telling are different, Lord Third." Ino was at her side again, gripping her arm. Her father shot his daughter a look, but met the Hokage's angry eyes. Ino didn't back down. She never did.
He stood, making his way around the desk. As he moved, Miho felt chakra ripple through the office. The first wave was bearable, but the second and third had her gasping. Her knees gave way and she bit back a yelp when her knees hit the floor. Ino and Shikamaru were both on their knees as well, quaking.
She saw, in many gruesome ways, all the ways she could die at that very moment.
In front of her Chōji held his ground, knees shaking as he remained standing. The Hokage arrived to stand in front of her brother. Her brother must've continued holding the man's eyes because the Hokage nodded. "You are much like your father." He raised his eyes to look to where she knew her father stood.
"He does you credit, Chōza."
She felt the chakra pulse and the Killing Intent fade away. Miho huffed out a breath. Aoba-sensei lowered himself down, pressing a hand to her face and then to Shikamaru and Ino's shoulders. Miho shifted to her knees.
The Hokage's activated the privacy seal.
Miho jerked her head around to face Ino. Then, jolted when Shikamaru's voice entered her head as well.
He hid it in the Killing Intent.
Won't matter if the ANBU is Root.
Choking at the thrill of fear that shot through her chest, Miho scrambled forward only to be caught by Aoba-sensei. "It's fine. Trust me, Miho." He gave her a steady, meaningful look with significantly more calm than he had a few moments before. He flicked his attention to Ino and Shikamaru before nodding. "Trust us."
"Inoichi, show me what you haven't told me. Show me Akimichi Chōji's memories."
Chōji stood straighter.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Miho watched, barely keeping her breathing even as the Yamanaka Clan Head placed a hand on her brother's head and then the Hokage's. Swallowing, she ignored the swell of hunger in her stomach. It felt like she hadn't eaten in hours. In so, so long. She wanted to eat.
Genma-sensei slowly lowered himself down to one knee, turning his upper body toward her before flicking his attention up and to the right of the door.
Where she knew her father was standing.
"Genma-sensei—"
Her teacher's jaw worked as he continued to glare.
"Genma-sensei, it's—"
Not okay. It's not okay, Miho. Ino grabbed her arm and she heard her teacher's voice in her mind. He didn't move as she stared up at him. It's not okay, but we'll get through this. All of us. Together. But this is not okay.
Ino sagged a bit at her side and Miho looked over to see bags under her friend's eyes. "Stop. Rest." Nodding, Ino settled down onto her folded legs. "You've got to be exhausted." There was the slightest tilt to Ino's lips that made Miho recognize the danger almost everyone was in from her friend's rage. "It's—"
"We're going to have a conversation about self-sacrifice."
"Troublesome."
"And we're going to have a conversation about—"
"Akimichi Miho."
She jerked around to see the Hokage's eyes on her. His eyes were no longer full of disappointment and contempt. Instead, they were full of something she couldn't quite place. Not quite awe. Not quite understanding. Perhaps it was assessment. As if he was trying to understand. He rested a hand on Chōji's wild brown hair, pushing the fridge down over her brother's eyes. Miho shifted into a more formal position, mimicking her teacher's stance.
The Hokage glanced to Genma-sensei and nodded.
"These events do not leave this room. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage." was the immediate reply.
"Lord Third, what—" She heard her father take a step forward, but he stopped moving when the old man held up a hand. Miho flinched, a sick feeling like indigestion bubbling in her chest and throat. The Hokage's eyes fell on her, flicking to Ino and then Shikamaru. He knew.
He knew everything.
Not just the future events. Those were only part of the story. The climax.
He knew what they knew. The context, the climbing action.
And he knew why they, children— even children indoctrinated with the village's beliefs— chose not to tell him.
Danzō.
His own terrifying decisions.
He knew.
And he knew what she thought about them.
Miho shifted her weight and the Hokage looked away, pulling his hand from Chōji's head to fold both hands behind his back. "I am an old man, but there are always new things that surprise me. Once again, it is clear that one never stops learning." A bit tiredly, he glanced to Genma-sensei. "Genma, please stop acting like I am going to kill your student. She is in no danger from me."
Genma-sensei's tension eased, but he saw the modifier as easily as anyone else.
From me.
And still, Miho doubted that, no matter how sincere the Hokage seemed.
"She's still in danger."
The Hokage hummed, turning his back on the room to look out at the night-shadowed village. "Indeed, all of them are. All of you are. Cat." An ANBU appeared. Her light purple hair seemed familiar to Miho, but she couldn't place the recognition. "Summon Nara Shikaku then guard along with Deer and Jaguar. Deer, Jaguar, Rabbit." ANBU Cat disappeared while two male ANBU appeared. Miho glanced around to find that the same ANBU was still there, though she'd forgotten about him. "Secure this room. No one save for Nara Shikaku can enter. We are entering a Status One."
The ANBU set to their guard duty. Miho flinched when metal shutters clamped shut over the windows of the office.
"We can speak freely."
"Then sorry for the lack of decorum, Lord Hokage, but what the hell is going on?" Asuma-sensei questioned, stepping forward to where Ino was pushing herself to her feet and Shikamaru was still sitting on the floor, obviously seeing no reason to stand up. "These two have the finals tomorrow. In just a few hours. What exactly did Akimichi Miho do?"
"She, as well as your students, has kept S-class secrets known to her since childhood, worked to maintain security of the village's legacy, and has tried to curb our fate. And was even willing to give her life for my own." The Hokage turned only his head and Miho stared, completely flummoxed by his conflicted profile. "Your plan would not have worked, Miho."
"Chōji showed you—"
"Your brother feared for your fate and saw his actions as the only way to save you."
Chōji kept his eyes on the floor.
Miho pushed herself up to stand. She felt the flab of her arms get caught in the fabric of her yukata and shook out the skin. "Sir—"
"I have earned the mistrust you have in me. From the things I have seen—that you have seen— it is a wonder that you are not more disillusioned. I believe you have every right to be." He turned, eyes falling on Ino. "And you have no small part either. You— all of you— have inherited the Will of Fire. You are determined to protect your friend, your family, and this village."
Ino's mouth opened and shut before she finally settled on nodding.
The Hokage then looked down to Shikamaru, whose eyes were shut. "I assume this time you will not sleep away an invasion?" Shikamaru opened his eyes and rolled his shoulders. "Your plan was genius. As would be expected. Save for the part that included saving my life, we may well have repelled the invasion. You do your father proud."
As if summoned by his mention, the door to the office opened and Nara Shikaku stepped in, looking far more awake than any Nara should at three-thirty in the morning. He immediately found his son and shut the door behind, moving to stand at her father's side.
Her father met her eyes for a long moment and Miho looked away, studiously focusing on the Nara Clan Head.
"Lord Hokage."
"Inoichi, show Shikaku, Chōza, and Asuma. It is as your daughter says: showing and telling are vastly different." The Hokage turned and moved to settle himself in his chair once more, folding his hands in front of his mouth. Miho rose up from where she sat, still feeling off-kilter by more than just the blood rushing to her head. "We have much to do and not much time to do it."
"Sir, the Hawk?"
Conflict shimmered in the old man's eyes and Miho felt tense, waiting for him to respond to Genma-sensei's question. "It seems…that I was wrong to let him go for so long unchecked."
She didn't react to the hedging words, not sure how to respond to them. Even after everything he'd seen and everything that they knew, the Hokage still loved that man. No matter that he murdered children, tortured and conditioned them into compliance, kidnapped them, hurt them. No matter that he gave Orochimaru subjects for his experiments. No matter that he put down a peaceful movement. No matter that he watched as the village was destroyed and its only hope for salvation— for Naruto— Danzō killed.
Miho remembered that scene clearly.
She remembered the shock and fear, even if it was "only a story."
The blood and the sword and the sickening realization.
The realization that Naruto wasn't coming.
That more people were going to die.
That the village was—
"We need to tread carefully. Danzō is a powerful political figure. Accusing him of treason will not bode well for the village. Not to mention the current international tensions." Nara Shikaku's voice pulled at the silence, unravelling it. Miho didn't look at him, but instead looked up to her teacher's face.
He put a senbon between his teeth and met her eyes. He rolled the senbon between his teeth before, sighing. "Just kill the bastard." Miho watched as he pushed his hands into his pockets and slouched. The Nara Clan Head gave him a very long-suffering look. "Kill the bastard. It solves so many problems. I'd volunteer, but I'm no match for him."
"It's not so simple. Assassinating one of Konoha's elders will have ripple effects. What do you think his shadow organization will do once he's gone? With whatever fail-safes he put in place, we can't just destroy him and expect no consequences. We can't have a leaderless shadow faction running around."
The Hokage coughed, bringing attention back to himself. "I believe that we have a much more pressing issue. The Invasion." He looked to the Three Clan Heads. "Is all prepared? We were well on-track before Akimichi Miho's revelation. Thanks to Genma's theatrics and Aoba's performance." Miho shifted and her movement drew his eyes. "Until the situation is secured, you four are to be guarded."
"They can all stay at the Akimichi estate." Her father stepped forward. "We are prepared for tomorrow's attack."
"That won't work for Ino and Shikamaru. They're still fighting."
Her father seemed to come up short, mouth falling open at Asuma's words. "Lord Hokage, do you mean for the finals to proceed?"
"It is the only way to assure that we have the upper hand. Suna and Oto have no idea of our foreknowledge. That can work to our advantage. We can begin evacuating minutes before the attack commences."
Miho listened, moving to the edge of the room with Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji as the adults discussed strategies. Her stomach was growling, twisting and turning on itself. It felt as if the acid was being squeezed up into her chest and throat. There was this lingering fear, nipping at the corners of her mind.
Like a red-eye-covered arm would appear from the shadows and grab her.
With his stolen eye— Shisui's eye— he'd make her tell him every secret she protected.
He couldn't know. Could he? Not yet.
"Miho."
She turned to her brother, looking between his face and the bag of chips he held out to her.
"I'm sorry."
Pulling in a deep breath, Miho struggled not to take the bag of chips and throw them back at him. Her brother knew her. He knew her so well that she could see his wince when the anger flickered onto her face. Swallowing, she tightened her fist so hard that the bones popped and she released the tension, reaching for a chip. He didn't smile when she ate it, letting the salt melt on her tongue. Neither did she.
She may have forgiven him, but—
"Akimichi Miho."
Miho turned to the Hokage, trying not to flinch under his stare. "Sir?"
"You will be assigned an ANBU guard. Each of you will. You will attend tomorrow's finals."
"How can we be sure they're not Root?"
Shikamaru's question was met with heavy silence. Miho wondered for a moment whether or not they'd already discussed such a possibility. It was Genma-sensei that stepped forward. His eyes cut to the Hokage, who gave a minute nod as he turned back to his desk. Her father was the only one watching from the other side of the room as her teacher shrugged his shoulders.
"Because they're my former cell. Cat. Rabbit. Bull. And Hawk. They're trustworthy and good at their jobs." Miho wanted to argue that there was no way he could know for sure, but bit it back. She didn't want to question her teacher in front of others. He seemed to catch the flicker of doubt. "Seeing as I'm not proctoring this go-around, I think I need my adorable team to take care of their pathetically injured teacher."
Shikamaru huffed, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. "Team Five is such a drag."
Genma-sensei sobered up. "In the meantime, kid, you're with me. Let's go get you something to eat. We'll get the boys to pamper us. After all, I'm still injured." He reached forward and ruffled her hair, seeming more tired than he ever did. She saw her father look away, focusing on the ongoing discussion of invasion plans. Miho felt a pinch to the flab of her arm and turned to snap at Ino. Genma-sensei caught her and started pushing toward the door. "C'mon, Team Annoying, you're with me too. Your Badass Chainsmoking Teacher's beard-deep in invasion shit. Let's go."
She didn't look back when she left the office, silently wondering if this was the better twist in the story. Some part of her— some childish part— couldn't forgive her father as easily as she'd forgiven Chōji.
She'd survived the Hokage intact, through some narrative loophole. Her father had sent her along this path. So, she didn't look back when she left the office. It felt good as she did it. It felt like revenge.
She couldn't help but to feel that this was just another bit of rising action.
Eventually, the story would come to collect.
It always did.
When Tetsuya and Koji arrived at Genma-sensei's house, they were so obvious that she wanted to yell. Immediately, they were upon her, fussing at how pale she was, how dirty her hair was, how gaunt she looked. Koji was silently taking stock of Team Ten at the kitchen table, eyeing Genma-sensei's dull stare. He checked her pulse with a casual grip on her wrist. She slapped his arm. Tetsuya spun her around before deciding that he was cooking. He took charge of their teacher's kitchen as if it were his own.
"You two are shit at subterfuge." Genma-sensei observed, coffee halfway to his lips. "You won't figure it out like that."
Koji scoffed, rolling his eyes. "We weren't trying to be subtle, sensei." He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, just barely catching himself before propping a foot on the wall. Genma-sensei raised a brow. "You were in the Hokage's office."
Shikamaru snorted, but didn't open his eyes. His head remained on the table.
"What tipped you off? The smell of tobacco?" Ino questioned, waving her hand. At a loud bang in the kitchen, she giggled a bit. It was a dark sort of laugh. "Yeah, we were with the Hokage earlier."
Miho sighed, lifting both hands to press against her face. It was only a few hours until the finals were due to start. Until the invasion was due to start. They— all of the genin— were tasked with awakening their fellow genin and getting them to the Academy, to defend or evacuate it. The ANBU guards would follow them on this task, to guard them. Miho had tried to argue with Genma-sensei about it, but he'd shut down all discussion.
Genma-sensei pressed his hand to the seal over the mantel and Miho watched as Tetsuya's head rose on the other side of the kitchen peninsula as he sat the pan down on the stove with a dull screech. Chakra rippled around the four walls. "Sensei?"
"Today, we'll be attacked by Oto and Suna."
Koji lowered his arms from where they were folded and stepped away from the wall. Tetsuya's voice was small. "What? H-How— How do we know—"
"At today's finals, during Gaara and Sasuke's match, they'll attack using a genjutsu to disable the crowd. They do not know that we know what's coming. The Hokage has the platoons prepared and all major clans are locked down."
Miho met Koji's eyes, not wavering.
"That's why you got hurt. Wasn't it?" Koji's voice was careful.
Genma-sensei nodded. She wondered if he felt bad for lying to the boys. "I got injured getting the information to the Hokage." While that wasn't a lie, it wasn't the truth. Miho bit into a wrapped sweet bun, watching as her teacher's eyes travelled to Koji's senbon pack and then over to Tetsuya and his bandana. "Team Five will leave the arena and provide cover for the Academy, either defending or evacuating."
"Y-Yes, sir." Tetsuya nodded. His eyes trekked to Team Ten. "What's Team Ten's mission?" The underlying Why are they here? Was obvious, but Tetsuya had the good grace to busy himself in the kitchen. As if he wasn't waiting for the answer. "Miho, you want some fried rice?"
"Make yourself at home, kid." Genma-sensei rolled his eyes. "Team Ten has the same mission." His emphasis was pointedly focused upon Shikamaru, who was still dozing.
She knew that Shikamaru was too hard-headed. He'd go with Naruto. Ino would go with Sakura. And Chōji would go with his teammates. She wondered if the ANBU would just follow along or step in once they realized Team Ten had no plans to follow their mission parameters. Knowing that made her hands sweat. She wanted to go with Naruto, too. To help Team Seven face Gaara. She wanted to help, but—
She swallowed the sweet bun down and pushed herself up, walking around the kitchen to Tetsuya, who had his back to her as he stirred the rice.
"You're involved somehow. Don't lie and say you're not. You're not good at lying, Chubs." Tetsuya said, not looking at her as she leaned against the counter. He pushed the egg around before glancing to her face. "You've lost weight. You haven't been eating right. Something's wrong."
"Tetsuya's right." Koji said as he rounded the peninsula into the kitchen. It seemed a bit more private now that they all were in the kitchen, with Team Ten quietly talking at the table. "Genma-sensei may've got hurt getting the intel to the Hokage, but you're involved. We know it." He moved toward her, lowering himself down a bit to look into her eyes. His nose scrunched and he rolled his eyes, moving to lean against the counter on Tetsuya's other side. "You haven't slept."
Miho couldn't help but to smile just a bit. She wondered if they knew how much she loved them. It was no better time to make that clear, on the day of an invasion. On the day when, no matter how much foreknowledge they had, they might not survive. The thought frightened her, more than the thought of being locked up for a lifetime or being tortured by the old War Hawk.
"I love you guys. You know that, right?"
The house was silent with her words.
The previous night and morning had her grappling, looking for footholds. Trying to find any consistent thing to hold onto. It felt like the stable grounding she'd always had was crumbling under her feet. She had never thought when she was younger that she would ever fear her own house. Her own home. But…Home was where her father looked at her like he didn't know her.
Like he couldn't understand her.
Like he never would.
Home was where everything turned on its head.
Tetsuya removed the rice from the stove's eye and set it aside, turning to her with an expression like gravity. His lips were pressed into a firm line as he stared her down and Miho couldn't help but to cringe back a bit at the intensity of his stare.
He noticed. And he shared a look with Koji.
"Genma-sensei, can we have a team meeting?"
They turned to find Genma-sensei standing in the hallway next to the kitchen, jerking his head toward the back of the apartment. "We've got a lot to cover in a small amount of time." Miho felt a hand taking hers and she looked up to find Tetsuya already turning to pull her along. Koji followed behind, folding his arms behind his head as he moved. "Team Annoying, stay out of my stuff."
"No promises." Ino called back as the door to her teacher's spare bedroom closed.
He'd outfitted it for them only a month after being given Team Five. It had three twin beds with extra outfits and materials. Extra weapons and supplies. He said it was because he couldn't always make sure they got home after a mission. Sometimes it was just easier to have a safe place to crash after an intense mission. Said that would get worse with time.
Genma-sensei threw himself onto the small sofa on the closet wall, sighing. Koji closed the door, leaning against it as if that would be enough to stop Team Ten from crashing through it or eavesdropping.
"We love you too, Miho, but we need to know what's going on. It's been months since we became a team. Me and Koji, we've known something is different for a while, but we always…We wanted to wait until you felt comfortable telling us." Tetsuya ran a hand through his hair, looking up at the ceiling as if pleading for patience.
Koji shifted. "We don't gotta know. Not right now. Not with what's happenin' today. But someday, we're gonna need to know." He held Tetsuya's eyes for a long moment before the brunette nodded.
Miho felt the breakdown coming. She felt it in the tension at the back of her neck. As if all the pressure was building there and melting down to her shoulder blades. It wrapped around her stomach until it struck. The tears came so fast that she stumbled back to the nearby bed, heavily falling onto the edge.
Koji was across the room in a blink. "What in the—"
"Genma-sensei, what the hell happened?" Tetsuya's voice was shaking.
It was all just too much. The stress. The betrayal that still sat in her gut. The sting of distrust. How close she'd come to the cells. How close all of them had come to something terrible. How close she'd come to ruining everything. And that was just the Hokage's impact. She'd been lucky. That luck would eventually run out. Even now, an ANBU was guarding her, somewhere out of sight. Guarding her from Danzō's ever-present threat. Because…it was only a matter of time.
Like all things, she knew.
Like all things she knew.
"I-I can't tell you yet. B-But I will. I promise I will. I just—" She shook her head, trying to shake away the images in her mind.
Her father, larger than the buildings of Konoha, feet thundering on the market road. Wind tearing around him. More and more Oto and Suna nin around him. But when his eyes looked to her, they were just as cold. The thrill of fear that shot through her culminated in a shiver and Miho lifted her eyes to where Genma-sensei sat. Koji's palm pressed at her cheek and she looked up at him. He repeated the same action on the other side of her face.
"Eh, you'll tell us when you're ready. Until then, who do I beat up for whatever's got you cryin'?"
Tetsuya looked over to Genma-sensei for some kind of explanation, possibly even a name and address, only to be met with two raised hands. "Suffice to say, no one you can actually hit. Yet."
Deflating, her teammate sat on the opposite bed and pressed his hands over his face. "Is Miho in danger because of whatever this is?"
"Yeah, she is." Genma-sensei nodded. "Miho's in some pretty deep shit." Miho nodded, raising her head to look over to where her teacher had scooted forward on the sofa. "One thing at a time. We'll have a debrief after all this is settled. Until then, let's focus on today." She nodded along with her teammates. "Watch each other's backs. You each have come a long way in your training. You'll need to put it all to use today. The Chūnin Exams are a game. This is reality. This will either kill you or make you stronger."
He pushed himself up and walked over to the closet, pulling it open. Sighing, he looked at them, repositioned the senbon between his teeth, and reached into the drawers. Miho caught what was thrown to her. She stared down at it, slowly rising to her feet beside Koji. Tetsuya mirrored them, turning to catch his the brown paper wrapped package.
"Got these a few weeks ago."
Miho unwrapped the box to find a bracelet, black porous beads with a sequence of four different colored stones at the center. Blue, Purple, Red, Turquoise. At either end, they were encased by white beads. She brushed a finger over the beads.
"It's obvious who the blue represents." Koji grinned, slipping it onto his right wrist. He flipped his hair, which had gotten longer in the past month, over his ears. "These are stylin', sensei."
Genma-sensei rolled his eyes. "They're shinobi bracelets, Hoss. Push chakra into the center stones and it activates a low-level chakra pulse that can be sensed by tracking summons." Miho swallowed. 'A few weeks ago' was when her teacher saw the future. When he saw buildings collapsing and wars erupting. When he saw Konoha destroyed in a single blast. When he knew that they were in very real danger on the home front. "Push one-third of your reserves into it and it emits a high-level pulse that humans can sense."
She could feel something in the air, like another shoe was about to drop. Their teacher turned to face them, looking at each of them for a long moment before removing the senbon from his lips.
"The third black bead on both sides is an amantia phalloides pill." Miho flinched. That was an Akimichi-made death pill. How did—"The fourth is a pill recipe developed by Lady Tsunade. It suppresses pain receptors."
A suicide pill and a torture pill.
Miho looked down to the bracelet in her palm.
How worried must Genma-sensei have been to have these made for them?
"And…" Tetsuya's voice shook. "And the first pill, sensei?"
"Not a pill. It's part of Konoha. Those beads were made from a rock that fell off the mountain." He let them look at the bracelets for a moment before returning the senbon to his mouth and rolling his shoulders. "Alright, Book Club. We've got finals to watch and an invasion to repel." Miho slipped the bracelet over her right wrist and watched as Tetsuya did the same. "Stay sharp today. Stay together. Protect each other and protect Konoha."
He moved around the bed and sat his hands on his hips.
"What is it you all say now? 'Book Club, let's get it.'"
"We'll see you at the arena." Miho waved. She'd found a reason to avoid returning to the estate, saying that she had to go find Naruto and that Genma-sensei kept a spare set of clothes at his house for the whole team after missions. But her brother gave her a sad look. Ino gave her a knowing look and Shikamaru gave her a tired look. "We'll be there later."
Genma-sensei stood with them as they watched Team Ten move like a unit down the road. They'd already laid out a plan for the morning. Stopping by each Clan estate to get their materials and to change clothes before the finals.
"First stop is the grill. We need to get Miho more than just some fried rice or she'll definitely deflate later on." Koji threw an arm around her shoulders, guiding her toward the closest grill on the street.
The market was already bustling with life and excitement, like the build-up to a festival. At nine, the Daimyo would arrive and different dignitaries from estates all over the Nations.
"I'll leave you three to it. Keep to time, guys." Genma-sensei disappeared, Flickering out of sight.
He'd be at Jōnin Command until the competition started, making sure all was prepared for the attack. It was out of her hands to protect her teacher and Aoba-sensei. She could only hope that the Hokage kept his word.
"I need to go see N—"
"Naruto, later. Food, now."
There was no winning against that tone in Koji's voice.
The senbon made a light 'clink' as it embedded into the concrete wall beside Hayate's head. Genma had to hand it to the jerk. He was fast, probably getting faster with age. Maybe it was Yūgao keeping him on his toes. "You're a piece of shit, Hayate. Don't do this to me."
The guy had the nerve to cough, lifting a hand to cover his mouth.
"It wasn't my call, Genma."
"It was mine." Genma looked over to see Nara Shikaku entering the office, holding out a clipboard with a rough grin. "Also, next time you wanna put new holes in my walls— don't." Unable to refuse the preferred clipboard, Genma grimaced when he read the names. "Whether you want to or not, you're proctoring."
Just barely biting back a 'but why,' he looked at Hayate. Hayate, who was still alive and kicking. Still alive and marrying his sweetheart. Sighing, Genma resigned himself. He was a sap. And what was worse, people were starting to figure it out.
He needed to kill somebody. Soon.
He rolled the senbon between his teeth with his tongue.
He'd get the chance in a few hours. Then, he'd make some random Suna shinobi pay. He might even make them pay for the fact that he'd put shinobi bracelets in the hands of his students that morning. His genin students. His kids now had suicide and torture pills.
Yeah, making someone a pincushion would be great.
Genma looked to Shikaku then, trying to reason through this change. The Nara raised his brows.
The Commander was giving him a chance to be in the middle of the action, to be close to his team and to protect them. Commander Nara was giving him an opportunity to protect his kids. He snapped to attention and saluted. "Not overly enthusiastic about corralling a bunch of teenagers with complexes in to-the-death matches, sir." But thanks.
"The whole thing's a drag if you ask me."
"You know, you could make Raidō do it. He did get that reprimand last week."
Shikaku just sighed. "He's on Hokage duty along with Hayate, Maen, and Iwashi."
"Iwashi? When'd he get back?"
"This morning. He was recalled last night." Shikaku gave him a meaningful look before turning. Iwashi, Raidō, and Genma in the same place at the same time? It looked like the band was getting back together. Genma huffed a laugh. "Better get a move on, Shiranui. You've got some teenagers with complexes to wrangle."
"Kid, you gotta work on your timing and presentation." Genma huffed, watching as the Uzumaki was helped up by Shikamaru. The Nara looked so put-upon that Genma barely withheld a laugh. "Throw out your chests and show your faces to the spectators." He watched as realization seemed to hit Minato's kid like an earth jutsu. The crowd went wild, ready for a good show. "You guys are the stars of the 'Final Round.'"
"At the very least, they could've had our names in lights." Yamanaka Ino drawled, brushing a hand at the underside of her hair.
He could feel ANBU positioning themselves around the stadium. He could sense the imposter at the top of the eastern stands. Two real ANBU were stationed near him. While people were distracted by the finals, the platoons would get into position.
With the foreknowledge Miho provided…
"Let's go, Naruto!"
He wondered if the kid could hear her. Miho was shouting from the stands to his left. He could see her up there, throwing one fist up as she yelled. Beside her, the boys smiled up at her. Genma refocused on the Hyuuga and the Uzumaki kid.
He wondered if Naruto would ever know how much Miho did for him. How far she'd go to protect him and his future. How far she'd go and what she'd sacrifice. How far she'd go to protect her Hokage.
It frightened him when he saw it.
Just as much as seeing Konoha shattered.
Uzumaki Naruto- the kid around which all of this revolved- reaffirmed his stance and fisted his hands.
The war was coming. Just now, the battle would-
"Begin."
A/N: It's been super stressful transitioning into this new job! But I know that things will turn out well. I've got hope that things will settle well within the next few months. Thank you so much for reading this story and engaging with it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows! Please leave me some feedback and have a wonderful day!