He unfolded the picture. It was a little worn now. He looked at it too often, so the edges were fraying and worn. Part of him knew that he had to put it away eventually, in a frame, so he'd always have it preserved. He just wasn't there yet. The faces on the picture were too familiar now, too comforting. He needed those faces now more than ever.

Next to his parents— Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina— were two of their friends. A tall, big-bodied man with a really big smile and really, really warm eyes and a woman with soft features and a familiar grin. Okuda Keisuke and Akimichi Chisato, Miho's parents. He shuddered, running a quivering finger over their faces.

They died. All of them.

He and Miho had sat up late one night, after she'd cooked him a big meal, and brought him even more food, too. After she'd told him about his parents and given him something that he'd never had before. They talked about how close their parents were, how much'd be different if they lived. Miho'd reached up and held his hand from her pallet on the floor. He remembered that her dark eyes seemed to glow from the moonlight coming in through the window.

"Our parents were friends, Naruto. We'll be even better friends than them, I think. We'll be stronger than them too. I believe that."

Naruto swallowed down the lump that formed in his throat, rolling his shoulders as he folded the picture and put it into the pocket of his jacket. After a long moment, he stood and looked toward the monument. His father's face stared out into nothing above him. He wondered if his father would understand.

Miho— his friend— was still out there somewhere. It didn't seem right.

He couldn't let that go anymore. No matter what anyone said.

With a sigh, he reached up to adjust his forehead protector.

"Don't be stupid."

Jolting at the voice, Naruto turned to see Nara Shikamaru emerging from the shadows, hands hooked into his pockets. The guy looked exhausted, dark bags resting under his narrowed eyes. "Just— Just what the hell are you doin' here?"

"Stopping you from doing something troublesome, apparently." Naruto felt his shoulders tense and tried to look as nonchalant as he could. Because really…he wasn't up to anything. Nah, not him. Super innocent. Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You are so obvious."

"No, I'm not!" Gulping down a wave of anxiety at the deadpan look he received, Naruto heaved a laugh, scratching at the back of his head. "Nah! I'm just out and…and about for a stroll! I like scrolls— strolls! Needed one after that stupid fight with the bas— jerk— with Sasuke today! What's his deal anyway?" He laughed a bit before feeling the sensation of dullness overtake the panic. It overtook everything, when it had enough power. Naruto's laughter faded away and he looked at Shikamaru's patiently impatient face. "Okay, fine."

"You fought with Sasuke?"

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah, he challenged me. He was pretty determined, and I didn't want to hurt—"

"Shit. Those idiots." Shikamaru turned, a determined set to his shoulders. "Come on."

"What— Why? I've—I've got things to do."

"You're not chasing down Miho tonight. Don't be a drag and come on. We've got somewhere to be. I didn't just hunt you down to stop your stupid self-assigned mission." Scoffing, Naruto held his ground and planted his feet, only for his body to feel tight and his feet to move on their own. He swung his arms, trying to correct his balance as his body moved of its own accord. "Fine. I'll just take you myself."

"The hell? You—Let go, Shikamaru!"

"No. You'll waste time."

"Look who's talking!"

Shikamaru's shoulders shrugged and Naruto felt his do the same. They were running now, moving toward the Hokage Tower at breakneck speed. Naruto wondered what lit a fire under Shikamaru's ass. After all, Sasuke was just being the jerk he was— maybe made worse by that bastard brother of his.

Definitely made worse by that bastard brother of his.

Naruto eased control of his muscles, letting Shikamaru take him directly to the Tower doors.

When the shadows pulled away, Shikamaru turned on his heel. His solemn expression was the only thing that kept Naruto from leaping at the guy. He knew Shikamaru. He knew him well enough to know that this was serious. He turned and grabbed Naruto's jacket, pulling him into the building.

"Look, there's a lot more going on than you know about, okay? Miho's been at the heart of it from Day One and it's landed her where she is. It got her teammate killed. It got us burned. You got to trust me and keep your mouth shut." Naruto thought Shikamaru looked like he regretted every decision he'd ever made. It was—

Wait.

Wait!

"Miho— You know where she is?" His voice rose to a near-shout and Shikamaru's hand flew forward to catch over his mouth. Naruto sputtered at the bitter taste of dirt.

"Are you trying to get her killed?" Shikamaru looked around, sighing when he saw that there was no one in the front receiving room. Rolling his eyes toward the ceiling, the Nara huffed and his shoulders sagged. "Why did he think this was a good plan? Look, if you want her trust in you to mean anything— shut up for the next thirty seconds." He jerked his head toward the stairwell Naruto knew led to the Hokage's office.

"Why'd you drag me here, huh?"

"To keep you from getting yourself killed. And because I was ordered to go get you." Slouching even more into himself, Shikamaru looked way more tired than Naruto had ever seen him. And, sure, Shikamaru was normally a pretty chill dude, but this was…exhaustion. He'd known Shikamaru since Miho'd— "You really think the Akimichis would let Konoha do nothing?"

"Sure seemed like they weren't doing anything!" Naruto retorted, feeling himself being thrown through the Hokage's office door without really paying much attention to it. "She's been gone for a month. If no one else can find her, then I—"

"Brat. Shut up!"

"Ouch! Damn it, you old hag!" Naruto winced, dragging himself up off the floor. The old woman packed a wallop. "Just what the hell do you want, huh?"

People liked to think he was unobservant. And he was. Kinda. Sometimes. Not really. Naruto could sense the ANBU in the room, hidden somewhere out of sight. He'd been sensing them since he was little, so he could outrun them or outsmart them. It was actually Sasuke that first noticed. Chakra sensitivity, he said. He'd kept Naruto's secret. Snorting at Granny Tsunade's glare, he looked up at the ceiling as if rolling his eyes. Behind him, Shikamaru scoffed and muttered something under his breath.

A lot of ANBU.

"What was that, Nara?"

"What a drag," Shikamaru murmured before stepping up to Naruto's side. "I said it would've been better to just…knock him out or something."

Naruto whipped around, glaring at Shikamaru's deadpan stare. "What was that?"

Judging by the Nara's dull stare, that wasn't exactly what he said and he'd be counting on Naruto to hear it in the first place.

"Brat, knock it off if you want to get the Akimichi brat back."

His jaw snapped shut before he felt the anticipation and anger get the better of his senses. "Whaddya mean if I want to get the Akimichi brat back? Her name's Miho and she's ten times the kunoichi you'll ever be, you old hag!" Naruto had started forward, wrenching his jacket sleeve up his right arm when something grabbed the back of his neck, yanking him full off the ground. "What the hell—" Wrenching around, he felt the fight begin seep out of his muscles and he slackened. "Genma-sensei."

The guy was dressed in a standard ANBU get-up, mask in his other hand. His usual senbon hung between his lips and his eyes were as sad as they'd been for the past month. Naruto couldn't bring himself to fight back against Miho's teacher.

Not when her teacher was hurting so much.

"Settle down, kid. We figured you were gonna make a move soon, but boy howdy, you got some timing. You're not the type to twiddle your thumbs. Shikamaru was on watch. And we can't let you do something to jeopardize everything. Not that you could find her. Not where she is."

Genma-sensei set him on the floor again. A hand rested on the top of his head and Naruto looked up through the fringe of his hair at Genma-sensei's tired face. Vaguely, Naruto wondered if he would ever be that tall. Somehow, Genma-sensei seemed bigger than Kakashi-sensei.

Maybe because Miho was so big and Genma-sensei always seemed bigger than her.

Like the protector of the protector or something.

"You… You know where Miho is? Why— Why isn't she here? Where is she?"

Another ANBU appeared. Then another and another. They were masked, but Naruto recognized their chakra, the feel of it from when he was young. They used to guard him. He led them on chases throughout Konoha back then.

Genma-sensei looked to Tsunade before turning and lowering himself to a knee at Naruto's side. His dark eyes glanced toward where Shikamaru stood, nodding in reassurance. For some reason, Naruto felt sick. When someone— an adult— lowered to a knee to explain something, it was always serious. Kakashi-sensei never did it. Uncle Chōza had though, telling him that he was welcome in the Akimichi Estate any time.

Miho'd been crying then. She'd thrown herself into Uncle Chōza's arms.

"We know where she is. The team leaves tonight to get her back. When I said you had some timing…"

Naruto pulled in a breath, ready to tell them that he could go too. Miho would need someone to be there for her, to get her. She would need him. And he'd need to kick the ass of whoever did—

"Naruto, you can't go with the team. It's jōnin and up. It's one of the highest-level missions in village history. It's only out of respect for you that we're telling you."

Out of respect for you…Every argument in Naruto's head was silenced.

"As the only capable member of Team Five, I have a request to make." Naruto swallowed, remembering Koji's picture along with all the others at the funeral. At the furthest end from Grandpa's, the Third Hokage's. A no-name 'orphan.' Tetsuya was still laid out in the hospital, one floor up from where Sasuke'd been, where Sakura sat at his teammate's bedside. Tetsuya, who had no idea that he'd lost one team member and— "Think of it as a mission from me and Miho, okay?"

Naruto nodded, instinct bowing his head forward even as Genma-sensei's grip loosened and fell away.

"Guard Tetsuya and be there for him if he wakes up. It's a lot to ask from someone your age, I know. I'd ask someone older, but…everyone else I trust has a mission."

He wasn't an idiot. He could read between the lines. All of the people Genma-sensei trusted were going to get Miho. Naruto's eyes skittered over to where Shikamaru had saddled up next to one of the masked ANBU that had a familiar ponytail. Trying not to be irritated that even Shikamaru had a mission, Naruto let out a breath.

Everyone else I trust.

"I'll stay at the hospital until you get back, Genma-sensei. I'll watch over Tetsuya. Believe it."

Genma-sensei nodded, settling a hand onto Naruto's shoulder as he stood. And Naruto noticed that Miho's teacher didn't release his shoulder like others might. Like Kakashi-sensei did. Instead, Genma-sensei gripped his shoulder as if it were a lifeline. Something silent seemed to pass between the ANBU in the room and the Fifth.

She nodded and Naruto felt the presences disappear. All but three.

Shikamaru shifted from one leg to the other, looking out of the dark window toward the lights of Konoha. Granny Tsunade moved to the other side of her desk, shoulders hunched. And…

He turned to see a large man behind an owl mask standing in the corner. It was a chakra he'd felt before, but not one that had chased him around Konoha. He knew the Owl was looking at him and he stared right back, determined not to falter under the man's gaze. It wasn't in Naruto to back down. The Owl nodded and disappeared.

Wild red hair. Big, big body.

Naruto opened his mouth to say the name out loud, but felt a hand land on his left shoulder. Shikamaru shook his head, seeming way more tired than ever.

"To your missions, both of you." Granny Tsunade ordered, voice quiet and weighty. "It's gonna be a long night…for all of us."

Genma was bleeding. He wasn't sure how much blood he'd lost, but it was probably a good (see: bad) amount, judging from the way his head was spinning. He wasn't squeamish around blood— couldn't be as one of the top assassins in the game. Still, seeing it paint his hand wasn't exactly comforting. With a sigh, he wiped his hand off on his pant leg and drew himself up, checking his ribs for breaks. None. Good chance of fractures though.

He looked down at the body. Another kid. Maybe sixteen or seventeen.

The floor shook and a presence entered the hallway behind him. Aoba. Then, Hayate.

The smell of chamomile no longer clung to Hayate like it did in the man's apartment, when Genma had shown up to retrieve him for the mission. Yuugao had given him some tea while they both changed into their gear. The man smelled like metal, like blood.

The shaking grew more violent, bits of rock falling from the tunnel's ceiling. If Genma had been claustrophobic, he'd see himself buried there. As it was, he just wanted to see Danzō's headless body torched.

"Anything?"

"Nothing but brainwashed kids out to defend their batshit master." Genma looked down at the pale face of the dead teen. Killing him hadn't been Genma's first or second choice, but— "Any luck on recovery?"

"Got about six up a level." Hayate shrugged, dragging the blade of his sword over his arm guard to clear away the blood. "The younger ones are not in as deep. The ones twenty and older are…not receptive."

"Putting that kindly," Aoba scoffed. He edged forward along the tunnel wall, darting across an opening to the other side. "I count another three cells."

"They had her in here deep." Hayate's voice was level, but it made Genma want to scream. This was as deep as the system went. She was buried down here, if she was down in this place at all. She was never meant to see the light of day again. That much was clear.

Again, the mountain shook.

"You think Deer can beat him?"

"It's not just Deer anymore." Aoba commented and gestured a four then tapped his forehead. We've got four guards. Two adults. Two teens. "It's Deer, Owl, and Cougar. It's only a matter of time."

Genma rounded the corner, throwing nonlethal senbon into the four teens. Two were likely around his team's age— twelve or thirteen. He swallowed down a kneejerk gasp when he recognized one from Miho's Images. The Painter was here, shielded behind a gray-haired kid. In front of the two, a redhead drew the senbon from his arm while an obvious Aburame pulled the sleeves of his yukata up, even as he fell to one knee. His skin was a coursing purple.

Genma felt sick, recognizing the insects.

Rinkaichū.

"Root is an illegal organization within Konohagakure. You are all being commanded to stand down by the Fifth Hokage."

While the two young ones— Sai, that was his name— stood down almost immediately, the Aburame and the redhead, a Yamanaka now that Genma could see the kid's eyes more clearly, repositioned themselves for battle. It was a tandem movement. Genma glanced toward Hayate, nodding. The Aburame was likely getting his hive to process the poison. The Yamanaka didn't have that benefit and that was clear by the sweat on his brow.

Just as Hayate started to move, the redhead scoffed a laugh. "You're her teacher."

Genma stilled. If that wasn't a baiting tone… "Really? You're being vague for the sake of what? Drama?" Scoffing, he not-so-subtly pulled four senbon from his thigh pouch. "Say her name if you're gonna bait me, Red." The redhead shrugged, angling himself just slightly in front of the Aburame.

The Aburame did will in hiding his offense at the defensive gesture, but the slightest downward turn of his lips was enough to signal his anger. Aburame's were so obvious with their emotions. Shibi was stoic, sure, but he was also obvious. It seemed a life of conditioning couldn't hide that typical trait. Just like Yamanakas often had a flair for the dramatic. This one was no exception.

"Lord Danzō acquired some interesting information from the girl."

"Lie." Aoba called out from where he was watching the tunnel they'd just come through. There was a secondary cell approaching from that direction. Genma could sense it. Hayate saddled himself to the left, blocking the only exit the kids could have made. "He's broadcasting. Kid, you're not good at guarding your thoughts. Like, at all. It's ironic that you can read minds."

"You're not a Yamanaka." The redhead declared, voice decidedly vacant. "You cannot know my thoughts."

Aoba shrugged. "Sure. Whatever. You didn't get a thing from Akimichi Miho."

Then, the Yamanaka moved.

Genma threw the senbon, making the Yamanaka avert to the right. Hayate was on him then, best positioned to take on the kid's battle strategy.

In a few years, the redhead probably would've wiped the floor with old Hayate. As it stood, experience outweighed talent. Genma watched as Aoba moved to help, battling off the Yamanaka's attempts to Mind Transfer.

There was a buzzing sound and Genma turned to see a mass of impossibly small purple bugs hovering about next to the Aburame, who moved to stand. That mass was familiar. Achingly familiar. Terribly familiar. Genma wondered briefly just how the hell Danzō got ahold of— Seeing an opportunity, Genma flicked a senbon.

The kid winced as his purple, bared arms slowly became skin once more. The rinkaichū receded, drawing back into their hive. Rinkaichū prioritized their hive above all else. More complex than bees. Multiple queens. Queens that left the safety of the hive to act as incubators on new hosts. The queens were the main weapons of a rinkaichū hive. One queen dead was more than enough.

Grinning a bit at the teen's dumbstruck expression, Genma withdrew one of the containment seals from his hip pouch, pushing chakra into the paper. On the wall of the tunnel, just beside the Aburame's head, the tiny queen was impaled into the granite. The purple bug was oozing an even darker purple. The size of a gnat. A mortal blow for an already-weakened Aburame. He didn't yet have the control to have new queens leave the hive proper. They'd stay on his skin. But he was already weak and chakra exhausted from the poison. "H-How—You c-can't—?"

He sounded younger. More vulnerable. Damn it.

"Aburame Shikuro was my Captain."

The kid's eyes went wide, obviously recognizing the name. Damn Danzō. Pushing the seal to the teen's forehead, he was careful not to allow the now-limp body to touch him. As an extra precaution, he tacked a warning tag to the wall over the body. Do not touch.

A scream tore through the tunnel and Genma barely had time to sidestep a blow from the Yamanaka, who threw himself with reckless abandon between Genma and the Aburame. He skidded and stopped, holding both hands up in the standard Yamanaka hand seal.

"He's just—"

There was a wild look in Red's eyes.

The mountain rumbled and bits of rock fell from the ceiling. Red looked up for a moment, seeming to think over his options. Genma's warning died in his throat when the kid swept down, grabbing his sealed comrade. To do something like that, with that particular hive… Aoba looked on from where he stood with the two younger Root agents. Both huddled behind him as the Yamanaka took two side steps into a small, empty alcove.

It's getting a little dicey up here, Alpha Team. The Hokage is on her way.

Genma looked to Hayate, nodding for the man to continue down the tunnel to scout ahead. If Danzō somehow won this engagement— then they had to get out with Miho and the defectors as soon as possible.

"She only cried a few times. When she died. Or someone else died. Never because of things I put in her head." Genma turned back to the Yamanaka. He wasn't touching any bare skin, his own hands covered in gloves. Partners, Genma realized. These two were partners that somehow survived the Root cullings or they were partnered after they survived the deaths of their peers. "She cried once when one of my cousin's traps backfired. Came pretty close to dying after that one."

He felt an almost eerie sense of calm.

"She's not here anymore."

And then, he felt everything.

The brush of fabric against his skin. The way the needle left his fingers. The roughness of the breath in his chest, the way it pulled and tugged. When the senbon tacked itself into the teen's right eye, Genma quickly flicked another toward his neck. Immediately, the body fell to the floor. If bare skin touched bare skin, then it was the Yamanaka's own fault.

Turning, he called to Aoba over his shoulder. "Get those kids up to the surface. Secure them with the others. Now."

"He wasn't lying."

Genma stopped, the dimness of the tunnel feeling more and more like a tomb. Without saying anything, he turned and followed after Hayate as the mountain shook.

This time, one of the walls cracked as he ran by it.

He always swore to himself, when he was younger, that he would always admit his wrongdoings. He never wanted to be the kind of man that believed himself incapable of mistakes. Shikaku and Inoichi kept him honest. His wife kept him honest. His children showed him what it was to be a good man. And then, he made a wrong decision. Then, another. The bad decisions kept cascading, one into another.

Now, as he stared up at the cavern's ceiling, he saw the future spread before him.

A future where Chōji never looked at him the same.

A future with his wife's tears.

A future where his daughter did not exist.

A future where she was gone.

A future where it was his fault.

That wasn't just a vision. It was reality. That future was one he would live, if he survived this fight. If his daughter survived this, she would never return to him the same as she once was. Nothing would ever return to how it was. Chōji, Shikamaru, and Ino would assure that. Genma would guarantee it under pain of death. He had made a mistake.

And he would pay for it. Until he met Keisuke and Chisato in the next world. Even then, neither of them would let him have peace. Not for what he did.

Shaking, Chōza pushed himself to his side and then back up to stand. Inoichi was next to him in an instant.

"That's eight. That sick son of a bitch."

Across the space, Danzō pushed himself up once more. They'd killed the man in so many different ways. Eight times. And he kept rising from the dead, using Shisui's Izanagi. Just as Miho remembered. Chōza knew, truly knew, that he didn't have another kill in him. He was battered, bruised, low on chakra. It was Miho's Images that gave them the insight they needed to keep battling a seemingly unkillable monster.

Danzō, though, never said a word.

Not one word.

Not one word to justify, to argue.

Nothing.

The armor felt heavier than it ever had, weighing down on Chōza's shoulders. He only had one more option for another kill and he doubted that his teammates would back the plan. He cut his eyes over to Shikaku, who'd lost his Deer mask an hour ago. Shikaku was strategizing, keeping back and toward the portal of the save.

Chōza's dirty hand reached into the pocket inside his armor. The pill case was tempting.

His son had done the same— or he would have. If time had moved as it had then and there. If the story remained the same. If his daughter had never come to this world.

The Uchiha would've run, forsaking his friends and village.

Shikamaru would have recruited Chōji to the retrieval mission.

Chōji would have protected his friends.

Would have given his life to save them.

Chōza eyed Danzō's silent figure as the war hawk straightened.

Inoichi looked at him— and boy did he know that look!— and rested a hand on his forehead as Danzō continued to collect himself for another round. Another life. How many Uchiha bodies had he desecrated? How many ways were they dishonored? The Uchiha…Miho had cried for days when the massacre took them. Chōza grimaced, closing his eyes.

A pill.

Two pills.

That would be enough.

No. Not an option. Chōza might've flinched in his younger years at the barely bridled rage in Shikaku's voice. Inoichi's hand flexed, finger pressing into his hairline painfully. Chōza focused instead on the images from his daughter's mind. A hallway. Shikamaru crying. His son lifeless on the forest floor.

Danzō was powerful, and he was arrogant.

That would be his downfall. In this world. In that other world.

Always.

Your family's research saved Chōji then and there, Shikaku.

Doesn't mean it can save you too. He could feel the heat of Shikaku's glare even as Inoichi's hand fell away. They were in formation before Danzō was steady on both feet. Chōza swung himself through a stalagmite, making sure the fragments fell thunderously into Danzō's body. The old man was gone when the smoke cleared. Then, everything was on fire.

He felt his body being pulled out of the cavern, courtesy of Shikaku's shadows.

It would be another twenty minutes before the Hokage arrived. Another twenty minutes before the rest of the team emerged with the survivors, with any of the recovered prisoners. It would be another twenty minutes before he could know whether his daughter was alive or dead.

He'd threatened to withhold food from the village.

He'd acquired the support of the Daimyo to blackmail the village into compliance.

Miho could be dead. Tortured? Maimed?

This was his fault.

Chōza slid and pushed chakra from his body fat into his muscles and bones and skin, feeling as his body shifted and stretched and grew. He stood as tall as the mountain. Outside of the cavern, he could breathe again. It felt less like being buried alive. It was more choking than the burning ruins of Konoha.

Miho was in there. Buried.

"You are charged with treason against Konoha."

He'd done nothing. He'd looked on while his own daughter was protected by another, by her teacher. His student had looked at him with such hatred, anger, and disappointment that Chōza was sure it would give him heartburn for decades. For the rest of his life. He never moved.

For a few moments, he'd felt ashamed of her. For her lying. For the secrets she kept. Secrets that could kill everyone.

The way he watched as she was guided out, never once looking back to him. He'd focused on the plans, plans to rectify the mistake he'd made. The decision he'd live with for the rest of his days. She never returned home that night. He did not go after her. Her mother had gone to Genma's apartment, alone. Making sure he had enough money to cover two Akimichi's diets. He should have gone to her. To explain. To apologize.

To make things right.

Her secrets could also save everyone.

Another mistake.

He never saw her again and the guilt was eating him alive.

And Chōji…

Chōji was…

"You did what you thought was right." He'd told Chōji. Chōji— his sweet Chōji— who he'd found at the bottom of a pit in the Akimichi training field. Chōji, whose hands were bloodied and covered in the dust of the rocks he'd broken. "You were trying to protect your sister."

"I didn't mean for this to happen." Chōji wouldn't look up at him, focusing instead on the bleeding cuts on his palms. "I— I thought…Doesn't matter, does it? What difference does it make what I thought?" Chōji stood, back straightening as he moved toward an outcropping of rocks. He reared back his right arm and slammed his open palm into a boulder. The boulder did not budge. Chōza felt his heart constrict at the cold light in Chōji's eyes. At the tears. "I thought you would listen to her. To me."

Danzō appeared in a rain of wind bullets, moving so fast that Chōza simply couldn't keep pace.

"I was wrong."

It was only Inoichi's quick thinking that got him out of the way in time. The side of the mountain crumbled and Chōza stared at the bared arm of Shimura Danzō.

Eyes.

The Uchiha…Everyone who saw Miho's mind knew the atrocities she'd witnessed. They saw how the village had doomed an entire clan. How they were slaughtered. How two little girls were so afraid to even whisper about what they saw in their minds. How afraid they were for their own clans.

He knew why she never told the Hokage when he saw Itachi cut down the Uchiha.

And when Shisui fell. She feared that if the Hokage knew…

Miho always saw Chōji in Shisui's place.

She always saw the Akimichi cut down like the Uchiha.

She had been protecting everyone as best she could.

And he'd…

He'd fulfilled the Uchiha's threat. He used his power to manipulate the village into action. The repercussions would be far-reaching. He'd blackmailed the village. Not with the secrets that would bring them crashing down…but with the food that kept the village alive. If Akimichi supplies stopped arriving, the village would wither and die. The Daimyo would purchase the surplus and act as a purveyor, raising his political power and the indebtedness of the village.

At least, that was the veiled threat he'd made at the last Clan Head meeting.

Chōza popped open the pill case, throwing Shikaku a determined look over his shoulder.

One pill.

Two pills.

The same number Miho took before she was captured.

"You're a shame to Konoha."

Danzō leveled him an emotionless stare. For the first time since the man realized he was under attack, he spoke.

"As was your daughter."

Chōza threw himself forward even as the rage burned, like his fat turning to chakra. Shikaku's shadow guided him, moving him like a puppet toward Danzō's sword. The arm had regrown once more. Another eye, gone. A whole clan. Who knew how many more? Chōza could feel the chakra as it built at his shoulder blades, wings ready to rise from his back if he took the final pill. He would destroy Danzō, to the point that the bastard didn't stand a chance to take to the sky again.

Shifting left, the Akimichi Clan Head wrapped his arms around a large outcropping of rocks, straining to pull the massive boulder from the mountainside. Meanwhile Shikaku's shadows caught Danzō in a moment of arrogance, as he swung his sword in such a way that it caught the sunlight, creating a shadow that was just a bit too close.

"—not here."

Chōza stopped, the boulder held over his head. It was Hayate's voice. A cough pulling at his baritone. The man had to be close enough to the surface for the signal to reach the in-ear Chōza wore.

It seemed the world stopped.

And the wind sounded like his daughter's laughter.

"Chōza!"

"I repeat: Akimichi Miho is not here. Alpha team is withdrawing with Beta team."

He saw Shikaku's shadows quiver. He saw them break.

Danzō darted forward, drawing his sword back. Chōza could see the man's plan clear as day. The man was hardly a frontliner, no matter how powerful he thought he was. Dropping the boulder, Chōza dove to the side, sweeping his hand out to stop the attack on Shikaku. His friend withdrew, eyes narrowed as he considered a litany of other plans.

It was always the same. Opponents always went for the Nara first. Then the Yamanaka. Those two clans were seen as the largest threats on the battlefield. They never thought he was a threat. They never thought the Akimichi were forces to be reckoned with. Shimura should know better. He'd arrived to that battlefield during the Third War.

He'd seen what Chōza had done to that Iwa battalion.

With the same movement, Chōza positioned himself between his teammates and the Old War Hawk. "Where is my daughter, Lord Shimura?"

The man just stared, something like amusement in his eyes. Chōza adjusted his stance, waiting for Inoichi's voice in his head. "She is not loyal to Konoha."

"Neither are you." Chōza charged, moving far faster than it seemed Danzō was expecting. The man was on the defensive, taking a blow from Chōza's staff that buried him in the side of a cliff. To land the killing blow, Chōza spun, grinding the man into the dust of the crumbling mountainside. Breathing a bit more heavily, the Akimichi leader stepped back and looked toward where his teammates stood.

Another second chance among over a dozen second chances. Shimura Danzō stood at the top of the cliff, looking at Chōza from eye-level. His pulped remains disappeared, and the blood faded. Another eye closed, Chōza assumed. Who knew how many more there were? His daughter couldn't remember. The Images never showed how long it took to kill Danzō.

He was starting to realize that he didn't care. Nine times. Ten. Twenty. Seeing the man torn to pieces was— silencing. It made the voices in his head go quiet.

Chōza didn't want justice. Justice was a noble idea. A noble idea and Chōza was a nobleman. But, no, Chōza wanted vengeance. He wanted to tear the man limb from limb for another few times.

The Uchiha…The village…The children…Orochimaru…Itachi…his daughter…

"This ends. Now."

Kunai peppered Chōza's skin and armor. The injuries would hurt later, but he could feel nothing except cold, almost feral, rage. The old man was growing weaker, but he wasn't dead yet. Chōza launched himself forward and Danzō evaded. There was a moment when Chōza wondered what Keisuke would've done if he were here to face this monster. He'd call up a hurricane. He'd summon that monstrous attack of his. Purple lightning and thunderclouds. In that moment of idle wondering as he turned, Chōza felt something strike his gut and the chakra that had built up in his shoulders fluttered away. He crashed to his knees, not quite sure what he was seeing.

Danzō didn't smile as he moved back. The wind died down— When had it become so strong and cutting?— and the chakra calmed. Looking down, the Akimichi Clan Head rested a hand over the gash in his armor, blood melting through his fingers. Chōza watched shadows impale the old warrior.

"Tough bastard." Shikaku commented blandly, shaking his head as Inoichi moved to Chōza's shrinking body. As he shrunk, the pain became worse. He coughed, warm bile rising to the back of his throat. Inoichi held up a glowing green hand, pushing down Chōza's palm with his free fingers. Shikaku cracked his fingers, rolling his neck as he positioned himself between the newly reappeared Danzō.

Inoichi huffed, shaking his head. "You're not taking the next pill. Give it a rest."

"We need to—"

"You think Shikaku doesn't have a plan? You really don't think when you're angry. How many times had this happened? Some things never change." Inoichi's tone shifted and Chōza watched the exchange between Shimura and Shikaku with half-lidded eyes. Shikaku was full-out for the first time in nearly fifteen years. A hand on the side of his face drew his attention back. "Stay conscious. You're gonna want to see what Shikaku has in store for—"

The side of a neighboring mountain exploded. A blonde figure stood in the rubble, in the ash cloud. Chōza could just barely make out blond hair.

"Nevermind. You're gonna want to see what she has in store for this bastard."

Inoichi was trying to stem the blood flow, but it wasn't enough. He wouldn't be able to remain conscious for much longer. The chakra exhaustion, weight loss, and blood loss were all…

Keisuke. Chisato. I am so, so sorry. I am so sorry for what I've done.

Miho, forgive me.

I'm so sorry.

Miho, I'm so sorry. Forgive me.

As the Fifth Hokage landed a killing blow, Chōza's eyes closed.

Miho opened her eyes.

As she came awake, she stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling. The large wooden beams were painted red with intricate patterns painted and etched into the grains. Greens and browns and blues. Hanging from the ceiling's apex was a chandelier of thinly-cut geodes. They caught the light and the wind, chiming and gleaming. Swallowing, Miho realized how dry her throat felt and, as she tried to lift a hand to her throat, how weak her body was. She fought to keep her eyes open, trying to focus on the glimmering lights overhead.

"I—I—" Clearing her throat, she let her arm fall onto the bed beside her. "Hello?"

"My Lady Miho?"

Turning her head to the left, she saw Shinrin lying on what looked to be a cane-slatted bed. More patterns decorated the wall behind the bear. The patterns were swirls and triangles, and large beams at intervals that appeared to be… "Where—?"

"Center Mountain, my Lady Miho." Shinrin moved carefully, rising up to her four paws as she climbed down from her bed and moved across the space to nuzzle at Miho's shoulder. "You were terribly injured. So very hurt, my Lady Miho. Grandfather was not sure he could save you. He did though. I gave you some of my chakra."

"Some of…" Miho's eyes shut. When they did, she could see it. A hand moving toward her forehead. Red hair, gold eyes. Her body jerked, spasming as if it struck. As she was falling. Her eyes opened again and she took a deep breath, focusing on the brush of fur against her shoulder, grounding her to the closest reality she had. "Chakra…"

"I'll go get Grandfather Ha. And my Lord Father."

Miho swallowed, watching as Shinrin bounded away.

In her chest, her heart stuttered a bit. It felt like indigestion, bubbling air rattling against her chest.

She was out. Free. Away from the nightmares of that place. Away from the press and presence of another mind within her own. She could remember things she couldn't before. Other worlds. Places where she was born, where she'd lived, fallen in love, and died. Families. She'd been a teacher. A storyteller. An anthropologist. An adventurer. A friend. A wife. A mother. A daughter, granddaughter. A person. A hundred times over a person. A soul with so many stories. And he tore them out. One by one.

He drew them out, coated them in his chakra, and pushed them back into her soul.

"—time for you to go. I know that."

"For my last wish, I want them all to be happy."

"— so much. So, so much."

Never the stories he wanted.

He would never get those stories.

Miho didn't realize she was gasping until an old silver bear hovered over her, pressing a gigantic paw to her chest. The weight made her break from the overlapping Images in her mind. "Breathe, cub. Breathe and focus on my paw." A paw almost as large as her entire body hovered over her face. He closed it and then opened it again. She breathed with the movement, looking franticly for Shinrin's presence. "Focus, cub."

She did as he said, only looking away from his paw when he removed it from her sight. The paw over her chest withdrew and then hovered there, glowing green. "I—"

"You are Okuda Miho. I am Healer Ha."

"N-Nice to meet you."

He huffed a rough growl, pushing gray fur out of his time-whitened eyes. "It is no small feat that you are alive, Okuda Miho. I labored for nearly four sun journeys to infuse the chakra of the Center Mountain into your system. It is your Okuda blood that sustained you." The old bear pulled his paw away and sat back on his haunches. Miho felt less tired, dizzy, and disoriented. "You look like them. Keisuke and Chisato. You carry their legacy well, I think. Time will tell."

Her parents… Miho sucked in a breath, sitting up immediately. Her head swam and her heart thundered in her chest. "I— I need to— I need to contact my-my team. My family. Konoha. I need them to know I'm—" The dizziness made her vision blackout for a moment. When she blinked back the darkness, Healer Ha was growling. His worn canines were bared. She could make out frustration in the set of his brow. "Please, I need to—"

"In time, cub. In time. Let us wait for the return of Lord Ki and Shinrin. Then, your message will be sent. Until then, rest. Rest." His paw pressed down upon her chest once more and Miho followed the pressure, laying back onto the cot. "Rest, Okuda Miho. You are safe now. You are safe."

Letting out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, Miho let her eyes fall shut once more. For the first time in weeks, fear didn't eat at her. She didn't feel the looming threat of a hand on her forehead. She didn't fear the click-clack of a cane on the tunnel floor. She didn't feel the ripples of past lives, ebbing at her mind.

Genma-sensei, Koji, Tetsuya…Mom...Dad...

Chōji, Ino, Shikamaru…Lee...

Naruto.

I'll be home soon.

A/N:

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, your favorites, and your follows! I am so glad I am still able to work on this story. The next chapter won't come until the end of December! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Keep hoping for more good days!