"Thanks to you, the bridge was completely safely." Tazuna stood in front of the crowd of villagers, looking over Team Seven as they stood packed and prepared to cross the new structure. "But we will miss you very much."
"Please take care." Tsunami smiled at them, bowing her head slightly.
"Thank you for everything." Kakashi smiled and his eyes crinkled shut.
"Now, now!" Naruto grinned at Inari, who stood between his grandfather and mother, and looked up at the old man. "We'll come back for a visit again, Tazuna! Maybe I'll bring Natsumi with us next time. You'll really like her."
Inari looked down and sniffed as his eyes watered before they rose again at the blond Genin. "For sure...?"
"Huh?" Naruto blinked and looked more closely at the boy, who was struggling to hold back tears. His own eyes watered and he trembled as his emotions stirred. "Inari... you're gonna miss us, aren't you? It's alright to cry. Go ahead and cry."
"I won't cry!" Inari's nose ran slightly and his eyes nearly spilled over as he shut them tightly. "But it's alright if you cry, Naruto niichan."
"O-Oh? Is that so?" Naruto sniffed and held his years back.
Both boys trembled as they tried to contain their emotions, their noses dripping as they did.
Suddenly, Naruto turned around as his eyes finally spilled over. "See ya!"
Inari's eyes widened slightly and he reached out his hand. "Oh!" Tears flowed silently down his face and he returned his arm to his side.
Sakura let out a sigh and glanced at Naruto from the corner of her eye, furrowing her brows as she stared at him tight-lipped. "You're so stubborn."
The Shinobi started walking down the bridge, heading home, and Tazuna watched them with a small smile.
"That boy change Inari's mind... and Inari changed the minds of the village people." He paused and glanced down at his grandson, then looked up at Naruto as he continued home. "That boy created a bridge linking us to hope, a bridge called courage."
The figures of Team Seven grew smaller and smaller in their sights and Tazuna continued, muttering under his breath. "So, a linking bridge..."
"Speaking of bridges." A man looked at Tazuna. "We still need to name this bridge, don't we?"
"That's true." Tazuna turned to acknowledge him. "In that case, I have a perfect name for this bridge."
"Yeah?" Another man asked. "What is it?"
"The Great Naruto Bridge. How's that?"
Tsunami laughed, and then nodded to herself. "That's a good name."
"What? Are you sure that's a good name?" Tazuna looked around at those gathered around him. He chuckled to himself. "This name is to wish that the bridge will never collapse... And someday, it'll be the name of a very famous bridge. A name known 'round the world. That's what I truly hope."
Inari wiped his tears away and looked out across the bridge, where the four figures were no longer in view.
"Okay!" Naruto grinned and crossed his arms behind his head as he walked. "As soon as I get back, I'll have Iruka sensei treat me to ramen as a celebration of completing the mission! And! And! I'll tell Konohamaru tales of my heroic exploits! And! I'll find Natsumi and we can stay up all night telling each other all about our missions! I bet she'll be impressed with how cool and powerful I was! I wonder if her mission was exciting, too!"
Kakashi glanced over at Naruto, who was nodding to himself as he talked and beamed. "He has no idea that her missions are purely confidential..." He smiled slightly and shrugged to himself. "Still, at least it's good that he'll see her again. Siblings shouldn't be away from each other too long."
"Then, I'll..." Sakura blushed slightly and looked over at the Uchiha walking on Kakashi's other side in silence. "Sasuke, do you want to go on a date when we get back to the village?"
"No, I don't think so." He kept his eyes forward, barely acknowledging her.
Sakura stopped walking for a moment and her expression fell. "J-Just like that...?"
Naruto's eyes burst open and he grinned. "You know! You know! I'll go with you!"
"Shut up, Naruto! As if I'd go on a date with you!" Sakura grabbed his collar and shook him. She lifted him up as she glared and tossed him over the edge of the bridge, where he splashed into the water below.
"Gaaah! Sakura!"
"Finally!" Naruto grinned as he spotted the main gate into Konoha with a grin. He ran towards it, until he was in the center of it. "Heehee." He rested his hands on his hips and looked around. "It feels good to be back!"
"Not even back one minute and he's already being so noisy." Sakura crossed her arms, shaking her head.
"Well, we have been gone for longer than expected." Kakashi smiled down at her. "It's nice to finally be back at the village."
"I guess, yeah..." Sakura paused and her expression softened. "My parents are probably going to smother and interrogate me when I get home. How annoying..." She glanced toward Sasuke and sighed under her breath. "And, now that we're back, I won't see Sasuke all day, every day anymore."
Naruto turned to his team as they caught up. "C'mon! You guys are so slow!" He jogged in place, then stopped and crossed his arms behind his head. "There's so much I want to do!"
"Hold on there." Kakashi patted the blond's head. "Before we get to go our separate ways, we have to report to the Hokage first."
"Aw, man." Naruto groaned and crossed his arms. "I want to find Natsumi and get some Ichiraku's..."
"Idiot." Sakura muttered and shook her head. "Is Ramen all you think about?"
Naruto pouted out his lip and turned his face away. "Hmph. Not the only thing."
"Alright," Kakashi walked between them, then continued forward. "The faster we finish giving our report, the quicker you can get to doing what it is you want."
Sakura nodded obediently and followed as closely beside Sasuke as he tolerated, and Naruto reluctantly continued with them, walking beside Kakashi.
After some time, Naruto spotted a familiar figure with red hair approaching them.
"Natsumi!" He called out to her with a wave. "We're finally back! Isn't that great?! I bet you really missed me, right?!"
He closed his eyes and laughed to himself, then opened he saw that she had not acknowledged him.
Kakashi looked at her, studying her body language. "Something's not right..."
"Hmph." Naruto scowled slightly. "Maybe she didn't hear me."
Sakura put a hand on her hip. "Naruto, everyone heard you." She looked ahead at the girl, who was closer to them now. "Although... the way she's ignoring him... it's strange."
"Fine then." Naruto ran ahead, closing the gap between them, grinning as he did until he stopped in front her, with his arms up triumphantly. "Natsumi, look! I'm back! Isn't that great?! I bet you were really lonely without your amazing twin for so long, right?"
He froze as she continued to walk by him, her eyes dull and clouded and her pace slow and ambled as she kept her arms drawn close.
"Nat...sumi?" He turned and watched her pass, his breath catching in his throat.
Kakashi and the others stopped walking to observer her, and Sakura held up her hand close to her mouth.
"There's definitely something wrong here... she's always so energetic and adores Naruto... to ignore him like that as if she can't see or hear him..."
Kakashi took a step to the side, allowing Natsumi to pass as he observed her solemnly. "That expression of hers... there's no mistaking it."
Sasuke's eyes followed her for a moment and he stuck his hands into his pockets. "That look... I know it..."
"Nat-suuu-mii!" Naruto blinked and followed her, walking around her in a circle and waving in an attempt for her to acknowledge him. He stopped in front of her after a moment, grabbing her shoulders to shake her. "Hey! What's the matter?! It's me, Naruto! I'm back, so let's celebrate!"
Naruto tried to shake her again, and Kakashi reached out to grab one of his arms gently.
"Naruto, stop." The Jonin looked down at him and said quietly. Naruto looked between his teacher and sister, then slowly lowered his arms and his expression fell.
"Kakashi-sensei... what's wrong with her? It's like she can't see or hear anything." He watched Natsumi, who had stopped walking and now stood still, her eyes still glazed over and empty. "Is she under some kind of Genjutsu? Who did that to her?"
Kakashi let out a small sigh and his eyes rested on Natsumi briefly before returning to Naruto, then stepped aside again as Natsumi slowly continued forward. Once she was out of sight, Kakashi looked over his team.
"Everyone handles trauma differently..." Kakashi responded quietly, and the three Genin stared up at him.
"Trauma?" Naruto's eyes followed the direction she had gone. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Kakashi blinked and started to continue toward the Hokage's office once again. "Let's not keep Lord Third waiting any longer." Glancing over his shoulder, he met Naruto's eyes. "How about we all stop by and get some ramen afterwards? It'll be my treat, just this once."
"Wait... you can't just change subjects like—" Naruto blinked and titled his head slightly, pausing before he crossed his arms and nodded. "Ramen, you say? Your treat?"
Sakura stared down the street, pressing her lips together tightly as she clasped her hands together. "For her to be like that... what happened to her?" Looking at Kakashi, she bit her lip. "Kakashi-sensei seems to know, at least somewhat, but I can't ask him outright because it's not really my place, when she's Naruto's sister."
"Hurry up, Sakura." Kakashi waved a hand as he walked, with Naruto and Sasuke following her. "This won't take long."
"Alright." Kakashi turned to his team outside of the Hokage's office with a smile. "You guys go on head to Ichiraku's now."
"Hey!" Naruto crossed his arms and squinted up at him suspiciously. "Are you just trying to get out of treating us like you promised?"
"Would I do that?" Kakashi laughed and looked between his students, who nodded.
"Definitely." Sakura nodded.
Kakashi chuckled to himself and scratched his head. "Sakura, too?"
He lowered his arm and put his hand into his pocket, then shook his head. "There's something I want to discuss with Lord Third for a minute, and then I'll be right behind you."
"You swear?" Naruto asked, squinting suspiciously as the others kept their eyes on the Jonin.
"Yikes..." Kakashi nodded with a chuckle. "It'll only take a few minutes. Just go on ahead of me."
"Oh... alright." Naruto sighed and crossed his arms behind his head. "But don't even think about sticking us with the bill. We'll find you and make you sorry!"
The three Genin turned to leave, and Kakashi stepped back into the Hokage's office. After a while, he left again and followed after his students with his hands in his pockets.
Halfway to the restaurant, he caught a glimpse of Kiri as she looked out over the river as it cut through the village. Altering course slightly, he approached her, and she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
"Hey." He greeted her simply and looked out over the water.
"Hey." Kiri blinked and nodded at him slightly. "I didn't realize you guys were back already."
"We only got back a while ago." He paused. "We saw Natsumi earlier."
Kiri's eyes widened slightly and she drew her arms close to her. "Oh."
She sighed after a while and stuck her hands into her own pockets. "About our mission..."
Kakashi shook his head. "ANBU missions are classified."
"Fuck the rules." Kiri muttered. "You saw how Natsumi is... it's going to affect Naruto, who is your student. That directly involves you. Besides, you're former ANBU yourself."
"Well, that's true..." Kakashi scratched his cheek.
Kiri bit her lip, hesitating before she spoke again. "...We ran into the Araki brothers."
Kakashi's eyes widened and he looked at her directly. "The Araki brothers?!"
"We found what seemed to be their main base of operations." Kiri continued in a mutter. "Where they'd been hiding from us all this time... and storing all their trophies."
Kakashi let out a slow breath. "The ones responsible for the deaths of some of our best Shinobi..." He paused. "How did you make it out alive?"
"We almost didn't." Kiri stared at the water as it rippled from a breeze. "But... Natsumi..."
"Natsumi?" Kakashi blinked, repeating her. "What do you mean?"
"Kakashi, did anything happen with Naruto on your mission?" Kiri's voice lowered and she looked at him. "I think you know what I mean."
Kakashi nodded after a moment. "The Seal... it nearly broke."
Kiri nodded solemnly and turned her eyes away. "...I thought so."
"Why?"
Kiri bit her lip again. "Because. Natsumi... with the brothers... she entered an animalistic rage. Chakra spilled out of her, and she became inhumanly powerful and fast."
"Are you suggesting...?"
Kiri shrugged. "Hiruzen doesn't know for sure, either. We've got our theories."
"What happened?" Kakashi kept his eyes on her.
"Natsumi killed them. The Araki brothers."
Kakashi's eyes went wide and he froze in place. "By herself?"
Kiri nodded slowly. "Four out of seven. It was all a blur... and by the end of it, she was soaked head-to-toe in blood, with red eyes that held the kind of bloodlust I've never seen in anyone before."
Silence fell between them.
"And... the other two?"
Kiri released a slow breath. "I got number five and six. Five was the weakest, and no match for my Genjutsu. Their leader escaped."
Kakashi stood quietly in thought. "It's a miracle that you all were able to make it out of there alive, and in one piece."
Kiri clenched a hand into a fist and kicked a stone into the water, watching it sink. "Not all of us."
She crossed her arms, then began to hastily walk away to hide the tears that rolled slowly down her face. "Later, Hatake."
Kakashi's expression shifted at her tone and he watched her walk away for a moment.
"So... that explains it all, then..." He turned and continued on the same path as before. "I wouldn't have thought it was something like that..."
Kakashi stepped up to the ramen shop with a smile and raised his hand in greeting at the three Genin there. "Hey, you guys."
They turned to glare intensely at their sensei. "You're late!" They said, almost in complete unison.
Sakura crossed her arms. "We're almost finished eating already!"
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. The conversation ran a bit longer than I intended." He sat down on the stool, then ordered himself a bowl as Teuchi greeted him.
"Hmph." Naruto slurped up the remaining broth in his bowl, then set it down. "You always have an excuse."
"Sorry, sorry." Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and his eyes lingered on Naruto. "Since I took so long, why don't you get a second bowl?"
Naruto's eyes lit up and he slammed his palms down on the counter. "All right!" He looked at Teuchi. "Another bowl for me! Extra everything! Kakashi-sensei's treat!"
Teuchi chuckled and nodded his head as he cooked. "Alright. Coming right up."
Sakura returned to eating the last of her ramen slowly and kept her eyes on her sensei. "When he offered to treat us, I was sure he was going to bring it up... but so far he hasn't said a word." She chewed slowly. "It might not really be my business, but I'm still curious..."
Teuchi placed Kakashi's bowl before him, and then Naruto's with a smile. "Enjoy!"
Naruto licked his lips, grinning to himself, and then dug into his second bowl. He slurped up large bite of noodle. "Ah... So good!" He paused for a moment to mutter under his breath. "Although I wish Natsumi were here, too."
Kakashi chewed, having taken a bite without any of the Genin realizing, and looked down at the blond. "I was wondering when he would bring her up."
"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto looked up at his teacher. "What's wrong with her? Isn't that why you had us meet you here?"
Sakura blinked. "Did he actually figure that out on his own? Normally he's such an idiot..."
Kakashi kept quiet for a while, then nodded slowly. "I didn't expect him to guess, but since she is his sister, it's only natural he would be worried."
Teuchi turned his head slightly in an attempt to eavesdrop subtly and the Jonin sighed.
"The way she acted before, as if she couldn't even see or hear me... she's never done that before." Naruto's eyes rested on the ramen as he talked. "Something really horrible must have happened, right?"
"What do you know about the mission she was assigned?" Kakashi watched him, deep in thought. "Being classified, I'm sure she didn't reveal any significant details to him..."
Naruto shrugged and slowly slurped another bite of noodles. "Nothing really; it was just a boring mission, she said. Just that they had to meet someone and get some paperwork from him." He scratched his cheek and squinted his eyes as he strained to remember. "Something that like."
"Information retrieval?" Sakura looked at Kakashi, expectantly. "That seems easy enough."
"Well, yes." Kakashi nodded, and then his expression shifted as he turned his attention away. "Although, if you'll remember, we were assigned a simple mission as well. We only discovered later on that it was... more than we'd expected."
The counter went quiet as the eating stopped and the Genin remembered the Land of Waves and the assassin. Sasuke laced his fingers together and rested his elbows on the counter as he thought, looking out at his teammates from the corner of his eye.
Sakura blinked and opened her mouth at first, then closed it again and looked at Naruto.
"Do you really think her mission... became really dangerous like that?" Naruto asked quietly, staring down into his broth.
Kakashi paused and glanced between his three students. "Should I be as candid as I can, or soften it for him?" After some time, he let out a sigh and brought his hand closer to his mouth as he rested his own elbow on the counter.
"Actually... in many ways..." he replied finally. "...her mission became even more dangerous."
The three Genin's eyes widened and Naruto turned to Kakashi quickly.
"W-What does that mean?!"
"Well," Kakashi thought, choosing his words carefully. "We only had those two opponents. From what I've heard... Natsumi's team encountered seven rogue Ninja, ranked from A to Double S."
Sakura's hand trembled slightly. "As dangerous and powerful as Zabuza and that boy were... she encountered people even more dangerous?"
Sasuke listened and turned his head slightly to watch Kakashi's expression. "I wouldn't be inclined to believe it... but his expression is deathly serious."
Naruto clenched one of his fists on his lap and looked down again. "Then...! Then...!" He paused. "But, how did they handle it on their own? Without getting hurt?"
"They didn't." Kakashi replied under his breath. "Telling him what I can of the truth will help him to accept it much easier." The Jonin let out a short breath. "Natsumi may not have any physical scars from that mission, but she was still heavily wounded in other ways... After all, the things she must have seen alone... even we can't imagine them, even now. That's how different it was."
Naruto paled and remained silent, gritting his teeth. "Natsumi... what happened? Was it really so bad?" He looked at Kakashi again. "How long until she's better?"
Kakashi let out a small sigh and shrugged. "Everyone handles trauma differently." He muttered quietly. "She might return to normal tomorrow, or it could take weeks."
"But... I'm her brother... can't I do something?"
Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder and patted it. "She's having a difficult time processing it, so what she really needs is just your support once she has. Dealing with these things when you're alone can often lead to it being suppressed and festering beneath the surface, so it's important, as her brother, to be her support."
After a long silence, Naruto leapt up from his stool and clenched his fist. "Alright! I've got to find her now and cheer her up!"
Kakashi gripped his shoulder, and Naruto remained in place and his expression shifted.
"I think you should give her some space for now." The Jonin advised softly.
"For how long?" Naruto sighed.
"You'll know when it's time." Kakashi patted Naruto's head.
"Hmph." Naruto crossed his arms, and looked out over the darkening village as clouds rolled over the sun. . "I can't just do nothing! Not when she needs me!"
"Naruto, sometimes people just need you to respect their space. If someone is already feeling overwhelmed, some of their senses will shut down so they can focus on tackling what is bothering them most."
Naruto's expression softened. "So... you're saying that's why she didn't see or hear me?"
Kakashi nodded slowly and Naruto stayed quiet.
"I guess... I can wait until that changes." He looked up at his sensei. "But that doesn't mean I'll leave her alone! Even if she can't hear or see me, I can sit with her until she's better, so that I'm not late at all."
Kakashi smiled and his eye crinkled as he did. "I'm sure she'll appreciate that." He sighed and pushed his bowl away, now empty, and then took out his money to set on the counter. "Well, it seems we're all finished now. You all should head home and get plenty of rest after a long mission like that. You've all earned a few days' off."
"Huh?" They blinked at looked at Kakashi, then to his bowl, and their mouths gaped.
"W-W-Wait a minute!" Naruto pointed at the empty dish. "When did you even eat all that?! We were watching you the whole time!"
Kakashi laughed to himself and rubbed his head sheepishly as he stood. "Perhaps you should work on your perception, Naruto. A Shinobi has to have better awareness of his surroundings."
Naruto made a face and crossed his arms again. "Hmph!"
Kakashi waved and began to walk off on his own. "See you later. Be sure to rest up while you can."