After weeks of arduous travel, Tanzaku was finally within sight.

During their time on the road, Hitomi had discovered that she was decidedly more at ease during long trips if the route they undertook didn't include busy civilian towns. The noise and crowds were too much for her, having grown accustomed to the peaceful silence that Konoha often offered. Civilians living amongst a ninja village were far more familiar with a life rhythmed by military events and found no need to make their own beat.

Thankfully, Tanzaku seemed at a tad more peaceful than the heavily touristic towns they had encountered thus far, and Hitomi wasn't the only one welcoming the sight of empty streets in the early morning with relief. Next to her, Zabuza let out a quiet, satisfied sigh, as if he feared being noticed for having emotions. What an indignity or whatever. With a faint smile, the girl followed Jiraiya into a hotel not extravagant enough to draw attention to themselves, but comfortable enough to accommodate their tastes. The Hermit checked everyone in, with Hitomi watching in dissatisfaction by the old man's side as he mentioned having an entirely separate room catered for her due to her being the only girl amongst them. She couldn't help but frown as she clutched her fingers around the key; she'd probably sneak into Naruto's room to sleep with him. He wasn't Sasuke, but he too welcomed her nightmares with open arms when she needed him to.

Had they not pushed so hard to reach Tanzaku the past couple of days, even going as far as skipping a night of sleep to cover more ground, they probably could have resumed their search immediately. Alas, eagerness and an unquenchable desire for soft bedding and a roof over their head spurred them into the spot they were tonight. Coupled with the fact that they had grown incessantly tired of hunting a prey so good at covering her tracks despite her notorious gambling habits, they decided, after a brief discussion, to pick up the hunt tomorrow.

Hitomi should have been as gassed out as the others, but a foul, frantic energy kept chasing the coveted pull of sleep away, denying her the tormented company of her dreams. Frustrated, she decided to work on her seals to pass the time; she had almost gotten to a satisfactory level of mastery with the seals Jiraiya had instructed her to work on. The one she fancied wouldn't be of much use in direct combat, but in an ambush… She could use it in so many ways it was almost ridiculous—for the poor enemy, that was.

The work did little in the way of beckoning sleep, unfortunately. Each time she closed her eyes, her heart throbbed with unease; irregular beats going up her throat often enough that she simply couldn't let go and fall asleep. It was probably the most intense form of foreboding she'd ever experienced. Squeezing her eyes shut and throwing her arms over them, she laid on her still-made bed and let her thoughts drift towards Fukuda. Just a month prior, Hitomi had been consolidating mental notes about her emotional state to bring up to her in their next session. She'd been so kind, so reassuring, so patient—it felt like there was no problem the kunoichi brought up that she didn't have a gentle answer for. She was dead now, and there was nobody Hitomi could turn to to resolve the pent-up grief welling up inside her.

Nobody to tell her all this pain would go away.

Not a sound was made when lukewarm tears started to roll from the corners of her eyes onto her cheeks, neck, turning cold by the time they reached her hair. She had never been a loud crier, but this time her silence was absolute, only parting her lips so she could breathe despite her clogged nose. She was cruelly aware of the shinobi with very acute senses in the rooms to her left and right, and was doing everything in her power to avoid alerting them to her weakness. It wasn't that she didn't like their company—she did, very much so, but sometimes, when everything hurt and nothing feels right, she preferred to be left to her lonesome.

It took an hour or two, but Hitomi's mind eventually settled, allowing her to drift into a land of dreams untouched by pain and terror for once… only to have it end all too soon, by a sharp knock on her door. Behind the wooden panel, Zabuza's gravelly voice told her it was time to get ready, unaware of the startle he had caused her. Sighing, she rolled out of bed, taking a quick read of her messages before writing a quick answer to Ensui and Gaara. Her friend had been promoted to Chūnin with his siblings—or rather, he had gone back to Sunagakure, kindly informed the Council that his whole team had been promoted and received a unanimous agreement on the matter.

She met her team at the lobby of the hotel, all seemingly much better rested than the night before. Though, in Zabuza's case, with the bandages across his face and all, she made an intelligent guess. The gathering of five shinobi so far out from any Hidden Villages or clan land caught the attention of nearby civilians, as she'd expected; they were, after all, somewhat of an elusive legend to the people of the Land of Fire. In times of peace, most of them lived their entire life without ever crossing paths with a shinobi—or noticing one, for that matter.

"My sources have told me which gambling house she likes to spend her morning in these days," Jiraiya said once they were back in the street.

Murky clouds loomed overhead, but they were far and few between—a good indication that rain wasn't quite ready to fall just yet, much to Hitomi's relief. She had a sinking suspicion of a fight coming up today, and while she had a considerable advantage due to her affinity with water, she still found more comfort in a dry battlefield. Perhaps it was because it rarely rained in Konoha—that was probably a weakness in the training of future shinobi at the Academy, but she hadn't the capacity to come up with a solution for that yet.

The group descended the streets in silence, trying with little success to mingle into the little clusters of civilians forming at the end of the afternoon. It was a hollow time of the day, between noon's business and the night's feverish excitement. For their heightened senses that had been overstimulated by previous towns, the quiet conversations and whisper of steps on dirt were a relief. Keeping their attention sharp amidst the racket of tourist traps they had encountered the past few weeks had been a challenge, and unfortunately, a ninja who could not remain constantly aware of their surroundings was a dead one.

"Here we are. Let me go in first, she knows me, she'll be less…"

"With all due respect, Jiraiya-sama," Hitomi stepped in, "I don't think this would be wise. She knows you, yes, but she associates you with Konoha and with memories she'd rather forget. Let me go in, I'll convince her to hear what we have to say."

The two adults stared at Hitomi, obviously sceptical. She reacted by squaring her shoulders and raising her chin in pride. They knew she was right. If Jiraiya handled first contact, Tsunade wouldn't be so eager to listen to them—and no one in their right mind would anger such a talented medic. Reluctantly, the Hermit nodded. "Fine, but we'll be ready to step in just in case, and you be ready to dodge. If you annoy her, she'll hit you."

And my bones will shatter into a million pieces, maybe more, Hitomi thought, finishing his sentence in her mind. With a deep, soothing breath, the girl offered a curt nod and entered the building. She was, undoubtedly, the youngest person inside, and attracted predatory glances from several older men. She let them watch as she dived into the crowd with a confidence that would have fooled the best of them into believing she belonged there. If they dared using their hands rather than their eyes, well… It would only be self-defence.

Ninja law didn't specify that that defence had to be proportional.

Locating her target proved a simple endeavor. A stunning woman in her twenties with gentle blond hair tied up in two low ponytails which she rested on her shoulders, amber eyes that gleamed despite the bleakness of her cards, and curves she displayed without any regard for modesty—probably to throw her opponent off, one might guess. Hitomi waited for her inevitable loss at the game before approaching, wearing an innocent and shy smile on her lips.

Harmless, as always. "Ma'am, do you play shōgi? You might have more luck with that game."

Senju Tsunade barely offered her a glance, yet it was enough to spur her into straightening up under the pressure of her gaze—the gaze of a living legend. A brief flick of the eye towards the forehead protector resting on Hitomi's head was enough to churn a frown from the stunning woman. "Konoha's still sending its brats to me, even now. Don't they have anything more important to do?"

"Hum… Not Konoha, not exactly. My uncle sent me here. He told me I could get better at shōgi by playing with you." Still looking up at her target, Hitomi smiled again, borrowing everything she could from Haku's effortlessly cute demeanour. Plus, what she had just said wasn't a lie—Shikaku had indeed told her that the only way to win against Tsunade was to bet on the issue, and even that didn't make winning any less of a challenge.

Fortunately, the Sannin couldn't resist a bargain.

"Fine kid, if you want to be crushed so much, I don't see why not." Tsunade shrugged, before signalling something to a nearby woman carrying a tiny, adorable pig in her arms—Shizune, presumably. Without waiting for her companion to catch up, the Sannin grabbed firmly on Hitomi's wrist and dragged her towards a private game room. The Yūhi girl kept her eyes glued to the ground while she traversed through the row of rooms, but her heightened hearing betrayed the salacious happenings behind those doors to her ears.

"You're a Nara, aren't you kid?" Tsunade asked when all three of them were settled in the room, the Sannin and Hitomi around a shōgi board and Shizune a step behind her mentor.

"My father was Nara Shikano, but I'm actually a Yūhi. Still considered a Nara by the whole clan, though."

"Yūhi? I thought that clan had phased out."

"Again, kinda. According to Konoha's law, we narrowly cross the threshold to be considered a clan because the kids Mom adopted don't count."

"Yūhi Kurenai is your mother, right? She was a very promising Genin when I left."

"Yeah, that's her. She's a Jōnin-sensei now."

The two played through their conversation, and Hitomi quickly understood what Shikaku alluded to regarding Tsunade's skills with each of her moves a more twisted trap than the last. Hitomi, however, had learned and played with masters of the game—Shikamaru included—and such moves didn't deter her in the slightest. She moved her knight and smiled. "Tsunade-sama, I won't lie to you, because I respect you too much. My teammates expect me to convince you to listen to them, and since I don't want to face the consequences of trying to twist your arm, I'm going to propose a bet."

Tsunade and her apprentice exchanged a look Hitomi couldn't decipher. The Senju princess leaned towards her then, a greedy look on her face. "A bet? What could a brat like you have that would be of interest to me?"

"Savings. I've had a lot of missions going awry since I became a Genin, so I have more money than most my age. I know money is of interest to you, Tsunade-sama. If I lose this game, I'll give it all to you, down to the last ryō. If I win, though, you'll follow me and speak to my teammates. Do we have a deal?"

The woman let out a dry laugh. Hitomi's situation on the board wasn't ideal, but neither was it catastrophic. She had voluntarily placed herself in a difficult position with each of her moves the most delicate of baits, just so she appeared weaker than she really was.

"Alright, you got a deal, brat. Now hurry up and play."

Hitomi did as she was told, still quietly smiling. The dance of pawns on board was something she knew intimately. Most people learned shōgi by studying famous games between legendary players, ones who had won the Land of Fire's prizes and whose games were consigned into big treaties. Hitomi had done a bit of that, but she had her own legendary players at home. Shikaku, if he hadn't been a ninja, could have earned a very comfortable living from his feats at the game, and Shikamaru could have followed in his steps, maybe even surpassing his father, at some point—studying them and their warrior minds was better than any simulation.

A tense silence settled over the private room. Even Shizune didn't dare intervene, standing watch next to the door and keeping an eye on the little pig sleeping next to her. What did it feel like, being a legend's apprentice? Hitomi sometimes wondered what she would have become if she had been noticed by a Sannin, rather than her brothers. Of course, she still had to stop that sickening snake Orochimaru from taking Sasuke, but what would it have been like?

In a few moves, Hitomi had turned the dire situation she was in on its head. Just like Shikamaru, she was redoubtable with her knights and liked using them both to lay traps. Her Nara adversaries had quickly understood they had to put them out as quickly as possible, most of the time presenting as the determining factor when she played with her cousin. However, Tsunade didn't know anything about that and just defended herself, attacking on other fronts but away from her true main pieces.

After an hour, she settled her second knight on the opposite side of the King, cutting off his retreat. A faint smile danced on her lips. She had won and beaten a legend. Now all she had to do was convince Shikamaru to play against the Sannin. He could take her. He was better than she was, and learned quicker.

"Ha!" Tsunade exclaimed as she leaned backwards with her gaze still locked on the board, still examining the results of the match. "Congrats, kid, looks like you beat me real good. A bet is a bet, then. Take me to your teammates and let's get this over with."

Considering Tsunade's notoriety for her poor acceptances of defeat, Hitomi was delighted that she managed to get her way with such little resistance. She stood up then, leading her two elders out of the gambling house and into the waiting arms of her teammates. Amongst the four outside, only Zabuza remained standing, serving as a sentry to the other three lounging on benches by glaring at whoever dared approach.

Jiraya was the first one that noticed them, a beam forming swiftly across his face. "I see you managed, Hitomi-chan! Tsunade-hime, it's been too long! Did you miss me?"

"As much as I missed having my arms elbow deep in shit, Jiraiya. I know you want to talk to me, but we aren't gonna talk out here on the streets like idle civilians. Invite us for drinks and food, I'm hungry."

There was a strange spark of good humour—of fondness even, in Jiraiya's eyes as he nodded, then opting to take the whole group to a tavern. It was still a bit early for dinner, and most partygoers preferred bars, which meant an almost empty space for them to settle in. Naturally, they sat around a table at the very back of the room that couldn't be seen from outside or just by entering the place. Ninjas weren't just paranoid—they made paranoia into an art form.

When their drinks arrived, Jiraiya spoke, calm as ever. "Tsunade-hime… Hiruzen-sensei is badly wounded, and his prospects are looking more dire by the minute."

At those words, the legendary medic's expression morphed into the very definition of incomprehension—eyes wide with a twinge of fear that twisted Hitomi's lungs. She despised Hiruzen, like her master, but she knew other people loved him, and not only because he had been their Hokage most of their lives.

"How did it happen? How serious are his injuries?"

"Very serious, I'd say. The surgeons had to put him into stasis, in hopes that you'd come back and heal him. Aside from you, they doubt anyone could save his life, and even then, no matter what you do, his career as a shinobi is over. As for the culprit… You know him, of course. Our dearest teammate."

"So, he kept even his worst promise…"

"Indeed. He's been injured in their fight too, or he would have probably killed our sensei. We owe Hiruzen-sensei's life to this girl here. She understood how to break the barrier that was isolating them so the ANBU could jump in and help."

Tsunade's calculating eyes fell on Hitomi, who straightened up with pride. She wasn't ashamed of her actions during the invasion, even if Tayuya's eyes, full of terror and incomprehension, still haunted her memory.

"I see… I guess I should thank you then, Hitomi-chan?"

"There's no need. I executed the duties assigned to me, that's all. I saw a weakness in their seal and acted on it. I guess no one had identified how that barrier worked, but fūinjutsu is my favourite subject. I want to become a Seal Mistress."

That had the legendary medic throwing her head back in hearty laughter. It was a lively sound, wild and beautiful, that had probably broken many hearts. Hitomi would have liked having such a laugh. "You, a Seal Mistress?" the Sannin drawled. "Girl, the last man to bear that title was Hokage the Fourth, a genius. You don't look like much of a genius to me."

Hitomi could have felt insulted, could have felt compelled to try and prove her worth, but that was more of Naruto's specialty–the poor knucklehead was practically boiling on his seat on her behalf. She only smiled and shrugged before taking a sip of her scorching hot tea. "Well, you never know. Only time will tell with these things, right?"

They continued talking for a few minutes, with Jiraiya mentioning other injured people who needed Tsunade's help. She promised to return to Konoha to see what she could do, but stressed that they couldn't expect a miracle from her, with all the problems she had these days. The two Sannin exchanged a meaningful look then, and Hitomi knew their thoughts were lingering towards the same thing—Tsunade's hemophobia, born from the last war.

"The injured aren't the only reason we're here, Hime. The High Council summons you out of exile. We need a new Hokage."

Another bout of laughter exploded from the medic, after a brief moment of puzzled silence. This time sounded different, however; for those who knew to listen, there was almost a sob amongst the joyous sounds. Was she thinking about her brother and her lover, both dead before they could attain the rank offered to her right now? Or were her thoughts with her grandfather and granduncle, who were claimed by war while donning the mantle, long before she got to properly know them?

The sacred hat, in her eyes, was heavy with phantoms.

"Oh no, Jiraiya, that's out of the question. You won't put that shit on my shoulders. Find yourself another dumb soldier, I don't want it."

"What?" Naruto yelled, outraged. "How can you refuse? Becoming Hokage is an honour!"

Heavy silence whipped through the group. Zabuza shifted then, clearly ready to grab his sword, forcing Hitomi to place a hand on his forearm to steady him. She knew the pressure in the air made him nervous enough to burst into flames and battle at the drop of a pin, but she was almost certain that the deserter, from another village no less, would suffer hell and back if he raised his sword against Tsunade.

The legendary Sannin might spare him, but Hitomi wasn't ready to risk it.

"It's the shittiest honours of all," Tsunade spat, acid in her voice. "They're expected to die protecting their village, and all for what? Launch the next war, stop the next rebellion, bathe in blood? I'd rather eat my own fucking hand than that!"

"But that's just it! If someone who doesn't want any of that becomes Hokage, they obtain the power to change things! When I become Hokage, I won't start wars, and I'll protect everybody, believe it!"

"You don't have what it takes. You're just a brat whose head is filled with dreams and not much else. You'll die, just like everyone who had the same ambition."

Furious, Naruto sprang out of his seat. "I'm a thousands times better than you! You're just an old fart who thinks she knows everything! You'd be a shitty Hokage anyway, I'm sure of it!"

Hitomi grimaced at the feral undertone in her brother's voice—the Kyūbi was stoking the fires of anger within the him, she knew. Though, while Naruto wouldn't know it for some time, there was some merit to the statements he made, anger or not.

"Ah, really, a little runt like you, better than me?" Tsunade drawled. "Let's test that hypothesis, you and me, brat. We'll see how good of a shinobi you really are. And, since I have forty years of experience over you, I'll even be graceful about it: I'm only gonna use one finger. So, what do you say?"

"Tch, I'm gonna kick your ass, believe it!"

Jiraiya's face contorted into a mix of something akin to concern and horror, and the two Kirijin quickly followed suit. It would seem even they had heard of Tsunade of the Sannin's infamous bad temper and titan-like strength that could turn mountains to dust. Against someone like that, a kid with a big mouth and a tendency to hurl himself to danger would not be expected to emerge from this debacle unscathed.

With a heavy sigh, Hitomi followed the group outside. There were people filling the streets at this point, but at the slightest whiff of conflict brewing between shinobi, they dispersed like leaves in the wind. Babies.

Naruto didn't stand a chance, of course, but Hitomi followed his movements as Tsunade toyed with him, sending him flying left and right with just her right index finger as promised. He had made a lot of progress during this trip, and had almost finished mastering the Rasengan, managing the complete jutsu one time out of five. The bit he struggled with was its final stage—the formation of a protective layer around the explosive rotation of chakra, which was no easy feat in an already complicated technique.

Tsunade's expression when Naruto formed his kind of Rasengan was worth piles of gold. She had split the ground into two with her finger then, exercising far less control than she typically did and forcing Naruto to tumble into the gap with an indignant screech. Hitomi winced at the noise he made when he hit the bottom of the divide and decided to step in before more damage was done. Mindfully placing her own body between her brother and Tsunade, she yanked the knuckle-headed ninja out of the ditch.

"Enough, Tsunade-sama. You've won," she said. "My brother's bark is stronger than his bite, and he doesn't know when to yield. Please forgive him."

"Your brother? But you're and Yūhi, and he…" She interrupted herself so quickly her teeth chattered together. Even outside of Konoha, one didn't speak of such secrets.

"Hm hm. Remember, I told you my mom had adopted children. Well, to be precise, she adopted Naruto, and made Uchiha Sasuke her ward. There might be a third in a few weeks or months, if they both want it, but you don't know her name." Not yet anyway. Hitomi fully intended on introducing Karin to Tsunade, and Sakura too, at some point; the two kunoichi deserved such glory. Through the communication notebook she had given the Uzumaki girl, Hitomi had heard two weeks ago that the friend Karin had made in the hospital was none other than the Haruno heiress. They apparently formed a terrific trio with Ino and weren't opposed to the idea of integrating Hinata or even Tenten into their group if the girls wanted.

"Don't worry," she continued, voice softening. "No one will force you to become Hokage if you don't want to. We're already relieved and honoured by your agreement to help Hiruzen-sama and our other injured people."

Once more, her mind wandered towards Hayate, who was being monitored by Sakura and Karin on her behalf. He still hadn't woken up and had even gone into cardiac arrest several times, but his situation had gotten a bit better over time, and the doctors were confident that he'd wake up. Regardless, a little help from the best medic the Elemental Nations had ever seen wouldn't hurt.

That night, Haku and Naruto met Hitomi in her room. Jiraiya had taken Tsunade to a bar in hopes it would cheer her up, while Shizune had decided to follow the children and deserters. Through the wall, Hitomi heard her speaking with Zabuza, but couldn't make out what they were saying. Such a shame. Eavesdropping could be fun and yielded incredible results, sometimes.

"Do you really think you can master the Rasengan in a week?" Haku asked, as gentle as ever.

The bet had indeed been set, just like in the canon. Hitomi knew her brother would win that one. He had what it took to bend any technique to his will, even the ones that looked so out of reach it was almost painful. And he had nearly done all the work on that one already, anyway.

"No problem! I just have to get how to maintain the chakra under the protective layer…"

After some consideration, Hitomi decided to help him a little; there were, after all, no rules stating he couldn't use his best weapon as he saw fit. "I often wonder if using shadow clones could help me master new skills faster. The new seal Jiraiya-sama is teaching me is so fucking complicated…"

"What is it supposed to do?" Haku asked.

"Store chakra. There's a version on parchment and another on skin. It's the passive prelude of another seal, which could allow me to directly store techniques. When I master that one, I could, for example, ask Naruto to put a Rasengan into a tattoo on my body and use it when needed. Of course, once it's used, you have to store a new one inside it, but it's super useful. I can't even imagine all the crazy shit I could do with that one."

"You're becoming more terrifying every day that passes," Naruto muttered.

She let out a laugh and leaned against her pile of pillows. The two boys were sitting not too far away, Haku at the end of the bed and Naruto on the ground, back against the mattress. They didn't need to see each other to have an easy conversation. In fact, it was very common for ninjas not to face each other when they chatted; they preferred to watch out for trouble and have their friends' backs. Her gestures almost loving, Hitomi continued to oil her loyal tantō, her fingers brushing against the kanjis written close to the guard. Ishi to Senrigan. Determination and Clairvoyance. How fitting.

"Maybe. Good ninjas often are terrifying. I wouldn't mind being terrifying."

"But you already are. Those kids from the Academy follow you everywhere since the end of the invasion like you're some kind of guru, that's scary as shit. They want to be just like you. I heard that Hyūga Hanabi had asked for a battle kimono from her father. Say, does that remind you of anyone we know?"

She giggled again, adjusting the one she was wearing. She extended her hand stained in oil and patted Naruto's hair under Haku's amused eyes—probably trying to evaluate how many showers a certain blond would have to take if he wanted to get rid of the very potent stuff. "Don't worry, baby bro, you'll be terrifying one day too! People will kneel before you in veneration and all that shit."

"Are you crazy? I don't want people to be afraid of me, I want them to respect me, that's not the same! They'll learn to do it because I'm strong, not because I'm so scary they want to run away from me screaming."

"Hey! People don't want to run away from me screaming."

"Hum, I think they do. Shikamaru definitely ran away screaming last time you proposed a six hour long training session."

The banter continued for some time, until Shizune came in to announce tht it was time for bed. The two boys gave in and went back to their room, while Hitomi prepared for the night. Once she got in her pyjamas, she spent some time writing letters, read a bit, then admitted it was time for her to sleep too, though she didn't count on getting any real rest. Clouds were amassing on the horizon, after all, and she wasn't certain she could face that storm.