Despite being told to rest, Karumi and Sakura spent several hours chatting idly. The younger woman was Tsunade's student, having shown an aptitude for medical ninjutsu as a genin. Now, as a chuunin, she spent much of her time assisting at the Leaf Village's hospital much like Karumi had as a young child - at least, until it was destroyed by the Akatsuki.
Karumi had told her some of the stories of her childhood, though left out any details to do with the Uchiha clan. She knew that if she gave too many details away it would be possible to put the pieces together and realise exactly where she'd been over the past eight years. Regardless, the two women saw themselves in each other, and that sense of familiarity spawned a friendship that Karumi hoped would last even after the war ended.
The tent's opening rustled as Shizune suddenly poked her head inside. "It seems that the fighting has come to a standstill. We need to send more medics out to the battlefield while we can."
Both Karumi and Sakura stood, though Shizune held her hand up.
"Sakura, you've only just returned," she murmured. "Karumi can go."
The two younger women glanced at each other, shocked. Karumi was surprised to know that such a young girl had started on the front — especially since Tsunade had made such a big deal about protecting the medics. Judging by the look on Sakura's face, she must have been thinking something similar.
Karumi lowered her head, though it seemed more like a nod than a bow, and headed out of the compound with four more medical ninja flanking her, feeling a strange buzzing sensation ring through her head.
Five more medics have entered the battle. Standby.
The young woman blinked, shaking the odd feeling away. She knew that Shizune had been receiving direct orders from the strategists overseeing the war, but she didn't even imagine those orders were being beamed directly into her mind.
We need three of you to head toward Battlefield A and two to go to Battlefield B.
The directions appeared in their minds' eyes, and two of Karumi's fellow medics began to branch off from the group. Karumi continued on with the others, picking up their pace to run through the trees towards the fighting.
A thunderous explosion suddenly erupted from the opposite direction of where they were heading, causing the remaining three to pause.
Karumi looked toward the noise, watching as large plumes of smoke wafted toward the sky. What exactly was that?
A battle is occurring by the river - two jinchuuriki versus an unknown number of enemies. No known support.
The young woman glanced across at her fellow medics. "You two go on ahead," she instructed. "I'll check it out."
The others looked sceptical, but nodded regardless, leaving Karumi to take a detour towards the action.
She leapt into the trees, pushing off each branch as she accelerated further, finally coming to a stop at the edge of the forest just in time to witness two monstrously large beasts, one a disfigured bird and the other a multi-headed dog, appear on the battlefield.
Two men in maroon robes were battling another two shinobi, both of whom she recognised as jinchuuriki from the Akatsuki's files. The younger, holder of the nine-tailed fox, stood atop one of the giant dog's many heads, desperately throwing punches at it, while the other man, the eight-tailed jinchuuriki, fended off a barrage of shuriken with his oversized sword.
As she looked towards the large bird, Karumi felt her stomach drop.
The first robed man, despite having different coloured hair than the last time she saw him, was definitely Nagato. He stood on the head of his huge summoned bird, watching the chaos below. The second man suddenly appeared with him, his long black hair flicking in the wind as they ascended higher. Even from this distance, Karumi would recognise that face anywhere: Itachi Uchiha.
The blond jinchuuriki fell to his knees, coughing and retching as something black desperately clawed its way out of his mouth, and Karumi could only watch on in horror, her eyes darting back and forth between the young man and the two former Akatsuki members, her knees growing weak.
The black mass morphed into a large crow, taking flight as black flames began to lick at the blond shinobi's feet. He quickly moved out of the way, hopping into the trees, barely avoiding the spread of dark fire that engulfed several of the summoned dog's heads.
Karumi looked up again, watching in awe as those same black flames spread across Nagato's chest, and Itachi hopped away, landing in the treetops with the nine-tails, only a few metres above where Karumi perched.
"O-Oi!" the blond shinobi cried, pointing an accusing finger at Itachi.
"Relax," the Uchiha murmured. "I'm no longer being controlled. I used Genjutsu to counteract the effects of the enemy's technique."
He glanced down, his gaze meeting briefly with Karumi's, before looking back up.
"That crow," he continued. "Was set to emerge if you came into contact with my Sharingan - just in case."
"What do you mean?" the eight-tails asked, joining them in the treetops.
"Embedded in its eye," Itachi explained. "Is the Mangekyo Sharingan of Shisui Uchiha and the ultimate Genjutsu: Koto-Amatsukami."
Karumi swallowed heavily, a cold sweat forcing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. While she hadn't exactly been privy to the details of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan as a child, she had heard whispers of a Genjutsu so powerful that it could influence people to do the user's bidding; though she never thought Shisui could use it. Had he ever used it on her? A sick feeling twisted her gut, but it didn't last long. The present was what mattered, not the hypotheticals of the past. The technique just saved Itachi, after all.
"I programmed that Genjutsu with the need to protect Konoha and put it into Shisui's eye," Itachi murmured. "Then I gave that eye to you, Naruto."
The blond jinchuuriki, Naruto, frowned in confusion. "Why'd you have it?" he asked. "And why'd you give it to me?"
"Shisui bequeathed it to me before he died," Itachi explained. "He told me to use it to protect the Leaf Village."
Karumi watched quietly as his hands balled into fists, a sympathetic pang hitting her squarely in the chest.
"If Sasuke were ever a threat to the village," he continued. "Then I would have failed him. You said you considered Sasuke a brother, so I knew you were the only one who could stop him. I trusted that he would use my eyes, and that the crow would emerge when the two of you met again, casting the Koto-Amatsuki onto him and giving him the urge to protect the Leaf."
A wave of emotion washed over Karumi, and she struggled to maintain her balance. He'd been planning this all along. He knew better than anyone that Sasuke would seek revenge once he found out what the village had forced Itachi to do, and he did everything in his power in an attempt to stop it. Karumi felt her heart swell as tears prickled in her eyes. Even after all this time, Itachi never stopped thinking about his family - that much should have been obvious just by the way he'd interacted with the twins - but it was all hitting her now: the way he came to check on her the moment he'd finished a mission; how excited he'd been to learn she was pregnant. Warmth spread through her entire body for the first time in months as the memories swarmed through her mind.
"Thanks for trusting me, Itachi," Naruto murmured earnestly. "You don't have to worry anymore."
A smile lifted his features as his eyes filled with determination.
"You've done enough for the village. Now it's my turn."
Itachi smirked, lowering his head. "My little brother is lucky to have a friend like you."
An immense force suddenly cut through the trees, breaking several of them in two and sending all four of the shinobi flying back.
Karumi braced herself, ready to collide with one of the many splintered tree trunks. Instead she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist, pulling her out of harm's way.
"What are you doing here?" Itachi's voice asked softly, his hot breath tickling her ear.
A small relieved tear slid down her face as she craned her neck to look up at him. "T-They sent me over to provide medical support," she stammered, her breath hitching in her throat. "I guess it wasn't necessary though."
Itachi's grip on her tightened as he buried his face against her neck, landing safely on another thick branch. "What do you mean by 'they'?"
Karumi gulped as Itachi pulled away. "The Allied Shinobi Forces," she clarified, quickly deciding it was best to leave as many details out as possible. "As soon as Pain was gone, Konan urged me to return to the Leaf Village. They enlisted me as a medic once the war broke out."
A gentle smile tugged at Itachi's lips as he placed his hand on Karumi's head, sliding it down to cup her face. "I'm so glad you're safe," he whispered. "What about the children?"
The young woman's eyes widened as she quickly fumbled for the pouch wrapped tightly around her thigh. "They took shelter with the other civilians," she muttered, digging through her supply of gauze, medicines and kunai before pulling out a small photograph. "I had this taken before I left."
Itachi slowly reached his hand out, taking the small image from her. The photograph showed their family: Karumi in the middle, smiling softly as she held a sleeping baby, with Hotaru and Tonbo sitting either side of her, grinning widely.
"So he was born safely," he murmured quietly to himself.
"She," Karumi corrected, pointing to the baby in the photo. "This is Sayuri. She's your daughter."
Itachi pursed his lips, his expression softening as if a huge weight was suddenly lifted from his shoulders. "Sayuri," he repeated gently.
"She already takes after you," Karumi continued. "When she concentrates her face scrunches up like this..."
She paused to mimic the look.
"When she does it these little lines come up on her face. You can tell she's yours."
The Uchiha's smile grew slightly wider as he stared down at the image, before his expression became hesitant as he moved to hand the picture back. "Thank you."
Karumi held her hand up, stopping him. "Keep it."
"The only thing keeping me here is the enemy's power," Itachi explained, still holding the photograph out to her. "I'll be gone once he's defeated."
"Then hold onto it for me," Karumi ordered gently, wrapping her hands around his. "I'll get it back later when we win."
Itachi looked down at the photo again, his small smile returning as he nodded, pocketing the picture. "I have to get back and help Naruto," he said softly. "Promise me you'll stay safe?"
Karumi grinned. "Only if you do too."
The Uchiha smirked, leaning in to place a quick kiss against her lips before disappearing again. He reappeared on the battlefield, an aura of glowing flame-like chakra around him. The shape grew and morphed, adopting the image of a giant skeletal demon with two sets of arms, which reached forward and grabbed each jinchuuriki, pulling them out of harm's way.
"Thanks, Itachi!" Naruto called out as the skeleton set them back down again.
Across from them, Nagato held his hand out, forming a pitch black sphere which seemed to shudder as it grew. The earth began to shake and crack open as slabs of rock hurtled toward the sphere, clumping around it. The broken trees also began to drift toward Nagato, as if being wrenched in by some unseen force.
"This is bad, ya know?" Naruto yelled over the loud crashing of rocks. "He's used this against me before! If you're caught up in it you're done for!"
"Naruto!" Itachi shouted back. "If it's such a sure death, how come you're still alive?"
The eight-tails laughed as the blond's expression went blank, and Karumi forced herself to stifle a snort.
"This is serious!" Naruto snapped loudly, hopping from one broken section of earth to another. "If we get trapped we'll never get out! I only made it out last time because the nine-tails rampaged!"
"Enough," Itachi said sternly. "That black orb is clearly the centre of the technique, so we need to hit it with our most powerful long-distance attacks to destroy it."
"I can't aim like this!" the blond cried back.
"You don't have to!" Itachi pointed out. "The gravity it's creating will pull our attacks towards itself."
"Works for me!" the eight-tailed jinchuuriki piped, gathering his chakra into a large ball.
The demonic aura around Itachi began to evolve, developing more of a humanoid shape as three massive curved beads began to manifest in one of its outstretched hands, linking together to resemble a shuriken, though the shape reminded Karumi more of the intricate swirls of Itachi's Sharingan.
All three shinobi hurled their attacks toward Nagato, creating a massive blast that sent shockwaves across the battlefield, flinging Karumi from her safe hiding spot in the trees. The young woman twisted her body, managing to land on her feet, though the dust and smoke made it difficult to sense exactly where she was.
As the air cleared Karumi's eyes widened at the sight before her. She could tell from her vantage point that the aura Itachi projected was massive, but being on the ground with it was an entirely different level of awe-inspiring.
The demon's arm held a long sword made of the same orange chakra that spanned across the entire battlefield, piercing Nagato through the chest. Despite the injury, however, Karumi felt that this was the first time in all her years of knowing the man that she'd ever seen him look genuinely healthy.
"Sorry, Itachi," he murmured, his ringed eyes scanning across each shinobi, his expression faltering slightly as his gaze landed on Karumi. "Everyone."
"You'll be sealed soon," Itachi told him, taking a few steps back to stand beside Karumi. "Any last words?"
Nagato's skin began to flake away bit by bit like petals falling from a tree. "Naruto," he said gently, locking eyes with the blond. "Be the final volume in the trilogy - a masterpiece so amazing that everyone forgets the waste in the middle..."
He trailed off wistfully as the nine-tails nodded.
"Farewell," Nagato muttered, his body slowly disintegrating into smoke which drifted toward Itachi's chakra demon, gathering into a large vessel before everything disappeared.
As the dust settled, the four remaining shinobi turned to look at each other, and Naruto jumped as his eyes met Karumi's. "Gah!" he gasped. "Who are you?!"
"Karumi Hanakawa," she answered. "From the Logistics and Medical Division. I was sent to see if you needed help."
The blond blinked. "Have you been here the whole time?"
Karumi shrugged. "Mostly," she admitted. "It doesn't seem like anyone was badly injured, but let me take a look anyway."
Naruto held his arm out to her, and Karumi took it gently. There were a few minor burns and grazes on his skin, though as Karumi inspected further, she realised the wounds had already begun to heal themselves.
"Never mind," she chuckled softly.
"This whole reincarnation technique thing sucks," Naruto muttered, turning to Itachi. "You're forced to fight people you don't want to — have all the battles been like this?"
Karumi nodded. "Most of my patients were delirious by the time they reached us, but a few of them spoke of having to fight former comrades," she murmured, glancing up at Itachi. "I'd just assumed they were hallucinating until I saw it for myself."
"I'll deal with it," Itachi stated, his dark eyes glaring ahead. "You should take care of Madara."
The two jinchuuriki looked surprised. "We fought reincarnated shinobi on the way here," the eight-tails muttered. "They were sealed by ninja from the Sand Village. You can't kill them."
"Every technique has a weak point," Itachi reminded them. "I have the best chance of stopping this."
Naruto frowned. "I can do it myself," he said stubbornly. "It's my duty."
Itachi's expression softened. "While it's true you are stronger," he admitted. "You once told me that it was everyone who cares about you that helped to get you where you are; but if you forget that — if you become so strong that you no longer remember why you are strong now — you'll end up just like Madara."
He took a step towards Karumi, glancing down at her.
"Only those who are already recognised and admired will ever become Hokage," he murmured, watching the young woman despite still speaking to Naruto. "Never forget the people who care about you."
Karumi felt her face grow warm and she quickly averted her eyes, focusing instead on the crow that hopped across to Itachi's shoulder, her eyes widening when it suddenly burst into black flames.
"Why?" Naruto cried, shocked.
"Shisui's eye won't work for at least another ten years," Itachi explained. "You won't be able to use it against Sasuke."
The group watched in awe as the crow was reduced to ash.
"Besides," Itachi added. "You can stop my brother without it."
"But you can talk to Sasuke!" Naruto urged, and Karumi nodded along with him. "Maybe this time-"
"No," the Uchiha cut him off. "I tried to do everything myself too. This time I'm leaving it to his friend."
He began to walk forward, turning to look at the group one last time.
"Look after each other," he murmured, watching as the two jinchuuriki nodded, before taking off toward the forest.
Unsatisfied, Karumi took off after him, following as close as she could. There was no way she was leaving him like that; not when he was about to go after one of the masterminds of this war by himself. She didn't know what would happen to Itachi, win or lose, and she didn't know how much time they had left together. All Karumi knew was that for whatever time Itachi had left, she would be there with him.