Chapter 17: Respect

"We are sun and moon, dear friend; we are sea and land. It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is: each the other's opposite and complement."

― Hermann Hesse, Narcissus and Goldmund


Kakashi

"Tell us what direction they went in." Kakashi repeats firmly, pressing the tip of his tanto blade deeper into the stranger's leg.

This close he can smell his sweat, the rush of his heartbeat knowing he's made such a grave mistake.

None of his fellow citizens bother to come to his aid, avoiding his gaze as he and Gai push him back into his apparent store.

It smells of grime and ink, Gai nearly clutching his nose as he swats away an ambush of flies that encircle them. Curtain Village is often covered with fog, clouds, or rain, matching the mood of most people crossing through or entering trying to hide or run away as far as possible from their pasts. It's the perfect cover for it's denizens that wish to pretend their anybody else and for Kakashi and Gai to especially ensure no one from outside can watch this act they commit.

Not that anybody really looks in their direction, everyone keeps to themselves here.

Sakura has taught him much when it came to the major arteries of the body despite Rin teaching him a few of the same basics way back when. The femoral artery he knew already is one of the major blood vessels of the legs, one that can easily cause someone to bleed out once cut...

Crimson trickles forward along his blade and the man gasps in fright, realization pooling in his steely blue eyes.

"You're that copy shinobi, the one with a sharingan eye." He croaks out softly and Kakashi gives a slow nod of confirmation.

So his name reaches even within this village where people go to escape, to forget their past identities and the crimes they may or may not have committed...

"Where are Kakuzu and Hidan?" Gai questions, tone laced with an impatience Kakashi isn't used to hearing out of his normally jovial and energetic rival. Dark eyes narrow on the man as he attempts to spit at him in response, Kakashi twisting his blade making the man hiss.

"Don't act so arrogant. We know you know something, trying to scam us of our money was your first mistake; the second was believing we wouldn't be able to fight back. Now you'll soon be losing complete sensation in this leg if you don't fess up already." He warns.

Time is of the essence and this is the closest they've finally gotten to the pair, heard their names whispered among the throngs of shoppers at the village square and at two hole in the wall bars.

The man squeezes his eyes shut as the smell of his blood wafts up, sheen of sweat building along his head cursing them.

"Damn it, stop already! I can't say for certain, but they were following a woman into the backwoods...had this gleeful look in their eyes like they were going on a hunt." He rambles out quickly pointing east, Kakashi turning his blade one last time before removing it.

Gai stares in the direction his points, nodding as one of his familiar grins rise up.

"Looks like we're finally about to take them on Kakashi!"

Kakashi nods, though his fingers twitch in slight alarm.

'Could they already know we followed them here? We won't be able to do a surprise attack if so.' He wonders.

The best way to handle this is to try and split the duo far enough apart from each other. However, they must sense on some level they've been tracked and in that case they'll be working in tandem with each other more than usual ready to fight back properly.

One is unkillable in the traditional sense and the other has at least 4 hearts to take down.

"I can distract Hidan, he's a follower of that crazy Jashin cult and I'm sure I can annoy him into talking and soloing me with a few youthful speeches!" Gai determines.

Kakashi considers it. Gai is fast enough to avoid his scythe, already knows how his trap works...

They can kill and disarm them respectively and hopefully find Fu alive if they prepare and do this just right.

"These are single use syringes Kakashi. Sakura and I worked on them for weeks and we can't be sure if they'll even work on these two knowing the unique abilities and attributes they have." Tsunade warns.

Shikamaru fidgets beside her, opening then shutting his mouth. The tactics and plans they discussed for taking down the duo on are sound to him, but he knows Shikamaru's on edge for a different reason entirely.

Kakashi glances to Tsunade who sighs seeing Shikamaru's look from the corner of her eye.

"5 minutes. There's another meeting Shizune is going to grab me for with the advisors again." She grumbles before heading out to get some air.

Or to get more sake.

"You okay?" Kakashi asks the lazy genius as soon as they're alone.

Shikamaru shrugs, auburn eyes avoiding him. "I've thought this plan over and over in my head at least a dozen times, treated it like the most challenging game of shogi or exam of my life and yet there's still always room for error, still always the possibility this isn't going to work..."

Kakashi pats at his shoulder. "Asuma is alive. It's not like you to get tangled up in all the 'what-ifs'.

Shikamaru grits his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Naruto and Hinata told us of the possibility of Asuma's death. It's allowed Choji, Ino, and I to better work on our Ino-Shika-Cho formation. Granted, Asuma-sensei keeps wondering why I've gotten so serious when all I have to go on is a nightmare. Kurenai-sensei I don't think told him either.

He looks up to him then, eyes sharp and cold.

"Make sure those two both suffer."

"You two done hashing it out?" Tsunade drawls from the doorway and Kakashi nods, eye crinkling in amusement at her apparent slack posture. He's sure she stayed close enough to catch a majority of what they said.

"It's all a risk worth taking." He replies easily, studying the two syringes as Tsunade passes them over to him. The liquids inside are the color of the rivers after a storm, a murky bluish-brown that from a distance simply looks like dirty water.

Good, a vibrant color like red or yellow would make it all the more suspicious.

"You and Gai use them when you feel absolutely sure." Tsunade's final message repeats in his mind.

The time is coming now.

"Alright then let's get going, don't forget we'll be using the vials Lady Tsunade gave us. Neither of them will be prepared for them." Kakashi instructs.

Gai waves him off, giving a thumbs up of confirmation. "You think I would forget the most crucial part of making sure this mission is a success Kakashi?! We're doing some youth-filled spars and races to the Hokage monument once we're back in Konoha for thinking I would forget!"

A smile tugs at his lips, nodding in agreement.

'These two have probably never had to worry about the thought of dying.' Kakashi realizes.

That changes now.


Sasuke & Sakura

"He's not dead."

Sakura states it so dryly and matter-of-fact, maybe exasperated they're even having this conversation at all. It's Kabuto's own fault for assuming she wasn't one for him to watch or be wary of.

With war on the brink of happening, people are going to change...

'Though I really should just kill him; that would be the kinder option at this point. Leaving him in such a state means Orochimaru can still possibly undo the tampering I did of his mind. However, it would take a great deal of time and patience which he isn't known to have either of.' She muses.

"Prove it." Sasuke frowns, ignoring the way her eyes pierce at him in frustration.

They're wasting precious time.

She points to the slow rise of his chest, disregarding Kabuto's vacant gaze, onyx eyes glassy staring skyward.

"I've severed and destroyed nerves and cells that connected to his frontal, parietal, hippocampus, and temporal lobes/regions. Things like his memory, pain sensors, problem-solving skills, and even handling of emotions have been forever tampered with. He won't ever have the abilities he had to be of use to Orochimaru now and I suspect he'll dispose of him or use him as one of his many human experiments." She confirms.

Sasuke looks Kabuto over once more, crushed arm only partially healed to a light pinkish-gray, dried blood now a coppery maroon that sticks to his cracked lips, clothes disheveled with leaves and mud from their earlier skirmish.

"Orochimaru won't take this quietly." Sasuke finally remarks.

Sakura merely shrugs, standing up to stretch her arms out properly.

"Fine. It's not like he'll suspect me. The weakest link of Team 7 could never do something like this, never be so cruel." She snorts out casually as she turns to face him fully, jade eyes bright again with amusement.

'She's right.' Sasuke knows, still it irks him how calmly she can say such a thing about herself, that despite nearly taking another life just now it isn't enough in her eyes.

"You're not weak." Sasuke finds himself saying and Sakura blinks in pure confusion before her grin turns wider.

"That sounds...odd coming from you Sasuke. However, I appreciate you can actually throw your other former team member some acknowledgement of skill growth." Sakura muses. Even hearing praise from him doesn't make her skin become set aflame in a rosy pink like he expects, but at least she's smiling, laughing in the same way he recalls from his memories.

'I didn't want to think the Sakura I knew was fully gone.' He realizes.

Sasuke rolls his eyes pushing away the thought before it can take root, gesturing for them to get going before some traveling merchant or group of shinobi/mercenaries come upon them.

"I wouldn't pay Naruto the same compliment, though I know he's gotten stronger too." Sasuke mentions and Sakura hums thoughtfully.

"Ah, Naruto trained and learned much about the future in that year he and Hinata had 'disappeared'. Konoha changes a lot apparently from the way he described new buildings like Ichiraku's becoming a mega restaurant, that more people will immigrate here from nations as far as Iwa and Kumo." She describes, catching herself from going on.

'Here. Sasuke isn't in Konoha anymore, does he even consider it home still?' Sakura considers.

Her heart twists and beats loudly in refusal to be unheard before she can push away the memory of the night he left, of secret wonderings on if he has changed his decision on staying away from the village.

'Stop it! This is not important right now!' Her thoughts hiss bitterly.

It doesn't stop the continued fluttering in her chest, the want that part of her wishes so badly to ask when he'll return back home...

Back to her.

She risks a glance to him to see if her statement has affected him any, but his usual stoic mask is in place as his eyes focus on the horizon.

The look is enough for her heartbeat to calm like ice pouring throughout her veins, warmth evaporating.

'That's right. Fine; this is a game of pretending we're on friendly terms after all.'

Neither of them speak again for hours.

The grasslands and woods surrounding them soon become overlayed with paddies, stalks of bright green shoots stretch up towards the evening sun. Water rises up to their ankles in various spots making them track mud against the dirt terrain and need to stop to clean out their boots/sandals. Sakura sniffs the air, recognizing the scent of the rice fields, the guide of golden lanterns brightening against the violet red sky.

Amid the sky though is a smoke that makes her eyes widen, following the direction of it's billowing makes her turn towards the direction of Konoha...

'No, Lady Tsunade and Shizune!' Sakura panics, but going back would mean delaying finding Itachi even longer. Despite her stomach's churning, she needs to trust that wherever the source of the fire is coming from that the current shinobi on duty can handle it.

She turns her focus back ahead, blowing out a slow breath.

'One of Orochimaru's hideouts must be close by.' She bites her lip hard enough to taste the sting of blood and iron on her tongue.

She should blend herself with the darkness now, with the cicadas and fireflies before one of Team Taka's team members notices her chakra signature.

'It's too late for that.' Her thoughts cut in, seeing a flash of a shadow crossing through the rice fields with increasing speed towards them.

"What about you?" Sasuke asks abruptly just as Sakura begins to slow her pace.

"What about me?" Sakura questions back too quickly for him not to notice.

Sasuke pauses, giving her a side glance at seeing her completely stopped in place.

Her face is carefully blank, verdant eyes foggy again though this time she can't completely hide her mood at sensing what he wants to ask as he takes in the mini crescents of her nails tearing and burying into her palms.

He turns to look at her fully, frowning.

"What about your future Sakura? I know Naruto must've interacted with your future self at some point."

Sakura nods tightly, sending him a half-smile.

"Yeah, about that...I asked Naruto to not tell me much about my future; wanted to keep some things a surprise! Well, then again you know Naruto's a blabbermouth so he did manage to confess that I'll one day take over Lady Tsunade's position as head medical director of the hospital." She starts.

That can't be all, they both know that and from the way Sasuke's eyes narrow she knows that isn't enough of an answer for him.

"And, I'm married. With one daughter around his future son Boruto's age." Sakura finishes quietly.

'Married with a child.' Years ago he's sure that knowledge would've made Sakura flush with glee.

But her current expression is neutral and tired, perhaps because she restricted herself purposely on not knowing who her said future husband/father of her child is.

Faces pop to mind beside an older Sakura brightly beaming for a family photo, none with features that could maybe pinpoint him to a clear person. His head twinges realizing Sakura's old promises and desires of waiting for his return have probably been shattered long ago...

A flicker of red crosses his vision before either can speak, Sasuke grunting in dismay at the interruption.

Karin ignores his scowl, crimson orbs locked only on Sakura.

"So, she's who made you so delayed Sasuke?"


Naruto & Hinata

'It's cold, it's too damn cold to even think straight!' Naruto shivers.

The woods truly are unforgiving at this time of night.

He sneezes before he can hold it in, startling Hinata awake much to his chagrin.

"Whoops sorry! Maybe someone is talking about me back in Konoha, you know!" Naruto jokes.

Hinata blinks slowly, eyes adjusting to the twisting branches up above, the light coat of frost across the ground that shined a white-silver over their footsteps mere hours ago.

No wonder shinobi rarely take missions to this area, no amount of ryo offered seems worth it when these frigid temperatures sting, burrow into one's skin until everything feels numb.

Wind rustles and dances through the trees again, crescent moon hidden once more through the clouds sliding them back into darkness.

"Are you warm enough?" Naruto asks, feeling the rise of goosebumps along her skin again.

"Yes...No, but I'll be fine." Hinata assures him, glad for the dark to hide the blush she feels starting to heat her face at his grin that he can feel just how cold her body truly is.

"Stop playing with my chest!" She squirms.

Naruto cheeks pout out in disbelief none of his actions are helping and Hinata restrains a giggle as her fingers brush at his puffed out whiskers before he threads his fingers with hers, wrapping her close.

"I can always kiss you; that always warms you up, right?" He teases, lips brushing against the edge of her ear.

He peppers kisses against the side of her neck down, Hinata barely covering a light squeal.

She shakes her head at his antics, snickers bubbling up. "We can't do anything with Jiraiya so close by!"

To Naruto, that apparently isn't a blockade.

"Seriously though, how come you didn't you say something earlier, you know?! I can keep us both plenty hot fast enough that we start sweating!" Naruto proclaims, loud enough for it to echo out.

Jiraiya grunts from a few meters away. "Kid are you trying to yell out our position?! Anyways, you two need to be sleeping not rolling about in the grass! Hmm, though that could make for a good steamy moment if I-"

Naruto groans loudly before he can finish whatever perverted thought he's gotten (as if he didn't just suggest his own), peering back to Hinata who's gaze has taken to the skies.

"Did you two hear that?" She whispers, activating her byakugan searching the starless night.

Naruto follows her stare, but he only sees the endless black of nightfall, white crystals of snowflakes fluttering down.

"No, what did it sound like?" He pursues.

Hinata listens again for the noise but only the whistle of the wind greets her in return.

"It sounded like a scratching noise." She murmurs, though even with her byakugan whatever that creature was is now gone.

Hopefully.

"Enough chattering, we have another long day ahead before we fully get out of the Land of Snow!" Jiraiya barks.

Naruto pulls Hinata close again, enclosing them in a cocoon of their jackets and makeshift blankets. Hinata buries herself into the scent of frost and pine upon them, breathing settling down.

Even with all these layers of clothing and sheets she's sure Naruto can still hear the restless beating of her heart, the influx of worry over the future, that the Akatsuki must know something is off about their plans...

And then the thoughts still as Naruto presses a light kiss to her head.

"I'm here Hinata." Naruto assures her gently as she finally fully starts drifting off.

She isn't sure how many hours past before a low screech cuts through the air, scratching noises coming from the trees much closer than before.

'We aren't alone, something's been watching us.' Hinata sits up slowly, chest lurching.

Neither Jiraiya or Naruto stir as she shuffles quietly out of the tent. It's nearing dawn she notes, taking in the misty pinks and yellows stretching across the sky. Sunlight falls against frozen branches and pine needles, Hinata studying the snow for any footprints or animal tracks.

Nothing.

"Above."

The feminine voice comes in a low animalistic shriek before a black figure is upon her, talons digging into her shoulders nearly lifting her up. Hinata swallows down a sharp cry, encasing her fingers in flames before striking at the muscles in the bird's legs.

"Let me go!" Hinata snaps, blue fire set to trail up to the bird's wings forcing her hold to loosen and topple them both into the ground.

"You'll regret attacking me; that byakugan and gentle fist technique of yours can only help you evade and slow me down for so long!" It scoffs, shrinking back from her momentarily.

Amber-yellow light falls upon the creature, finally giving her a clear view.

Distinct orange eyes stare at her, eyes of an owl. Brown-black feathers ruffle up again prepared to fight.

'This owl can talk! It wasn't a human chasing us after all.' Hinata realizes, straightening her posture. Her shoulders throb in agony, blood starting to seep into her jacket. Her future self had never mentioned interacting with an owl before, especially not a hostile one like this. This owl not only can conduct in human speech, but it is also at least 3 or 4 times the size of the normal owls that call the woods surrounding Konoha home.

"Why have you been following us?" She decides to ask as the owl stretches out her wings.

Blood drips from her feathers staining the snow scarlet, claws poised to attack no matter how serious her own injury may be.

"You three have entered my territory." She retorts.

Hinata dodges as she moves in for a low swoop, orange eyes burning akin to rage; hatred.

And for the briefest second, sadness.

"The only humans who come into these woods are for hunting my kind, I won't let myself become a trophy."


Elsewhere-Orochimaru

"Who did this to you?" Orochimaru whispers, studying Kabuto's blank stare.

He won't respond to his name, looks at him as if he is a total stranger...

Trying to sit him up is like dealing with a newborn or toddler, legs, arms, and head so unsteady, unable to control any of the body parts properly.

'How could this have happened in such a short amount of time?' Orochimaru considers. He had sent Kabuto out in the early morning hours to strictly tell Sasuke to return back and nothing else.

So had Sasuke done this or had he'd been intercepted by some rogue shinobi?

He studies his broken arm, frowning when he doesn't even wince when as he pops and straightens it back into place.

"Kabuto." Orochimaru repeats.

Saying his name this time at least causes him to finally look at him, though his dark eyes remain blank; gone.

"Who's...Kabuto?" He asks slowly and Orochimaru clicks his teeth.

It's worse than just his physical injuries, his memory has been wiped, damaged to a point of no return.

'This would've required advanced chakra control and medical knowledge. Tsunade is the first person that comes to mind, however she's away monitoring the village and then there's the poison woman from Suna Lady Chiyo and Tsunade's assistant Shizune."

None of them seem like feasible options.

So there must be another shinobi, someone likely trained by Tsunade in order to best Kabuto like this...

Orochimaru glances back to Kabuto, golden orbs narrowing in disgust at his childlike attention on the grime that coats his clothes.

"Are you...here to help me?" Kabuto questions slowly as Orochimaru slowly rises to stand.

"Yes Kabuto. I'll put you out of your misery." He decides, brandishing a kunai.

He notes the way his body tenses seeing the edge of his kunai gleam in the sun before calming, still not fully understanding what's to happen next.

Orochimaru sighs, running through various options. Perhaps it doesn't need to end in his death when Kabuto has done much for him...

But then he sees the look of pure curiosity and emptiness in his eyes; weakness.

A weakness that could be exploited against him.

'No, Kabuto wouldn't want to live this way.'

Once he's done here though he'll find the shinobi who did this, show them true cruelty and the consequences for crossing him.


Kakashi

"We don't need to drag this out any longer." Kakashi remarks.

He untangles the loosening black threads from around his chest, clearing the last embers away from his fire mask.

The forest surrounding them is scorched black, trees crumpled into towers of ash.

It hurts to breath, one or two ribs surely broken on his left side.

Kakuzu spits blood in response, 3rd heart gone. The water and wind masks lay split clean in two, now just blackened puddles at his feet. What started as a game for him with his threads has now twisted into a life and death fight, Kakashi having predicting his every move.

"It's cheating I feel to brings drugs to a battle of weapons and ninjutsu, especially for a shinobi who already knew how each of my masks and abilities works." He coughs.

'Ah, the overdose of mercury and cardiac glycosides are really circulating through his system now. Hardening his coronary arteries, sending his hearts into abnormal rhythms and triggering mini heart attacks.'

"It's cheating to have 4 extra hearts." Kakashi dryly scoffs back.

Hearts that had never belonged to him, stolen from shinobi not knowing his true abilities.

"91 years on this planet and no one has made me work this hard for a payday." He grunts.

His vision blurs in and out, scowling.

So this is what it feels like to be on the edge of death...an unpleasant bitterness that only darkness awaits him.

"Tell me this at least, how did you know all of my moves? Not even your best spies or researchers should know so much about me." Kakuzu chuckles.

'Konan had been worried about some young brats learning about the Akatsuki and it's goals during the last meeting, though I had hardly been paying her any attention at the time.' He recalls.

The idea of being bested by children sounded impossible; foolish she was even mulling over it so much...

"Connections from the future." Kakashi answers simply.

Kakuzu smirks at that because of course he wouldn't give him a straight answer, going for one last defense as he clasps his hands together.

"Water release: Water Formation Wall!"

The forest quiets, water pouring over the trees and fauna, Kakashi holding his breath before the tidal wave lands.

"Wind Style: Whirlwind!"

The waves are pushed aside spiraling up into the air, forming a path.

He can only stall the inevitable for so long.

"This is over now, where's Fu?!" Kakashi questions sharply as he bursts through the waves, pulling his arm back before he can sink himself into the ground. Electricity crackles through his hands, burns at Kakuzu's skin.

Kakuzu looks at him dazedly, green eyes blank.

"Who is that?" He asks slowly.

"The Seven Tails Jinchuriki." Kakashi clarifies and a wicked sneer etches up Kakuzu's face then.

"I didn't realize they even got names, she was hardly breathing when I last looked at her. Heh, she's good as dead now that we-"

Lightning cutter stops him from saying any more.

A smirk still plays at his lips as his body slumps over, collapsing into the receding waters.

'Behind us, that's the only part of the woods she could be.' Kakashi decides, hoping Gai has finished things up with Hidan.

He crosses through a patch of mud and brush before he comes upon a figure curled up at the bottom of the forest floor.

Mint green hair, tan skin.

'It's her.'

He clenches his teeth at the smell of blood and dirt poring off of her, body stiffening at his approach. Her breaths come in slow pants, too slow making his stomach coil...

'Are we too late?' He worries.

"Don't. Don't get near me." She mutters, voice hoarse and raspy with fright.

Kakashi holds up his hands, holding no weapons though it does nothing to put Fu at ease.

"I'm a friend, from Konoha." He explains.

Fu shakes her head, shifting her head up slowly revealing a scattering of bruises to her neck and arms shades of blue to deep violet. People like her don't have friends. Jinchuriki are only for power, to be used by their nations when the time is right.

She was foolish to think otherwise.

'I have to get out of here while I still can.'

She exhales out a fine powder, a blinding white especially when combined with the sunlight.

And he's in it's direct path.

"That's...That's what the other two shinobi said as well; I won't make the same mistake again."


Naruto

'Hinata isn't here.'

He maneuvers himself out of the tent, following a trial of footsteps in the snow.

"Hinata?" Naruto calls out, studying a path of snapped branches and leaves.

The ground further upwards is disturbed and he picks up the pace when he sees droplets of red mixed in between the snow and grass.

"You humans don't belong in this land!" A willowy voice hisses just as he comes upon a standoff.

Hinata on one side of the forest, an owl that appears to be close in size to Gamakichi on the opposite side.

What the?

He's sure he isn't still dreaming, watching as Hinata skirts around the bird's feathers, jabbing at the sides of one wing before her beak can hook into her arm.

An arm that already looks coated with blood.

"Naruto, get down!" Hinata yells out to him just as a flurry of brown feathers tears through the branches above shredding them to into a rain of splintered wood and leaves.

"Bringing your lover to join this fight? Fine, faster to rid of you both at once." The owl scoffs.

"I didn't call him, Naruto probably just came looking for me!" Hinata retorts, cheeks hot either from her comment or the exertion of how long she's been handling this fight alone.

'Or both.' Naruto grins, cracking his knuckles.

He sidles up beside Hinata, observing the bird carefully.

"You didn't strike it just now to kill." He whispers curiously.

Hinata shakes her head, making sure the bird doesn't detect her movement.

"I'm not trying to kill her, only paralyze her enough to stop and listen. She believes we've gone into her territory on purpose, will harm the other owls that live here." She murmurs back.

Naruto hums thoughtfully, he hadn't heard of any areas in the Land of Snow being restricted from travelers, though he imagined nobody really wanted to stay in the frosty tundra for any longer than necessary.

Including themselves.

"So more a fight first, ask and talk it out later type of bird?" Naruto guesses as he dodges a gale of chilly wind she launches at them. Not much different from the many civilian and shinobi he's encountered over the years.

And yet to encounter he's sure.

Hinata smiles despite their current predicament, nodding. "I suppose all this sweat and blood is an unusual look for me at this time of day."

Naruto grins back, pulling her close into a tangle of brush temporarily out of the owl's sight.

Cobalt eyes roam her figure appreciatively, blush crawling down Hinata's neck.

"It's not a bad look you know! Anyways...I don't appreciate this owl harming you even if it believes it has a good reason to so what's the plan?"

Hinata looks at the creature up and down through a opening in the bush, nodding at forming a plan.

"Can you use your shadow clones to distract her and maybe tie her up from behind? It won't be easy considering she's an owl with better knowledge of these forests than us and can fly though I'm trying to avoid us harming each other any further." She relates.

Naruto beams, Hinata holds much more compassion than him for this bird.

And apparently she learned it's female as well.

"Alright Ms. Owl! Think you can handle multiples of me?!" Naruto announces as he leaps out of their hiding spot, unleashing a barrage of shadow clones.

"Don't be foolish boy, I'm not naïve to the abilities of you shinobi." She huffs, swirling up another gale of wind and snow.

It only disperses a few of his clones, not enough to get rid of the ones that sneak up behind her.

"Rasengan!"

Hinata winces at her sharp screech of pain as the move lands on her back, knocking Naruto into a pile of cracked trees with a twist of her head.

"Ah, Naruto! Are you okay?" Hinata runs over, healing at his bent arm.

"...Been better! Is Ms. Owl okay?" He questions, sitting up slowly.

Hinata looks back over to her, orange eyes brimming with pain and hate that she's been bested.

She threads over slowly, crunch of snow and wood matching the pounding of her heart.

'Don't attack, don't attack.'

She settles herself beside her, gaze steadily watching as she heals at each burnt and broken spot on her wings.

"You injure me then you heal me when I'm the one who attacked first?" She questions in disbelief at her actions.

Hinata nods, concentrating on the torn muscles at the tips of her wings. A bird unable to fly in this climate is too risky, potentially deadly if not from the weather, but the prey turning predator on her.

"Yes, I know you're just trying to protect your home and loved ones. We're just passing through; honest." Hinata emphasizes again, meeting her stare.

The owl says nothing this time, thoughtful.

"Asami. That is my name...not Ms. Owl like your lover calls me."

Hinata reddens, nodding all the same. It's better to know each other's actual names than to just continually refer to each other as human and owl/animal.

"Sorry about that! I'm Hinata Hyuga and my boyfriend behind us is Naruto Uzumaki. Our third traveler is Sannin that goes by the name Jiraiya. We're crossing through the Land of Snow to reach Kumo for a training trip. I don't know how much you've heard, but a group called the Akatsuki is causing destruction not just to the nations/villages, but to the surrounding forests and lands nears them." She explains.

Asami looks back over to Naruto as he brushes snow and dirt off his jacket looking relatively unscathed. He stares directly on them incase they decide their fight isn't completely over, eyes flickering red watching her closely.

Naruto? She's heard that name whispered through the forest before...

'Who was it that brought up that name? The snakes or insects? No, a pair of Toads during a rainy afternoon.'

"Hinata, a sunny place. Similar to the brightness of each new morning." Asami mentions proudly and Hinata holds in a laugh at her sudden declaration.

They were more similar than she expected, a bird version of one of her clan members.

She puffs up her feathers, tests out her wings.

The pain lingers, but is far less than before.

"Thank you, we shall meet again." Asami promises.

'Shit, she's not going to attack Hinata again, is she?!' Naruto panics seeing her stretch out her body.

But to his surprise Asami turns to give what looks to be a smile at Hinata before taking flight.


Sakura

'When is she going to stop looking at me like that?'

She feigns interest in the falling twilight, avoiding Karin's boiling gaze.

Sasuke believed his team would just take this news lightly, that they would accept it without argument.

Only Jugo seems fine with it.

Suigetsu looks skeptical and Karin, well Karin is pissed.

'You did trap her in a genjutsu showing her images of her dead mother.' Sakura reminds herself and she relaxes her shoulders just slightly. Her anger isn't without reason, she would be suspicious of herself if she was in her shoes.

And Karin has had a much harder life, a childhood that makes her shyness over her forehead and lack of friends back then feel silly in comparison.

"Are you out of your mind Sasuke?! What did she feed you or drug you with to-" Karin snaps

"Hello, I'm going to hop in here!" Sakura interjects before she can insult her any further.

She loops an arm around Karin's shoulder ignoring the way she freezes up like she just threw up on her or something.

Or maybe she smells bad from her earlier skirmish with Kabuto...

'It doesn't matter!' Her thoughts bark.

"Sasuke, Karin and I are going to have a little girl talk one on one; don't follow us!" Sakura proclaims with faux cheer, ready to drag Karin should she dare decline when a firm squeeze of her shoulder.

She's nipping this in the bud; now.

Sakura takes them to a hill far enough away for the boys to eavesdrop, taking in the river of stars beginning to appear against the violet sky. The moon slowly ambles out of a patch of clouds, silver and bright along the grasslands.

"I let Sasuke get between my friendship once before. I refuse to let that happen again and you shouldn't let it happen to you either." She begins.

Karin twists out of her grip, huffing.

"In case you haven't noticed, those idiots back there aren't exactly what I would call my 'friends.'"

Crimson orbs narrow, smirking at Sakura's silence.

"Besides, aren't you just saying that because you love Sasuke as well? Trying to get rid of one less love rival, huh?" She guesses.

Sakura's stare darkens, the opposite of what Karin expected.

"Sasuke would have no problems killing you in another time period, letting you bleed out from Danzo's attack." She states point blank.

Karin frowns, shifting on her toes at the coldness of her words. "He...He needs me."

And to this Sakura nods, accepting of that matter. "He cares about all of you in his own way, you're a team after all. Though right now he needs to get answers from Itachi and I have an idea of where he is, I'm sure Sasuke on some level does as well. However, I also need to tell Itachi his plans don't work, especially not with Sasuke's mental health going forward."

"What will happen; what's so bad about how Sasuke is now?" Karin persists.

"Sasuke could join the Akatsuki and decide to destroy Konoha." Sakura answers tartly, matching her vitriol.

Karin purses her lips, storm of emotions fleeting in her gaze.

"I can't trust you, not after what you did! You saw parts and memories of myself I kept buried for years, that no one ever knew about!" She growls.

Sakura reaffirms a hold on her arm, nodding.

"That's fine, because I can't fully trust you either. My main point is I'm traveling with Sasuke to prevent him from becoming a worse version of himself. You may not see it, but Sasuke was going to become much crueler and distant to you all if Naruto hadn't told him the truth about his clan." She explains.

Karin bristles like she expects, scarlet eyes still regarding her icily though she knows she's cracked through to her.

Even if just a little.

They listen quietly to the rising sounds of the night, crickets right near their feet to the low buzz of fireflies on the marshes.

"There seems to be a fire near your beloved village." Karin muses as her gaze takes to the air and Sakura bites down a curse at her smug look.

Her stomach slushes, she knows.

'Lady Tsunade is handling it.' Sakura repeats to herself again.

At her silence Karin goes on, so quietly she nearly misses it.

"...He looks at you without even thinking about it." She huffs lowly under her breath.

Sakura nearly feigns a 'who' though it would be pointless.

She can feel Sasuke's burning stare on them; on her.


Tsunade-Hokage's Tower

"And the fire near the West Districts?" Tsunade repeats hurriedly.

"They're out now ma'am however another blaze was spotting growing to the southeast that's currently being handled by Genma and a squadron." The chunin repeats.

Tsunade nods, dismissing them back to the frontlines.

As soon as one fire is out, another pops up somewhere else.

Shizune shifts by her side, Tonton equally restless.

"Is it them Lady Tsunade?" She asks in a tight whisper.

Tsunade sighs, nodding.

It was only a matter of time before the Akatsuki made their presence known within the village.

"We need to start evacuating the Tower now too, the flames are getting close even with our best water techniques on them." She decides.

Shizune nods, mild scowl crossing her face as Tsunade takes out her aptly dubbed 'emergency prized sake' from the bottom drawer.

Tsunade shrugs at her look, it's going to be a long night.

"You two ready to escape?" Makoto asks with a half smile, one of the many night guards and more experienced chunin.

Shizune nods, but Tsunade lingers back for a second, observing their postures, their behaviors...

'Something is off.' She conceals a frown, trailing after them.

They get into the main ground level where the rest of the advisors and jonin are waiting, dark prickling sensation returning with a certainty as she looks upon each group.

'I'm being watched, one of these people is a spy.'

-x-


Hello! This has been a...rough week not going to lie. Work has been more stressful than normal maybe with rising Covid again plus difficult patient cases, but I feel brighter now that it's the weekend because 1. My friend gets her masters degree today and 2. It's my birthday weekend! Lol a bit early but I think I deserve it let's get to 200 reviews maybe!

But really sorry this chapter is a bit shorter. To do those that picked Owls, hooray! I feel like an Owl matches the Hyuga clan best and I chose the name Asami since it means morning beauty to short of match the light theme of their clan names.

More interactions to come! Let me know your thoughts as always!

Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!