Chapter 21: Reflecting
"We look back on our life as a thing of broken pieces, because our mistakes and failures are always the first to strike us, and outweigh in our imagination what we have accomplished and attained."
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Maxims and Reflections
Sasuke & Sakura
Part of her dreads having to go back to Konoha, what will people say to see her when they see her with one who is a known traitor (at least to most of the general civilian population) and one who spent long hours with Orochimaru about to have gone rogue too? It sinks into her just as the moon rises high above them as nightfall approaches, last vestiges of sunlight making the sky burn a bright golden red. Sasuke and Itachi rest on opposite sides of the still wet grasslands, both too caught up in their own thoughts to speak.
She's gained back some chakra resting, resting her fingertips against her arm trying to get to the layers where fractured bone remains.
She needs Tsunade, Shizune, her parents...
Itachi, the one closest to her, meets her gaze, smile etching up his lips slowly.
"I assume that if it hadn't been for you, this is the area where I would've died." He states, one hand motioning around the desolate field.
Sakura nods, pursing her lips at how casual he speaks of an alternative path where he would be dead. But then again, Itachi had prepared for the moment, withheld from getting medical treatment ensuring Sasuke would get to him for them to have a final fight.
"Are you...are you happy we prevented your death?" Sakura asks, choosing her words carefully.
There's many patients she's come across actively suicidal, shinobi who wished that A or S-rank mission had been the one to finally kill them, the crazed wondering in dark eyes on why she's saving them while their comrade's bodies are taken to the morgue...
Itachi looks to her fully then, smile vanishing.
"While I'm glad I'll get to live to see Sasuke grow up and slowly move past this hatred I instilled in him, I worry for the repercussions my not dying will have on the future of the village. There is still the matter of dealing with Obito after all and the rest of the Akatsuki." He voices.
Sakura nods, going silent again in thought.
"Sasuke does care about you, you know-" He begins, however Sakura waves it away before he can continue.
This isn't the time to think about such things, Sasuke may or may never return her love for him. She refused Naruto telling her of what her future held and she'll keep refusing it no matter the lingering desires to know.
Her gaze focuses on the dried husks of Kisame's leftover sharks, fingers digging into the dirt.
'I'm sure I counted correctly; one of the sharks is missing.'
And by this point it's surely made it's way to the Akatsuki, to expose Itachi's betrayal and Kisame's death...
She grits her teeth, clearing it from her head. There's nothing they can do about that matter at this time except to be prepared for whoever remains in the Akatsuki coming for them eventually.
Pain throbs all over her, burrows into her reminding her that her arm is far from fully healed, that she perhaps has internal injuries not visible to her eyes.
"We should rest for the night. Start traveling early once daybreak hits." Itachi determines.
Sakura bristles at ready to disagree, shaking her head sharply.
He should know as an Akatsuki member (or former now she supposes) that it's best to travel under the guise of nightfall, keep their enemies at bay for as long as they can letting shadows and ruffles of the wind confuse and distract anyone trying to follow.
"No, I know we can make some progress towards to Konoha if we leave-"
"Sakura we're all injured in some way." Sasuke interrupts suddenly beside her, ignoring the way Sakura's gaze pierces into him at being cut off.
Waiting shouldn't even be an option, not when they have these new targets on their backs.
At her expression he goes on, gesturing towards Itachi.
"You can't forget or just ignore that Itachi is considered an international criminal right now. He ranks high in the Bingo Books in order to garner fear of encountering him; a high price on him being captured, preferably dead. Nobody would easily believe our explanation as to why we've left him alive." He perfectly reasons.
Sakura deflates, knowing this, but still of the mindset it isn't good for them to stay in this one place for long. Lady Tsunade has surely learned from the advisors on the planned Uchiha coup and Itachi's role in stopping it...
"Morning. As soon as the first rays of sunlight hit the mountains we should go." She sighs in agreement with Itachi's earlier notion.
Sleep isn't going to come as she rests her head back against a patch of blackened grass, studies the curve of the moon's passing silver light. Her mind instead works backwards, considers where and who she can go to first upon returning to Konoha.
Lady Tsunade wouldn't take Itachi's case on and she can't blame her, it would cause too much controversy if any nurse or doctor let it slip she was helping heal a man who is considered a traitor. Maybe with Shizune's help she could get her to budge or with the promise of some high end sake.
'I have to use an empty wing of the hospital, probably somewhere near the basement level where the emergency supplies and rations are kept when Konoha is under attack. There are rooms in that area that are never in use unless a disaster declaration is issued.'
But then images of those flames, that billowing black-gray smog rush to mind. All those rooms are probably occupied right now...
So where else then? Perhaps the private offices in the ground levels of the Hokage Tower? Harboring a fugitive isn't going to be easy, she knew that as soon as she set upon this mission. The risks are worth it though to change the future even if not everybody is going to be on board for the plan. She'll have use genjutsu of some sort of the strongest naysayers, propose compromises that will get pushback.
"Try to get some rest." Sasuke notes from somewhere to her left.
She huffs, saying nothing.
"Aren't you worried at all?" She hisses to him after a moment, back still turned from him.
She hears the shuffling of dirt and grass in response, Sasuke's hand brushing against the tips of her fingers startling her. Her stomach burns at the sudden affection, heart greedily seeking more letting her fingers roam to the palm of his hand, warming them against the cold of the night as their palms curl together.
"Worrying will get us nowhere." He asserts.
Sakura sighs, it's something Sasuke would say. Even when they were a freshly created team he rarely showed signs of worry or fear.
A smile etches up her face, barely restraining a giggle.
"You sound like my Mother when she's trying to eagerly catch a deal at the market before it ends or Shizune when she tries not to fret over the next surgical cases. They keep masks of calm, but internally they're freaking out over what to do and how to make sure a coupon doesn't go to waste respectively." Sakura murmurs.
She blinks at the sudden influx of tears to her eyes, sob catching her throat. She squeezes at Sasuke's hand, hating that her nerves are falling apart now of all times.
'How long has it been since I've seen either of them?'
Elsewhere-Tsunade
Shizune's cheeks are cold, how long has she been out here; alone? Her skin holds that sickly, gray pallor of death. Her body remains slumped and still against a tower of rocks and slabs of broken wood even with all of her poking and prodding. Tsunade wipes away a smudge of ash upon her cheek, blinking away another rise of tears.
'I had promised Dan.' The thought circles back, echoes incessantly in the back of her mind. She was foolish to think she could handle caring for her when she herself is a mess, always drinking or gambling to distract herself from the pain and memories. She was foolish to think that maybe death's shadow would leave her alone upon becoming Konoha's 5th Hokage...
Adachi hovers beside her, stone-faced and quiet awaiting her orders.
"Who found her?" She asks hoarsely.
"Officer Souta reported finding her in the debris near the Health/Science Center wing of the hospital. It was reported by someone of the children, medical staff, and eyewitnesses that she was helping evacuate the neuro/trauma pediatric patients when the flames broke out and the roof collapsed. One eyewitness reported they saw what looked to be like an enemy shinobi who came up behind her blasting at the ceiling before she could fully attack back or avoid the falling pillars." He answers in a clipped tone.
Tsunade waves him away with a nod.
"I...I need to be alone for a moment." She mutters so faintly she isn't sure if Adachi hears it, but he nods, dutifully moving on to report the other casualties to the head captains of each division.
Smoke clogs her lungs, burns at her eyes.
The sky remains a haunting grayish-orange when she gazes up above searching for a seeming answer to fix all of this. The haze treks onward, just as sickly and dark as the death and devastation below.
Why did she take up the Hokage position in the first place?
'Jiraiya pushed me.' Tsunade recalls drearily, because the daimyo knew they had little in the way of other options on who to pick who would have enough experience and strength to run this village. Naruto encouraged her too, gave her hope in a way she hadn't experienced since Nawaki's death.
He and Hinata saw and experienced the future and they said nothing of Shizune dying, is this a consequence of them learning too much so soon?
She should've pushed harder for Jiraiya and the council to find someone else; anyone else. Coming back to this village has only brought her so much sadness and pain. She's a walking curse it seems, always forced to eventually open all her old scabs and wounds of war and loss.
And it's because of her duties she couldn't always keep an eye on Shizune...
'Shizune was an adult, she knew what could happen while she was helping rescue the others.' She reminds herself. It's something Dan would say to her too, but it doesn't stop the rise of tears bubbling back up.
She shuts her eyes trying to focus on which area she needs to go to next, her hands digging into the dirt feeling the heat of the soil. A moment later she comes away with mud and grass under her cracked nails, teeth gritting over picturing Shizune's face over and over.
'Was she scared in her last moments? Or did she have the quiet resolve she did her best to get as many children out before the roof and flames surrounded her?' The wondering seems endless.
"I have a message for you." A voice murmurs from somewhere below her and Tsunade reopens her eyes to see a red and yellow toad.
Her eyes widen a fraction seeing the creature here of all places amid this chaos. 'One of Jiraiya's?'
The toad opens it's mouth revealing a tiny scroll, Tsunade accepting it quickly.
'I'm heading towards Ame to confront Pain. I know his true identity along with that of one of his associates. They're the Ame Orphans I helped raise and I should be the one to take them down. Don't worry, Naruto and Hinata are still safe in Kumo.' She reads.
Tsunade looks it twice over before burning the message to ash for no one else's eyes, nodding to herself while wiping away her tears. A rock settles at the pit of her stomach at Jiraiya going off to face his old students, students he cared enough about to help them learn to survive. These are the same children now adults that Orochimaru once told him to kill, however Jiraiya knows what to do, has probably already put into motion a way to stop and kill them.
"We'll avenge you; I promise." She whispers to Shizune's body as a medical ninja gently places her body onto a gurney. Tsunade watches as they head for the morgue, stays frozen in place until they're completely out of sight.
And then she turns her attention back to the officers awaiting her next orders, the fanning of heat and smoke against her face.
Konoha is still burning and she still needs to be a leader.
Naruto & Hinata
Thunder rumbles in the distance, dances with the darkness blotting out the moon. Streaks of lightning race each other across the sky and briefly Hinata wonders if nightfall is when most Kumo ninja learn and practice lightning jutsu.
She wants to reach out to Asami, to ask her what's going on amid the nations while they're miles away on this island...
The creatures of Turtle Island are used to the extreme changes in weather unlike them, forests still except for the pattering of rain.
'It feels strange to be here without Jiraiya.' She purses her lips. It's been hours since he left, without him a tension fills the air that he normally covered up with jokes and silly comments.
"Can't sleep either?" Naruto asks beside her, voice thick with drowsiness. An edge of anxiety layers his voice, cerulean eyes watching the symphony of rain and thunder out the window.
Motoi said he would be back to take him to the Falls of Truth at daybreak, though he'll be even less prepared than last time if he doesn't get some sleep.
"Pervy-Sage said not to worry! That he already has a plan in place." He remarks shakily, Hinata nodding knowing he's saying this aloud for his own benefit as well.
She switches gears, fingers threading with the ends of his spiky locks.
He still hasn't conquered the darkness in his heart, but here curled together at sometime past midnight, an idea strikes her.
"Remember how Boruto and Himawari would come to our rooms during thunderstorms in the early days of when were in the future? Even though at the time we still had trouble on knowing how to comfort them." Hinata asks.
Naruto nods, smile edging up.
"I promise you it won't be all night, you know." Naruto-Y awkwardly rubs at his future son's back.
Hinata-Y watches him from her futon, pearl eyes gazing between them trying to think of a way to calm him. Himawari at least is staying relatively quiet, having followed her brother down here to be near him to ride out the storm. He's never had somebody be so attached to him, wanted him to stay around so badly to the point of tears...
'Ah I'm terrible at this, you know!' He internally bemoans himself.
"Boruto, do you want your Ninja Kamen figure?" Hinata-Y suggests reaching for it out of the pile of his stuffed animals and building blocks. She recalls the way his face lit up seeing a commercial for the show earlier.
But Boruto scrunches his lips, brows furrowing, pushing the toy away.
"No, I want to stay here!" He huffs with a cross of his arms.
Naruto-Y winces at his rising pitch, Hinata-Y equally dismayed.
Okay, they definitely can't keep screwing this up!
'Think. Think. What else does he like?!' Naruto-Y panics.
If he didn't want his Ninja Kamen figure, maybe some juice or a snack would help?
He watches as Hinata-Y moves to stand, disappearing into the darkness of the living room.
No wait, didn't Hinata-O say he would sometimes sneak snacks after bedtime and then be up all night or be unable to nap properly the next day? They can't encourage him...
"Here's your blanket. The ninja themed one with shuriken on it." Hinata-Y finds as she returns back.
And after a profuse amount of mouthed thank-yous' Naruto-Y curls it around their future son, Boruto peering between them both. Maybe he's realizing they aren't his parents yet technically, though whatever must be crossing his thoughts fades as he leans into his chest.
Boruto continues to ignore his assurance the storm will soon end, tiny hands curling tighter against his shirt.
"I wanna stay with Papa!" He cries when attempts to gently extract him.
"Naruto-O and Hinata-O are upstairs!" Naruto-Y points.
Hinata-Y winces, both their older selves looked exhausted after picking the kids up from daycare. Naruto-O having gone to bed early shortly after bathing the duo and Hinata-O reading to them.
Boruto follows his finger before burying his head deeper into his chest making Naruto-Y groan.
"That Papa is too far!" He whines and he realizes from the continued rising pitch of his voice he'll soon start to scream as loud as the storms outside.
Himawari follows his example climbing into his lap to assist, cobalt orbs equally shiny with tears seeing her sibling's upset.
"No!" She commands when he attempts to stand again.
Naruto-Y glances to Hinata-Y, mouthing "help me!".
Hinata-Y holds out her hands, ignoring the way her cheeks burn.
"Hima, umm come to Mama please!" She sputters out.
Himawari luckily pays her nervousness no mind, crawling back over to her awaiting arms with a grin.
"Mama stay!" She orders, Hinata nodding as she lays back against her futon.
Naruto-Y follows suit seeing as Boruto's clinging has only gotten tighter, only starting to relax when the covers are upon them.
"The rain isn't so scary if you look to the forests, the mountains in the distance. Like err, Mr. Owl or Mrs. Sparrow! They go up the trees to their nests when it rains!"
Is this making any sense?! On the rainy nights he spent alone, he would look to the greenery of the mountains yes, but that only worked on clear nights when the wind could blow in the scent of moss and pine to fill his room until he drifted off.
Boruto blinks before slowly nodding in understanding, smile curling up.
"And Mr. Bear goes to his cave! Oh and Mr. Toad to his pond! He adds in excitedly.
Naruto-Y nods, patting at his cheeks. "The animals aren't afraid so you don't need to be either."
At some point they fall asleep, roughly shaken awake by his older self.
"Wha-? What time is it?" Naruto-Y questions drowsily. The thunderstorm has passed when he glances out the window. It takes a moment to realize he still isn't dreaming, that in the distance he can see the Hokage monument with a rock carving slowly forming his face...
Right. The scroll. The fire. The Future.
Naruto-O chuckles as he lifts Boruto off his lap.
"Sorry about the kids, they don't seem to realize or properly understand the age difference between us. It's a little past 9:00 am. You should get out of that jacket, I think Boruto may have had an accident on you." He explains.
Naruto-Y glances down, indeed there's a wet spot on his jacket that smells of urine.
Oh.
Though he can't find it himself to be mad, Boruto giving him a wary look.
"I'll be prepared next time." Naruto-Y waves it off.
"Will there be a next time? How long will we be here?" Hinata-Y whispers to him as her older counterpart takes his jacket to head to the laundry room.
He shrugs, giving her one of his easygoing grins. The words flowed out so easily, he can't imagine what else he could've said.
This is his family. Their future family.
And if they're going to be stuck in this wrong place, wrong time, he'll learn to make the most of each little moment.
"Oi, how could I forget! I remember all the drool Boruto left behind on top of peeing on me!" Naruto recalls.
Hinata nods, Boruto had been more embarrassed once he was fully awake, but Naruto had continued to laugh it off with ease.
"I-I was terrible with kids and babies before we met Boruto and Himawari you know." He mentions softly.
Hinata shakes her head, sitting up. "That's not true! Konohamaru and his friends adore you!"
"Yeah, but I haven't been a great role model." Naruto muses with a weak chuckle.
The sexy jutsu isn't exactly useful for combat (unless it's against a pervert) if anything, he probably got him in trouble more often for showing him how to do it...
"When you return to the Falls of Truth in the morning, think about Boruto and Himawari. No matter what dark memory comes up, our future kids are a bright spot to look forward to, a happiness you know of." Hinata asserts, getting them back on topic.
Naruto weighs with the suggestion before nodding it's worth trying, pecking lightly at her head.
"This is why I'm glad you came along." He breathes into her neck, curling her back against his chest.
He wakes before her to hazy pink-yellow morning sky, Hinata stirring from his shuffling about.
"Sorry, sorry! Not trying to awaken you, you know!" Naruto smiles as she yawns. A heat curls at his stomach taking her in, creeping sunlight highlighting her milky white skin, the curve of her breasts from her disheveled nightgown...
Hinata follows his gaze, cheeks burning red pulling the blankets around herself. It doesn't stop Naruto from sinking halfway back into the bed, lips finding hers before nipping at her neck.
"You're going to be late for meeting Motoi." She whispers between pants, Naruto shrugging in return.
"Well, unlike Pervy-Sage, he isn't going to interrupt us." Naruto chuckles as he presses back into her, letting her feel his rising erection. Hinata gasps in surprise before writhing against him in return, wrapping her arms around his neck pulling him down.
He can be selfish for a few minutes, forget everything except Hinata below him here and now...
An hour later Motoi greets him, coughing and pointing for him to cover up what must be a love bite Hinata left upon him.
"I wasn't sure you were going to come." He mentions.
Naruto shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts as the Falls come back into view.
He sits once more at the base of the crackling waterfall, focusing his mind.
The fauna and waters disappear, opening his eyes to see his 5 year old self once more. He glances around, it's late afternoon, sky starting to gain a violet-red hue of the approaching evening. He remembers this day, it was Parent-Teacher day/picnic...
Behind him he hears the last bell ring of the Academy echo out as students hurriedly pour out, hands clasped with their parents.
They brush past him, whispers growing louder as they run quickly past his smaller form.
"Don't make eye contact Dear, it's that boy-"
"Why do they even let him go to school today Mama? He doesn't even have parents-"
"I hope he's not in the same class as our Reika. We should talk to Iruka or-"
Naruto balls up his fists, tuning them out watching his younger self silently. He doesn't recall lashing out at any of them, just running home. Finally, once all the students pass he turns to him, blue eyes awash in crimson. He gives him a razor sharp grin, beckons him closer, shadow spreading across the cement.
He walks forward, ready to hug his younger self maybe or talk this out, ignores the painful lurch of his chest, blood swishing in his ears. This time he will be different; has to be different.
"Welcome Back."
Elsewhere-Amegakure
"We need to be ready for him Nagato." Konan warns.
His response is delayed by a fit of coughs before he nods his agreement. Konan studies him worriedly, each Path is starting to lose their momentum, bodies unable to follow Nagato's command with the way his real body is behaving.
"I'm fine. I'm fine. I'll call all the Path's back here to be ready for Jiraiya-sensei." He states at Konan's expression.
'BTX. What is that supposed to stand for? And those numbered photos.' He clicks his tongue.
"Look over those photos again Konan, there's a clue somewhere within it all that we're still missing." He determines. Konan nods, retrieving the photos and laying them out carefully before him.
'It's hard to make these out from the ashes, but one of them we should be able to clear enough to form a picture.' He determines.
Konan settles beside him, gloves on again, scratching carefully at the edges of the first picture of the pile. The name beside it is a scramble of kanji, pursing her lips.
She brushes carefully away the top layer of ash and dust, removing the sticky residue from before, pausing taking in the beginnings of this image, this familiar burnt orange hair and wide grin she hasn't seen in years. This isn't an ordinary picture, none of them can be.
Because she remembers the day this photo was taken...
'Yahiko.' Her fingers tremble, the group photo they took right before Jiraiya left them on their own, right before they built the first iteration of the Akatsuki. He kept a copy all this time, just for memories or to ensure he could always put a name to their faces no matter how they modified themselves?
They've been foolish, so foolish. The words beside the number are an anagram, kanji spelling out Yahiko's name.
These are photos of each of the corpses they've collected from when they were alive, people Jiraiya met through his journeys across each region as well...
'Of all the chances.' Her heart clenches.
Her vision starts to blur, gripping a hand to her chest stepping back from the pictures causing them to spill to the ground.
"Konan, what is it?!" Nagato calls to her, but his voice sounds so far away, coughing up a spattering of blood.
Nagato she hurriedly realizes; he can't stay here. Not when Jiraiya is closing in on them and they've wasted so much time already.
"Yahiko...He knows. Jiraiya knows your secret!" Konan sputters, turning back to him sharply ignoring another sting of pain. He needs to switch to a different chamber; now.
If he knows who these corpses are, then he already knows each of the abilities the Pain's have. How to take them down effectively.
'It's because of the jinchuriki who saw the future, though how could he have learned all of this?!' She grits her teeth. Even with all of their preparing in attacking Konoha earlier than scheduled hasn't stopped anything.
Nagato sighs, concentrating. "I'll use Shinra Tensei. He won't be able to get close to me if I do that and attack with all 6 of the Path's."
Though his body starts to jitter, cursing when even his lips seem to freeze up.
'Paralysis. Why, why even with all these mechanisms in place?!' He scowls.
He looks to Konan for help only for her to see her hunched over in pain, clawing at her chest. Her body is becoming rigid as well, barely able to keep figure straight.
"Konan! What's wrong?! Get ahold of yourself!" He tries to yell, but his voice comes out hoarse and faint, watching in horror as sweat beads her cheeks. His throat burns from the effort, pounding of his heart growing loud in his ears.
A slow clap comes from the entrance, the man who taught them everything, who he planned to kill to keep their secrets...
"Ah, the one thing you two didn't seem to solve was BTX; it stands for Batrachotoxin! It's a poison secreted by rare breeds of frogs native to the surrounding forests of Mount Myōboku. It works as a neurotoxin causing paralysis and effects the heart muscles causing everything from fatal arrythmias to cardiac arrest! I wasn't sure if you would touch the photos with your hands unprotected, so I layered each photo with the scent and other airborne, tasteless toxins to let them fill the room as well. Jiraiya announces.
His voice may be garbled by that mask, but they hear him loud and clear.
Konan eyes him, launching forth a stream of paper, forms a barrier between them as Jiraiya rushes forward.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
Konan fly upwards with her paper wings, gritting her teeth as the flames start to rush and spread across the room. She can't focus properly, paper wings fluttering and loosening apart with each attack.
"You're working that heart more than it can handle right now." Jiraiya mentions when Konan refuses to stop, paper shuriken and bombs making the tower further quake.
"I-I won't let you harm Nagato or...or kill our dreams for peace!" She hisses as the smog clears, gripping at her chest again.
Jiraiya gives her a sorrowful grin, rasengan at ready as she moves in towards him.
"This isn't what I wanted for any of you."
The blast tears right through her attire, eyes wide in shock before slamming back against the adjacent wall.
He turns his attention to Nagato, noting each Path of Pain having formed a final blockade.
"Tell me this at least...how did you find out our plans sensei? The only other person who knew my true location was Konan." Nagato questions.
Jiraiya weighs with the question, if he should even answer him.
"My current student told me. I'm sure you heard the rumors of his time travel. I was skeptical too, but all the information he gave me was correct." He explains.
Nagato leans his head back, nodding. He hadn't fully considered it to be true, the Nine Tails jinchuriki has stopped him.
"You can't use your Path's abilities to the upmost potential when you're losing consciousness." Jiraiya remarks to Nagato, observing as his breath comes out in pants. He crushes the arm of Animal Path when it attempts to step forward, corpse crumpling back to the ground.
"I'll get a healer, I'll recover...for Yahiko's sake. For the peace we wanted." He mutters.
Jiraiya pauses, balling his fists. Is that why they created the original Akatsuki?
"There's no antidote for it." He whispers in return.
He sees the pair then as he did that rainy afternoon, parents gone from the ravages of war; alone.
"We should just kill them. Better they die and be with their loved ones now than die of starvation or disease later on from the effects of war." Orochimaru asserts. Tsunade says nothing, though her silence is a 'yes' to Orochimaru.
Jiraiya holds up a hand as he sees the glint of his kunai, shaking his head.
"No, let me stay with them for a bit. You two go on ahead! I'll teach them ways to survive out here." He beams.
He wonders now as they both near death if they still remember their old rickety hideout in the far outskirts of the village. Their secret code cards to 'hop-in and out', the place they all promised to return to when all their dreams and goals were complete...
Hinata
"Lightning release takes patience." Motoi instructs .
Hinata breathes out slowly, nodding.
She kneads her chakra carefully once more, prepares to channel lightning to her fingertips.
"Don't let her be a fool Motoi! In order to create, she's got to appreciate what she's learned so far!" Killer B mentions, leaning against a nearby tree watching them.
Hinata pauses, wondering what exactly he means by that.
Motoi coughs, nodding. It's not like Killer B to drop 'advice' let alone pay attention to the training both she and Naruto have been doing here since their arrival to the island.
"What B means is that don't let it get to you if you don't immediately master the more advanced lightning techniques." He explains.
Hinata peers back to her hands, focusing once more.
"I would at least like to learn the lightning release: spider web technique as well, morph into something of my own." She voices.
Crackling gathers at her hands again, white lightning forming she melds it into mini spheres of light, circles them into a chain it around her figure before launching them downward, blackening the grass.
Sweat beads her brow, hands burning.
A dance of lightning.
B sends her a thumbs up, impressed.
"Now I see that kid just wasn't into for your breasts! You test yourself and stress your body to new limits!" He approves.
Hinata wrinkles, she supposes that's a compliment.
An owl's hoot above interrupts them, Motoi's summon and...Asami.
"I believe it's time we made things official. Fukuemon here has been reporting your training to me." Asami voices.
Hinata's breath catches as she lands before her; a contract.
"The war. Everything isn't over yet." Hinata mentions to her just to be sure.
Asami nods, understanding.
"The flames have spread too far and wide. It is my duty now to stop whatever these shinobi are trying to do that will destroy both our homes."
Hinata nods then, beaming.
"We should check on Naruto's progress as well." Motoi determines, B leading the way.
"I saw myself when I was 5. All the rage and upset I had covered up with a smile." Naruto had told her of facing his dark side.
"I hope he doesn't fail again." Motoi mutters, just loud enough for her to catch.
"He won't." Hinata assures him, startling him enough for his cheeks to gain a faint reddish hue.
Naruto will conquer it, this darkness.
There's nothing Kurama can show or tell him that he won't be prepared for this time around.
Elsewhere-Akatsuki
"Itachi lives."
Obito reads Kisame's dying message once over before burning it away, ashes flying away into the breeze.
Two words change so much.
Because it means Itachi no longer is working in the Akatsuki's best interests, maybe he never was at all...
It's cool out, a contrast to the previous nights where flickers of heat and smoke scorched the sky warming fields for miles. The crescent moon is shrouded by clouds, rolling hills below them still and dark.
Konoha is fighting back.
And he should've heard from Pain hours ago, perhaps that decrepit body of his gave out.
They're slowly going down in numbers, losing ground on their goals.
The Nine Tails jinchuriki. Did he really see the future like all the rumors say? And if so, what all did he truly see?
'Kakashi. Have you learned the truth? Should I just come after you now?' Obito wonders.
He considers the dark thought of killing every recent genin and chunin that's graduated or been promoted to helping stop the Akatsuki until it sparks his attention, gritting his teeth.
No, he needs to watch further on how things proceed before taking action. He can't rush this, no matter how impatient he feels. There's still plenty of time to create the perfect world free of pain and endless wars, time that was taken from Rin...
"Tobi! We're heading out! We're taking down Itachi and anyone working with him that betrayed or stood against the Akatsuki!" Deidara yells from somewhere behind him.
Obito scoffs lightly under his breath, he's been itching for a reason to attack Itachi for his insult of his art months ago and now he apparently has it.
He switches to his jovial façade, turning back to him brightly.
"Coming Deidara!"
-x-
Well I'm about a month late! That's on me for getting writers block and feeling out of sorts since it's hard to gauge how much people are enjoying this story still. I know the ending, it's just getting through this war arc lol.
I'm heading towards the final stretch with this, a few more villains need to be taken down and there's one opponent in particular who I've yet to bring into the fray that will show up before Naruto and Hinata get their happy ending! (Any guesses? I've wrote him into my past stories before!)
Let me know your thoughts or just send me a hello, lol. Hope your Tuesday is going well!
Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!
