Chapter 23: Restriction
"Restriction generates yearning. You want what you cannot have."
― Portia de Rossi, Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain
Akatsuki Hideout-Obito
"Let me help you." Zetsu murmurs once more and all it does is remind him of the low buzz of a fly circling near his ear, a tiny incessant annoyance he can't seem to get away from.
Or kill.
"I'm handling this on my own." Obito asserts, punctuating each word to ensure there's no room for confusion or misunderstanding of his plans.
He'll deal with Iruka Umino and Hiashi Hyuga without the help of anyone else.
Zetsu follows him out of his study anyways, pasty yellow eyes widening in the dark seeing his resolute expression. "You're taking unnecessary risks Obito, you don't think they each took preparations to deal with you from the information Naruto and Hinata gave them?"
Obito ignores him, studying the photographs again to determine who he should go after first.
Hiashi Hyuga is an important enough man to always have bodyguards around him, the kekkai genkai of their clan would make it especially difficult to do a sneak attack on top of them most likely already prepared for him attacking their compound.
Iruka is just a regular shinobi, parents who died in the Nine Tail's attack. He has no current lover/spouse from his research and doesn't have any particular friends he spends copious amounts of time around outside of his coworkers from the Academy to grab drinks with every now and then...
Nobody special except to a few people, people like Naruto.
'I haven't been to the Academy in years, not since my own days there as a student. I just need to take the credentials off of one of the teachers maybe to get in.' He determines.
Though with the current state Konoha is in, perhaps nobody would notice him slipping in through the crowds even without a disguise.
"I still believe you're rushing things." Zetsu remarks, choosing it's words carefully as Obito straightens his collar.
'I have to go without my mask, it's gotten too recognizable.' He scowls, recalling the news articles and warnings with his image splashed across the front pages.
He glances one more time at Zetsu before shrugging, gathering his jacket and supplies.
"I'll take my chances." He grunts under his breath.
He doesn't wait for it's response, delaying this any longer could further ruin their plans.
Konoha hasn't changed much since his days as Obito despite the current damage from Pain's attack.
There's a few new financial buildings and restaurants here and there, but otherwise it's the same dark shingles that align the rooftops and gray-black cobblestone along the streets.
He walks with purpose avoiding locking eyes with anyone, donned in a simple long black overcoat and hat that obscure a majority of his face. Any passing civilian would hopefully assume him a businessman overseeing the construction of various sites or a man heading to an important meeting/interview.
The Academy is the exact opposite of the streets overall. Noisy, trying to gain some attempt at structure and stability for the students too young to be left at home alone.
He passes rooms with chalkboards bent or hanging at twisted angles, sunlight and vines creeping through shattered windows...
Smoke still lingers in the air, dust and ash coating doorknobs and various chairs. A few scorched doorways not taken out are completely black, holes dotted throughout them.
"Iruka-sensei, when are we going to be able to have practice classes outside again?" Shu asks without waiting to be called on.
"Yeah! My Papa and Mama said we should be doing exercises to prepare for another attack or even war!" Eiji bellows in agreement.
"Wait, who said there's going to be another war?! My Papa is still in the hospital recovering for a broken leg!" Aiko asks in panic.
And then it's a storm of commotion, hurried whispers of war between the nations coming to grumbles of school being a waste of time right now.
Obito situates himself outside the door, focuses on Iruka trying to calm the nerves of the frazzled students.
"Everyone, settle down! War isn't coming to Konoha or any of the regions yet! Shu, it's still too early to tell when we can do training sessions outside again, the pollution levels from the fires make it still unsafe to be outside for long periods of time unless necessary!" He explains.
Aiko raises her hand as the classroom starts to settle down, blue eyes somber.
"Do you know sensei if all the shinobi who went missing in the fires will be found?" She asks softly.
Iruka purses his lips silently and Obito hums thoughtfully, loud enough to get everyone's attention on him.
"You can't answer that, can you Iruka? Painful as it may be to tell some of these students their parent, sibling, aunt, uncle, or cousin won't be returning home." He announces as he steps forward.
Iruka freezes, clenching his teeth.
He half stares between him and the students, straightening his posture quickly.
"Class dismissed everyone. Leave all your belongings and go; now!" Iruka commands.
And even the most stubborn of students like Shu and Eiji stiffen at the alarm of his tone, thunder of footsteps pattering out giving Obito a wide berth.
Aiko stays a second longer by the door asking who he is and if he plans to hurt Iruka, tries to catch Obito's gaze at his silence before tears start to slowly gather in her eyes in realization.
"Don't...Don't hurt sensei. Please!" She begs in a low hiss.
Obito continues to refuse to meet her stare and she's hurriedly tugged away by her friend, running out to meet the rest of their classmates outside.
A warning will spread across the school in the next few minutes; reinforcements will start to swarm here.
He slams his hand against the wall outside, paper bombs going off to delay anyone else's arrival.
For now it's just the two of them remaining, Iruka studying him cautiously.
"Obito Uchiha, right? Naruto warned me you would come back to Konoha at some point, however I thought it would be for Kakashi." Iruka starts.
"If he warned you, you should know then he and Hinata have been getting in the way of my plans long enough. The best way to decrease Naruto's morale is to kill you." Obito regards.
He produces a black rod then from his sleeves, steps forward properly into the classroom.
After this, he'll be one step closer to a perfect world, a world where fights and death no longer have to keep going on and on in a vicious cycle...
Iruka pauses, stepping back.
'That black receiver rod, Pain or Nagato used those as well. I can't let it touch me!'
"Whether or not you kill me won't stop Naruto and Hinata's goals from killing you and putting an end to your plans!" He remarks.
Obito ignores him, rushing forward grabbing at his neck slamming him into the opposite wall. Iruka lets out a garbled cough, blood and spit flying out.
"It isn't like you couldn't be easily replaced here Iruka. You who comes from an ordinary civilian clan; parents already long deceased. People will mourn you yes, but then they'll just go on with their lives, slowly forget you existed." Obito mentions coldly.
Iruka clicks his teeth, glaring at him head on.
"At least...At least my parents died as heroes on the night of the Nine Tails attack! Unlike you who helped participate in the murder of your own clan, who holds onto the past from the day Kakashi was forced to kill Rin-"
Obito squeezes at his neck further, raising up the rod.
"Don't say her name."
And just as he moves to strike at his body does he come away with water.
"Water Release: Water Shield!"
He uses the brief moment to melt his own body into water, moving behind him.
"Water Release: Torrent Bullet!"
Obito lets the vortex of water pass through him, hopping onto the row at the uppermost level of the room.
"I won't let you take me down without a fight!" Iruka shouts up to him as he catches his breath, positions himself to go on the offensive.
'Of course he isn't going to make this easy.' Obito scowls.
But it doesn't matter how much he may or may not know of his abilities and his past, his death will be the catalyst to the Eye of the Moon Plan continuing on.
Naruto & Hinata
"This all reminds me of your Dad." Naruto remarks making Hinata twist from gazing at the temple's designs.
"Father?" Hinata repeats.
Naruto nods, grin widening at her puzzled look as he wraps an arm loosely around her. "He gave me more than just lessons in etiquette, you know!"
Hinata arches a brow. "Did this training happen in the past or the future?"
Naruto beams. "Both, in a sense!"
"I won't have your bleeding heart be the death of you!" Hiashi announces, jabs quick and sharp to his arms and chest.
"Go Papa, you go this!" Boruto cheers him on from the patio, bouncing excitedly on his toes.
He most certainly doesn't, but he doesn't want his future son to know that!
Naruto-Y winces as his left arm slackens before crouching low, sucking in a deep breath. The gentle fist is just as painful as he remembers from sparring sessions with both counterparts of Hinata.
But he's more durable since those past sessions, has learned so much since then.
"Wind Release: Tornado!"
The sharp gust pushes Hiashi back, enough for Naruto-Y to strike forward with a pair of sealing chains.
"Too slow." Hiashi counters, using the rotating palm to keep the chains at bay.
A moment later he approaches from behind, nearly striking at his neck only for Naruto-Y to block him with a third chain the erupts up from the ground, coils around his leg just in time stilling him in place.
Hiashi nods, relaxing his posture.
"You're getting better with using fūinjutsu; I'm impressed."
Naruto-Y beams, catching his breath, stumbling to the ground at how shaky his body feels.
He'll have bruises later for sure.
But they'll all be worth it, this the first compliment Hiashi Hyuga has given him in regards to his clan's signature techniques.
Hiashi offers him a hand he readily accepts, pointing towards a set up of lunch prepared by an attendant. Boruto eagerly hands him a towel, curling into his lap despite his worry he smells of sweat and grass.
"You were so cool out there small Papa, you know! Even though Grandpa got a lot of hits in on you!" He beams.
Naruto laughs weakly in return, Himawari crawling over to him resting her cheek against his arm.
"Papa has an ouchy." She points to a growing bruise on his hand, Naruto shrugging with a smile.
"It's okay Hima! Papa heals fast, you know!" He promises, Himawari studying the purple-red mark carefully before placing a drooly kiss upon it, grinning at her handiwork.
Naruto-O pops his head out, grinning at the duo. "Looks like you two finished another training session early."
He peers down at the set up Hiashi has and if possible, his smile stretches. "Need me to take the kids for a bit?
Hiashi nods, returning his grin. "Yes, I'm moving on to the second phase of training with your younger self, the kids will be a distraction to that."
Naruto-O mouths a 'good luck' to him as he takes a whining Boruto from his lap who wants to stay and watch while Himawari readily accepts his pick up.
Meanwhile Naruto-Y scratches his cheek nervously, here comes the hard part of this whole venture.
"Oh, don't look so frightened. You and Hinata-Y will one day be not only representing our clan, but all of Konoha as well if you intend to be Hokage. And as Hokage, you'll need to attend fancy galas and meetings."
"Aww, but can't we just get Ichiraku's-" Naruto-Y begins only to bristle at Hiashi's stare.
Never mind!
"Naruto-Y, you can't eat ramen everyday nor can you expect that to be a dish offered at every party or event you go to." He reprimands.
'It could be if I asked.' Naruto-Y thinks sardonically, but wisely keeps to himself.
Because he does want to learn, to keep learning about the Hyuga and how one day Boruto and Himawari will properly explore these halls as well.
"Maybe if I had Hinata-O join us, you would be more interested." Hiashi muses more to himself than him aloud and Naruto-Y feels his face burn at the idea of Hinata's older self clumsily seeing him mess up which teacup to use or which fork is supposed to be for salads or entree's.
No, he's far from ready!
Hiashi chuckles at his expression, at least that thought snapped Naruto-Y into ensuring he takes all parts of his training seriously.
"Father just wants to make sure you're ready for all the interviews and questioning you'll get by the elders as well. They've only seen the prankster side of you, so they have some reservations." Hinata remarks from the story.
'It's good to know Father doesn't mind teaching Naruto in subjects he never got growing up.' Hinata muses, wishing she had caught a glimpse of it. Manners and meal etiquette aren't subjects either of them had really considered learning during their time in the future.
"So here's where you and I will be truly putting your Beast training to the max, yo! But you're going to have to leave your girl behind so we can whirl your mind into shape!" Killer B interrupts.
Naruto looks at him flatly, he isn't sure if he can or even wants to try and find ways to make all his sentences and words rap/rhyme the way he does.
"Can't you just talk normally, you know?" He questions, getting a nudge from Hinata and glare from Motoi not to be rude.
B only laughs, taking it in stride.
"Now where's the fun in that?! We all have our ways of speaking, your girl speaks all formally and you add those 'you knows' to the end of your sentences for example." He grins.
Naruto huffs because that's completely different from talking in rap, letting go of Hinata's hand.
"Okay, this part's probably going to take the longest maybe, but whatever happens on the outside; let me know!"
Hinata nods, boldly pressing their foreheads together and brushing their lips together quickly, fingers entangling.
"Don't try to rush through it; I'll update you once Asami returns." She promises.
Konoha- Academy Grounds
'I'm tired.' Iruka realizes.
Sweat slides down along his cheek. He hasn't been in a major fight like this in years maybe.
And this exhaustion is overwhelming; consuming.
Spots dance across his eyes, dark and growing with each passing second.
No, this isn't the time to pass out, though his body is paralyzed in place by these damn rods.
Blood drips through the silence of the classroom. He catches his breath and it aches, lungs inside and out feeling akin to a fire blazing.
"Why? Why would you go with such a method?!" Obito growls out from above him, clutching at his bloody arm, muscle and bone visible. It shocks them both he was able to be taken by surprise, actually properly injured by one of his attacks.
Iruka manages a smile, ignores the throb that shoots through him as he lifts up his head.
"I took a page from your associate. I think...I think Deidara's his name. I'm by no means an expert at the way he makes bombs, but I visited the same Ceramic Village he prefers, watched the Hanasaki method on how they can produce such beautiful clay vases and in the same light...clay weapons."
"Bombs. You put bombs all throughout this classroom!" Obito interrupts tightly.
And now they're both for the time being even further trapped in this destroyed classroom that's become just a mix of dirt, woods, and metals. Light trickles in slowly through gaps up above, Obito controlling his breathing and thrums of pain.
Iruka nods with a bitter laugh. "I knew there was always a chance you would come after me so I placed hidden traps throughout my primary classrooms, my office, even my own residence. I would set them off when you came after me, got close enough to me to believe victory was surely yours. I had to ensure first though that it would just be you and I alone so that none of the students or my colleagues would get harmed in the process."
Obito clicks his tongue, tastes iron on his lips.
He misjudged this man's skill he can admit that to himself at least, this willingness to sacrifice himself for the sake of the village and his students/faculty. However, it doesn't matter.
"It wasn't enough though. You knew that all along, you'll die here alone with all your efforts having been in vain." He sneers.
Iruka lies his head back against a splintered board.
"I used to be like you, filled with such anger and grief. War didn't just take from you Obito, it took from me, Kakashi, and all your other friends/classmates from your graduating class. But they don't or at least try not to dwell on the past as we're trying to improve things for the next generation of shinobi. This Eye of the Moon Plan wouldn't give you back Rin or your loved ones because all of it would be a fake world; a fake life. People don't want fake, they want to face reality, no matter how painful it may be." He remarks slowly.
Obito says nothing, taking in his garbled breathing.
He bends himself down so he's at eye level with him, shushing him.
His lungs are punctured and enflamed, eyes watery and yet still he refuses to back down, to stop gazing at him with such sympathy, such compassion when he is the cause of his coming death.
"I'll let Naruto know you died trying to finish me off. That you protected your students until the very end as hopeless as it was to decide to fight me." Obito decides before turning away.
Iruka snorts gently like that's a kindness. He tries to lift his head again only for the burning in his chest to reignite, coughing up a glob of blood.
"Even...Even if you bested me here, I know it doesn't take away your pain." He retorts with a rasp.
Obito arches a brow, half looking back at him. The longer he stays, the more he's at risk for dealing with his comrades breaking through to them...
The entrance is crushed in from the explosion though, nobody can immediately get by.
"You remind me of Naruto. He was like you when he was younger, at least in terms of personality and skill. He wanted to be noticed by his peers too time and time again. You're the reason Kakashi always visits the memorial stone before a mission, the regrets and lessons he has/passes on that linger in his life today." Iruka goes on slowly.
"Good." Obito scoffs, done listening.
He shakes away the old memories of meeting under the cherry blossom trees with Minato-sensei for lunch in the afternoons, the grin upon Rin's face passing him an onigiri...
'Those days are gone.' Madara's voice; annoyed and cold he clings to his childhood crush when she's been dead for years.
It's not just a crush anymore though, she's his motivation for doing this plan for everyone.
Because soon nobody else will have to experience the same pain he did.
He starts to walk away from Iruka's crumpled form, pausing when he still hears him talking.
"I know you might not do it, but tell Naruto instead that...I'm proud of him; so proud. I-I don't have to see him become Hokage, see him become a Dad to know he'll continue to do great things..." Iruka trails off, eyes turning glassy.
Obito observes him closely, wincing trying to stop his own bleeding. He needs to leave and recover before going after Hiashi.
He waits for the complete stop of Iruka's chest rising and falling before nodding to himself.
'It's done.'
Sasuke & Sakura
"Now you can't say you've never enjoyed my art!"
Deidara continues with his loud proclamations from somewhere up above. It's hard to make out his Akatsuki cloak and dark blond locks within all this smog. Sakura weighs how to take advantage of his focus being only on Itachi and Sasuke, not sure she can even get close enough to land a proper hit.
Passion and frustration invigorate him, bombs raining down on them causing a mix of land and mudslides.
Sakura hurriedly pulls a mask from her sleeves, trying not breathe too much of the fumes in. Tears start to sting at her eyes trying to catch some form of Itachi's or Sasuke's figures through the smoke.
'No good, these bombs make it next to impossible to see anything!'
On top of that, the mudslide carries away rock and trees with some as tall as buildings, the land now as volatile as the skies above.
And this tree she's on will soon be falling into the dangerous mixture as well.
She leaps to a sturdier rock near the top of the forest just as the tree she's holding crumples from the pressure, hears the crackle of electricity ring out somewhere behind her.
"You're bombs aren't anything special if my chidori senbon neutralizes them. That's your explosives' weakness." Sasuke taunts.
Deidara scowls at his mocking, takes to the air with his C2 dragon.
"Heh, don't act so high and mighty! I'm prepared to deal with both you and your brother, especially with countering the sharingan!" He shouts back.
'I won't let those of eyes of your clan ever humiliate me or my art again!' Deidara vows to himself at the memory of his begrudging initiation into the Akatsuki. However, none of his bombs seem to be slowing the younger of the Uchiha brothers down much. When he thinks he's dead it's just another genjutsu of his, clay clones neutralized before they can fully detonate and get into his lungs.
'Where the hell is that damn brother of his?!' Deidara growls, if this isn't killing Sasuke, than surely Itachi is around somewhere too.
And then out of the corner of his eye he sees that annoying scarlet red appear out of a flutter of crows, hopping backwards just as Itachi's flames nick the sides of his hands. Not backing down, a clone rushes forward unafraid of his bombs, twisting at his hands until a sickening crack rings out.
"Bastard! You think taking my hands out will stop me?! I'll just use my mouth instead! I'll kill your brother and every living thing in this entire damn forest!" Deidara curses.
Sakura watches carefully as Deidara turns and spits out a barrage of bombs growing angrier by the second, terrain above and below them quickly turning into a minefield.
'There has to be a way I can slow him down some. Eventually, they're both he and Sasuke are going to run out of chakra and then Deidara will risk it all on C0.' She knows.
Searching the area she finds a fallen branch, hollowing it out and sliding a senbon needle in careful to avoid pricking herself with the poison laced tip.
A makeshift blowpipe.
'I just need to make contact with his skin; it doesn't matter where.'
While's he thoroughly distracted by Itachi's flames and Sasuke's coming chidori, Sakura gets into position, focuses her eyes directly on his now open shoulder and arms.
She countdowns in her head, steadies her shaking hands, clears her thoughts of everything.
'Three. Two. One!'
The needle skirts his right bicep, enough to tear skin and draw blood, enough for Deidara to wince and look her way.
"You bitch! I'll make sure you're in pieces for whatever you just shot at me!" He yells her way, but his voice lacks it's earlier muster, skirting Itachi's bursts of fire while staring solely at her.
"Where has Tobi/Obito gone?" Itachi questions, attempting to get Deidara to look his way again.
He half-glances back to him, sends him a wicked grin.
"I'll tell you in hell!"
Sakura's eyes widen, stomach plummeting.
They're too late, everything's repeating over...
And she can't escape from here at the speed the explosion will move, how fast it will wipe out every plant, animal, and human within it's radius.
She watches in horror as Deidara rips open his chest, undoes the stiches of the mouth directly upon his heart. Sakura squeezes her eyes shut trying to think of any last minute options only to feel a sudden warm surrounding her. Warmth and...stickiness?
'Where am I?' Sakura frowns.
"Don't move too much, we're in Manda." Sasuke instructs to her from somewhere within this new darkness. She follows the sound of his voice until she bumps into him, pressing close.
She wonders if it's her heartbeat or his that's thundering in her ears.
They hear the start of a wave of rumbles, Sakura biting her lips at a sudden thought, looking around trying to get her eyes to adjust to the dark.
'Where's Itachi?!'
Konoha Market/Business District -Jiraiya
His pondering has led him to a crossroads.
"Hmm, now should I head back to the Island Turtle or check how things currently are in Konoha?" Jiraiya considers.
He's sure Tsunade has things under control especially with him having destroyed Nagato's rinnegan back in Ame and Konan no longer posing a threat in collecting more members for the Akatsuki, but there's the chance Obito has now moved in to take over where Pain left off...
He hasn't heard anything from the toads he left behind on the island of Naruto or Hinata having departing just yet, he can assume they're both still there for both training and safety purposes.
Konoha it is then, he needs to provide back up where it's needed most.
He moves easily pass the guards at the main entrance who barely spare him a passing glance, attention too focused on something occurring deeper within the village.
He catches the tidbits of their conversation, frowns at what he hears.
"-Is it really him Jun? I...I thought he died years ago on that one mission like right before the Third Shinobi World War or something? I mean, isn't his name on the Memorial Stone next to the cemetery?" Touma asks.
"No, I heard the same thing! It's what all the other guards said too! I mean, nobody's seen him in years, but why would an imposter want to use his name of all things? Where has he been all these years?" Jun questions, voice coated with panic.
Jiraiya tenses, patting at the shoulder of Touma.
He jumps likes he's been electrocuted and he can't really blame him, all the faces he's passed so far heading into the village have been on edge or coiled into dark corners trying to keep out of sight; skittish.
"Sorry to interrupt, but did you happen to catch a name?" Jiraiya questions.
Jun answers for him.
"Obito. Obito Uchiha. He slipped into the village earlier in the afternoon, my son said he saw him heading for the Academy."
Knots burrow into his chest, clenching his fists.
'No, don't panic yet.'
"Ah, but now that you're here Lord Jiraiya, things will be okay?" Touma asks uncertainly.
Jiraiya forces a grin, these two fresh-faced guards must've graduated a month or so ago from the the way they behave and look. Skin unblemished with scars or burn marks, eyes not yet dulled by the realities of war and the aftermath. And yet they've already seen such so much destruction, destruction that not even all their practice drills or simulation scenarios could've prepared them for...
But despite all that he won't give them false platitudes that everything will be fine, can't give them false hope.
"Where's Tsunade gone?" He questions instead.
Jun points in the direction of the Academy then too.
"I heard from one of the ANBU she was heading to the school grounds and nearby offices with some jonin and hospital personnel to assess and confirm the sighting of Obito there and to check on the teachers and students..." He trails off for a moment, gathering his voice and Jiraiya purses his lips seeing tears gather in his eyes.
"And to see who's missing/dead and who's still alive and in need of medical care. Touma responds for him this time, Jun sending him a grateful look.
Jiraiya nods, taking to the rooftops.
All he really needs to do though it seems is follow the trail of smoke, the rising pungent odor of blood that makes his stomach churn.
He sees the crown of Tsunade's blonde hair as he approaches the crumpled remains of the school's entrance, pauses at seeing the bodies carried out, white sheets over their faces...
Tsunade half turns sensing him, buries her face into his chest before he can get a word out.
"Obito decimated this place just for one person alone, just to prove his strength and to show the future will change." She mutters softly. He rubs gently at her back, clenching his teeth as he sees the last body moved out. That familiar brown hair, the peek of a scar across the nose...
"Is that...?" He wants to ask, Tsunade nodding not letting him say it.
'This won't be good when Naruto finds out.'
Jiraiya straightens, sees a group children huddled together not too far away watching in tears and he sighs feeling his age all at once, words escaping him on a way to comfort them at the loss of their teacher.
Tsunade looks up at him then, morphing her features back into one of calm despite the red cracks in her amber orbs.
"No more. We'll both go after him, let me finish delegating responsibilities here and then we'll hunt him down the same way he did to Iruka." She hisses.
Jiraiya nods, twisting his body in the opposite direction.
"I know where he's heading next: The Hyuga Manor for Hiashi."
Kakashi
'She's awake.' Kakashi straightens himself from his dozing, shakes out the cricks in his neck.
It's close to morning, sky a dusky orange-pink of the approaching dawn. He and Gai have been taking turns all night watching Fu, Gai's light snores drifting in from the opposite room.
"Where...Where am I?" Fu asks dazedly as she sits up, voice hoarse from days of unuse.
The first thing her eyes see are him in the candlelight, breath quickening, muscles seizing up.
"You...you're here for Chōmei; aren't you?" She hisses, orange eyes hardening.
"Look, now I know Kakashi may look scary, but behind that mask of his quite the handsome face let me tell you!" Kirika states, quickly coming to his aid. She barely manages to get Fu to lie back down, trying to keep her from pulling out her IV.
"Let go of me! Who are you; are you working with him?!" Fu panics, trying to dig her nails into Kirika's arms to shake her off.
"Relax child, none of us are here to cause you harm!" Kirika hushes her, nodding to one her assistants Miyuna to quickly pass her the sedative.
Slowly, Fu's thrashing calms as the Ativan runs through her veins, but this time she fights off the coming sleep, eyes boring straight on at Kakashi trying to figure out where she's seen him before.
'The forest. Those two men; one was from Takigakure. I wanted to get to know him more, but they just wanted to take me to their hideout to extract Chōmei and then the other hit me in the back of my head. What happened after that?' Her head pounds trying to recall anything else beyond her world spinning as they hovered over her, darkness encircling her...
Kakashi manages a weak smile that seems to do nothing to quell Fu's fears of him, instead she glances back towards Kirika and Miyuna who whisper sureties she's safe.
Her stomach clenches like she's about to vomit, it feels like the complete opposite as her vision starts to swim again, sleep tugging her back down...
"We can't keep putting her to sleep every time she wakes up." Gai mentions softly from beside him, awake from the sudden commotion.
Kakashi nods slowly, but what else can they really do? Fu is nowhere near fully healed yet, not strong enough to travel or even walk on her own two feet.
"She still needs to get more fluids, electrolytes, and nutrition from her IV bags and feeding tube. Maybe in a day or two we can see how she is. She's gone through a severe trauma both mentally and physically after all." He knows.
"True, as Lady Kirika said we can't do much at the moment so...what's say you and I do some stretching and 50 laps around the village square before breakfast?!" Gai suggests excitedly.
He's made that same suggestion every morning for the past 2 days, already knowing he's going to say he'll pass or maybe tomorrow.
Gai sighs at Kakashi's flat look, shrugging. "Kakashi, you know we can't let our days of youth keep passing us by like this! Kirika and Miyuna are here and I know for a fact you've been sitting in that same position for at least around 12-14 hours!"
Kirika glances towards the pair then, nodding her agreement. "For once, you're overly-enthusiastic friend has a point. Go get some fresh air!"
It's an order rather than a suggestion.
Hachō Village is quiet at this hour, gray-white morning mist lingering around the trees and grasses as they walk along the cobblestone. A few fisherman coming back from the oasis and early-to-rise businessmen bow in greeting, most of the civilian used to their presence by now.
"You know, it's a shame Konoha doesn't seem to do much business with this place besides for the oasis, the people here sell some pretty unique weapons and cloth!" Gai admires, waving to a mother and daughter preparing to open their craft and jewelry stall.
Kakashi follows his gaze, half-amused, half-concerned that Gai is either about to be suckered by some deal by the pair or the duo is about to be forced to listen to one of his long-winded spiels on the benefits of youth and exercise before they can even offer him any product.
"Wait up you two! I have a message; urgent!" A woman's voice beckons behind them and both Gai and Kakashi pause seeing her headband as she grows closer.
From Konoha.
The woman catches her breath as they slow down for her, holding out a simple wrapped up note.
"I...I received this message from my brother who I live in the village with! He...he was picking up his son, my nephew from the Academy and saw all the destruction, thankfully Eiji is okay. Oh, but whoever did it sent out this message out to all the parent's homes hours later and I've been on the road picking up goods, though he knew I was close to Hachō where he heard you two were staying and delivered this to me via messenger bird last night. I'm so sorry I took so long to get here!" The woman rambles before she bursts into tears, Gai trying to get her to relax while Kakashi accepts the message.
He looks down at scraggly handwriting and feels his stomach drop as he reads one simple line.
He knows this handwriting, even if he hasn't seen it years...
'Sorry I was running late, but I'm back in Konoha now Kakashi.'
-x-
Let me preface this by saying I know this was a difficult chapter, I knew it would be and even with all my editing and writing of different paths, this is the one I chose for Iruka. I like his character and role to Naruto canon-wise and I know it will be a gut punch how and when Naruto and Hinata find out. I didn't want to kill Hiashi again as I already did that once and it's too cruel to kill him twice in two stories of mine! (Plus, there's other things I plan to do story-wise for him and the Hyuga family.)
There's just a little bit more chaos to deal with and then we'll finally get to some brighter moments for Naruto and Hinata! (And Sasuke and Sakura too if you care about them lol).
Thoughts? Feedback! Let me know what you're thinking!
Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!
