Extra Story - 月下美人 (Beauty under the Moon)
Part 1: Budding
"It's okay to be a little more greedy, Kakashi; it's okay to …"
Kakashi opened his eyes and the ceiling of his office remained uninteresting. He could feel the humming in his chest as he inhaled and exhaled in a steady rhythm. He stayed there for a second, waiting for Minato-sensei's words to finish echoing in his mind, before finally feeling like he was in the waking world.
It was still so early, just past four in the morning. The colour of the sky remained a blend of gray and yellow, barely able to light up the world as if the sun itself hadn't woken up yet.
Kakashi could smell the humidness of the morning dew, along with the scent of a chakra signature that he couldn't - hadn't really tried to - forget.
Kakashi wondered why Maiko was doing near here in this ungodly hour, and not in the Hokage Tower as well, buried by scrolls and reports like he was, but in a small field not far from here. If his memory served him right, it was a training field that had yet to be cleared and rebuilt.
He hated how his first thought was to find something - an appropriate reason - that would allow him to approach the situation without being creepy. But his eyes started searching on their own until they landed on the scroll sitting on his desk - the one that was responsible for him having to spend the night here because he was never satisfied with what he had written.
It can wait, no, it should wait until working hours, Kakashi said to himself. Perhaps, he should actually try the normal method of using a messenger hawk to summon Maiko to pick things up, instead of walking to find her, wherever she was in the village, just because he could track her scent like second nature.
Maybe then he could actually stick to a boundary.
"Show me some enthusiasm, Maiko! Feel the Springtime of Youth that lies within you!" Kakashi heard the chaos before actually seeing it. A long stick was flung widely in a circle, stirring up the dirt from the ground, before it was intercepted by another wooden stick with a loud 'clack'.
"Trust me, this is me being enthusiastic." Maiko pushed the sentence out of her teeth as the bō in her hands shook under Gai's powerful strike. Kakashi felt a light gaze land on him like the tingling touch of a feather, gone before he could give it a second thought.
Kakashi's intrusion didn't distract the two people fighting in this desolate training ground - they were too professional for that. Oh, there was also the fact that if Maiko didn't concentrate and focus on her training partner, she would be beaten quite badly.
With a grunt, Maiko managed to tilt the opposing stick to the side. She made a sharp pivot using her body, spinning the wooden staff in her hand. The momentum built up in a second and was soon released when Maiko pushed it with her palm, thrusting it forward, aiming for Gai's head.
"That's a nice strike, but you have to be more imaginative with the bō," Gai commented as he switched the grip on his stick. Before Maiko could pull her bō back, Gai locked it with his own, twisting his bō using hers as a point of leverage, allowing one end to fly up and smack Maiko in the left arm. "As I said before, its strength lies in its flexibility to adapt."
That doesn't sound like a light hit, Kakashi thought. Still, Maiko was never the one to let the pain show. The heavy hit left her grip weakened, but she used that and twisted her wrists, retrieving her weapon with swiftness and blocking the hit that followed.
Gai looked a little too happy when he slammed the bō staff down, driving a crack on the ground, which would have been a crack on Maiko's collarbone if she didn't dodge fast enough. Maiko caught that moment and brought her bō down as well, lodging the end of Gai's stick deeper into the floor.
"Now we're talking. You learn quite fast!" Gai praised when Maiko used the wooden staff like a pole and landed a kick on his forearm. Maiko didn't have the time or energy to reply, seeing that Gai kicked the bō up and launched the counterattack with a sharp swing of the staff.
The two sticks clashed again in a series of sharp clicks, where Gai seemed to gain momentum with every additional hit while Maiko struggled to hold her defence, let alone to find openings for the offence. The gap in experience manifested soon as Gai managed to smack Maiko in the waist, before swiping her off balance using the other end of the bō.
Maiko's body froze in tension when the end of a bō plunged towards her throat, stopping merely an inch above her trachea.
"Shall we end it here?" Gai asked as he retracted the wooden staff, allowing Maiko to get up from the ground. "What an excellent practice for the youthful spirit! Now, It's all about perfecting the craft, so that every time you pick up a bō, you'll feel the Power of Youth as naturally as they come!"
Often, Kakashi wasn't quite sure what the Power of Youth meant exactly, seeing that Gai used it in many different situations. It seemed that Maiko had the same confusion, but she nevertheless thanked Gai for his help, making the Jonin laugh in lightheartedness.
"Anytime, Maiko-chan. I'm glad you decided to pick up on this wonderful weapon," Gai said while taking the training staff from Maiko, before turning his attention to Kakashi. "My rival Kakashi is here! It's been too long since our last legendary match. Want to have a go?"
Despite the enthusiastic invite as Gai pushed the bō forward, Kakashi would have to decline. "Another time, Gai. I have some business with Maiko." It was at times like this that the excuse in the form of a scroll became convenient.
"At 4 am in the morning?" Maiko asked with a raised eyebrow, and Kakashi shrugged without an ounce of shame. After all, the fact that he walked here was already an indication of his thick skin.
Gai, on the other hand, accepted Kakashi's excuse without so much as a pause. "I look forward to our match, Kakashi!" With that, Gai moved on to his training laps around the village, as he had done for years.
When it was just the two of them, Maiko made her way out of the tiny clearing that she and Gai swept out for training. Rocks rolled in clattering sounds as she waded through the rubbles, rubbing the side of her waist, where the bō smacked hard enough to bruise.
"When did you start it?" Kakashi asked all of a sudden. The responsibilities that came with their job were not light ones, but Kakashi was used to finding time here and there to train, mostly in the dead of the night instead of early in the morning.
He wondered if this was a reoccurring thing, at 4 am, near the Hokage tower. Would he be compelled to come again, finding different excuses each time, if he happened to wake up at 4 am again?
"Just a week ago," Maiko answered. "I figured it would be useful, if I actually know how to use a bō-like weapon, seeing that my Susanoo decided to manifest a shakujō out of all the possibilities."
Kakashi figured that she was a little salty, just a little bit. Madara's Susanoo had many swords, Itachi's Susanoo had a legendary sword, and even Sasuke's Susanoo, as brief as it was called up, manifested swords. In the end, it was just her who didn't get a giant chakra sword, even if she had spent a big chunk of her life getting good at using swords.
In that short exchange, she had moved on from the bruise on her waist to examining where she got hit on the arm. She rolled down the arm sleeve on her left arm, and Kakashi saw it again, the fading burn scars that crawled on her skin like spider webs.
Even with Tsunade-sama's healing, this was the best she could do for Maiko. It simply took too long for it to get properly treated after the initial damage. Maiko didn't really care all that much, but she still put on an arm sleeve in front of others, so it didn't attract unwanted attention.
But Kakashi always had the privilege, where Maiko could take off the coverings without so much as a second thought, like it was the most natural thing in the world for her, to show him the good, the bad, and the ugly.
"So, what's so important that you're dropping by at 4 am." Kakashi almost missed her question. He lowered his gaze from her arm before she could notice and handed her the scroll in his hand.
"It's the disclosure of the Uchiha Massacre," Kakashi said just as Maiko opened the scroll. It was as if time froze for a moment right there when Maiko laid her eyes on the words that supposedly chronicled the fall of her Clan in the span of a decade.
"You said you just want it to be the truth, nothing less and nothing more. So that's what I tried to write." There was a reason why Kakashi was given the job when he was neither a Hokage nor an Uchiha. In the weirdest way, Kakashi somehow became the most intimate observer of the event, out of everyone that was alive now.
He observed the tension between the Uchiha Clan and Old Konoha as an Anbu that spied on the former. He observed Uchiha Itachi during his brief time in Anbu, right up until the massacre and his defection. He observed Uchiha Maiko on her confusing pilgrimage to uncover the truth that many didn't want to get out. Finally, he observed Root's downfall and Danzō's death, at the hand of an avenger.
"If you - Itachi and Sasuke as well - agree with what's written, I will submit it to be reviewed by Tsunade-sama. Then, it can be announced for Konoha to hear," Kakashi said, his words slow and steady, but it awfully sounded like he was just talking to himself when nothing replied back.
So, he confirmed again, "only if you still want to do this." That pried her attention back to the present.
"The truth will get out, you know that," Maiko whispered, peeling her eyes away from the ink-filled pages and onto Kakashi. "Now that we're not hiding Itachi's existence, it's bound to get out. Especially since dozens of shinobi have heard loud and clear my reanimated clansman accusing Itachi of betraying the Uchiha Clan as Konoha's pawn."
"So, if it's bound to get out, I want it to be of our own narrative, where it can't be used so easily by others as Danzō had done." Kakashi knew that by asking for only the truth to be told, Maiko wasn't looking for pity, apology, or condemnation of what had transpired.
It was simply to shed a light on an unspeakable secret so that it wouldn't continue to fester in the dark, making them wonder when it would explode and come back to haunt them.
"It's fine the way it is, what you've written." Eventually, Maiko said as she rolled the scroll close again. "I'll take this to Itachi and Sasuke, but we are unsealing the secrets. That, I'm certain."
Are you sure about that? Kakashi wanted to ask as he looked into Maiko's eyes. It was tiny and hidden, but Kakashi could see the uncertainty about the future as if she was just a little lost about what would happen. The ocean in her eyes was still vast and deep, but it was drowning Kakashi as well as herself.
Suddenly, Kakashi realized that he hadn't really seen that confusion for the future since the ordeal with Danzō. It was as if her lifetime allowance for confusion and uncertainty had already been used up. There was no more room for her to get lost in the road of life; she had done enough of that already when Itachi and Shisui were fighting and suffering.
"It won't be so bad," Kakashi told her in a quiet voice. "You're heroes - Itachi, Sasuke, and you. Everyone in Konoha knows that, and that won't ever change, even if they learn of the Uchiha Rebellion."
"Heroes, huh." Maiko shook her head. It was as if Kakashi opened a dam that she was trying to barricade - and at the worst timing, of course, he had to wonder if that was because of what he said, or because of who he was, or maybe both. "Sure, we're heroes born from a war, but this war was started by an Uchiha."
She didn't specify which one, but Kakashi supposed that it didn't matter, either could work.
The aftermath of war hit in stages. It had been three months since the war ended, but Konoha had just gotten enough together that they finally held the memorial service for those that were lost in the battles.
Nobody tried to delineate exactly how they died, but everyone knew that many had been brought back by Rinne Tensei, only to be lost again when Madara dropped the meteor onto the village.
As if the irony wasn't enough, those that Maiko managed to protect were lucky to have died earlier in such a manner that their bodies could be found and moved to the Community Square. As for the rest, she couldn't do anything but watch them perish through the screen of her Susanoo.
It was as if life was just a joke. If you had enough power, you could play with it however you wanted.
As for Obito, Kakashi disposed of his body three days after the war - cremated and the ashes were sent off in the Naka River, an Uchiha Tradition according to Maiko - knowing that the next time Obito was brought up, Kakashi was expected to treat him as an international criminal and an unforgivable sinner.
"The Uchiha had brought storms and turbulence, and we're about to tell Konoha that they would have brought it years ago, if not for a fucked-up scheme devised by the Old Konoha Council," Maiko summarized, showing Kakashi her worst doubts and fears - and not just about unveiling the Uchiha Rebellion either - all the while clenching her hands tight to hide the nerve.
Still, the young Uchiha Clan Head took a deep breath to calm down, and managed to say against the terrible cards she had been dealt, "But maybe it won't be so bad."
With a sigh that was barely audible, Kakashi took Maiko's left hand, wrapping his own hands around it so that it would stop shaking.
"Yes, it won't be so bad, really," Kakashi said as he slowly stretched Maiko's fingers out from a clenched fist. That arm sleeve she took off earlier was still in her hand, so Kakashi took that from her as well and rolled it out from the sad little ball it was in.
"You've done more than enough to show Konoha - to show everyone who's willing to see - that the Uchiha is not defined by what happened in the past, nor is it defined by the action of a few deviants." He could feel the shape of each one of her fingers as he threaded the openings in the fabric through Maiko's hand.
"We're working on it - Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama, you, Itachi, Sasuke, Naruto, so many more that I can't count - to make Konoha a village that will see beyond the prejudice of the past and look at a person for who they are." The fabric was gathered at Maiko's wrist, so Kakashi pushed it up, letting the sleeve smooth over her arm, covering the skin that was marred with battle scars.
"I'm working on it too."
When Kakashi told Sandaime two years ago that he was ready to learn how to be a Hokage Candidate, it was right after they dealt with Danzō in a way that shook Konoha's foundation. Kakashi remembered, that he did it because he wanted to make changes - finally brave enough to do so, after seeing the old, unchanging power structure starting to be overturned - to make Konoha a place that people like Maiko and Naruto could believe in.
Kakashi felt his fingers grazing past Maiko's skin and the sudden shiver under his touch reminded him that perhaps he had gotten carried away. Touch had different meanings now - meanings that were more messy, vivid, and irrevocable.
So he let go, wondering if he could still pretend that he needed time to understand his own feelings, that he hadn't figured out what he wanted, and continued to exploit Maiko's undying patience to cover up for his indecisiveness.
It was because Maiko had always given Kakashi privilege, that he could get away with stuff like this.
But before Kakashi could escape, a hand grabbed onto his wrist. Maiko pressed her fingers down on his pulse, feeling it speeding up under her touch - because of her touch.
"Yeah, turbulence," Maiko commented as she let go of Kakashi's wrist. Then, she gave him a small smile - the kind intended to reassure - and said, "but anyway, thanks for the words of comfort. I'll bring the scroll back to you after I've consulted with Itachi and Sasuke."
"When you're trying to figure out where it went wrong, do you mean it for me, or for you?" As Maiko flickered away in the direction of the Anbu Headquarters, her words echoed in Kakashi's head.
It was so much easier when Kakashi didn't know the answer to that and the implication that followed. Too bad, it only took him a day to figure it out and the rest, as he figured, was just delaying the inevitable.
(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ fuwa~fuwa~desu~~~
"I don't know what you would have wanted, Father," I said as I poured the sake into the cup next to the headstone. "So, I'm going to have to make decisions based on what I want - what we want."
Surprisingly, the Uchiha Cemetery was the best-preserved part of the compound, because it was located on the outskirts of the outskirts and didn't have any tall structures.
Some headstones were destroyed by the rubbles, but we were working to restore that, much like the rest of the compound. It was one of the easier tasks during the rebuilding process because there were no actual bodies being buried here.
As for the rest of my clansmen whose names were carved in the Uchiha Cemetery, I supposed that some of them were indeed given a second chance to express their opinions - on their demise, on the Fall of the Uchiha Clan, on Konoha.
Unfortunately, I couldn't do what they wanted, nor did I agree with what they wanted.
"I'm sorry, I can't preserve the Uchiha name as it was, not after everything that has happened." Even as I spoke right now, news of the Uchiha Rebellion and the Massacre that followed was being broadcasted to the citizens of Konoha. After today, the history of the Uchiha Clan as the world knew it would be written differently - judged differently.
"But we're not giving up on our Clan. It's just that to build it up again, I have to topple down what's already too broken to stand," I said to my father, to my mother, to Shisui, to whomever from the Uchiha Clan that was still willing to listen in the afterworld.
I'm going to burn down the dying roots and set alight the secrets that festered inside, so that something new can be grown from the ashes.
I wasn't quite sure what would grow from the ashes - couldn't quite predict how it would fare against the weather and the environment, either. But … "As the Head of the Uchiha Clan, I will nurture it and stay with it until the end."
Slowly, I knelt down and gave my parents a bow, before leaving the Cemetery and walking toward the Main Compound.
"How cozy," I commented as I stepped into the newly built house, the only one standing in this barren district. Cardboard boxes and bundles of furniture parts were littered on the hardwood floor, while Itachi was reading the instructions to build the cupboard.
"It will be, once I figure out how this thing is supposed to work," Itachi said, his eyes moving between the pages and the wooden parts scattered around him to make the connection. I couldn't help but let out a chuckle when I saw the glasses sitting on his nose, making Itachi let out an exasperated sigh in response.
"Don't mind me, I'm just trying to get used to your new look," I said as I waded through the obstacles and arrived near him. The glasses made him look gentler and a little less serious, giving off a different vibe than the brother I was used to, but still a very suitable look on him.
"Where are Ryuu and Sasuke?" I asked, finding the boys that were busying around the house earlier nowhere in sight.
"They went to check the basement storage, to see if there are any housewares and furniture we can use," Itachi explained, already moving to assemble the wooden boards. Right, while everything above ground was in shambles, the storage we had under Naka Shrine as well as some other basements survived. It just took a while to get to the entrance.
"We're going to stay home today and work on renovating the house." There was a pause as Itachi looked up from the cupboard parts and turned his gaze to me. "What about you?"
"I'll help for now, but I need to go to the Anbu Headquarters later. There are some team assignments that I need to finish." I handed him the wooden block as described in the instruction manual and Itachi took it. "Don't worry, even if there is gossip, at least in Anbu, they don't dare to do that in front of my face."
Itachi didn't dwell on that, knowing that at this point, it was Konoha that needed time to process the truth, not us. But then again, once I heard the topic he chose next, I sort of wished that he dwelled on this a little longer.
"So, if you don't mind me asking, how's that thing between you and Kakashi going?" Itachi asked in the most casual, non-judgemental tone he could find, but it still made me want to sink into the ground in embarrassment.
"Our clan's history is literally being uprooted at this moment, and you want to gossip about something as mundane as that?" I asked with disbelief, but Itachi just shrugged.
"All the more reason we should talk about mundane problems." Great, even Itachi knows that it's a problem. Raising my hands in defeat, I sat down next to Itachi, picking up the instruction manual on the way.
"You don't seem all that surprised," I said. I imagined that he probably learned about my spontaneous confession from Sasuke because I sure didn't tell him. Yet, we were having this conversation now, and it didn't seem like he was going to judge my taste in men, unlike what Sasuke was constantly doing.
"I figured that if there's anyone that you're going to fall in love with, it's probably him," Itachi said while screwing two wooden panels together as I passed him the bolts. "It seems like a natural progression when you poke through the layer of paper and put a name on that complex mixture of bonds, trust, and desire."
I let out a chuckle at his accurate description. "What a nice way of putting it. I just wish that he can see it like that, a natural progression." Instead of seeing his attraction as an immoral desire.
"Sometimes, I'm glad that the thought of me stirs his mind, occupies his thoughts, and makes him unable to think about anything or anyone else, even if all I bring is turmoil to his heart." I glanced at my own hands, remembering the rising pulse that seemed to drum at my fingertips because of a simple touch - my touch.
There was a pause as I handed the next set of nuts and bolts to Itachi, asking, "Am I a mean person?"
"No. Kakashi doesn't know how lucky he is," Itachi answered without batting an eye, making me burst into laughter. Following the instruction manual, I grabbed another wooden panel and lined it up against the barebone structure that Itachi was holding on to, making it easier for him to connect the parts.
"It's like I'm awaiting judgment, Itachi, and there's nothing more I can do about it," I muttered, watching Itachi screw the bolts in. Itachi furrowed his brows, looking like he was struggling to come up with something comforting, despite having no more experience than I in this territory,
So, I nodded at one of the panel corners and said, "you missed a hole right there." That was me saying that I didn't want to talk about it anymore. As always, Itachi followed my request.
The clock struck twelve just as I finished the reassignment of Anbu team members that got piled on my desk. I could hear my shoulder cracking as I stretched my arms, reminding me that the stiffness of bones and soreness of bruises did not make a fun combination.
I placed the rabbit mask on my face as I slid out of my office without making a sound. The painted markings on the mask were already fading while scratches lined the surface, telling me that I should get a new one before this one expired.
Agents came and went from the locker rooms, traversing the halls in preparation for missions. There were no new recruits being trained - not until next week when Tsunade-sama and I would finalize the recruitment list, the first cycle after the war - and adding to the losses Anbu sustained during the war, the facility was looking rather desolate.
With a few steps and turns, I made it to my own locker room without passing a single soul. In Anbu, it was easy to get some peace and quietness by blending in with the shadows.
I didn't have to wonder what the rest of the village was thinking when they heard one of Konoha's founding clans had planned a coup against Konoha and paid the price in the most ironic way. Then, tomorrow, I could walk out and deal with the reality that was forever changed by knowledge.
I thought that I had it all figured out, that was until I walked into the locker room and had to deal with this.
"Alright, I've given it a day to act surprised and feel solemn. It's time to get a drink," Yugao said as she bounced up from the bench, looking like she was waiting for this exact moment to arrive.
There were so many things in her words that didn't make sense, so I picked the most obvious one. "There's no logical connection between those two sentences."
"Of course, there is," Yugao rebutted. "It's been a day since the news of your Clan has been announced. The tavern we always go to just reopened a few days ago, so let's go, Hayate and Anko are waiting."
… Hmm, just because you added another sentence doesn't mean that it connects the logic, but okay. "Why is it that alcohol and trips to taverns are always your go-to pastime?" I decided to tackle this from a different angle.
"It's not like the village has many options, don't judge," Yugao replied, adding just a hint of accusation to make me feel bad for judging her method to de-stress.
"You just said that the tavern reopened recently, meaning that there's probably a lot of people. I don't really want to be stared at right now." I appreciated her thought to invite me to her social gatherings for some proven de-stressing method, especially since I had busied myself with the added workload from the promotion, but it sort of defeated the purpose of 'facing the reality tomorrow'.
"See, that's the beauty of a tavern, people will be too occupied with alcohol to stare at you," Yugao told me, really trying to sell her idea. "Besides, a day is more than enough for any well-trained shinobi to process the news and move on."
She even pointed at the clock to show me that the time had just passed midnight. Huh, I supposed that it's technically 'tomorrow'.
"Come with us, it'll be great." Maybe it was because I could feel her attempt to tell me, 'so what if your Clan's history is a mess right now, we don't care and you shouldn't either,' but I decided to trust her on this one.
That was a mistake on my part.
"This is your definition of 'too occupied to stare'?" I whispered to Yugao when I felt dozens of pairs of eyes landing on me the moment I walked into the tavern.
"... Maybe the alcohol hasn't kicked in yet," Yugao tried her best, and I just let out a sigh and started walking towards the bar, where Anko was waving us over. Whatever, I'm already here, and it's already tomorrow.
Thankfully, Yugao was correct in that we shinobi usually moved on quite fast. The gazes finally dissipated to almost nonexistent as I sat down on the stool. As if noticing my unease, Anko glanced around the tavern, catching those gazes in our direction that had yet to be retracted.
"Trust me, they're staring because you're pretty," Anko said to me, even giving me a wink. Against my best judgment, I actually laughed at that and made the mistake of egging Anko on. to further prove her point, Anko tilted her head to the right and said, "See that guy, he can't take his eyes off of you and I bet it's not your clan that he's interested in."
"Maybe so, but that's Sasuke's Anbu Captain, so let's not go there," I answered after a quick glance, before forcing Anko to pause whatever she was about to do - I could see her hand already halfway in the air - that would make things really weird.
"Well, I don't see the problem." Of course, Anko would say that. It seemed that she had a few more examples to go through as she shifted her gaze, but thankfully, Yugao stepped in and saved me from the ordeal.
"Stop teasing her, Anko, she already has—" Yugao caught herself in a hurry, but the damage was already done. Slowly, she returned the cup of sake that she was sipping back to Hayate, before giving me an apologetic look.
Sure, blame it on the alcohol. I take that back, she's not here to help me.
"Oh, what is this that I hear?" Anko sat up a little straighter, swirling her cup of sake with a look of intrigue. "I'm not going to ask who it is - I'm not that mean - but seeing that you're here with us in the middle of the night, I'm going to guess that your crush has not been fulfilled yet."
" … you just said that you're not that mean." I gave her a look of exasperation and I wasn't even going to start with the innuendos.
"Maybe Anko has some useful advice. I mean, you're going nowhere." At this point, Yugao had already given up on mending her mistake and had decided to go with Anko's flow. The worst part? There was a second where I actually thought 'might as well.'
"My advice is simple, Maiko. All you need is a couple of drinks, and a few touches here and there to get the mood going. Then a night later, all is solved," Anko announced with the utmost pride and confidence and I was at a loss for words.
Simply astonishing, what was I even expecting?
"That's the worst advice I've ever heard and you're drunk," I muttered while taking a deep breath. After a moment of silence, I added, "I need a drink." Again, maybe my mistake from the beginning was trying to deal with this sober when everyone else was not.
However, before I could even raise my hand to order, a bottle of sake was already placed in front of me.
"This bottle is on the house, for our hero that saved Konoha," Imano-san said so naturally as he slid the complimentary cup next to the bottle. "If you want, you can stare at it for hours like last time and I promise not to judge."
"That's very kind of you, Imano-san, but it's not necessary," I told him as soon as I processed his words. "Protecting our home, that's what every Konoha shinobi would have done."
Imano-san shook his head at that as if I didn't get what he meant. "Of course, all of our shinobi are brave and resilient, definitely heroes to us. But 'heroes of war' are special in that they bring reassurance and hope to people."
"I've fought in the Second Shinobi War, survived the Third, and now, lived through this one. Abilities, actions, and thoughts, war heroes are rare precisely because they need to have all of them," Imano-san said, pausing a little as he turned his body and showed me the photos hanging behind the bar.
"I lost my son in the Third Shinobi War, and I would have lost my granddaughter too if you didn't protect her from the meteorite." A smile stretched on his face as he looked at the young kunoichi holding her hitai-ate, standing proud in the picture. Then, he turned to me again and said, "so, please enjoy the drink, or if you just want to stare at it, be my guest."
Yeah, I realized that my weird behaviour a year ago made quite an impression on him. With a small laugh, I poured myself a cup of sake and told him, "Thank you then, and I don't stare at sake anymore."
With ease, I downed the liquor in one go, feeling the burn that rushed through my throat, before tasting the bittersweet flavour that was buried deep.
Sure enough, some alcohol went down the throat and even Anko's tactless words became tolerable. In fact, I only had to sit through a few more minutes of teasing before the gossip moved to somewhere else.
"Oh, Kurenai and Asuma are planning their wedding soon! Maiko, you should write to Fuu and tell her about it, she was so invested in their love story," Yugao said all the while shaking my shoulder nonstop to get her point across. Now that she didn't need to act like the responsible senpai in front of me and Fuu, she was not purging the alcohol with chakra as thoroughly as she should.
"Yeah, I'll do that," I answered, prying my shoulder out of her death clutch. Speaking of Fuu, that reminds me, "Yugao, when Fuu comes to visit, please do not say a word to her about any of this. Not my stupid crush, not my impulsive confession, and definitely not the parties involved."
Fuu did promise me that she would laugh at me to the world's end if I ended up developing a crush, as payback for teasing her. Knowing Fuu, she would absolutely cash out on it and that was something I could do without.
"Yeah, of course, my lips are sealed. You know how reliable I am." hmm, I don't know about that.
When I gave her a look of skepticism, she had the guts to look offended. With a pout, she turned to her boyfriend and asked, "Hayate, tell her I'm great at keeping secrets."
Hayate was also a little drunk, but not as drunk as Yugao and Anko, so he had the decency to hesitate. But of course, a glare from Yugao and he was surrendering. "Of course, you're very reliable and great at keeping secrets."
Huh, whatever, it's questionable if she'll even remember this conversation, I'll just have to remind her when we're sober - as long as I can remember it.
"Kurenai!" Anko shouted all of a sudden. It took me a second to realize that she didn't just have a lagging reflex to our conversation, but that the Jonin was actually here, making her way over.
"I see that you guys are very drunk," Kurenai commented when she saw Anko's torso sprawled across the bar top, looking as if she had no spine.
"Nonsense, we're just getting started," Anko said and I would have to disagree with that, silently.
"We're just talking about your upcoming wedding. Congratulations again!" Yugao said from the side, making Kurenai burst into light-hearted laughter while radiating an aura of joy.
"Since we're on that topic, I'm glad that I caught you guys here," Kurenai said as she pulled a stack of cards from her storage seal. It wasn't until she handed one to Anko and another to Yugao that I recognized them to be invitation cards, to a wedding scheduled in a month.
"I would mail these out to make the invitation more proper, except that some of us don't have an address yet." Anko let out a groan of pain when she heard that. Yeah, her old apartment building was yet to be rebuilt completely, so she was still living in one of the underground shelters along with quite a few other shinobi. "I figured it would be easier if Asuma and I just hand them out as we meet people around the village."
There was a pause before she turned to me and handed me a card as well, much to my surprise. For sure, I would send them a wedding gift along with my blessing, but an invitation to the actual wedding was usually reserved for those that were more than just acquaintances.
But the fine ink on the card had indeed spelt out my name, along with that of my family, extending the invitation to not just me, but Itachi, Sasuke, and Ryuu as well. I was getting confused, so to cope with that, I gulped down another cup of sake with the illusion that the burns from the liquid could make my head clearer.
Thankfully, Kurenai didn't seem to take offence to that. With a gentle tone, she said, "Uchiha-san, I know that we haven't known each other beyond a few Jonin gatherings, and only really through Kakashi as a mutual friend."
Yugao coughed violently at those last words and I had to send her a glare that told her to stop before I could lose it.
"But … both Asuma and I think we should at least make the invitation, after all, Asuma owes his life to you," Kurenai explained and I suddenly remembered the image of Gai and Asuma who made it to my Susanoo just in time before the meteor fell. But then again, they were out in the open because they were trying to rescue those that were disoriented after being brought back amidst the destruction.
"Our family wouldn't be complete and our future wouldn't be the same without your actions - all of you." My breath stilled, not because of her kind words, but at the tiny, unconscious gesture Kurenai made as she placed her hand on her stomach. It was just a light brush, but the overwhelming light of happiness that graced Kurenai's eyes more or less confirmed the implication.
"You're too kind, Yūhi-san. Please just call me Maiko. We'll make sure to come to the wedding and bring our blessings," I told her a moment later, giving her the brightest smile I could find. "Truly, congratulations, for everything."
Kurenai didn't miss the hidden meaning in my words - it wasn't even an hour yet and I already missed talking to sober people - and replied with a chuckle, "Only if you call me Kurenai as well."
After Kurenai exited the tavern, I had to take a deep breath to calm down the emotions that bubbled up in my chest, adding to the alcohol's effort in making my head spin. I leaned towards Yugao and placed my forehead on her arm, before closing my eyes to tune out all those sensory feedbacks.
"Are you alright?" Yugao asked in a light voice, sounding a little worried. I was reminded again that she only brought me here with the intention of making me feel better. In fact, she was the one that encouraged and helped me integrate into her social circle. In that sense, even the unhinged, tactless Anko seemed like an aspect that I needed in my life.
"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just …" feeling really glad for what I could do. My words died into soft breathings when language itself was not enough to express the thoughts going through my head.
Shodaime told me during the final battle that great powers brought despair, both to the enemy and to oneself. As more and more of the sorrows and losses of war seemed to settle in, I felt like I could understand his words a lot more vividly.
Of course, that didn't mean that I had suddenly fallen into a pit of despair and decided that Madara's twisted philosophy had an ounce of salvation in them. But to reach an understanding - a conclusion - the process of questioning was inevitable.
So, the scene of the village being crushed by Madara's meteor would sometimes resurface in my memory as my sharingan recorded everything beyond that veil of silver being annihilated. On rare occasions, I couldn't help but wonder if it would be better for powers of such calibre - the powers that those with Mangekyou like us had - to have never surfaced in the world.
But for now, I couldn't be happier, to hear and see for myself not the destruction that such powers had brought, but the happiness they helped to forge. From the grandfather who treasured the company of his granddaughter, to a future child that could grow in the presence of both their parents, in a village that aspired to be full of freedom, hope, and prosperity.
And Kakashi has already assured me the same thing too.
"Is this about your unrequited love? Are you sad? I told you, you just need one night—" I had to slap a hand to Anko's mouth to stop her from spouting out whatever nonsense was going through her head.
"Shut up, Anko. I don't need a reminder!" Yeah, I spoke too soon. I don't think this is an aspect that I need in my life.
I considered myself really lucky in that I had the time to get some sleep, purge away my hungover, and erase all signs of me trying to drink my problems away when the small slug appeared in my bedroom with a poof of air.
"Tsunade-sama has requested your presence, Maiko," the little Katsuyu told me in a tone that sounded awfully ominous and disconcerting.
"I really hope that this is not about my Clan," I couldn't help but mutter.
"Thankfully, no. Although, I doubt that you'll find this topic to be of your liking either." Katsuyu-sama was not mincing her words. There was a pause as she debated if it was acceptable for her to give me a heads up. Eventually, the isolation of the Uchiha Compound won her over and she finished her sentence.
"Kiri has found Hoshigaki's trace. The Mizukage wants Konoha to live up to their end of the bargain and retrieve Samehada."
(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ fuwa~fuwa~desu~~~
Kakashi thought that they could at least wait a few more days so that their intentions were not painted on their faces in bold strokes. But he supposed that it wouldn't fool anyone no matter how long they waited, so at least they saved Kakashi some time by discarding the facade.
"Is this all you want to bring up, Shimura-san?" Kakashi asked, allowing himself to glance over the scroll one more time, where signatures of half a dozen smaller clans decorated the bottom half of the scroll, all in support of a proposal written above.
The proposal for the Uchiha Clan to be relocated to a smaller area and their current land to be repossessed by Konoha, for purposes that would 'benefit' the village.
Then, he raised his eyes so that they would land on the man who brought the proposal forward - led this, orchestrated this - and made sure that the weight of his gaze sat. Unsurprisingly, the words stuck in the man's mouth, forcing him to sit up a little straighter under the pressure.
The Head of the Shimura Clan who succeeded Danzō did not bring a tenth of the presence that his very troublesome predecessor held, but nevertheless, he was brave in all the wrong ways.
It took the man a few moments to reel himself back in; to remember that he was more than two decades Kakashi's senior, and to remember why he was here in the first place.
"Yes, Commander Hatake," Shimura-san nodded, feeling his smugness return to him as he glanced at all the signatures on the scroll, backing him up like imaginary armies. "We only bring this up because we want the best for Konoha. Such an arrangement will benefit everyone."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that, waiting for Shimura to keep going. It wasn't because he was curious about his grand vision to make the village great again, but he wanted to give the man a chance to finish his piece, to see how far he was willing to go.
"Surely, the Uchiha would feel honoured to be relocated to the centre of the village. With their size, what need do they have for empty lands at the village's outskirts?" Shimura said, pausing a little as he let the feigned worry fill his expression. "If that's not the case, then given the history of the Uchiha Clan, I - and the other smaller clans - can't help but worry a little about their intentions for isolating themselves from the village."
For a second, Kakashi said nothing. Then, he gave the man a smile - the kind that looked ominous because of his mask and grayed-out eye and whatnot, but no one could find a fault in - and asked, "I see that the explanation about the Uchiha Massacre is giving you and the other clan heads quite a scare."
"I—Well, yes. Who would have imagined?" Shimura stumbled a little in words, but he was still determined to drive it home that it was the sudden disclosure of the Uchiha Rebellion that made him and the other Clan Heads act out of their concern.
Bullshit. It was only yesterday that the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre was disclosed to the public. To have gathered all these clans and come up with such a narrative would have been an ongoing effort, probably going as far back as when the Uchiha siblings had declined the offer of relocation.
Tsunade-sama had respected what the Uchiha had wanted, but it seemed that others were already vying for what wasn't theirs. The truth behind the Uchiha Massacre was but an excuse to justify their greed that arrived at the perfect time.
"What would you have proposed that the village use that strip of land for, Shimura-san?" Kakashi asked, hiding his anger with politeness, leading the man to spill out more of what he thought he could hide.
"So many things, Commander Hatake. Residences, businesses, factories … The village is in need of such things to make up for what is lost, to grow even stronger and more prosperous. I'm certain that many merchants and nobles from Fire Country would fight for a chance to expand their businesses to Konoha." Shimura answered, even looking a little proud of himself for thinking with such grand vision.
Ah, so that's what it is. Whether it was for a civilian country or a shinobi village, the land was precious because it brought profit and labour. Someone - or perhaps more than one - had connected with the Shimura Clan Head, hoping that the man could help to free the land that was strapped by a decimated clan.
Which party reached out first did not matter, for the Shimura Clan Head would no doubt be gaining benefits - favours from nobles, economic gains, perhaps - from such arrangements. And looking at this, he was bold and stupid enough to try.
"For certain, the village will have to work to rebuild itself and try to advance in the economy, but confiscating lands from those that would give up their lives to protect the village is not one of the methods." With that, Kakashi had no patience left to deal with this farce. "The Uchiha Clan does not want to move from their allocated space and that is final."
The Shimura Clan Head had the guts to look shocked at the sudden change in attitudes. It was as if his brain had forgotten that Kakashi was one of the two that helped Uchiha Maiko execute Danzō, that he was a Jonin team leader to Uchiha Sasuke. But the man soon picked up the details and he scoffed at Kakashi, with a tone that was nothing but patronizing.
"Perhaps your closeness with those Uchiha youngsters makes you biased, Commander Hatake, but when you're at my age and with more experience, you'll learn to put those feelings behind the good of the village," Shimura said, a warning just visible in his words.
"I'm not the only one in this village that questions the matter of fairness, for a clan that only has three members - four if you want to count the impulsive decision of that young girl - to own a share of land that big when it can be used for the greater goods." There was a pause as the man tread the line, before finally deciding to cross it.
"The Uchihas left might have been heroes of war, but their clan is a different matter. After all, given what the Uchiha Clan had planned to do in the past, many would even question if they can be considered a clan of Konoha anymore. They should be grateful to be given land as an acknowledgement of their clan's existence."
This was probably one of the things that Maiko was bracing herself for, Kakashi realized. Not just the prejudice, but those that would try to use such prejudice - the irrational fear of the people that didn't know better or couldn't think for themselves - for their own gain. To do that, they would spread the prejudice, fuel it, and make it hell for everyone affected by it.
Kakashi couldn't erase all the prejudice - not fast enough, not all at once - but what he could do, at this current position, was to prevent the ones that held such prejudice or wanted to use such prejudice from clutching onto powers.
"There is another party involved in the tale of the Uchiha Clan, I'm sure you remember, Shimura-san," Kakashi said in a calm and steady voice, but the man's face nonetheless blanched a little as the name 'Shimura Danzō' appeared in his mind.
"Of course, Konoha doesn't blame the action of one man's wrongdoing to the entire clan, nor does it condemn those that are related to treasonous individuals when they had no hand in such things," Kakashi continued before the Shimura Clan Head could interrupt, making the man choke on his own defensive lines. He hoped that the sarcasm reached and that it seared like fire.
"But I just remembered that Shimura Danzō was suspected to use a part of the Shimura Compound to train and hide his soldiers, using it as nodes of communication for Root. After all, he spent quite a bit of time in it, all the while scheming behind the Hokage's back. Out of the faith Konoha has for the rest of the Shimura Clan, we didn't conduct thorough searches before and after Danzō's execution." Once again, Kakashi gave the man a smile, but the warning in this one was obvious.
"But if we have to talk about fairness in light of what has been revealed, then it's only fair that Konoha wards off the Shimura Compound to conduct thorough examinations, making sure that none of Danzō's records were being missed and that there is no one else associated with and continuing its terrible legacy, all on the basis of fair assumption, of course."
"You … that's preposterous!" Shimura screamed out as he stood up in a rage, a sharp contrast to Kakashi's calm demeanour, and Kakashi wasn't even finished.
"Anyway, if that's underway, then I can't guarantee when it will be finished. The more time we spend warding off the area, the more likely that news of what it's for will reach the populace. Will that be a problem for you, Shimura-san?" Kakashi asked, tilting his head up a little to meet the man that was standing with tightened fists.
Wish upon others what you would wish upon yourself. If Shimura - or anyone for that matter - didn't understand that, then Kakashi didn't mind helping him see reason.
As lies unravelled and dignity became undone, all that was left was for the man to curse Kakashi out of empty rage. "Is this what Konoha's Jonin Commander is reduced to, one that shows blatant favour for some over others? Or perhaps that Uchiha girl has finally whispered in the right pillow. Isn't she a little young for that?"
If that was his best insult, then Kakashi thought that Shimura would have to do better. A few months ago, he might have been more enraged by the suggestive words. He still was, but it just didn't have quite the shock when Maiko already poked through the window and forced him to think about all the implications of her confession.
"If you have a problem with my capability and fairness, you can always take it up with Hokage-sama." Kakashi shrugged, even waving his hand in the direction of the Hokage Office.
In fact, it was Tsunade-sama who pushed off dealing with Shimura and his ridiculous proposal to Kakashi. Whether that was because she didn't want to deal with the headache, or if she wanted Kakashi to experience more of the challenges that greeted the leader of a village, she made it clear that Kakashi was doing the work for this one.
"Will that be all, Shimura-san?" Kakashi repeated his question at the beginning of the meeting and this time, Shimura didn't need another hint to tell him that they were done here. With angry glares, the man flung his sleeves in frustration as he stormed out of Kakashi's office.
Kakashi waited a few seconds, closing his eyes to think about all that had transpired and all that needed to be done. Then, he knocked on his desk. A shadow flickered onto the rim of the window, revealing the bear mask he was familiar with.
"Give me the list of people that Shimura Heisuke has met up with recently, making special notes of those that have inquired about Konoha for land acquisition and development," Kakashi ordered and Tenzō nodded, being the leader of one of the Anbu teams that Tsunade-sama had assigned to him.
"Investigate the other Clan Heads on this list as well, give me the frequency of their recent and future meetings with Shimura Heisuke and with each other," Kakashi added after some thoughts. To see if the other Clan Heads were just being used by Shimura or if they were also in for the profit, that might be a harder task and would certainly make Kakashi's days boring.
After the Anbu left for their assignments, Kakashi let his senses expand, to search for the familiar chakra scent that belonged to the person that occupied his thoughts. He should probably let Maiko know and of course, he wasn't going to use messenger hawks or summoning seals as a normal person would.
He found her to be just outside Konoha, speeding away at lightning speed with every passing second until she was but a faint trace that lingered in his mind.
Right, Tsunade-sama must have filled her in about Kiri's request.
Shaking away the irritation that tugged at his heart, Kakashi walked to the Uchiha Compound anyway because they deserved to know the schemes being brewed behind their backs, even if Maiko had other duties that she must attend to.
As he stood outside the Main House - the wall that used to surround the Uchiha Compound was long destroyed and had yet to be rebuilt - he thought that if Sasuke was the one that opened the door, he might slam it back at Kakashi's face without letting him say a word.
With a muted click, the door was opened, revealing Itachi as he examined the visitor.
"Maiko left for Kirigakure already." That was the first thing Itachi said and Kakashi had no doubt that he knew.
"Yes, I know." Kakashi let those words escape his mouth before he could think twice about it. Only when Itachi raised an eyebrow at him did he realize that there were a few ways for his words to be interpreted. One would make him sound like a coward and the other would make him sound like a creep.
But to be fair, neither was wrong.
"I felt her scent leaving the village." Kakashi tried anyway, not that it would make it better. He was sure that any shred of respect Itachi had for him as his old Anbu Captain - if it didn't already get washed away by this thing between him and Maiko - was dissipating with every word he let out of his mouth.
"But there's some news that I have to share with a member of the Uchiha Clan, even if Maiko is not here." A small stretch of silence, then Itachi moved out of the way and invited Kakashi in.
The news took about three minutes to share. Kakashi never needed to go too far into the details with Maiko or Itachi, for they were always sharp and intuitive.
"I won't let Shimura - or anyone else in his league - stir up anything," Kakashi declared with a confidence that he didn't know he had, but Itachi just stared at him through his new glasses, which was unsettling in a different way than being examined at by his sharingan.
"Thanks for the warning. We'll look out for those that pay special attention to the land of the Uchiha Compound," Itachi said and Kakashi nodded, ready to take his leave after a whole five minutes spent here.
"Maiko will be relieved, hearing your words," Itachi spoke up all of a sudden, as he pushed a cup of piping hot tea forward. The undertone of 'Please stay for some tea. I insist' was relayed loud and clear as the warmth from the cup seeped through Kakashi's glove and straight into his skin.
"She was annoyed at Kirigakure's timing and the fact that she had to leave right after the disclosure, knowing that something like this might happen." Itachi took a sip of his own cup, compelling Kakashi to do the same. The aroma from the tea tasted refreshing and expensive, as expected of Maiko's tea collection.
"Oh, I supposed that she's also annoyed having to leave for an indefinite time when her relationship with you still hasn't been sorted out yet." Kakashi almost choked at how nonchalant Itachi sounded when he said those words. But then again, Kakashi couldn't imagine any other reason why Itachi would want someone like him to stay over for tea.
"But it's not like there's a deadline, so don't mind me," Itachi continued as if he hadn't just judged Kakashi's indecisiveness - rightfully so, but still. "As long as in the end, you're sure that you've thought it through and will have no regret."
There was a pause before Kakashi let out a sigh of defeat. "Trust me, thinking is all I've been doing."
"The Uchiha experiences love and emotions differently. We feel so much because our Sharingan won't ever let us forget the love that graced us, from the moment it's born to the moment it's torn away from us," Itachi explained after finally deciding to take pity on Kakashi. "It's what we come to learn, accept, and even harness as power. But I'm sure it's old knowledge for you."
"Be proud of your love and hate; suffer because of your love and hate," Kakashi muttered unconsciously, remembering those words - a mantra, a belief, a reassurance - that helped him stay afloat in the swirl of emotions that came with his gifted sharingan and later, a scarred Mangekyou.
Upon the inquisitive glance from Itachi, Kakashi explained, "It's what Maiko used to say, to help me learn and control my sharingan."
"Is that so? Couldn't have summarized it better myself." Itachi let out a smile at that and Kakashi could see the endless pride he had for his sister, the same as what Kakashi had come to feel as he watched Maiko grow to her roles and beyond.
The feelings should have ended there, but Kakashi knew that they didn't.
"I treasure her, greatly," Kakashi told Itachi, finally deciding to put into words the feelings that had tumbled in his brain for months. He didn't have the sharingan anymore to remind him of those flickering emotions and those details of love, but his heart remembered all the same.
"As much as I tried to deny it in my early years for fears of troublesome attachment, Maiko was my protégé, someone I should have been teaching and protecting." Not that Kakashi did a very good job of it; his first long-term mentoring gig was full of trial and error.
And it was precisely his immaturity that made him wonder, did he do something he shouldn't have, to turn those feelings of reliance and trust into something more? All the more reasons telling him that he should know better, that he shouldn't take advantage of those trust and attachment that arose because Maiko had no one else in her most vulnerable times.
"As she grows older, she'll fall in love again and realize that she has more options than me." She'll realize that she can do much better than me.
Kakashi was nine years older than her, battered by two wars and too many deaths. He was already half-expired, really, based on the average lifespan of a shinobi in his time, but Maiko was still so young and had so much in her life. It was almost a sin, Kakashi thought, for him to tie her down like that.
Yet, despite knowing that, Kakashi couldn't let go, even if all it took was a simple rejection.
It didn't help when Itachi gave him a look that said he was a little stupid. Okay, this is where the family resemblance really shows beyond appearances.
"Maiko is not a sheltered girl; she has probably seen more kinds of people, more beauties and flaws of humanity than many twice her age." Itachi was just short of snorting at him as if saying that Kakashi held too much self-importance in himself.
"Perhaps you did influence a number of aspects in her life - her belief, her morality, and her standards. But in a relationship, influences are reciprocal," Itachi said, tapping his teacup ever so slightly while the rest of his words flowed out with the rhythm. "You changed her, but she also did a number on you."
That, Kakashi had no choice but to agree. He might have lost his sharingan, but what Maiko instilled in him still remained. He let this situation drag on because he learned what it was like to be proud of his love and he didn't want to forget it.
When Maiko opened the dam between them - no shame, no uncertainty - Kakashi was forced to rename the feelings that flooded him. He marvelled at the fact that his heart still had the capacity to love, to feel so much. He was amazed by the clarity of his feelings, by how easily the different loves mixed together to form something distinct that belonged only to her.
Kakashi had no doubt that he had fallen - despite his morality telling him that he was horrible for doing so - yet, he had the time to marvel at the sight of free fall.
"Maybe some time apart will do both of you some good." Itachi decided to end the tea party there, despite Kakashi still having close to a full cup left, further showing that it was never about the tea.
"Despite some issues, Kakashi, I do hold respect for your character and consider you a good friend," Itachi said as he sent him out the door. Kakashi wondered if it really was necessary for him to say the first part, but Itachi had been making profound points despite the little jabs here and there, so he listened on as Itachi finished his words.
"There are already too many loves that got reduced to a marking in our eyes. So, don't let what's still thriving so vividly decay into regret."
A/N: Otherwise known as "In which Kakashi gets relationship advice from all the right people, and Maiko gets them from all the wrong ones."
I was like, yeah, this will be short, I'll figure love out, maybe one chapter and it'll all be solved. But as you can see, this is part 1, so it's not getting solved in one chapter, but 2 chapters for sure! It was supposed to feel good, I promise!
The title 月下美人 (Gekka Bijin), meaning 'Beauty under the Moon' is the Japanese name of a common Night-Blooming Cereus.