The destruction of Tsuji Town has left many in despair. It's always been a small and peaceful place, a crossroads of sorts that connects the Land of Fire to its northeastern neighbours- the Lands of Rice Fields and Hot Waters. There's never been any real significant events that happen here and yet these past weeks have turned everything on its head. First a bunch of thugs coming in and threatening them and now their whole lives have been uprooted and their homes destroyed.
All of this while the town still hadn't fully recovered from its destruction during the War.
There is at least one saving grace, that Naruto Uzumaki is here to help.
First things first, he and Hinata gather up all the unconscious Jashinists and she carefully looks them over with her [Byakugan]. This time she learns from her previous mistake and looks close for any hidden poison pills. As expected, she finds them.
"They all have poison pills in their teeth, just like the other two." She looks toward Reisaku. "Except for him."
"Guess he didn't think he'd get caught?"
"I suppose not. We need to remove them, we can't make the same mistake twice."
Hinata carefully reaches into one of the cultists' mouths and yanks the poison pill safely out. Naruto starts doing the same to the others. It feels a little gross to rummage through people's mouths but it's something that needs to be done. As Hinata said, they've learned from their mistake.
Once that's done, there's one thing left to decide.
"So what do we do with them?" Naruto asks.
A bit of a distance away, observing the two shinobi's process, is a crowd of townsfolk who'd gathered after hearing their oppressors had been taken captive. Hearing Naruto's question, many begin murmuring, some shouting, as they feel the answer to be obvious.
"We kill them, of course!"
"They destroyed our home."
"These thugs kicked us around all they liked, they deserve it."
Many shout in agreement.
Naruto whips his head at them. "We're not killing anyone!" He says loud enough to be heard over the commotion. "That's not how we do things."
"You're shinobi, aren't you? Killing's your job." One man retorts.
Naruto clenches his fist and grits his teeth. "That's not true at all. There's better ways to do things than just killing everyone." He whips around and takes a step closer to the angry mob. He relaxes his posture, knowing he needs to first calm himself before he can calm them. "Look, I know you're hurting. I've been where you are. I know exactly what it's like to find your home destroyed and to have the one responsible in front of you. And…" He briefly glances back to Hinata, "I know what it's like to be angry when the people you care for are hurt. That's why you can't let that anger overtake you!" He makes it a point to look each and every person gathered in the eyes, to take in their pain and anger and meet it with compassion. "Right now there are people and children out there who need your support. The most important thing right now is to help each other through this. Leave these guys to us and I promise they'll get what they deserve. But no matter what, you can't give in to the same impulses that drove them. No matter what, you can't become them."
The townsfolk take a tentative step back and look down. Deep down they know he's right, and they probably knew from the beginning. They look away, ashamed that their first thoughts were ones of revenge, when their friends are out there scouring the wrecks to salvage something, anything.
One man at the front speaks up. "They won't get away, right?"
"You have my word."
The man nods. "Okay. We'll leave it in your hands." He looks back to the others and they all share an affirmative glance. "Alright, we have to save whatever we can! Move out, people."
Naruto smiles that he managed to get through to them and steps back to Hinata. When he gets closer, she reaches up and takes his hand in her own. He smiles and lightly squeezes her hand for comfort.
"How are you feeling?" She asks.
"I'm fine. I'll be better when we figure out what to do now."
She glances down to the unconscious Jashinists "Could we send them back the same way we sent the other two?"
"Through a toad?" Naruto raises a brow. "I guess we could. Shouldn't we wait for the back-up, though?"
Hinata shakes her head. "I understand it may be presumptuous to act on our own like this, but we can't leave them like this. We don't have the means to hold this many prisoners, nor does the town. We need to secure them, and then Lady Tsunade can communicate with the Raikage and Land of Hot Waters representatives."
"Alright, if you say so."
Naruto bites down on his thumb and smears the blood on his palm. After the necessary hand signs, he slams his palm on the ground.
[Ninja Art: Summoning]
In a puff of smoke, the same toad who transported Kinaga and Kogeru appears. He looks around and notes the dozen or so bodies lying on the ground.
"Again?" He croaks.
"Sorry, Gerotoko."
"It's just one of those days, I suppose." Gerotoko sighs.
"These ones are only unconscious, however." Hinata warns him. "Would there be any danger to you, should they wake up early?"
"Have no fear, our toad stomachs are made of sterner stuff. They won't wake up until I spit them out."
With preparations done, Hinata also writes up one more report of the situation, detailing all that happened with the cult and the large creature and the damage that was sustained. She requests immediate aid for Tsuji Town in any form it can be given, preferably construction crews.
With that done, Gerotoko wraps all of the cultists in his tongue and swallows them for transport to the Hidden Leaf. Once he disappears, Naruto and Hinata turn their attention to the multitude of other matters that need tending.
~X~
Currently the number one concern is the flooding; the water just isn't going down and it needs to if they can start rebuilding. The question now is how to accomplish this. Naruto has many talents, but controlling water is not one of them.
While the original deals with the Jashinists, hundreds of [Shadow Clones] roam the ruined town to try and save as much as they can. One Clone in particular stands on a hilltop that overlooks Tsuji Town, along with some of the locals.
"What are we supposed to do about all of this water?" A woman laments.
Naruto carefully looks around the area, taking in all possible options. "There's things we can do. Is there a water source nearby? A river, a lake?"
The woman takes a moment to gather her thoughts. "Um, yes, there's a river about 3 kilometres to the north. It leads to the Land of Hot Waters. Why?"
Naruto rolls his shoulders and cracks his knuckles. "I'll make the water go there?"
She raises a brow. "How?"
"Just watch."
The Clone dashes away and beckons several other Clones to join. "We're making a make-shift river in that direction." He points to the north where he was told the river is.
"Alright!"
"We got this!"
Everyone watches with great interest as two of the [Shadow Clones] all stand opposite each other and seem to gauge and measure distances- between each other, from the water. After a moment of deliberating, the two Clones extend their hand toward one another and gather raw chakra at the base of their palm. The whirling sphere expands and expands until it becomes larger than either one of them.
[Double Massive Rasengan]
They run forward and drag the spiralling spheres on the ground to create a large indentation into the earth. And that's when the townsfolk realise what the plan is, when the water begins to travel along the path these Clones are creating and away from town. The two Clones speed ahead, much faster than the waterflow could possibly keep up while a few others follow suite, just in case those two run out of chakra.
The water level does begin to slowly lower with the new temporary river the Clones are making; it'll take a while for it to all clear but it's a step in the right direction.
~X~
As all of this goes on, Shiina and Kotori look around and marvel at the sight of hundreds of Narutos, all running around and helping go through wrecked houses and salvaging what can be salvaged, clearing debris, and just all around taking care of the town.
"So this is what ninja can do." She says with admiration.
"Well, it's more just me." Naruto lands behind her, followed shortly by Hinata. "Others can't really make this many duplicates." He stops to ponder for a moment. "Although maybe Bee could."
"Aww." Kotori deflates. "It looks so cool, though."
"Every ninja has something they excel at, this is just Naruto's." Hinata says with a smile. "I'm sure you'll have something that you'll excel at."
"Um, I do have this weird thing I can do, but it's not much."
"Oh, may I see it?" Hinata asks.
Kotori pauses for a moment in uncertainty, knowing that whatever it is that she can do is nothing to write home about. These are real shinobi who can do real jutsu, they'd probably just laugh. Still, she said she can do something so it'd be even worse to refuse now.
She reluctantly forms the 'Bird' hand sign and focuses more than she's focused before. After a moment, a single feather materialises in front of her and sways down to the ground. She doesn't even look up to see Naruto and Hinata's reaction.
Hinata grabs the feather before it can fall and looks it over. "Wow, that's really unique! I've never seen anything like it."
Naruto leans over to inspect it, as well. "Yeah, that's really cool jutsu you have."
"But I can't even do anything with it." Kotori mutters.
Naruto straightens himself and crosses his arms. "So what? That just means you gotta keep trying until you can do something with 'em." He looks back to the hundreds of [Shadow Clones] that're scattered throughout. "That Clone jutsu used to be my worst one. I couldn't form a single double that was useable for anything, but look what I can do now."
Kotori slowly looks up to him with even greater respect. "Really?"
"Really." Naruto nods. "As long as you don't give up, you'll figure out where your strengths are."
"Why don't I help you with that, while we're here?" Hinata offers. "Assuming that's okay?" She looks up to Shiina for permission.
Kotori whips her head up to look at her with pleading eyes. "Can we?"
Shiina looks at them both and sighs. "Well, it's not like you've listened to anything I've said recently. Just keep her safe, please."
"I will." Hinata nods. "Let's go somewhere quiet."
"Yay!"
As Hinata and Kotori take their leave, Naruto remains on the rooftop for a bit longer alongside Shiina. He feels a tinge of awkwardness as the silence between grows louder. Shiina doesn't appear to be bothered by it, which makes Naruto even more bothered. He knows there're things he needs to say but doesn't quite know how to say it. He can't get a proper read on the orphanage's matron; she seems a bit too composed given the circumstances.
He finally gives in. "You were right. I'm sorry."
Shiina raises a brow. "What for?"
"You said us being here would bring trouble to the town and not even ten minutes later, all of this happened. We just made everything worse."
"Is that why you seemed so tense?" She steps forward to stand side by side with him and look at the dismal view together. "I admit, it'd be very easy to point fingers and say you're the reason they destroyed our town but I don't know if it's that simple. We don't know what these people were doing or what they wanted; they may very well have planned to do exactly this once they were done with Tsuji Town. Which would mean you didn't cause it, you just were present to prevent any casualties."
"You think so?"
"That's what I'd like to think." Shiina reaffirms.
Naruto chuckles. "That's pretty observant of you. You sure you're just a matron?"
"I've been in charge of children for many years, I've had to learn to be less emotional and more patient."
"So being around kids gives you a shinobi's focus, huh?" He laughs.
"You're young, you'll see one day when you have kids of your own." Shiina chuckles.
Naruto pauses for a moment. That's one topic he'd never really needed to think about- being a parent. He spent so much time chasing other goals that having a family of his own hasn't crossed his mind a lot. He's in a relationship with Hinata but is still only beginning to figure this whole thing out. Starting a family with her is still far into the future.
"Maybe."
~X~
Despite it being the same day, the same rather eventful and busy day, Naruto and his army of Narutos have made good progress. The townsfolk are also helping as much as they can but they're still regular people- hardly capable of keeping up with a trained shinobi, least of all Naruto Uzumaki.
The people have bunkered down in the houses on the edge that managed to survive. It's crowded, to say the least, but is currently their only option until the town is back to what it was, which may take a while. However, Naruto has reassured the people that the Hidden Leaf will help with that.
It's later toward the evening, as the sun is just barely visible over the mountains to the west, that Naruto and Hinata sense two presences approaching town the north-east. That's the side of town where everyone is currently gathered with them taking a rest from a day's hard work. They're currently sitting on a bench outside and enjoying a bit of an outdoors gathering as several people have made bonfires and are cooking up a feast. It's impressive how many didn't even remember they were hungry, they were working so much.
Not wanting to cause any alarm, they rise from their seats and slowly go away together.
Kotori begins to get up from her seat and go to them, but Shiina gently grabs her shoulder to stop her.
"Let them be alone for a moment."
"Oh, okay."
Naruto and Hinata don't get too far into the forests out of town until they encounter the foreign two. The groups stop at a clearing in the woods and tentatively make their presences known.
The new arrivals are ones that Naruto vaguely recognizes, both people he's pretty sure he's met before. One is a somewhat bored-looking man of darker skin and white frizzy hair that covers his left eye, and the other is a calculated woman with blonde hair styled in a bob. Interestly, neither of them wear forehead protectors but their flak jackets identify them just as well as being from the Hidden Cloud Village.
Darui and Samui step further into the light.
"Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyūga." Darui addresses them. "So the Leaf sent you two, huh?"
Hinata bows. "They did. We didn't expect you to arrive until tomorrow."
"We wound up leaving earlier to get a scope of the situation."
"I know you!" Naruto points dramatically. "You were with the Raikage, right?" He then looks over to Samui. "And you… were in the Hidden Leaf?"
"That's right." Darui nods. "We never had a proper meeting, did we? I'm Darui, the boss' right hand man."
"Samui." Samui introduces herself swiftly. "It's good to meet you under slightly better circumstances."
"You two find anything out about our mission?"
"Uhh… about that…"
Naruto and Hinata lead them into the town and give them a look at the situation. The destroyed half of town, the people clustered in the remaining half and trying to make the best of it. Darui and Samui take a moment to process the sight before them and get their thoughts in order.
"It seems we keep meeting in the ruins of towns." Samui notes.
Naruto chuckles lightly. "Maybe I'm just bad luck?"
"I assume there's an explanation?" Darui asks.
"It's slightly long and we still don't understand most of it, but…" Hinata begins.
Naruto and Hinata take the time to run Darui and Samui through everything that happened. The two Jashinists they encountered in the forest and their fate, their arrival in Tsuji Town, the immediate mobilisation of the remaining Jashinists, and of course, the large turtle-like creature that destroyed half of the town.
Darui sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "I think I need a second."
"So the captured Jashinists were sent to the Hidden Leaf?" Samui asks, not needing a second.
Hinata nods. "Yes. I'm aware we acted on our own but we didn't have the means of containing prisoners so we did what we thought best."
"You were right to do so." Samui reassures her. "You had the means to send them away and focus on the task at hand. The Hokage and Lord Raikage can handle the actual details."
"And this… Kappa, you called it?" Darui asks. "It's some kind of ancient threat that was sealed long ago?"
Naruto nods. "That's what Kurama said."
"We need to get word to the boss as soon as possible."
"He should already know." Naruto says. "I talked to the Tailed Beasts, and Bee was there, too. They're gonna tell all the Kage about this."
"Right, sorry." Darui sighs. "Why does it feel like we're already going to face something serious?"
"Right now we should focus on what's in front of us. Our hunting mission has turned into a foreign aid mission." Samui says.
"You're right." Darui says, then turns to Naruto and Hinata. "It might be a bit dull, but I'll help with what I can."
"Thank you." Hinata bows.
Kotori trudges through ankle-deep water with much greater effort than she should. Each time she lifts her leg she feels a greater weight on her feet to the point where she has to drag her feet on the muddy ground.
She tries to call for help, she wants to, but for some reason she can't. Her lips refuse to part for anything other than a soft whimper.
Panic begins to wash over her as she reaches the point where she can barely move. She looks up and is relieved to see Shiina ahead of her in the street. She pushes on through with all of her might and as painstaking as it is, manages to make progress. She reaches out a hand to grab onto Shiina's hand or her dress or anything but before she can do anything, she falls down.
She sinks deep underwater, in a massive well that wasn't there before. She tries to struggle and swim up but the water becomes heavier than ever; she can't do anything. Shiina's barely visible form shrinks.
She's sinking. She's alone. She can't do anything but sink.
She tries one last time to call out for help but all that does is send water rushing into her mouth. She can't breathe.
Her vision becomes blurred, the light growing dimmer as she continues to sink.
Until a violet light shines through the top of the surface, in the shape of a flower. Kotori can just barely make out someone swimming toward her when…
Kotori jumps up in her bed with a panicked scream. In her disorientation, she tries to shift around and fight against an unexisting current of water but when she tries to move her hand, she finds it held by something. She senses someone gently holding her hand and turns, expecting to see Ms Shiina but is instead met by the concerned pale eyes of Hinata.
"It's alright." Hinata whispers. "You're safe."
Kotori's breathing becomes strained as she looks around the make-shift quarters. The kids from the orphanage were assigned this room, a bit more cramped than before, but it's the situation they'll have to deal with for now. They've received spare mattresses and futons to sleep in.
"Where-" Kotori wipes her eyes. "I was just…" She fears finishing the sentence and the nightmare she just had.
"It was just a bad dream. Do you need something? Water?" Hinata asks.
Kotori shakes her head. "No."
Hinata squeezes her hand. "You should lie back down. It's been a heavy day."
"I… don't think I can."
"Do you want me to stay with you?"
Kotori remains still for a moment before nodding.
"Do you want to take a walk instead?"
Kotori nods.
"Alright. Let's go."
Hinata helps Kotori get up from her futon and leads the girl outside, making sure they didn't make too much noise to wake anyone else up. It looks like they didn't. They make their way outside in the middle of night, much darker than usual since the flood took out most of the town's power. The outer parts are mostly fine for now but there's an eerie darkness that envelops the ruined parts.
Contrary to what she would've thought, there actually are other people out and about even in the dead of night. However, despite their presence, Tsuji Town remains silent as everyone is in solemn contemplation about what they just lived through. There's an eerie stillness to streets that are filled with people yet seem dead.
The only source of liveliness can be heard from the numerous Narutos that are still working to fix what can be fixed.
"Couldn't sleep?" A voice calls to Hinata and Kotori from above.
They look up to see Naruto sitting cross-legged on the edge of the roof.
"No." Hinata shakes her head. "We decided to get some fresh air." She deliberately omits Kotori's night terror as being the reason they're out.
"Are you still clearing rubble, even this late?" Kotori asks.
"Well, someone has to. The people are at their wit's end and I have the stamina and chakra to go on for a bit longer."
"Is that why you can do what you do, because you have a lot of chakra?"
Naruto nods. "Pretty much, yeah. How strong your chakra is means you can do bigger jutsu."
"So, if I train enough, can I become a giant fox, too?"
Naruto chuckles. "That's… a bit different. That's something only I can do."
"Oh." Kotori deflates a bit; she'd love to turn into a giant fox.
Hinata turns back to her. "Speaking of chakra, how about we train yours?"
"Now?" Kotori looks up to her.
"I don't see why not." Hinata smiles. "Why don't you sit down and show me what hand signs you know?"
"Um, okay." Kotori does as instructed.
She takes a deep breath and begins forming the ones she's familiar with. Of the twelve in total, she gets to five before she has to stop and think. She fumbles with her fingers, trying to remember exactly how the other ones were that she read about.
Naruto hops down from the roof and sits in front of her, by Hinata's side.
"There's this one, too." Naruto shows her one that she's missing, and the others.
Kotori repeats after him.
"Do you sense anything when you do that?" Hinata asks.
"Um, not really?" Kotori asks. "Should I?"
"It depends. It usually takes some time to fully understand what your chakra does." Hinata answers.
Hinata focuses her own chakra to her eyes, veins bulging out and irises becoming more defined than usual.
[Byakugan]
"Woah." Kotori gasps. "Is that a jutsu, too?"
Hinata nods. "It is, but a different kind. It's called the [Byakugan] and it's a bloodline limit, a kekkei genkai, which means only members of my clan are born with it. It's not something anyone can learn."
"So, if you and Naruto have a kid, it'll have it?"
Hinata's face turns beet red. "A chil- I mean, um, uh-" She can't seem to form a coherent sentence.
Naruto avoids looking at either of them, pretending he has an itch to scratch on his temple so he can hide his flushed cheeks with his hand. "I mean, I dunno if- That's a lot-"
They both stumble over each other.
Kotori, for her part, seems oblivious to her involuntary teasing, still in awe at the idea of this jutsu. This is her first time interacting with shinobi, it's a unique learning opportunity.
"So, so, what can it do?" She asks.
Hinata takes a moment to get her throat unstuck. "Um, what it does is.." She turns to point toward the town but as she does, she and Naruto lock eyes. In a moment of uncomfort, they both look away and Hinata simply looks to Kotori to explain after clearing her breath. "I can see everything that's happening around me. Right now, two of Naruto's clones are carrying a large block of cement, over there another one is gathering pieces of splintered wood. I can see everyone inside sleeping."
"Wooooow. That's amazing!"
"It really is." Naruto says. "It's a super strong jutsu."
"But it does a lot more than simply see far away. It can also see your chakra network."
Kotori looks down at her body. "So, like, you can see inside of me?"
"Precisely. We have a unique control of our own and others' chakra network. Try forming a hand sign again."
Kotori does as instructed, eager to see where all of this is going.
When she does, Hinata runs her fingers through Kotori's chakra point. She moves her fingers along the same pathways that the chakra is moving, helping it move forward and mould itself with greater ease.
"Did you feel anything now?"
"I did!" Kotori gives a wide smile. "It was tingly!"
"Each hand sign moves your chakra in a different way and combining different hand signs to mould your chakra is how we create jutsu. Some need more complex combinations and some don't require any."
"Yeah, your eyes did the thing without anything!" Kotori notes.
"Well observed." Hinata smiles.
"My [Shadow Clones] need just one." Naruto motions to the inner parts of town where his doppelgangers are working. "I never was that good at jutsu so most of the things I do don't need any." He chuckles.
"Is that why my feathers don't do anything? Because I'm not doing the right combination?" Kotori questions.
"Perhaps. Or you're just not applying your chakra correctly. Try the other hand signs."
Kotori goes through all of them, with Naruto once again needing to remind her of a few. Each time she does, Hinata guides her chakra so she can better feel how it's being moulded. They go through this motion several times so Kotori can remember exactly how each hand sign functions and how her chakra feels when she forms them. Each time, her grin widens and her unbridled joy is contagious enough that Naruto and Hinata themselves find the innocence they once held when they first learned something.
The three of them continue to do this exercise well after sunrise.
~X~
Over on a nearby roof, one of Naruto's [Shadow Clones] caught wind of what his original is doing and has chosen to sit and watch them as he rests. It feels slightly weird to watch himself doing something. Can you technically stalk yourself? These are the important questions that he wonders when a presence jumps up beside him.
He looks up to see Samui lean on a chimney and cross her arms, also looking to the trio practising hand signs.
As usual, her expression is difficult to read. Not a muscle gives away whether she's curious, annoyed, displeased, happy…
"You're spending an awful lot of time teaching this child. Is she special in some way?" She asks directly.
Naruto scratches his head. "Special? I don't know if I'm the right person to ask, I think everyone's special."
"Everyone?" She raises a brow. "That's quite the statement."
Naruto shrugs. "It's how I see it. Everyone's got their own motivations and goals, their own desires. Some just need a bit of help finding it. I didn't always have people like Iruka-sensei to help me find mine." He looks up to Samui and grins. "If I can be Kotori's Iruka-sensei, then I'll be happy to show her a thing or two."
Samui looks at him for a moment before cracking the lightest of smiles. "You continue to surprise with your actions, Naruto Uzumaki."
"Do I?" He looks back to the practising trio. "I feel it's natural to help people out and guide them."
"Not everyone is cut out to guide others." Samui says.
"But everyone can try and give it their all." Naruto responds with conviction.
Samui remains silent for a moment. "Perhaps." She pushes herself off the chimney and steps toward the edge. "You should rest. Even you can't go on forever."
"I've had enough time to rest."
During the day proper, the people are greeted by new arrivals. Ones expected by the shinobi, although their exact identity comes as a surprise.
After about half a day of exhausting work, a massive feast has been prepared for the workers clearing the ruins of Tsuji Town. The people haven't truly gotten over the loss of their homes but they've begun to focus on the important things- no one was hurt. The losses are purely materialistic and they have the massive help of Naruto and Hinata, and now Darui and Samui, with the promise of more help arriving from the Hidden Leaf.
It's during this afternoon break that one man comes running straight for the shinobi.
"More shinobi have arrived! Two of them." He reports.
The shinobi present exchange a look.
"Looks like the back-up from the Land of Hot Water also arrived." Darui says.
"We should go explain the situation to them." Hinata places her bowl down and stands up.
The rest do the same and they go a bit further away to meet the newly arrived shinobi. It doesn't take long for them to meet up; the man ran ahead to tell the group about the arrivals but they were still not far behind. Shinobi are known to be speedy, after all.
What the four see is a rather surprising sight.
They're met by two shinobi dressed in standard uniform- dark brown clothes with dark green flak jackets. The man of the group has short hair that's held down by a bandana while the woman has shiny flowing hair that reaches just under her shoulders. She's accompanied by a large white tiger that purrs and rubs against her arm as they walk together.
Hinata immediately notes their headbands. One larger triangle flanked by smaller ones that appear to be hidden behind the middle one, creating an illusion of depth.
The Hidden Mountain Village.
The man takes a bow. "Greetings. My name is Takeshi Imori, of the Hidden Mountain Village. These are my companions, Kūga Nekomata," He motions to the woman, "And Setsuen." He motions to the white tiger.
Kūga blows a kiss. "Hello, lovelies."
Hinata returns the bow. "Hinata Hyūga of the Hidden Leaf."
"Naruto Uzumaki, nice to meetcha!"
"Darui of the Hidden Cloud." He introduces himself.
"Samui, of the same." She adds.
"I'm quite familiar with two of you. The Hero of the War and the Raikage's right hand man. Your names precede you. No offence intended toward you." Takeshi looks to Hinata and Samui.
"None taken." Hinata says.
"I'd be quite interested in becoming even more familiar." Kūga smirks to Naruto. "But perhaps that can wait until later. It seems like our mission has changed."
Hinata tries not to show her discomfort at the tone she's clearly directing to Naruto. "Yes, we can relay everything that happened yesterday."
As they run through all the details of what happened, the involvement of the Jashinist cult, the mysterious masked man who summoned what seems to be called a Great Beast, Hinata's mind wanders to the identity of the two shinobi.
There are four nations that border the Land of Fire to the north. To the east is the Land of Hot Waters which previously had the Hidden Hot Waters Village, next to it is the Land of Rice Paddies which previously had the Hidden Sound Village, then is the Land of Woods and the Hidden Mountain Village, and finally the Land of Hills and the Hidden Waterfall Village.
There's an entire nation between the Lands of Wood and Hot Waters, so why would Hidden Mountain shinobi be called for aid?
'I heard the Hidden Mountain had become more active of late. Could they be building alliances, in opposition of the Shinobi Union? The smaller nations most likely still don't fully believe our intentions so I could see that as a possibility.' Hinata muses. 'Are these the first steps?'
Knowing that just thinking about it would get her nowhere, she decides to take on a more direct approach.
"I was surprised to see Hidden Mountain shinobi. We weren't certain who the Land of Hot Waters would send."
"I can imagine." Takeshi responds. "The Land of Hot Waters grew weary since the Fourth Great Ninja War, that they no longer have a hidden village since they disbanded their own years ago. In solidarity, our own daimyō and village leader offered our services should they be needed. We smaller nations must look out after each other, after all."
"Solidarity is important, I agree." Hinata smiles. 'So are they forming their own coalition? Or is it a simple alliance?'
As if reading her mind, Takeshi's next words seem chosen to alleviate her worries. "However, we're pleased to get the chance to work with this new Union, even though our joint missions went awry. Our leader believes in the future the Shinobi Union sees, so we hope to continue working together."
"I hope so, as well."
"As much as I would like to sit down and speak more, we do have a job to do." Takeshi says. "I'm something of a medic, if people here are in need."
"There are no life-threatening injuries, but I believe looking some people over wouldn't hurt."
"Excellent. Lead the way."
Kūga hops forward and hooks her arm under Naruto's, getting far too close for comfort. "And you can put me to work anywhere you like." She winks.
Naruto lets out a nervous laugh as he tries to not to be pressed against, difficult as it is when she's clinging this closely. "Uh, sure, we got plenty of stuff that still needs moving."
Hinata frowns at the woman's brazenness, but doesn't make a scene as she drags Naruto into the distance. She knows full well Naruto wouldn't be lulled by someone like that. They also have much work to do and can't get distracted.
~X~
Thanks to Naruto's quick rise to action, nobody has any actual serious injuries. Most of them are minor scrapes and bruises sustained in the panic of the flooding. Still, he designates an area as a make-shift clinic and sets up what little gear he has with the help of the townsfolk. Even if they're minor, he can still alleviate their pains.
He goes over the injuries with a hand of shining silver chakra, although it's not just medical ninjutsu that he uses. During the procedures, he also massages the spots to get the muscles going so they're not tense after the sudden disappearance of what was ailing them.
Kotori watches on with wide eyes from the doorway. "Woah."
"Do you want to take a better look?" Takeshi asks her without taking his eyes off the patient.
"Um, may I? The doctor always said he shouldn't be bothered while working."
"Well, I'm a bit of a different doctor."
Kotori steps in and carefully watches the chakra that emanates from Takeshi's hand.
"Is this your first time seeing medical ninjutsu?" Takeshi asks.
"Is that what it is?"
He nods. "It's a special ninjutsu that speeds up the body's natural healing properties. It can go away with something minor like these bruises, to a life-threatening stab wound. Well, that's the gist of it, at least. There's a bit more to it."
"Can anyone learn this?"
"Anyone who puts in the time and effort. It's a bit more complicated than normal but well worth it, I think."
"I did learn a little about kekkei genkai and other powerful jutsu. I wonder if there's other things I can learn."
"Oh, there's plenty. Just give it time and you'll find where your specialties lie."
"Thanks, mister." Kotori grins. "I should get going, Naruto and Hinata promised to show me some more cool stuff!" With that, she skips out the door.
Takeshi chuckles. "Energetic kid."
The man he's treating laughs. "Yeah, she's always like that. Full of energy, going on about how she'll be a ninja."
Later in the afternoon, Setsuen is the first to notice something amiss. At least according to her. Maybe it's her feline instincts kicking in to spot small prey but she does spot a bird swirling in the air above them in a rather odd pattern. It doesn't seem to be looking for anything, or going anywhere, it's just spinning in a circle.
Kūga notices her feline companion acting more like a predator than usual and looks up, as well. She observes for a moment, noting the bird's odd behaviour but also noting that it doesn't seem to actually look like any bird she's familiar with, and the colouration seems to be unnaturally dark.
"Now what do you suppose that is?" Kūga points up, drawing the attention of the shinobi around her.
Darui looks up and squints to see what she's seen. "It looks like a bird to me."
"It doesn't act like a bird. Could it be a spy, leftover from the Jashinists?" Kūga proposes.
"Difficult to say. It could just be a messenger; Naruto and Hinata did send word to the Hidden Leaf." Darui looks around his surroundings to find one particular person who may be able to answer the burning questions. "Hinata!" He calls out to her and motions to the sky. "Are you able to identify that bird?"
Hinata raises a brow at the seemingly odd request but figures it wouldn't be made for nothing. She looks up and focuses her gaze on the creature.
[Byakugan]
Getting a closer look, she immediately recognizes and identifies the bird. And that it's not a bird to begin with.
"Everyone, please gather!" Hinata calls out and hops over to where Darui and Kūga are. Naruto, Samui, and Takeshi join them in the clearing after being called to.
Naruto looks up and grins as he immediately recognizes what this is. "Looks like we got a message."
Hinata unfurls a scroll on the ground and the moment she does, the bird dives down at great speeds. The ones unfamiliar with this step back in surprise as the bird hits the scroll and splashes into a puddle of ink. After a second, the ink shifts about and twists to form a message. She picks it up and begins reading through it silently.
"Can always trust in Sai's jutsu." Naruto chuckles.
Takeshi looks on with admiration. "I know the Hidden Leaf is home to many interesting jutsu, but this is truly something else."
"Right?" Naruto beams with pride, as if he had something to do with Sai's jutsu. "The guy who sent this, his name's Sai. He's real strong, and a good friend."
"What does the message say?" Samui asks.
Hinata lowers the scrolls. "The Analysis Team went through the memories of the first two we sent. Apparently the Jashinists were trying to recreate a long lost jutsu- the immortality that Hidan of the Akatsuki has. For that they've been gathering chakra from killed shinobi and trying to refine it."
"So why this place exactly? It's a bit dull, I don't see how it furthered their plans." Darui says.
"It looks like they chose it simply out of convenience. They have a base in the nearby cliffs that they've been operating out of, that made for a good hiding location. There's a map on how to get there." She shows them the scroll, where the words have now shifted to form a crude map with an arrow pointing southward to the cliffs.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Kūga says. "Let's go see what they've hidden away."
"There's… just one issue…" Hinata looks to Naruto with a mortified expression. "According to Ino, there were 15 Jashinists in total. The two we encountered in the forest, the ten we defeated, the one in the mask… That's 13 in total."
"Then where're the other two?"
"All the more reason to hurry." Samui says. "They may have cleared their base of anything useful."
The shinobi all rush out, following the map.
Sai's [Super Beast Scroll] really is something else. As they move closer to the ruined part of town, the one that had already been ruined prior, Sai's drawing shifts and morphs to make a more detailed map of the area. It shows the buildings, the road, everything to paint a clear picture of where they must go to reach the hideout. It seems to be actively updating itself.
That makes it all the easier to find the entrance to the hideout, although they don't initially see any entrance. Sai's map shows them they're in the exact place they need to be.
"This is it." Hinata says.
Naruto tilts his head and looks at the stone cliff. "You sure? Doesn't look like an entrance to me."
"Apparently it's hidden away by a powerful barrier, set to only allow the Jashinists entrance. We'll need to find a way to circumvent it." Hinata says.
Naruto cracks his knuckles. "Leave it to me." He opens his palm to begin gathering a powerful mass of swirling chakra. The rotation becomes more and more violent as a whirring sound fills the air, from Wind chakra that's being added to the sphere. "Stand back."
Takeshi raises his hand. "That won't be necessary, I don't think."
Naruto releases his chakra. "Whatcha mean, you know how to get rid of it?"
Takeshi steps closer to the cliffside and inspects the area where the barrier is supposed to be. "Jutsu like this is, after all, made to defend. So most of them have some kind of failsafe in place." He begins tracing his hands along the rocks. "I personally would set up explosions to cause a cave in. Destroy everything inside."
"So then how are we supposed to get in?" Naruto asks.
"This barrier is powerful enough to even trick my [Byakugan]. I could see the stone as if it were real."
"Even you can't see through it?" Darui furrows his brow. "It must be a powerful barrier, then."
"It's only natural." Takeshi continues explaining. "While the [Byakugan] is powerful, it's not all-powerful. Shinobi have needed to create counters for it throughout the years, otherwise the Hyūga would be ruling the world right now." He gives a slight smile.
'Counters. Just like the mask that man was wearing that I also couldn't see through.' Hinata muses. 'I've already encountered so many roadblocks. I still have so much more training… to become more proficient with my [Byakugan] but also to not rely on it as much.'
"So what exactly is the point of this lecture, Takeshi?" Kūga crosses her arms. "He's been like this since the Academy." She shakes her head.
"My point is that every jutsu has a counter or a failsafe. For barriers like this, there's usually a failsafe in case it malfunctions and doesn't do its intended purpose. A way for them to deactivate it. Aha!"
Takeshi slips his fingers between some rocks and feels a shift. A mechanism being activated. After a second, the barrier dissipates and reveals the entrance.
"Nicely done." Samui says as she enters.
They all tentatively make their way inside, with Naruto and Hinata in particular keeping their senses sharp and scanning for any further threats. Almost immediately, Hinata notices a body lying in one of the rooms.
"Over there!" She points to the room. "There's a dead Jashinist."
The group immediately rushes in and they see a male figure lying on the ground, contorted in agony. His clothes are still visibly soaked although it's clear it's not fresh; the ground around him also has a darker tint to it as if water was spilled.
Takeshi kneels down and runs his hand over the dead man's head and throat, his torso; silver chakra emanating from his palm.
After a moment, Takeshi speaks up. "Well, this may have been obvious already but I can confirm he has indeed drowned. Not that long ago, either. Perhaps a day."
"Could it be the masked man?" Hinata muses.
"You think so?" Naruto asks.
"From what I heard around town, he was always different from the rest. The report also said he was the newest addition to the cult- he only joined a couple of weeks ago and no one had even seen his face. He's an enigma. He also used exclusively Water Style."
"Someone who infiltrated the cult." Samui crosses her arms. "But for what purpose?"
"That we unfortunately don't know."
"Are there any other bodies?" Darui asks.
Hinata hesitantly points further down the caverns. She did indeed see something and the sight of it is not at all pleasant. "There's a chamber at the very end which seems ritualistic in nature. There are bodies buried in the walls. One of them is, I believe, the final unaccounted for cultist."
After securing the body of the lone cultist, they make their way to the sacrificial chamber. They note the jutsu formulae that line the walls and ceilings, the sections of the wall that have clearly been dug out. It all paints a picture of what its purpose was.
"This is where they syphoned chakra to try and gain the immortality." Hinata says.
Naruto looks at the make-shift graves with a hint of sadness. "All of these are… the missing people? Their lives lost for nothing."
Darui pats Naruto on the shoulder. "We can't think like that. Whatever happened, they were shinobi until the very end. We're the ones that have to make sure their lives weren't lost for nothing."
Naruto nods. "Yeah, you're right."
Takeshi turns to his companion. "Kūga, do you think you could dig out the bodies?"
"Do I look like an Inuzuka to you, to gleefully play in the mud?" Kūga sighs. "But if it will expedite the process, then I could do it."
"Thank you." Takeshi smiles.
"Just don't look at me, Naruto, I don't want you to see me in such an undignified way." She turns her back to him.
"Um, okay? I won't?" Naruto looks extremely confused.
"I can try and decipher the markings." Darui says.
"I can help with that." Takeshi volunteers.
Samui turns to Naruto and Hinata. "The three of us can go over what they've left behind. See if we can find anything useful."
With everyone's goals clear and set, they begin to work. Kūga and her white tiger companion Setsuen use their sharpened claws to rend the earth and rocks to pieces and clear enough to gather the corpses. Darui and Takeshi make note of the formulae, copying it and deciphering whatever they can. Samui, Naruto, and Hinata look through the rest of the base and can spot evidence that someone had done this before them. There's papers and books scattered and strewn about, furniture that has been tampered with and moved. In the end, they don't really find much that could be of use.
Once the bodies have been taken out and the formulae noted down, Naruto summons several toads from Mt. Myoboku to once again aid him in transporting the bodies. Reluctantly, the toads agree to help.
With that, they can safely say that the ordeal with the Jashin cult has been put to rest.
The second day is when things truly begin to look up for Tsuji Town.
A large group of Hidden Leaf shinobi arrive at dawn, many carrying large storage scrolls that no doubt have in them aid supplies. Naruto and the rest are alerted fairly early on of their arrival as the large group makes no attempt at hiding their presence, knowing that the situation is handled.
When Naruto and Hinata go to meet them, they're surprised by how many of them were actually sent and how quickly they apparently managed to get everything together and arrive this swiftly. They're also surprised by the person who steps forward to greet them as the one most likely being in charge.
A familiar man whose jet black eyes are framed by a happuri-style forehead protector that seems to always give him an eerie appearance even when he isn't trying.
Yamato smiles at them and nods his head in greeting. "Naruto, Hinata, well done on your mission."
"Captain Yamato?!" Naruto shouts in surprise. "What're you doing here?"
"We received your report and it sounded like the people here are in dire need of help."
"It's good to see you again." Hinata bows. "Although I can't say if we did well on our mission."
"The cultists are gone and the people of the town are safe and sound. That was your mission, unforeseen circumstances aside."
"Thank you, sir." She bows again.
"Now then, why don't you give me a rundown of our current circumstances. We have a medical unit to tend to any injured, an aid unit with clothes, food, and other basic necessities, and a relief unit to do any heavy lifting."
Naruto and Hinata show the teams where everything is, what still needs doing, where the people are gathered and what they still need in order to be comfortable. The people are happy to see that help has come so quickly and so prepared. Their situation is still somewhat dire but any minor thing to make it better is welcome.
Takeshi Imori and the head doctor greet the medical team and show them the make-shift clinic they'd set up, although there isn't exactly much for the Leaf medics to do currently. Still, they take what gear they'd brought just in case. The hospital has surely lost much of its equipment so they can make use of it after the town is rebuilt.
Yamato and Naruto go over the damages done to the city.
Naruto points to a large section of town that he and the rest have been working on. "We cleared out that whole part. Took out furniture, clothes, photos, that kinda thing. All that's left is stuff that can't be salvaged. We've been thinking what to do with it."
"Leave that part to me."
Yamato steps forward and takes a closer look at the ruins of the houses. Despite their state, he's still able to glean some information about them- such as their structure. From the houses that still stand, he can more or less figure out what they originally looked like. So why not make them better?
He slams his hands on the ground.
[Wood Style: Serial Pillar Houses]
The ground in front of him splits apart and swallows the rubble underneath. In their place, wooden beams burst out and twist to create a foundation for the new homes, then more wooden beams rise up to add to it. The houses practically build themselves in a manner of seconds as the beams bend to form roofing, a second floor, balconies.
The townsfolk gathered around look in awe as new homes appear out of nowhere and much grander than anything they've ever lived in.
Naruto smiles. "So that's why Granny sent you here, huh?"
"That's right. When it comes to emergency rebuilding, this is something only I can do." He wipes his brow that's somehow already wettened with several beads of sweat, despite performing only one jutsu. "It's somewhat taxing on my chakra reserves, though."
"Sorry to have ya do this, Captain." Naruto places a hand on his shoulder.
"No, it's… quite alright. These people need this."
Naruto gathers his chakra and focuses it through his arm, and right into his former teacher. Yamato becomes surrounded in a cloak of red chakra that invigorates him, he feels his chakra stronger than it's ever been, stronger than he could've ever thought possible.
"So… this is that ability of yours I've heard about."
"Yeah. If it's your chakra capacity that's the problem, then don't worry- I got ya covered."
"That's good to know. Thank you."
Yamayo once again clams his hand on the ground to form a new row of houses in continuation of the previous row. This time he barely even feels any drain on his chakra.
"This really is something else."
"Hey, Captain Yamayo." Naruto sounds more serious for a moment. "Do you think your Wood Style would work on these Great Beast things? Like it did on me and Kurama."
Yamato takes a moment to think before sighing. "I honestly can't say. I can still barely wrap my head around the notion that there're more creatures on the level of the Tailed Beasts. Whatever their purpose is, and whatever that masked man plans to do with them… I suppose if it comes to a fight, we'll find out if I can be effective against them. Are you worried?"
"These Great Beasts apparently fought the Tailed Beasts a lot in the past, on equal footing. I'm worried it might lead to another war. I don't want it to get to that. Especially for kids like Kotori who have the chance to grow up in time of peace."
Yamato raises a brow. "Who's Kotori?"
Naruto points behind them. "Her."
Yamato turns around to see one of the many people gawking at the instant houses, a little girl in plain clothes. Auburn hair as usual tied in a ponytail. She steps forward, seeing Naruto point to her, and stares intently at Yamato with a look of admiration.
"Um, hello?" He waves to the girl.
"That's… that's so cool! Amazing!"
"Thank you." Yamato chuckles.
"So, so, ninjutsu can even do that?!" Kotori can hardly contain her excitement.
Yamato looks to Naruto who just gives him a shrug, urging him to go along with it. "Well, mine can, at least. It's a unique skill that only I can use." He explains.
"Oooh, so another kekkei genkai? There're so many!"
"You know about kekkei genkai?" Yamato genuinely looks surprised and impressed.
"Me and Hinata have been giving her some pointers." Naruto chimes in. "Kotori wants to be a ninja."
"So you've already found yourself a disciple, less than a week after leaving." Yamato chuckles. "Ah, how fast they grow." He says to no one in particular.
For the remainder of the day, Yamato goes through the ruins to rebuild Tsuji Town to be bigger and better. With the help of the mayor and other figures, they plan together what sort of building should go where and what the new layout should be.
Thanks to Naruto and Kurama's chakra, he actually gets a majority of the work done in a single day.
All the while, Kotori goes over to check on every single other shinobi she can find and see how they each use their skills to help, be it purely physical or with the aid of ninjutsu. While Yamato can build houses, others shift the earth itself to create barriers and walls, others move the water according to their will. It's by far more shinobi than she ever thought she'd see in her life and she is taking in every single second of it.
However, she knows this won't last.
The third day is one marked with a hint of sadness.
Naruto and Hinata are sitting in a clearing with Kotori who's not exactly good at hiding she's in a bad mood, with her constant pouting, lowered head, and brief answers.
The two exchange a concerned look and Hinata kneels down in front of her. "Is something the matter, Kotori?"
Kotori gives a disgruntled mumble before actually speaking up. "I mean, you're leaving today, aren't you? You won't be around to show me stuff."
"Yes, we are. As much as I hate to say it, our mission here is technically over. Captain Yamato and his team are more than capable of getting the town back on its feet. We have to move on."
"Yeah, I know." Kotori nods in understanding. She's not happy about it, but she understands.
Naruto sits down on the grass in front of her and pats her on the head. "But hey, you've been doing real good. You basically don't need us anymore. You're gonna be one super awesome ninja before you even realise it."
Deep down, Kotori knows she should be trying to put on a strong face. She doesn't want to make them worry for her, she doesn't want to make them feel bad. Especially not after all they've done for her and taught her. Still, she couldn't keep her sadness under wraps. She couldn't hide her disappointment. And now they're busy fretting over her when they shouldn't be.
"You think so?" She tries to smile.
"I know so." Naruto grins. "So how about we go over everything one last time. Make sure you got everything under control."
"Repetition is a vital part of training." Hinata says. "Go through the motions until you no longer even have to think about it to do it."
She takes a deep breath and stands up, putting her hands in the 'Bird' sign. Now that she's received guidance and knows more of what she's doing, the feather appears faster than it ever has. It also falls directly down, heavy as a rock, with its quill digging into the ground like a dart to a dartboard.
They go over her training for a few more hours until the inevitable time comes.
~X~
The six shinobi who were originally meant to work together on this joint mission, before it all went awry, are gathered at the outskirts of town. They're prepared to depart since their original task has been more or less accomplished.
There's a small crowd gathered to send them off, although it's mainly to send off Naruto and Hinata since they're the ones who the townsfolk grew closest to. The doctor and nurses that they saved, the people who worked together with Naruto and his [Shadow Clones] to clear the rubble, and of course the matron Shiina and Kotori.
A teary-eyed Kotori gives them both a big, tight hug. "Thank you. For everything." She sniffs.
Naruto and Hinata return the hug, themselves overcome with emotion and barely holding back a tear in their eyes..
"You take care, alright?" Naruto says.
"I hope when we see each other next, you'll be a full fledged shinobi."
Kotori violently nods. "I promise!"
They break away after another moment and Kotori slowly steps back by Shiina's side.
"Thank you for all you've done for us." Shiina says.
"I still feel we didn't do enough." Hinata says.
Shiina shakes her head. "You've done more than we ever could have expected. Tsuji Town is already nearly rebuilt thanks to the Hidden Leaf. People are already beginning to move into their new homes. Things are looking up."
Yamato steps forward. "You two don't need to worry about a thing. I have it." He points back to, interestingly enough, a second Naruto who's mixed in with the crowd. "And thanks to your [Shadow Clone], I should have enough chakra to finish the job today."
"He'll stick around until I go to sleep so you should have all the chakra you need."
The second Naruto waves his fist in mock indignation. "What do you take me for, a chakra battery?"
"Then, I suppose we should set off." Hinata says wistfully.
"Yeah." Naruto gives a stained smile.
Takeshi looks at the other four and nods. "Until we meet again."
Kūga blows a kiss. "Hopefully sooner rather than later."
The two of them, along with Setsuen, depart to the north-west toward the Hidden Mountain Village.
Darui and Samui are set for north-east, through the Lands of Hot Waters and Frost, to the Hidden Cloud Village. Since that's where Naruto and Hinata are also headed, the four of them will travel together.
They give their final farewells to everyone at Tsuji Town but it doesn't take more than a few metres for Naruto to slow his step as his mind is overcome with uncertainty.
He, of all people, knows the importance of having someone support you in what you're doing, to believe in you and give you the strength to keep going. He had Iruka-sensei and then others became an inseparable part of his world. He was able to become who he is because they stayed with him.
Somehow, he now feels himself in the same situation, just standing on the other end of where he did before. He feels that taking a single step forward would be a mistake.
All of a sudden, Shikamaru's words ring through his head.
'So I think it's time for us to step up. To switch from being the imparted and become the imparter. It's a drag, for sure, but we can't keep complaining. We can't stay snot-nosed brats forever. Not if we wanna become cool shinobi like Asuma or Master Jiraiya.'
Naruto stops in his tracks.
Darui and Samui look back with confusion. "Is something the matter?"
"Sorry, you guys. I can't go, not yet." He turns to Hinata. "Hinata, I know this might seem-"
"I know." She cuts him off with a smile. "I feel the same way."
~X~
Shiina places a hand on Kotori's shoulder as the two head back. Kotori's still trying to be strong and not worry others but Shiina's been around her long enough to know.
"It's okay to be sad. You can let others worry for you for a bit."
Kotori wipes her eyes. "I just… don't wanna make people sad."
"I know you don't." Shiina strokes her hair.
They stop, however, when there's some sort of commotion in the crowd behind them. They're whispering and murmuring something and when they look back, they see Naruto walking back to Tsuji Town with Hinata just behind him.
He wordlessly moves through the confused crowd and stops in front of the even more confused Shiina and Kotori.
"Kotori, do you want to come with us?" He asks directly.
"Um, what?" Kotori blinks.
Naruto kneels down just as Hinata catches up to him. "I know this is sudden but if you wanna become a shinobi, we can train you. We can travel together and live with us back in the Hidden Leaf Village."
"That is, of course, if Ms Shiina would allow it." Hinata says.
Kotori looks between the three of them in a mixture of shock and excitement. This almost feels too good to be true, her dream of becoming a real ninja. However, she's well aware that life doesn't always grant you your wishes.
Shiina clearly notes the excited glint in Kotori's eyes and sighs. "Since she's from the orphanage, it would have to be a legal adoption. You'd be not just her teachers, but her guardians. Her parents."
"We're aware that there are responsibilities that come with this, and are fully prepared to meet them."
"Normally there's a screening process and we don't allow ones so young to adopt, but… I suppose we could make an exception."
Kotori blinks. "Really? Really?!"
Shiina nods with a smile. "Really."
Kotori grabs her by the waist and squeezes as tight as she can. "Thank you. Thank you, thank you."
"It's not me you should be thanking." Shiina motions to Naruto and Hinata.
Kotori lets go and turns to them with a sheepish demeanour. "Um, if you're fine with having me, I promise I won't be a burden! I can already take care of myself and-"
Naruto pats her on the head. "Well, you no longer have to. You got us to rely on."
Hinata smiles. "From now on, no matter what happens, we're in it together."
CHARACTER NAME MEANINGS
Kūga Nekomata (猫又 クーガ , Nekomata Kūga) = 'kūga' - 'cougar' ; 'nekomata' - a cat yōkai from Japanese folklore
Setsuen (雪円 , Setsuen) - 'setsu' = 'snow' ; 'en' - can mean 'circle', similar to the Inuzuka's hounds whose names we've seen to end in 'maru', which can also mean 'circle'.
Takeshi Imori (守宮 タケシ , Imori Takeshi) = 'takeshi' - 'warrior' , 'imori' - a warrior yōkai from Japanese folklore that takes the appearance of a gecko
LOCATIONS NAME MEANINGS
Hidden Mountain Village (山隠れの里, Yamagakure no Sato ; literally meaning: Village Hidden in the Mountains)