ACADEMY DAYS XVI - REBIRTH FESTIVAL

Training Ground 3

With their training schedule more or less set, it's time for it to be put to good use. The kids are currently at the same training ground but in opposite parts of it, for their own individual training.

Michi Uzumaki and Shoto Teshin have picked a nearby rocky area, perfect for their Earth Style training needs. The hardened ground provides for enough material for this exercise and a decently sized cliff gives Michi some ideas for later use. Right now, though, it's time for the basics.

Michi cracks her knuckles and rolls her shoulders. "Alright, let's get you started, yeah?"

Shoto bows. "Yes, shisho."

Michi winces. "Uh, yeah, none of that. Okay, so how 'bout we start simple. Show me what you got."

Shoto does as instructed, first activating his [Earth Spear], making his hands turn a light brown up to the wrist, and then his [Stone Bamboo Shoots], two spikes of solid stone and hut out from the ground up to around knee height.

"Hmm…" Michi rubs her chin as she carefully observes Shoto's jutsu. "Definitely got a lot to work here. So long range is your weakness, huh?"

"It hasn't been a weakness so far." Shoto grumbles.

"Well have you been close to death so far?" The silence is all the answer she needed. "Thought so. Here's what we gonna do first." She kicks his [Stone Bamboo Shoots]. "We gotta make this explode."

"I thought you were going to teach me long range jutsu?" Shoto cocks his head. "This one's close range, too."

"Is it?" Michi smirks before going through the exact same hand seals Shoto did and slams her hands on the ground.

[Earth Style: Stone Bamboo Shoots]

From the four sides of a tree, a fair distance away from them, four massive spikes shoot out from the ground, piercing the tree and breaking it in half.

"Wow…" Shoto stares in disbelief as the tree falls to the ground.

"Don't act too impressed." Michi, her hands having never left the earth below them, pushes downward and channels more of her chakra into her jutsu.

The four bamboo shoots fly out at great speeds like gigantic arrows. They break some of the treeline and one embeds itself in the cliffside not far from where they are.

"I had no idea it could do that…" Shoto steps back slightly, part of him fearing a landslide from the sudden disturbance. "I can only make them close to myself."

"That's probably 'cause you only had half the information. Let me guess, you happened to find a scroll and taught yourself. You've never thought of it as anything more than a deterrent to get people to back away from you in close range."

Shoto nods, astonished that she hit the nail pretty much on the head. "More or less, yes."

"Figured as much." Michi nods. "Since you already got the basics, I can help you build from there. While we're at it, I can also help you with your favourite jutsu to some extent."

[Earth Style: Earth Spear]

Michi's hand, just like with Shoto's, begins turning a darker shade. Except her covers her entire forearm and is a much darker colour.

"Ah! You can use it, too?" Shoto exclaims.

"I can but not as well as the Teshin clan. I did some homework. One of the founding clans of the Hidden Stone, bitter rivals to the Hyuga, and having particular expertise with Earth Style like no one else. Their [Earth Spear] was on a whole other level so we gotta make sure you unlock all that potential in you, too."

"About that…" Shoto thinks over information he'd gathered over the last couple years. "How was the Teshin's control greater exactly? I've heard they were good but not really the details."

"Well," Michi holds up her darkened arm. "Do you see me moving my fingers?"

Shoto shakes his head, her hand very clearly not moving an inch.

"Exactly. There's a few jutsu that coat the body in a protective shell but [Earth Spear]'s by far the strongest. The major downside is that once you harden a part of your body, you can't move it. I could technically cover my whole body but then I wouldn't be able to budge a muscle. Right now, I can't bend my wrist or move my fingers. It can have its uses but it's usually too much of a risk."

Shoto looks down to his own hand and bends his fingers. "But I've never had that problem."

"Exactly." Michi points out. "That's why the Teshin clan were respected. They could control the density and move freely even with it active. You could even go as far as calling it a kekkei genkai."

"And… I can learn to do that, too? If I can actually master the [Earth Spear], I'd have a strong weapon and a strong shield. I'd be unbeatable in taijutsu."

Michi delivers a solid chop on his head with her free hand. "Easy there, sport. Remember there's a reason your clan fell from grace. Don't let it get to your head."

"Sorry." Shoto rubs his sore spot.

"So, how 'bout it? A bit more excited for your training?" She grins.

"Yes, shisho!" Shoto gives an overly excited bow.

"I told you not to."

-x-

Elsewhere in the training, by the three wooden posts are the cousins Guren and Yokumaru Kigatsu, although one of them is old enough to be the other's aunt.

Currently, Yokumaru is sitting atop one of the wooden posts while Guren stands in front and gives a lecture.

"Listen, the Crystal Style requires insane concentration and focus. One wrong move and there's no going back."

"You've said that before." Yokumaru scratches his head.

"And I'll keep saying it until I believe it's actually sinking in." She replies sternly. "You signed up to train medical ninjutsu and that's all fine and dandy, but the Crystal Style is the opposite of healing; it's the ultimate jutsu for killing. It can crystallize any matter and instantly destroy it. That includes people. Every decision you make on the battlefield has to be calculated."

She walks over to a tree situated behind him. She goes through her jutsu's hand signs and reaches to a lower branch.

[Crystal Style: Crystal Prison]

The branch is instantly encased in her signature pink crystal. She grabs onto the branch with a gloved hand and grips tightly until it shatters into tiny pieces. There's not even a sight of the branch that used to be there.

"There's a reason I told you not to use it on people when we first met."

Yokumaru looks down, nervousness overtaking him. "But… can't I just learn not to do that? If I can surround a person with crystals without actually trapping them inside, there won't be a problem, right?"

Guren sighs and walks over to him the post, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Look, I don't want to scare you but you have to be careful with this. Last thing I'd want is for you to end up like me."

"But… you're great, Guren."

She laughs in response. "Trust me, I'm not. And I was way worse before. But enough about that. Why don't you show me how far you've gotten?"

Yokumaru nods and hops off the stump. He fires off his [Crystal Wall] has considerably increased in size and his [Branching Crystal Tree] which still takes a bit of time to properly accumulate its additional thorns. As it is right now, it's more of a lawn ornament than an attack. Lastly, he shoots two [Crystal Shuriken] that swerve in an arc before hitting two adjacent trees.

"That change in trajectory... It's not something I taught you." Guren observes.

"Tenten-sensei's been teaching us shurikenjutsu and how to make them change direction." She flicks an actual shuriken between his fingers. "It's easier when you throw them yourself but I think I can do it like this, too."

"Not bad, kid, not bad." She grins at him. "You might be better at it than I thought. Maybe it's time I stopped babying you and showed you how it's actually done."

Yokumaru watches with great interest as Guren goes through her hand signs. When she finishes, nothing happens right away, but she just holds her hand high and runs her fingers as if on an invisible surface. As her hand moves, the space above her begins to crystallize. First it's a small sliver that grows longer as it travels behind her fingers. It expands, growing wider, as it begins to move its own, snaking around Guren who remains in her place. It seems to have no intent on stopping as it becomes the size of a horse, then growing to the size of a house, and even further into the size of the giant monsters Naruto has fought with.

[Crystal Style: Crystal Dragon]

Yokumaru stares in disbelief at the gigantic serpent floating high above them. "That's…" His mind tries to find the right word but the shock makes him forget he was even saying something.

"That is the Crystal Style. You're a long way from getting here but that doesn't mean we can't start now." Guren commands the dragon to circle around, in an even further display of the level of command the user has.

"Wh- Where do we start?" Yokumaru still has trouble wrapping his mind around the sheer scope of the jutsu.

"We'll start with the basics. Start using jutsu at the highest density you can. Get a better feel for it until you can speed up the process. I'm going to have you exhaust your chakra supply until you get it right." Her devilish grin sends a shiver down the boy's spine.

Yokumaru gulps and steels himself. "Yes, ma'am."

-x-

On yet another part of the training ground are Hinata Hyuga and Kotori Uzumaki, engaged in their own pocket of training. Thankfully, Kotori has her back turned toward Yokumaru's general direction so she's not distracted by the gigantic pink dragon hovering over the forest.

Hinata sighs when Guren's jutsu shatters. 'I hope she knows what she's doing with that display.' Then she turns her attention back to Kotori.

The young girl's been sitting still for a while now, her hands fully clasped in the 'Bird' hand sign. With Hinata here to monitor her progress and help her better mould her chakra, Kotori's current goal is to master a low ranking Wind Style jutsu.

Before she can do that, she needs to train her chakra and get a better feel of how nature transformation is formed and utilized.

She opens her eyes and goes through the hand signs. She takes a deep breath and exhales.

[Wind Style: Breakthrough]

What's meant to follow is a powerful gust of wind, powerful enough to blow a person away. What actually follows is about enough to scatter some papers off a desk.

Kotori pouts at the meager result.

"It's still far too early." Hinata giggles. "Learning an element can be fast or slow, depending on the shinobi, but I know you're a fast learner. You'll manage just fine."

"It's just… Shoto and Yokumaru can already do all these neat things while I'm just starting."

"Oh, Kotori…" Hinata gives her a sympathetic smile and sits down in front of her, brushing her hair. "You're not just starting. You already have an amazing jutsu that you're beginning to truly understand. You're just picking up an additional skill, like Yokumaru with his medical ninjutsu."

"I guess." Kotori absentmindedly uses a feather to draw shapes in the dirt at her feet. "It is pretty awesome, right?" She looks up and grins.

"It is." Hinata nods. "So don't be too hard on yourself. Having a goal in mind is useful for training but don't let that goal frighten you. When Naruto and I were younger, I was always amazed by how he always pushed himself despite the obstacles he faced and made it my goal to train just as hard so I can stand besides him. So rather than put yourself down, use it to lift yourself up."

Kotori looks at her with a glitter in her eyes. "So you've liked dad for a long time?"

"I have." Hinata smiles warmly. "He gave me the courage to not give up at a time I felt like giving up."

Kotori rocks back and forth with a huge goofy grin on her face. "That's really romantic."

"But enough about that. You have training to do." Hinata circles around Kotori and sits down, activating her [Byakugan] to help guide her chakra.

Kotori goes through her signature jutsu's signs, large dark feathers materializing around her.

[Aviary: Condor]

The raptor is still a far cry from what an adult should look like; it's still smaller than Kotori where adults are larger than her but it's still a healthily growing condor.

"Why did you summon that?" Hinata asks.

Kotori pets the bird's shiny feathers. "It's the first bird I learned to summon, all thanks to Takai showing me around her home and teaching me all sorts of stuff." He twists her head back to look at her mom. "Thought I'd call it for support."

"Let's all of us work together on this." Hinata scritches the bird.

The condor lets out a mighty screech and flies up, kicking up dust with its mighty wings. As it circles overhead, Kotori continues to focus on her training.

-x-

When all three of them finished their individual training, they gathered in one spot to rest up as much as they could and excitedly share their progress. Despite being utterly exhausted and drained, their training still wasn't over.

Michi and Guren bid their farewells while Hinata stayed to wait for Naruto. His part of the training, at least today, involved testing their teamwork and getting them to coordinate their jutsu. They tried using the excuse of low chakra but Naruto and Kurama's ability to share chakra negated that argument.

Right now, they find themselves greedily drinking water after a tough workout while Hinata tends to their bruises and prepares their food she'd brought with her.

"You guys are really getting better every day!" Naruto stands in front of them, beaming with pride.

"I don't think you leave us much choice, sensei." Yokumaru groans.

"You're increasing the intensity, aren't you?" Shoto tightens the bandages around his arms. "He's definitely increasing the intensity." He turns to his friends.

"Definitely." Kotori nods firmly.

"And you're handling it great!" Naruto gives them a thumbs up. "A week of this and we'll take a break for the Rebirth Festival, then back to it."

The kids share a confused look. "Rebirth Festival? What's that?" Kotori asks.

"Hm?" Naruto looks them over. "Oh, that's right, it's you guys' first time here, huh?" He scratches his head and takes a deep breath. "It's a bit of a long story."

"Long enough to allow us rest?" Shoto jokes.

"Good point." Naruto laughs and sits down, crossing his legs. "Well, about four years, the village was attacked and pretty much destroyed. Like… everything was rubbled. You guys noticed how the ground by the gates is a bit higher?"

They look among themselves, trying to remember if they took notice of anything like that.

"I think so?" Yokumaru wracks his brain.

"Now that you mention it…" Shoto tries his best to recall the streets at the edge of the village. "There's a slope."

Naruto nods. "Yeah. The village was turned to a massive crater."

"But… the village looks fine?" Kotori notes.

"It is now." Hinata adds. "It ook a great deal of work, but we all rebuilt together. So this festival was started to celebrate how everyone who died that day was returned to life. Hence the name."

They all look even more confused than before. "How… did that happen?"

Naruto takes a moment to get his thoughts in order. All this feels like it happened so long ago but now he's once again flooded by the pain and grief he felt at the time. "The one who attacked the Leaf… we had a little heart to heart and he saw the error of his way. Sacrificed his life to bring everyone else back."

"Someone strong enough to destroy the village… and revive everyone? What kind of person can even do that…" Shoto wonders.

Naruto bites his tongue, knowing that revealing the identity of that person could change things. He exchanges a questioning look with Hinata who looks about as uncertain as he does. But the kids are smart. Can't keep everything hidden from them forever.

"About that… I want you guys to at least try and think differently about them. It's a bit of a sore spot and I dunno if Konan even told Mutsu about this, so promise me this stays between us, okay? If nothing else. The ones who attacked the Leaf… are Mutsu's parents. Konan and his dad, Nagato."

They all stare in shock, mouths agape. "But… why would they do that?" Yokumaru asks.

"Those two… they were dealt bad cards in life. They suffered a lot and didn't have anyone to help them. Had no one to ease their pain so it just grew too much. They're the products of war. But in the end, they saw that getting swallowed by hatred wasn't the way. That's why I don't want you to think about who Konan was, but who she is and who she's trying to be."

Kotori looks down to the ground. "Is that why everyone was being weird around Konan?"

"Yeah. It's still not easy for some to welcome former enemies."

"But you don't hate her, shisho."

"No, I don't. I promised Nagato that I'd set hate aside and strive for a better world. I'd like for all of us to live a world without hatred, like my teacher before me. I dunno if I've found a way but I want to."

"Then…" Kotori tightly grips her clothes. "If you don't hate her, we won't either."

Yokumaru nods firmly. "She's been nice to us and Mutsu's our friend."

"To begin with, none of this really affects us." Shoto adds. "We didn't lose our village so we don't have a reason to hold it against her."

Hinata smiles and wraps them all in a big hug. "See, they're more mature than we were at their age." She looks up to Naruto.

"Yeah, you were right." Naruto laughs. "I'd expect nothing less from my disciples." He tackles them all in a crushing hug.

"Ow, my bones!" Shoto tries to get away from the death grip.

Rebirth Festival

one week later

Preparations for the Festival really began a week before the celebration itself. The entire village pitched in to make it all possible which involved a lot of decoration being set up and A LOT of ingredients being ordered for the banquet.

What the Rebirth Festival really entails is a massive feast. It mainly takes place in front of the Hokage Tower, where countless tables are set up and absolutely covered with food. Every single eating establishment takes part and prepares enough to feed a village. Literally. Even though the main part takes place at the Tower, there're also tables set up on the adjacent streets since not everyone can fit there.

It's a grand occasion that's been growing in scope since it was started three years ago. At first, it was just a smaller thing- some music playing all evening, food that's easy to eat while walking akin to what you'd see at a street vendor, and all of it topped off with fireworks. Now those elements have been preserved but the food is much more plentiful, the musicians performing live have multiplied, and even the fireworks have gotten more colourful.

The people of the Leaf are fully taking in the evening and partying to their hearts' content, including Naruto and his immediate company.

The girls are sitting at their own table having the time of their life. Sakura, Temari, Karui, and Karin are catching up on what they've been up to in the past weeks, while Hinata and Tenten are discussing the kids' studies with Tenten taking this time to vent about Jiriki's uncooperative nature and how lost that sometimes makes her. Ino, meanwhile, has both Shiho and Yakumo in her sights and plans on getting as much out of them as she possibly can.

"We're not moving anywhere until you tell me how Shino of all people caught your eye." Ino drapes an arm over Shiho's shoulder.

Shiho fidgets about in her seat, trying to hide her face behind her already concealing glasses. "There's not much to tell, I'm afraid." She turns away, blushing. "He recovered encrypted messages on a mission and helped the cryptanalysis team decipher them."

"Yeah, but that's how you met, how did you become an item?" Ino probes for information.

"I… I don't know! We just started talking. He's… kind, attentive, and really funny."

Ino raises a brow. "Shino?"

"Yes, Shino." Shiho nods.

Ino peeks over to the nearby table where the boys are sitting, Shino in particular remaining as motionless as a statue. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Yakumo uses this chance to slip away to get a refill for her drink.

Ino immediately whips her head to her. "Don't think you're running away, either, you're giving me ALL the details on Sai."

Yakumo laughs nervously. "There's honestly not anything to tell, we're just friends."

"Sure, honey." Ino smirks.

"Come on, Ino, lay off them." Sakura tries to intervene. "You get even worse when you drink."

"I will learn everything!" Ino declares.

Hinata laughs at their antics and stands up to join Yakumo to grab some more drinks. "I'm sorry if it's too much."

"No, it's alright." Yakumo smiles. "I've spent so much time keeping to myself I'd forgotten how.. Fun it is. I didn't expect Sai to be friends with all of you, though."

"Yes, we're a somewhat unique group." Hinata looks back to the tables. "Have you seen Kurenai-sensei lately?"

Yakumo nods. "I met Mirai a few months ago."

"Then would you like to visit her together?" Hinata offers.

"That… would be nice."

Meanwhile, the boys are being their usual loud selves, although that's more Naruto, Kiba, and Lee being their usual selves. Choji is hyper focused on the meals as usual, Shikamaru is already yawning, and Sai is simply looking with an amused look on his face.. Jugo and Shino are sitting in awkward silence although those two are awkward to begin with so maybe they prefer it this way.

"Now this is what I call a party!" Kiba downs his drinks and laughs.

Naruto does the same. "Right? We should do this kinda thing more often."

"With our youth, everything is a celebration!" Lee, without looking, reaches for his cup and almost grabs the wrong one. Alcohol. Before he can, Shino grabs his hand and leads him to the right cup. "Oh, thank you, Shino." Lee flashes a bright smile.

"Of course. We are friends, after all." Shino states.

"Hey," Kiba drapes his arms over Naruto and Lee's shoulders as he addresses the table, "How 'bout we move somewhere better to watch the fireworks?" He offers.

"Somewhere more intimate so we can better enjoy each other's company?" Sai smiles. "That's a tested form of bonding, I don't see why not."

"Not sure if I'd use the word 'intimate' but sure." Shikamaru chuckles. "Anything to get away from all this."

Jugo nervously looks around. "Somewhere quieter would be nice. I don't really do well with crowds."

"Well there ya have it." Kiba pats Naruto's back. "You didn't see it last year, man, Lady Tsunade really pulled out the stops."

"Oh yeah? Sounds good. I was actually thinking at first to propose to Hinata after the Festival but all sortsa things happened and I ended up doing it at home?" Naruto would immediately realize his mistake in revealing this piece of information.

Mid-conversation with Yakumo and Shiho, Ino suddenly pushes herself from her seat and stands up, bumping into the table and pushing her chair to the ground. Despite the loud music, despite the distance between them, she heard. She has an ear for this kind of thing and this kind of thing she will not stand for.

"Oi." Her words, barely a rumble, still reach Naruto's ears. The coldness of her single word sends a shiver down his spine. "What did you just say?"

"Um, Ino?" Sakura looks at her with concern.

Ino ignores her and jerks her neck to glare at Naruto. "Did you just say you proposed at home?"

Naruto takes a few cautious steps back. "It's… uh… not what it sounded like."

"Oh?" Ino slowly stomps closer to him. "'Cause it sounded to me like you ignored every bit of my amazing, romantic advice and popped the most important question in a girl's life without any grace or dignity, like a base animal."

"Hold on, Ino, I can explain everything!" Naruto speeds up his back walking.

"Explain it while you die!" She starts chasing him around the table at full speed.

"Ino, wait." Hinata tries to stand between them.

"Don't try to defend him, Hinata." Ino glares at Naruto who's now bravely hiding behind his fiancée.

"I can promise you it was romantic. It honestly couldn't have come at a better time." Hinata smiles remembering how she was just wistfully thinking of the babies and wanting a family of her own when he asked the question. "It was just… the right moment.

"Yeah, that's right!" Naruto chimes in.

Ino grumbles. "You're lucky Hinata's so nice."

"How about we all just go find a good spot for the fireworks, alright?" Tenten tries to defuse the situation.

The rest of the group readily agrees, finishing up their drinks and food and grouping together. Sakura stays back a bit from the group, noticing something of a pattern. Over the years, her classmates and friends have been getting closer and closer to the point everyone she knows is now paired with someone. Everyone except… for her. Right now she's like a 15th wheel and they're all set to go watch one of the most romantic moments. Fireworks.

"Uh, I actually need to go home." She makes an excuse. "I have an emergency shift tomorrow so I need to get some sleep."

"Aww, for real?" Naruto whines. "Can't you come with us a bit longer?"

"Sakura…" Ino tries to find the words, feeling that something's off about her friend right now.

"You guys have enough fun for me, okay?" She waves them off and turns around in a rush.

"If you're sure…" Shikamaru says, himself sounding unsure about splitting up this early in the evening.

Ino stares at Sakura's back as she leaves. 'Even though you went on about how all the shifts are taken care of…'

-x-

With all of the commotion that surrounds this week, Kurenai had to scramble a lot to help as much as she could. She felt it the least she could do now that she's retired from active duty but that still left Mirai. Thankfully, she had friends she could call on to help relieve her even briefly.

That's where Kotetsu and Izumo come in. They're actually the ones who made Kurenai the offer to look after the little one and now they return her home after a day of roaming through the streets. Mirai is currently in the process of trying to peel off the bandages that Kotetsu has on his face but she finds some resistance there.

When they reach the door, Kurenai is already outside waiting for them.

"Mama!" Mirai is let down on the ground and runs over to her mom, hugging her tightly.

"Hello, dear." Kurenai kisses her on the forehead. "Did you have fun with Izumo and Kotetsu?"

"I did!" Mirai nods fervently. "It was really fun! We ate lots!"

"I see." Kurenai laughs. "I can't thank you two enough for babysitting her."

"You don't need to." Kotetsu reapplies the bandage that runs across his nose..

"It was our pleasure, really." Izumo adds.

Kurenai ushers them to come inside with them. "The least I could do is treat you to a cup of coffee. The others are already inside."

"I guess we're not in a rush, right?" Kotetsu turns to Izumo for confirmation.

"Don't see why not."

With that, the four of them enter Kurenai's fairly spacious but still cosy abode. They leave their shoes at the entrance and are led to the living room, where Kakashi, Anko, Iruka, and Shizune are already seated and welcome them warmly.

"Hey, you two." Anko salutes them.

Kotetsu and Izumo greet them back and sit down on the couch, where the table in front already has an assortment of drinks and snacks.

Kurenai kneels down and brushes Mirai's hair. "Do you want to go play with Shohei and Azuki?"

"Yeah!" The girl darts off with impressive speed for the bedroom where the babies are currently staying.

"It's been a while since I last saw you." Shizune addresses the two new arrivals.

"You've had good reason." Izumo laughs. "Although you might see even less of me when you get back?"

"Why's that?" She tilts her head.

Kakashi's head perks up. "I was actually meaning to ask about that. Any reason you requested a lesser position, Izumo?"

"Ah, well, that's…" Izumo turns to Kotetsu, the two having a silent agreement. If they were going to tell anyone first, it may as well be these guys.

"Well…" Kotetsu picks up the explanation. "One of us needed a lighter workload and be more available if we were going to be given permission."

"Permission for what?" Iruka asks.

Izumo takes Kotetsu's hand and intertwines their fingers, the two sitting closer to each other. "We've been working on it for a while now, but we were finally granted permission to adopt."

"We're gonna be dads!" Kotetsu exclaims.

It takes a moment for the information to sink in but when it does, they're met by a wave of congratulatory hugs. Anko in particular squeezes them as tightly as she can.

"Congratulations!" Iruka shakes their hands and hugs them both.

Kakashi clasps Kotetsu's shoulder as Shizune hugs. "If you'd said something sooner, we would've sped up the process."

"We didn't want to impose." Kotetsu gives an embarrassed laugh. "And there was a chance we could've been denied so we didn't want to set expectations."

"You two will be amazing parents." Kurenai smiles ear to ear, ecstatic for the two.

"Thank you, Kurenai." Izumo hugs her. "It means a lot."

"So," Anko sits back down, giddy to find everything out, "Have you been to the orphanage yet?"

"We've spoken to Urushi, yeah." Izumo answers.

"There's a girl he thinks is a good match for us." Kotetsu continues. "Her name is Tama, and she's around Mirai's age. We'll get to meet her in a few days."

"Kurenai, get the good stuff! We have to celebrate!" Anko declares.

"The mildly good stuff. We have to be mindful of the kids." Kurenai reminds her with a laugh and stands up to fetch some less alcoholic beverages.

"Spoilsport." Anko crosses her arms, acting grumpy.

-x-

The kids, meanwhile, are enjoying the Festival in their own way.

The six of them are sitting on a rooftop, with Jiriki being the only one standing, each of them holding a bag full of wagashi, small confections that're usually served with tea but are currently consumed on their own. Kotori and Kashiwama are practically inhaling them while the rest are eating at a steady pace.

Shoto takes a bite of a pink wagashi shaped like a flower. "These are really good!"

Kashiwama stops munching and grins. "Right? I made some of them, mom and dad made the rest."

Kotori looks between him and the bag in her hands. "Wait, you bake?!" She asks in disbelief

Genzai places a whole wagashi in his mouth. "He's annoyingly good at it." He says with a full mouth.

"Wow, I never would've guessed." Yokumaru munches on the treats with newfound appreciation.

Shoto furrows a brow. "But isn't the point of the Festival to enjoy other people's food? Why are you eating your own food?"

"'Cause it's good." Kashiwama shrugs.

"And you guys have never tried it before, so it makes sense for us to eat them with you." Jiriki states matter-of-factly.

"Aw, so you do care about us." Kotori grins.

"Don't get your hopes up."

"He's right, though!" Kashiwama exclaims. "The Rebirth Festival is about celebrating together and being happy that we have each other."

Kotori goes quiet for a moment and lowers her head, thinking over whether to ask the question on her mind. "Were you… Were you guys here? When all that happened? Dad told us about it."

"Oi!" Shoto intervenes in an attempt to warn her from bringing something like that up.

"Sorry." She slumps her shoulders.

"It's… fine." Kashiwama's smile drops for a moment but a weaker one takes its place soon after. "Yeah, we were here."

"We were taken to safety." Jiriki answers without much hesitation given the subject. "None of us were actually harmed or anything."

"What about your parents?" Yokumaru asks.

Genzai places his bag on the ground by his feet. "We don't know. They won't tell us anything. Grown-ups have some kinda agreement to not tell us anything."

"They don't want us to worry about it." Jiriki huffs. "Treating us like kids."

"We are." Genzai reminds him.

"Didn't wanna bring up bad memories." Kotori shrinks in her seat.

"It's fine." Genzai reassures her. "You guys are new here; makes sense you'd wanna know."

Kashiwama abruptly jumps from his spot and stands on the edge of the roof. "Come on, let's go get something else to eat, yeah?"

Kotori smiles lightly and stands up after him. "Yeah."

-x-

At her table, Hanabi uncharacteristically fidgets around with her food. She seems more interested in chipping at her taiyaki and throwing bread crumbs to the ground than actually eating it.

Konohamaru watches her throw away food until it begins bothering him too much. "What're you doing?"

Hanabi slams the taiyaki on the table and turns to Konohamaru with a stern gaze. "Did you really take down one of the enemy?"

Konohamaru blinks. "What?"

"When Pain attacked." Hanabi clarifies. "Were you really here, and fought one of Pain's bodies?"

"Where's this coming from, after four years? Yeah, I fought. What of it?"

"Just… Weren't you afraid?" Hanabi clenches her fist, gripping onto her kimono.

"Don't be stupid, of course I was afraid. But I was more afraid of Ebisu-sensei getting hurt while I just ran away. I was more afraid of letting someone destroy the village my grandpa worked so hard for. You weren't here, were you? Away on a mission or something?"

Hanabi nods slowly. "Yeah, a diplomatic negotiation with the Taketori clan. I only got here after the village was destroyed."

"And what, you feel bad about it?" Konohamaru asks bluntly.

"Of course I do! Everyone was here fighting for their lives and I was just… out there, none the wiser."

"And what would you have done if you were here? No one was able to do anything until bro came back. Don't blame yourself for things you can't control, that's just stupid."

"Stop calling me stupid." Hanabi grumbles.

"Then stop giving me a reason to." Konohamaru says as a joke but his tone is serious. "We couldn't do much before since we were basically still kids but now we're stronger. We're Chunin, as are Moegi and Udon. Instead of thinking about what you couldn't do when you weren't even a shinobi yet, think about what you can do now that you're a kickass kunoichi."

"'Kickass kunoichi', huh?" She smirks. "You really think that?"

"You are." He answers without hesitation. "And you're only gonna get more kickass. So, you and me, we gotta keep the village this safe. It's our turn now."

Hanabi chuckles. "You know, even you can say good things sometimes."

She hops off her chair and plants a kiss on his cheek before heading down the street without saying a word more. Konohamaru stays stunned in place.

"Wait, what just happened?"

-x-

In truth, Sakura didn't have any shifts for the coming weeks. She just was increasingly uncomfortable being there. Not that she hates her friends, far from it, but… with many of them being couples and the others beginning to suspiciously act like couples, it leaves her as the odd one out.

With the nature of the Rebirth Festival where many people had a chance at a second life, it's been made into somewhat of a romantic event, too, as it made people realize how short life is. So many couples get together or propose or are just generally more clingy.

To escape all of that, Sakura chose to head as far as she could while still enjoying the sights. A place that's actually come up a few times when talking to Naruto- the Great Stone Faces. In her search for solitude, she figured to sit down on top of her mentor's visage.

Then again, from what Yakumo told them, somewhere just above her is Sai and Yakumo's special spot so even here the romance is strong. For now she'll just ignore that.

She absorbs the music that can be heard even from up here, the singing and cheering, the bright lights. It's fun to be in the middle of it all but there's a certain beauty in appreciating things from afar.

Her appreciation, however, is interrupted by a powerful chakra coming from… right besides her? She immediately jumps to her feet and prepares for a fight if need be. She now sees where the chakra is coming from- the Fourth Hokage's head. A small black bead materializes in the air, spinning and expanding until it reaches the size of a door.

'That… looks like space-time ninjutsu.' She observes it until she senses a presence stepping through. 'Is it an attack? Today, of all days?!'

She springs into action. "Shannaro!" Channeling her chakra to her fist, she jumps from the Fifth's to the Fourth's head, ready to strike at whoever or whatever pops out from the other side.

However, when she sees who comes out, she tries to stop herself as best as she can despite being mid-swing. Sasuke, barely out of his portal, ducks out of the way as Sakura's fist goes past his head, creating a thunderous boom.

Sasuke blinks once. "If I've done something wrong, I'll apologize."

"Sasuke… It's just you." Sakura falls to her knees and sighs in relief, her heart no longer racing. " You really startled me. What're you doing up here?"

"I'm returning from a mission." He answers.

"A mission?" She quirks her brow. "What're you doing on a mission when the whole village is celebrating?"

Sasuke joins her in sitting down on Minato's head. "There's still a lot we don't know about the Great Beasts, and everything surrounding Kaguya Otsutsuki rubs me the wrong way. So with the Hokage's permission, I go out to investigate" He explains and looks down to the village, eyes scanning all the groups of people having fun together. "And besides, this isn't for me. I wasn't even here when it happened; I was actually on my way to attack it myself." He shakes his head. "I have no right to be down there."

"Do you ever plan on not being hard on yourself?"

After a moment of thought, Sasuke answers. "Probably not. What about you, why aren't you down there?"

"Too much love in the air." She waves her hand dismissively. "Don't feel like hanging around alone when everyone else is together."

"Everyone?" Sasuke raises a brow.

Sakura begins counting off on her fingers. "Naruto and Hinata, Ino and Kiba, Shikamaru and Temari, Shino and Shiho, Karin and Jugo, even Sai and Yakumo apparently. And Choji and Karui, and Lee and Tenten are getting suspiciously close, too." She sighs in defeat.

"I see." Seems like Sasuke's missed a lot of socializing with his old classmates. "Sorry."

Sakura snorts. "What're you apologizing for?"

"I... don't know." Sasuke looks away.

"Look at me, just going around complaining." She laughs nervously. "You have your mission to report, don't you? Don't want to take up your time." She stands up and dusts herself off of whatever earth stuck to her clothes.

"I technically don't have to report until tomorrow." Sasuke tentatively begins talking. "If… you'd like to enjoy the festival. Together?"

Sakura continues watching the village silently with her hands behind her, back turned to Sasuke.

After a moment of silent contemplation of the offer, she spins around on her heels. "I thought this wasn't for you?" She smiles lightly.

"I suppose it doesn't need to be." Sasuke pushes himself to his feet. "Just the company."

Sakura smiles in response. "That sounds nice."

A small projectile whizes above their heads, the whistling sound startling them. As it flies high in the air it explodes with a loud boom, leaving behind a sparkling flashes of colours. More follow it, filling up the air with a curtain of colourful lights.

Below, the music and festivities are put to a halt as everyone's eyes are now focused on the sky above. The vibrant display continues for several minutes, with more elaborately shaped fireworks appearing one after another, some leaving behind a thicker trail as they fall to the ground, others only appearing as a small burst of light, until near the end where some bear resemblance to leaves.

"It gets more beautiful every year." Sakura admires the display.

"Yeah. It does." Sasuke takes in the view in front of him. All of it. He takes a step closer to stand by her side. "I'll keep trying. To become the person deserving of the loyalty you and Naruto showed."

Sakura turns to him and places a hand on his chest. "We can all see how hard you're trying, Sasuke, and we know how much it's eating you on the inside. You can slow down."

As the last of the fireworks goes off and silence fills the air, Sakura takes a step closer, hand still on his chest. With flushed cheeks, she hesitantly looks up to meet his eyes, which look back at her in visible confusion. In a moment of temporary bravery, she stands on her toes, inching herself closer... Until a loud noise completely breaks the scene.

A large sphere of compressed wind, probably the size of the Stone Faces themselves, takes up the space above the village, a turbulent wind blowing anything light enough on the ground.

"That Naruto…" Sakura complains. "Using a [Rasenshuriken] for this?"

When the jutsu fades away, it's followed by a barrage of elemental ninjutsu, taking over from the jutsu lift the Fire jutsu high above, boosting their scope while Water jutsu burst into a light shower with Lightning jutsu adds a bit of light to it.

Up on the Fourth Hokage's head, Sakura slowly burst out into laughter, with Sasuke surprisingly enough following suite.

"Leave it to that knucklehead to get the village riled up. Again."

"He does have that effect on people." Sasuke brushes back his hair, getting his hair out of his right eye which shifts. A red pattern resembling a six-petaled flower appears.

[Amaterasu]

The elemental jutsu flying through the air become coated in black flames. As they move, the fire moves with it, when they split- it splits with them. He allows it to remain for a bit before using his right eye to extinguish the flames.

"On you, too, huh?" Sakura laughs. He turns away, brushing her hair behind her ear. "About… what just happened. I'm sorry. You can just forget about it."

Sasuke, taking a page from Sakura's book, steps closer to her. Closer than even she got before. He wraps his right arm around her and holds her close. Sakura relaxes in his embrace.

-x-

After the end of the Rebirth Festival, Kiba and Ino don't take the direct route to their homes. They take the scenic route around the edge of the village where Kiba leads her into a small park that stands a bit more isolated than the rest. When they reach the pond in the middle, Akamaru is there waiting for them, holding a flower between his teeth. Ino looks between the dog and his owner in confusion, but the picture becomes clearer when Kiba takes her hands and holds her close.

There, a proposal is made. Through tears of joy, the proposal is accepted.

Name Meanings:

Tama (タマ, Tama) - her name can mean 'ball' but she'll take Kotetsu's family name and be Tama Hagane (はがね タマ, Hagane Tama) - 'tamahagane' is a special type of steel used in Japanese smithing.