Burdened Slave
Chapter 17
Yū, Dan, and Haru meandered towards the hospital to meet with Aoba for their mission.
"I mean honestly," Yū said. "I knew we'd get D-ranks, but I thought maybe, after that test we'd get something out of the village,"
"They thrive on crushing our hopes," Dan's scroll voiced.
Haru just walked silently behind them. A shadow from the rooftops made itself known.
"Hey there!" Shisui called out and jumped down in front of them. "I'm Shisui."
"As in, Shunshin no Shisui?" Yū asked after coming to stop.
Shisui nodded enthusiastically.
"Cool," she said with a grin. "But why do you look like crap?"
The description put a bit of a damper on Shisui's enthusiasm, but not by much.
"What happened to you?" Haru asked in a mildly worried tone.
Shisui was mostly wrapped in bandages. His arm was in a cast, and he had half his face also wrapped in bandages.
"Oh, you know. I got into a fight. Fugaku-sama threw me out of the sky. Y'know, the usual,"
"The Hokage threw you out of the sky?" Yū asked, looking very intrigued.
"Yep, but I can't tell you the story, though," he replied, making her scowl.
"Did you lose your eye?" Haru asked.
"I didn't lose it," Shisui retorted. "I just, maybe, might have blinded myself,"
"That sucks," Yū said thoughtfully.
"My condolences," Haru said in a solemn tone.
"I'm not dead, Haru," Shisui said, poking his own chest and wincing at his self-inflicted pain. "I'm still here."
"Not if you cannot keep up while sparring Itachi," Haru replied, closing his eyes in a sad fashion.
Shisui paled.
"Way to kill my mood," Shisui grumbled.
The older boy then looked at Dan.
"Whoah, you're really creepy," Shisui said as he put his face close to Dan's mask, trying to see the boy's eyes but failing.
"Hm," was all the sound Dan made.
Shisui blinked. "Are you like, half Uchiha?"
Yū looked annoyed for a moment. "Dan can't talk and he's Maboroshi, not Uchiha."
"Oh," Shisui said, then looked at Yū. "Are you supposed to be a blonde Inuzuka or something? I didn't know they could be pupil-less too."
Yū bristled.
"Or maybe a cat clan? Are you related to Neko-baa?" he asked. "Though, I'm pretty sure I've seen eyes like yours before."
"Shut up," she snarled and jumped at him.
Shisui flashed behind Haru in an attempt to hide. "Careful with that one, Haru. She just might want to make babies with you. I know her type."
Shisui shuddered and muttered something that sounded like 'Anko'.
This caused Yū to blush like a storm and if steam could come out of her ears it would.
"Oh, maybe she's not as shameless as I thought. Sorry for assuming," Shisui said apologetically.
Yū muttered a quiet 'Fuck you'.
"I'd rather not," Shisui retorted.
Haru looked back at the older boy with a level stare.
"Trust me," Haru said monotonously. "I have had enough of children to last me my lifetime,"
Shisui reared back and laughed hard and with a lot of pain involved. "Haha. My ribs. Haha. And here I thought you actually loved playing with Sasuke, Ha!"
"I do," Haru replied.
Shisui started tearing up. "You're making me emotional, Haru. Damn it."
Suddenly an Anbu appeared across from them. "Sir, you need to quietly come with me."
Shisui took up a petulant attitude. "What if I don't want to?"
"We're authorised to knock you out if necessary," the Anbu replied.
Shisui raised an eyebrow. "Prove it."
Suddenly a tag appeared on the back of Shisui's forehead out of nowhere, immediately knocking him unconscious. Another Anbu had appeared behind the boy to catch him.
The Anbu looked at the genin. "Uh. Carry on."
Then both Anbu disappeared.
A moment of silence.
"Did your cousin just get kidnapped?" Dan's scroll asked.
"I am certain they were returning him to the hospital," Haru replied.
They both then noticed Yū staring intensely.
"What do you mean you've had enough children?" she asked. Then her eyes gave a glint of focus. "Don't tell me your clan gave you a harem or something?"
Haru looked exasperated, though a flash pain was missed in his eyes. "I have many wives and many more children. I have daughters whom I love dearly and very brave sons. I have great-grandchildren two-hundred strong."
Yū's mood darkened into something akin to depression. "Let's just get to the hospital."
She robotically turned and started walking with her head hung low.
"Fuck me," she whispered depressingly to herself.
"You didn't have to reject her like that," Dan's scroll said.
Haru looked at him and they stared at each other.
"It was a mean joke. 'I've had enough of children'. She just misheard what you actually said to your cousin because she was distracted," Dan wrote, and they stared at each other some more.
"Right?" Dan wrote and shifted on his feet awkwardly.
Haru gave a small smile. "This body of mine is six years old. It has not even reached puberty."
"You're such a little troll," Dan's scroll said, while the boy himself chuckled behind his mask.
They reached the hospital and Aoba was waiting outside. He noticed that Yū was looking gloomy.
"I get it," Aoba said. "We all hated the D-ranks too. But there'll be a time when we look back at them and realise they're one of the precious memories we have,"
"Huh?" Yū looked up at her sensei, confused.
"Let's get started then," he said as he turned towards the entrance.
Yū sighed and asked: "Why aren't we getting our mission from the Mission Desk?'
"This mission has always been assigned by the Hospital, so it just saves time to get it directly from here," he replied.
"What's the mission?" she asked.
"You'll see," he said. "New teams usually always get this one first. It's like a tradition."
When they got inside, a blonde-haired nurse ran up to them. However, the moment she spotted Yū, she became sour.
"Damn it. It's you," the nurse spat.
Yū smirked and waved. "Yo, turd-face."
Aoba adjusted his sunglasses. "Is there a problem?"
"I really hope not," the nurse said and handed Aoba some body storage seals. "Your team's got the A-list this time. I really hope you don't come back with full scrolls because of death by high-blood pressure. Some of them are ancient."
"Don't worry," Aoba said. "I'll make sure my team is on their best behaviour."
The nurse nodded and ran to do other duties.
"Tch," Yū crossed arms. "What's this A-list?"
"Follow me, I'll explain on the way," he moved to exit the building and his team followed.
Aoba was silent for a moment as he gathered his thoughts.
"The hospital provides a program which allows the elderly to see the faces of fresh genin. Faces of youth outside of their families to help brighten their day or just feel more connected to the village as the generations pass."
"That's nice," Yū said and put her hands behind her head.
Aoba nodded.
"After the Kyuubi rampaged through the village," he said and noted how Yū stumbled. "Many elderly were left with no family and no neighbors to help look after them. Sandaime-sama decreed that Konoha's hospital would extend their program to ensure that these elderly would have regular visits by young genin teams."
He stopped and looked at Yū. "Many of these elderly are in fragile states and very advanced in age. It would not be good to startle them in any way. Perhaps with surprisingly strong words or brash attitudes."
"Tch," Yū looked hurt. "I get it, I'll just stay away from them."
"I'm not asking that of you. They'll love to see you, I'm sure. I'm asking you to—well that is to, um. I'm asking—well, I'd rather Haru take the lead on this one."
"Huh? So, I just have to follow him?" Yū asked, confused. Then she grinned. "Easy!"
"Aright guys, do this by yourselves. I'll be hanging back to watch."
Haru knocked on the door. It took a few moments, but it finally opened. A very old woman with eyes narrowed in slits looked out and saw him. Her face suddenly became overjoyed.
"Oh, Haru-chan! You came again so soon?" she said and opened the door wider.
"Yes, Toki-obaa-san," Haru replied with a smile. "I brought my team with me this time."
"Oh?" Toki looked and her eyes landed on Yū's hair. "Is that you, Tsunade-chan?"
"I'm—" she suddenly stopped when Dan pinched her. She glared at him.
"That is Yamanaka Yū," Haru said.
"Oh, silly me. A Yamanaka," Toki said and chuckled. "Every time I see a blonde, I think about Tsunade-chan or Jiraya's little toad apprentice,"
Yū looked confused for a moment before it clicked. "Hey, wouldn't that be the dead—"
Dan quickly slapped his hand over her mouth, causing her to glare at him some more.
"Hm?" Toki looked over Dan, before she suddenly screamed in horror.
Haru, though startled, quickly moved to stabilise her footing so she didn't fall over. Dan, on the other hand, quickly disappeared.
"Quickly, children. Come on!" she nudged Haru inside. Yū followed, but not before looking up at a rooftop and sticking out her tongue.
When they got to the living room, Haru helped her as she shakily sat down in a very comfortable-looking armchair.
"O-oh. O-oh," she breathed slowly trying to calm herself. "That was one of Tobirama-sama's shadows. It's bad luck if you ever catch a glimpse of them. It always ruins your day."
Yū smirked and didn't say anything. She was glad when Haru kept quiet too.
The old woman then looked at Yū once more. "So, a Yamanaka. I always dreamed of being one. They have such a nice clan."
"It's not that great," Yū grumbled.
Toki laughed snortingly. "I came from a very large family and was the youngest, so I can understand your point of view."
"Yeah," Yū responded hesitantly.
"Where's your other teammate?" Toki asked.
Before Haru could speak, Yū blurted a quick lie. "He had to deal with something urgently."
"Oh, well next time, be sure to bring him," she said.
"I will," Yū nodded.
"So, a genin already. I hear that's a good way to a man's heart," Toki said, nodding to herself. "I'm ashamed I never took the chance to become one. I was too scared of going to fight in the war,"
"Life happens as it's meant to, Toki-oba-san. We shouldn't dwell too extremely on the past," Haru said.
Toki chuckled. "Oh, Haru-chan. You always know what to say to make me feel better. You remind me of my great-grandfather when he was still alive."
They fell into a comfortable silence. Well, comfortable for Toki and Haru, but not so much for Yū. She had to stop herself from fidgeting.
"You must go see Noriko soon, Haru-chan. I hear she got very sick," Toki said.
"We will do that today," Haru replied.
"Don't forget old man Haku," she added.
"We won't," Haru said.
"And say 'Hi' to little Sasuke for me," she said.
"I will," he nodded.
Another silence fell and Yū couldn't stop from fidgeting this time. Toki looked at her.
"Yū-chan, have you found a man yet?"
"Eh?" Yū was surprised by the question and blushed. "Not really."
"Oh? You have someone you're interested in, though?" Toki asked, seeing through the girl.
Yū scratched the back of her head. "I mean, he's already involved."
Toki chuckled. "Don't be silly. Men are always involved. They've got big hearts, though, so you just have to make a small corner for yourself and you'll be alright. With the war, anything can happen, so it's best not dilly dally."
"But the war's over," Yū said.
"Oh, my dear child, there's always war," Toki said, sadly.
"Well, when I'm Hokage there won't be," Yū muttered.
"Hokage?" Toki repeated and then chuckled. "That's a big dream, but you should leave the position to a strong man. I can't imagine a Hokage ever leading a happy life, much less a woman Hokage being actually happy. Besides, don't you want to get married and have children?"
"Maybe," Yū said a bit petulantly. "But I really want to be Hokage. If I get married, then it'd be like being the master while having a master over you at the same time."
"Oh, child," Toki said lovingly and she looked at Haru. "What do you say to that?"
"Whether one is a Hokage or one is not," Haru thoughtfully began. "I think we will always have masters over us. Rarely are they ever of our choosing. Many times they are of our own making. More times it is those with strength that dictate. Very little do we ever realise that the true master will never be us, but it will also never be them."
Yū looked a bit cross-eyed at that.
"Ah, your monk-speech never gets old, Haru-chan," Toki said, chuckling. She looked back at Yū. "If you want to reach enlightenment, dear, you have to learn to let go. Rarely are our first desires and dreams ever truly what's best for us in the long run. It doesn't mean your desires or dreams never came true, but they may have evolved into something more beautiful and fulfilling. Or maybe not. Maybe you will have to let go and learn how to be happy with how things turned out."
"I don't really get it," Yū said, feeling a headache coming on.
Toki laughed. "Oh. When you get to my age, you'll quickly figure out that the only thing you ever knew for certain, is that you never got anything and that you still don't get it. But you'll have seen a lot of patterns. Hmm, let me guess, you want to be Hokage and your role model is Mito-sama?"
"Who?" Yū asked in confusion.
"Hm? Tsunade-chan perhaps?" Toki tried again.
"Yeah, but I'll be greater," Yū said.
"Good girl. You've got the right idea about role models then. Don't ever be like them," Toki said with a small nod. "Maybe you'll make a good Hokage. I only wish I could live to see the day. Just remember, if you dream about being Hokage, and you shout off the rooftops about being Hokage, then you don't deserve to be Hokage. Because you might get the position, but all the duties will be stacked on you because you're the one who wanted it. But if you never wanted the position and still get it, then people will actually work with you. Come here,"
Toki ushered Yū closer and the girl leaned forward.
"And between you and me," Toki whispered mischievously. "If you ever get married, I think you'll quickly find out just who the master is and you'll figure out just who the slow student is. Just get good at hiding that small fact, or nothing will work out your way. I'm certain Shinobi know best how to hide their most treasured skills and knowledge, and they know best when to use them. Use those abilities girl and you and your children will not only be happy, but content. Always remember, the Will of Fire treasures teamwork, because there's more than just one person involved and that fact makes a village."
Toki gave a snorting laugh, leaving Yū more confused than ever.
"Come back again!" Toki waved from her door.
"I will," Yū replied, waving back with a comfortable smile on her face.
They turned and started walking.
Yū gaved a contented sigh. "What a nice crazy old lady. I feel like I missed learning something at the Academy."
"We can't know everything, Yamanka-san," Haru said.
"Oh that's where you're totally wrong," she said, smirking at him while pointing at her head. "One day, I'm gonna have the power to literally know everything,"
"Well," Haru said. "When that day comes, let me know how to make the sun rise from the west without killing every organism on this planet."
This stumped Yū for a moment causing her to stop walking. Then she ran to catch up. "That's simple, just get a lot of Chakra and cast a genjutsu over everyone."
"That is certainly one solution," Haru retorted. "But do you really want to cheat?"
"That's not cheating. It'd probably make a good prank,"
"Hn," Haru hid a smile with a hand. "I have been outdone."
"Have fun?" Dan's scroll voiced up ahead of them.
"Haha," Yū laughed and pointed at her friend. "'Death from high blood pressure' my ass. You're the one everyone should be focusing on,"
Dan looked at her, then his mask suddenly shifted like liquid and morphed into a half-mask that covered the bottom part of his face.
"You should have thought about that before we got to the door," she walked to him and roughly patted him on the shoulder. Then she looked back at Haru. "We can't all be geniuses now can we."
She walked off laughing, leaving Dan with his shoulders sagging.
Haru walked up to the boy and looked up at him. "It really brings out your eyes, but it reminds of someone."
Haru then walked away.
In response, Dan slapped his hand on his own forehead and groaned.
The rest of that day, they went through the list of elderly and visited each one. They visited old man Haku who had no legs. They visited old man Taichi who had no arms. They also visited old lady Yoshie who had her skull bashed in during the battles before Konoha was founded.
At last, they reached the house of the last person on the list. An old woman called Noriko.
They knocked on the door and waited. Haru knocked twice more before stopping to think. He looked at Dan who seemingly understood. The boy phased through the door and came back out looking sick. He shook his head.
"No way," Yū said incredulously. "What the fuck are we supposed to do?"
A sigh came from behind them. Aoba stood there.
"Well, from time to time this happens. It's always unexpected," Aoba pulled out a scroll. "That's why the hospital gives us storage for the bodies. We just take them back to the hospital and they deal with the rest."
He then tossed a scroll to Yū. She gulped. "What the heck?"
"Seal the body up,"
"I'll do it, Yamashiro-sensei," Haru spoke up.
Yū glared at Haru. "Shut up, I'll do it."
Haru nodded, but frowned.
Dan phased back into the door and opened it from the inside. The stench hit everyone, but Yū just held her breath and went inside.
Worst fucking job ever!
"I don't want to go on this mission ever again," Yū said as they walked away from Noriko's house.
"I can't promise that," Aoba said.
"Then let's never get the A-list again. Except for maybe Toki-baa-chan," she said back.
"That really depends on the order our team gets the mission. All the lists are split up and shared between multiple teams,"
"Whatever," Yū said and she placed her hands behind her head.
"Well, we've got one last person," Aoba said. "I'll go with you guys this time,"
"What?!" Yū whirled around and glared at her sensei. "I thought we did everyone on our list,"
"Well this one's special. He requested to be on this specific list and our team got him. It's a bit lucky."
"Who's crazy enough to do that?" Yū asked.
"I assure you, you won't be saying those words when you see him," Aoba replied with exasperation. He pushed his sunglasses up a bit.
"The Sarutobi compound?" Haru asked.
"Yes," Aoba replied.
He came up to a door and knocked.
A young man opened the door. A small, very wild, blonde-haired boy was sitting on his shoulders pulling at his hair.
"What do you want, Aoba? I'm kind of busy?" the young man said.
"Oh, hey Asuma. Kurenai wanted to propose to you, but got the jitters. She sent me with the marriage proposal instead,"
Asuma's face brightened with joy. "Really?"
"No," Aoba said flatly. "I brought my team,"
Asuma looked heart-broken for a moment, then looked at the genin. He suddenly grew annoyed. "Don't tell me the old man put his name on The List again."
"Umm," Aoba started. "Well, I'm not sure what you're talking about, but I'm certain Sandaime-sama is waiting for his little guests,"
Asuma blinked then paled as he whirled around to look at the person behind him, the blonde kid on his shoulders almost flying off, but seemingly having the time of his life.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood in the hallway and chuckled. "Yes, please don't let this old man wait for too long."
All the while, Yū stood in shock.
To be continued.
