Chapter 31


"They say another year older, another year wiser. I firmly disagree with this notion, because clearly whoever said that has never seen how a college student celebrates birthdays."


"Uncle Obito... I'm... I'm scared."

Masaru's voice shook as he sat hunched before his uncle's grave, his body shaking violently as his arms wrapped around himself in a tight hug. Tears dripped to the dirt below him as he tried not to sob, the minute shift in coloring of the soil from the added moisture startlingly clear as his eyes spun with four wavering tomoe.

"I... I don't want these eyes... I—I see them everywhere, I... I-I—"

His words cut off with a sharp sob, doubling over and nearly pressing his head to the ground as he began crying.

The Sharingan were cursed eyes. They embodied pain and suffering. They embodied loss, grief, rage, so many hurtful, awful things—

They reminded him that he didn't have her anymore.

Akari was gone, his sister was gone, gone gone gone...

A warm presence suddenly appeared at his back and fingers tenderly stroked through his hair, another hand gently rubbed his back. Strong arms pulled him close and an unfamiliar masculine voice gently shushed his sobs, but Masaru didn't feel scared or wary. He just cried into the man's chest, sobbing and hiccupping and releasing all the horrible pent-up feelings he'd been feeling ever since that night.

Eventually his sobs quieted to small sniffles, and he pulled away, rubbing his eyes. Stars danced behind his eyelids as he pressed the heels of his palms against them, but then he felt those same strong hands grab his wrists and firmly pull his hands away before releasing their grip. Sniffling one more time, he opened his eyes and waited for his vision to clear.

When the spots faded he saw Akari kneeling next to him at the low table, her eyes closed as she sniffed one of the flowers in the vase on the table's center. His stomach flipped at the sight and he leaned forward, his hands splaying in front of him. "A-Akari?" he gasped, and she hummed as she twirled the flower stem in her fingers, burying her nose in its petals to inhale the aroma.

"Sagiso looks weird, doesn't it?" she commented. "Mom says it looks kinda like a dove, but I don't see it." She gestured to the vase for him to look at the vase, too busy sniffing the one in her hand to show it to him, and he squinted at the white orchids and found himself agreeing with their mother. Two petals extended from a long white shaft, the ends frayed and fringed not unlike wings of a bird in flight, while two more petals sprouted from the stem and flared upwards to act as tail feathers.

He opened his mouth to voice the sentiment, but instead he found himself saying, "I miss you. Why did you go?" Akari frowned, turning her head away and crossing her arms with a huff.

"I didn't want to go, Masa. No one wanted to, we didn't have a choice." He winced at her tone, looking at his lap guiltily.

"I... I know, but..." He trailed off, his vision blurring with tears. He missed her, he missed her so much. Waking up without his other half every morning felt so wrong, every accomplishment felt insignificant without her there to celebrate with him. Every day he went through the motions and lived his life, but he never felt whole. He could feel the emptiness left by her absence, it always weighed down on him no matter what happened.

Turning her head to look at Masaru, a choked gasp caught in his throat as he saw a gaping hole in her right eye socket, the empty cavity weeping thick black blood like tears.

"I miss you too, Masaru," she told him, and offered the most melancholic and horrific smile he'd ever seen.

Masaru woke up with a start, visions of his sister's eyeless smile flashing through his head as he opened his eyes to darkness. He could feel a now-familiar tingle in his eyes accompanied a sense of overwhelming clarity, and he knew he'd see red eyes if he looked in the mirror. His face twisted into a bitter scowl as he sat up, burying the heels of his palms into the eyes until spots danced behind his eyelids.

The worst part about Sasuke being gone for training was the nights. Waking up alone after horrible nightmares felt a lot more bearable when he had someone there with him, even if Sasuke slept in another room, but waking up to an empty apartment left him feeling hollow. Sleep never came easy after nightmares, so he decided to just not even bother trying.

Slowly clambering out of bed, he stalked to the bookshelf and pulled out a few random books, carrying them into the kitchen. Only after switching on the lights did he see what he'd grabbed, and his lips quirked into an amused smile at the odd assortment. Experimental space-time fuinjutsu would be far too heavy of a read for late night, and he knew from experience that medical textbooks could have some rather graphic photos. Meanwhile he'd practically memorized the book about chakra control.

That left one, Legends of Uzushio.

He couldn't help but smile nostalgically as he carried the familiar tome to the ceiling to read it, making sure to stick some leaves he'd picked up at the park onto his forehead beforehand. One of the tips in his mom's notes on Foxfire had been to use multiple chakra control exercises at once, while also performing a "mundane" task. This not only expanded his control and reserves, but also helped him learn to unconsciously split his focus between multiple tasks, which would eventually extend into battle situations.

Progress went a lot faster now that he had those notes.

Back to the book, Masaru sat cross-legged on the ceiling and began flicking through the pages. Many years had passed since he'd last heard any of the stories—she stopped reading it before he and Akari started at the academy—but even so several of the titles niggled at his memory. Princess of the Eddies, the Lunar Pool, the Fox and the Mermaid...

He chose to read an unfamiliar tale about the first anniversary of Uzushio's founding, which somehow involved a lot of octopi dressed in silly outfits and a young Senju Hashirama nearly falling victim to a drunken ritual sacrifice. As he pondered how the hell that happened, Masaru turned the page and blinked as he noticed an envelope begin to slip out from between two pages deeper into the book.

With a deftness that served as a testament to his training, he snatched it from the air before it could flutter even a few inches from the book. And even as he opened it Masaru realized with no small amount of pride that the leaves had not fallen from his forehead during the brief distraction, either. Progress!

Sadly, his triumph did not last long, as it did fall once he saw the envelope's contents.

Masaru found himself holding a photo of teenage versions of his mother, Uchiha Mikoto, and some Inuzuka woman (Kiba's mom, maybe?), all crowded around a beaming red-headed girl sporting a mischievous grin. All of the teenagers flashed rather goofy looks at the camera in stark contrast to the serious adult women Masaru remembered from his early childhood, Mikoto even giving the oblivious redhead bunny ears with two fingers while his mom obviously tried not to laugh.

Bizarre as that was, Masaru found himself more stunned by the red-haired girl herself. She looked younger and obviously had more color, but somehow he recognized her instantly as the woman from the drawing with the Nine-Tailed Fox.

Red writing on the wall behind them declared "Birthdays, Uzumaki-style!"

...Why did he get the feeling that wasn't written in blood?

Shaking it off, he focused on the writing itself. "Uzumaki," he murmured softly as he began flipping through the other photos, visions of a familiar blond flickering through his mind. He had heard the name plenty of times in the past due to this very book, but he'd never actually made the connection to Naruto before. He frowned intently at a photo of the redheaded girl as she leaned over a birthday cake, her violet eyes sparkling in the glow of the candles.

Could this be Naruto's mom?

"Hey, psst! Masaru!"

Masaru paused as he heard someone call his name in a loud whisper, turning to look behind him. A familiar shock of bright golden hair peeked around the corner, Naruto glancing around and gesturing for him to come closer. "There you are! I don't have much time, so—"

"UZUMAKI!" a booming voice bellowed from down the hall, making him jump with a startled yelp. Panic flashed in his face and he rushed out of his hiding spot, thrusting a piece of paper in Masaru's hands.

"Gotta go, read that, bye!" He zoomed away without waiting for a response, a red-faced academy instructor soon skidding into sight. The man breathed heavily as he looked between Masaru and the direction Naruto went. On pure instinct Masaru hid the paper from his sight, stuffing it into his pocket before the teacher could see it.

"Did he talk to you!?" he almost snarled. Masaru just stared at him blankly, mutely shaking his head. The man growled under his breath as he ran off in pursuit of Naruto, and only when he'd left his line of sight did Masaru pull out the paper again.

It was a handmade card, with a drawing of a chibi Naruto and a bowl of what he probably intended to be ramen above the message "You are invited to Uzumaki Naruto's 8th birthday on October 10th at 4 PM! Meet him at the Hokage Rock!"

Masaru stared at the invitation blankly, his eyes hollow. The teacher's furious glower and snarl played through his mind, and the paper crinkled as his grip tightened.

Every time Naruto talked to him, the adults got mad... Even if Masaru initiated the contact, Naruto got in trouble, not him.

Eyes narrowing, he balled up the paper and shoved it in his pocket, turning and resuming his solitary tread to the entrance.

In the present Masaru frowned as he recalled the long-ago memory. He never did show up to Naruto's birthday, and after that Naruto never tried to approach him anymore. Skipping out on the event had probably hurt him, but avoiding the blond had been Masaru's own silent gift to his first friend. Their friendship caused Naruto nothing but suffering, so at least that way, Naruto wouldn't get in trouble because of Masaru anymore.

He sighed as he slipped the photos back into the envelope, flipping onto the apartment floor and closing the book quietly. He'd have to make it up to Naruto this year. Maybe he could borrow some ideas from the photos...

Speaking of birthdays, he should get to work. Not like he had anything better to do at three in the morning.


Sasuke sighed tiredly as he stalked through the streets, the early evening sky starting to tint gold and orange as the sun neared the horizon. He and Kakashi had spent nearly every day training since the second phase ended, and even now he could feel phantom tingling in his arm from executing the Chidori. It had been a busy month so far and he'd be more than content to keep training until the tournament itself, but Kakashi had finally ordered him to return home for two days to rest.

Running a hand through his hair as he reached his apartment, he started to open the door only to pause when the faint aroma of fresh tomatoes wafted through the crack. Shoulders drooping in contentment, he opened the door fully and stepped inside to find Masaru standing in the kitchen, hunched over a boiling pot. His cousin glanced at him in surprise, and then smiled. "You're back!"

"Kakashi made me take the rest of the day off. Are you making tomato soup?"

"Yeah. I also made some onigiri with okaka and tomato, too. They're in the fridge." Sasuke looked at him in surprise, feeling his mouth salivate at the thought of his favorite food.

"What's the occasion?" he asked, and Masaru seemed to falter, looking at him with a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

"...Uh... You don't remember...?" When Sasuke shook his head, his cousin just sighed and offered a pointed glance to the calendar. Following his gaze, Sasuke noted every day had been crossed out, leaving only the current date: July 23. Still a bit tired from training (and a bit distracted by the delicious aromas), it admittedly took a few seconds longer than it should to make the connection.

"Oh. Right. My birthday." Masaru just shot him an exasperated look, before turning back to the pot with a sigh.

"...Sasuke, go take a bath. Dinner should be done by the time you finish." Sasuke grunted and headed for the bathroom, admittedly a bit wistful at the thought of soaking his tired muscles in nice, warm water. Half an hour later he emerged clean and far more relaxed than when he'd arrived, his exhaustion largely washed away. True to his word, Masaru had set the table with two bowls, and promptly filled two bowls with still-warm soup.

"Can you get the cups?" he asked, and Sasuke grunted as he trotted over to the cupboard to grab three teacups. Shortly before the massacre Ryoko had painted one of her teacups just for him, decorating it with a pattern of swirling storm clouds sprouting lightning. Masaru's own personal teacup had a swarm of golden dragonflies buzzing about it, their wings painted with ornate, glittering patterns.

Carrying them back to the table, he set them down at each place, and Masaru glanced at the third teacup with no small amount of surprise. "That's..."

"Figured it's only fair," Sasuke said with a shrug, and his cousin smiled, his eyes wistful as he studied the autumn foliage decorating his sister's cup.

Dinner unfolded with a pleasant atmosphere, the two boys exchanging stories about their various adventures over the past month. Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes at the mention of the flirty noble girls, while Masaru expressed sufficient awe at his description of his progress. "I'll show you the Chidori tomorrow," he offered, but his cousin shook his head.

"No, let's just take tomorrow off from ninja stuff." Frowning, Sasuke opened his mouth to protest but paused when Masaru raised a hand. Calmly setting down his spoon, he offered Sasuke the most pleasant smile he'd ever seen and then activated his Sharingan.

The aspiring avenger nearly recoiled at the stark contrast the visual provided. It really shouldn't be that disturbing, but somehow the sight of their clan's deadly and fearsome doujutsu paired with such a placid, sweet expression made his stomach churn.

"We're taking the day off," Masaru repeated calmly, still smiling, and Sasuke shuddered.

"R-right, we'll... take it off," he mumbled, pointedly looking away. "J-just, don't do that, okay?" Masaru's eyes returned to their normal black and he calmly resumed eating. Still slightly shocked, after a moment Sasuke slowly reached for an onigiri, mumbling to himself all the while. "What the hell...?"

Masaru just smirked, the picture of smugness.

Sasuke decided to take a page from Naruto's book and threw a clump of rice at him, and felt rather smug when Masaru yelped and nearly fell off his chair in surprise. Immature, maybe, but so strangely satisfying.


Sakura frowned as she stared at the mirror, fidgeting awkwardly. "Is... is it too fancy?" she mumbled to herself, her old childhood uncertainty rearing its ugly head. The dress had been quite pricey and definitely looked good on her, what with the deep ruby color and the form-fitting figure, tied at the waist with a light pink sash. It wouldn't be practical for anything highly physical, but today she had mostly civilian activities planned.

Still, she had doubts. While she wouldn't be doing any super-physical ninja work today, she would still be technically performing a mission. And before that, she'd be meeting Sasuke-kun for his birthday.

Sighing in frustration, Sakura stripped out of the dress and began combing her closet for alternatives. "Of all the days for Ino to be working," she grumbled under her breath. Right now she could really use her best friend's fashion advice, but unfortunately Ino had been roped into working at her family's flower shop for the day since all team activities had been suspended so Asuma could focus on training Shikamaru for the finals.

Pulling out a pale yellow sundress, she pulled it on and looked at her reflection appraisingly. This looked... cute. The wide collar showed off her collarbone quite well and the short sleeves granted her arms plenty of mobility, and it had a pattern of pastel green leaves which gave it a summery feel. The length felt a bit awkward though, extending just past her knees.

Inspired, she began rummaging through her drawers for a pair of scissors. She carefully cut along the bottom to end closer to her waist, and then pulled on light green leggings. Much better. Still, something seemed to be missing. Eying her reflection contemplatively, Sakura touched her hair with a thoughtful look.

Fifteen minutes later, she stood outside a restaurant, glancing around the busy street before spying a familiar head of black hair. "Sasuke-kun! Masaru! Hey!" She waved eagerly with a bright smile as her crush and his cousin approached, the pair pausing to look at her in mild surprise.

"Sakura," Masaru greeted once they got closer. "Your hair, it's..."

"Ah, yeah, it felt a little long so I trimmed it a bit." She smiled sheepishly as she fiddled with one of the ends, her formerly long pink locks trimmed to reach her shoulders. Cutting it had been a whim, but it felt so much better like this. She hadn't realized just how hot her hair had been until shearing it. Later she might have to ask Ino to cut it a little shorter—just a little.

Discreetly glancing at Sasuke, Sakura searched his face for signs of potential approval (or disapproval), but as usual he just looked impassive and bored as always. She resisted the urge to sigh, instead allowing a small smile to slip through. Sasuke's aloof nature had been one of his most attractive factors after all, if a little change like this made him suddenly swoon over her, then she'd seriously question if he might be an imposter.

"Is Naruto coming?" she asked, and Masaru shook his head.

"We couldn't find him, so guess not."

"Probably for the best," she sighed. "I don't know if we could get him to stop training long enough even just to grab lunch. I'm kinda surprised you took the day off, Sasuke-kun."

"I had no choice," he mumbled, shooting a sidelong glance at his cousin as he spoke. Was it just Sakura, or did he suddenly look kind of apprehensive? Shrugging it off, she just smiled and nodded.

"Well, that means we'll have to make this lunch extra special. Oh, right, before I forget!" Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a small white box tied with a red ribbon and held it to him. "Here, for your birthday. You can open it now if you want." Accepting it with a slightly curious glance, he pulled the ribbon loose and lifted the lid. Genuine surprise flashed across his features as he looked inside.

"What the...?" He lifted a pair of long blue wristbands, examining them with a slightly puzzled frown.

"It's a pair of gauntlets," she explained. "I figured I'd get you something practical. It's made with this special synthetic polymer that makes it extra sturdy and even fireproof. It has a loop that hooks around your middle finger, see?" She pointed to a fabric loop protruding from one of the ends as she spoke. "I also included the receipt in there so you can take it to the store to get metal plates sewn in if you want. Although you'd have to pay a fee, but, the gauntlets are way pricier on their own so I think it's not too bad."

Sasuke still seemed mildly surprised by the gift, and after a few moments he put them back in the box and offered her a small smirk. "Not bad." Her heart soared at the open approval and Inner Sakura cheered in delight, pumping a fist into the air. Somehow outer Sakura managed to keep her cool, only a faint blush signifying her internal glee.

Masaru looked at the gift with particular interest. "You said they're fireproof?" he asked, and she bobbed her head quickly.

"Yeah. Since the Uchiha clan is known for fire jutsu, I thought it'd be a good fit."

"It is." He had a contemplative note to his voice, eying the gauntlets with... was that envy? The unusually sour look caught her by surprise. Usually Masaru just seemed sweet if a bit shy and awkward, kinda like Hinata but with more confidence outside of socialization. The emotion disappeared as quickly as it appeared though, and Sakura decided not to dwell on it.

"Anyways, we should get lunch now," she said, glancing at the sky. Judging by the sun's position she'd estimate it to be a little past noon, which meant she had two hours to spare. She smiled as she led the way inside, lightly raving about the menu and excellent service. Neither of the Uchiha boys had been to this particular restaurant before, which she considered a travesty because it had the best anmitsu and sushi in all of Konoha!

The trio made pleasant conversation as they perused the menus, all three recounting their activities over the past month. Sasuke's training was going spectacularly as expected, Masaru had started experimenting with a jutsu apparently inherited from his mother (must not squeal), and Sakura herself had finally found a doctor at the hospital willing to teach her the Mystical Healing Palm.

Time flew by as they spoke, and eventually Sakura happened to glance at a clock on the wall and gasped in horror.

"Crap! I have to be at the Hokage's office in ten minutes!" Panicking, she yanked her coin pouch out of her purse and tossed it at the startled boys as she leapt to her feet. "Well, this was really fun but I need to go now. Here use this to pay and give it back to me later oh and dad says you guys are welcome anytime but that might be bad gotta go bye!"

With that she spun and raced away, zooming through Konoha's streets at record speeds. Remembering that rooftops would probably be faster, she accordingly changed her route and scaled the nearest building. Within two minutes the administration building came into sight, and she leaped onto the roof and burst through the window of the Hokage's office, gasping for breath as she skidded to a halt and doubled over.

The Hokage turned in his seat to look at her and raised an eyebrow, his lips quirking into an amused smile. "I see you're starting to take on some of Kakashi's habits," he chuckled, and she froze, an icy stab of terror filling her.

"Oh no, how late am I?!" she blurted, her face paling as she looked at him. "Oh kami, Lord Hokage I am so sorry! I had lunch with Sasuke-kun and Masaru for his birthday and totally lost track of time, I am so sorry—"

"Sakura-chan, you're not late," he interrupted before she could start hyperventilating. "I was referring to your entrance through the window. You're actually a few minutes early." Freezing, she stared at him blankly before her entire body sagged with relief.

"Oh, thank goodness," she groaned, hanging her head, and then paused and remembered she was in front of the Hokgae. The young kunoichi quickly straightened her back so she could properly bow. "I apologize for the loss of composure, I guess I let my nerves get the best of me."

"It's fine, Sakura," he assured her with a warm smile. "Let's get started." Turning around, he gestured for her to move to the front of the desk and she quickly scurried into place, giving another quick bow just to show she had some manners.

Due to the influx of foreign dignitaries entering Konoha for the Chuunin Exams, Sakura had gotten the brilliant idea to give some of them tours of the village. When she'd mentioned it to Iruka-sensei he'd scheduled a meeting with the Hokage for her to share her idea. She hadn't actually expected the Hokage to agree and worried the meeting would be a waste of his time, but to her surprise he not only approved it, but actually praised her for her initiative.

Foreign nobles would get more acquainted with the village which would give them incentive to hire Leaf ninja more, the local businesses would get a boost in sales, and she'd be able to make some sweet connections that might be useful in the future. As far as she was concerned, it was a win-win-win.

"Now then, today's group is a bit different from the others," the Hokage began. "After introducing yourself, I want you to present the woman this," he gestured to a small bouquet of flowers and a gift bag, "and her guests one of these." He gestured to an assortment of colored gift bags, smaller than the other one.

"Understood," Sakura responded with a firm nod. "I'm ready whenever you want me to begin."

Smiling, the Hokage nodded and raised a hand in a silent signal for one of the ANBU in the room to tell the receptionist to fetch the guests. "Just don't be too surprised," he warned her, and Sakura shot him a questioning glance as the receptionist knocked and opened the door.

"Lord Hokage, the party from Ame is here," she informed them, and Sakura felt her blood freeze for just a second. Ame? As in Ame, the Village Hidden in the Rain Ame? Before she could think on it too hard four figures filed inside, all wearing headbands with four vertical lines. Yep, ninja village Ame. This marked a first.

The obvious leader, a woman, had loose brown hair that hung over her shoulders in waves. Thick blue lines extended from her eyes in what Sakura supposed was meant to mimic rainfall, the paint almost perfectly matching the deep blue shade of her eyes. She stepped forward and briefly bowed, smiling at the Hokage pleasantly. "Thank you for hosting us and extending this lovely offer to us, Lord Hokage."

"It is no issue at all," he told her, and nodded to Sakura. She quickly stepped forward and bowed to the four guests. Internally she continued to freak out, but somehow she managed to keep calm externally and even managed a polite smile.

"Hello, my name is Haruno Sakura. I'll be your guide today." If her voice sounded a little shaky and high-pitched, no one commented on it.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Sakura. My name is Masuyo, I am the official representative of Ame. These are my guests. Kyouya," she nodded to a man with an eye patch with three scars extending from it like claw marks, "Shinobu," a teenage boy maybe two years older than Sakura who looked totally awestruck by everything, "and my guard, Arata." The final man wore a respirator like some of the Ame genin she'd seen in the exam along with a pair of goggles and a hood pulled over his head, and had a red scarf draped loosely around his shoulders.

Sakura casually examined the small group, recognizing the first two from the preliminary matches as the teacher and one of the Rain genin. She suspected the other two genin to be unavailable due to training and—in the kunoichi's case—medical needs. In turn, that meant the two unfamiliar ones—or at least Masuyo—likely came to Konoha as the official representatives for Ame. No pressure or anything.

Smiling, she pushed away her nerves and picked up the bouquet to present it to Masuyo. "It is an honor to host you today, Lady Masuyo," she told her. "Please accept this bouquet and these gift bags to commemorate your visit. Inside you will find coupons for various facilities around Konoha, as well as some other memorabilia to commemorate your stay."

Masuyo accepted the bouquet and proffered gift bag with a gracious smile, and Sakura quickly collected the remaining bags and flitted about the room. "For you, Kyouya-san, the green bag," she told the jounin sensei, handing him the bag in question, "To match your eye. For Shinobu-san, blue, because your yukata is blue," she smiled as she handed it to him, earning a small thanks in return, and then turned to the last man. "And of course, since Arata-san has that red scarf, you get the red bag." He accepted it with a silent nod, the others already checking the contents of the bags curiously.

As she turned to face Masuyo once more, the woman suddenly leaned forward and tucked one of the flowers from the bouquet behind her ear, making Sakura freeze and grow red. Masuyo offered her a warm smile, brushing a few strands of her hair away from the blossom. "And for you, Sakura-chan, a single white anemone. Do you know what that means?"

"Sincere," the genin breathed, feeling her cheeks flush as her fingers flitted upwards to gently touch the soft petals. Masuyo hummed in approval as she stepped back, and behind her Sakura could hear the Third chuckle in faint amusement.

"We can have the bouquet sent to your hotel room if you wish," he offered, and the woman smiled and nodded.

"Of course, thank you," she told him, plucking a single white daffodil from the bouquet and tucking it behind her own ear before handing it to him. Respect, Sakura recalled from her hanakotoba classes in the academy. Daffodils meant respect. It fit her, because as a foreign representative Masuyo deserved respect, but she herself also seemed quite respectful.

Smiling widely, Sakura bowed to them once more before clapping her hands, her nerves sated by the brief interaction. "Now that introductions have been completed, shall we begin?"


Meanwhile across Konoha, Gaara sat alone on the floor of his hotel room, leafing through a thick folder on his lap. Hours ago Baki had returned from a final strategy meeting with some representatives from Oto with the file in tow after Gaara had spent the better part of the past three weeks requesting it. Even now he could sense his jounin sensei hovering near the door, no doubt waiting anxiously for how he would react. Gaara rarely showed an interest in anything, so it left Baki understandably unsettled.

Ever since they arrived in Konoha, Gaara had been acting different. He still acted cruel, still treated his siblings and everyone else with detached apathy, but... He changed, just his lethal impulses, Gaara's behavior typically fell into easily defined patterns that made him fairly predictable after knowing him long enough, providing those who worked with him regularly an idea on to navigate any interactions. This, however, fell outside the known limits of Gaara's behavior, and Baki had no idea how to handle this new side of his student.

Sea foam eyes narrowed as the jincuuriki skimmed one page in particular, the complex medical jargon almost too thick for him to make much sense of it. However, he could understand just enough to decipher the information he desired. Visibly he showed no reaction, but internally his mind whirled with the implications.

"Mother," he murmured quietly. "Love is very twisted, isn't it..."


Omake: The Photos

Kakashi had just sent Sasuke on a game of tag with the ninken when Tenzo suddenly appeared in the clearing with a panicked look. "Senpai, help!" he hissed, and Kakashi felt his heart sink with dread.

"What happened?" he demanded quickly. "Did Orochimaru attack?"

"No, worse. Look!" He produced a pile of photos from his vest and thrust it at Kakashi, who looked at the top one with a heavy sense of foreboding—

...Was that a younger Jiraiya tied up and covered in makeup, with Tsunade and Orochimaru smirking behind him?

Staring at it blankly, Kakashi slowly leafed through the photos and oh kami, was that a teenage Minato-sensei crying as he applied blush to Jiraiya? Yes, yes it was he realized, and that was definitely a mischievous Kushina hovering behind his teenage sensei with a devilish grin. Stories he'd long forgotten came to mind, his eye widening with understanding.

"...Tenzo?" he asked hesitantly. "Why do you have photos from Kushina's fifteenth birthday?"

"Masaru found it in some book! He wanted to know who everyone in there is and what they're doing and I don't know what to say!"

"We'll figure it out—" Kakashi started, only to freeze when he saw the next photo. Four teenage kunoichi smirked drunkenly at the camera as they lifted half-empty bottles of beer, their clothes in obvious disarray and lipstick marks visible on their necks which matched the red splotches smeared across their mouths. More vague memories of Kushina snickering came to mind, and Kakashi's shoulders drooped. ...Right, they had a giant make-out session while drunk. That would be a little more uncomfortable to explain to Masaru.

"He wants to know what Uzumaki birthdays are like! What do I tell him?" Tenzo hissed desperately, snatching the photos back.

"...Just be thankful it's not the one from Kushina's eighteenth birthday," Kakashi finally said, and then disappeared in a swirl of leaves before Tenzo could question what he meant. The mokuton user just stood there dumbly, staring at the space Kakashi occupied. Seconds later Sasuke raced past him, a pack of overly hyper ninken nipping at his heels.