Chapter 51
"Sometimes, you need to just sit down and talk things out."
Breakfast once again found four absolutely sullen teenagers seated in a café, none of them feeling any particular appetite as they stared at their uneaten food.
Last night ended on the most sour note possible as they'd confirmed the mission to be a total failure. While they'd all been distracted by the masked man, the merchant caravan's hotel rooms had been ransacked and robbed. They'd arrived to find the police scrambling to investigate it, getting access to the scene due to their hero status for turning in the bandit group earlier, and had managed to attain a list of the stolen items. Most of the goods had been easily replaceable, but chief among the losses was Mito's tessen.
Worst of all, Sakura knew it was all her fault.
She stared at her stack pancakes sulkily, the usually fluffy confection looking soggy and floppy underneath the thick coating of syrup. She didn't feel particularly up for the artificial taste of sugar, or even the more savory taste of bacon or toast that the others had ordered. They seemed just as gloomy, none of them eating either and just staring at their food.
As had become typical over the course of the mission, Shikamaru finally broke the silence. "We'll head back today," he announced. "There's not much reason to stick around."
"Right after breakfast?" Masaru guessed gloomily, pushing his rice around the plate.
"Depends," Shikamaru responded, glancing at Sakura. "I'd prefer to wait for Sakura to eat first."
She didn't even wince at the remark, just continued to sit in sullen silence. Technically, she hadn't eaten in over twelve hours. She'd been kidnapped before dinner, and after the chaos last night food had been the last thing on her mind. Right now though her stomach felt too heavy to hold down anything, her spirit too weighted down with guilt and shame.
The pancakes were starting to bloat now. They'd soaked up most of the syrup and butter to the point they looked dry, even sweeter than before. Her mouth felt scratchy just imagining it.
She swallowed harshly, pushing the plate back. "Sorry," she mumbled, getting up. "I... I'm going to go for a walk." Three pairs of sharp eyes snapped towards her, Sasuke instantly standing up.
"I'm coming with you," he announced gruffly, and Sakura flinched slightly at his harsh tone. Just a few days ago she'd be ecstatic for her crush's attention, let alone a chance to be alone with him, but right now it just made her feel weak and vulnerable.
"I don't need—"
"No, I'll go with her," Shikamaru cut in, and when Sakura shot him a desperate look he added, "No one's allowed to split up until the mission ends. Two groups minimum at any time." His tone held no room for discussion, so Sakura just mutely clamped her mouth shut and gave a tight nod. It made sense anyway, the last time she went alone—
Well. Better to stop that line of thought now.
"Then why are you going with her?" Sasuke demanded, narrowing his eyes, and Shikamaru just stared him down evenly.
"Because I have some business to take care of anyway, and I think you two need to talk in private." Both Uchiha boys winced, Sasuke scowling and Masaru grimacing as he looked away. It probably had something to do with that unknown bar scene mentioned last night, but Sakura didn't particularly care. She just exhaled softly, nodding her head slightly.
"Alright," she agreed quietly. Of her options, Shikamaru would probably be the best right now.
When neither of the Uchiha tried to protest further, Shikamaru put some money on the table to cover his portion of the food and got up. "We'll meet up at the inn in two hours. Try to have it worked out by then."
Sasuke grunted and Masaru just sank into his seat, which was apparently good enough for Shikamaru. He turned and headed for the door, Sakura fishing around her pocket for a few crumpled bills to cover her own portion before shuffling out after him in silence, downcast eyes trained on her feet.
They walked in silence for a while, each of them lost in their own thoughts as they made their way through the crowds. It didn't feel awkward or tense though, and Sakura felt silently grateful that Shikamaru didn't press her to speak. He'd undoubtedly noticed that she knew something she wasn't telling them after that display last night, but he also seemed to understand she couldn't tell him. He just gave her space as he took lead, offering no input as he seemed to wander aimlessly.
After a few minutes of walking her steps faltered, her eyes flitting to the restaurant next to her. Ahead of her she could hear Shikamaru stop, noticing her falling behind. "Sakura?"
"I... I need to go in there, for a few minutes." Turning to face him, she frowned as she added, "Alone." Shikamaru frowned at that, looking reluctant, but he wasn't a genius for nothing and she could soon see a spark of understanding in his eyes.
"Alright, fine," he sighed. "I need to talk to someone anyway, so this works out better for me." Sakura instantly picked up on his hidden meaning. They couldn't openly reference the presence of ANBU in a public setting after all, and given everything that had happened last night, he probably did need to iron out some details with them about the return trip. She offered a meek smile, nodding slightly.
"Thanks, Shikamaru."
"Just don't walk back alone," he told her, and offered a lazy wave as he headed off. Exhaling softly, she braced herself and entered the restaurant, holding her breath. By this point the breakfast rush had started to die down and this particular café didn't tend to attract many customers anyway for reasons she didn't quite know, so it didn't take long to spy two familiar heads of blonde and black hair. She squared her shoulders as she saw them, waving off the hostess's query about a table before crossing the room.
Shizune noticed her first, the dark-haired woman perking up and half-rising from her chair. "Sakura-chan?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting together. "Did you come here alone?"
"No, Shikamaru walked me here," Sakura deflected with a small smile, and slid into the empty chair next to her. She carefully avoided looking at the other woman there, her gaze instead wandering to the spread of food on the table. This café leaned towards more traditional breakfast foods than the other one: two bowls of white rice, a bowl of half-eaten miso soup and a plate with a fried egg.
Apparently her staring caught Shizune's attention, as the woman leaned forward with an attentive frown and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
"Not... really," Sakura mumbled, quickly glancing away. "I don't really feel hungry."
"Have you eaten anything since last night?"
Sakura's silence provided all the answer they needed.
Shizune's face fell, and she frowned before pushing one of the rice bowls over to her. "Here, eat this," she urged. "You're still growing, skipping two major meals in a row won't be healthy for you." Shoulders slumping, Sakura dutifully accepted the bowl and a pair of chopsticks and quietly began eating. The grains of rice felt clumpy and flavorless against her tongue, sliding down her throat a bit too rough for her liking, but she knew she had to eat.
For a while no one said anything, the only noise the sound of chopsticks clinking against bowls and plates. Finally, she heard a sigh across the table and the soft clatter of chopsticks being set down. "Alright, brat, you're obviously here for a reason," Tsunade said bluntly. "Get it out."
Sakura chewed her current mouthful of rice and swallowed before setting down her chopsticks, gaze trained on the half-empty bowl. "The mission failed," she started quietly. "The merchant caravan got robbed last night." Next to her she heard a sharp intake of breath from Shizune, no doubt sympathetic to her, but no reaction nearly as obvious from Tsunade.
"Missions fail all the time," the Sannin responded dismissively. "Everyone fails one sooner or later. Just be glad yours didn't end in any casualties. Having your target stolen is hardly the end of the world."
"It's not your fault," Shizune added reassuringly, offering her a small smile. "Last night was just a mess for all of you. Even if none of that had happened, you probably wouldn't have staked out the inn where the caravan was staying. You only would have learned about the theft after the fact."
"But it is my fault," Sakua argued softly, biting down on her lip. "The theft—it was... it was that man. That's why he needed a distraction, he wanted the tessen all along." She could feel both women's gazes sharpen at that, but she didn't bother looking up, just pushed on, "That's why he kidnapped me. He was working with a girl staying at our inn, and while everyone was busy worrying about me, she—she broke in, a-and..." She trailed off, her voice starting to tremble.
"Sakura-chan," Shizune started, soft and gentle, "what happened last night was beyond your control. You didn't do anything wrong."
"It's not like you could've done anything anyway," Tsunade added, not as soft but not as harsh as she usually sounded. "That man was leagues ahead of you. Even the ANBU had trouble with him. You're a genin, don't just go pinning all the responsibility on your shoulders." Sakura didn't respond right away. She breathed in a deep, shuddery breath, her hands clenching atop her lap as she squared her shoulders.
"Four days ago, we went around interviewing hotel guests about a bandit group," she began, each word forced and strained. "The very first person I spoke to was girl named Yuzu. Last night, we confirmed she'd checked out of the inn while we were all out, and at this point we believe she and the masked man worked together to steal the tessen."
"That's a heavy accusation," Shizune said. "How are you so sure?" Sakura swallowed at this point, finally raising her eyes to meet Tsunade's steely bronze gaze.
"Because she had bright red hair just like the Uzumaki clan."
The air chilled at her words, Tsunade's eyes narrowing sharply as Shizune sucked in a sharp breath. "You... You know about that?" the dark-haired woman breathed, and Sakura nodded tightly, forcing herself to hold Tsunade's gaze as she spoke.
"When I was younger, I collected old bingo book entries on famous kunoichi. I'd look for women from any village who had a rank higher than B, and then I'd try to find out any information I could about them. Whether their techniques and achievements, or just about their clans..." She trailed off, her fists clenching just a bit tighter as her teeth dug deeper into her lower lip.
"And you found one with an Uzumaki," Tsunade finished for her, and Sakura nodded tightly, finally averting her gaze to her lap.
"When I saw Yuzu, I knew she was one," she whispered. "I read about them, about the fall of Uzushio. I know there's almost none left." From the moment she'd recognized that fiery shade of red, Sakura knew Yuzu had to have some kind of shinobi training. Uzushio had fallen due to fear of their fuinjutsu prowess, and the Uzumaki clan had been the greatest masters of the craft the Elemental Nations had ever seen. Any survivors would likely be hunted—especially if they had the distinct bright red hair their clan was famous for—and only the shinobi would survive the slaughter. They'd undoubtedly pass their skills on to the next generation.
She knew that, and she knew that Yuzu might be a threat to the mission. As one of the final members of the clan, she had a perfectly valid reason to want to reclaim Mito's tessen for herself. But even so—
"I couldn't tell them," she finished, her voice choking. "I couldn't even talk to her about it because Masaru was there when we first met, and no one in my generation is supposed to know about it."
Admitting it out loud seemed to sap away all of her energy, the pink-haired girl sagging in her chair dejectedly. No one had ever outright told her the topic was taboo, but Sakura wasn't stupid. No books in the civilian or academy library contained any references to their fallen allies; she'd found out through pure chance from a history book borrowed from Ino's clan's library. Even though their uniforms bore the symbol of the once-great clan, none of her classmates knew the name Uzumaki beyond the annoying blond idiot who liked pranks.
The look on Jiraiya's face when she'd mentioned Kushina in front of Naruto had all but confirmed it. For whatever reason, Konoha had seen fit to suppress all references to the Uzumaki clan, and Sakura didn't want to risk getting in trouble for being the one to tell them. And because of that, the mission failed.
"I should have said something," she choked out, squeezing her eyes shut. "I should have just told them to keep an eye on her, that I thought she seemed suspicious or I thought she might be a shinobi. But I didn't. I just kept my mouth shut and thought I'd confront her later when we'd be alone. But then that night she told us to go to the Three Sparrows Bar, and after that I totally forgot she existed."
Her eyes were closed but she could sense the women snap to attention at the last bit, recognizing the name of the bar where they'd met. "She used us a distraction," Shizune said slowly, sounding almost horrified by the revelation.
"Smart girl," Tsunade murmured almost appreciatively, and Sakura winced while Shizune made some noise of protest at her teacher. Sakura couldn't argue the point though, because the distraction had worked. With that one meeting their team had been divided and torn apart, all thoughts of the tessen nearly forgotten in her excitement over possibly convincing one of the Legendary Sannin and her greatest idols to return home.
Everyone else could list their mistakes starting from last night, but Sakura could trace hers back to that very first day. "I'm the reason the team broke up," she whispered, quieting Shizune's scolding. "I'm the reason the mission failed. I'm not just useless, I was worse than useless. It's all my fault, and I'm sick of being useless."
Masaru fidgeted nervously as he sat next to Sasuke on the bed, trying his best not to look at his cousin. After Shikamaru and Sakura had left, the two cousins returned to the inn to find a pile of silencing seals waiting on the desk. They didn't know who had left it, but they'd wasted no time pasting them on the walls, grateful for the privacy they provided for such a sensitive discussion.
Now, if only one of them would talk.
While Shikamaru had probably been right to give them privacy, he had severely underestimated the Uchiha clan's tendency to repress emotions. Talking about feelings was practically a sign of weakness and a major taboo, to the point they rarely talked about it even with closer relatives. Sasuke epitomized that aspect of their clan's upbringing, hence his normally broody demeanor. Masaru happened to be more honest and open with his emotions, but he also happened to hate social confrontations.
In short, they'd been sitting there in total silence for ten minutes.
Eventually Masaru sighed, hunching forward and propping his chin in his hands as he stared at the wall across from him. Faded markings indicated where a picture used to hang, the edges of one corner stained a light brown from some liquid that had spilled there. Somehow he found the image very fitting for their current moods.
"We need to talk," he said. Next to him Sasuke grunted, hunched with fingers folded beneath his chin in a similar pose to Masaru as he glowered at the window.
"We do," he agreed tightly, not looking at him.
"Do you—"
"Doesn't it bother you?" Sasuke cut in, his tone blunt yet full of sharp edges. "Back during the invasion, what Gaara said... That your mother, and... your sister." His voice took on a biting edge, little more than a hiss, and in his peripheral vision Masaru could see his hands clench tighter to the point they turned white. "Didn't it bother you at all?"
Masaru frowned, his legs swinging inwards with a small sigh as he carefully avoided looking at his cousin. "Of course it did," he admitted softly. "I'd have to be crazy for it not to bother me. I mean my own mom, a-and... Akari? That's just..." He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence, not even the basic thought. He bit down on his lip, fingers scrabbling and squeezing the blanket. "It's—it's terrifying, just to try to imagine it. But... It's wrong. He's wrong."
"How are you sure though?" Sasuke snapped, a bit too fast, and Masaru risked a glance his way. Sasuke's face had twisted into an angry scowl with his hands no longer folded beneath his chin, his dark eyes full of heat and penetrating him questioningly. "You say it bothered you, but you don't believe him? How? How can you be so sure it's not true?"
"How are you not?" Masaru retorted, a sharp spark of defensiveness flaring up. "That night—you know more about what went down than I do!"
Sasuke flinched and Masaru knew instantly it hit a bit too close to home, but he couldn't take it back. He knew Sasuke had been forced to watch the massacre through the Tsukuyomi; they never spoke about what he saw, but over the years Sasuke had said enough about it.
His cousin's face soured, his eyes darkening as he turned back to the window with a bitter look. "You're so certain," he muttered. "You're the one who's got the most on the line, you're the one that would be affected the most, but even back then, when Gaara first told you—you didn't even doubt it. And I just can't—" He broke off there, his voice starting to crack, and his knuckles turned white as he gripped the edges of the mattress tighter.
As Masaru looked at him something clicked in his brain, and he shifted to face his cousin with a dawning look of realization. "...This is about more than Gaara said, isn't it?" he asked lowly, and Sasuke's mouth twisted further, not looking at him as he bowed his head.
"You weren't there," he said slowly. "You didn't see the look on Kakashi's face when Gaara's sister mentioned the file. Said her name. That look—he knew something. Something bad. And after that, I think back to that night, and I just can't—" He cut himself off as his voice cracked again, sucking in a sharp breath. "You—you lived. For some goddamn reason that man killed everyone else, but he left you and me alive. He told me—he said I was too weak to kill, and he'd face me when I got stronger, but you—there just, there wasn't any reason."
His shoulders had started shaking now, his posture tight and rigid in the way that spoke of someone trying to maintain composure. "I've been thinking about it," he whispered. "I've been thinking it over all these years since that night, and I can't figure it out. Why he'd choose you over Akari. And it's fucking awful," he bit out, voice hoarse and barely more than a breath, "to wonder 'why' when I should just be grateful there's someone else, should just be happy you're here at all, but I—I can't stop."
At this point Sasuke finally lifted his head to look at him, and the raw emotion in his eyes made Masaru start and nearly fall. Over the past five years he'd grown used to Sasuke just being stoic and gloomy, showing no emotion except the occasional smirk and his nearly ever-present bitter scowl, but right now he saw none of that cold façade. Tears pricked the corners of Sasuke's eyes as his eyebrows pushed down and his lips curled back in a tiny, pained frown, his face scrunched up with agony and confusion.
"I can't stop wondering why my only family got to live when no one else did, and I can't just be fucking happy I have anyone at all."
Masaru just stared at him, too stunned to respond. After a few moments Sasuke averted his gaze back to his lap and his mouth tightened again, letting silence lapse over them. Masaru slowly turned his face forward and hunched forward, just taking time to process everything and organize his thoughts. There was so much, so many different pieces and bits of information bouncing around his head, flashes of memories both his and not his.
Finally, he swallowed and forced himself to open his mouth.
"Sometimes, I dream and see Akari's memories."
He could feel Sasuke stiffen at that, snapping a startled look at him. "What?"
Masaru didn't look at Sasuke as he spoke, just kept staring forward at the blank wall. "It started when we were really little. We'd go to bed and dream about each other's day. At first we didn't really notice because we spent all our time together, but after we got older and started spending more time apart we realized it was weird. When we told Mom about it, she called it twin telepathy."
Confusion marred Sasuke's features in his peripheral vision, a rare sight. "I... What? Why are you..." His words tapered off, unsure what he even wanted to ask, but Masaru ignored him and just continued on.
"Sometimes I see her in the academy playing with Kiba and Shino. One time she went to the Memorial Stone to talk to Uncle Obito. I saw her spying on Naruto after we started hanging out, too, I guess to make sure he wouldn't be a bad influence."
Slowly, he could see Sasuke's face shift, morphing from confusion to a gradually dawning realization and horror. "You... You still see them," he whispered, his eyes widening. "Even after all this time?"
Masaru just gave a single nod. Even after all these years he had not once told someone about those dreams, not since that horrible night where his world fell apart, but right now he felt it needed to be said. "Every time I go to sleep, I wonder if I'll see her. I see new memories all the time, I learn things she never told me. It's impossible not to think about her, and not to wonder why. Why her, why me, why us. But... I can't let that control my life."
Exhaling heavily, he slid off the bed and rose to his full height, fists clenching at his side. "The past hurts and it always will, but we can't change it and I'm sick of being sad all the time. I've spent enough time moping for one lifetime." He glanced at Sasuke, his face firm with resolve. "We're alive, Sasuke, when so many others aren't. I don't why we're here, and maybe I never will, but that doesn't matter. I'm alive, and I'm not going to waste it."
Sasuke remained silent, just staring at him in wide-eyed shock. After a long while Masaru breathed a large sigh, turning and walking to the door. "I'm going out for a bit."
"Wait," Sasuke said sharply, starting to rise. "Shikamaru said—"
"I'm not going outside," Masaru cut in flatly. "I'm just going down to the lobby. I think we both need some time alone." Indecision flickered across Sasuke's face, but then it smoothed into reluctance and he sat back down, clasping his hands under his chin.
"...Fine. Just don't leave the building."
Masaru nodded and took his leave, quietly closing the door behind him. Only then did he let his shoulders sag, mental and emotional exhaustion taking its hold. Despite what he said it still hurt so much to talk about it, to think about it. He'd spent years wondering about those dreams, about what he saw—about why Akari had been in their house that day, and why his mom gave her that drink—
Don't think about it. He shoved the thought away sharply and headed downstairs, consciously avoiding looking at the hole in the door to room four as he passed. When he reached the lobby he found it empty for once, a sign placed on the reception counter announcing the innkeeper had gone to lunch. That suited him fine, he didn't want to deal with the old crone. He took a moment and just stood there, looking at the empty room.
Then, despite what Sasuke said, he walked to the door and opened it, quietly stepping outside.
As the door closed behind him he sighed, tipping back his head to stare at the sky. Bright blue stretched endlessly above him, not a cloud in sight. His eyes slid shut as he let the sun's golden rays warm his face, thawing a bit of the coldness that had taken him. Even as he basked in its glory he felt his smile grow a bit more genuine, his heart a bit calmer.
"Masaru?" He started in surprise at Sakura's voice, eyes instantly snapping open, and then started again when he turned to see her flanked by two older women.
"Uh, hi," he greeted lamely, nodding at them. "Why...?"
"Sakura-chan dropped in on our breakfast so we offered to walk her back," the black-haired woman—Shizune?—explained with a smile. Next to her Tsunade just huffed and looked away, arms folded over her chest impatiently. "Sorry if we surprised you."
"Uh, that's okay, but that's not..." He trailed off, but apparently Sakura knew him better than he realized because she quickly recognized his question.
"Shikamaru said he had some business to handle," she explained, and paused to glance around before leaning forward to discreetly flash the standard hand sign for 'ANBU'. He relaxed a bit and nodded in understanding, but she continued to frown as she pressed, "What about you? Where's Sasuke? Weren't you supposed to talk to him about... whatever happened last night?" Her brow furrowed in confusion, still not really briefed on it, but behind her Shizune winced and Tsunade's eyes sharply narrowed as the blonde glanced back at them.
"He's inside," Masaru offered flatly. "We talked. We're cooling off. I just wanted a breath of fresh air for a second."
"You should probably stay inside," Sakura said with a grimace. "That guy... I'm pretty sure he can teleport."
"I noticed," he replied dryly. "I don't think he likes crowds though." He gestured to the sparse trickle of people milling about the street, a young man sweeping the space in front of a store and a pair of women talking to a shopkeeper.
Sakura glanced at the small scattering of activity and relaxed marginally. "R-right... I guess he doesn't." Turning back, she still eyed him worriedly, biting on her lip. "J-just... Hurry inside, please?"
His shoulders slumped a little, and he nodded with a small smile. "I will. Just... give me a minute." She offered a feeble smile of her own, and then walked inside, Shizune trailing behind her. Tsunade, however, remained outside, stern gaze stubbornly focused on the end of the street. Masaru let his smile slip and let his body slump, tiredly leaning against the wall. He absently tipped his head back, letting the sun warm his face one more time.
"So you like the sun, huh?"
The question caught him by surprise, and he quickly turned his head towards the blonde woman. Tsunade wasn't looking at him, just kept staring down the street with her arms folded under her chest. He frowned slightly, still surprised she had spoken to him, but nodded warily.
"Yeah... Feels good, I guess." Her fingers flexed a little, her red claw-like nails digging into her arm just a little deeper.
"I see," she said tightly, and left it at that. Masaru eyed her warily, wondering what had brought that on. Mentally debating with himself, after a moment he sucked in a deep breath and pushed off the wall, dipping into a bow.
"Tsunade-sama, I'm sorry if I've ever offended you in any way."
"W-what?" He could hear the stutter in her voice, obviously caught off-guard, but he didn't look up and remained bowed as he continued.
"I've noticed the way you look at me." It was hard not to. Every time they met he could see that dark flicker in her eyes, the way her face would immediately sour whenever she looked at him. Last night had only solidified his suspicions, the way she had looked at him and then just stalked out quelled any doubts. "I don't know why you dislike me so much, but it feels wrong to part on bad terms. So I want to apologize, in case it's my fault."
For a long time she didn't respond, Masaru maintaining his pose as he waited for her to speak. His back had begun to feel sore from being bent for so long when he heard her softly huff.
"Tch, you really are that brat's kid, aren't you," she muttered ruefully, and at that Masaru started and snapped his torso upright, shooting her a wide-eyed stare. Her lip curled back slightly as she looked at him, her bronze eyes glinting with that same, dark emotion as she gazed at him.
And suddenly, it clicked, his stomach curling in realization as he finally identified that look:
Longing.
"Did... did you know my mother?" he whispered, eyes wide, and Tsunade snorted, her mouth taking on a more rueful twist.
"That hellion? Please, everyone knew her. But no, not her." She frowned, placing a hand on her hip as she peered down at him. "I'm talking about your father, Uchiha Ryuusuke."
And there's the final twist of this whole arc.
Lots of important talks here, some expansion on why Sakura reacted so badly last chapter, and just Masaru and Sasuke's feelings in general. This whole chapter was a royal pain to write and went through many, many, MANY revisions (I honestly can't say which talk was revised more, Sasuke and Masaru originally started on a bench and Sakura at one point had the internal monologue about the Uzumaki thing during breakfast with the team), but it's finally done and I'm not changing another thing. As far as I'm concerned this arc is now officially over, since this wraps up (most of) the loose ends. Next chapter will be 95% flashback, and then back to Konoha in Chapter 53. We're coming up to one of the biggest twists in the entire story, even bigger than Wave. I seriously can't wait to get there!
Also: I got a lot of comments on Bloody Oracle, so I thought I'd ask here too. What animal do you think would suit Masaru most as a summons? He obviously still has connections to Ryoko's ninneko, but he definitely hasn't signed the contract. I've got a couple ideas in mind for him if I ever go that route, but I'm curious what you guys think.
As always, thanks to all my reviewers: Elise142, Sazaleli, reebajee (Very good catches~), xXSpades231Xx (...I might have to draw that now), dreckman (Thanks! Sakura's breakdown was tricky, and next chapter should explain a bit more on why Tsunade's more brash), Blackdrake (Masked Man is in fact a guy, I'll say that much. And yep, everyone's overdue for a talk), and Beyogi.
Anyways, that's all for now. See you all sometime next week!
