Chapter 54
"Every day is a blank page. You can either use it to continue a story, or just scribble randomly and see what you can make of it."
Dear Masaru,
Oh my gosh you actually wrote! I'm so excited! I thought I'd never hear from you again! I know you said you'd be my friend, but after I got back to Taki everyone was saying how hard it would be for inter-village friendships to work. I was starting to get sad and
No! Bad Fu! This is the seventh time I've tried to write this letter, I'm not messing it up and starting over again!
Sorry about that, I'm just super excited to hear from you! Shibuki says I shouldn't make this letter too long, or include any big secrets because this will probably be read by a bunch of stiff old fogeys. Maybe that's good, because I really don't know what to say. I've never written a letter before. So I guess I'll just introduce myself again!
My name is Fu! My favorite color is red and I love anpan and roasted chestnuts! I also really love playing games even though I barely have anyone besides Shibuki to play them with.
Please write back soon!
"Oi, Masaru, your breakfast is getting cold," Sasuke commented blandly, his chopsticks clinking against his bowl as he snagged another bite of rice. Masaru just hummed, eyes fixed on the open letter.
"Right, just a minute." He smiled faintly as read over the letter again, silently marveling at how much it sounded like her. The paper even seemed to sparkle, just like how her orange eyes had when she smiled and—
Oh, wait. "There's glitter on this," he realized, looking at the shimmering specks that reflected off his fingers where they'd touched the paper. Sasuke blinked and looked at him incredulously, eyes fixed on his sparkling fingertips.
"What the hell? Who sends a letter covered in glitter?"
"I... don't know if it was intentional," Masaru admitted sheepishly, carefully setting down the paper a safe distance from the rice bowl. There really hadn't been much glitter on the paper, and he eyed the sparkling substance on his fingers thoughtfully as he wondered if it even was glitter. Shrugging it off, he got up while carefully avoiding touching the chair or table. "Be right back, I should wash my hands so I don't get any on the chopsticks."
Sasuke just scoffed softly and went back to eating while Masaru trotted off to the bathroom. Luckily it had been left open so he didn't have to risk getting glitter on the handle, and he used the back of his wrist to turn on the faucet and began scrubbing while wondering over how to reply.
Despite getting the letter yesterday, the day had been so eventful he hadn't even been able to think about it. First he ran into Masahige and Sai, and then he spent two hours with Naruto and Konohamaru arguing with the stubborn blond about his over-consumption of ramen. They had to shelve the intervention for another time when Konohamaru's friends showed up, leading to a three-hour game of ninja tag which ended with promises to help them train more later.
Between all of that he barely had the time or energy to think about Fu's letter. By the time he got home he'd been exhausted, only staying up long enough to eat a quick dinner and hop in the shower. It was probably just as well, since Masaru legitimately had no idea how to respond to her introductory note.
Writing letters gave him a strange sense of pressure that he didn't feel from talking; his words would be on the paper forever, and he had a lot of time to think about his response. Almost too much, actually. Maybe one day they'd reach a point of familiarity where they could jot down their replies without a second thought, but right now he just felt pressure to make it perfect. Thinking back on it, maybe Shibuki had a point about keeping it short.
For now he pushed the thought away and returned to the table, dropping into his seat and getting started on his own rice. Breakfast in the Uchiha household tended to be simple, nothing overly sweet or fancy like the cafes they visited on the mission. Usually they stuck to rice along with any leftovers from dinner, though today they only bothered preparing the rice.
"Any plans for today besides training?" he asked dryly as he ate, and Sasuke just scoffed.
"There's nothing else worth doing around here."
"You could get lunch with Naruto or visit Sakura's place. I'm sure her parents would enjoy the company."
He smirked as Sasuke winced, no doubt recalling his traumatic introduction to Sakura's father. Masaru still had yet to meet the man, but he'd heard enough about his horror monster reenactment at the hospital from Naruto to know even Sasuke had been faintly disturbed by it. He kind of regretted he hadn't been there, it sounded hilarious. After getting over the initial shock maybe he could have convinced the man to flop around the rest of the hospital to freak people out.
Let it be known that Uchiha Masaru had a very twisted sense of humor sometimes.
"Maybe you should go instead," Sasuke countered, trying his best not to sound too affected by the memory. Masaru just hummed, chewing on a mouthful of rice thoughtfully before swallowing and smiling at him.
"Can't. I have some errands to run, otherwise I'd be all over it." One of these days he really wanted to meet Haruno Kizashi. Intimidating and overwhelming as the man sounded, from what little he'd heard it seemed like they had similar senses of humor. Who knows what they could get up to if they combined forces?
After spending five years together Sasuke knew Masaru very well, because he seemed to sense the dangerous turn his thoughts took and shuddered. "I take it back, never meet him," he muttered, and Masaru beamed at him.
"Too late. Plans are being made."
Sasuke frowned, and decided it would be safer to change the topic. "What errands do you need to run, anyway?"
"Just... handling some stuff." Masaru shrugged, keeping his response intentionally vague. Across from him Sasuke's eyes narrowed, his dark look clearly demanding more information, and after a few moments Masaru decided to relent and throw him a bone. "I need to stop by the Yamanaka flower shop."
Sasuke's face instantly softened with sympathy. Visiting the Yamanaka flower shop meant a high chance of running into Ino, and meeting Ino usually meant lots of squealing and gushing. "Tch. Good luck with that. I'll be at the third training ground if you need me."
"If you've got nothing better to do, you should try to talk to people," he suggested with a shrug. Sasuke grunted, his face darkening as his hold on his chopsticks tightened.
"I don't have time to waste on idle chitchat. I need to get stronger so I can kill that man—"
"Yes," Masaru cut in dryly, "because obviously everyone gets stronger by just training alone without any variety." Sasuke blinked and scowled, teeth baring briefly as his eyes narrowed.
"What are you talking about? I have plenty of variety in my training regiment!"
"Have you ever fought a ninken?" Masaru countered flatly. "Or tried to dodge two hundred kunai from three different directions at once?" That shut Sasuke up, the broodier of the pair shooting him an incredulous look. Shrugging, Masaru proceeded to pluck up another cluster of rice as he continued, "You weren't the only one training before the tournament. I spent a lot of time at Kiba's place. Also, Tenten is kind of terrifying for a genin. She has better aim than you do."
"So what," Sasuke said slowly, eyes narrow and expression calculating, "You're saying I should meet new people so I can train with them?"
"Pretty much. Different people have different fighting styles. Like, there aren't many genjutsu users so you can't really practice as much with deflecting them."
"I don't need to practice blocking them. The Sharingan can see through genjutsu."
"The Sharingan is a tool," Masaru corrected, jabbing his chopsticks at his cousin with a frown before he resumed eating. "I spent the first eight years of my life listening to my mom rant about it. It uses up a lot of chakra, prolonged usage can start to deteriorate the optical nerves from strain and chakra corrosion, and it permanently carves everything we see into our brains. Everything," he repeated with a grimace. "Trust me, you don't want to become dependent on it."
Sasuke just stared at him questioningly, taking a few moments to absorb it. "Is that why you hid it all those years?" he finally asked, and Masaru shrugged.
"Part of it. But that was mostly trauma, I guess." Feeling full enough for the moment, he put down his chopsticks and got up. "Anyways, I should get going. Think about what I said."
Sasuke just grunted, eating his rice more slowly than before, and Masaru decided that was good enough. He carried his bowl to the sink and stored the leftover rice in a container for later before grabbing his stuff and heading out.
Walking to the Yamanaka flower shop took a bit longer than expected. Due to the ongoing rebuilding several streets had been temporarily closed from foot traffic while they cleared rubble or repaired damage, making the route a bit more complicated than usual. Beyond that Masaru also had to take several detours to avoid noisier construction sites, wincing whenever he got too close. He didn't mind the extended trip though, he wasn't in any particular rush.
True to his expectations, he walked into the shop to find Ino fussing over a large flower display to the side of the counter. She turned when the bell above the door tinkled and perked up instantly upon seeing him, her eyes lighting up. "Masaru-kun!" she greeted, spinning to face him with a giant smile. "Hi! I didn't expect to see you here!"
He internally winced as he shakily smiled back, his ears ringing from the high pitch her voice took. Not fangirl-squealing-level yet, but still higher than normal. "Hi, Ino," he greeted with a small nod, glancing at the flowers. As expected, he couldn't identify most of them. Flowers had never been his strong suit, he only knew the ones his mom had liked to paint. Hence why he came here. "Uh, can you help put together a bouquet for me? I don't know much about flowers."
"Oh? A bouquet?" Ino's eyes sparkled mischievously, a knowing smirk on her face. "What are you thinking then? Roses and gardenias?"
"Um, no?" Even he knew roses represented love and he assumed gardenias had a similar meaning, no point giving her any wrong impressions. Shaking his head, he shrugged and said, "It's... for a grave."
Instantly her smile faded, her expression growing more somber. "Oh... I see. Um, is it...?" She trailed off, looking hesitant to mention any names, and he decided to take pity on her.
"It's my uncle," he told her with a feeble smile. "He died during the war before I was born." She relaxed a bit at that, nodding.
"Right, I see." She turned and began walking around, her expression growing more serious and focused and her steps more confident as she looked at the colorful array of blossoms lining the shop. "We should go on the small side then, keep it nice and classy. Any particular colors you want to use?"
"I guess something warm?" he said with a shrug, eyes roving over the selection before settling on one particularly bright cluster of orange lilies. They stood out even among the other bright flowers, the petals warm with a glossy sheen that reminded him of fire. "Hey, what about this one?" Ino looked back at him and then physically blanched when she saw the flower he indicated.
"Oh, oh, kami, no," she said, quickly shaking her head. "Those mean hatred and revenge." Masaru blinked and then did a double-take at them.
"Wha—why do you guys even sell them then!?"
"I don't even know," she groaned, running a hand down her face. "All I know is that we somehow sell a lot of them." He just stared at her blankly, trying to figure out who would want to send a bouquet proclaiming one's hatred of a person. Then he realized that sort of subtle jab absolutely fit with a lot of shinobi he knew.
"Ninja," he muttered while pinching the bridge of his nose, and Ino snorted.
"Pretty much. Anyways, hmm, maybe this, and this..." She started plucking flowers one by one, sticking to warmer colors as requested while muttering to herself about meanings. Masaru followed along silently, only able to catch small snippets—daffodils for respect, sweet peas to say goodbye—and at one point she glanced at him and asked, "Do you want to include red spider lilies?"
Masaru looked at the flower in question, with spindly blossoms of thin red petals and small red strands that formed a small crown around it. "No, I think we're good," he decided with a grimace. Red spider lilies represented death more than any other flower, it felt too grim for this bouquet.
"Right." Ino nodded and turned back to the flowers, grabbing another red blossom instead. She seemed satisfied with her selection and circled behind the counter, quickly getting to work in putting them together. Soon enough she turned to him with a smile, more gentle than the usual coy or teasing ones she sent his way, and extended the bouquet. "Here, it's a bit unconventional but I think this should work."
True to his request she'd stuck with only warm colors, the small bouquet comprised primarily of sunny yellow daffodils, bright reddish blossoms he identified as sweat peas from her mumbling, and a mixture of other orange and yellow flowers he didn't know. Mixed in on either end were two dark red blossoms, their deep crimson hue standing in sharp contrast to the otherwise gentle and softly colored arrangement.
"Camellias?" he asked as he took the bouquet, and Ino brightened.
"Oh, you know them?"
"I've seen them. What do they mean?"
"Those represent being in love," she told him slyly, which... dammit. His shoulders sagged as she giggled. "Sorry, couldn't resist. They do mean that, but in this case I chose them because they also mean dying a noble death." Her face softened a bit, gaze flitting to the side as she shrugged. "It's an old samurai tradition for warriors who died in battle. We always keep a lot of them here, for obvious reasons."
Masaru's own expression took on a softer edge, nodding with a small smile as he gingerly took the bouquet. "I see... Thanks, Ino." He reached into his pocket to get the appropriate amount of ryo to pay, counting out the exact change.
"By the way," Ino said as she rang up the register, "Have you seen Hinata lately?" The question caught Masaru by surprise, his brow furrowing as he recalled the scene he'd briefly witnessed the previous day.
"I just got back from a mission yesterday," he responded carefully. "Why do you ask?" Ino frowned, concern glinting in her eyes as she glanced away.
"The other day I saw Team Eight while heading out to dinner, and Hinata just looked so... bad," she settled, her eyebrows knitting together. "I mean, it looked like she's barely been sleeping, and her pants looked bigger than what she usually wears. Yesterday I decided to go to the Hyuuga household to check on her, but... the guards told me she hasn't been there since the invasion."
"Oh," Masaru muttered, frowning at this new information. Clan children usually didn't avoid their homes, especially not clan heirs. Looking back, yesterday Hinata had been wearing her normal coat, but her pants had been taped around her shins when before they'd been almost capri-length. Frowning, he hesitated briefly before saying, "Sorry, I haven't really seen her around since the invasion, or... before that, really. She kinda ran off before her match, a bunch of us were trying to find her when the invasion started."
"That's what Shikamaru said," Ino agreed gloomily, and sighed. "I don't know the full story, but I'm guessing her family isn't too happy about that. Clans put a lot of pressure on us heiresses, and I know the Hyuuga clan is especially stodgy."
"They are," Masaru confirmed grimly, mouth forming an unhappy line as he remembered Akari's anger after the Hyuuga elders forced Hinata to end their friendship.
"I'm getting worried about her," Ino confided with a deep frown. "About an hour ago her mean jerk of a cousin came looking for her."
"Neji?" Masaru asked in surprise, and the blonde nodded her head in sullen confirmation. Neji looking for Hinata couldn't be good. Masaru didn't know the full story either, but he'd heard enough from Naruto and Sasuke to know he'd been the catalyst for her running away.
"I don't know what's going on, but I'm getting a really bad feeling about all this. Hinata's really sweet and gentle, and people like her..." Ino trailed off with a grimace, unwilling to finish the thought, while Masaru's eyes narrowed.
"They don't break under pressure," he muttered. "They shatter." His words seemed to jolt the blonde, snapping a wide-eyed look his way before slowly nodding.
"Just—keep an eye out for her, I guess."
"I will," he promised with a nod, and then paused, looking at the bouquet. "...Actually, I don't think I'll have time to visit the cemetery today after all."
"You won't?" Ino looked at him in surprise, and she quickly jumped to the most natural conclusion. "Are you going to search for Hinata, then?"
"In a bit," he confirmed with a small nod. "I need to go home and take care of something first." He held out the bouquet for her, adding, "I won't really need this anymore, but I don't think it'd be right to ask for a refund after you already put it together. So..."
"I'll just give it to another customer," Ino offered as she took it, a wry, rueful smile touching her lips. "Almost everyone has someone they could give this bouquet to." Her voice took on a slightly more bitter note than he was used to, her blue eyes seeming to dull for a brief moment. Before he could think on it too much her face regained its normal easy smile, turning to tuck the bouquet in a vase behind the counter. "Don't be a stranger, come by anytime! Okay, Masaru?"
He smiled faintly, dipping his head. "I'll have to come by sometime for another bouquet anyway."
"Not what I meant, but good enough!" Ino smirked, leaning over the counter with a smug twinkle in her eye. "I mean it. Come by any time."
Masaru froze like a deer caught in headlights, his smile strained and tight on his face as he internally screamed. "I am sorry, I need to go now," he said mechanically with a small bow, and then quickly fled while Ino laughed behind him. Nope. Not dealing with that.
He didn't stop running until he reached the apartment, at which point he slammed the door and slumped against it with a groan. "Fangirls," he muttered under his breath, and then straightened and walked inside. Sasuke had left in the short time he'd been gone, probably off to a training field. He'd at least put the dishes in the sink though, so that was nice.
Masaru headed straight to his room, and wasn't too surprised to find Masahige lounging on his bed. "I'm not even gonna bother asking how you got in," he declared flatly as he walked to his desk.
"Good. I won't tell you anyway." Masaru just hummed quietly, pulling out a few sheets of paper and a pen. Finding Hinata could wait a bit, first he needed to finish this.
Some people would find one thirty to be a bit late to get lunch. Uzumaki Naruto, however, thought that any time was a good time to get ramen, especially at Ramen Ichiraku—no matter what some people might say.
"And then they had the nerve to say I eat too much ramen!" the blond huffed, slurping up a bowl of ramen and pausing only long enough to continue his rant. "I mean, seriously? How can they not appreciate the glory that is ramen!?"
Teuchi laughed as Naruto slammed down the empty bowl, the chef already placing a new one in front of him. "Well, I'm glad to know I'll always your loyalty," he chuckled, and Naruto beamed at him.
"Of course! Nothing is better than Ramen Ichiraku!" he proclaimed with a grin. Admittedly, he might be biased because Ichiraku's was one of the only places to serve him as a kid (and they sometimes even gave him ramen for free!), but still! Ichiraku's was amazing! Huffing, Naruto pulled the new bowl closer and began chowing down, irritably proclaiming, "I don't care what Konohamaru and Masaru say! They're wrong, ramen is totally fine for every meal!"
The old man behind the counter laughed lightly, his eyes crinkling with warmth. "Well, I don't know Naruto-kun. They do have a point."
Naruto choked on his noodles and nearly fell off his stool in shock, slamming a hand on the counter and pointing at Teuchi in disbelief. "WHAT! EVEN YOU'RE AGREEING WITH THEM!?"
"I might love your business, but I also know growing kids need variety," the chef replied, smiling at him. "Ramen can't give you all the nutrients you need." Naruto just stared at him in shock, and after a long moment he slumped in his seat with a loud groan.
"Traitors, all of you," he grumbled under his breath, crossing his arms.
Teuchi just laughed, his attention turning away as someone else ducked under the awning. "Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen! How may I help you today, pretty lady?"
"U-um," a familiar voice said hesitantly.
"Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, whirring to face the newcomer while wildly pointing at her. The blue-haired girl looked startled at the sudden attention, almost flinching as her white eyes widened in surprise. "You're on my side, right? Tell Old Man Teuchi that there's nothing wrong with me eating ramen!"
Hinata blinked a couple times, her face turning a bit red, but she smiled anyway and gave a tiny nod. "I-I, I think it's okay," she agreed quietly. "I mean, N-Naruto-kun is already really strong, and, it makes him happy..."
"Hah! See!" He turned a smug look on Teuchi, and then beamed at Hinata. "Thanks Hinata-chan! You're the only one I can trust!"
Hinata's face turned even more red, and she looked ready to sway before blinking and rapidly shaking her head. "Um, c-can I sit down?" she asked, looking away and poking her fingers. Naruto grinned as he bobbed his head.
"Yeah, sure! Go right ahead!" The girl smiled weakly as she slipped into the seat next to him, her face still red. He wondered if he should be worried about that, but after a moment dismissed the thought.
"Um, c-can I have shoyu ramen, please?" she asked Teuchi, and the man grinned at her.
"One order of shoyu, coming up!" he declared, and turned around to get to work. Naruto nodded in approval at her choice and turned to his old classmate, figuring it'd probably be rude to ignore her while eating his ramen. Hey, he had some manners.
"So Hinata-chan, how've you been?" he asked. "I haven't seen you since the Chuunin Exams. Did everything turn out okay? Do I need to talk to that Neji-bastard for you?" His face twisted into a scowl as he recalled the uppity-Hyuuga's cold words towards Hinata during the preliminaries, and then how nervous she'd acted around him during the tournament. He hadn't heard what the bastard actually said to her, but he was absolutely certain he was responsible for Hinata running off before their match.
Hinata seemed to shrink at the mention, hunching over and biting her lip before shaking her head. "N-no, it's—i-it's fine," she told him quietly. "Y-you don't need to do anything."
"Are you sure?" Naruto pressed with a frown. "Just say the word and I'll show him not to mess with you! I think that guy needs to be knocked down a peg or two anyway!" He could see her lips quirk into a tiny smile even as her face turned a bit redder, which—huh. That was possible? Maybe he should be concerned.
"It's fine," she repeated softly. Then her smile wavered for a second, a flicker of intense concentration flashing across her face briefly before she raised her head to look at him. "N-Naruto-kun. C-could we, m-maybe, spend today together?"
Ino sighed as she rearranged the rolls of wrapping paper behind the counter, the bouquet Masaru had paid for and left still sitting in the vase behind her. Three customers had come since Masaru visited and all had neglected the free offering, citing they had no time for a grave visit. One woman had to go to the hospital to see a friend, another had just visited a grave two days prior, and the third had been in such a rush to get flowers for his forgotten anniversary that she didn't even bother offering.
Honestly, she felt proud of the small arrangement. Normally people would request white chrysanthemums and red spider lilies for graves, and maybe their loved ones' favorite flowers. Grave bouquets gave her a sad and morose feeling, but this one felt much more lively and warm than most. If no one would take it, maybe she'd use it herself. The invasion memorial could always use more flowers.
The thought gave her pause, her lips pulling into a tight frown as she squeezed her eyes shut. Even thinking about the invasion and the things she'd seen—Glazed eyes staring at her with no light, still-warm blood seeping along the concrete towards her fingers—
The bell on the door rang and Ino immediately spun around with a large smile plastered on her face, eagerly jumping on the distraction from her memories. "Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower shop!" she declared loudly. "How may I—" She stopped short as she recognized the newcomer—or rather, the newcomer's eyes, solid white with no pupil. The Hyuuga girl herself was unfamiliar, a small child with long brown hair and nice-looking clothes.
Instantly Ino felt her demeanor change, her smile fading. "If you're looking for Hinata, she's not here," she informed the girl frostily. Ino had no idea what was going on in the Hyuuga household, but she knew that it couldn't be good if Hinata had been avoiding it for the past four weeks. The fact Neji had come looking for her that morning spoke plenty of the severity of the situation, and while they may not be good friends, Ino would rather not have any role in handing over the poor girl to her clan.
The newcomer remained unfazed by her cool greeting though, just zeroed in on her with an expression equal parts determination and distress. "You're from nee-chan's class, aren't you?" she asked breathlessly, and Ino paused, looking at her in surprise. Nee-chan? Was this girl Hinata's sister? Looking back, she could now faintly recall seeing this girl sitting with Hinata's father during the tournament—
Don't! she scolded herself before she could fall into another flashback. "I was," she responded carefully, no longer as cold but still on guard. "Why do you ask?"
"I don't care where she is, can you at least tell me she's okay?" the girl begged. She looked frantic, her eyes large with panic and worry. "The clan elders—they're up to something!"
Thanks to all the reviewers as usual: Elise142 (Well Kakashi knows the truth, so he has incentive to stop Sasuke and Masaru from seeking revenge), xXSpades231Xx (Congratulations on graduating! I'll PM the question answers to you later.), Guest (you have some VERY good speculations, I'll neither confirm nor deny), May525, PhAnToM 1212, and reebajee.
See you all next week!
