In which Naruto and Gaara play, Yugito goes to Iwagakure, and everyone fights to kill Yagura.
O-O-O-O-O
Gaara is really fun to play with.
Fuu was great and Naruto liked spending time with her a lot, too. She was his only friend when the children at the orphanage wanted nothing to do with him. However, she was very bossy and always treated him like a little baby.
Meanwhile, Gaara was almost the same age and only an inch taller. He didn't talk a lot, but whenever he did, Naruto made sure to listen attentively. Gaara told him about Sunagakure and the Land of Wind. Naruto's only knowledge of sand came from the sandbox in the playground. Nevertheless, he tried his hardest to imagine a country surrounded by it.
Their favorite game was tag. Fuu had taught Naruto the game, but since she was older, she always won. Sometimes she let Naruto win, but he didn't like the easy victory. Gaara, meanwhile, was a worthy opponent.
Naruto sprinted to the other side of the Room. Roshi had agreed to be the base where they were safe from being tagged. The man was talking to Fuu as she demonstrated a new balancing technique she had learned from Yugito.
Naruto laughed as Gaara chased after him, out of breath. Even though he was a little older, Gaara didn't run as much as Naruto did and had less stamina. However, while Gaara tired quickly, he was the faster runner. In the end, they were evenly matched opponents.
Naruto stopped in front of Killer B's Door and turned around to watch Gaara run closer while he caught his breath. When Gaara was only a few feet away, the other boy stopped as well. The two looked at each other in the eye, trying to analyze each other. Should I run to the left or to the right?
Gaara stared back at him. He opened his eyes in surprise.
"Wait, Naruto-chan, who is that?" he said as he pointed at something over Naruto's shoulder.
Distracted, Naruto looked away. Is B-sama here now?
Gaara took his chance. He leaped towards Naruto, slapping him lightly on the arm with the palm of his hand. He then ran away, giggling.
Naruto's jaw dropped as Gaara ran away towards Roshi, who was now clapping at Fuu's demonstration. Naruto chased after him but he was too late. Gaara had reached safe grounds. He threw himself on top of Roshi's lap, struggling to breathe through his laughter.
The man smiled at the two children playing. He began patting Gaara on the head as the boy struggled to get his breathing back under control. Naruto pouted and pointed an angry finger at him.
"No fair! You tricked me!" he yelled at the older boy.
"All's fair in love and war, Naruto-chan," Roshi said wisely with a nod. "You two are going to be shinobi. You need to see deception."
Gaara couldn't answer back. He was laughing too hard but he gave Naruto a bright smile. Compared to the fear and hesitation from before, his smile felt like a ray of sunshine. Naruto couldn't help but grin back. He knew that Gaara had a difficult life and seeing him happy made him forget the frustration of losing.
"Never again!" he yelled in fake anger as jumped on top of Gaara and hugged him.
The other boy returned the embrace desperately, still laughing. Roshi held them both in his lap and sighed. Fuu giggled at the sight of the two boys together, distracted from her demonstration.
Roshi let them sit on his lap for a few seconds before he stood up without warning. The two boys screamed as they fell to the floor, surprised. Their laughter ended and they glared at the man standing over them.
"Mama! No fair!" Naruto whined.
"Sorry, Naruto-chan, Gaara-chan." He didn't sound sorry and his eyes looked unrepentant. "But I think it's about time for Gaara to check back. It's dangerous for him to fall asleep while meditating, remember?"
Next to him, Gaara flinched, the previous joy and laughter evaporating in an instant. He looked down at the floor and his hands grasped the hem of his loose shirt. Roshi's eyes softened at the sight. He squatted down to look at Gaara in the eye.
"It's okay, Gaara-chan," he said. "How about I tell you a story once you get back? I don't think I've told you about how I stole classified intel from Konoha using only my intellect and good looks, have I?"
Gaara shook his head. The tension in his shoulders eased slightly. He looked at Fuu and Naruto as if trying to memorize their faces before leaving.
"That's right, Gaara-chan!" Fuu said as she joined Roshi's side. "We will be here, too! I haven't heard the story either and we can all listen together. Is that all right?"
Gaara nodded. He still looked sad.
Naruto gave him another hug. "See you tomorrow, Gaara-chan!" he said.
At his words, Gaara nodded, smiled weakly and hugged him back. Naruto tightened the hug but the other boy didn't complain. Fuu leaned over and wrapped her arms around both boys. She pressed small kisses on the crowns of their heads.
"Stay safe and come back, Gaara," she said. "We're here for you, okay?"
Gaara nodded again. He broke their group hug. He walked back to the golden Door that served as a gateway between the physical world and the Room. He gulped and looked back at them one last time before disappearing.
Naruto ran to put his hand on Gaara's Door. He flinched when he touched it, but didn't pull back. 'Are you okay, Gaara-chan?'
'I'm okay,' Gaara responded. 'But I wanted to stay longer with you.'
'It's okay,' Naruto said, 'we are gonna see each other tomorrow, right?'
'Right!' Gaara already sounded a little more cheerful.
From behind him, Roshi and Fuu walked to stand next to Naruto and put their hands on Gaara's Door.
'See you tomorrow, Gaara-chan,' Fuu said, voice cheerful.
'Yes, see you soon, boy,' Roshi said. 'Now are you ready to listen to my story? Get comfortable because it's a long one.'
Roshi sat down to lean on the Door and pulled Naruto onto his lap. Fuu knelt on the floor and laid her head on Roshi's shoulder. While he wasn't inside the Room, Naruto could tell that Gaara was listening. Together, the three children settled down to listen to the newest story.
O-O-O-O-O
Yugito used chakra to walk on top of the ice and snow that covered the road to Iwagakure, perfectly balanced. Next to her, Mabui and Samui kept pace with her as they tried to catch their first glimpse of the village. Tsuyui-sensei walked behind the kunoichi, keeping watch and leading the other genin teams.
Yugito paused in her walk and looked back at her group with a raised eyebrow. Are these kids even ready to participate in the exams?
Unlike her teammates, most of the others were struggling to keep up with the pace that Yugito had set. They struggled walking through the snow and often slipped and fell. Throughout their journey, they had been fretting and worrying about the chuunin exams.
Most of the other teams were made up of recent graduates with less than thirty missions under their belts. They were younger than her by at least a few years. Yugito's team was the second-oldest team, beat out only by one led by a braggart named Musai.
Among the nervous genin, however, the exemplary ones stood out. A blond boy who looked to be a few years younger walked nonchalantly next to a bored dark-skinned boy. From their conversations, she had learned that the blond boy was named C while the other boy was Darui. They seemed unbothered by the chuunin exams. Yugito suspected they were either complete idiots or rightfully confident in their abilities. In any case, there was nothing to lose by keeping an eye on them.
As soon as they caught their first glimpse of Iwagakure, the nervous muttering intensified around her. Next to her, Samui and Mabui straightened their backs and looked ahead. They couldn't show weakness in front of another village.
Their group stopped once they reach the closed gate, but no one was there to meet them. The genin and jounin fell silent as they waited for someone to let them in. When no one appeared, Tsuyoi-sensei stepped forward and spoke to the large stone gate.
"Greetings," he said to no one. "We come from Kumogakure for the chuunin exams. We ask to be allowed safe passage into Iwagakure."
At his words, a tall broad man jumped in front of the genin.
"Passports and invitations," the man grumbled with a frown.
"Of course," Tsuyoi replied, polite as always. "May we enquire about your name?"
"My name is Kitsuchi," the large man answered. "I will be the primary point of contact during the exams. But first, I will have everyone enter team by team. Get your documents ready for inspection at once."
Tsuyoi nodded and signaled at all the Kumogakure ninja. Obediently, Yugito pulled out her passport and invitation letter from her weapons pouch. Samui and Mabui copied her lead. They handed their documents over to Tsuyui-sensei in a neat stack. Around them, the other teams readied their documents as well.
Tsuyoi beckoned them closer. Her team stood in front of the tall Iwagakure ninja. Their teacher handed over the four passports for inspection.
The man, Kitsuchi, opened each one, glaring at each one of them in turn. After a few seconds, he nodded in satisfaction and grunted. The stone gate opened slowly behind the man. Without a word, her team passed through the gates and entered Iwagakure.
She had to blink twice when she saw Han.
He stood tall in the middle of the street, one hand hidden inside his armor. He inspected Yugito, her sensei, and her teammates with a raised eyebrow. Her teammates looked at the man but said nothing. They turned around to look back at their traveling companions.
Yugito, however, couldn't tear her eyes away from Han.
In the setting sun, Han's shadow projected an intimidating silhouette for the arriving genin. Combined with Kitsuchi at the gate, Yugito assumed Iwagakure wished to intimidate them before the exams even began. Not a bad idea.
While she didn't talk to Han often in the Room, she liked him. He had been patient and understanding whenever they had interacted. He was also the only one who had managed to lay a finger on the Mizukage. That automatically made him a great shinobi in her eyes. He glanced at her. While she couldn't see his face, from the look he gave her, she could tell that he was forced herself not to run at Han and instead looked at the other Kumo teams as they entered one by one.
As soon as they saw the tall man, they all began to shuffle nervously and look away. Yugito forced herself not to roll her eyes. She had seen Han at the edge of tears trying to explain to a stubborn toddler that his shoes were on backwards. After that, she was not sure if the other jinchuuriki could ever scare her.
Once all the Kumo genin had passed through the gates, Kitsuchi leaped to stand next to Han. Together, the Kumogakure shinobi turned around to listen to their words.
"Okay, genin, listen up!" Kitsuchi bellowed. "I'm only going to say this once, so pay attention."
Most of the genin stepped back in fear. Yugito rolled her eyes. Babies.
She turned her gaze back to the Iwagakure shinobi. Han began to speak.
"You will be sleeping in the largest inn of Iwagakure apart from your teachers. Before we begin the exams, we will need to fill out paperwork. Mostly consent forms. If you already know that you don't want to participate in the exams or you have changed your mind, you are free to walk away now."
At that, Han moved his gaze through all the gathered genin. Some of her fellow ninja tensed up or gulped but no one took the offer. Yugito wasn't expecting anyone to back out. A was too proud to send weak ninja to take the chuunin exams, especially in a foreign country.
Han gave them all one last look and nodded.
"Good," he said. "You won't have any chance to back out in the future."
He took a deep breath and continued talking. "My name is Han and I have been working with Kitsuchi-san in preparation for the exams. I am the proctor for the first exam, which I will explain soon."
"For now, however, we will complete the necessary paperwork. Jounin-sensei," he stared at their teachers, "follow Kitsuchi-san. He will take you to your hotel."
He glanced at each of the younger shinobi in turn. "Genin, follow me. We will complete some paperwork and leave you at the inn once we finish."
"See you soon, sensei," Yugito said. She turned to follow Han, who had started walking to the outside of the village. She gave her teacher a small bow. Samui and Mabui followed suit and said goodbye.
As they walked, the other Kumogakure genin stared at Han in fear. Most of them looked around the village in nervous tension. Even her fellow kunoichi weren't immune. While they appeared calm next to her, Mabui was frowning while Samui was nervously chewing on her lip.
Yugito, meanwhile, took the opportunity to look around the village. The tall buildings rose high above her, grand and spectacular. A deep blanket of snow covered the roofs. Because of the cold, she saw few villagers and fewer shinobi. The ones that she did see gave her looks that varied between curiosity and mild disdain.
The looks they gave Han were not as friendly, however. Every time they saw the man at the front of their group, they glared at him. Some whispered and threw him dirty looks while others ran away in fear. Han appeared not to notice their reactions. However, Yugito knew him well enough to know that he would never miss such obvious killing intent.
It's because he's a jinchuuriki. If these people knew I was a jinchuuriki, they would look at me with hate in their eyes, too. How can they hate someone who has done so much for their village?
She started to glare back at everyone they passed. She could understand the pain of being looked at with hatred and fear by her own countrymen. Although jinchuuriki were favored in Kumogakure, they were not always well-treated. There were still many who believed she and B were monsters. To be hated for existing was more painful than she could describe.
Walking a short distance behind Han, the man sensed her indignation at his expense. He seemed amused by her glaring, although he also seemed thankful to her. She went closer to walk by Han side to side. The corners of his eyes crinkled in happiness and Yugito smiled back.
Don't worry about them, Yugito, his eyes seemed to say. I'm used to it.
Yugito sighed and fell back to walk next to Samui and Mabui. She couldn't be seen talking with Han. She didn't want to get sent to Torture and Interrogation back in Kumogakure.
They walked silently, following Han's large steps. After a few minutes of walking, their group arrived at a large, tall building.
"I will leave you here," Han told the group. "You will complete your registration inside. I will see you at the start of the first exam. Good luck."
Han disappeared in a cloud of smoke, but not before giving Yugito a small wink that was missed by everyone else. Yugito smiled to herself and moved to enter the large building.
This is going to be fun.
O-O-O-O-O
It took a month for Yagura to get an opportunity to see Mei again. As he waited, he gritted his teeth and did everything that his counselors asked him to do. He was almost ready to die by his own hand but he needed Mei to take the finishing blow. In a country obsessed with power, they would only listen to the strongest among them.
"Mizukage-sama! We have received confirmation that Mei Terumi and her army is nearing Kirigakure! They seem to be coming after you!" One of his advisors broke into his office and shouted at him in panic. Yagura almost jumped up in joy.
Finally. Time to die. He needed to remain calm, however.
"Mei Terumi?" Yagura sighed. He put down his pen and stared out of the window.
"Yes, sir."
"Who is with her?" he asked in a casual tone. His advisor stared at him for a few seconds, perplexed about his calm demeanor. Nevertheless, he answered the question dutifully.
"Zabuza Momochi, Ao the Byakugan Killer, and Ameyuri Ringo are her main assets," he answered. "However, we estimate at least two hundred more shinobi on her side, most of them holders of kekkei genkai."
Yagura sighed again and stretched his arms over his head. Calm, he took off the Mizukage robes, picked up his staff, and slung it over his back. He jumped to the windowsill and looked out, saying nothing to the advisor.
Despite the mist, he could see clear signs of battle. Sparks from weapons and jutsu were spread throughout the village. He tried to look for hints of Mei's lava release, but he couldn't see her calling card. He would have to look for her himself. How annoying.
"Well, I gotta take care of that."
Yagura said goodbye to his advisor with a lazy wave. He leaped through the window to land at the nearest fighting site.
He stumbled upon a fight between two men. Both of them were wearing Kirigakure hitai-ate. He couldn't tell who was loyal to him and who was loyal to Mei. They paused in their fight and looked at him, one in fear and one in excitement. Well, now I know.
His supporter turned back to his enemy with a satisfied grin, happy that Yagura had come to save him.
"Where is Mei Terumi?" Yagura asked them.
"Mei Terumi will kill you!" the enemy shinobi said.
I'm not getting any help here. Yagura forced himself not to roll his eyes. He jumped over the two shinobi and left them to their fighting. He needed to find Mei, not worry about inconsequential fights.
He ran and leaped randomly through the village. He made sure that he was seen by as many combatants as possible. If he wanted to meet with Mei, his location needed to be known by everyone.
He was so focused on searching for Mei that he almost died before they could find each other.
Mid-leap, a lighting-charged sword stabbed him through the shoulder. He fell to the ground and managed to narrowly dodge the next strike. He put pressure on his shoulder and his hand came away covered in blood. He winced at the pain but recovered in an instant. He took his weapon in his hands, transformed into the initial jinchuuriki form, and got into a defensive stance.
'Isobu!' he screamed at his bijuu.
'I know, Karatachi. I'm trying. Don't die while I help you heal.'
"You are faster than I expected, Mizukage-sama."
Yagura looked at the small woman standing in front of him. Ameyuri Ringo smirked at him. Yagura winced. Ameyuri was small and fast. She wasn't physically strong, but her agility made up for it. With Yagura already weakened, she was a threatening opponent.
"Yeah, well, not fast enough, it seems," Yagura replied. He felt the hole in his shoulder closing, but blood was still pouring out of him. He didn't want to fight Ameyuri. She was infamous for being vicious and playing with her targets. Nevertheless, he readied himself for a fight.
"Don't be so hasty, Ameyuri-chan," a deep voice called out from behind Yagura.
He turned around to inspect the new arrival. Zabuza Momochi glared at him. His sword was pointed threateningly down at Yagura's throat. While not as strong as Ameyuri, Zabuza was still a formidable threat. If they were to work together, they might actually manage to defeat him. Yagura groaned. More enemies. I just want to fight Mei, damn it.
"Get the hell out of here Zabuza! Yagura is mine! I will become Mizukage when I kill him!" Ameyuri yelled at her fellow rebel.
"Get off your high horse, bitch. You don't deserve to be Mizukage. Just cause you're fast and can channel lighting through your swords doesn't make you special!"
"Like you're any better, motherfucker!" Ameyuri replied. "You're not anywhere near enough to be the strongest ninja in the village. Yagura is my prey and I'm not going to let you steal him away from me!"
"He's my opponent! I will fight and kill him faster than you can blink!"
"As if! You're not fast enough to do anything more than fall flat on your face! I don't know how you got that little minion following your every move when you're not even worthy to lick my boots!"
They're like children fighting over a toy.
Yagura glanced back and forth between the two swordsmen but said nothing. He took the time that they were arguing to heal. The only one allowed to kill him was Mei.
When his shoulder felt sufficiently healed, he cleared his throat. Both Ameyuri and Zabuza stopped their bickering to focus their hate back on him.
"Well, if this lover's quarrel isn't going to end anytime soon... I would like to leave and go look for someone who could pose a real threat," Yagura said with a wicked grin.
"He's mocking us, Zabuza," Ameyuri scowled.
"No shit," Zabuza answered.
"Maybe you can play rock, paper, scissors to decide who gets the honor," Yagura suggested, keeping the smile on his face.
The two swordsmen frowned and sunk their stances deeper into defensive positions. Yagura prepared for their attack and the three fell into a tense silence. He waited to see who would attack first.
Zabuza was the first one to run in his direction, Kubikiribocho grasped tightly in his hand. Yagura dodged easily but Ameyuri took the opportunity to attack. She charged lightning chakra into Kiba and lunged to run her swords through Yagura's heart.
Yagura prepared himself to take Version Two form. He didn't want to kill Ameyuri when she would have been a strong part of Mei's new regime, but she had attacked first.
As soon as he was ready to strike back, however, high-heeled sandals diverted her twin swords and smashed them into the ground. The lighting crashed violently with an explosion of dust. Yagura had to use his forearm to shield himself from the blast.
When the dust cleared, Ameyuri was staring slack-jawed at Mei, who was holding the twin swords down with the heel of her foot. Yagura blinked up at his former student. Mei had jumped in right before he was ready to kill Ameyuri. He wondered if she had timed her defense on purpose
"You're both wrong," Mei said, voice calm and deadly. She turned her glare towards Yagura. "The only one allowed to kill Yagura is me."
He shuddered involuntarily. He had forgotten how scary his student could sound when given the right motivation. Ameyuri and Zabuza must have noticed her tone too because they looked in wonder at Mei. They relaxed their grip on the hilts of their swords.
"But Mei, he..."
"Mei-chan, I think..."
"He's mine!" Mei yelled with a scowl as she relaxed her foothold on Kiba. "I'm the one who will become the Fifth Mizukage and the one who will defeat him once and for all."
Her declaration was full of power and both Zabuza and Ameyuri tensed. Yagura smiled to himself. I truly did make the right choice.
He tested his shoulder. Isobu had almost finished healing the wound and the pain was more than manageable. He jumped away from the rebel group and used chakra to stick to the wall of the nearest building.
"You really think that you can kill me, Mei-chan?" Yagura asked with a smirk.
"I know I can," was Mei's calm reply. Yagura marveled at her acting abilities.
They stared at one another, waiting to see who would make the first move. Yagura remembered their conversation at the lake and felt a stab of guilt at forcing Mei to do the dirty deed. He needed to make their fight look convincing.
He used chakra to jump to the top of the building. He ran away. If he had to transform into Isobu's full form, he would need to be in an open area, not in the middle of the village. The interconnected lakes surrounding Kirigakure would provide enough space for their fight.
"Hey! Don't run away! We're not finished!" Mei yelled in surprise and anger at his retreating back as he leaped away.
Yagura smirked. He sensed Mei chasing a short distance behind him while Ameyuri and Zabuza were left behind. He sighed in relief. They wouldn't interrupt anything and ruin his plans.
He reached the lake on the outskirts of Kirigakure a few seconds later. He used chakra to stand in the middle of the water and waited for Mei to join him. It didn't take long for him to see her distinctive long auburn hair.
"What was that about? I thought you wanted to fight?!" Mei yelled while pointing an accusing finger in his direction.
"I do," Yagura replied.
He attacked immediately, swinging his staff over his head and bringing it down on top of Mei. She dodged out of the way but Yagura was ready for that. He used the staff as a lever and kicked her in the stomach. She huffed as the air was knocked out of her lungs. She went flying to land many feet away on the surface of the water. She stood up and glared.
What the hell? I thought you wanted to die? the expression on her face seemed to say.
Did you think it would be that simple? he wanted to reply.
She had probably expected Yagura to take it easy on her after his plea, but he had never been one to hold back. Even as a little girl, he had never gone easy on her.
Mei huffed in exasperation, no doubt able to read his mind.
Her body language changed. She stood up proudly on the surface of the water and stared at him. She needed to take the fight seriously as a battle to the death. Yagura smiled back and prepared for her attack.
She ran through a set of unfamiliar seals and spat out a cloud of mist. Yagura waited, expecting the Hidden Mist Jutsu. However, instead of obscuring his sight and hearing with haze, the vapor burned his skin with corrosive acid.
Mei has a new technique, it seems. He relinquished control over the chakra on his feet and dove underwater.
Making his own set of seals, Yagura created a dragon made from water. It flew out of the lake and attacked. Mei screamed in surprise and she dodged by flipping back. While she was distracted, Yagura swam back up to the surface.
"Wind Release: Supreme Typhoon!" he yelled. He created a large gust of wind that blew away Mei's acidic mist. Yagura took some time to admire Mei's new jutsu. In closed quarters, it would be a very formidable attack.
"Not bad, Yagura-sensei," Mei said with a smirk. "Not many have enough power to blow away my boil release."
"You know that I'm exceptional, Mei-chan," Yagura said with a smile that immediately turned into a frown.
It was time to get serious. Mei must have felt the same way because her smile faded and she looked at Yagura with eyes full of resignation. They began their duel.
In the end, Yagura and Mei fought until sunset.
For every attack Mei sent out, Yagura had a counter for it. A few of her techniques were new. However, with Yagura's battle experience and reflexes, she was unable to do any lasting damage. It was the same for her. She avoided his attacks with unprecedented skill and agility.
Sometime during the day, the other shinobi, both on his side and on Mei's, had begun to appear. They had tried interrupting their fight many times. However, both of them had scolded anyone that had gotten closer than the banks of the lake. They now surrounded them, watching them fight one another desperately to death.
The new moon rose, leaving their world in almost total darkness. Perfect. My plan will work better here.
Yagura paused his attack. He panted in exhaustion as he tried to get his breath back. He saw Mei on the opposite side of the lake as she tried to catch her breath, too. Mei was formidable. In a few years, she would be one of the strongest fighters Kirigakure had ever seen. He stared at her silhouette and he sensed her staring back.
"I think we're almost finished, don't you agree?" he asked between pants.
"Of course, Yagura-sensei. I think it's time to finish this fight for good," she replied. Her voice sounded exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Not for the first time, Yagura felt guilty for making her do such a difficult task.
This can't wait anymore. It's time to finish this.
Yagura sent chakra to the soles of his feet and launched himself from the surface of the water up into the air. He swung his staff in front of himself and prepared to hit Mei.
Before he could, however, Mei's lava release swept overhead. His concentration gone, Yagura was surrounded by her lava from all sides. He jumped down into the water but that wasn't enough to quench Mei's attack. He yelled out in pain although Isobu helped reduce the damage his body was taking. With his left hand burning, he dropped his staff where it promptly sank to the bottom of the lake.
While he recovered, Mei took her chance to attack. She pulled him out of the water and the cooling effect vanished. She kicked him on the chin and he landed several feet away while still partially covered in her lava. Despite the setback, Yagura smiled to himself.
'Isobu! It's time!'
'Got it, Karatachi!'
Yagura called upon Isobu's chakra. The bijuu's complete body appeared on the surface of the water. Mei jumped back and ran her hands through a series of complex hand signs. Before either Yagura or Isobu could react, she covered the bijuu in a blanket of new lava. The shinobi that had been tensely watching their fight stepped back in awe.
Even with Isobu's tough outer shell, the lava burned and both Yagura and the bijuu screamed out in pain. The bijuu form disappeared at once. Only Yagura's screams could be heard as the lava smothered the Mizukage.
When Yagura stopped screaming, only Mei was left standing on the surface of the lake. She was panting heavily and on the verge of total chakra exhaustion. Her hair, normally kept out of the way in a small bun, was singed while her clothes were scuffed and torn from the battle.
Despite her exhaustion, she straightened her back and stood on the surface of the water. She raised one fist in victory. She looked out at all of the shinobi that were still watching and waiting at the banks of the lake.
Mei grinned victoriously at them, even though most wouldn't be able to see in the dark night. She heard both cheers and cries of anguish from her audience. She knew that the battle for Kirigakure had only just begun.
O-O-O-O-O
When Yagura finally washed up on the empty shore, his first breath of air felt like heaven.
He coughed as much water out of his lungs as possible and forced his body to crawl onto the coarse sand. He collapsed immediately, coughing and panting in pain.
With Isobu's help, he had managed to swim from the bottom of the lake, through the river, and into the ocean, coming up only once for air. He was very thankful that his bijuu was a turtle, at least.
He flipped himself over and looked up at the night sky. With his body not in fighting mode, all the aches from the battle were catching up to him. He wanted to scream at the pain. However, he couldn't afford even the minuscule chance that someone would hear. He bit his tongue instead.
'Karatachi, what am I going to do with you? You almost died back there, even with the coral protecting you.'
Yagura wanted to reply, but his mind was too exhausted to think of a response. He had barely managed to escape by using coral to protect himself. Nevertheless, Mei's corrosive lava technique had managed to burn the left side of his body. He couldn't feel his left hand and he hoped he hadn't lost it.
A stab of pain coursed through his body and he had to bite down hard on his tongue so as to not scream out in pain. He tasted blood but he had no energy to spit it out. He swallowed and stared up at the sky.
His bijuu sighed. 'I'll work on healing you up but some of the damage is permanent. I'm running low on chakra myself, so don't move and try not to cry.'
Yagura wanted to nod, but after collapsing, the only thing he could do was breathe. Isobu's chakra was working on healing and the pain was already lessening. When dealing with lava, however, he knew that there would be permanent damage.
Yagura thought of Anzu and hoped that she wouldn't mind the new scars. She had been fine with the scar on his face, but he couldn't help but worry that she wouldn't like him anymore.
Remembering her brought an old and familiar pain into his chest that only added to his misery. He wished Anzu were here with Asahi and Kasumi.
The last time he had seen Asahi, he had loved to draw and color in a large green notebook. He had been learning his first kanji and how to hold a kunai correctly. Every time he had learned a new character, he had run up to him, showing off his writing skills. He was eight years old now and he has missed so much of his childhood.
Kasumi had been so small the last time he saw her. She had followed her older brother around everywhere, holding on to the back of his shirt and repeating everything he said. She had loved to crawl up into Yagura's arms whenever she was upset or simply tired. He would hug her back, keeping her small body safe and protected in his arms. She was five years old now. He guessed she was getting started on shinobi training.
Lying on the sand and feeling close to death, he wanted to see them in front of him more than he had wanted anything else in life. He had missed so many moments with them that he would never get back. Was Asahi's favorite color still pink? Did Kasumi still follow her brother around everywhere? What were their favorite foods? Their least favorite? Did they eat well? What were their favorite games? It hurt that he didn't know the answers.
The starry sky began to blur and Yagura realized that he had started crying. Well, that's embarrassing.
Ever since his mind came back, he hadn't had a moment of rest to absorb what he had lost. Lying on the beach with nothing to do except heal, he could finally feel sorry for himself. He was too exhausted to move, so he stared up at the sky and let the tears roll down his face.
He was glad that only Isobu was there to watch him be so pathetic.
'I'm sorry, Karatachi.'
'Me too.'
Yagura forced himself to move his right hand up to wipe the tears off his face. He said nothing else to his bijuu. Instead, he rested for a few hours more, staring at the sky.
After a few hours, the moon started to sink beyond the horizon and he gritted his teeth. He couldn't stay on the beach forever.
'We have to go, Isobu.'
'I know. You need to rest more, but staying here is more dangerous. Can you stand up?'
Yagura nodded and forced himself to his knees. Even that small movement brought a new wave of dizziness. He had to pause with his head down and his eyes closed while he caught his breath.
When he opened them, he had to blink twice. While his right hand was intact, his left hand was missing the pinky finger and the ring finger. Burn scars in the shape of coral also covered his entire arm and most of his shoulder. In the rush of escaping Kirigakure, he hadn't noticed the true extent of the damage.
He looked at his arm with fascination. Jutsu were going to be more difficult to cast with missing fingers. With his staff at the bottom of the lake, fighting was going to become more difficult, too. Well, at least it will make it easier to hide.
Yagura stared at his injured arm for a moment longer before he managed to stand up with a groan of pain. He would deal with his missing fingers later. He looked out at the horizon and saw one of the small abandoned islands that belonged to the Land of Tea.
He forced what little chakra remained onto the soles of his feet. He stepped onto the surface of the ocean, as careful as a newborn deer. To his relief, the island wasn't far. It would take him only a few hours to reach it, even at a slow pace.
He took a deep breath and began to limp away. He would reach land before sunrise even if he had to crawl.
O-O-O-O-O
A/N: This chapter was very difficult to write. It went through many many many (many) revisions before I was even remotely satisfied. Did anyone really think that I was going to kill off Yagura? I wouldn't dare! Not my turtle man!
You can get in contact with me through Tumblr. My username is waffledogwrites over there!
Next chapter: Yagura heals.