In which Utakata reacts to political events, Fuu talks to Hisen, and Yagura heals.
O-O-O-O-O
When Utakata woke up, the day felt like any other. He used the washroom, got dressed, ate breakfast, and went to the training grounds. He spent the entire morning thinking of new ways to add acid to his bubbles.
The first hint that something was wrong came when Harusame didn't arrive to supervise his training. However, Utakata didn't think much of it. Harusame was the only sealing master of Kirigakure. He was often called away by the Mizukage and his advisors. Utakata ignored his master's absence and instead continued to hone his jutsu.
It was only at lunchtime that Utakata realized that something serious had happened. When he arrived in the dining room to eat with Harusame, he found his master talking with two strangers. One was a petite woman with vivid red hair while the other was a man with an eyepatch over his right eye. Harusame sat between the man and the woman with his back straight, eyeing Utakata as he entered.
Utakata paused before entering through the sliding doors. He waited to see if he was dismissed, but Harusame beckoned him closer instead. He walked to the table and sat down cross-legged on one of the floor cushions. He waited for someone else to speak first.
"Utakata-kun," Harusame began. "There have been some new changes in Kirigakure. Some grave events happened during the night. The village will be changing drastically very soon."
Utakata gulped but forced his face to remain calm. The words 'change' and 'Kirigakure' together rarely boded well. He remembered the last time there had been a major change in the village. The Fourth Mizukage had created an extermination order for holders of kekkei genkai.
He waited for Harusame to explain, but his master looked like he was struggling with words. Instead, the small woman grunted and spoke.
"Yagura Karatachi is dead, kid," she said with an impatient huff. "Mei Terumi killed him and declared herself Mizukage last night."
"What?" Utakata asked as his jaw dropped open in surprise. Yagura Karatachi is dead?
"Mei fought the Fourth yesterday," the man with the eyepatch explained. "He transformed into a tailed beast but Mei was able to counter his attack using her Lava Release. She has declared herself the Fifth Mizukage. We are waiting for the daimyo's approval, but we find his refusal unlikely."
The three adults stared at Utakata, waiting for him to speak, but he stayed silent. He had a lot of questions, but he wasn't sure where to begin. He didn't know Mei Terumi and he wondered if she would be any better than the Fourth.
The woman frowned at his silence but said nothing while the other man stared at Utakata impassively. Meanwhile, Harusame gave him a sympathetic look. They waited for him to speak.
"So, why did you come here?" Utakata finally asked. Why are there two strangers in our home?
"You are the jinchuuriki of the Six-Tails," the man explained. "We needed to make sure that your allegiance is with Mei."
In other words, you are worried that I'm loyal to Yagura and will betray this new Mizukage at the first chance I get.
"I'm loyal to Kirigakure," he answered. "I don't know Mei Terumi. However, if she was able to defeat the Fourth Mizukage, then I will follow her orders in the new village she creates."
Some of the tension that had been in the room eased immediately. The woman gave him a predatory smile, showing sharp teeth. Harusame breathed out in relief while the other man sighed.
"That's good to hear, boy," the man said. "We wouldn't want to have to look for a new host for the Six-Tails if you know what I mean."
Utakata suppressed a shudder at the threat. For the past few weeks, he had spent a lot of time with B and Yugito. He had almost forgotten that, in the eyes of the village, he was only a weapon to be used and discarded at any time. A shinobi village couldn't exist with a rebellious weapon.
"Well, now that everything is settled, would anyone like some tea?" Harusame asked their guests politely.
The man shook his head. "No, thank you. We have a lot of business to attend to. It's been a long night and this day will only be worse. Ameyuri-san, let's go."
"Right behind you, Ao-kun," the woman replied. With that, she stood up and stretched her arms over her head with an exhausted sigh.
They gave him one last contemplative look before leaving Harusame's estate through the sliding doors. As soon as they departed, his master slumped and collapsed on the tatami floor. Utakata exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. I think I almost died there.
"It's a good thing you said you were loyal to the village first, Utakata-kun," Harusame commented. His face was marked with obvious relief. "If you hadn't, we might not be talking right now."
"Why would I say I'm loyal to Yagura, shishou?" Utakata complained. "He was a terrible Mizukage. Just look at what Kirigakure is like now. I just couldn't say anything before. I'm glad he's gone."
"Are you?" Harusame asked curiously before exhaling deeply. "Anyway, let's have lunch. We can train together afterward."
Utakata grunted and his master stood up to fetch their food. Utakata waited at the low table, resting his chin on his hand. He thought about Yagura. He couldn't help but feel happy that the man was dead. He hoped that Kirigakure would change under the leadership of Mei Terumi. Back when he first became Mizukage, Yagura had promised to lead the village into a new future. However, he had only made the conflict and hate within Kirigakure worse.
When Harusame returned, he brought with him a tray full of food. Utakata took his portion and the boy and his master ate together in silence. When they finished, Utakata thanked Harusame for the meal and headed back outside.
The rest of the day passed by like any other. After lunch, he fell asleep while meditating on the grass. When he woke up, he practiced his jutsu on the training grounds next to the estate. At dinnertime, Harusame talked about Utakata's strengths and weaknesses in battle and gave him ways to further improve. By the time he went to bed, he had almost forgotten the events of the afternoon.
After befriending B and Yugito, he had been using the Room's connection more often. However, he had only appeared there rarely during the day while meditating. He also only went after he had asked one of the Kumo shinobi to make sure that Yagura wasn't in the Room.
Now that the Fourth is dead, I don't have to worry about running into him ever again. The thought cheered him up more than it should have.
For the first time since the night he saw Yagura, when Utakata fell asleep he allowed himself to join the Room. He hoped to see the Kumo ninja or perhaps the red-headed man who had tried talking to him. He wondered if he would meet any of the other jinchuuriki that Yugito and B had told him about.
He was not prepared to see Yagura Karatachi lying on the ground and talking to the short red-headed man.
Utakata wondered if he was imagining things. The Kage was lying on the floor and panting heavily. He looked like he already has one foot in the grave. The two children he had seen before were kneeling next to him with worry in their eyes. The red-headed man was squatting down on Yagura's left side. He seemed anxious about something that Utakata couldn't see.
"MIZUKAGE-SAMA?" he yelled. "YOU'RE NOT DEAD?"
At his shout, the others turned to look at him at once.
"Not dead? What does that mean, Yagura-san?" the little girl asked with a frown on her face.
"It's a long story, Fuu-chan," the former Mizukage said. He looked away from Utakata to stare at the opposite side of the Room.
"You gonna tell us, Yagura-san?" Naruto asked next, his eyes excited.
"I will, Naruto-kun, but let me rest first, okay?" Yagura muttered with a lot of effort.
At his exhausted words, the children and the red-headed man shared worried glances. They then turned their gaze to look at something on Yagura's left side. Utakata felt like he was intruding on something, but he was too curious to leave yet. He bit his lip and walked toward the other jinchuuriki.
They said nothing, but the red-headed man did raise an eyebrow in curiosity. As he walked closer, he saw the former Mizukage tense at the approach, although he didn't turn to look at him. When he was finally standing next to the man, he gasped when he saw Yagura's left arm.
Most of the arm was covered in burns that had barely healed. His hand was the most damaged, with two fingers missing. The burns extended all the way up to his shoulder. It looked incredibly painful and Utakata wondered how he hadn't lost full use of his arm. He stared down at the former Mizukage.
"I thought you died." Utakata frowned.
"Nope," the man turned his pink eyes to meet him square in the face while giving a shaky smile.
"How did you survive?" Utakata asked.
He saw a look of pain pass through the former Mizukage's face. The man twitched as he looked from Utakata to the three other jinchuuriki. They glanced nervously back and forth between the Kirigakure shinobi as they talked. The former Mizukage grimaced.
"It's a long story," he finally answered.
Utakata huffed and crossed his arms, "I've got time to listen."
"I was afraid you'd say that." Yagura pouted, making his face look almost child-like.
"Oh! Are you gonna tell us a story, Yagura-san?" the little girl asked. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she met the eyes of the man lying on the floor.
"I guess," the Fourth answered nonchalantly. "It's not like I have anything better to do than complain about the pain."
"Wait! Can you tell Gaara-chan the story, too?" the girl continued excitedly. "He likes stories a lot but he can't come into the Room because Shukaku is mean!"
"Who's Shu- yeah, sure, whatever. Might as well invite everyone while you're at it," the former Mizukage said with a frustrated sigh.
"We can?" the children said at the same time before turning to each other and smiling.
"Naruto-chan, I'll get B-sama and Yugito nee-chan. You can get Papa," the little girl ordered before running off to a Door marked with the kanji for the number eight.
"Yes, Fuu nee-chan!" the blond boy shouted as he ran to a Door with the kanji for five carved on it.
The red-headed man sighed and shared a look of exasperation with the man on the floor. They glanced briefly at Utakata but ignored him. Utakata shifted uncomfortably and wished that Yugito were with him.
"I'm guessing you got hit by lava?" the red-headed man asked in a soft voice to break the silence.
"How did you know?" the former Mizukage groaned.
"I have lava release. I know what lava burns look like, even while shielded," the man answered while frowning.
"I guess that would explain it," Yagura replied with a sigh. "Anyway, who is this Shukaku and what did Fuu mean about him being mean to Gaara?"
"Shukaku is the Ichibi," the man explained. "He likes to torture Gaara. It makes it hard for the boy to concentrate, so we tell him stories to make him feel better."
"Ah, that sounds nice," the former Mizukage glanced at the red-headed man before closing his eyes.
"Anyway, we need to get closer to Gaara's Door. Would you prefer for me to drag you closer or do you want to have Han carry you there?" the man asked with a smile.
"I'd rather walk by myself," Yagura scowled. "But between looking like a baby in Han's arms and limping closer, I think I prefer the second option."
"All right, Yagura, I'll pull you up and you can lean on me while I carry you. It'll be just like carrying a drunk friend home."
"Still better than getting carried like a child," the former Mizukage complained.
Utakata felt oddly ignored. He followed behind the red-headed man and the Fourth Mizukage at a distance as they limped towards a Door marked with the kanji for the number one. The man concentrated and conjured some cushions. Trying to be gentle and failing, he placed down Yagura on top.
"Comfortable?" the red-headed man asked the man lying prone on the floor.
"No," Yagura answered bluntly. "I feel like I'm dying."
"Well, you're not. We're shinobi. Suck it up."
Yagura grumbled at the other man's words but didn't argue. He closed his eyes and seemed to meditate as he waited for the children to come back. The red-headed man turned his gaze towards Utakata.
"So, boy, do you know anything of what's going on? Yagura just appeared here in the Room looking like that. We'd just started to question him when you showed up."
"Well, Kirigakure has a new Mizukage," Utakata explained. "I was told this afternoon that some woman named Mei Terumi killed Yagura Karatachi. Apparently, that was incorrect."
He tried to keep his voice calm and contained. He had felt so happy learning that Kirigakure was on the brink of great change. If the man on the floor managed to heal and take back his post, Utakata was not sure if Kirigakure would ever recover.
"Hm, is that so?" the red-headed man said as he stared Utakata up and down.
He tried not to tense under the man's glance. He forced his face to stay neutral. However, the man seemed like an experienced shinobi and could no doubt read his true feelings. The red-headed man looked away, crossed his arms, sat down next to Yagura, and remained silent while they waited for the children to come back.
Utakata stared down at his hands and told himself not to listen to Yagura's painful breathing. He clenched his hands on the sleeves of his yukata and made himself breathe in and out. He didn't want to strangle the man on the floor yet. How could you have survived? Why couldn't you have died? He began to play with the hem of his yukata. Eventually, his thoughts were interrupted by a boisterous young voice.
"Mama! Mama! Papa's here!" the blonde boy shouted happily.
Utakata turned to look at the shouting voice. The boy, Naruto, if Utakata remembered correctly, was pulling on the hand of the tallest man Utakata had ever seen in his life. The man was wearing heavy-looking armor that covered all his body except for his brown eyes. He was walking calmly, letting the young boy lead him. The man's eyebrows rose when he saw Utakata standing a few feet away from the former Mizukage.
"Well, hello, I don't think we've met," the man said voice deep and calm. "My name is Han. I'm from Iwagakure and I'm the jinchuuriki of the Five-Tails."
"My name is Utakata," he answered, trying not to betray his nervousness. "I'm the container of the Six-Tails."
Utakata walked closer to greet the newest jinchuuriki. He had to crane his neck up to meet Han in the eyes. The tall man hummed when he saw Utakata before motioning for him to sit down. He then turned around to look at Yagura on the floor.
"What happened?" Han asked. He sounded strangely unconcerned about finding the former Mizukage burnt and suffering on the floor.
"Short version: lava," Yagura answered. "I'll tell you the long version once everyone is here. It's hard enough to think right now, I don't want to tell you everything only to repeat the story in a few minutes."
Han nodded at Yagura's explanation before walking to the Door that belonged to the One-Tailed Jinchuuriki. He placed his hand on the Door and closed his eyes. A conversation seemed to take place. Han opened his eyes and sat down while leaning on the Door.
Naruto also placed his hand briefly on the Door before sitting down on Han's lap. The older man ruffled the boy's hair and Naruto gave him a look of complete admiration. Utakata couldn't help but admit that it was a cute scene.
"Mama! Papa!" the little girl shouted while she ran back to the gathered group. "I got B-sama here! He says he wants to listen to the story, too!"
She smiled and ran to sit on Han's lap next to Naruto. "I asked Yugito nee-chan though. But she said that if she ever saw 'that tiny violent man' ever again, she would go and hunt Yagura-san herself."
She pouted before continuing her explanation. "She also said that she's too busy with the chuunin exams to care about what happens to him anyway."
"Don't worry little Fuu, she won't want to deny, the story we'll hear, I want to lend an ear! You dumbass phonies!" Killer B rapped.
Utakata groaned. He liked talking to Yugito more for a reason.
B gave everyone a wide smile before he sat down to lean on Yugito's Door a small distance away from the others. Utakata didn't hesitate before moving to sit next to B. He knew and liked him. He barely knew any of the other jinchuuriki and he had no reason to trust the former Mizukage at all.
"Yagura-san! Yagura-san!" the girl, Fuu, yelled in excitement. "Everyone is here! Please tell us the story. What happened? Why is your arm all burned? What are you going to do now? Where is-"
Han placed his hand over her mouth to keep her from speaking. The girl rolled her eyes but she didn't protest.
"Let Yagura-san tell us the story however he wants, okay, Fuu?" Han said in a gentle tone as he took his hand off of her face. The girl nodded and looked expectantly down at Yagura, face serious.
Yagura opened his eyes and looked around at his audience. He sighed deeply and began to tell his story.
"Well, it all started one night when I received a message from a potential informant," he said. "The message told me to meet at one of the lakes near Kirigakure to speak about potential intel on rival villages. Of course, I went to this meeting, not knowing what to expect."
He paused for breath and swallowed. "The only thing I remember was meeting a man wearing an orange mask with only one eyehole. He wore long robes with blood-red clouds etched on the cloth. I don't remember what he said and soon after, I lost consciousness."
From the corner of his eye, Utakata noticed Han's eyes narrow by a fraction.
"When I came to, three years had passed and I had no memory of what had transpired in that time," he continued. "When I pieced everything together, everything started to make sense. I realized that all my actions had been caused by a genjutsu strong enough to brainwash not only me but also my bijuu."
Yagura swallowed again and exhaled before he continued with the rest of the story. He told them about trying to figure out a way to improve Kirigakure without letting the caster of the genjutsu know. He talked about joining the Room and about the difficulties that came when trying to befriend everyone.
He explained how he had concluded that Mei Terumi was the best person to take his place and why. He told them how he met Zabuza Momochi and Ameyuri Ringo and they had fought over who got the honor of killing him. He told them how he fought Mei Terumi for hours until he took advantage of her lava release to fake his death. When the fight had ended, he had successfully escaped the Land of Water. From there, he had walked to a deserted island in the Land of Tea, where his physical body was now resting and healing.
When Yagura finished, he lay panting on the floor with his eyes closed in pain. Utakata didn't want to believe the story, but it made too much sense for him to dismiss the former Mizukage's words outright.
He remembered when Yagura had first become the leader of Kirigakure. They had hoped that the village's reputation as the Bloody Mist would improve with a new Kage. Instead, it had gotten worse as holders of kekkei genkai were persecuted and killed.
The Room was silent as everyone processed the story. Utakata had so many questions and concerns that he didn't know where to start. Thankfully, Han broke the silence first.
"Why were you targeted?" he asked. "Was it because you're a jinchuuriki or because you were the Mizukage?"
"I don't know," Yagura answered. "I've told you everything I know and suspect, but if you can see any connections that I missed, tell me. I plan to go looking for intel once I recover."
Han and the red-headed man shared uneasy glances before Han spoke. "I think we may have a hint."
"A hint?"
The red-headed man nodded and explained. "Han and I saw someone wearing those robes. He is part of a mercenary company. The Tsuchikage has hired him before because he is cheaper to rent out for missions than most shinobi. He is also willing to do the dirty work that normal villages would never dare to do."
"Mercenary company?" Yagura asked. "Did they target me as a job or did they target me as part of their own internal mission?"
The red-headed man shrugged and Han sighed before answering, "I have no idea. We only know that the Tsuchikage has hired them because we are Onoki's personal guards at times. He met a young man with red hair who had the look of a puppet master. I doubt he's the same person you saw, however."
"I wish I knew more," Yagura whined from his position on the floor. He placed his right forearm over his face to cover his eyes.
Utakata couldn't help but feel bad for the former Mizukage. He couldn't imagine losing three years of his life to a genjutsu. The rest of the jinchuuriki fell silent as they each absorbed the story. On Han's lap, the two children held on to one another in a hug.
Predictably, Killer B interrupted with terrible rhymes.
"I don't like those long faces, we can cover the bases, watch out for the guys, who are full of lies! You dumbass phonies!"
Everyone stared at B with dropped jaws which turned into frowns and groans of exasperation.
"Darn it, B" the red-headed man complained. "We're trying to be serious and you ruin the mood. What are we going to do?"
"There's nothing we can do, we are only feeling blue!" B said. "We have to watch out, of that there's no doubt. If ya see red clouds, don't make 'em your shrouds! You dumbass phonies!"
"So are you saying we need to run away if we see anyone wearing cloaks with red clouds on them?" Utakata confirmed.
"Yeah!" B said. "Nothing to be done, we can't really outrun!"
From the floor, Yagura groaned before he used his right arm to force himself up into a sitting position. He looked around the Room and met each of them in the eye one by one.
"Well, I'm going to see if I can get any information about this organization after I heal some more," he said. "If you find any intel, please tell me, too. I would really appreciate it. I'll warn you if I find anything, too. I don't know if I was targeted for being a jinchuuriki or for being the Mizukage or for another reason. In any case, mercenary companies are unpredictable in the best of circumstances already."
The three older jinchuuriki nodded at his request. Utakata looked away, unable to meet Yagura's eyes. He felt guilty for celebrating his death earlier in the day. The man had sacrificed his reputation and his arm for the good of Kirigakure. Utakata wondered if, in other circumstances, he might have been a great Mizukage after all.
"Oh, and Utakata," Yagura said.
Utakata flinched. He turned to look at the man in the face. He expected to be reprimanded but the man simply smiled for the first time since he arrived. "Thanks for the idea. I hope Mei will be a better Mizukage than I ever was."
Utakata looked away, embarrassed. He had expected a scolding and he was getting thanked instead. He felt like the entire world had been turned upside down yet again. He heard Yagura sigh in exhaustion.
"Anyway," Yagura said. "I should go now. It will take at least a few weeks for me to heal. I will see you all soon. Bye."
With that last comment, Yagura vanished from the Room, leaving the other jinchuuriki to fret about the story. The two children on Han's lap hugged each other, fear written all over their faces. The red-headed man was pulling on his beard in worry as he chatted with Han next to him. Only Killer B looked calm as he furiously wrote new rhymes in the notebook he carried everywhere.
Utakata stood up and all sets of eyes turned towards him. He rubbed his arm self-consciously.
"Well, good night." He tried to avoid everyone's eyes by focusing on the wall.
"Good night," Han replied. "Will you be joining us more often, now? We will pass any intel we find through your Door if you're not comfortable with joining the Room."
Utakata shook his head. "No, that's all right. I will come here more. I... I think a lot of things have been made clear to me. I don't hate Yagura anymore."
"Well, that's a relief," the red-headed man answered. "We weren't looking forward to another fight here with Yagura. He's too strong for us, even working together. Plus, he's so small that even hitting him is difficult. Not worth it. Better to make peace."
Han and B nodded furiously in agreement at Roshi's words. Utakata raised an eyebrow as he wondered when they had ever fought one another. I'll have to get that full story from them someday.
Utakata gave them all a small hesitant wave. The children returned his greeting with wide grins and energetic waves. Utakata gave them a small smile before he fell into subconscious sleep.
O-O-O-O-O
"Fuu-sama," a deep and gravelly voice called from behind her, "Hisen-sama would like to see you now."
Fuu paused her kata. It was rare for anyone to interrupt her training. She turned around and saw Senji, the previous village head and the advisor to their newest leader, Hisen.
Suien huffed in annoyance from the other side of the training grounds. He hated whenever his tutoring was interrupted. Fuu's heart soared. Out of all her instructors, he was the cruelest and she was glad that their training would be cut short.
Careful as always, she slipped her kunai back into her pouch and ran to stand in front of Senji. The old man had always been respectful towards her, despite her status as jinchuuriki.
"What is it, Senji-sama?" she asked. "Does Hisen-sama need anything from me?"
"Not exactly, Fuu-sama," he answered. "We need to talk about your future. Come with me."
Senji gave Suien a small nod in recognition before leading Fuu away. She followed obediently at his heels. Neither of them talked for the entire walk to Hisen's office.
Before they opened the door to meet with Hisen, Senji glanced at her messy hair and wrinkled skirt. Under his critical gaze, Fuu tried to fix her clothes and tame her hair with only limited success. She had been training for most of the morning by now and she assumed she looked like a mess.
Senji nodded in approval before he stepped forward and opened the door to Hisen's office. Fuu followed close behind.
Hisen sat behind his desk, talking softly with a short man that looked familiar, although she couldn't name him. He had dark skin, black hair, and light green eyes and was looking at her with barely contained disdain.
Fuu forced herself not to flinch under the man's glare. Roshi and Han had told her to never show emotions in front of potential enemies. She breathed out and forced her face to become a mask of indifference.
"Good afternoon, Fuu-san," Hisen said. "Please sit."
Senji moved to stand behind Hisen and next to the man. Fuu pulled out the chair and sat down at the desk.
"Good afternoon, Hisen-sama," she said. She clutched the hem of her skirt before making herself breathe out and let go. I can't let them see weakness.
"Fuu-san," Hisen said, "we called you here to talk about your progress in your studies. Suien-sama has let us know that your throwing accuracy is exemplary. You have also demonstrated above adequate chakra control for your age."
Fuu nodded and gave Hisen a small smile. Thanks to Yugito's help, she hit her target nine times out of ten and she could use chakra to stick up to five leaves to her face at once. Suien had even suggested that she was ready to learn how to create a henge soon. However, he had sounded exasperated about her progress instead of proud.
Hisen leaned back in his chair and glanced at the two men beside him. A silent conversation seemed to take place and Fuu began to fret. She hoped they wouldn't assign her even more time with Suien. He was the strongest jounin in their village, but he was also cruel and vindictive and loved to watch her fail. If she didn't have the other jinchuuriki to guide her, Fuu knew that her shinobi abilities would be a lot worse.
"We think that your skills are more than adequate, Fuu-san," Hisen said at last as he glanced down to meet her eyes. "However, we are worried that you are not as well-rounded in a variety of skills as we would like. There are many things that you need to learn. As a kunoichi, you need to have skills beyond taijutsu and ninjutsu."
Fuu was confused. Variety of skills? What do they want me to learn?
"Do you even know how to read, kid?" the dark-haired man asked from behind Hisen.
Fuu flinched and shook her head. She knew hiragana and katakana, but she didn't know many kanji. She constantly had to ask her teachers to read things out loud for her. Even when she did recognize all the characters, her reading speed was slow.
"What do you know of mathematics, Fuu-sama?" Senji asked, voice kinder than the other man.
"Not much," she admitted in a small voice and looked down at her knees. Suien had shown her how to do addition and subtraction. But when she hadn't immediately understood, he had given up and made her do more taijutsu katas.
"Do you know which villages Takigakure is allied with?" Senji asked next, voice neutral.
When Fuu shook her head again, the man and Hisen sighed in exasperation. Despite their previous praise, she only felt stupid and inadequate.
"This girl knows nothing, Hisen-sama," the man said. "She only knows how to throw kunai and shuriken. She won't be a useful weapon to Takigakure like this."
"I agree," Hisen answered with a huff. "Especially for a kunoichi. She needs skills that Suien-sama can't teach her."
Fuu shifted in her seat as silence fell across the room. She stared down at her lap. She didn't want to look up at the men.
"Fuu-sama." Fuu flinched as Senji spoke. "We have been thinking that perhaps you should enroll in the Academy."
Fuu tore her eyes away from her knees to look up at the three men in front of her. Senji looked calm as usual while Hisen was giving her a contemplative stare. Meanwhile, the third man was looking at her like she was something he had found at the bottom of his shoe. Compared to Suien's mockery, however, his glare was nothing.
"Academy?" she asked.
"Yes, we believe that your education will be best complemented if you enroll in the Academy." Hisen nodded before speaking again. "The new term will start in April and you will join other students that are your age. Classes are Monday to Saturday but you will continue your private tutoring with Suien-sama on Sunday. Suien-sama will be training my son during the week instead, now that he's a genin."
As Hisen explained, Fuu's smile got wider and wider. No more daily shinobi practice with Suien? Spending time with other children her age? It felt like a dream come true.
"Really? I get to go to school?" she asked excitedly. Senji nodded at her question and returned her smile. Hisen nodded in confirmation while the third man huffed impatiently.
"Fuu-san," Hisen continued, "you have four weeks before the start of the term. In that time, you must improve your reading, writing, and mathematics skills for your start at the Academy."
Fuu nodded enthusiastically, making Hisen smile at her excitement. She would do whatever was necessary to attend.
"Good," Hisen said as he leaned back and crossed his arms. "You are dismissed, Fuu-san. Take the rest of the day to practice your academic skills. I will send Suien-sama a message. Starting today, you will only spend half of the day on taijutsu and ninjutsu training."
"Of course, Hisen-sama," she said. Fuu stood up from the chair and moved to leave the room. She forced herself not to skip with excitement. Before she opened the door to leave, she remembered her manners and bowed down at the three men. Hisen and Senji returned her greeting with nods but the third man only glared at her.
Alone, Fuu made her way back to the training grounds. Even Suien's mockery and cruelty couldn't dampen her excitement. Soon, she wouldn't have to deal with him much, anyway.
O-O-O-O-O
Yagura stayed in the tiny deserted island for two months with only the voices in his head for company.
For the first few days, he could only twitch in pain, moving only when absolutely necessary. With nothing to do except rest, he ended up spending a lot more time in the Room than before.
After telling his side of the story, his relationships with the others had changed. While Yugito still glared at him in suspicion, she didn't run away whenever he appeared. Instead, she preferred to give him the cold shoulder, accompanied by furious glare. He kept his distance from her. She was younger and much less experienced, but she scared him in the same way that Mei did.
Han and Roshi had always been polite to him but they were much friendlier now. They had started talking to him as a friend. They told him that they were going to stay inside Iwagakure and report anything they found to Yagura. He felt touched by their consideration.
Meanwhile, Killer B had started rapping at him. Yagura was not sure if he could consider that a reward or a punishment. In any case, he was glad that their relationship was better.
Another change occurred with Utakata.
The first few times, the boy had looked at him in embarrassment. It was very obvious that he had judged Yagura wrong and was now trying to atone for his old way of thinking. Yagura didn't confront him- he was only a boy after all. Instead, he asked him questions about what he had been learning and doing during training. Utakata answered his questions nervously at first. But after weeks of conversation, Utakata began to ask for Yagura's help with ninjutsu.
However, the best change occurred with the three youngest jinchuuriki. While he had seen them many times under Roshi or Han's watchful eyes, they had always been afraid to get close to Yagura himself. Now that they knew the story, they were constantly running up to him, pulling at his arms and demanding his attention. Fuu liked to ask for advice about jutsu while Naruto asked him to play games or tell stories.
A few days later, he met the other boy with the damaged seal who could only visit for ten minutes at a time. Gaara was shy at first, hiding behind Fuu when he first introduced himself in person instead of through the Door. Even after getting to know him, the boy was quiet and reserved. He reminded him painfully of Kasumi. His daughter had been quiet too, preferring to stand by her older brother's side in silence.
The three children always asked Yagura for stories. Within days, he had gotten used to having them hang on to his every word while he recounted old missions. Sometimes, the other jinchuuriki smirked whenever he had to censor his retellings for their young and sensitive ears. He usually gave them the middle finger whenever the children were out of sight. The act only served to make the other jinchuuriki more amused.
On the small island, his physical body recovered. After a few weeks, Yagura soon found himself able to move almost as well as he could before he faked his death. His left hand and arm, however, would always be scarred and he struggled to move with dexterity.
Because of his injuries, ninjutsu was not easy anymore either. He didn't need hand signs for every technique. Jutsu could also be cast with variations on the standard formations. However, the basic signs were there for a reason and the burns on his left hand made the task difficult. He struggled to make many of the signs that he used to take for granted.
With his staff at the bottom of a lake, he also needed to reinvent his fighting style. He couldn't cast the Water Mirror Jutsu and many of his taijutsu techniques would also need to be altered. He consoled himself by imagining his new weapon once he entered the mainland.
After months of self-imposed physical therapy, Yagura felt ready to leave. He looked across the ocean in a vain attempt to see the shores of the Land of Tea. However, the mainland was too far away and the night's darkness only made searching for it more difficult. Nevertheless, he knew it was the right way.
He clenched his left hand open and closed in a vain attempt to test its flexibility. He winced when the simple movement sent a jolt of pain up his arm. With a grimace, he sent chakra to his feet and stepped on the ocean.
Unlike when he left Kirigakure, his body was full of chakra and the journey was not as perilous. Almost effortlessly, he crossed the ocean by running and leaping over each wave.
He reached the mainland within an hour. He saw a few lights that belonged to fishing villages in the distance but he sensed no one at the coast.
His heart began to beat in excitement. It had been very boring to spend so long on a deserted island healing and suffering. Besides, now that he was in the Land of Tea, he could start looking for information on the mercenary group.
But first, I want to see Anzu.
Based on the scroll he found inside his desk back in Kirigakure, Yagura could track down his family. He knew that his wife was hiding with Asahi and Kasumi somewhere on the mainland. He only needed to pick up her trail and he would find her.
Knowing her, she is probably hiding at a brothel. She didn't specialize in seduction and assassination missions for nothing.
Looking around the deserted beach, he knew that he needed to rejoin civilization soon. However, his face was too recognizable to go into hiding. With a small sigh of pain, he made the Ram sign and transformed himself.
His body turned itself into a gray-haired version of Roshi. He looked toward the tiny fishing village and began to approach it. He knew Anzu's trail began there and he wanted to find her as quickly as possible.
Determined, he set off to rejoin civilization.
O-O-O-O-O
A/N: Thank you so much for reading and have a good morning, afternoon, or evening, wherever you are in the world. I fixed a weird plot hole when editing version 1.1.0 of this chapter. It was about Yagura knowing who Gaara was.
If you would like to talk, my Tumblr is waffledogwrites.
Next chapter: Yagura visits the red light district.