In which drinks are exchanged.
O-O-O-O-O
As soon as he woke up, Naruto buried his head under his pillow, mortification running up and down his body.
Why had he allowed himself to break down after meeting Utakata? And in front of Sasuke of all people?
It's not like that was the last time I'd see Utakata in my life.
With their connection through the Room, they could meet as many times as they wanted for the rest of their lives. And while the other jinchuuriki was in Konoha, there would be more chances for them to reunite. Despite all of that, Naruto had still broken down like a baby.
The fact that he woke up in Sasuke's bed only added to his embarrassment.
They had stopped sharing a bed months ago after Naruto had accidentally punched Sasuke as they slept. Now they set up a futon whenever one of them stayed the night over. Yet, Sasuke had said nothing when Naruto had crawled into bed with him.
Red faced, Naruto buried his face deeper into Sasuke's mattress. The new tears building in the corners of his eyes only added to his mortification. I really am a baby.
Suppressing a sniffle in case Sasuke was nearby, Naruto tried to get his bearings. At his side, he felt nothing and nobody. He guessed Sasuke had already woken up and left.
Holding his breath, he looked up from the mattress at the empty space next to him for confirmation. He sighed in relief. So Sasuke's already awake then.
Outside, he heard the voices of people in the street accompanied by the sounds of birds chirping. Inside Sasuke's apartment, however, he was met with silence. Is Sasuke even here?
Glad to be alone, he sat up and looked around the room. Based on the amount of sunshine visible on the balcony, it was later than they usually woke up on Saturdays.
Naruto got up and tiptoed toward the door as quietly as he could. He pressed an ear against its surface, straining his hearing. He thought he heard what sounded like boiling water and chopping vegetables coming from the kitchen.
Naruto placed a hand on the doorknob before doubt entered his mind. He gulped and turned back to look at the balcony. For a moment, he considered jumping out and running back home. That way he wouldn't have to talk to Sasuke right after crying and waking up in his bed.
Except...
Naruto hesitated. Sasuke would chase him down sooner or later. They couldn't avoid each other forever. What kind of explanation could he give for jumping out of Sasuke's apartment without saying goodbye?
As much as Naruto hated to admit it, the best thing to do would be to go out and pretend nothing was weird. With that thought in mind, he turned the knob on the door and stepped outside.
Naruto was met by the sounds of movement originating from the kitchen. He took a deep breath in and out to calm his nerves before walking toward it.
"About time you woke up, loser," Sasuke grumbled. "I've been preparing everything myself cause you're too lazy to wake up."
Naruto felt his face heat up again. Sasuke stood behind the kitchen counter, holding a knife in one hand and a bunch of green onions in the other. Unlike Naruto, he was already dressed and wide awake. In front of him was a small pile of chopped seaweed and tofu.
"M-morning, jerk." Naruto forced a smile on his face. "What are you making?"
Sasuke huffed. "I want to make miso soup, but you're better at it than I am. I already made some tamagoyaki and the rice is in the cooker."
"M-Miso soup?"
Sasuke groaned and rolled his eyes. "Are you still sleeping or what, loser? I already prepared the ingredients so you just have to add them in." He walked toward the fridge. "Make the soup and I'll set up the table."
"Oh, uh... okay."
Glad that Sasuke wasn't talking about his breakdown, Naruto walked toward the stove where a pot of water was close to boiling. He sprinkled some dashi stock granules before adding the tofu and vegetables. Finally, he mixed in the miso paste.
As Naruto made the soup, Sasuke worked behind him. He placed two bowls of rice on the table, accompanied by smaller plates of side dishes. Naruto saw natto alongside pickled radish and grilled fish.
"Done yet, idiot?" Sasuke asked as he placed two pairs of chopsticks on the table. "I'm starving."
"Just about, jerk!" Naruto tasted the soup for seasoning. Satisfied, he turned off the heat and ladled the liquid into clean bowls. Careful not to spill a drop, he walked toward the dining table where Sasuke was already waiting.
"Took you long enough, loser," Sasuke grumbled as he accepted the bowl. "I was about to kick you awake."
Naruto took a bite of rice before gulping it down with a sip of soup. "Whatever. It's the weekend anyway."
"Doesn't mean you should stay in bed all day," Sasuke scolded, sounding eerily like Roshi. "Look at you! You're still wearing your pajamas."
Naruto stuck his tongue out in annoyance. "At least I'm not a jerk!"
Sasuke huffed but said nothing else and they ate in silence. It wasn't until they were done eating that Sasuke spoke up again.
"Hey, Naruto?"
"What is it, Sasuke?" Naruto felt the pit of his stomach drop. Was Sasuke going to start making fun of him now? Took him long enough.
Sasuke placed his chopsticks down on the table and looked away. "I'm glad you're feeling better now." He cleared his throat. "I was... worried about you yesterday." Sasuke's face was tinted in pink and he refused to meet Naruto's eyes.
"Y-you were?"
Sasuke grunted, still avoiding Naruto's eyes. "I was. Do you want some milk tea? I can make some while you clean up."
"Milk tea?"
Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. Just like Mom used to make." He glanced at the memorial in the corner of the room. "I know you liked it a lot."
Naruto gaped at his friend for a moment before smiling to himself. "Thanks, Sasuke." He stood up and began to collect the plates to take to the sink. "You're a good friend."
Sasuke's face grew more flushed and he turned his head to stare out the window. As thanks, Naruto began to wash the dishes, without complaint for once.
As he cleaned up, he thought about when he could meet with Utakata again. They would have almost a month to bump into each other again and he wanted to take advantage of their time together.
Besides, something about Utakata's students had caught his attention. The dark-haired girl especially seemed like an interesting person. She reminded Naruto of someone, although he couldn't put his finger on whom.
O-O-O-O-O
With the second stage behind them Utakata was able to relax for the first time since leaving Kirigakure.
He went to sleep early and woke up as late as possible every day. He tried some of the local Konoha delicacies, which included more sweets and pork than he was used to. He visited the hot springs and public baths with Kimimaro and spent hours soaking in the tubs.
To his eternal joy, he was able to bump into Naruto and his friend Sasuke a few more times as well. They couldn't do or say much in fear of being too conspicuous, but he still treasured their limited time together.
His students seemed to find the two boys good company to have around as well. Haku was as polite and well-manned as always, smiling often when he saw Naruto and Sasuke. Kimimaro, while much less sociable, seemed intrigued by the two boys. A few times, he asked Utakata for clarification about things they said or did. Utakata answered all his questions as best as he could, trying to make up for nearly a decade of isolation and abuse.
Meanwhile Kasumi took to Naruto like a fish took to water and after their meeting at Ichiraku, the two children became fast friends. They spent hours chatting about nothing and walking around the village. Utakata guessed their cheery dispositions only added fuel to their friendship.
Still, to Utakata's surprise, the blond boy hadn't realized the relationship between Kasumi and Yagura. Utakata was glad. He wasn't sure how Naruto would react if he learned Kasumi was Yagura's daughter.
With time to relax and talk to Naruto in person, Utakata's time in Konoha was as close to a vacation as he could get.
If only I didn't have three hours of training to do each day...
In the mornings, Kasumi would wake him up at the ungodly hour of ten in the morning. Yawning, they would head to the training area reserved for foreign shinobi. Trying not to nod off, Utakata would watch her pirouette over the training grounds, grunting with exertion as she invented new ways to utilize her wakizashi.
Utakata wanted to say his presence was unneeded, but... after almost two weeks, he sensed something wrong. Kasumi had become hesitant and cautious and she still refused to remove the bandage over her eye. Whenever asked, she insisted that her eye was still injured despite Haku's claims to the contrary.
If she continues like this, she'll be eliminated in the first round.
Frowning, Utakata watched Kasumi leap through the air, wakizashi in her hands as she attacked a circle of his water clones. Her sword sliced through the air, on a perfect trajectory toward what would have been Utakata's neck. Yet, inches away from the clone's jugular, her stance shifted and she missed.
Unbalanced, Kasumi stumbled and lost her grip on the sword as she went tumbling to the ground. She landed on her hands and knees, her weapon a small distance away. Utakata waited for her to get up and try again, but she lay on the ground instead.
"Kasumi?"
Despite calling her name, she did not move and she did not answer. Instead, she knelt, staring at the ground under her.
"Kasumi?" Utakata released all his water clones before walking toward Kasumi's side.
She still did not react.
"Kasumi?" He squatted down next to her, peeking up to see her face. "What was that? Is something wrong?"
The last question seemed to snap the girl out of whatever trance she had been under. She shook her head and sat up.
"I-I'm fine, sensei," she lied. "I just got a bit distracted."
Utakata frowned. "Don't lie to me, Kasumi," he began. "I've talked to you three about this before. You don't keep secrets from your teammates, remember?"
"I... I remember." Kasumi looked down at her lap, her one visible eye already filling with tears.
Utakata sighed before extending his hand to her. "Let's take a breather. I'll buy you a drink."
Kasumi took the offered hand and stood up. She wiped her forearm in front of her eye before going to sit at a nearby bench. She sniffled as more tears trailed down her face, leaving tracks upon her cheek.
"Thanks, sensei."
"You're welcome." Utakata walked past the bench, leaving Kasumi alone to collect herself.
A few minutes later, he returned with two hot cups of tea. To his relief, Kasumi, sitting in the same spot, had stopped crying. Instead she stared at her hands on top of her lap.
"Here you go." Utakata sat down next to her on the bench and handed over the drink.
Kasumi took the gift with a muttered thanks. Still keeping her face down, she blew on the drink before taking a sip.
Utakata took a sip from his own cup. Neither of them said anything as they drank.
"Kasumi?" Utakata began after a few minutes of silence.
"Sensei?"
"What's been on your mind? Is something wrong?"
Kasumi gulped, her forehead creasing into a frown. She placed her cup next to her on the bench before letting a deep breath out.
"Sensei?" Kasumi repeated. She refused to meet Utakata's eyes as she spoke.
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Already did but, sure. Go ahead." Utakata took another sip of tea.
Kasumi glanced up at him before turning her gaze to the ground and swallowing. "Do you remember the first time you killed someone?"
Utakata blinked down at her, unsure how to react at first. He placed his cup on the bench and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Of course I do," he began. "It's not something you forget so easily."
Kasumi fidgeted in the seat next to him. "C-can you tell me about it, sensei?"
Utakata considered the girl sitting next to him. She had started fidgeting with her hands in a nervous gesture, still refusing to look up.
"Where do you want me to start?" Utakata leaned back on the bench with a sigh.
Kasumi shrugged. "Wherever you want, sensei."
"Fine," he sighed. "Although, to be honest, it's not a very interesting story."
"If you say, sensei."
Utakata sighed again. "Well, I was a bit late in Kirigakure terms when it comes to taking my first human life," he began. "Do you remember the graduation exams from the past?"
Kasumi glanced up at him. "So you had to kill someone to graduate, sensei?"
Utakata shook his head. "No. I was still a very young child when they were discontinued. Plus, I would have been exempt anyway because of my... status."
The girl swallowed. "I... see. So why'd you mention them, sensei?"
"Because I wanted to point out that most Kirigakure shinobi killed before their teens. I'm a bit of a late bloomer in comparison."
"Late bloomer?"
Utakata nodded. "Because of my... condition, I wasn't sent on any dangerous missions until I became a chuunin. By then, there were no longer any active wars and fights to the death were much rarer."
"So then, when did you...?" Kasumi trailed off.
"I had my first kill at the age of fourteen during a routine escort mission." Utakata placed the palms of his hands over his knees and leaned forward. "The man I was escorting got attacked by bandits and I had to defend him. I didn't have time to think so I acted. Either I died or the enemy died. In the end, I valued my own life more than a stranger's."
"Y-you did it to defend yourself?"
Utakata nodded. "And to complete my mission. I could have also run away and let the bandits rob my client. But, to be honest, that thought didn't even cross my mind at the time. All I could think about was making sure I survived."
"Self-preservation, huh?" Kasumi frowned down at her knees. "I guess that's one reason to kill."
Utakata sighed before patting the top of Kasumi's head. "Do you want to talk about what happened in the Forest of Death?" he asked. "I think I'd understand."
Kasumi took a deep breath in and out to gather her thoughts before speaking. "I guess it was similar to your situation, sensei," she began. "Some shinobi from Kusa came out and tried to attack us. We told them to back off, but when they didn't, we had to defend ourselves."
Her hands grasped onto the fabric of her dress, forming tight fists. "I was just surprised how easy it was to kill someone," she said. "He managed to scratch part of my face but I cut through his neck and then..." she gulped before letting out a choked sob, "and then he fell down."
She wiped away a new tear that was beginning to form in the corner of her eye. "And then he didn't get up. And after that guy died, his teammates ran away. I guess they realized we weren't going to be so easy to beat. It was so easy, sensei. Too easy."
Utakata patted the top of her head again. "I understand what you mean," he confessed. "There's always more blood than you thought possible, too."
"I couldn't get over the smell," she continued, voice cracking with fresh sobs. "And I couldn't wash away the blood while we were in the forest. I hated it. I threw away that dress the first chance I got."
Utakata hummed. "I understand."
Kasumi sniffled again, rubbing at her eye with her knuckles. "I guess I just have to get over it, right?"
"Not something you can really get over." Utakata squeezed her shoulder. "It's something we have to get used to in our line of work, though. Nasty as it is."
"I... I guess." She rubbed at her eye again, which brought Utakata's attention back to the bandage covering half her face.
"Is that why you haven't taken this off? As penance for what you had to do?" he asked while pointing at her bandaged eye. "Haku says your eye is fully healed now."
Kasumi shook her head and bit her lip. "It's... it's not that, sensei. Well, it's not just that."
"What is it, then?"
Kasumi swallowed, clenching her hands into fists again. "I'm afraid of what I'll see in the mirror."
"Afraid? Are you worried you'll have a scar? I never took you for being vain."
She shook her head. "Everyone already tells me I look like my father." Her eye began to mist over again. "What are they gonna say if I have a scar under my eye just like he did? That I'll be just like him? That I'll bring an end to the peace Terumi-sama spent so long building? I don't know if I could deal with that."
Utakata snorted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "If people say that to you, then fuck 'em."
"W-what?" Kasumi stared up at him, eyes wide in amazement.
Utakata shrugged. "Fuck 'em," he repeated. "If people start saying you're like your father just because of a similar scar, then fuck those people. You're you and your father's history isn't going to change that."
"Oh." With a happy, yet embarrassed smile, she looked down at her lap, fidgeting in her seat. "I guess having a similar scar doesn't really matter, does it, sensei?"
"It doesn't."
Utakata picked up his cup of tea and began to drink again. Kasumi followed his lead, taking small sips from her cup. They sat in comfortable silence as they finished their drinks.
"I don't want to kill someone again, sensei," Kasumi said once their cups were empty. "And..." she gulped before looking up and meeting Utakata's eyes with a determined glare. "And when I'm Mizukage, I'll make sure people won't have to do it, either."
"Y-you want to be Mizukage?" Utakata raised a single eyebrow. After knowing Kasumi for so long, he had never gotten the impression she wanted to become a Mizukage. If anything, he thought she would have rejected the opportunity in fear of being compared to her father even more.
Kasumi's face grew pink but she didn't say anything about his questioning tone. "It's the only way to make sure people don't think I'll just follow my father's footsteps," she explained. "I won't be like my father."
Utakata smiled at her in a way he hoped looked encouraging. "And I'll cheer you on the whole way," he promised.
Kasumi grinned at him, although her eye remained worryingly wet. "Thank you, sensei." She kicked her legs up in the air. "Just stand back and watch."
Utakata chuckled. "I will."
Kasumi laughed before her expression turned serious once again. She glanced up to Utakata's eyes, a frown on her face. "Sensei, I've been thinking a lot about how to fight against Haku and Kimimaro."
Utakata raised one eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What have you been thinking?"
Her expression became speculative and she leaned closer to him. "Sensei, what do you know about genjutsu?"
O-O-O-O-O
"I think that's enough for now," Utakata ordered. "Let's take a tea break."
On the other side of the training grounds, Kimimaro landed and recalled the bones back into his body. Panting, he wiped the sweat away from his forehead using his naked arm.
"Thank you, sensei." Kimimaro pulled his yukata back on as he walked with Utakata toward the nearby bench.
"We can go to the hot springs after my training session with Haku," Utakata suggested as they sat down side by side. "I know Haku doesn't say anything when we leave him in the hotel, but maybe he can use a henge this time? I feel bad when he stays behind."
He handed over a thermos to Kimimaro, who immediately took a sip of tea. "The hot springs here are so nice. Maybe even nicer than the one we went to last winter with Harusame-sensei. Even the public baths are really—"
"Hey, sensei?" The boy interrupted before Utakata could gush about Konoha's hot spring and public bath infrastructure.
"Hm? What is it?" Utakata took a small sip of tea from his own thermos.
"I have a question." Kimimaro glanced up to meet Utakata in the eye, a serious expression on his face.
Utakata sighed. "And I might have an answer. What do you want to know?"
"Why does Naruto call you 'nii-san'?"
Utakata blinked at the boy sitting at his side. Unlike Kasumi and Haku, Kimimaro had seemed uninterested in interacting with the blond boy. He sometimes tagged along whenever his teammates decided to meet with Naruto and Sasuke, but otherwise refrained from social activities. Utakata didn't blame him. Naruto and Kasumi together got along too well at times.
Is that really all he wants to know?
"I guess just because I'm older." He shrugged. "Doesn't Naruto call you and Haku 'nii-san,' too?"
"And he calls Kasumi 'nee-san,'" the boy added.
Utakata nodded. "So where're you going with this?"
"But he's not actually your brother."
Utakata shook his head. "He's not. But what else is he supposed to call me?"
"I call you 'sensei,' sensei."
Utakata raised one eyebrow. "Well, I'm not Naruto-kun's teacher so why would he call me that?"
Kimimaro's eyebrows contracted into a frown, perplexed. He opened his mouth as if to speak before closing it, seeming to mull something over. After a few more seconds of consideration, he met Utakata's eyes again.
"You call Harusame-sensei 'sensei,' too."
Utakata nodded. "He always took care of me. He's my teacher."
"He's not your teacher anymore." Kimimaro's voice was full of confusion. "Why do you still call him that, sensei?"
"I guess he's not." Utakata shrugged. "But what am I supposed to call him instead?"
"'Nii-san'?" Kimimaro suggested with a small frown.
"Harusame is much older than I am," Utakata explained. "He's not really an older brother in this case."
"'Uncle'?"
Utakata grimaced before shaking his head. It sounded wrong somehow.
Kimimaro hesitated, his hands clasped together before giving his next suggestion. "'Father'?"
Utakata felt blood rush to his face. "'F-father'? Wh-why would I call him 'Father'?"
Kimimaro looked at him, a contemplative look on his face. "Well, he took care of you when you were young, right, sensei? So he's like a father."
"Well, yeah, but..." Utakata cleared his throat, embarrassed. He tried to imagine Harusame's face if he ever got the courage to call him 'Father' but his mind went blank. "He's not... actually my father."
"But you told me before that family is not blood," Kimimaro raised his voice, hands clenched around his thermos. "I remember you told me that family is your precious people. The ones you care for above anyone else."
"Precious people?" Utakata swallowed. He had vague memories of talking about family and bonds with the boy during their first training session. Does Kimimaro remember my words after all this time?
Kimimaro nodded. "You said that a lot of times family will find you when you least expect or want them," he continued. "And that sometimes they just shove themselves into your life and give you headaches." Kimimaro's voice grew louder as he recited Utakata's words from long ago.
"Y-you remember all that?" Utakata asked in amazement.
Kimimaro nodded again, meeting Utakata's eyes without flinching. "I do, sensei."
With that said, he turned to stare out at the training area, seeming to mull over a few things again. The training field grew quiet as they gathered their thoughts. Unsure how to break the new tension between them, Utakata took more sips of his tea.
Finally, after a few seconds, Kimimaro turned back to Utakata with a solemn expression on his face. "What am I going to call you when you're not my teacher anymore, sensei?" The boy's eyes were full of honest curiosity.
Utakata swallowed, unsure how to answer. "I-I'm not sure," he admitted. "You can just use my name if you want. I still call Harusame-sensei that even though he no longer teaches me anything."
Kimimaro nodded, seeming to find Utakata's words comforting. "I see, sensei." His lips quirked up in a warm smile.
Utakata returned the gesture with an unsure smile. "We will have to see what happens during the finals."
Kimimaro's face turned solemn once more as the topic of the chuunin exam re-emerged. "I will become a chuunin, sensei," he vowed. "And then I will no longer be your student."
"Oh." Utakata blinked. "I see." He shifted, unsure what to make of Kimimaro's strange mood and shifting questions. I thought he wanted to be my student? Does he want to stop calling me 'sensei' now?
"In that case, we should keep practicing. You never know what the fight will bring later." Putting the thermos down on the bench, Utakata walked back toward the center of the training area.
Kimimaro followed after him. He joined Utakata in the middle, the same solemn expression on his face. "Yes, sensei. I'll win the tournament. I promise."
"Win?" Utakata crossed his arms in front of his chest. "For that you'll have to keep training. I'm not sure if you've risen above Kasumi and Haku quite yet."
"Yes, sensei." Eyes closed, Kimimaro took a deep breath in and out before leaping away. A second later, a set of bones emerged from his skin, forming a protective shield around his body. With new determination, he leapt forward with a lunge, a sword made of bone materializing out of the palm of his hand.
Utakata dodged the attack, although Kimimaro managed to cut away a small lock of hair. Grinning, Utakata somersaulted away, amazed by Kimimaro's new energy.
Kasumi and Haku better watch out. Kimimaro might win the tournament after all.
O-O-O-O-O
"Well, I was thinking about how to use my ice mirrors, sensei," Haku explained as he created a mirror for demonstration purposes a short distance away. "I think at this point, I just need to improve my speed. The last time I sparred with Kimimaro, he could predict where my strikes would come, even if he couldn't see them with his own eyes. As for Kasumi—"
Haku's words washed over Utakata as he watched the boy sitting on the bench at his side holding a thermos full of tea. After his conversations with Kasumi and Kimimaro, he wasn't sure what to expect.
What weird question is he going to ask me? Is he having some sort of existential crisis I don't know about?
"I think I need to practice how to shift between mirrors faster, sensei," Haku continued, unaware of Utakata's thought process. "And I've been practicing hitting tenketsu points safely, so—"
"So what do you want to ask me, Haku?" Utakata interrupted.
"I think— huh?" With one gesture, the ice mirror disappeared and Haku turned toward Utakata, a confused frown on his face. "Ask you, sensei?"
Utakata nodded. "Well, we're taking a break from sparring to talk. I don't suppose you have any questions for me?"
Haku frowned before answering. "Well, I guess I would like to know if you have any suggestions for how to improve my speed when using my mirrors?"
"Keep practicing." Utakata shrugged. "Anything else? Anything that has been on your mind or been worrying you?" he prodded. After his conversations with Kasumi and Kimimaro, he was ready for anything.
Haku got a contemplative look on his face as he stared up at the sky. He hummed while he considered Utakata's words, taking sips from his thermos full of tea.
"I guess I'm a bit worried about what Zabuza-sama will think," the boy confessed. "I don't want to disappoint him."
"Oh? Is that all? I'm sure Zabuza-san will be more than happy with your performance. Is there anything else? Anything... personal?"
Haku paused to consider Utakata's answer before humming to himself. "I guess that I'm a bit annoyed that I can't join you, Kasumi, and Kimimaro in the hot springs and public baths," he continued. "But considering my... situation, I don't want to get anyone in trouble." At the last confession, he grasped onto the hem of his yukata into tight fists, looking off into the distance.
"Has that been bothering you, Haku?"
Haku bit his lip before nodding. "Just a little, sensei," he admitted. "And I've always wanted to go to a public bath and..." he swallowed. "I'm still not very good at the transformation jutsu. I wouldn't want it to disappear when we're in there together."
Utakata sighed and stood up from the bench, walking toward the center of the training grounds. "Well, in that case, why don't we practice?" he suggested. "It takes a fair amount of chakra to keep it going for long, though. But with your control, I'm sure you can handle it."
"Thank you very much, sensei." Haku's face grew pink and he gave Utakata a small bow. "But... shouldn't we be sparring? The finals are next week."
Utakata shrugged. "Your happiness is more important, Haku."
Haku's face grew pinker at the words and he was unable to meet Utakata's eyes. "I won't let you down, sensei."
O-O-O-O-O
"One more time!" Yagura insisted, kneeling in front of a low table. "Odds!"
"Are you sure you want to keep trying, sir?" the dealer asked, his face full of despair.
"Odds!" Yagura shouted.
Han almost laughed at the casino dealer's reaction. While at first, the man had tried to swindle as much money out of Yagura as possible, after the tenth loss, he had begun to take pity on the ex-Mizukage. Now, he begged Yagura to stop.
Yagura really can make the impossible happen. He even got a casino to worry about him.
Han considered forcing Yagura to leave the game. He knew Roshi would have stopped him after the third round. But watching the man lose over ten straight rounds of cho-han was more entertaining than it should have been. The fact that Yagura refused to back down only made it funnier.
"Are you really truly sure about this, sir?" the dealer put the dice inside the cup but did not shake them. "We can stop this now and you can keep the money that remains."
Yagura grimaced and placed a small collection of coins on the table. "I said odds."
The dealer sighed. Reluctantly, he placed the cup with the dice on top of the table surface and began to shake. "Odds or evens?" he asked in a resigned tone.
"Are you deaf?" Yagura pointed an accusatory finger at the other man. "I already said odds!"
"It's just a formality, sir." The man sighed again. "In that case, I call evens."
Yagura nodded. "Acceptable."
The dealer lifted the cup, revealing the dice results. Evens. That's the seventeenth straight round of Yagura guessing wrong. Is there a limit?
"Fuck." Yagura punched the table surface, making the dealer flinch when a crack ran down the middle. He gritted his teeth, growling at the other man. Furious and looking for a fight, he stood up.
And that's my cue.
Not wanting security to be called, Han grabbed onto Yagura, one hand large enough to cover the shorter man's entire shoulder.
"I think that's enough, Kaito," he began. "At this point, it's a fool's game. Let's leave."
Yagura glowered up at him, his teeth bared in annoyance. Still, he did not object. With one final glare at the dealer, he stood up and walked away, not bothering to wait for Han.
With a half-amused and half-exasperated sigh, Han followed after his friend, but not before bowing his head in apology at the exhausted man. A silent shadow, he was able to reach the younger man's side.
Yagura stomped out of the casino and turned down a small alleyway. He collapsed on the ground with a defeated sigh, his back resting against the wall. Grimacing, he stared up at the night sky above him.
"Not sure if sitting on the grimy ground in a back alley is the best place to have an existential crisis," Han began. "Who knows how many drunks have pissed and puked here?"
Yagura ignored him. With a groan, he turned his head down to glare at the ground, head resting over his knees.
"I know we tell the children to never give up, but there's a limit to it," Han continued. "Why do you insist on trying, anyway? It's just a game."
Yagura, for once, was quiet. Frustrated, he kept his gaze buried in his knees. For the first time, Han felt concern building in his stomach.
Han took a step closer until he was hovering over his friend's shoulder. "Kaito? Are you okay?"
Yagura said nothing. He kept his head on top of his knees.
Han glanced around, trying to search for any other people or observers nearby. When he sensed nothing and no one, he spoke again.
"Yagura?"
The use of his real name made the shorter man flinch. He turned his head to glance up at Han before returning to his defeated position. Still, he said nothing.
"What's wrong?" Han asked again. He used his leg to prod at the other man on the ground.
"It's..." Yagura swallowed. "I'm worried about Kasumi."
"Kasumi? Your daughter?" Han squatted down next to the man. Even side by side on the ground, he felt monstrously huge compared to the other man. "Isn't she advancing to the final stage of the chuunin exams next week?"
"Yeah." Yagura looked up and stared at the dark sky above them. "And Naruto has already befriended her, it seems. Though he doesn't seem to realize she's my daughter."
Han sighed in fond exasperation. While he had never seen Yagura's children, Utakata had told him they were the spitting image of the former Mizukage. For Naruto to not notice the similarities was a miracle onto itself. Then again, the boy could be as dense as a rock.
"So what's the problem, then? Shouldn't you be glad she's doing well?"
"No. I am glad." Yagura shrugged. "Utakata says she's more than ready. And I believe him. Yet..." the former Mizukage swallowed, still staring down at his lap. "Yet, I can't help but worry. Even the most well-prepared and talented shinobi have been caught off guard before. There's always someone better. I mean, just look at what happened to me."
"I— Han swallowed before placing a hand on Yagura's shoulder. "I can only imagine how it must feel. If Fuu or Gaara or Naruto had to participate in chuunin exams..."
Yagura glanced up from his arms before moving his head up and placing it on the wall. He focused his gaze up at the dark sky above him.
"I keep telling myself that it will all work out well," he continued his explanation. "That Kasumi is talented. That Utakata will look out for her. That things are different from my generation." He swallowed down obvious tears, but Han said nothing about it. "But I still worry..."
"I... I see." With nothing good to say, he squeezed Yagura's shoulder. He noticed the other man's eyes becoming shinier with unshed tears but neither said anything about it.
"The worst part is that she doesn't even know how worried I am about her," Yagura continued, unprompted. "I can't wish her luck or give her advice. Not in person at least."
Han hummed to himself, knowing nothing he said could make the other man feel better. "She might know one day."
Yagura snorted. "I doubt it. I wish I could talk to Asahi, too. Utakata told me he fretted over Kasumi as they were leaving Kirigakure."
Han hummed. Silent, he glanced up, staring at the sky above him with Yagura. Unlike his friend, he refused to rest against the wall. He had lived more than long enough to know about the disgusting bodily fluids common in alleyways.
In silence, they watched the few stars visible in the sky and listened to the far-off sounds of drunk casino patrons throwing their lives away.
Han broke the silence first. "I know you must be feeling very stressed, Yagura," he began. "But you need to get a hold of yourself. Getting into fights inside casinos and wasting money is not the best way to deal with anxiety."
Han's scolding words snapped Yagura out of his brooding and he rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Papa," he muttered.
Han snorted. "Not 'Daddy'? Am I not special enough for you?"
"Roshi is 'Daddy.' You're 'Papa.'" Amused, Yagura smirked at him. "Or would you like to be Daddy, too?"
Han chuckled. "I dare you to call me 'Papa' in front of Roshi now."
Yagura laughed, his voice, to Han's relief, sounding strong and clear. "Don't even have to dare me."
Laughing, they turned their attention back to the dark sky above them, the mood no longer as dismal. Han dug into his armor and pulled out a small bottle of sake and took a sip before handing it over to his friend.
Grateful, Yagura muttered his thanks before taking his own sip and handing the flask back to Han. In silence, they passed the sake back and forth, taking their own tiny gulps of the drink.
'Han?' Kokuo's voice broke the introspective mood.
'What is it, Kokuo?' With Kokuo's attention on him, Han placed the flask of sake back into his armor. The bijuu rarely talked to him unless something important was afoot.
"Han?" Yagura turned to him with a curious frown. "What's—?"
'Yagura?' Yagura jumped at Kokuo's mention of his name.
After their mission with Yugito, they had begun using their bijuu for long-distance conversations more. However, it still surprised them to hear the voice of bijuu other than their own inside their heads.
'Y-yeah, this is Yagura. What is it?' Yagura stood up and glanced around the alleyway as if the bijuu would appear at any moment.
'Son sent me a message,' Kokuo continued once she was sure both of the jinchuuriki were listening. 'He said that Roshi is looking for you two.'
'Roshi? Where is he?' Han asked. 'What does he want?'
Kokuo gave them a noncommittal hum. 'He's still inside the casino, but I don't know what he wants from you. Son didn't say.'
Han nodded. 'I see. Well, in that case, we may as well go back.'
Kokuo gave one last hum before disappearing from his subconscious. Han presumed she wanted to sleep. Or perhaps to visit one of her siblings. She seemed to talk a lot with Chomei and Gyuki.
"I guess we should go back." Yagura stretched his arms over his head and headed down the alley back to the casino.
Han stood up as well and followed after him, cracking his shoulders as he trailed after Yagura. "He's probably wondering if you got kicked out again."
Yagura huffed. "That was one time."
"One time is more than enough."
Yagura huffed but didn't dispute his words. With Han at his side, they walked around the casino in search of their red-headed friend. They didn't have to wander for long until they bumped into Roshi standing next to a pillar.
"Han! Kaito!" Roshi yelled over the noise of the casino, waving a hand side to side. "I was afraid you two had been kicked out or something."
Han shook his head. "Just took a bit of a drinking break outside. Now, what's the issue?"
Roshi grinned at him, eyes shining in victory. "I found the Tsunade we're looking for."
"Wait, you found Tsunade?" Yagura asked. "How'd you manage that?"
Roshi grimaced and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Turns out that if you don't spend the entire time losing money in pointless games, you can get a lot done."
Yagura shrugged. "Don't worry, Papa gave me a scolding for being a naughty boy," Yagura answered with a smirk. "I'll be good now, Daddy. I promise."
Roshi's face became green and he glared at Han and Yagura in turn. Han only shrugged. You might as well stop trying to control him, Roshi. It'll only make it worse.
Roshi opened his mouth before closing it and shaking his head. "Nevermind. Anyway, there's this blonde woman over in the pachinko machines that keeps losing most rounds. She's the woman we're looking for."
"Is there a way to verify we're looking at Tsunade, Roshi?" Han asked. "There are probably many women with blonde hair and unlucky streaks."
"That's where you're wrong." Roshi smirked. "I'm certain that the woman I saw is the woman we're looking for."
Yagura raised one eyebrow. "How so?"
"Well, there was this young lady that's tagging along that called her Tsunade-sama. I'm pretty sure that confirms it."
O-O-O-O-O
A/N: The Witcher 3 is really fun but I keep getting distracted by Gwent.
The title is a reference to the expression "in vino veritas." I'm available on Tumblr at waffledogwrites.
Morket is the nicest person I know and a wonderful beta reader.
Next chapter: party time.