So I'm finally feeling well again, and decided to use this weekend to update. Hope this chapter is enjoyed because it was pretty fun to write.
Sakura climbed the steps above deck, breathing in the salty tang of the waves as the nippy wind blew hair directly into her eyes. Carefully pushing it out of her line of sight, she sighed, getting a deep lungful of sharp air.
The crew wasn't as boisterous as she'd expect in the late morning. The strong wind had them preoccupied as it tried very hard to change the Harbinger's direction and the sailors tried even harder to keep them on course. Joben was steering, feet planted firmly in place as the ship swayed. Others manned the sails and Inoue was up in his favorite spot, the crow's nest. Sakura dropped back to her knees seconds before attempting to completely stand as the vessel kept rocking, and then powered her way up with another try. The boards creaked.
There wasn't a day of the journey that passed where she wasn't grateful she wasn't contending with seasickness. One small issue averted. That left plenty of others to plague her though. The most immediate problem—annoyance?—was Madara's insistence that he wanted to know all there was to know about her connection to Mizuchi.
That secret had found its way into the light now. Into Madara's focus. She really couldn't say why. Izuna was letting it go for the time being, maybe out of consideration that she was already handling so much. The both of them were still facing the report to the Hokage. Whatever divine mess the dragon goddess attached to her had become entangled in might as well have been her problem too. Winding her arms around herself, Sakura ambled her way across deck, just silently observing.
Kazu was talking to the Yuhi siblings, waving his arms around and yelling something to them over the wind. The rambunctious ball of energy that was the captain's son was always happy to have an audience, just as outgoing as his father. Sakura smiled slightly, swinging around until she was closer to the back of the ship, where several men and women were discussing, of all things, Junko's mint water. It had unexpectedly become a big hit, despite earlier reservations.
Sakura knew she had missed breakfast, spending her time milling around below deck and avoiding speaking to either of the men who had slept beside her the previous night. Luckily, they were needed to help with some heavy lifting at the crack of dawn. The Uchiha brothers helped the other men bring crates of goods that could be damaged by the expected storm coming later that night, below deck.
Yurine left shortly after they did to help Junko with breakfast, and Kazu had come bursting into their cabin, demanding to play with Kureno. Sakura helped Gintaki and Ai feed all fifty-three of the crew's cats and kittens, and by that time she had a good reason to avoid eating with the others, even when her sailor friends rushed off to have some porridge.
Sakura hated how transparent she was being. It was cowardly. She wasn't denying that…but what choice did she even have? What was she supposed to say? She spent the majority of the night between two attractive men and all she could really focus on was whose hair was in her mouth and willing her nose not to start bleeding.
Going into battles with near-impossible odds stacked against her to face down deities was well and good, but the awkwardness of talking about the night's sleeping arrangements was something she would happily avoid.
Manly, indignant cries from around the other side of the deck drew her attention, and Sakura scowled. She couldn't have a proper pity party with all that noise! Every step was another creaking plank, but she'd gotten mostly used to the ominous sounds the old ship made. The sight of the very same men she'd been trying hard to dodge stopped her short. Although she might have paused even if she wasn't hiding from them, only because she wasn't sure what she was looking at.
Izuna had his arms locked tight around his brother's waist and one foot up on the railing, hauling Madara away from the edge. Three cats watched idly near their feet.
"What's going on?" Sakura asked, alarmed. Had Madara tried to—
"I want off this ship," Madara hissed, still struggling.
"Inoue's already said we're ten miles out in the middle of the sea," Izuna grunted. "You can get off when the rest of us do."
Sakura couldn't really offer up much more comment as Madara almost managed to slip out of Izuna's arms, if not for the extra sharp squeeze that drew a groan of pain from him.
Without ever loosening his hold, Izuna turned to her with an exasperated glare she knew wasn't meant for her. "He found out breakfast had lard in it, thanks to Ai, and tried to jump."
Sakura slowly raised a brow. Another burst of wind fluttered everyone's hair, and she was so flummoxed by what she'd heard, she didn't even bother moving it out of her face.
"I wasn't going to drown myself," Madara clarified, sounding put out by the mere thought. "I was just going to swim back to shore…or the next ship I spotted. Whichever came first,"
"Are you sure you have no idea who you are?" Sakura grumbled, hands knuckled into fists at her hips. "Because something that dramatic sounds exactly like what you would've done before."
The look the Uchiha shot her was full of contempt. Right. Sakura had to remind herself that Madara took his dramatics very seriously. It was a trait that she'd gleaned during the war, but spending as much time with him as she had since coming to the past, it was showcased in perfect outline.
"You were notably absent from breakfast," Madara countered smoothly, causing her to go rigid. Damn him! Perhaps thinking his brother was no longer in danger of flinging himself into the icy sea, Izuna's arms loosened, and then let go entirely. Madara immediately straightened himself and brushed his dark shirt into place over the hint of his pale skin with so much dignity, anyone who hadn't witnessed him a short two minutes earlier would have never believed what she'd seen. "She didn't want to tell me about her tail," he told Izuna offhandedly.
Sakura's cheeks warmed as Izuna's eyes flickered between them curiously. "There's no tail," she assured impatiently.
Madara's lips thinned thoughtfully, like he was still deciding whether or not he believed her. "But there is a dragon. And you are connected to her." He persisted.
Sakura glanced around nervously. The one part of the story she'd treaded lightly around was her connection to Mizuchi. That was still something that felt like the less people who knew, the better.
"Madara…" Izuna cautioned, noticing her apprehension.
Madara sighed, nonplussed. "Alright, discretion it is then. Even though I think it's too late for that."
Sakura hated to think he had a point, but…
"But if we're setting aside that discussion," A coy smirk found its way to the elder Uchiha's face. "We should talk about the unnatural amount of heat you gave off last night." He turned to Sakura expectantly, and she blanched. "Is that dragon-related as well or is there another reason, Haruno?"
Her jaw dropped but words refused to come. Suddenly, she wasn't so sure she would have minded if Madara had thrown himself overboard.
Madara-sama still hadn't returned, and then Izuna-sama had left the village too. Kagami may have been young, but he wasn't oblivious to the tension circulating around the compound lately. His obaa-san assured him that soon enough, things would be back to the way they were when their leaders returned; but he couldn't help but wonder if she meant that or was only saying it for his sake.
As it had been every morning since Izuna-sama's absence, Kagami joined the other children on the training grounds where Naoko-san stood with Hikaku-san, spear held confidently at her side.
Reira was standing next to him, and she was vibrating with so much giddiness Kagami wouldn't have been surprised if she shook the ground a little. "Thanks again for inviting me," she said around a grin as they both sat down in the dirt. Manabu and the others watched them warily, but none of them said anything. They only kept their distance. Kagami couldn't say he minded. It was too early to be dealing with the bully.
"When I told Naoko-san that you wanted to join in on her training, she was very…" Kagami scratched his head lightly, "amused." The woman was actually tickled pink to think of a Senju training alongside them. But she didn't object, and when he'd asked Reira if she'd like to visit the compound and see a kunoichi who was a master of the spear, she was ecstatic.
Naoko turned to them, her dark hair fluttering softly around her shoulders. "Just because we've got someone new with us today, don't think training's getting any easier." she winked, and nearly all the children groaned. Reira clapped, squealing under her breath, and for that she got several contemptuous glares.
Even Hikaku-san's eyes looked bright with apprehension as he took his position across the field from Naoko-san.
Izuna-sama was thorough in his training and firm in his expectations, but he gave them breaks and gently corrected their flawed movements. Naoko enthusiastically told them to push through the pain and would use the blunt side of her spear to sweep their legs out from under them as an indication that their stance or their defense was off. "If I can knock you down, so can any opponent tricky enough to go for the knees," was her reasoning.
Kagami, unlike many of the others, was still convinced she was well meaning… But Miyako pointed out that a mother bird was well meaning when she forced her fledglings from the nest and some fell to their deaths, and the rest of the class seemed more inclined to agree with her when it came to a comparison of Naoko-san's training.
"Let's get right to it," Naoko called, drawing everyone's attention. "I'm going to show you how a spear can be used to smash through defense, even from up close." The spar started similarly to how it often did, with the two shinobi sizing each other up and then one of them trying to find a way to throw the other off.
Hikaku-san drew his sword, darting forward with a strong slash toward Naoko-san's knees. She predictably used her spear to deflect, taking a measured step back as she did so. Hikaku hadn't let up, feinting successfully and bringing his sword toward her chest for another attack.
Again, Naoko's parrying was quick enough to deflect him, and she spun on her heel, smashing her spear's pole down against his gloved hands. Kagami winced, knowing that the hard wood of her weapon was just as capable of causing injury as the tip when in her hands.
Naoko jabbed through his defense, thrusting the gleaming end of the spear toward his throat, making Hikaku's head jerk to the side to avoid what very well could have been a fatal blow. The class watched with bated breath, none more than Reira, because it never ceased to amaze how hard they fought, demonstration or no.
The two continued to trade blows, some of them looking like they would come dangerously close to ending with a serious injury, but so far Hikaku only sported a shallow gash across his jaw while Naoko bled a little from her arm.
Up on her knees and leaning close to him so he could hear, Reira began talking frantically, "I never knew kunoichi could be spearfighters! And Naoko-san's moves are so pretty and fierce," she sighed dreamily, and Kagami wondered if bringing her to watch would put…certain ideas in her head. It was looking more and more likely the rounder her eyes grew.
"Naoko-san is the only one in the clan who uses one. Some of the other kunoichi use naginata," Kagami explained.
Reira fidgeted, nodding vigorously, and he knew her well enough to know she was bubbling to say something else but trying to collect her thoughts. "If I took up a spear, do you think Naoko-san would train me?"
The Uchiha had to do a double-take, his eyes jumping from Naoko flipping backwards over Hikaku's head and jamming the tip of her spear into the ground to use for momentum for a flying kick, to Reira's hopeful expression.
Rubbing a suddenly itchy palm against his pants, he swallowed. Well, it wasn't that Reira taking interest was unexpected. And it was good to see her so excited about something, when lately she'd had such an air of melancholy around her that he and Chisato both agreed was unlike their free-spirited friend. "I…Naoko-san doesn't usually have pupils…" he said carefully, "She…she does lots of espionage. Izuna-sama trains us, and we train at home." Every word brought her lips further and further down until she was outright frowning.
He watched her fingers come up to fiddle with the ends of her braid, looking thoughtfully out across the field. "And I guess it wouldn't be so normal, would it? An Uchiha kunoichi training a Senju? Tobi-nii barely wanted me to come today," she laughed a little. "It's just…I don't think I can get the kind of training I need at home anymore."
Kagami's brows bunched, his head tilting involuntarily as he mulled over her cryptic words. "But isn't Toka-san an active kunoichi? She seems very—"
"Tobaa doesn't understand." Reira's eyes became unnervingly flinty as she clenched the thick, sunny fabric of her yukata. "She won't train me the way I need in order to catch up."
"To who?" he asked softly, worry starting to consume him as Reira's mood continued to drop right in front of his eyes.
"To you," she surprised him by saying. "And Chisa-chan, and everyone else our age who gets serious training."
They sat there in silence, then, Kagami at a loss and Reira refusing to look anywhere but at her lap. Then, as he'd started to gather the courage to try to console her, her head lifted and her eyes shone like wet gold-brown coins at the way Naoko-san had ended the intense match. Hikaku-san was on the ground, breathing hard, and Naoko-san loomed over him, satisfied smile on her lips and hair falling into her eyes, spear leveled at the shinobi's forehead.
"Yield," Hikaku rasped, out of breath. "I yield." That was all it took for Naoko to withdraw her spear and bring it back to her side, point down. She bent at the waist and helped Hikaku to his feet.
"That's what I want to be. A real kunoichi," Reira whispered, so entranced Kagami wasn't even sure if she was talking to him or herself. He leaned back on his palms, legs stretched in front of him, staring at his toes. This side of Reira had all of her normal determination and none of her usual playfulness. With some shame, he admitted that not even he was sure how seriously he took her at times. Then this drive presented itself…
Naoko turned her focus on all of them, and Manabu and a few other boys flinched away as she searched their pale faces. "Now that you've all seen how to fight your way out of a corner using a spear, I expect someone to commit to the life of a spearfighter." Her eyes shone teasingly. "So who will it be? Manabu? Tenma? Yuma? No takers?"
The class collectively shook their heads. Naoko barked out a laugh. "Alright, Hikaku, they're all yours for this next part."
With his breathing appearing to be back under control, Hikaku tied his hair up into a ponytail, away from his sweaty forehead. "Right. Who's going next? I want to see some real progress with that taijutsu from the last time."
In the end, he selected two girls to have their spar first: Miyako, and Yuma's twin, Tsubaki. The girls exchanged friendly smiles, wading through everyone still sitting and going to take their positions.
"Why doesn't she have the crest?" Reira pointed at Tsubaki. As she made her way past them, the absence of the red and white fan on her high-collared purple yukata was plainly visible for all to see.
Kagami wasn't sure the answer was what Reira needed to hear, given her apparent feelings of frustration with herself, but before he could gently word a response, a new voice broke in.
"It's because she hasn't earned it," Manabu huffed, evidently having been listening in.
Reira looked at Tsubaki's back, then at Manabu's smirk, before finally meeting eyes with Kagami. "What does he mean by that?"
"Exactly what he said," This time it was Tenma who felt the need to join the conversation, albeit with much less hostility in his tone. "You're only allowed to wear the crest once you've successfully performed a Gōkakyū."
"It's a coming of age rite." Yuma added, tugging at her long hair to move it. She beamed, looking over her shoulder at her own back. Kagami saw Reira follow her gaze, landing on the Uchiha crest sewn in the middle of her yukata. "Marking you as a true adult in the clan."
"Right," Manabu's smirk widened. "And if you can't do it, can you even call yourself a Katon-user?" he asked flippantly. "Or an Uchiha?"
Kagami scowled. It was true that performing a Gōkakyū no jutsu was a long-held tradition for their clan, and a technique that was a great source of pride. But those who couldn't perform it yet weren't valued any differently.
His obaa-san had once told him she didn't accomplish the feat until fourteen, and that may have been why she retired from shinobi life at only twenty-six to settle into the role of wife and mother. Many of the Uchiha who ran shops or lived as civilians had similar stories they'd told him.
Late bloomers by most standards or in a few rare cases, never getting more than an ember at all. Every last one of them were truly Uchiha, though. There was more to being an Uchiha than a single rite. Only staunch traditionalists, like Manabu's father, believed otherwise.
And he'd imparted a similar belief on his son. Manabu in turn rallied the other children to equate their worth to the ability to perform the jutsu. For a while he'd picked on Miyako over the size of her fireball, until Tenma had intervened on behalf of his younger cousin.
Their attention was forcibly drawn back to the match when Tsubaki drew a pained cry from Miyako, who had failed to dodge a kick that sent her flying.
"Your sister's gotta handle on her taijutsu, I gotta admit." Manabu grumbled.
The silent consensus following that statement validated the agreement from the others who looked on as Tsubaki seemed to have the upper hand at almost every turn.
"She's been working hard to improve in other areas," Yuma shrugged. "You know, since she hasn't been able to do a real fireball yet."
"So being a member of the Uchiha clan has to be earned…" Reira said slowly.
"What other way is there to be a member of an elite clan?" Manabu rolled his eyes. "You walk around wearing that," He gestured toward Reira's shoulder, where the Senju crest resided on her outfit, "And you haven't even earned it?" He turned to look at his friends. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I wouldn't want to be a part of a clan where just anyone was allowed to call themselves a member 'cause they were born into it. How're you gonna root out whose really worthy if you do it that way?"
Reira's head drooped, and Kagami glared fiercely. "Back off, Manabu."
"Shut it, runt." Manabu waved him off. "You may be trying to protect her feelings, but you know I'm right."
"There's more to worth as a shinobi than one jutsu," Kagami argued. "Izuna-sama taught us that."
"Yeah, maybe for an Uchiha that's true." Manabu chuckled, "But your little Senju friend agrees with me I bet. She knows her clan can't compete. That's why she's here, to see how real ninja train." Reira was already up on her feet and trudging quietly away before that insult. When Kagami looked around he saw she was making a fair bit of distance between the training grounds, back to the front of the compound.
"Reira, wait!" He stumbled onto his feet, vaguely hearing Tsubaki declared the winner of the spar as he sprinted to catch up with his friend.
The ease and comfort with which she was performing Suiton surprised not only her audience, but Sakura herself. Four consecutive, successful water jutsu. Sakura lowered her hands from the last attempt. And she didn't even feel the slightest strain!
Yurine squeaked as a little water sprayed her in the face, but the pinkette hardly noticed. She was too busy marveling at how the techniques Tobirama had shown her, the same ones she'd been working hard to master not long ago, were now solid ninjutsu in her arsenal.
"Impressive attacks," Gintaki said, walking by, "Ya could sink an enemy fleet with that, I bet."
Sakura rubbed the back of her neck. "Hehe…" Inwardly, she had to wonder at how. There wasn't much time to practice in Water Country, and more practice usually led to more aptitude, not less…
Unless it was just another thing effected by whatever new abilities she'd unlocked during the battle. Mizuchi was, after all, a river deity. Any sort of tether should have made Sakura highly proficient in Suiton too. That was at least the tentative theory she was working with.
"What do you say about using all that skill to control the waves and get us home a little faster," Kureno joked, laying on his back and staring up at the sky.
That was a level of control she didn't think she'd mastered just yet, but a certain standoffish Senju could probably manage it. The thought of rubbing her proficiency in his face the next time they met made her heart jump with smug glee.
"Actually, I think sea life has been good to us." Izuna strolled up beside her, and she suppressed the urge to startle, taking note of the gleam in his dark eyes. "Madara's definitely made some new friends he'll be sad to leave behind."
"Oh no," Yurine pressed fingers to her lips. "What have you done now?" After informing the Yuhi siblings of their ongoing torment of Madara, they had reacted with a mixture of amusement and pity. The duo had elected to watch it all unfold rather than participate, but Sakura was sure Kureno would have joined in, if not for his sister telling him it wasn't their place.
"Back, greedy beasts!" Sakura perked up at the sound of…Madara in distress? Now her thoughts echoed Yurine's question. Just what had Izuna done?
Madara came running across deck soon after, erasing the need to press his brother for answers. Sakura wasn't sure what had him so worked up, until she saw the small pack of kittens at his heels. Kittens. He was running from…kittens.
Just to be sure she hadn't slipped into a vivid hallucination from accidentally getting too much sun and seawater, she chanced a look at everyone around her. Aside from Izuna, whose eyes were filled with silent laughter, the others were as floored as she was. The kittens hell-bent on catching the once-proud Uchiha weren't so much running for him like an adult cat would as they were…hopping and stumbling.
All the while they chased with a chorus of cute mews, fluffy tails in the air. Kazu's orange kitten was leading the charge, making decent strides to catch up. Before Sakura could decide if she should laugh or take pity, Madara had stopped in front of Izuna, dragging his brother closer by the front of his shirt with a menacing growl. "You," he spat, "You did this."
"I just suggested you give the kitten some scraps." Izuna calmly tried to pry himself out of Madara's white knuckled grip. "You enjoyed feeding the strays with me as children. I was hoping it'd help your memory."
Madara pushed away from Izuna with disdain, glaring down at the half-dozen kittens who were occupying themselves trying to get the elder Uchiha's attention. "You expect me to believe you didn't know they would swarm?" A particularly bold kitten, Kazu's, made a daring jump and latched himself onto Madara's pant leg, scaling up his body with a series of tiny growls.
Sakura couldn't hold in her laughter anymore. The image of Madara causing chaos on the battlefield and the same man affronted by the thought of kittens finding him a suitable toy, was just too laughable. Kureno and Gintaki threw their heads back in peals of laughter while Yurine tried to be more modest by turning away to hide hers. But Izuna grinned in the face of Madara's irritation.
She watched the kitten continue its trek, until Madara scooped it from his body and into one large hand with minimal effort. Holding the cheeky feline close to his face in scrutiny, he shook his head. "Very bold of you, little one." The kitten wriggled in his grip, leaping onto his shoulder and purring as it rubbed against his cheek.
Sakura's fading giggles died into a reluctant sigh of contentment. "How adorable," Yurine voiced for them all. 'She's right.' Sakura thought. 'I guess even someone like Madara is no match for something that pure.' The kitten was oblivious as it nipped at the ends of the powerful shinobi's hair, making itself comfortable on his shoulder. Down below, its siblings clamored for acknowledgement too, several trying to follow their leader and climb Madara.
"They're highly persistent, aren't they?" he grumbled, watching a jet black kitten tumble over a gray one as they competed for the best grip up his clothes.
"It's not as bad as you're pretending it is, and you know it," Izuna told him.
Sakura thought about who would ever believe her if she tried to tell anyone from her time about this once she made it back… Madara didn't even look like he could believe he was letting it happen. Yet the evidence was in the fact that he wasn't prying the kittens off. The one on his shoulder had tired itself out with the energy it had expended chasing and climbing, and was half asleep nestled under his hair.
The earlier fire in Madara's eyes had softened, and for a single terrifying second, Sakura thought she felt her heart skip a beat.
The dog was as big as any ninken he'd ever seen, and it made sure to assert itself by standing between himself and its master. Tsuba seemed not to mind or notice as she kept her eyes focused straight ahead. "We haven't had any issues," she said, calmly. "The children are all adapting to the village as well as can be expected."
Tobirama couldn't understand why yet, but the Inuzuka head was quite fond of the three Kaguya children she had agreed to watch over until their fates in the village could be determined. She said all was well, and there was nothing about her chakra to suggest she was lying. From her perspective, all truly was fine.
But the woman who had requested an audience with Hashirama not long ago, saying she felt threatened by a Kaguya child she'd met in the market district raised concerns. "You'll understand if I say I'd like to see for myself," he responded firmly. Tobirama had agreed to check if they were being unruly, or if it was, as Hashirama thought, unfounded fear.
"If that's what you feel needs doing." Tsuba agreed. "I haven't told them you're coming, as requested."
The corridor ended, and she gestured toward a set of fusuma that he could only just see faintly through. There were silhouettes inside, and the sound of several children talking filtered out.
"If you'll excuse me," Tsuba whispered, "I need to speak with the kennel masters."
Tobirama nodded, woman and canine going back down the hall and leaving him to his work. Very slowly prying open the door, he crouched, getting a glimpse inside. Sitting in a line on zabuton, the three Kaguya and Tsuba's own daughter were…brushing and styling each other's hair, talking without a care in the world. "Junji, your hair's getting longer." The middle child was saying, "If you're not planning to trim it, at least consider styling it differently every now and then."
Tobirama's eyes narrowed. It was the vicious, ill-tempered little girl who'd dared to bite him. Harihane… If any of them would cause a disturbance in the village, he'd suspect her even before her brother. She'd certainly brought panic to the streets with her refusal to come quietly on the day they'd arrived.
Her brother "Junji" sat with his back facing her, delicately combing through the hair of his small sister, who sat fluffing the fur of a puppy dozing on her lap. "I don't mind keeping the same style." He said, voice gentle as he concentrated on the task of grooming the dark head in front of him. "Simple suits me just fine."
"You know what else suits you fine?" She felt through the strands of his stark white hair. "Dullness. You're boring." Shaking her head, she grabbed up a jade pin and studied it. "I'm going to do something different with your hair, whether you like it or not."
"Make Junji-nii pretty!" The youngest sibling cheered, even as her brother took up some of her black hair and began weaving it on one side. She was the one with the insistence to talk in third-person and the babyish persona. Kikue. She'd said her own name so many times back then there was no forgetting it.
"You know, I've been wondering…" Tsuba's daughter—Yoku, he thought her name was— murmured. With the shortest hair of them all, a boyish cut that barely brushed her ears, she stood behind the middle girl and combed. "You all wear your hair differently, but you all seem to prefer buns of some kind. Is there…is there a reason for that?"
"Kaguya tradition." Harihane answered, "It's the same reason for the beads."
"Interesting," Yoku hummed. "Harihane, would you mind if I left your hairstyle alone then? I'm not confident in my ability to accurately do more than imitate what you already have."
Tobirama had heard much of the Inuzuka long before meeting one, and he would have never thought Tsuba to be such a level-headed woman when the clan was anything but in battle… Her daughter was even more polite, soft-spoken and considerate in way that belied her last name. Hashirama would disapprove of him voicing those thoughts aloud, and remind him that in spite of clan affiliation, each person was an individual.
"Who cares?" Harihane was already securing some of her brother's hair with the pin. Her fingers were deft as they wrapped up the white strands in a loose braid.
"Kikue wants to look like a princess, Junji-nii. Use lots of pins!" Kikue threw up her hands in excitement and startled the dog on her lap awake. Its sleepy eyes blinked in his direction, and Tobirama briefly wondered if he'd been found out. But sensing no danger, it gave a yawn and then placed its head back down.
He couldn't blame the animal. The whole affair was as dull as he could imagine. If these children were plotting trouble, they'd saved that for later in their day, instead choosing to focus on the finer points of hair care.
"I'll use as many as I can without overdoing it," Jun'ichi chuckled. "You'll have to stop wiggling so much, though."
"Sorry," she said meekly.
"I've never had anyone to do this kind of thing with." Yoku smiled. "It's very…relaxing,"
"Our mother did it with us when we were small." Jun'ichi explained. "I believe when she was feeling trapped, busying herself with us soothed her."
"That sounds like a very nice memory," The Inuzuka heiress sighed. "When kaa-san is stressed, she goes hunting with Miku."
"Hunting treasure?" Kikue asked curiously.
Tobirama had always considered himself to be exceptional at reading someone, even someone who wished to hide parts of themselves… but this child threw him for a loop.
"If you mean the treasure of fresh meat." Her sister snorted.
"She and Miku typically hunt rabbit, pheasants, foxes and deer." Yoku added. "One day I hope to be as in sync with Asuga." The pup lifted her head to yip, tongue hanging out lazily.
"If she gets as big as your mother's dog and you stay as short as you are, then you could ride her into battle." Harihane suggested.
Yoku huffed a laugh. "Doubtful…but a definite way to catch enemies off guard," She finished with Harihane's hair and stepped back. "There. I…I did the best I could manage," she blushed. "I'll go and find a hand mirror." Tobirama quickly flattened himself to the ceiling and suppressed his chakra completely. Yoku stepped out into the hall, oblivious of his presence…or so it seemed. Briefly, she tipped her nose up and sniffed the air as she passed his spot, but if she caught a whiff of him she chose to ignore it, perhaps guessing the reason he was there. When she had passed, he remained where he was, figuring it wouldn't be long until she returned.
"Now that Yoku's gone, I've got something I wanna say," Harihane cleared her throat. "I've decided I'll give this village a chance…even though I wouldn't be surprised if they were spying on us as we speak."
Tobirama stiffened.
"That seems a little farfetched," Jun'ichi said.
"Kikue hopes it's not the scary, red-eyed man!" she squealed. "Kikue still gets nightmares…"
Something stabbed faintly in his chest. A child thought he belonged in her nightmares? Tobirama felt involuntarily offended. He was no Hashirama, but he was also no oni that prowled in the night.
"That's exactly who'd be watching," Harihane continued. "He strikes me as the paranoid type." Now he twitched. Caution, and warranted at that, was a far cry from paranoia.
"I think you both are being a little extreme." Jun'ichi attempted to sooth them, but he wasn't trying very hard, because he heard the youngest speak again.
"Kikue doesn't want to leave! She likes it here! She'll even tell the r-red eyed man so…"
"I'm sure it won't come to that," Jun'ichi patted her head reassuringly, careful not to disturb his recent work.
Tobirama left the Inuzuka compound very disgruntled that afternoon. Everything he did, he did for the good of the village, and occasionally to protect Hashirama from his own good intentions. Nothing warranted the grave insult of stray children thinking he was a paranoid, red-eyed manifestation from a nightmare!
A solitary leaf brushed her cheek as it fell, and Sakura caught it loosely in her hand. Being on land again, closer to home than she had been in weeks, was an invigorating feeling. Days on the Harbinger were peaceable and lively all at once, each night testing her just a little more as she tried to adjust to their sleeping arrangement.
On the second night when they'd returned to the cabin after dinner and Sakura realized they would need to share, yet again, she told herself she'd make peace with it. That had turned out to be a lie at worst and an extreme stretch of the truth at best. None of the bashful awkwardness from the first night had vanished. Not really.
Strangely it had never dawned on her that would be how her nights went until they returned to land, but it sank in quickly enough. She woke up the next morning stiff from trying to stay perfectly still, with Madara bluntly telling her that she'd been the one keeping him awake. Because she snored.
She didn't. She was sure she didn't. He was an antagonistic liar. Nevertheless, it was good to be back out in the open, the piney smell of the Fire Country's forests she was so familiar with drifting to them as they left Yumegakure. Saying goodbye to the Harbinger's crew at the port had been bittersweet. Making the return trip back had endeared them to her more than ever, and she was sure that the others felt much the same. Even Madara, to a degree, had begun relaxing on the ship. Minutely.
Joben assured them that were they ever in need of his services again, to shout to the sea and the wind would carry the message. In actuality, she supposed he was a contact of Konoha now.
In favor of returning back to the village as fast as possible, they had decided to skip taking a scenic day to sample the seaside town and continue on their way. It was growing colder, too, and none of them really wanted to stay at an inn after the last big…incident. Konoha was just under two days away, but so was the inevitable mission report.
If there was ever a time when Mizuchi intervening on her behalf would be appreciated, it was then and there. No such luck, though. The goddess had gone silent again, presumably off somewhere hiding away from the other deities around the world they now knew were all hunting for her.
Because… that, Sakura reminded herself in agitation, she didn't know. It was frustrating, putting blind faith in a goddess who was as wily as she was powerful, when she too could become a target simply for her reluctant affiliation with her.
The next leap from one branch to another shook a cluster of dried leaves from the tree, a smattering of fall colors dropping to the forest floor. Yurine landed beside her, arms cinched tight around her own body. "If it's this cold now, imagine how it'll feel when it's nightfall…" she pouted. "You…you don't think it'll snow before we reach the village, do you?"
"Well that shouldn't be a problem." Kureno called from behind them. "They know Katon, don't they?" he inclined his head to where Madara and Izuna were up ahead, speaking in hushed tones as they traveled. Sakura wondered if Izuna was mentally coaching Madara on how to interact with everyone once they arrived home. Unless his memories miraculously all returned between now and then, he'd have to face a pretty big adjustment…
All things considered, though, he'd taken to the amnesia in stride. Plenty of patients she'd seen who had it grew more and more distressed the longer they were without their full identity. Some even fell into a state of depression, or experienced waves of past trauma when unpleasant parts of their lives they had since coped with came back, and they had to relive them. Madara was in many ways holding up well. That was…good.
For Izuna's sake! Sakura recovered with a shake of her head. It was a relief for Izuna, since he'd be dealing with Madara the most. Although, she couldn't forget that she'd approached him and volunteered to stop by the compound as often as her schedule was allow to work with him the way she'd worked with other amnesia patients, checking to make sure he wasn't regressing.
Izuna was a friend, she told herself, and she wanted to alleviate some of the worry he'd be naturally experiencing from his mind. Then there was apart of her that remembered why Madara was amnesiac to begin with. He'd attempted to shield her from falling rubble. Unnecessarily.
She hated how she felt guilty against her will, felt a moral sense of obligation when not even two weeks ago she'd been happy just to hate him and nothing more. A breath whooshed out of her when she nearly misjudged the distance to the next branch and slipped before righting herself.
"Sakura, what's wrong?" Yurine asked. "And didn't you hear what I was saying?"
Blinking rapidly as if that would wipe the distractions from her mind, Sakura turned to her friend with a smile she hoped was genuine enough to avoid suspicion. "Of course I did…" she bluffed. Yurine didn't look as convinced, and Kureno shot her a knowing grin. "But tell me anyway,"
"I said," Yurine pursed her lips, "Shouldn't we be getting ready to make camp somewhere soon? The sun always sets quicker in the winter." Winter. Yes, technically it was early winter, December rolling in with a burst of cold. "I'm worried those two will just want to keep traveling through the dark with the way they're going…and the village isn't that far away that we need to rush…right?" The blonde clasped her hands in front of her and looked up through her lashes.
Sakura glared. She knew what Yurine was getting at. She wanted Sakura to be the one to ask the brothers if they could stop for the night. Because the girl who saw hearts and roses around every corner had it in her mind that Sakura held some special sway over the Uchiha. Some attraction between them all.
It was further proof to just how love-addled Yurine's brain constantly was. All she ever did with Madara was argue. Memories or no memories, that hadn't changed much. And she and Izuna got along well. As friends. What was Yurine seeing that she wasn't?
"Fine," she said pointedly, "I'll talk to them." Yurine's ruby eyes lit up. "Only because I'm kind of cold too,"
Yurine's smile brightened. "Tell them you're hungry and I think Madara will hunt something." Sakura resisted the urge to gawk. She was clearly overestimating how much Madara cared about her needs to begin with.
"What about my hunting skills?" Kureno whined, clearly feeling left out.
"You're more of a gatherer." Yurine turned away from her brother dismissively. "Anyway, Sakura, go on!" she encouraged.
Ignoring the siblings chattering about the likelihood that the request would work, Sakura increased her pace, jumping closer and closer to the backs with the matching fans.
They're back on land again…and just so everyone is aware about three days passed between the end of Tobirama's POV spying on the Kaguya children and Sakura's final POV. Three more days of hell as Sakura had to share her bedroll. You go, girl. Anyway, as promised they're back in Fire Country. In next chapter they will arrive in Konoha and the big showdown with the Hokage (and Tobirama) everyone has been biting their nails over, will finally happen.
Also, I'd advise against getting comfortable with the fluff delivered here. Sakura still has a lot of problems on the horizon not very far off. Mizuchi is still a renegade goddess, and Reira's subplot (which is also Toka's) will get very, very dark/angsty before long. I like to try to showcase different elements since not everybody can be happy at once. Not realistically, since they're shinobi and all.
Thank you for reading, don't forget to review, and until next time.
