They were all effectively running late, and Kagami couldn't help but feel guilty. On the other hand, he was undeniably touched that his friends had patiently waited around. Reira was beaming, as forgiving as he expected her to be. Chisato didn't mind either, but they both cast odd glances at the impatient man with him.
"Now that you've collected your friends," Madara cleared his throat, "We should all make haste there."
"We?" Reira repeated, a bit dazed as she stared up at him. "Um…i-it's fine. We know the way, so…"
Madara barely spared her a glance, walking briskly ahead. Well, the young Uchiha guessed it was preferable to being dragged or hovered over. "I've taken it upon myself to be sure Kagami gets the opportunity to have his head examined."
"Your head?" Gasping, Reira crowded him. He had spoken too soon about the hovering. "What's wrong with your head?"
"Uh, nothing really. I ran into Madara-sama on the way out of the compound. It was my fau—" His attempt to take accountability ended in a hiss as his friend managed to find the exact spot that hurt the worst. As his grandmother might say, it was a goose egg.
Reira stepped away with a frown, stroking a hand through his curls in sympathy. Blushing, Kagami turned to Chisato, expecting some help. Instead, the Aburame tilted her head with a nearly imperceptible grin on her lips, evidently choosing not to intervene.
"Do you think you'll be alright? Should we tell the sensei to go easy on you in the survival training? Look at my hand and tell me how many fingers I'm holding up."
Reira's usual antics did cheer him up, though. "All of them." He laughed, high-fiving the hand she was showing him. "I'm okay though. It barely even hurts anymore."
"But the pain hasn't completely receded." Madara interjected. The children jumped simultaneously, forgetting all about the adult leading them down the street. "All the more reason to see Haruno."
The girls looked at each other, brows quirked, "Ah." They said in unison. As much respect as he had for the clan leader, Kagami didn't blame them for not trusting in Madara-sama's altruism.
"Ya know, you're wasting your time if that's all you're after. She's marrying Tobi-nii."
Madara took that about as well as expected, his shoulders tensing. Kagami peeked into his face and noticed a concerning glint to his eyes. "You seem fairly confident. Care to share whatever proof you've scrounged up to support that?"
Reira didn't back down, nodding firmly. "The other day, he showed her his koi pond. He never shows anybody the koi pond. He probably proposed there. I bet they're getting married for sure now." she told Chisato excitedly. "Plus," Kagami swallowed, bracing himself. "They're gonna be together through survival training, since Tobi-nii's coming too." she revealed.
The young Uchiha was sure his friends felt the same chill he did, seeing the twisted smile on Madara's face. It looked as though an artist had gone to paint a cheerful expression onto a doll, only for their hand to jump, leaving the smile lopsided and unnerving. "Such an overactive imagination, hm?" Reira protested as Madara roughly patted her head.
"It's not my imagination," she continued, stomping her foot. "Even if Tobi-nii didn't marry Sakura, Hashi-nii would!" That declaration was what ignited the whole powder keg. Kagami suddenly preferred the terrifying, strained smile to the blank expression that frosted his clan leader's face.
"Hashirama's hardly got a grasp on what separates romantic attraction from congeniality. Not that any of this concerns a little girl." Madara dropped a heavy hand on Kagami's shoulder, and he held in his groan at the sting. "You're all walking a bit too slowly considering your tardiness."
He was picked up and slung (backpack and all) over Madara-sama's shoulder, given no more consideration than an inanimate sack of flour. Chisato and Reira were unceremoniously grabbed—the latter yelling loudly about it—and held hostage under each of his arms. Then he took off at a blinding speed, all pretenses of concern about his junior's possible (but unlikely long-term) head injury gone.
His cheeks flapped, and he wasn't sure if he imagined it or not, but Kagami thought a bug might have gotten into his mouth. The travel was rough, to say the least, Madara's furious pace jostling the boy hard against his back. If he didn't have an issue with his head before, the older Uchiha was intent on rectifying that.
"To think I'd ever allow myself to be second to a bastard like Tobirama!" Madara roared above the rush of wind whistling through Kagami's ears.
"Reira," he called down to her, gripping Madara for dear life, "Why did you go and provoke him?!"
"It's not my fault!" she wailed in return, a bit green in the face, "You have to admit, he's kinda unstable!" Yes, Kagami had to agree that the man he had always looked up to was acting more erratic than he could ever recall seeing him.
Chisato appeared to be passed out, slumped forward and limp as she dangled under his arm. Some poor civilian was going to catch a heart attack, seeing him tear through the village with three screaming children.
He had seen Madara get competitive against Izuna-sama, and others who challenged him to spars or friendly competitions, but he was behaving like a man possessed. 'He got this way as soon as Reira egged him on over Sakura-san…does Madara-sama like her that much?'
Well, Kagami thought he could understand it, if that was the case. Sakura-san was a really intelligent medic, not to mention unfailingly kind. He knew she was close with Izuna-sama, but Madara-sama too? 'Which one am I supposed to root for?' he fretted.
Then again, considering that she had Uchiha interested in courting her, Kagami decided it was most appropriate to mentally wish Sakura-san good luck. Though he was too young to think much about it, from what he'd witnessed and heard in passing, Uchiha courtship could get…intense.
"Chickens!" Reira cried, "Chickens!"
A gaggle of the clucking birds was being ushered through the streets by a teenager who, quite frankly, appeared to be over it. He wasn't really paying attention, half-heartedly moving the animals along. In his head, Kagami envisioned a nasty collision with feathers floating through the air.
They were airborne before Kagami could even cover his eyes, Madara deftly avoiding a crash by using his shinobi reflexes to leap over the boy and his birds. Okay, so maybe he wouldn't be an elite shinobi if he couldn't at least dodge a few barnyard creatures.
"The academy…I can see it up ahead." came Chisato's voice, strained but full of relief. Kagami was just glad she hadn't fainted after all. And that none of them had lost their breakfast.
The academy courtyard had filled up considerably since she'd arrived. Students waited in clusters with backpacks full of supplies, some wearing sleepy expressions. They had been told to come shortly after sunrise, so the sensei could get a head count and divide everyone into groups.
Having had a restful sleep the night before, Sakura was more than ready to greet the day. But she didn't think everyone felt the same. Beside her, Yurine sighed again. Her friend had been doing quite a bit of that. "Something wrong?" Sakura figured she was waiting to be asked.
"We're still missing some." The other kunoichi replied, pressing a hand to her cheek and pouting. "Students, I mean."
"Instructors too." Tobirama's resonating voice drew their attention to him as he approached. "I've just been informed that some of your colleagues came down with a spring cold. I'm assuming one passed it to the other."
Yurine placed her hands over her eyes, dipped her head, and groaned. "It has to be Reo and Kenzo."
"Yes, Okada told me those are their names," he confirmed.
"How'd you guess?" Sakura wondered.
"They've been close lately," Yurine muttered, lifting her head. "Really close. I may have seen them at the end of the day last week, getting better acquainted with each other's lips in a classroom." Sakura wanted to say she'd imagined the tinge of jealousy detected in her friend's voice, but this was Yurine, so she couldn't be sure. "It'd be a miracle if one of them didn't get sick after all the—"
"They won't be joining today's excursion." Tobirama summarized curtly. "Noted."
"That means some of the sensei are going to have to double up on the number of kids we have in our groups." Yurine played with the end of her ponytail. "Which isn't necessarily a problem I guess, but some are more…challenging to manage than others."
Sakura had an inkling which children she was talking about. "It's kind of a shame it's too late to find additional chaperones to stand in."
"If I may, I'd like to offer my assistance." Yurine sucked in a breath and held it as a large silver-haired man strolled over, two blonde haired children in tow. The young girl grinned and waved at Yurine before dashing off to join the other kids. With a little prodding from the mysterious man, the more reluctant boy scurried after his sister.
Although she had never officially made his acquaintance, Sakura could take a guess at his identity going off the descriptions from her friends' alone. A confident, roguish air, eyes full of trouble and a handsome jawline. Konoha's resident Hatake had made an appearance at last.
"We meet again, Senju." He nodded at Tobirama before his focus shifted completely onto Yurine. "Lady Yurine, you're as radiant as ever, even at this early hour."
She turned away without acknowledging him.
The pinkette was the last to be greeted, not that she really minded. "I don't think we've met. I'm fairly new to these parts. Goemon Hatake," he swooped into a gallant bow.
"Sakura Haruno," she waved. "I'm Yurine's friend."
'This is the guy that's the bane of Yurine's existence?' Sakura had to say, he was easy on the eyes, and more importantly, definitely seemed like Yurine's type. More accurately, he would be, if she wasn't stubbornly convinced not to give him a chance.
Staring blankly, Yurine shook her head. "Hello, Goemon. Your help won't be necessary. We'll manage."
Goemon Hatake's smooth smile didn't falter at all over the rebuff. "Are you sure? I'm quite credentialed, if that's the concern."
"In what ways?" Tobirama looked the taller man up and down from head to toe. "The arts of thievery and subterfuge won't be necessary for this exercise." It was quite evident, at least to Sakura, that Tobirama's snide remark was dismissive. But if it had offended Goemon, he didn't show it.
"Those are only my specialities. You'll find I have a versatile skillset in my toolbelt," Pausing, a knowing twinkle lit up his eyes, "and you're running out of time, no? I would hate for Lady Yurine and the other sensei to overtax themselves."
Intriguing, how he spoke with such assured cadence, his words having a subtle pull to them. Sakura got the impression that he could very well spin a yarn about the sun shining blue—even as someone looked up at the sky to see it was as yellow as ever—and still manage to make them pause in doubt. "You're a self-taught samurai." Yurine deadpanned, her red eyes narrowing. "They're learning shinobi skills."
"Hate to disagree, milady, but survival training crosses professions. Samurai, ninja, civilians. Anyone could benefit from knowing their way around the wilderness."
"Alright. If you're that determined to be involved," Tobirama stared straight at Yurine, who blanched. "Partner with Yūhi here. You'll act as her assistant."
Sakura had to hide a snicker in her fist as her friend's face burned nearly red enough to match her eyes. "I…I think I can manage perfectly fine without him!" Yurine sputtered in protest.
Goemon had already moved closer to her, giving her a pat on the back so strong she nearly tipped over. "I'm at your complete command. I don't mind playing second fiddle, so order me around as much as you like."
The man's interest in her was as plain as day, and now having witnessed it with her own eyes, Sakura planned to take full advantage the next time everyone got together for a girls' chat. They all thought it was funny to hold her feet to the fire. But, it was just about time for her to tease back.
Fed up, Yurine rounded on him with a scolding finger raised to his chest. "What if I commanded you to shut up and hang back?"
Placing a hand against his stomach, the Hatake gave a jovial belly laugh. "Then I'd do my best to follow your wishes, but in that case, I make no promises."
"I…I need to do another headcount." It was a feeble attempt at dismissing herself, given that she could have counted students from where she was standing. Neither Sakura nor Tobirama pointed this out, watching instead as the Yuhi stormed off, Goemon trailing after her, whistling some upbeat diddy.
"I hope for your sake he wins her over soon." Sakura informed Tobirama. "Otherwise, she's going to be coming for your head when it's all over."
"She'd hardly be the first." he scoffed. "Though I'd like to point out Yūhi's fondness for overreacting."
"Oh yeah?" Sakura smirked, rocking on her heels. "I guess that means if Hashirama sent you out into the woods to wrangle a bunch of academy students overnight with only Madara for help, you wouldn't have any issues?"
"I'd kill him in cold-blood." Tobirama said.
"Your brother or Madara?"
"Yes."
Sakura's mouth quirked into a grin, "In all seriousness, isn't it nearly time to assign groups and head out? Did you consider using a shadow clone to stand in for the last instructor? It's not like a last minute replacement is going to—"
Someone shrieked, loud enough to draw attention to the academy's entrance. Dust billowed through the air like a heavy smog, everyone shielding their faces to the best of their abilities. Quite a few people were still coughing as it clogged their throats, Sakura included.
'What kind of academy student runs at speeds high enough to whip that much dust into the air?' she gagged.
Jade eyes squinted cautiously through the lifting cloud of dust. Three haggard children on their hands and knees huffed and puffed, all looking worse for wear. "Reira?" Tobirama called dubiously, as beguiled by the state they'd arrived in as she was.
No sooner did the brown-haired girl slump against the ground and dry heave than Madara Uchiha stepped unceremoniously over her wilted body, eyes penetrating Sakura's with predatory focus. Her mind dragged her back to the last time she'd seen the relentless Uchiha, alone in her kitchen, before she had fled to Tanzaku-gai.
There was no sense in denying, even to herself, that he had gotten the upper hand back then. The seductive words that caressed her ears and the allure of the almost-intimacy he had offered was, for a moment, all she could think of. Though that moment had passed. Here in this very crowded courtyard with everyone from Tobirama to the many attentively spectating children all around them, Sakura wasn't going to give him a chance to start up.
"What did you do to them?" Sakura briefly did a visual assessment of each child, concluding they were all just shell-shocked. "I've seen seasoned shinobi coming back from months behind enemy lines in better shape."
"That's an offensively impersonal greeting, Haruno." Madara tsked. "And a poor excuse for a thank you as well."
Sakura crouched beside Chisato, helping her stand up and holding her arm as she got her balance. "What am I thanking you for? These kids look like they've been through a natural disaster."
Reira, her hair coming out of its braid, shakily got to her feet. Sakura watched in concern as she clutched her stomach, a hard cough dislodging a single white feather from her throat.
"Minor details." Madara opined, plucking the chicken feather from the air and holding it between his thumb and index finger. "Instead of focusing on the manner of their arrival, be grateful they made it here safely."
"That's clearly relative." Tobirama objected.
The Uchiha ignored him, hauling Kagami to his feet and shoving him in Sakura's direction. "Young Kagami sustained a hit to his head this morning. I was merely making sure he got the proper treatment for it."
Sakura felt some of her heat melting away, redirecting her attention to the flustered boy. "Your head? Would you mind if I looked it over?"
"I don't want to cause any more trouble." he replied, shyly avoiding her eyes. "I'm the one that made Reira and Chisato late. I caused the hold-up for everyone waiting on us, too… And honestly it's just a small bruise." The medic nin was already carefully searching the crown of his head with gentle, probing fingers, glowing bright with chakra. It didn't take long to locate a sizable bump and soothe it with her healing touch, Kagami sighing almost inaudibly.
"You're too humble for your own good." Tobirama remarked. "This is merely meant to simulate the real conditions you may face while trekking through unknown forested areas, but you'll need to keep your wits about you. Had that bump to the head impaired you in any way, it would've come back to bite you later."
Madara cocked his head. "That sounds as close to concern as you're likely capable of being for an Uchiha."
"Don't assume you know every thought that runs through my head at all times." Tobirama bit out.
Already feeling a headache coming, Sakura decided it was the prime moment to intervene. "Okay, it's a little too early for ego measuring. I think all the kids are rounded up. It was…nice of you to help them get here, but you're not a sensei or a volunteer so there's not much point in you sticking around." The pinkette arched a brow, flippering him away with one hand.
"Not a volunteer?" An uncomfortable pause made the hairs on Sakura's neck rise. Madara's expression could only be described as plotting. "Is volunteering an option?"
"No." she and Tobirama replied in unison.
The children shuffled around them, no doubt sensing the tension. Madara, with his oh so contemptible talent for taking in the ire he caused in others and reveling in it, didn't even twitch.
"Not that the refusal needs justification," Sakura grumbled, "But I'll reiterate that you're not a qualified volunteer."
"Yeah, what she said!" Reira clung to the pinkette, sticking her tongue out at the raven-haired man. "Thanks for bringing us and all, but no thanks for almost making me choke to death on a chicken feather!"
"The youth of today isn't as sturdy as I remember being at your age," Madara chuckled. "Aren't you hoping to become a ninja one day? If swallowing a stray feather here or there is life threatening, then are you sure you'll be able to handle it?"
"Why you…!" Anticipating Reira's reaction—the girl's easily wounded pride reminding her so much of twelve-year old Naruto— Sakura was able to restrain her in time. Chisato clutched tight to one of the Senju's balled fists, muttering to her about a time and place for vengeance.
Although, Sakura was sorely tempted to let the little Senju leap at Madara and mete out whatever blows she felt were necessary to make them even.
"Madara-sama, stop provoking her!" Kagami coming to his friend's defense was sweet. At least there was one Uchiha present with some decency.
"This is why you'll never get to marry Sakura." Reira added, Sakura blinking hard at the sudden declaration. Where had…that come from? Had Madara said something strange to the children? No, not even he was that inappropriate. By this time, the kunoichi felt comfortable letting her go. The girl was suddenly acting particularly smug. She stood directly in front of Sakura with a wide grin, slanted brows, and hands on her hips. "You won't even get to come to her wedding with Tobi-nii."
"She's chosen to provoke him back." Chisato commented.
'Yeah, but why use me?!' The kunoichi thought.
Catching the sound of a deep inhale, she caught a glimpse of Tobirama running a hand down his face as he turned it away. "Honestly Reira, that joke's gone far enough." he said sternly, voice a little muffled by his palm.
Were his ears…pink? Sakura would've normally expected him to be unruffled by the childish claim, sans the dash of color on his ears that would prove otherwise. Clearly, she missed something.
Wrinkling her brow, Reira looked up at her clansman in vexation. "But I'm not—"
"They're going to be giving out instructions any minute now." Sakura said, attempting to change the topic, "If you're not paying attention you're going to be totally lost."
The bid to get the kids to refocus proved successful, thanks in part to Jun Okada's excellent timing. Sakura knew she had always liked the man for a reason. In going to the academy to teach medical ninjutsu, she had become better acquainted with many of the staff members. Okada-sensei was among her favorites, his empathetic teaching style reminding her of Iruka-sensei.
A man in his early forties who always came prepared with a pun or some good advice for the students, it was easy for her to see why he was popular with them. The extra chatter across the courtyard simmered into silence the minute he cleared his throat.
"It looks like everyone's finally gathered, so let's get started." He nodded approvingly. "Firstly, welcome to what's sure to be a memorable outing of survival training. You'll all score well, I'm sure."
"So much for maintaining some level of tension, Okada." Sakura heard a nearby woman chuckle. She too was an academy teacher, though the pinkette hadn't spoken to her often. If her memory served her—and it always did—she was in charge of ikebana lessons.
"Did everyone remember to bring the slips you were given yesterday? Take them out now and look at the code on them." Okada continued.
The children all began rummaging around in their packs or searching their persons, retrieving little slips of paper one by one. Reira, Chisato and Kagami pulled theirs out as well.
Sakura couldn't help taking a peek over their shoulders, noting that all three had different codes. They seemed to realize what that meant as Okada kept talking, disappointment on their faces, "We've divided you all based on your skills versus what we feel could be improved. The instructors here will now reveal which groups they'll be taking charge of."
"You can go now," Sakura mouthed at Madara, who was pretending to be greatly interested in seeing the students off.
"I can't take an interest in Kagami's placement in his group?" he retorted.
"Touching, but unnecessary." Tobirama muttered. "Though given your general disregard for your status as a public menace I doubt that means anything to you."
"I can't say that it does," Madara smirked, closer to Sakura than he was standing before. She shot him a warning look. "And your words specifically mean even less."
The kunoichi had a strong and unfortunate feeling that Madara was not going to make himself easy to shake.
Sakura could feel her hairs standing on end, a sharp breath sucking all the air from her lungs as her mind was sent plummeting back to fighting for survival in this very forest during the Chunin Exams. "You can't seriously be expecting them to tough it out in there?" she gaped. "They could die!" She and her teammates had barely made it out alive, fighting with everything they had, and these were children that hadn't even been promoted to genin.
Several of the students within earshot whipped their heads in her direction, faces void of color. Tobirama eyed her strangely, almost disapprovingly, at her outburst. "I think you're being a bit overprotective. They won't be going that far in. In fact, they're not allowed to travel any further than three miles from the entrance gates."
"You don't understand," Sakura whispered urgently, "It's not about the distance. The forest is dangerous. It has all kinds of giant flora and fauna, lots of poisonous plants, vicious animals and—"
"Sakura." Tobirama stopped her, placing a hand on her arm, "I've carefully scouted this area along with the instructors. We didn't find anything out of the ordinary that would pose any serious threat. The most peril they'll be in all night is from a stomach-ache if they forget to boil their water."
The kunoichi's brow scrunched skeptically. How could that even be? Anko Mitarashi had made them sign waivers stating they all understood agreeing to take part in the exercise meant they may not make it out alive. And, as it turned out, it wasn't just the proctor trying to scare them either.
Was it possible the Forest of Death hadn't always been so…deadly? She couldn't see Tobirama having any reason to lie to her, and if anything, often academy field training could be underwhelming in comparison to the real thing. They wouldn't really risk the students when they were just gaining some confidence in themselves as future ninja.
"We're all set if you are!" Yurine called, waving from a gate further down from the one they stood in front of.
"Right, give the signal. All students stand in front of your designated gate." Okada shouted, using chakra in his throat to amplify his voice.
"Remember the conditions," Tobirama addressed her in a low tone. Sakura bit at the inside of her cheek, nodding silently.
The students would be divided into groups, each graded on how well they could scavenge, set up camp, and effectively work as a team unit with their peers for the night.
Though, the sensei wouldn't be leaving them to completely fend for themselves. The kids had been given three flares per team, to signal they needed immediate help from the chaperones should they find themselves facing an obstacle they couldn't overcome themselves (or true danger). It was up to them to think strategically about when and how to use the flares.
"One thing I'm certain of, none of the children from the Uchiha clan will be calling for assistance if they can help it." Madara boasted. "They've been raised since infancy to be self-reliant."
Sakura crossed her arms, staring at him through one eye. "Maybe you should keep the bragging to a minimum. This just started. Plus, you're not even supposed to be here."
"Yes, and never say never." Tobirama added, even less impressed with Madara's presence than she was. "Any of them might choke under pressure. That tends to happen most with cocky personalities."
Neither of them missed the pointed words, designed to target Madara's ego. Surprisingly, the Uchiha turned up his nose, strolling through the gate after the children had already dashed in, dispersing through the forest. "Keep a close eye on them and see for yourself."
"I think I'm going to be keeping a closer eye on you." Sakura scoffed, subtly placing herself between the two men in case of a skirmish. "You're the liability that decided to tag along."
"We've been over this before, Haruno. I'm an outdoorsman. If you wanted the village youth to learn to fend for themselves in the wilderness, I would've been the best to call on."
"Yes, your ego would tell you that." Tobirama tsked. "We'll need to set up our own base of operations for the night." he explained, addressing her. "I have doppelgängers interspersed throughout the forest keeping an eye on things. They'll report back any abnormality, should one arise."
The pinkette caught the reassurance hidden in his eyes, smiling back in gratitude. Funnily enough, Tobirama wasn't so difficult to read now that she knew what to pay attention to. It was his way of showing her that he was taking the earlier concern she voiced seriously.
Knowing Tobirama was more than prepared to keep a watchful eye, Sakura turned her focus to the man whose gaze followed her every move. "Okay, I can't take this anymore," she declared, rounding on him. "Is there a point to you sticking around. I mean, an actual one that makes sense."
"What makes sense to me might make none to you, Haruno." he replied simply, taking in the lay of the land. "Or vice versa. For example I don't understand why of all companions you find his company stimulating. Spending time with Tobirama has to be similar to watching paint dry."
Sakura couldn't find that more untrue. Tobirama wasn't just a fellow intellectual, but a man with hidden layers and intricacies she would have never dreamed he had upon their first meeting. Now that she had seen them, the pinkette found herself fascinated, always pleasantly surprised at the next new side he showed her.
Though she supposed given that they had been foes for a long time before she came along, Madara wasn't likely to see it in the same way. Nevertheless, he was the one crashing into this scene, something Tobirama didn't seem keen on letting him forget. "If I'm the drying paint, you're the half empty paint can. Not all there, and missing about as much depth."
Sakura walked back and forth, making camp as they squabbled. Her thoughts drifted in and out between their 'conversation', if it could even be called that, and her musings on the forest itself.
When had the biome of the area changed so drastically? All the extremely deadly conditions they faced not only from the competition but the landscape itself felt like a far off nightmare compared to the peace that seemed to blanket the forest now. Then again, Sakura reminded herself, she was from some eight decades into the future. That was more than enough time for the Forest of Death to undergo its lethal transformation into the training field Chunin candidates feared.
Thinking while she walked had always been a habit of hers, and without really noticing, Sakura had wandered away from the men, drifting in no particular direction. Excited young voices bounced around up ahead, and she quickly ducked behind a tree, watching a group of children bound by, not discreet in the slightest. "They didn't do the best job covering their tracks." The baritone behind her caressed her nape. "Footprints, broken twigs. If they were animals tracking them would be painfully easy."
"They're children." Sakura spun to find there was hardly an inch to breathe between them. Knowing how Madara operated helped her keep her breathing level, staring deep into those onyx eyes. "The point of them doing this is to learn to get better."
"A fair point I can concede to," he chuckled, a sound that had her stomach clenching into molten lava knots. At this juncture it was all but undeniable that something was there. If Sakura wanted to be honest with herself, it went back further than that morning in the kitchen. Possibly all the way back to him saving her from that falling rubble. Something unspoken and potent.
And maybe Sakura had let her inquisitive nature drag her into less obvious mysteries at time or two, in the name of research, but this was Madara. She wasn't going to pull at that thread to find out where it went. She'd be crazy to consider it.
When the next group of children came around the bend, Madara tucked himself behind her, leaving Sakura's front pinned to the tree as his arms caged her in. They passed much more efficiently, skulking silently through the woods and covering their tracks in all the ways the first group didn't. The kunoichi could tell the Uchiha behind her was pleased by the noise in his chest she felt more than heard. "Much better."
She tried peering up, feeling his chin settled atop her head. "For who? You can get off now, they're gone."
He didn't step away immediately, but Sakura gradually felt the heat of his body moving. "I heard an interesting claim earlier," he said, reaching above her. The pinkette watched him study the leaf he pulled free from her hair. "That you're marrying into the Senju clan."
Heat flared to her face, Sakura recalling Reira's bizarre taunt. "Don't ask me. It was the first time I'd heard anything about it either."
"Then you're not interested?" Madara prodded, "Sakura Senju."
Her breath hitched at the name. So foreign, yet so…
"It has a certain ring to it, I'll admit that." Yes, he was admitting it. But Sakura could hear how disgruntled he was about it.
"But, if you're going to go around seeking out a new surname, Haruno, you could do better."
"The surname I have now works just fine for me," Sakura countered, satisfied that her voice hadn't cracked. "But when I do get ready to change it, you'll be the last person I tell."
Instead of coming back with a quip or something suggestive right away, Madara just stared at her, as if he were trying to get some sort of confirmation. "Time is a strange thing. It stretches far beyond anyone's understanding. No one knows how long the universe had already been in place before the arrival of mankind. But our lives are fleeting. More so for shinobi. We're all meant to die, sooner rather than later."
To say his deeply introspective words shocked her was to say the sky changed colors depending on the time of day. "What's gotten into you?" Suddenly he looked too wisened, like he had come too close to learning an unimaginably weighty secret. "You're acting…really reflective."
"Reflection is something any man who doesn't count himself a fool needs from time to time." Madara explained, "I'm not a fool, Haruno, whatever else I may be." The back of his gloved hand came up, glancing against her cheek. "I don't intend to squander it, whatever circumstances may have led to the moment."
The leathery feel of his glove coupled with the gentle touch had her a little weaker in the knees than she would have liked. Not that Sakura was willing to let him know. As of late, Madara had been going with a slightly milder, almost sweet approach, but it didn't mean she was willing to let her guard down.
"I won't let it all fall to ruin," Sakura couldn't tell if he was even speaking to her. His eyes were so faraway, it was like he was making a vow to someone unseen, "I make my own fate, and I choose what matters in this moment. Not anyone else."
Unsure what prompted the urge, Sakura pushed up, fingers brushing his cheek as he had touched hers. That alone was enough to have his deep eyes focusing back on her, the undetermined emotion fading away and the more confident grin appearing again. "One day, Haruno." he told her, and the pinkette knew he was promising her this time. What he was promising was something she was afraid to ask.
Thinking about it, it was pretty obvious they were going to leave her behind as soon as the training started. Kikue knew her team regarded her as the weakest link, and although the exercise was meant to highlight their teamwork, she was sure they felt they would do better without her.
As they ran through the forest, hunting for a secure area to serve as their camp for the duration of the activity, the young Kaguya quickly fell behind. The last glimpse of them she got before they completely ditched her was the smirk on Manabu Uchiha's face.
Frustrated, she kicked at a stone. Why was she even in his group? The instructors split them into teams without regard to age or who was in whose class, probably to see how they did with kids they weren't as familiar with. Although she didn't have close friends in her own class, Kikue was sure they would have at least worked with and included her. Now she was wandering around on her own with no idea what direction she was headed in, or if there was any point in trying to locate the rest of her teammates. With Tobirama-sensei's help, her sensory skills had greatly improved. She should be able to manage at least that much.
Would she fail the training if she went looking for Harihane instead? Her sister was on another team, and maybe she would be annoyed if Kikue clung to her, but it was better than being all alone all night. Her lip quivered, clutching the straps of her backpack. There was something nearby, something big.
Kikue spun in a complete circle, her breathing slowing as the sense of foreboding made her throat tighten.
The Kaguya barely had time to engage with her sensory perception, visualizing the red string in her mind, a five-point star across the furthest distance she could cast her range—three kilometers. It was speeding in fast from the west, but there wasn't so much as a sway of a tree branch.
Unsure what else to do, Kikue took off at a dead sprint in the opposite direction, air filling her lungs in shallow pants. Although she seemed to be successfully putting some distance between herself and whatever it was she had sensed, the terrified girl didn't dare slow down. If only she had a flare, she could alert their instructor, Susumu-sensei. But then even if she was in possession of one of the group's three flares, which Manabu declared only he was allowed to hold on to, she was sure that the older boy would be more than a little angry at her for using one so early.
Just as her knees began to shake, the girl considering pausing to catch her breath and get some perspective about where she was, Kikue spotted someone up ahead. She could have cried out in relief, recognizing the high collar and dark curls. Kagami Uchiha had always been patient and kind to her. If anyone would help now, it would be him. "Kagami-kun!"
No sooner had his name left her mouth than Kikue was thrown sky high, airborne as the ground underneath her feet split open, the stalker exploding violently from the earth with a piercing shriek.
Kagami watched helplessly from where he stood, a bundle of sticks in his arms, visibly horrified. Kikue landed hard on her stomach, pushing up on her hands and turning around to finally lay eyes on what had been chasing her from underground, coming face to face with what had to be the world's biggest centipede. It's beady eyes made her blood run cold, the sound of its pincers and multiple legs grating to her ears.
She was thrown back into a far off memory, someone crying out in agony after being bitten by the poisonous mukade centipede. He clutched his swelling arm, a grown man wailing pitifully like an infant. The overseers dragged him away, Jun'ichi warning her never to touch the shiny, slithering black creatures if she saw one.
"Watch out!" Kagami pointed, his call dragging her back to the present. The Uchiha attempted to run toward her. He was stopped short as the massive creature lunged, Kikue diving away in the nick of time. It hit a nearby tree, its head bashing against the trunk with a deafening crack. The girl stayed huddled in a ball on the ground, peeking through the arms thrown over her head to see a mighty tree crashing towards her.
"No!" The boy shouted, his footsteps heavy as he tried to reach her in time. Already, she knew he wouldn't. The whole world shook as the tree fell, everything dark and then light again.
"H-Hey…" Kagami's voice sounded nearby, and utterly distraught, "hey, are you okay?!"
Wriggling her hips, Kikue futilely tried to find purchase, first from the rough bark under her fingernails, and then from the soft soil beneath her body. Only instinctively hardening her already thick bones had allowed her to survive the impact of being stuck underneath a tree easily around a hundred feet tall. "I'm stuck…"
Although she couldn't see him, Kikue still heard his deep, relieved sigh. "Stuck is better than crushed. Let's get you free before that thing comes back!" After startling her, the centipede had considered its work to be done and tunneled back underground, its presence faint and growing fainter.
It probably wasn't the right time, but she could feel warmth spreading through her limbs and wetness springing to her eyes. "Y-You're gonna help me?" There wasn't a doubt in her mind that had she still been with her team, this is the moment where they would have left her to try freeing herself. "B-But we're not on the same team," she choked out.
Kikue had hoped Kagami would help her, even counted on it, in fact. But he could have refused. She wasn't on his team which meant she wasn't exactly his problem.
"That's the last thing that's important right now!" he declared, "Hold still while I try to figure this out." Kikue craned her head in vain, trying to catch even a small glimpse of what was happening. Kagami was standing just out of sight, and she heard the thunk of him dropping his backpack. A distant part of her wondered if hers, squished between her body and the ground, was okay.
Soft grunting had her blinking in curiosity, though she managed to refrain from asking him what he was doing.
"I just gotta attach this to the trip wire…" Kagami muttered to himself. "And reinforce this section with something sturdy maybe…?"
Kikue wiggled her toes, just to be sure she could still feel them, the boy busily pacing around all the while. It proved not to be without aim, Kikue finally spotting Kagami as he climbed up a nearby tree, kunai clamped horizontally between his teeth.
He shimmied onto a thick branch directly overhead before stopping, straddling it and then taking a deep breath. "When I jump, be prepared to slide out of there, alright?"
Not entirely sure what he was talking about—or why he planned to jump—Kikue nodded slowly. "O-okay."
The Uchiha leaned back and leapt without hesitation, gravity causing the wire attached to the kunai he was holding to pull taut under his weight as he descended. The massive trunk pinning her hostage began to creak, lifting up so that Kikue was able to roll onto her stomach and crawl out. Almost as soon as she had, it lowered again, Kagami's face red with exertion as he beamed at her.
"I'm so glad you made it out. Everything's fine, right? Nothing hurts? If you need medical help, I can get you back to the sensei and Sakura-san. I…I have a flare with me." he said, rubbing the back of his head. "Actually, maybe I should've used it to get help the minute you got trapped. Sorry, I panicked so much I wasn't thinking and I—"
Kikue threw herself at him. He stumbled in surprise, managing to stay upright with some clumsy footwork. All the emotion of the ordeal hit her with the force of an unguarded punch, tears she hid in his collar dribbling down her face. "I was scared. Kikue was so scared!" she babbled, her own name coming out in a distressed warble. Kagami didn't protest, didn't complain. He allowed her to get it all out, crying feebly into his shirt as he patted silently at her back.
When the tears ran dry and she was ready, the Kaguya scrubbed a hand over her swollen eyes, embarrassed. "H-How'd you do that anyway?" she mumbled, blinking the last of the residual tears away.
"Oh, um," Bending at the waist, Kagami plucked up a rounded metal plate, about eight inches thick in diameter. "I just made a quick pulley system to distribute the tree's weight and make it easier to lift." Kikue's eyes widened in awe. She wasn't sure exactly what he was talking about, but it saved her life. "N-Nothing special really!" he blushed. "And this is actually a training weight. I'm not really sure why Souta brought this with him," Seeing her bewildered face, he explained that Souta Senju was a member of his team for the exercise, "but he gave a couple to me saying I might need them…maybe to use as pulleys all along? Either way, they sure came in handy. I'm glad."
"Kikue too," she said earnestly, placing both hands to her chest and exhaling.
"Are you sure you're doing okay, though? There's no need to get you to a medic?"
"Mm-mm!" Kikue shook her head. "Cause Kikue can turn her bones harder than steel if she wants." The minute the words were out, she withered in shame, slapping a hand over her mouth.
Since coming to Konoha, she admitted to having ambivalence surrounding her kekkei genkai. Generally those in her peer group regarded it with cringes of muted disdain.
Unlike Junji or Harihane, using her Shikotsumyaku always made bones rip through her flesh grotesquely, skin slurping open to reveal the protruding calcifications stored within. It had always been an insecurity even among her clan, who could use their bloodline limit in a much quicker and more efficient fashion.
Coming to Konoha, where the Kaguya were treated with such heavy suspicion or contempt their first few months there, Kikue found she wanted to use her abilities less and less. If it made her less of a freak to hide it away, she was willing to do so, only comfortable using her kekkei genkai around her siblings and Yoku.
Kagami didn't look the least bit perturbed or grossed out, studying her thoughtfully. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. I'm kind of envious you've got such a versatile, useful kekkei genkai."
"Useful?" She squeaked, unable to help but hyperfocus on that word specifically.
"…You're truly unteachable." Her father spat, "The harder I work to instill these lessons into you, the more I see I've wasted my time."
Kikue struggled from the ground, her eye swollen shut, her body roaring with pain, and her breath labored. "You should have at least progressed to mastering a beginner level technique, but you haven't come close. Do you need to visit the Black Cells again, Kikue?"
All she could manage was a half-hearted whimper, lifting her chin from the dirt. "Get out of my sight. You're useless to me in this state."
Away from the clan, the only measuring stick she had were her brother and sister, both far more experienced and talented with the vicious grace of the Shikotsumyaku. While she had started to improve, Kikue knew better than to think she was on par with either of her siblings, even now. And yet this boy, an Uchiha with grace, talent and the adoration of their peers, found something in her to be envious of!
Kikue's heart sang, forming the notes to a melody she didn't quite understand yet.
Dusk was fast approaching, prompting him to wonder if his group had finished setting up camp. What was only supposed to be a short time away gathering kindling for their fire, turned into a much longer detour, and resulted in a new shadow who was tracing his every footstep.
Not that he minded. Kikue had insisted that she make it up to him, helping him regather all the sticks he'd thrown aside in his bid to save her, and even finding some more. Between the two of them, they had more than enough, their arms full as they conversed in the fading light of day.
Kagami found out a little bit more about her, and it made him wish he had asked her to join himself and his friends more. Sure, they were friendly with her during academy hours, but Kikue never hung out with them after the bell rang. Maybe after today that could change.
"So you were in Manabu's group, huh?" Hearing that, it made sense why she had been by herself, lost and vulnerable. Of course, that didn't make it right. Regardless of personal feelings, a team could only function so long as its members were willing to play nicely together, however temporary. "Well, after I check in on my group, I can help you find your way back to them," Kagami looked at her meaningfully. "If you want."
He wouldn't blame the poor girl if she didn't want; he knew how relentless Manabu could be when he decided to target someone. "Could Kikue come with you?" The big soul eyes were unnecessary, since Kagami hadn't planned to put up much resistance. "I promise I won't get in the way."
"Don't worry about it." Kagami smiled. "I don't think the others would mind too much if you at least got your bearings with us for a while."
"Thank you," she cheered, "thank you Kagami-kun, I—"
Kagami's eyes widened, watching as Souta came running in the general direction they had been headed. The direction of his team's camp. "Kagami! Really glad I found you! Oh, wait, who's this?"
"Kikue." Kikue waved as he introduced her. "But never mind that now, why are you so out of breath?"
"Oh that, yeah," Souta nodded rapidly as if already agreeing to words he hadn't said. "Manabu, it's Manabu. He and his team showed up and tried to kick us out of our spot!"
Very few things really rattled Kagami to the point of drawing forth anything vaguely resembling a temper, but a bully in action was one of them. "Are you going to be okay?" He asked Kikue, who nodded shyly. The last thing he wanted was to put her in an uncomfortable position, but he also wasn't going to let the older boy walk all over the others. They didn't deserve that.
He patted her shoulder in thanks, "Okay, then let's—"
Terrified screams sounded from up ahead, and then the very boy Kagami had been planning to confront tore past them with Miyako, Saya and Chikao, plus Kagami's team hot on his heels.
"Bear!" Chikao was shouting. "Bear! Bear!"
Danzo shoved at the stunned Uchiha as he passed, urging him to run. Kagami grabbed hold of Kikue, apologizing mentally as they all ran from an abnormally huge brown bear that stood over ten feet tall. Talking to Manabu would have to wait until they were all somewhere safe and in one piece.
Yurine watched, well out of sight of her students, as they began to set up camp and divide tasks. 'Good. It looks like they understand the assignment.' It wasn't that she didn't have faith. Even the class troublemakers showed potential in different areas. It was more so that she was, well…
"Antsy for them?" Her spine went ramrod straight, withholding the urge to suck her teeth.
They shared a hiding spot, Goemon's back resting against the bark and one of his knees drawn up to his chest, the other leg left to dangle down over the branch's side. Unlike her, who had to split her attention between the kids exploring the woods down below and the grown man she had somehow been left in charge of, her 'assistant' seemed completely comfortable and relaxed, which only aggravated her more.
"No," she hissed, keeping her eyes trained on the children, who were constructing a pit in preparation to build a campfire. "I mean, sssh. I thought we agreed you'd be seen and not heard."
"Requesting special permission to speak?" he joked.
Yurine peeled her eyes away from their charges, staring at him blankly. "Get it out."
"I couldn't help but notice you're kind of tense." He shifted, relaxing his posture even more. "Anything I can do to help?"
"Stay there, be still, and be quiet." Yurine muttered, returning her eyes to what the kids were doing. Hiruzen had gathered an armful of mushrooms, and he was currently separating the edible ones from those that weren't with Homura Mitokado.
"Fair enough." he replied evenly, "I just think the time would go by much faster if we spent it getting to know each other."
Although she had been doing her best to remain curt and impartial to discourage him from chatting her up, it didn't seem to be all that effective. So, she supposed sating his curiosity was a better method. "What exactly are you trying to find out?" she asked cautiously.
"Anything you're willing to share." Goemon said innocently.
Yurine twisted around, making sure to keep her balance as she stayed crouched on the balls of her feet, fingers spread for additional support. "Is this some indirect way of telling me you're bored?"
The samurai smiled, broad and roguish. "Having such a dazzling girl for company is refreshing enough." Yurine hated the way her cheeks began to grow heated, fighting to keep her face impassive as her heart got a little louder. Leaning his head back, Goemon stared up at what sky could be seen between the thick treetops, tone musing, "Maybe I'm selfishly looking to be indulged. I've been curious about you since our first encounter."
Down below, the children were following a line of Chisato's insects, which had been used to scout out more safe food they could forage for. Pride blossomed in her chest, watching her students apply everything they learned in their lessons to efficiently make camp. Koharu Utatane and Biwako Hagino remained with their supplies as the others trekked off after the bugs.
"Would you prefer if I spoke about myself first?" Goemon offered.
Raising a brow, Yurine blinked. "Oh, you were serious."
"Are we not both comrades under the Leaf now?" The Hatake countered.
Sensing he wasn't going to stop pestering her, the blonde silently relented. "I like jasmine tea after soaks at the hot springs and the smell of spring rain." she muttered, hoping dropping inconsequential tidbits about herself would be enough.
"Jasmine, huh? I'm more of a sencha tea man myself. I guess I owe that to my childhood." he huffed, carding a hand through his thick hair absently.
She tried to imagine a small Goemon—if he had ever been small in his life—sipping down a cup of sencha tea.
"Aren't most kids too picky for full-bodied teas?"
He lifted one shoulder in a shrug, eyes wistful. "I'd get myself sick a lot. Probably a hassle for my poor ma, now that I think of it. She'd always have to brew me some sort of sencha, because that was usually what we had on hand." Right. He had said his family didn't have much, and sencha was fairly inexpensive and easy to procure. "I'd be a real brat and complain about it too, but she was always so patient, staying by my bedside until I drank it all. She'd tell me she wasn't trying to punish me, she just wanted me to be well. Couldn't argue with that." Goemon cracked another grin that revealed his fangs, "Now, even when I'm on the road and stop at a tea house, I can't resist getting at least one cup of sencha. Reminds me of home. And when I can, I write letters and tell my folks about the tea houses I've visited, promise I'm taking care of myself."
A small part of her heart softened, clearly hearing the fondness he had for his parents. Whatever else Goemon Hatake may have been, he evidently was a caring son.
"Do you ever tell them about your other adventures, snatching treasure and sneaking through castles, or do you only stick to the parts of your travels you think they'd approve of?"
The words came out a little snarky, but Goemon barked a laugh, quieting himself at her sharp glare as she motioned to the girls below. "My parents are fully aware of what I make use of my skills for." he winked, "I even send them a cut so they can live comfortably and take care of things back home. I make sure everyone in our village doesn't have to wont for anything financially."
The solemnity that tightened his jaw had her swallowing roughly. 'What the hell's going on?' Yurine cursed.
It had been simple to staunchly wall off any endearment towards Goemon from taking root. Up until now, where sitting a mere meter apart from each other had her suddenly noticing the dip of a dialect she had never heard before, the back of her neck burning hot. "How generous…hm?" Flustered, Yurine flailed around under the attentive stare affixed to the side of her face. "W-Whatsa matter? Is it my turn or something?"
Goemon licked one of his fangs, nodding eagerly.
Yurine ducked her head at the small gesture, unable to contain her curious grumble, "Do your parents have those too?"
"What's that, milady?" He cupped his ear and leaned in. "I'm afraid you'll have to speak up a bit."
"Your teeth! Y-your fangs!" She opened her mouth and pointed inside, feeling foolish at the amused glint in his eyes.
"My father does, as a matter of fact." he answered calmly. "It's common enough on his side of the family, and so is a sharper than average sense of smell."
'Are they like the Inuzuka then?' Yurine didn't ask, although thus far Goemon had been fairly open.
"Tell me a little more about your family tree, if you're comfortable. You and your brother seem pretty close."
Yurine rolled her eyes, thinking of the cosmic joke the gods had played on her, making Kureno the older sibling. "You could say that. He goofs up in some way or another, I get on his case, but we're a good team." Growing up, Yurine wondered why she had the misfortune of winding up with a brother so mean, one that didn't try to understand her at all.
Though in hindsight, she hadn't cared much for understanding him either. As they grew older, they worked together in order to help their aging grandfather manage the clan. Then the Kaguya came and took everything from them. Until Sakura and Toka showed up, they had made a pact—them against the world.
All of that seemed a bit too heavy to get into so suddenly, and with a near stranger no less. So Yurine plopped down to sit on her butt properly. "I thought he was such a pain growing up, and he thought I had my head in the clouds all the time. But it's nice to know we have each other's backs. We've been through a lot together recently."
"I didn't know what it was like to have siblings before I met Saya and Tomoharu, so I'm still learning a lot of it as I go. I'm glad they have this now," he tilted his chin, indicating the group of children happily munching on berries and boiling mushroom stew. "It's better than me teaching them how to survive like rogues."
"You know," Yurine measured her next words carefully. "You're persistent, chatty and hard to read…but I can see you care a lot about your family. Scratching at her cheek, she spit out the rest before she could grow too embarrassed. "W-What I'm trying to say is even if you hadn't decided to come to the village, as long as they have you looking out for them, they would've been just fine."
Goemon placed a palm over his chest. "Coming from someone as great with them as you, I'll take that to heart."
"F-Fine, I meant it as a compliment anyway." Yurine sighed, "But don't read too far into it. I just mean I think when it comes to people you care about, you're probably reliable." She wanted to smack herself in the face. Now she was overexplaining herself, and it was all his fault. Or so she wanted to believe, but if she was being honest, he hadn't done anything.
"Hah, careful Lady Yurine," he teased, "Almost seems like you're warming up to me."
"What did I just tell you not to do!" Yurine tried to do her quietest scream. This was the exact reason she avoided him so often, and shot down any possibility of him having genuine interest. Goemon Hatake—or Ishikawa, as he had been when she met him—made a career of wearing a mask and being sneaky and charming. Truthfully, he'd make an excellent shinobi.
She'd been fooled once before, finding a helpful person who nudged her in the right direction when she was stumped or feeling inadequate. Yurine found that Goemon was fascinating, and for whatever reason, he showed an interest that no one else had. Her wishful heart had led her down more than one disheartening path before, Izuna just the latest infatuation that didn't go the way she wanted it to.
When they had met under such strange circumstances, could she really trust Goemon's candidness? Under no circumstances did she want to admit it, but it was…nice talking to him. 'Have I been too harsh? Why would he be deceiving me now when we're not enemies anymore?'
Making a decision she hoped wasn't hasty, Yurine stuck out her hand awkwardly.
The man studied it silently. "Hm? Something wrong?"
"I'm saying that we can be friends. I-If that's what you want." She stammered.
"Ah," The way his handsome face lit up was unfairly cute, like a child given his favorite ice cream. "It would be my honor to call you a friend, milady."
His big hand engulfed hers as he shook it warmly. The heat traveled from their touching palms, all the way up her arm, and she hastily retracted it. "Good," she mumbled. "Good talk."
Now she just had to get through the rest of the night…
He sat on what he supposed passed for a chair, back to the presence glaring holes into his head. It didn't take the Byakugan to imagine the face of scorn aimed in his direction, and it brought a smirk to his face. "You have something to say?"
Being silent for so long was probably eating away at a loudmouth like her. He could practically hear her teeth greeting together, making him smirk.
"How'd you even get picked to be our team leader?" she complained, "Have you even moved from that spot since we set up camp?"
Since he was in a gracious mood, Haruchika half-turned, meeting her reddened face as he unscrewed the top of the water canteen Hibari gave him. "Is there a reason I would have to? A good leader knows how to delegate, Raya."
The girl's face furrowed as she wiped it with the inside of her top. "Del…delegate?"
"Ah yes, you're the simple-minded one." He reminded himself, ignoring the ferocious hiss that came from her mouth. Crossing his legs, the Hyuga got as comfortable as the spot would allow. "What I'm saying is, being a leader is about knowing how to efficiently command those beneath you. Your face is puffy and you've already gotten ridiculously sweaty. That's a lot of exertion considering we have the rest of the night to go. It's better if I conserve energy."
"You're just using a fancy word to say you won't help!" She accused, dropping the sticks she'd collected with a clatter.
"I never said I wouldn't. You have an uncanny habit of making assumptions." Haruchika admonished. "I just think a person's role should play to their strengths, and mine is leading. If I need to protect everyone from danger later in the night, I can't be tired from running around climbing trees to get bird eggs or picking up loose twigs for kindling."
"Who says you're the strongest?" Raya challenged, getting into his face. Haruchika could smell the sweat on her, see the fire burning in her brownish-orange gaze. He took a minute to admire his reflection in their depths. Often times when his academy peers stared at him so openly, it was either covetous or with fascination. To them, he was the mannerly Hyuga heir they had come to admire, the golden boy who could do no wrong. Even the sensei were taken in, if he said so himself.
Very few had witnessed his more temperamental, erratic side, and aside from that pompous Shimura boy (and naturally his cousin), this girl was one of them. For being so chatty, it was refreshing to know she seemed to have kept her mouth shut. Haruchika was free to be himself, none of the stuffy pomp and circumstance expected of his station. And so long as she didn't succumb to loose lips, he felt comfortable continuing to speak to her without the veneer of practiced decorum. "I thought that was obvious, Raya."
"It's Reira!" She fumed. "Rei-ra!"
Haruchika gave her a slow blink, pausing as he contemplated why it mattered what he called her. Some people were so picky. "Well, whatever you're called, I'm the strongest." he asserted.
"You think so, twerp?" One of the others was back.
She stepped out of the forest's shadows, an eye-catchingly red splatter of blood on one side of her face, a fresh deer carcass towed effortlessly behind her. Reira gasped, placing a hand over her mouth.
Determined not to lose the battle of wills that started the second their eyes met, Haruchika fingered the end of his hair in disinterest. But inside, it was all the Hyuga could do not to turn away and gag. His spirit wanted to rise in indignation and flee the area to dry heave.
The sight, the scent of freshly spilt blood from the precise neck wound that had felled the deer. It was disgusting. The Hyuga had designated Side Branch members who did some hunting now and then when his father requested game. But mostly, the clan had civilian farmers it purchased from for products like poultry, fish and beef. Regardless, Haruchika had never had the displeasure of seeing the animal he would eat lying dead at his feet.
The boy slowly looked up from the fat doe's unseeing eyes to the smug expression of the Kaguya who had stepped triumphantly out of the woods. Oh, how he wanted to wipe away that smirk, assert his superiority the way he did against that Shimura boy. But his father had told him about the Kaguya. They sounded as savage as they came, and he was all too willing to stay far away from the two girls at the academy who came from such an unstable clan. Up until this exercise, when the older girl was placed in his group.
Standing before him with blood Haruchika was positive wasn't hers dripping down her cheek, twigs in her untidy black hair and a proud, primal glint to her eyes, she was the very image of feral.
"Whoa, you took down a whole deer?" Reira squeaked, "By yourself?"
"I didn't take down half of one, now did I?" The Kaguya sassed, finally letting go of her kill. When she walked straight up to him and held out her hand, Haruchika leaned away, confused and slightly repulsed.
Scoffing impatiently, she seized his canteen, ripping it from his hand before he had time to protest and glugging down most of what was left. The remainder she used to pour on her face and wash the blood away, tossing the empty container back at him unceremoniously. Haruchika dropped it on the ground, unable to hide his disgust once the shock wore off. He would have Hibari destroy it later, he decided, wiping his hand off on his pants.
"I can't believe you brought back a deer that big, Harihane!" Reira was crouching beside it, tilting her head in examination, because of course that one was uncouth enough to want to be near the dead animal. "I thought you were just gonna look for some fruits and stuff."
"Started to, then came across this deer and decided this would be better." Harihane explained, plunking down on a log not far from his and removing a long, viciously sharp bone from her forearm. Now Haruchika had to disguise his audible reflex to gag as a hiccup. "I don't know how your clans do it, but growing up in my family, if I didn't want to have to eat the rabbit food the servants grew, I had to learn some hunting. Dropping a buck twice this big isn't hard now, but I guess for tonight this'll do."
"That's way too much meat." The Hyuga stated, fighting to keep his expression composed. "It's more than a night's worth of meat. That could feed a group twice this big for a week."
"You trying to tell me you don't want your share then, pretty boy?" Harihane looked up from her spot kneeling beside the deer, lifting the bone she had been tracing against its hide to wave around. "More for me. I could eat half of this by myself by sundown."
"Half of what by sundown? I'm starving, and these mushrooms and nuts we got ain't gonna be much after we split 'em between us." The last two had returned from the tasks they had been assigned, Hibari and some boy from the Uchiha clan. Yet another family he was wary of, though more of a point to honor the age-old Hyuga and Uchiha feud.
"Harihane hunted down a big deer for us to share!" Reira jumped up, pointing down at the deer as if she had been the one to get it.
"No kidding?" The Uchiha eyed the carcass ravenously. "Thank the gods, real food." He shoved the basket of nuts and mushrooms he'd been holding at Hibari and walked over, rubbing his hands in anticipation. "You gonna start skinning it? I can help. And I know the best way to cook this sucker once it's ready. I can get it nice, juicy and tender." he boasted.
"As long as you don't screw it up and make it chewy, fine," Harihane placed the bone between her lips and picked up the two front legs, "Help me carry it down to the stream and we'll skin it there. Don't wanna offend the little prince's delicate sensibilities."
Haruchika didn't even dignify the jab with a response. Was he the only one with even a shred of civility in his bones, the only one that didn't see a dead animal and start instantly salivating? Well—he looked over at his cousin—Hibari wasn't reacting either. But she never really reacted to anything.
The two towed the deer away, and Hibari began to construct what would become their campfire for warmth and cooking. Without being asked, Reira jumped in to help, his cousin not acknowledging her at all. "Hey…is it true?"
There was a beat of silence before Haruchika snapped out of his grumpy thoughts, realizing the Senju was speaking to him.
"Is what true Raya?" He asked sharply, purposely using the wrong name.
"You know it's Reira," she bit out, surprisingly catching on immediately. "And I was talking about what Harihane said. Is it true you have 'delicate sensibilities'?"
Putting on his most gentlemanly smile, Haruchika crossed his legs, propping his elbow on them and leaning into his hand. "It's true I have very little patience for simple-minded girls who believe every baseless rumor they hear. So don't go spreading that around or your hair might accidentally get too close to the fire and burn off."
Reira clutched at her braid in horror, sealing her lips into a tight line as she stared over at him. Snickering quietly, Haruchika turned his head to the side. "That's what I thought…" he muttered. "Remember what I mentioned to you in the hall that day. Whatever you think you saw or heard, it'd be best for you if you conveniently developed amnesia about it."
Reira obediently dropped the matter, letting their camp lapse into silence.
"In the event that things go south, as I half suspect they will, let the records show that I was against this." Noboru reluctantly shrugged out of his armor, staring down at his bare front with an irritated twitch of his whiskers. He had never felt so naked.
"Oh Noboru, you can't be against everything." Lady Chuya said good-naturedly, plucking up his armor. In her massive paw it looked like no more than a small stone. "The point is that you appear inconspicuous. Don't give the humans any reason to suspect that you're more than an ordinary otter."
Noboru ran a paw down his chest, missing the feeling of his breastplate already. It had been with him through every battle, bestowed on him when he reached adolescence by his father. "I never thought I'd see myself stoop this low to aid a human…playing the part of a dumb animal."
"No one I can think of is better suited to the role." Noboru bristled, grinding his teeth as he set eyes on the smug female otter by Lady Chuya's side.
Kuri never hesitated to jab mercilessly at his pride, often calling him uptight and paranoid. Not that he expected an otter who was originally an outsider to understand why he took his duties as a warrior so seriously.
She had come with her parents from a land beyond Fire Country's borders when they were both young. They were refugees, some of the last survivors from a clan that was driven to near extinction by humans and faced the loss of their home due to pollution, as well as their ancestral river drying up.
There weren't many other otter pups his age at the time, so his parents and hers pushed them together, hoping they would become good friends. No one counted on the two barely being able to tolerate being in close proximity.
Kuri had aspirations of becoming a warrior, just like he'd been training to be. But that wasn't the path her parents—traumatized by the violence they fled—wanted for their only pup. Instead, she was trained by the clan's best armorers, able to learn to make weapons but never allowed to use them.
In a way, Noboru pitied her. Or he would, if she didn't declare herself his rival and make a point to try humiliating him out of envy at every turn.
"Now none of that, Kuri." Kuri's ears pressed to her head, Lady Chuya's soft admonishment enough to make her sheepish. Kind green eyes settled on him, and Noboru stood straighter, up on his haunches. "Though, it's true that no one's better suited for what Tobirama's asked of us. Not because you'll be acting as a simple otter, but because we trust your sense of judgement and observation."
Noboru bowed, blessed to have his lady's full confidence. He could complete this mission; the otter refused to let his reputation as reliable and steadfast be tarnished simply because it was for the sake of that human. All he had to do was think of it being for the service of his clan.
Closing his eyes, the dark-furred otter took one last long, deep breath of the crisp valley air. He would miss this slice of paradise that the Otters of Choshu's Neck called home. The bliss of true peace had finally wrapped itself around their homeland at last, the threats the dangerous humans Tobirama and Sakura had driven away no longer looming over them. Even their once fierce adversaries, the beavers, seemed to be honoring the peace treaty.
As he swam up river, passing otter kits at play on the springy grass near the bank, or adults hard at work harvesting pearls as they fished for oysters, Noboru was already envisioning his return to The Couch.
The trip to Hagi Island would undoubtedly be a long one, even for a strong swimmer who took minimal rests. It would take him out of the valley, through Kawa Pass, and out to the Roran Sea. All for the sake of reporting back to Tobirama on the activities of a burgeoning human settlement far out at sea.
Being that it was so far from the village the Senju clan called home, Noboru hardly saw the point in troubling himself to retrieve the information. However, the integrity of his entire clan hinged on his returning in a timely manner with the news. If there was one thing he could humble himself for, it was the reputation of the Otters of Choshu's Neck.
As far as days to work outside went, it was a perfect one. The weather was neither too hot or cold, and there was ample shade. The young man sat and sanded down the bottom of the boat he had just about finished repairs on, taking a moment to swipe at the sweat slowly accumulating on his brow.
"Whoo, you're a real skilled hand when it comes to repairs, eh? She's looking nicer than I've seen her in years." His head lifted at the approach of his client, shaggy hair swaying right into his face. Grunting, he discreetly blew a strand from his vision. That's what happened when he forgot to keep a damned hair tie handy.
Old Man Akihei pulled three gold coins from his embroidered purse, holding them toward the young man with a smile. "For you."
"Wha—wait a minute, the price was five silver pieces. This is too much. Plus the work's not even done...still got a paint job to go through."
"Think of it as a down payment then," Akihei leaned forward, depositing the money into his hand. "You're doing a fine job, and so quickly. I've got full confidence in the finished product." The old man winked, giving his shoulder a solid pat that still had a fair bit of strength.
Closing a fist around the money, the craftsman finally gave the elder a grateful nod. "Appreciate it."
"Hey, Kakuzu!" His eyes narrowed at the sound of his name. Life must have been so leisurely from Samaru's point of view. The guy had to have saved a nation in his past life, because things always seemed to fall into place for him. It should've made him easy to hate, but instead something about his cocksure grin and fantastical stories was hard not to like. Good thing too, since Samaru Aguni was only one step above being an outright slacker.
"Predictable of you to show up when the work is done for the day." Kakuzu mused, dusting his hands off as he stood. "What kept you this time? Slept in?"
"Nah, I was on my way here, I swear." That innocent stare paired with the open-mouthed pout might have worked on some of the women in the village, but unfortunately for his friend, Kakuzu didn't have such a delicate constitution. "It's just, I ran into this girl,"
Kakuzu traded looks with Old Man Akihei, already knowing where the story was headed. "Madoka?" Samaru had been working on buttering her up for a while.
"No, no," The other man moved his arms in an 'X' to indicate incorrectness. "Teruko." he sighed dreamily, "You know Teruko?" It was a rhetorical and pointless question.
Everyone knew the gullible, easily flattered village airhead that worked as an assistant record keeper—of all things for a scatterbrained girl to do— in the library. She was too hazard prone to make any sort of decent kunoichi, and most importantly, she had an absolutely mean older brother who was adamant about not letting any eligible man that came calling near her.
Oblivious to Kakuzu's disbelieving stare—Samaru must have had a bigger head problem than he always suspected to set his sights on her—he went on in awe, "She's the one with the gorgeous smile, stylish clothes and big, soft…"
"Ahem," Akiheito cleared his throat before Kakuzu got the chance to.
Samaru, practically drooling with his hands held out in front of his chest, flushed just slightly. "Right. So her. She was about to be toppled under some books that fell off the shelf, I assisted. She was so thankful she asked if I'd like to stop at the tea house for a chat and one thing lead to another—"
"I won't even ask why you were in the library when we both know you wouldn't read if your mother's life depended on it." Kakuzu cut in, not bothering with the black-haired young man's incredulous gaping. "Not to mention that's nowhere near the boatyard we're standing in."
"You're getting a little too easy to see through, or maybe that's just a testament to your friendship." Akihei rubbed his chin. "At any rate, I'd better run. I'll see you boys later. And keep up the good work there, Kakuzu."
Kakuzu tipped his chin in acknowledgement as the old man ambled off.
When he was further away and out of earshot, he rounded on his friend once again, green eyes cutting into Samaru's dark ones. "What else held you up?"
"Okay," Samaru looked very guilty yet simultaneously entirely unapologetic. "Okay, you got me. I really was with Teruko." When his voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper, the taller shinobi knew it meant nothing good. "It's just that things progressed past the tea house and got a little carried away, if you catch my drift."
"Unfortunately," he grumbled. "And you're a dead man when word gets back to her brother."
"Oh come on, man!" Samaru held both palms up in surrender, laughing nervously. "Say he doesn't find out."
"He will."
"Who will?"
Kakuzu would have taken almost any out from this conversation, but that voice especially was music to his ears. There was just something about the grace of her walk that he never got tired of, though he shot Samaru a murderous gaze when he stared at the young woman's legs for too long.
"Samaru's gotten himself into hot water, sniffing around Teruko Jikihara. He just isn't ready to admit it yet."
Placing her weight on one leg, the pink and white clad woman cocked her hip, putting her hand on it for good measure. "You're going to try courting Jikihara?" she murmured, shaking her head at the mere thought. "Now what's a sweet girl like her done to deserve a pest like you?"
"Seriously, Ibayashi?" Samaru cut them both a half-hearted glare.
Ignoring him, Ibayashi walked right past the sulking Samaru, and up to Kakuzu. He looked down at the top of her blonde hair, in its usual puffy upturned curls, admiring the pale green eyeshadow over her lids that brought out the color of her tawny gold irises beautifully. "The village elders called for you, said it's important."
"I'd better go then." Kakuzu looked at the boat he and Samaru were supposed to work on together that day. "Put that up for me, will you? I trust you can manage at least that much on your own."
Though the suddenly petulant shinobi did little more than grumble under his breath, he began dragging his feet to sluggishly comply.
Rolling his eyes, Kakuzu made his way down the line of docked boats, finding his own and beginning to work the knotted rope loose. He'd barely dragged it to the lake's edge when Ibayashi made herself comfortable, picking up the set of oars. "What's that look for?" she chuckled. "I wouldn't mind a stroll on the lake before I have to get back to work."
Kakuzu smirked, pushing the boat on the gentle water and then climbing aboard. He reached to take the oars from her, but she only began to row. "Could've let the elders send a raven if you were so anxious about being away from work," he pointed out.
"Are you saying you'd prefer a bird's company over mine?" she retorted.
"Who'd say a thing like that?" Sada Ibayashi was perhaps the only woman since his mother who could pull a genuine grin from him, or get his heartbeat thumping. Graceful, confident and charming, Sada had quite a few hearts in her hands, but Kakuzu knew he was the only one who had hers.
That was why one day soon, he would ask her to be his eternally, buy her a ring or a necklace or whatever kind of trinket she wanted and make her his wife.
Saving up the money had caused him to pinch every ryu, but he was managing fine. Growing up in near poverty tended to make for a frugal mindset anyway, so it was nothing he wasn't already used to. His mother had imparted not only her shinobi arts onto him, but a bevy of skills he used to find odd jobs to do around the village, and the right kind of money-saving habits.
When she died, he had set out to find something to do, something lucrative, like becoming a shinobi for hire to some daimyo with cash to blow. That wasn't quite what'd happened. Instead, Kakuzu found himself in Takigakure, one of their finest ninja roughly eight months later, and gradually building a life for himself.
The sun glistened off the water, Sada turning her head away and lifting her shoulder as if to shield her eyes. "Nice weather we're having huh? Spring came fast this year."
"Hm," It was true, but Kakuzu had barely noticed. As he looked around, the man realized how much the season suited a scenic place like Takigakure. At the edges of the thick, forested land, houses had been built, most facing the lake they were rowing across.
The village's best known landmark was its magnificent waterfall, pouring down from the large, almost perfectly circular body of water that shone its vivid, reflective blue on days like this one.
But in his opinion, the giant, mighty oak tree in the center of the lake was its own marvel to behold. Given its enormous size, it had to have been standing for thousands of years, stretching far enough to shade the whole village at once. Cats probably hated living in Takigakure with so few sunny spots to nap in. Its human residents on the other hand found a lot to love about it, and secretly, he was no exception.
"What do you think they want?" he finally asked, lowering his hand to skim the water.
Sada tilted her head, a contemplating pout to her glossy lips. "That's not something I really know. But if they know what's good for them, they'll recognize you for all the contributions you've made to the village."
His heart warmed over her faith in him, some of the apprehension falling away.
The boat glided smoothly to a halt, bumping against the dock. Sada was the first one out, already mooring the vessel. "Go on in and meet with them, I'll secure this."
Kakuzu carefully stepped onto the dock, nodding. "Thanks. See you tonight?"
"You bet." She agreed, seizing his forearm before he could get far. "Hey, aren't you forgetting something?"
Smirking lightly, Kakuzu leaned down as Sada got on her tiptoes, cradling his cheek and pressing a long kiss against the corner of his mouth. "There, now you can go hotshot."
Hotshot, huh? He'd have to see if the village's leadership agreed. Kakuzu rolled his shoulders, loosening them after having spent so much time hunched over the boat all morning.
The dock swayed gently as he made his way toward the estate situated on the plateau of the small hill. The ninja hadn't had reason to visit since completing a simple paint job touch up to the sign mantled on the roof some months back. The residence was much the same as it was back then—wooden exterior, shingled red rooftop that tapered into slightly curving points, and an upper balcony stretching around the entire second floor.
This was the only building in the middle of the lake, a way for their leader Hisen to be equidistance from all parts of the village. No one loitered outside as he approached; in fact the faint creak of the hinges when he pushed his way into the residence was lonely.
The eerie stillness was swiftly remedied by a door near the entrance sliding open, a friendly face popping out. "Oh, Kakuzu you made it!" Daigo, glasses askew and hair as disheveled as his clothes once again, tried to keep his grip on the impressive amount of paperwork in his arms.
If he set it down, Kakuzu was positive it would come up to the teenager's knees. He was something of a fixture here, always flitting about, doing whatever task they gave him earnestly and with vigor. "Lord Hisen and the elders are all waiting in the receiving room."
"Got it," Feeling sorry for the struggling boy, he paused. "You need help?"
Daigo waved him off, and it almost cost him his grip on the papers. Righting things in his arm before disaster struck, he pasted on a small smile. "This? It's nothing I can't handle. A guy doesn't need big muscles like yours to get this done, so don't worry about me. Just don't keep Lord Hisen waiting too much longer. It seemed urgent, whatever it is."
Not bothering to argue with the page, Kakuzu traveled further into the manor, knowing his way to the receiving room by heart. It was hard to miss, straight back and at the end of the hall, the kanji marking the wood painted bright red.
The young man barely got one knock in before being told to proceed, entering the room to find Lord Hisen and the elders having tea, just like Daigo had said.
"Kakuzu, thank you for coming so promptly." Hisen, the village leader, greeted with a pleased lift of his brows. He sat comfortably on his tatami mat, always preferring more spartan decorating than the "stuffiness" he associated with a traditional office. Kakuzu saw a spare mat had been placed close to the center of the gathering, and bowed before taking his seat.
"Well, I'm not summoned all that often out of the blue, so I didn't want to delay."
"Of course. You must be curious, although your face is as hard to read as ever." Hisen said lightly, motioning to the teapot. "Would you care for a refreshment?"
"No thank you." Placing his hands on his thighs, Kakuzu looked around. The men gathered together looked quite comfortable, as if they had met for each other's company and no other occasion in particular. But clearly they wanted something from him. Something important.
Their village had no official title outside 'village leader', which was a flexible term in itself, as Lord Hisen and his selected council moved jointly to govern. However, when he came to receive his missions, four older men were hardly ever present, and certainly not all at once. "If you don't mind me saying so…I can't help but suspect there's something going on out of the ordinary."
"The boy's just as astute as you said, Hisen!" One of the men sipping tea guffawed. He had prominent jowls, the skin of his neck and cheeks sagging under the pull of gravity. Kakuzu never cared much to remember the leadership's names or exactly what role they played in managing the village, but he knew this balding man to be in charge of the treasury. His family name was something with an 'O' in it.
"Feeling excitable, Ogawa?" asked another of the elders. "Let's let Hisen finish."
Ogawa. That was it.
"Sorry, sorry, please continue."
"As I was saying. Kakuzu, have you heard of Konohagakure?"
Kakuzu sat up, slowly turning the question over in his head. Yes, he'd heard of it. Who hadn't? The first major shinobi village to crop up in an elemental nation, and with a mixture of ninjas from all different clans. Including the Senju and the Uchiha. It was all but confirmed that the model for Takigakure was based on Konoha's.
"Yeah, over in Fire Country."
"Precisely." Hisen nodded, setting down his tea. "It's headed by a shinobi with a famed reputation. Some might even say legendary."
"Hashirama Senju," an elder murmured. "Surely you've heard that name too,"
"He's a tough one. Most shinobi in their right minds aren't going to tangle with him unless they've got a good reason." Kakuzu replied. "So what's this about, Lord Hisen?" The man's smile was soft and knowing, his salt and pepper hair kept out of his face by his hitai-ate. Time had carved the beginning paths of laugh lines around his mouth, bracketing his thin lips.
"Kakuzu my boy," he sighed, "Konoha has only been in existence for just over a year, yet it stands as a sprawling metropolis compared to our quiet little Takigakure. It has the wealth, influence and skilled shinobi to make it an easy choice for those looking to employ a village of ninjas."
Ah, it came down to money then. Not that Kakuzu could understand. Running a village wasn't a cheap undertaking, and the easiest way for mercenaries to get money was to be marketable, desirable. As their competitor, Konoha had a definite edge in almost every way.
"You, though, are exceptional." Hisen praised. "Easily one of our most talented shinobi. I can only see you growing stronger. That's why the elders and I would like to make you a proposal."
Swallowing quietly, Kakuzu leveled them all with his most interested stare. "I'm listening."
"Destabilizing Konoha could be our swiftest route to bolstering the fortunes of Takigakure, wouldn't you say? We could take its place, and in turn the whole village would keep growing and prospering."
"How do you propose…to do that?" Kakuzu asked carefully, the muscles in his biceps twitching.
"When a potent snake crosses your path, you cut off its head before it can strike at your heel." explained an elder, waving his hands grandly. "We'd like to use that strategy."
Hisen steepled his hands together as Kakuzu's eyes narrowed, piecing together what was about to come. "Hashirama Senju must be assassinated, and we'd like you to do it."
"Ah," Kakuzu pulled his lips taut, thinking on his next words, "That seems near impossible at best and suicidal at worst. I've heard the stories about his Wood Release."
"Yes, in your current state, it'd be hard to match that sort of overwhelming ability." Hisen agreed, standing up. "Which is why we'd like to boost your chances, should you choose to accept that is."
No one spoke as he moved silently, stopping in front of a rice paper door and then unceremoniously yanking it open. Four people of varying ages filed, all of them shinobi of the village just like him. Kakuzu was yet again thrown for a loop, unable to figure out what they were doing here. A team of five was just as likely to be slaughtered by the Mokuton as a single shinobi. He was just about to voice this, when one of the elders pointed at the ninja standing silently at attention.
"You see, unbeknownst to most, there is a secret technique in the village. Quite powerful, and quite unorthodox. It involves some…sacrifice, we shall say. But you would gain the strength of these four. You'd become nigh immortal."
Kakuzu's eyes widened, stopping to rest on the youngest person in the room unsurely. She was a girl of no more than fourteen. "Sacrifice? You mean these four?"
"They've already agreed. They're most eager to assist in the service of the village. Their lives are the investment needed for its thriving future. Their families will be compensated generously, so don't hesitate on their accounts."
"What exactly about sacrificing them would make me immortal?" Kakuzu pressed a hand to his chest for emphasis. "Last I checked, once my heart stops ticking it's over."
"You've just answered your own question." Hisen patted the young girl's shoulder. "It's all in the heart. Or hearts. You will take theirs, each of them having a different chakra nature. In binding their hearts to your body, you'll gain significant power and full use of their chakra natures!" Hisen's eyes were shining in excitement, Kakuzu struggling to keep pace. "Not to mention, having four additional hearts means living four times as long."
"Huh, so that's it."
"Well? Aren't you impressed?" An elder huffed impatiently. "We don't offer this chance to just anyone."
"I get that, but still…this is heavy. Lots of decisions to make here." Kakuzu got to his feet, staring across the room at each of the council. "So I'll think about it and let you know."
"We'd really rather you tell us now." The same impatient elder argued, "We've entrusted you with some top secret information, and while we doubt you'll experience a case of loose lips, it's better to ensure everyone is on the same page."
Kakuzu bristled, a barely restrained growl in his throat. "Like I said—"
"Kakuzu, I know you care for the village enough to do this," Hisen coaxed, tone gentle with understanding. "And I know about your relationship with Sada Ibayashi. Think of the life you could provide for both her and yourself if you returned to the village a hero, the one who launched us into a new era of ultimate prosperity. The bounty for Hashirama Senju's head would keep your grandchildren living comfortably."
For just a minute, Kakuzu did think. He had been working hard and saving often, hoping to get Sada a nice ring she could wear and be proud of. But with the reward of this mission, she could have more. A ring, a necklace, every nice dress in the store.
There would be a beautiful home on a big chunk of land, neither of them having to want for anything. Kakuzu had never put much thought into the family they might have one day, but Hisen was right. He could give them every extravagance he never had, a father who could provide for and dote on them. He, in comparison, had never even learned his father's name. His mother was so bitter about the manner in which he left them shortly after he was born, she refused to utter it even on her deathbed.
Children in his old home teased him about having no family name, telling him he might as well have been a bastard. It was a rough upbringing, one that only got tolerable when he learned to fight for himself, doling out black eyes and broken ribs in exchange for disrespect.
"Say I'm interested, then what? I can't waltz my way into Konoha and announce I'm there to behead their leader."
Some of the council chuckled, Hisen wearing an indulgent smile. "We'll handle the arrangements of luring the Hokage away from his village. In the meantime, if you've made your decision, we can begin the ritual tonight. You'll need time to adjust to the changes."
The four intended to be the sacrificial lambs didn't twitch, no palpable fear or anger. It seemed they really had decided to go through with it. Everyone was only waiting on his word…
"Fine," he said at last, "Make me a monster."
It had been some time since she woke up with such a heavy, oppressive sense of melancholy clawing its way into her chest. Maybe that had made her complacent. Sakura rolled to her side, stretching lazily in much the same way Usamaro was doing. Chirping, her cat gave her a few good morning head butts, pressing his face to hers with a steady purr.
"G'morning," she murmured, scratching at the back of his ears, which only made him snuggle in closer.
The deep affection Usamaro always granted her so easily soothed down a little of the inexplicable ache, giving Sakura the energy to crawl from bed. The feline, suddenly deciding he had never been more deprived in his life, got on his back feet to paw at her, meows coming out sounding more like whines.
Sighing, the pinkette indulged him, pulling him up into her arms. He stretched his neck, the top of his furry head tickling her chin. "Thanks," she squeezed him gently. Usamaro never failed to notice the slightest shift in her mood and act accordingly.
Although she still wasn't sure why, Sakura had a feeling she was going to need to lean on his silent support today. The lonely thrum in her heart became stronger when she happened to step into the front of her house, passing a window Usamaro often stared out of or napped near.
The solitary petal that fluttered by stopped her so abruptly that her forehead nearly knocked the glass. Sakura couldn't help but fixate on the soft shade and unique shape, years of memories rushing back to her in a blink.
There she was, hardly older than an infant as her father raised her high on his shoulders, letting her reach her chubby hands up to try and touch the cherry blossom petals as they began the descent to earth. Her parents walked slowly with her between them, indulgently pausing each time she stared up at the sky, pointing and gasping as more of the petals came down.
This was her namesake, they explained, spring cherry blossoms. Sakura remembered being older, an academy student, still shy and partially hiding behind her father's leg when she thought she caught a glimpse of a dark-haired boy with a red and white fan on his shirt. All it took was one of her father's famous corny jokes and her attention was back on enjoying the cherry blossoms with her family.
Each recollection wove itself into a tapestry of nostalgia that played out before her eyes as if she was there again. Times where she had bumped into Ino before their reconciliation, forcing them to call a truce, too concerned with disturbing the serenity of the viewing for others nearby to start up one of their infamous squabbles.
Other instances where she and her teammates had been left waiting on their late sensei once again, the cherry blossom petals all around them. In some way or another, they had always been part of the backdrop that heralded spring in full bloom for Konoha. From her earliest memories up until just last year, Sakura reveled in stepping out of the house to the sweet fragrance in the air and the delicate vibrancy of the pink-dotted trees.
Now, unlike springtimes past, the young woman could feel a growing weight building inside. She instinctively knew languishing around the house would make it worse, but Sakura wasn't entirely sure stepping outside would make it better.
The pinkette carefully set Usamaro down on the window ledge, the feline staring between her and the world just beyond the glass in curiosity. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he understood the connection seeing the cherry blossoms had to her mood. "Don't mind me," she patted his head a few times and he arched into the touch. "At least one of us should get something out of it."
Leaving the cat to curl up at the window, Sakura slunk back to her bedroom, collapsing back into her blankets and throwing an arm across her eyes. Hiding her face from what she didn't want to see had never actually worked before, but maybe this would be the day it did. Then again, her mind was shifting through memories and at the same time overprocessing her emotions, so it was unlikely she'd find peace just by tuning out the world.
'Moping won't help and I know that,' Sighing, Sakura sat up, staring off into space. 'Being proactive might keep me from getting too down.' She could start with a hot bath and picking out a pretty outfit for the day.
In theory, it should've helped, but after several outfit changes (and distractedly putting her clothes on backwards more than once) Sakura didn't feel much different. If anything, as she roamed around on an empty stomach, apprehension thrummed in her bones. Everyone she saw was so merry, gleeful over the arrival of the beautiful flowers. She, on the other hand, crumpled inside.
The only reason she had chosen to face the world was to procure enough sweets to put herself in a sugar coma, then she'd slink away to consume them and worry about the consequences later. Sakura knew it wasn't the healthiest coping method for stress, but it also wasn't the unhealthiest, so there was that. Some people gambled their savings away, smoked a pipe, or indulged in pleasures of the flesh, but she had the soothing comfort of confectionary goods. Had she been home, her mother would have scolded her for eating dessert as her first 'meal' of the day, and before noon. Admittedly, it wasn't the best example to set as a medic, but no one was watching, and she was only human.
The pinkette weaved easily through the throngs, keeping her head down in fear of catching eyes with someone she knew. The last thing she was up for was a friendly chat or inquisitive stares, trying to probe for answers. It would be hard to explain, to say the least. How could she tell them about the horrible bout of homesickness she had been struck with at the sight of the ever serene cherry blossoms?
Better to get her snacks and rush home. After some intensive and satisfyingly sugary therapy, hopefully her mind would be in better straits tomorrow. Even if the sakura trees would be in bloom for the next several weeks.
'I just need to decide what kind of sweets I'm in the mood for.' Sakura's eyes darted first to a bakery she had never visited, then to a candy cart peddling colorful varieties to eager children. It reminded her of the trip to Tanzaku-gai, and the konpeito she and Hashirama had shared on the way home. She'd kill for some now. But the candy cart had a sizable crowd of youngsters, and she wasn't sure if she wanted baked goods.
'It's been a while since I've had some…' As she turned her head, her gaze unwittingly fell on a familiar brown-haired girl, her head lowered, her shoulders slouched. The original plan had been to buy some sweets and make it safely back home without being spotted by anyone who might ask questions. But, Sakura liked to think she wasn't heartless. Seeing Reira look so despondent and slipping away didn't sit right with the kunoichi. Putting her own sulking on hold, Sakura swiftly approached the Senju before she could lose sight of her. It was unusual to see her so gloomy, and that was enough cause for concern. "Hey, Reira, over here."
Her face tilted up from the ground, stare searching for the source of the call. "Huh?" Reira stuck the tip of her pinky finger in her ear and wiggled it around. "Am I hearing things? Sakura?"
Fighting off an endeared grin, Sakura crept behind the girl to tap her shoulder. She jumped with a little 'eep' but recovered quickly, smiling from ear to ear at the older girl. "Sakura, it is you!" she exclaimed, dancing in place a little.
"Yeah," There was one impressive thing about Reira, and that was that her sincerity helped set people at ease. Sakura could feel some of her sadness slowly ebb away at just how genuinely happy Reira was to see her. "You looked a little lonely from across the road. Thought I'd get closer and offer you some company."
"Oh, w-well…" Reira wound the end of her hair around two of her fingers, avoiding eye contact. "I guess I am a little blue today... All my friends are busy, and so is Tobaa, and just about everyone else I can think of to spend time with. Plus, Kagami-kun's birthday is tomorrow and I still don't know what I'm getting him!" she whined, falling to her knees dramatically, head thrown up to the sky.
"Sounds rough," Sakura hummed, patting her head.
"It is," she agreed, "But now you're here, Sakura!" Having perked up in record time, Reira seized her hand and tugged her along urgently. "C'mon, let's talk over some ice cream, okay?"
Given that her goal was to eat sweets anyway, Sakura could hardly object. And if it gave them both a little pick-me up, all the better, right? The shop Reira brought her to must have been fairly new. She recognized neither the building or the people running it, mentally filing the spot away to return to in the near future. For the time being, Sakura allowed the excited girl to order for both of them, although she was the one to pay.
They ambled down to the village canal, leaning against the railing and watching a few boats row down the river. "Mm!" Reira spooned several bites into her mouth at once, while Sakura took in the frozen light green substance on the end of her spoon.
Cucumber ice cream was a flavor she had never thought to try, but there was no time like the present, was there? Tentatively, Sakura lifted a bite to her lips, not expecting the flavor profile that filled her mouth. The taste of cucumber was surprisingly well balanced with the rich tang of honey and the smoothness of the sweet cream. Overall, cucumber ice cream turned out to be crisp and refreshing. Enjoying the first bite, the pinkette took another without hesitation, just savoring the flowery breeze and the light taste on her tongue.
"Good right?" Reira chirped, licking a smudge of ice cream from her upper lip. "Cucumber ice cream is how Tobaa tricked me into eating my vegetables."
"Really?" Sakura swirled her spoon around the large scoops of ice cream still in the cup. "That's pretty clever of her."
"Sure is," the Senju nodded, "Once I knew cucumbers even tasted good as dessert, I got curious about the ones on my dinner plate I always ignored. Turns out those were pretty good too! Then, I started trying more and more of the vegetables Tobaa made for me."
Sakura's parents weren't as indulgent about getting her to eat her vegetables. She either ate them or she couldn't play outside, though her father tried to make it more fun by telling a veggie pun here and there.
Ironically, years later it would be her chasing down her teammates and making sure they were all consuming a well-balanced diet with lots of green. Kakashi was very good about dropping baskets of fresh produce at Naruto's window, but if someone didn't monitor the man he wasn't going to sit down for a nutritionally sound meal unless she and Yamato made him.
Maybe Toka was onto something, and she could get them to try some cucumber ice cream. Sai ate just about anything put in front of him without complaint—growing up in ROOT probably didn't leave him much room to be picky about what he was given.
Naruto had to be coaxed over some things, but inhaled others. Ice cream made from a vegetable might not sound appetizing to him on paper, but if he had a taste she was sure he would like it. Sasuke had never been one to push food around his plate when they had team meals, so he'd likely…
She had to stop herself, caught up in imagining some wistful scenario in the future that might never come to fruition. 'Somehow, you have to stop doing this…' Sakura told herself. 'You'll just break your own heart all over again.'
It was true that at the root of it all, she had gone through all the trials and tribulations, the extraordinary sacrifices not only for the sake of getting home, but setting things right. While she was perfectly aware that Sasuke owed her and Naruto nothing, she couldn't stop herself from wanting some resolution where the team's bonds were finally restored in whatever way they could be. Things would be different than before. That was inevitable, and to assume otherwise was to live in a child's fairytale outside the bounds of reality. However, if a reconnection was even remotely possible at the end of this long road, then a quiet spring day peacefully eating ice cream together sounded like a good enough outcome to Sakura.
"What's wrong?" The pinkette was abruptly reminded of the child at her side, staring down into Reira's concerned face. Her eyes, a pretty golden brown with a stunning tint of tangerine, were solemnly focused on the pinkette. "Did you bite your tongue?"
Smiling shallowly, Sakura set down her spoon. She wasn't nearly done with her dessert, but it was hard to want to continue eating when she'd brought her own mood down again. The last thing she wanted was to burden Reira's innocent young mind with the melodrama playing out in her head. There was just something so imploring about her gaze.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Sakura asked, voice dropping to just above a murmur. The wind stirred, dancing through their hair, and the pinkette saw Reira tilt her head and squint.
"A secret? You're trusting me?" Her voice rose to an incredulous pitch at the end, eyes sparkling.
"Is that okay?" Sakura chuckled.
"I'm all ears!" The brunette assured, her cowlick flopping back and forth as she nodded.
"I was named after the cherry blossoms," Sakura began, "So I've always felt a strong connection to springtime. It's just this year I'm a long way from my old home…I guess seeing the trees in full bloom stirred up some memories, and I got nostalgic and lonely." Poking out her tongue, Sakura gave the Senju a strained grin.
It took her a while to respond. A few cherry blossoms carried from the grove by the breeze slipped past their faces. The girls watched them fall down, dropping into the canal, their final resting place. "Oh…" Reira finally replied. "That's what it is."
Prepared to downplay the surge of emotions that had been overwhelming her all day, Sakura scoffed, "Dumb, right?"
"Why would you say that?" Reira asked, startling her with the sharpness of her tone. Sakura blinked, unprepared for the glare leveled her way. "You have a new home that's pretty great. But so what? You can miss your old one too," As if the declaration was the permission her heart had been waiting for, the first silent tear slipped from her eye. Sakura had no idea how thin the wall holding her emotions back had been all day. Or how good it would feel when it broke. "'Cause Hashi-nii told me that finding room in your heart to love new people doesn't chase out the hurt from missing the people you loved before."
That was it, wasn't it? Every new bond she had made since coming to the past, whether unwitting or intentional, had occupied a different place in her heart. It was like having a garden she never dreamed of expanding, only to see seeds sprouting into unique flowers Sakura hadn't considered before.
It didn't make sense to reject the new variety for fear of them overshadowing the old plants she had diligently watered for years. But that's what she had subconsciously been doing. Deep down, perhaps part of the reason Sakura was so afraid to see anyone she knew in the village, was the hesitancy over spending time with them today.
Making more memories under the cherry blossoms, this time with new faces, was a betrayal to the people she yearned so desperately to return to. Her mind told her that at least, but her heart knew better. It was just like Reira said. A heart had room for beautiful new connections to flourish without encroaching on the old ones.
Still, if she wasn't careful, Sakura would run into the same complacency that kept creeping up on her. It had already been so long since she had pulled out her old headband and rubbed the metal in what use to be an every day ritual and a promise to return home. What if one day her heart and mind stopped fighting each other and started to agree that she did belong? It would only spell disaster.
The revelation didn't completely set her free from the pain, especially at the thought of her first birthday after the war passing such a great, insurmountable distance from all the people she had spent the past ones since birth with. It lightened her guilt, though, quiet acceptance mingling with Sakura's melancholy. "You've got a point."
"I do?"
"You should believe in yourself a little more." Sakura tapped her nose, "You've got some very smart things to say."
"I was just repeating what Hashi-nii told me…" she replied sheepishly. "Does that still count?"
"You took the lesson to heart," The kunoichi explained. She looked down into the copy, noticing her ice cream was starting to melt. "So I think so."
"Okay, well do you feel better now? Sometimes crying makes you feel better afterwards, especially if you have ice cream and—oh!" Reira stopped herself in the middle of the ramble. "Hey, if you were named after the sakura blossoms, were you born in spring too?"
"Nothing gets by you, does it?" The pinkette teased, giving the younger girl a light nudge.
"Nope," she sang. "So when is it?!"
It occurred to Sakura that she had never actually told her birth date to a single person in the past. The side of her brain that ruled over 'logical retorts' dictated she explain that it was only because there was no prudent reason to do so. Except that it was never in one's best interest to lie to themselves, and so Sakura was forced to dab at the tear stains on her face and mentally admit it was all more complicated than that.
Of course, she knew Reira meant no harm. It was an innocuous question to begin with, but especially coming from a well-meaning child. "It's at the end of the month," Sakura revealed. "The twenty-eighth."
The giddy little noise between a squeal and a gasp was cute, as was Reira's toothy grin.
"What? Are you about to tell me we're birthday buddies?"
"I wish," she giggled, "But my birthday's in the summer. Not as cool as yours."
"I think that suits you." The pinkette insisted, "You're so radiant. I should've known."
A healthy blush colored Reira's cheeks, "T-Thank you. …Hey, your ice cream's almost melted." Sakura stared down into her cup, biting her lip at the waste of the tasty treat. "Wanna get some more?"
"Thanks, but maybe another day." The little pout of disappointment pulled at her heartstrings. "You've got some shopping to do, don't you?"
The query seemed to successfully distract Reira. "Kagami-kun's gift!" She smacked her forehead. "You're right, I need to find something that looks like I didn't wait until the last minute. That might take the rest of the day!"
"Good luck," Sakura waved, Reira returning it as she sprinted off.
Alone, she sighed, staring down into the canal. It gave her a little hope to think that across time, her precious people were staring into its depths too, hopefully contemplating the passing of seasons with less grief in their hearts.
There were certain perks to going unnoticed on a busy street. Humans weren't always the most observant. They tended to forget their own shadows were there unless expressly reminded.
Selectively getting attention when he craved it, and blending in when he didn't, suited Usamaro just fine. It would have been nice to cuddle up to his owner, offer as much support and companionship as he was able. But whatever was plaguing her mind and bringing down her mood couldn't be fixed by rubbing his soft fur against her cheek. It was a shame she couldn't understand him as much as he understood her.
Usamaro walked along the narrow edge of the wooden fence diving one yard from the next, dogs barking up at him from down below. Hopping down on light feet, the cat landed on a metal drum, his whiskers tingling as he caught a whiff of its potent liquid contents.
Sakura was out clearing her head, so he had intended to watch over her from a distance. He liked to think he was privy to more of her secrets than anyone else, so sooner or later, he would become her confidant again. In the meantime, he had patience as any good feline did. With the warm sun beating down on his back and the pleasant scent of flowers in the air, he was tempted to curl up somewhere high and snooze.
But he was a cat on a mission, and he at least intended to make sure his favorite human was alright first.
Then, he spotted another of his favorite humans, and the infamous and overwhelming curiosity cats were known for began to urge him to follow. Izuna was walking briskly, his shirt just one of several bearing the red and white fan, all of them moving in the same direction. Usamaro scuttled along behind them, hissing as someone nearly stepped on him.
"Watch it, mangy cat!"
His fur was gleaming, as always. Even as a stray, Usamaro had always kept himself pristinely groomed. If he had the time to spare he would follow that man home and steal every last piece of clothing hanging on his clothes line. Fortunately for him, the cat was preoccupied, tailing the trio of Uchiha who hadn't noticed him yet. Usamaro sped up, meowing loudly at their backs.
Predictably, Izuna was the first to stop, smiling as he waited for the feline to reach them. Usamaro rubbed himself against the Uchiha's leg as he crouched, eyes closing in contentment over the hand stroking through his fur. "Usamaro," Izuna picked him up, "It feels like it's been so long."
"And simultaneously not long enough at all," Madara remarked, drawing Usamaro's best stink eye.
"He's not any more a fan of yours than you are of his. Clever cat," the female among them cooed, scratching under his chin. Usamaro tilted his head to give her better access, melting under the ministrations. Naoko. One of Sakura's friends.
"Are you jealous?" Izuna asked his brother, adjusting the cat more comfortably in his arms.
Madara crossed his arms, walking ahead of them both. "What reason would I have to be envious of an animal forced to bathe itself with its tongue?"
"Bathing rituals aside, he's keeping Sakura warm at night, not you." Naoko put in, watching the way the Uchiha grew flustered.
Madara Uchiha was in many respects a cat himself, in Usamaro's observations. Territorial, prideful, puffy when angered. And, he hung around Sakura's home so often one might think he was a dear friend of hers, and not an unwelcome visitor.
"A triviality," Madara scoffed. "You're no nearer to that goal than I am." He prodded at Izuna, who rolled his eyes.
"You sure are confident for someone going absolutely nowhere." Izuna replied, letting Usamaro climb to his shoulders. "I guess if it nurses your ego to drag me into it, then that's fine."
The feline joined Naoko's amusement at Madara's expense, though it came out as a sort of chuff more than a laugh. That set his hair puffing up, Usamaro having to admit it was impressive when it doubled in size. Not as nice as his coat, but not half bad for a human.
"I suppose we should move the discussion along before we lose Madara in his hair." Naoko mused.
"Right," Izuna's eyes cut to his now grumpy sibling, "then maybe my pouting older brother can tell us why Hashirama summoned us all out of the blue."
"You expect me to know what goes on in his head?" Madara grumped, "One minute it's as empty as a scarecrow's and the next minute he's plotting something."
Usamaro peered up at the Hokage Tower getting ever closer, looming over all of them. "I take it why ever we were all called to our dear Hokage's office, it has something to do with the latter." Naoko motioned to the entrance. "After you gentlemen."
The brothers traded looks, evidently more than used to her mannerisms.
Usamaro lost count of how many flights they took up the spiraling stairs, but considering Izuna was doing all the walking, he couldn't really complain.
He sat up from his slouch on the shoulders he had been draped around, ears pricking to attention at the sound of multiple voices just beyond the heavy door.
Madara walked up to it with a snort of derision, throwing it open without invitation or preamble. The trio stopped short, not sure what to make of all the people packed into the space, who stared back at the new arrivals. The tallest figure rose from his seat, greeting them warmly, "Good to see you all made it!" Hashirama's genial voice boomed. "I think that's everyone."
"Um," The girl who stepped up had familiar pale ruby eyes and blonde hair pulled to the side in a hairstyle that tumbled almost to her forearm. "That's great, but what exactly does that mean…? You know, since we're all together."
"Ah," Usamaro hopped down from his perch on Izuna to weave about the room, no one questioning his presence at all. He settled happily on the windowsill behind the Hokage's desk, now able to listen from a delightfully sunny patch. "You're probably all wondering why I called you so suddenly. Sorry about that,"
"Anija, I told you that was suspicious from the start." Tobirama pointed out, shaking his head. "You should've just come out with it."
Stretching his front paws and wiggling his toes, Usamaro lay his head down as Hashirama fidgeted sheepishly. "Would it be less confusing if Toka explained?" he wondered, turning to the brunette woman who was waiting patiently beside Tobirama.
Interesting, Usamaro blinked with a yawn, almost everyone gathered was someone connected to Sakura.
"Very well," All eyes in the room fell to the female Senju, who stood tall as she began talking, "Yesterday, Reira came home considerably worked up. It seems she bumped into Sakura," At the mention of his mistress's name, Usamaro cracked an eye open. Everyone in the room grew just as alert, now hanging on Toka's every word. "According to her, she was…troubled." Her stern face softened into a thoughtful frown. "Reira thinks she may have been homesick, something about this time of year reminding her of her past."
"Homesick?" Yurine repeated sympathetically, lowering her head. "Yeah, I think I understand where she's coming from. It can be a really hard feeling to shake sometimes." Kureno rubbed at his sister's shoulder.
"There's more," Toka continued, clearing her throat. "The end of the month is…it's Sakura's birthday."
"What?" Several people exclaimed at once.
"I had no idea!"
"Has she even told any of us?"
"Born in the season of cherry blossoms? It's almost too on the nose."
"And that's why I called everyone together!" Hashirama said above the chatter, hands lifted over his head. "If this season is difficult for Sakura-chan, then it's all the more reason to create a special atmosphere. Something to lift up her spirits. We have until the end of the month," he tacked on hopefully. Usamaro had to wonder when the Hokage got so comfortable with his owner. Even he knew humans didn't toss endearments onto just anyone's name. They were particular and all about their propriety like that.
"Such short notice?" Naoko joked, "But why not? Our lovely Sakura could stand to be celebrated for a change. She's attended or helped throw a party for nearly everyone here."
"I anticipate some resistance, though." Rubbing at his neck, the Hokage blew some hair from his face in a sigh. "Some of you may already know this but, Sakura-chan tends to downplay her impact on the lives of the people around her. She's convinced herself at some point that her presence to others is expendable."
"I can confirm that." Izuna chimed in. "It's reflexive, from what I've seen." Yurine, Naoko, Toka and Susumu all nodded, making soft noises of agreement. Shikamarin might have too, if she hadn't been sleeping while standing up.
"So getting her on board with this may not be easy." Tobirama rumbled, leaning casually against his brother's desk.
Of all the humans in the village he had gotten to know better due in large part to living with Sakura, Tobirama was the enigma that perhaps had changed the most in Usamaro's eyes. There was still something calculated and methodical to his demeanor, but whenever he was spending time with the pink-haired girl, he was less guarded. Maybe he didn't even know it yet, or notice the covert looks he would sneak her.
Sakura herself certainly didn't. But it was a cat's job to know everything. At least as far as his favorite person was concerned. To that end, coming with Izuna turned out to be the best decision he had made all day. This was a treasure trove of information! "Anyone not up to this is free to exit now."
"Why, pre tell, is your gaze so directly focused on me?" Madara retorted, starting to scowl.
"Is that not obvious?" Tobirama asked, feigning incredulity. "I want you to leave."
"Are you hoping to make inroads in securing Haruno's favor? I'm not going to stop you from setting yourself up for a fall, but don't get comfortable being so chummy." Madara grinned tightly, eyes momentarily edging on manic. "If it's the last thing I do, I'll make her birthday so utterly memorable every other celebration for past birthdays will pale in comparison." What even was that face? Usamaro had to say, he was a scary one if that was how he expressed excitement.
"Madara, you're making that face again." Hashirama whispered, pointing at his own countenance. The reminder snapped the Uchiha out of it, and he was able to school his features into a much less intense expression. "But that's the spirit! Let's go all out!"
"His involvement is going to ruin any chances Sakura has of enjoying this." Tobirama asserted, clicking his tongue. "I hope you're prepared to clean up the mess that results."
Hashirama clasped his hands together pleadingly. "Tobi, please try to curb that attitude and find some spirit of cooperation. For Sakura-chan's sake."
Curiously, Usamaro watched as some of the ire plainly visible in Tobirama began to simmer. "Hmph," he turned his head away, hiding a barely there pout.
"So that's all it takes, huh?" Yurine whispered to Toka.
"Indeed. Seems so," she said just as quietly. Usamaro concurred.
"Now that level heads have prevailed, I'm guessing the next step is to go over ideas?" Izuna asked. "What's the plan, Hashirama?"
"Well," the tall Senju beamed, "I was thinking of a collaborative effort. Sakura-chan's done so much for everyone here, hasn't she? I know we all want to show our appreciation, so let's start with what we know she'll enjoy."
"I think there should be plenty of tasty things to eat," Susumu spoke up for the first time. "Since she has a penchant towards sweets."
That she did, the cat mentally agreed. Every time her melancholy pulled her under, there was sure to be a lot of discarded bowls, empty of anmitsu or ice cream or custard, whatever she could get her hands on really.
"Sweets, yes!" Hashirama cheered.
"Shouldn't we come up with a central location?" Kureno suggested, raising a pointer finger. "Can we really hash out details if we don't know where we're having this?"
"Look at my big brother, exercising his underused brain!" Yurine chirped, using both hands to ruffle his hair, which got him squawking.
"Then why not make the whole village the venue?" Madara caught eyes with Usamaro, but the cat was beyond paying the Uchiha any mind, rolling onto his back to sun his belly. "Your efforts tend toward the grandiose anyway, Hashirama."
"You're not really one to talk," his friend huffed. "You're always so flashy for no reason."
"You're both masters of opulent, overboard displays, to save everyone some time," Naoko cut in, shrugging. "So put that to use and let's do this."
"Fine," Madara agreed.
"This is really happening?" Shikamarin, having woken up, joined the conversation. "If it was for anyone else but Sakura, this whole thing would be too bothersome to stay awake for."
Usamaro understood that sentiment all too well.
It's been a while, and we're in a whole new year as a matter of fact! Happy belated new year to all. The big storm the characters have coming gets ever closer, so I hope readers are ready. I really do love writing Haruchika. I know how he seems now, but I have so much in store for the Hyuga Clan's narrative and his character. Hibari's too. She's more than meets the eye as well. Bear with them!
Also, I truthfully almost forgot about Kakuzu and that he was around in the Founders Era until someone asked me a long way back if he'd make any appearance. They now have their answer. Haha Coming up with a backstory for him was actually more enjoyable than I expected, since I never paid him any attention in canon as an Akatsuki member. Although I can't quite say what his village was thinking, sending him out to fight Hashirama with no special power whatsoever. They must have really hated him or something. I decided it might make for a more interesting confrontation if he already has his creepy multi-heart jutsu before he tries going after Hashirama.
And you know Madara's twisted face of excitement when he finds out he'll get to fight Hashirama again when they're both resurrected? I thought, what if that is unironically his default 'super excited' expression? It'd be creepy but so fitting. So that's why it gets referenced in this chapter toward the end there.
Anyway, Sakura has a lot to handle as always, amirite? Hope everyone waiting patiently on this update enjoyed it. Comments or emoji spam are appreciated and give the writer an energy boost. ^^ Take care everyone.
