Chapter 1-13
"I guess, I'll see you around." I said awkwardly to my former team-mates.
"Yeah." Torune answered and Fu just nodded with a shrug, it seemed I wasn't the only one who didn't know how to handle the situation.
"And give Kinoto my regards." A pitiful farewell, if ever I saw one, but it was enough for me as I turned and waved good-bye.
It was a surprisingly welcome sight to see the same Genin manning the money-counter in the administration building like all those years before.
"Yo!" I greeted him brightly.
It didn't take long, just the small walk from the Anbu headquarters, but I already felt like I was floating as if a constant weight was suddenly lifted.
Leisurely strolling through Konoha, the sun on my face and practically within moments I had a skip in my step.
"Aha," he acknowledged me as he lazily turned the page of the magazine in front of him. "how can I help you."
"Yeah, hi," I didn't even try to hide my giddiness. "I was wondering If I could take a look at my bank account and if you could point me in the direction where I can deal with housing."
"Shinobi-ID, please." He drawled and turned the next page as I dutifully handed him my card.
I did notice the raised eyebrow as he probably read my age and rank, and it would have been even more satisfying if it read Chunin, but that was up to a review after my forced holiday ended.
"Give me a moment." He sighed and went into a row of file cabinets in the back, he returned surprisingly quick with a thin folder in this hand. Plopping down in his chair, he opened the file and pushed it over the counter so I could read it.
I looked it over and was grateful to see, that it was just a simple bank statement, which was easy to understand. My various missions in Root were listed by their IDs with no mention of their rank and the respective share of the payment was considered as a deposit. I was happy to see, that there were no unexpected withdrawals during my time in Anbu, which meant I had saved up quite a bit of money.
"Thank you." I said earnestly.
"No problem, for your housing business you can go down the hallway and knock on the last but one door on the left. Uh, fair warning, it's been quite hectic over there since that Uchiha business." He finished with a grimace, which I shared. This was another thing, that ended up on the pile of things I didn't want to think about.
I nodded my thanks, gave him a lazy two-finger salute, and went on my way to deal with my currently most pressing issue.
Stretching, I parked my feet on the railing of the small balcony attached to my little apartment and made myself comfortable on the folding deck chair. Pleased with myself and the decisions I made.
The apartment was just as sparse as my old one, just with a decent bedroom and the tiny balcony attached to the living area.
The balcony was a luxury that I was more than willing to pay extra for, because this right here was something from a bygone time for me.
As random as it seemed, feet up, comfortable, the sun on my skin and maybe even something to read in my hands and I was as close to a vacation as I could ever be.
I was….content.
Fu and Torune would be fine, they had each other and Kinoto.
My apartment was fully paid for. While it was easily three quarters of my savings plus the small common charges I had to pay monthly the piece of mind on that front was worth it.
I sold my old clothes and bought new ones, collected my stuff from the storage, glad that Hifumi's book was untouched, and stocked my pantry.
Closing my eyes, I concentrated for a second, still no suspicious chakra signature in my vicinity, until I shook my head as a sudden realization hit me.
I don't have to hide anything anymore. I can train and do whatever I want, I thought with glee.
Yawning, I eyed the little leaf between my fingers and sent a quick mental nudge to the three Shadow Clones sitting on the floor inside. I blinked a few times as the mostly similar memories slotted into place.
Wind Release. It would take time and effort, but since I already knew what I had to aim for and it probably was the closest to my Water Release, at least in terms of characteristics, it would be my best bet to broaden my horizon.
More importantly, however, it was something to keep me occupied when I was alone at home.
A double win in my book.
Folding the chair I took it inside and made myself ready for bed.
Tomorrow I would look for Hifumi and Hana.
After giving myself a last once-over in the mirror and deeming it a solid 'meh', I placed my tanto at my lower back and concealed it with a standard Konoha navy-blue sweater, and put the scroll with my wakizashi in one of the pockets of my standard Konoha navy-blue pants.
No fashion-sense whatsoever but all in all presentable and ready to rock I summarized as I stepped out of my apartment and headed for a nearby dango-shop. It wouldn't do to visit Hifumi emptyhanded after such a long absence.
Two hours later, after dodging parents doing their early shopping and an incredibly relaxing stroll towards the outskirts, I found myself standing on the porch of a very familiar house, an unfamiliar matron having asked me to wait while she got Hifumi.
The door barely opened and within a heartbeat I was forcefully pulled into a crushing hug. Tentatively reaching around her I awkwardly returned the hug.
"I brought you some dango." I mumbled into Hifumi's shoulder eventually.
I heard and felt Hifumi chuckle as she finally pulled back and held me at an arm's length to get a proper look at me.
"And I have some tea set up." She answered, the big smile not leaving her face.
In the end, Hifumi did most of the talking after I showed her the seal on my tongue indicating that I couldn't exactly talk freely.
"Your little girlfriend is occasionally coming here," she said and hid her smile behind her teacup. "usually, she lets the children play with her dogs while I help her out with medical chakra, but I'm certain she's really just checking if I heard something about you."
"You certainly left an impression and I can see why you are smitten with her." She said among chuckles.
I refused to comment on that little remark much to Hifumi's amusement.
"Say, Daiki," she said while taking out a little notebook, her smile taking on a mischievous glint. "how would you describe your shinobi experience in general terms so far?"
"Is this about your novel idea? I thought you were joking!" I asked with some alarm.
To my growing horror, I was apparently already part of the background noise.
"The hero enters service and is immediately confronted with the harsh reality. To the dismay of the young lovers, his mission forces him away from home and only the thought of a reunion with his other half keeps him going." Hifumi muttered under her breath, furiously scribbling in her notebook with the occasional glance towards my gobsmacked face.
"Meanwhile she has to fight the temptations of a growing young woman…" She finished in a whisper and with a noticeable blush.
With a sigh I knocked on the door, already knowing, that Hana wouldn't be home.
I sensed a decent-sized chakra level and a second smaller one heading for the door. Reasonably certain I was going to be greeted by Tsume and her companion Kuromaru.
"I knew it was you, little tough guy." Tsume exclaimed with a happy grin in lieu of a traditional hello.
My initial disappointment was instantly blown away since I actually liked Tsume and seeing her happy meant that things should be good around here.
"Come in, come in, Hana is currently doing a patrol with her team in the inner perimeter, she should be back around midday." She said over her shoulder and bid me to follow her into the kitchen.
"Make yourself comfortable." She said while taking a seat and indicating the chair across from her.
"So, how are things around here?" I asked genuinely curious.
"Well," She leaned back, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. "we are doing great. Hana became a Chunin not too long ago and is getting better and better in her medical studies. When she isn't doing the occasional mission she's usually in her aunt's clinic or in the hospital helping out." She said with a fond smile, her pride obvious.
I sighed in slight relief and Tsume quirked her eyebrow.
"It's just," I thought about how to phrase it without doubting Hana's skills and talent. "I know it's selfish, but the more time Hana spends in Konoha the better I feel. I don't want her to run in some asshole like …me" I finally said and couldn't suppress the wince.
"Well, kiddo, at the end of the day it's up to Hana. The least we can do is make sure Hana is strong enough to face the shit out there if that's what she really wants." She said with some sympathy, probably having had similar thoughts being her mother.
"Anyway," She continued. "Kiba is having a blast training with the Uzumaki kid while trying to catch up to his sister. I just hope he would show a fraction of his enthusiasm for some of his theoretical classes."
Since I actually didn't sense any real dismay, she probably wasn't too bothered by Kiba's progress, quite the opposite if I had to guess.
"Apart from us, things are pretty tense in the village since the massacre. A lot of damage control, restructuring among the forces, and covering our bases in case of an emergency." She said and eyed me for a second.
"Probably the reason why you popped up again, huh? Is your membership in a certain secret club expired?" She asked, her head resting in her hand, her gaze fixed on me.
"Yeah, no need for secret handshakes anymore, " I answered with a shrug before I stuck out my tongue. "but there are still things I can't talk about and I honestly don't want to test my boundaries."
"Well, whatever, it's good that you are back. Just a heads-up, Hana will probably hunt you done the second she's back in the village." She warned with a wink and a smirk, before she glanced towards the clock at the wall.
"Say, could you do me a favor? It's Saturday and if they are not causing trouble the boys should be training at the academy. Can you send them here so they are on time for lunch? You can come, too, obviously, or you can wait for Hana and let her decide what she's going to do with you." Tsume said teasingly, obviously expecting her daughter to take charge of my time, which was probably not too far from the truth If I am honest.
"Will do." Damn shippers.