Author's Notes (2021/05/02): Another new chapter! I figured this one was needed to better flesh out some character development and to make the war arc more interesting. There is only 2-3 new chapters left to add for this section of the story then the regular edits will continue. Being that is is my first *completed* fanfiction, I really shouldn't have overestimated the power of revising before posting. But edits are expected, especially as writing styles change. I hope this chapter is an interesting read for you all - thanks for the support and all that you do!

Chapter 31
The Price of Revenge

The road to the Land of Frost took many twists and turns.

Through desert, forests, valleys, plateaus, and land marred by permafrost and tundra, the Suna envoy at last joined the forces gathered in the small nation. The daimyo and his lords were the first to be contained within the formation, followed by the lesser officials, the merchants, the traders, and then all other civilians. There had to be at least one hundred thousand fleeing the country for a safer refuge. It was an exodus none had ever seen. If there battle plans were any indicator, the Land of Frost would see much of the battle yet to come – maybe even greater than the Land of Lightning to the northeast. Acting decisive was the best route. It took near two weeks to reach their destination and two weeks to escort the large host of people to shelter. The lesser villages and towns in the Land of Fire to the south hid most of them, while the daimyo were taken to the same location – an ancient palace once belonging to an emperor, was what Nomasaki heard her commander say to another.

The night was the coldest one for her in a while.

Strangely, it reminded her of her homeland and the familiar cold winds that often graced the mountain slopes. Sitting by a dimming fire while flurries fell, she was on watch that night. The small town they guarded from bandits had an old worn gate that surrounded the settlement, and its iron doors were barred shut from either side. Bandits would soon be moving with the coming war, along with broken men after the fighting started. She hoped guard-duty would be uneventful, compared to her first time as a genin.

A chakra entered her senses.

Turning, she saw a small, hunched figure emerge from the grey forested path. As they approached closer, she saw that it was an elderly man carrying a pack at his hip. He was dressed in a fur cloak with a dark tunic and a hat made from bamboo. It seemed as though he did not even notice that the town was barred.

"Sir, the road is closed." She stood. "A war is coming… so it's advised that you seek shelter."

The old man scoffed. "Nonsense! I lived in these parts my whole life." He met her face with a smirk on his aged lips. "I may be old, but I never let a war stop me from being a travelling merchant."

As she studied the man, she realized she could not see his eyes. His bamboo hat covered all save for his mouth as he talked, the shadow swallowing his wrinkled face. "I can permit you inside the village, but that's all I can allow. All civilians are to take shelter, that's a command I must see through."

"Ah, a shinobi." He sighed with a wrinkly smile. "Well then… perhaps I will stay a while." Surprising her, the old man took a seat by the dimming fire and began warming his cracked hands. Slowly, she affirmed to herself that there was no reason to suspect he was a threat. She wondered how fast she could unsheathe her blade if it was called for. When she sat, he turned to her and noticed her shinobi headband. "You… you're not from these lands, are you? What village? I don't see the emblem of Shimogakure. Not that I expect it, knowing that the village collapsed in on itself during the last war."

"Sunagakure."

"Sunagakure?" The man repeated. "That's a long way from home."

His words caught her off guard. Suspiciously, she narrowed her glance at the pleasant elder who warmed himself by the dying fire. His chakra seemed normal for one his age. It was weaker than hers, aged, and frail. But she sensed he was hiding something. Either it be in words or allegiance, she kept her wits about her. A strange remark from a strange old man. She looked to the fire. "It's a long way from here, at least." She answered.

"That you're right, child." He nodded. He gave an airy laugh, realizing his mistake. "Rather, I should say young woman! Your eyes speak of your shinobi life…" He turned back to the flames, his voice low. "I can only imagine what you've been through at your young age… being a shinobi is no easy feat, I hear. You become hardened from duty, serving your village until your last day."

"…It's not for the faint of heart, I'm afraid." She said, quietly. "I learned the hard way."

He sighed. "I'm sure you did."

A distant howl rang through the cold air.

It was alone, drifting, and painfully solemn. In a way, she understood it. Under the glow of the snow and full moon, she had to admit it was the first time she near felt compelled to join them. They could match another in a shared sorrow. Soon, another sounded. Then another. And another. It was a small pack, but a pack still.

"The wolves are howling." She spoke, while a wind blew past. "They sound… so sad."

The elderly man nodded, turning to her at his side with a look of shared sorrow. "A Yamamori alone in the world…" He sighed. "It's a horrible thing, believe me."

Meeting his glance, she saw a faint glimmer of his eyes from the fire. It was a subtle nightshade. Purple, warm, and vibrant. Alarming her, she looked away briefly and gathered her thoughts. "Wait – what did you just say -?" By the time she stood and turned back to where he was sitting, the man was gone. It were as if he vanished like a ghost. She could not even detect his chakra upon the winds themselves. Reaching for the hilt of her katana, she stared down the grey path of white trees.

Was that a genjutsu? Or I am just sleep-deprived from the journey?

Once again, the winds were silent. Retracting her hand from her blade, she returned to her post and waited for further orders. It was bound to be another long night with the dreading reminder of war echoing in her mind.

And she had three days left.

Morning arrived.

She broke her fast on berries and bread from her pack. After drinking from her waterskin, she joined the rest of her comrades who were due to depart for the Land of Lightning. The Fourth Division awaited them, and with it the war ahead. This would be her first war, if she managed to survive. Just the prospect alone did nothing to give her a good night's sleep. Their small envoy was met with their escort to the war that waited, handing out supplies and ninja tools amongst the shinobi that crowded around. A headband was handed out to each of them, the symbol for 'shinobi' engraved as its emblem. Sitting on a fell tree, she removed her Suna headband from her forehead and assumed her new identity. Tying it securely after pushing her stray gold strands from her eyes, she donned the emblem with the rest of her comrades of the Allied Shinobi Forces. In some odd way, it compelled her to feel a sense of pride.

With this headband, I'm no longer a spy for dissidents hiding under the Suna emblem. I'm just a shinobi – bound by my shinobi code… and not twisted and turned into something I despise. I'll serve as a kunoichi of Suna this way… the way I want to be as a shinobi.

She preferred her new headband over her old one, but something about the Suna headband moved her. As he glanced to it in her palm, she was reminded of the bonds she made as a genin is Team Hashira, her newfound sense of home, and the comrades she grew to care for. Besides as the anguish she suffered at the hands of Kenzō, she had to admit – she still considered Sunagakure her home. It may not have been the mountains, but it was close enough. Sensing chakra approaching, she put her old headband in her pack and stood.

Turning, she could see the tall figure of Moro approaching with a short kunoichi at his side. When Nomasaki examined the kunoichi, she recognized the purple markings on her face and the scroll she wielded on her back. Maki, the user of the Sealing Cloth jutsu. Maki was a shinobi ten years her senior, but she heard stories of her from Hashira-sensei while she was a genin.

"Nomasaki," Moro introduced, gesturing to the kunoichi beside him. "This here is Maki. She was one of my sister's students back when she was merely a genin. In a way, she's like family to me. She's quite the fūinjutsu expert, if I don't say so myself. Maki, this is Nomasaki. A tracker-nin under my wing."

Maki gave a light smile. "I've heard about you, the wolf-girl." She snickered. "For some reason I pictured you… taller."

Nomasaki smiled back. "What I lack in height I make up for in my swordplay. I've heard about you, too. I'm glad we can finally meet."

A powerful chakra stepped closer from beyond the guard of the large crowd.

When the person approached closer, shinobi made way with respectful bows and calling their name. "Mizukage-sama!" and "Mei-sama!" were whispered amongst the sea of shinobi headbands, with all other voices turning silent. Emerging from the crowd, Nomasaki saw the woman for herself. She was tall, firm, and carried a glance that could stun enemies in their wake from the mere power she wielded. Even against Moro, the Mizukage rivaled his height and stature.

"You, Suna shinobi," Mei entered, catching them off guard. "That was impressive, to say the least. You fended off bandits, outlaws, and missing-nin for near seven days straight on this escort. And two of you are Kekkei Genkai wielders, too. Are you hurt at all?"

"Mizukage-sama!" Moro straightened his back. "No, we're fine. But thank you."

Sensing her powerful chakra approach closer, Nomasaki suddenly realized that the Mizukage's eyes were on her. Carefully, Mei studied her purple eyes. It were as if she were trying to pierce her glance through her soul, to see what lurked behind her strange eyes of a foreigner who was far from home. Surprising her, the Mizukage gave a light smile.

"You're a sensor type, I see." Mei remarked. "It seems our own Kiri-nin could stand to learn a thing or two from your village on tracking. I understand you kept watch during this assignment, I've always wondered what nature-energy sensory skills were like in the field." She gave a stern glance to the shinobi, her face of duty. "In that case, each of you are free to go. There's an envoy heading to the Fourth Division momentarily. I suggest you go with them and keep them safe. We have the daimyo protection handled here. Moro-sama, you can lead the envoy through the forest to where the Fouth Division is located."

Straightening his back again, Moro gave a quick bow. "Thank you, Mizukage-sama."

Watching the Mizukage walk off to the other shinobi that crowded the area, Maki could not help but snicker. "Moro-sama, I've never seen you act that way towards a lady. Are you… awestruck?"

"H-How dare you!" Moro barked back. "It's the Mizukage! I was just being formal, is all!"

Amused by seeing him act such a way, Nomasaki could not help but laugh lightly to herself behind a hand covering her mouth. Moro was always so stern and serious, a tracker-nin hardened by duty and sharpened by battle tactics and his brutality in the field. But underneath it all was still a man – a man with a soft-spot for powerful women, it seemed.

Once Sōhei joined them, it took only a short while to meet up with the envoy.

Three Kiri-nin were waiting for them amongst the tall pines of the lingering forest. Before too long, they would be at the Land of Lightning's border. A desert would soon meet them once they found the coastline, they were told, and from there the Fourth Division was a day's journey away. And the war would be waging by then. The forest was close to its end by the time afternoon approached. The trees became thinner, the air warmer, and the humidity grew to a thickness that hampered their lungs who were so used to the dry air of the Land of Wind's great desert.

A sudden presence emerged in her senses.

Halting on the grey earth, the rest of their team stopped behind her. "Everyone, stop!" She shouted. "I sense something… strange. It's coming this way!"

Moro narrowed his eyes. "What sort of strange?"

"I can sense chakra, but…" Nomasaki hesitated her words, trying to decipher the chakra again. It felt haunting. She glared ahead. "I can't tell if it's dead or alive."

"What –?!"

"Sir," Sōhei entered. "This goes along with reports gathered from the other divisions. It's most likely the Edō Tensei. The Surprise Attack Division dealt with something similar."

"Edō Tensei?" Maki asked, her eyes wide.

Sōhei nodded. "It's a forbidden jutsu that can bring back the dead to fight on the command of the caster… It was created by the Second Hokage and sealed soon after its formation, but it was used by Orochimaru during the Konoha Crush a few years ago."

"Damn it all!" Moro took his fighting stance at the front of the formation. "We'll be late joining the Fourth Division, but at least we'll get first pick at the spoils of war! Prepare yourself! Take your positions!"

A blinding red flash erupted before them.

An ear-piercing squeal following, enveloping the land in white as the blast was detonated. When the dust cleared, the earth-release jutsu Sōhei used slowly receded back to the grey ground where they stood. Luckily, no one was injured.

Maki's eyed widened. "This jutsu -!" She turned. "Moro-sama -?!"

"We meet again, Maki."

The haunting voice chilled her. From the smoke of ash, Maki saw a figure emerge from the shroud of grey. Stepping out of the ashes, a tall woman with green and orange hair met them on the battlefield. Her eyes were a bright orange but were coated in the dark sclerae of the dead. A reanimated shinobi. Seeing the woman with her own eyes, Maki stood in a state of shock. "P-Pakura-sensei?!" She stammered. "No! You… You're dead!"

Nomasaki turned, shocked as well. "This is Pakura-sama?"

Preparing herself for combat, Maki nodded. "The famed 'Pakura of the Scorch Release'… my former sensei."

Eerily, Pakura looked towards the shinobi who stood in the distance. For the first time since her death, she saw her younger brother. A child when she died, it amazed her to know that her sibling survived to adulthood in a village that did not favour his bloodline.

"Moro?" She said, studying his hard and scarred face from afar. A smirk painted her lips. "You've gotten taller since I last saw you."

Moro stood unmoving and stern. "I was not even fifteen when you died… It's been a long and empty seventeen years without you, sister." Strongly, he hardened his stance on the scorched earth. "I'm sorry, but it looks like I have to kill you myself!"

Strangely, Pakura felt her fingers twitch at her sides. Realizing the jutsu she was under, she turned back to those of the living. "Be careful. My body moves on its own in this form."

"Everyone – stand back if you value your lives! Scorch Release is not to be taken lightly!" Moro commanded. Preparing himself to form hand-signs, he gathered his chakra. "Maki, ready your sealing scrolls! We'll need to seal away Pakura before she can reach the Fourth Division!" A silence. Shock still dominated their faces. "Maki!"

Snapping out of her daze, the kunoichi nodded. "Yes, sir!"

With dark narrowed eyes, the resurrected kunoichi studied the shinobi ahead. She quickly noticed their differing flak jackets and allegiance, despite the Allied Forces headbands that covered their forehead. The sight struck a nerve. "These shinobi… It appears you're all of different villages." Noticing Nomasaki with her katana drawn, she quickly recognized her strange eye colour. "Even you, you have the purple eyes of those wolf-people from the mountains, yet you're dressed as if one of ours." She scoffed. "Has the morale of Sunagakure really succumbed so low as to ally with nations which spilt our own blood?"

"I'm a kunoichi of Sunagakure!" Nomasaki countered. "I'll tear out your throat if I have to!"

Pakura scoffed. "You shinobi from outside villages are nothing but worthless to me… Kirigakure, Iwagakure, Sunagakure… they are each equally responsible for my death… all because I carried a Kekkei Genkai in my veins." She glared towards them. "We may have been born outside Suna, but no matter if we called that place our home… we were never truly one of them. In the Kazekage's eyes, I was born an outsider and I died an outsider. Why bother fighting for a world where you'll never have a true place to call home?"

Her words struck her.

In an instant, she remembered her long lost home in the mountains, the snow that coated the land, and the fires that swallowed it all. Even four years later, the memory still twisted inside like a dagger to the heart. And what she met upon her arrival in Sunagakure was near as painful. As an outsider, she received glares from civilians and superiors who saw her as either a foreign-born spy or a half-blood threat. Still, her friendships with Shinto and Meiyumi made up for that early misery. They showed her kindness and acceptance.

Even Gaara.

Gripping her katana tighter, she glared at her adversary with her violet eyes. "I lost my home. Sunagakure is my home now… whether the elders like it or not!"

Unamused by her answer, Pakura directed her attention back to her younger brother. "You're silent, Moro. What did you think of my death? Surely, you must have felt the need to avenge your beloved sister for what Suna and Kiri had done."

"I would be lying if I said I didn't try…" Moro admitted. "I set those ways aside in favour of surviving for a new tomorrow. The ways of old have changed, and now I'm viewed as a respected commander… thanks to the new Kazekage who cast down the old traditions of the village." He turned to Nomasaki at his side. "And this outsider, too. She caused quite the uproar in our ranks… but for the best."

Pakura glared darkly. "You've disappointed me, Moro…!"

"Pakura-sensei!" Maki entered, her face stern. "You must understand that we are allies with Kiri and Iwa now! And Moro-sama is right! Suna has changed! That's all left in the past -,"

"The past can't be erased!" Pakura shot back. "My death can't be erased, or the fact that my own village I fought for betrayed me! Suna killed me because they saw me as a threat to their delicate egos… after all I did for them! I was hailed as a hero and they still sought to destroy me!"

Moro hardened his stance, raising his palm as he formed a single hand-sign. "Revenge brings you only nothing in the end, and your time for vengeance has long since expired… You're acting out a pointless path, if you ask me. For the sake of your surviving legacy, let this go!"

"A pointless path?" Pakura fumed. "I'll show you who walks a pointless path… I'll enact my revenge by killing all of you!" She clapped her hands together and the wind flew under her furiously. "Scorch Release! Inferno!"

Moro clapped his palms at the same moment. "Not so fast! Scorch Release! Inferno!"

Two blinding bursts of white flame erupted against each other on the meadow of ash. The air surrounding them suddenly became hot, the winds changing into steam. Sensing the danger, Maki Formed a series of hand-signs in fast succession. "Ninja Art! Sealing Cloth Jutsu!" The scroll she carried under her arm became alive and grew into a cavernous shroud the surrounded all ten of their team. Miraculously, no one became swallowed by the scorch-release that decimated the lands before them. Even as the scroll receded, the air was heavy with heat and the earth was hot with a fresh layer of ash.

"Scatter!" Moro yelled.

Taking refuge from the enemy behind a greyed pine, Nomasaki could sense Pakura's undead chakra scan the area for where to strike next. Maki was hiding behind a great boulder with some of the Kiri-nin who joined them, Sōhei was with Commander Moro amongst the treetops, and the other shinobi with them were scattered below the crater where Pakura searched for her first victims of vengeance. The very battlefield was as silent as a tomb. Hearing a rock plummet from the boulder's crest, the undead shinobi directed her attention towards it. Maki! Jumping out from the grey pine, Nomasaki formed a series of hand-signs and charged head-on.

"Wind Release! Forceful Gale!"

The winds became a fury and struck Pakura's papered corpse in a burst of ribbons. Although a chunk of her torso was missing, the kunoichi was still able to form hand-signs to counter. "Scorch Release! Scorching Wave!"

Before her violet eyes, Nomasaki saw four orbs of white and red flame encircle her opponent. It was only after she dashed away did she realize that the flames were locked onto her as if a homing device. The first orb crashed into a violent burst of white onto the ash-ridden ground. The second struck a wall of rock she leapt towards to divert the direction, and the third struck a line of grey trees behind her. The fourth was tailing her – and it seemed it near had her. Turning on her heel, she fought her instilled fear of flame and clapped her palms together. "Earth Release! Rock Shelter!" And the fourth ball of scorching flames erupted against the hardened stone she summoned by her will.

Sensing Moro's chakra nearby come out of hiding, she took cover as she felt him call forth another countering scorch-release jutsu. She slid down the crater behind the boulder where Maki and the Kiri-nin watched the battle carefully with cautious eyes.

"What do we do?" One of the Kiri-nin whispered. "Pakura-sama has the scorch-release… Can nothing truly counter it?"

Maki kept her eyes locked upon the battle. "We can't give up. The scorch-release may be strong… but it does have a weakness."

A Kiri-nin sighed. "Water-release isn't strong enough! It only evaporates and becomes steam… You saw what her jutsu does to the air."

Hearing a babbling nearby, Nomasaki looked behind them on the grass to see a silent brook just under their feet. With the Kiri-nin they had three shinobi who would use water-release, but with Nomasaki they had four. "Maybe if we used enough water…" They looked to her, raising tense brows. She eyed the ensuing battle between scorch-release users with a slight smirk on her lips. "I have an idea."

As her body slowly reformed amongst the flurries of scattered pieces of paper, Pakura looked towards the boulder and grinned upon seeing the sight of the five shinobi emerge with stern looks on their faces. Maki stood behind, keeping her scroll ready. "What's this?" She mused. "You've all decided to die together?"

All three Kiri-nin and Nomasaki formed the same hand-signs.

Ushi.

Saru.

U.

Tori.

"You'll have to be faster than that!" Pakura formed for hand-signs faster than they could or Moro. "Scorch Release! Inferno!"

Standing firm, they all gathered their combined strength. "Now!" Nomasaki shouted, eyeing Pakura with a narrowed glare. Forming the final hand-sign in unison, the four shinobi released their attack. "Water Release! Water Dragon Bullet!"

As if some great torrent, the brook behind them rapidly became a rolling wave. Growing great in height and strength, the water took the form of a massive dragon as its gleaming yellow eyes shone from the ash-filled skies. With jaws poised to kill, the beast descended upon the scorch-release user and swallowed her flames with a steaming hiss along with her. The mist soon faded, revealing their adversary was missing an arm and a portion of their ribs. Angered, Pakura whipped her head towards the skies and saw Nomasaki descending with her katana drawn. "You bitch!"

Summoning her chakra, Nomasaki allowed her sword to become one with the winds. "Wind Release! Wind Blade!" She sliced her enemy clean in half, the winds splitting her torso into shattered papered fragments. "Now, Moro-sama!"

Clapping his hands together, Moro appeared behind Pakura's decaying corpse as it desperately tried to repair itself. "Scorch Release! Evaporation!"

"You wouldn't dare!" Pakura seethed. "You bastards! I'll kill you all!"

Eyeing her in his sights, Sōhei unleashed his signature genjutsu and paralyzed her movements.

A burst of white and red flame swallowed her in its wake.

Moro turned. "Maki, it falls to you!"

Emerging from behind the line of Kiri-nin, Maki sprang into action. "Ninja Art! Cloth Binding Jutsu!"

Within moments, the large cloth of her scroll came alive and wrapped itself around the scattered parts of Pakura's reanimated corpse. Bringing all of the kunoichi's pieces together, they formed into a single casket of white. Seal tags soon appeared covering where her torso lay under the wrappings.

Before her face was concealed, Pakura reluctantly accepted defeat. "Once again… I was too weak to fend off my enemies… Curse you all!"

With eyes that held guilt and pity, Maki stood over her former sensei. "I'm sorry, Pakura-sensei. I wish we met again under different circumstances… and I'm sorry I couldn't help cure you of your hatred. As a student, I feel as if I had failed you… but you must understand, revenge is an endless cycle. Once achieved, you have nothing. Just the hole in your heart, that keeps growing bigger as time passes…"

Hearing Maki's words, Nomasaki felt struck by them.

She resonated with them, in a way that made her realize her own thoughts and feelings. Her father suddenly came to mind – the nameless man who abandoned her and her mother in the mountains those seventeen years ago out of disgust for their shared bloodline. She hated that man with every fibre of her existence, her desire to find and end him twisting inside her heart at the back of thoughts. Just like Maki said, she had a hole in her heart from the pain he caused. But her hatred made it a gaping void. A void that could not be filled with revenge alone. Just as Gaara said to her that day on the snowy path, revenge would only cause more suffering. For all she knew, she saw what fate lay ahead of within those sealing cloths. She would only become like Pakura, a vengeful being who was driven by hatred. She looked away and processed her thoughts in silent sadness.

Surprised by her student's words, Pakura widened her pale dead eyes. "Maki -!" Her lips hesitated, attempting to swallow her pride. "Perhaps… I was the one who was wrong. Maybe you are right, after all…" She chuckled to herself and averted her closed eyes. "Such a cruel way to find out, just before I can die again… defeated by shinobi who I swore to kill out of blind vengeance…"

"Pakura," Moro stepped forward. "You may have been our enemy, but regardless… I'm proud to call you my sister. I always have, and always will." He pushed himself to give a parting smile. "I'll see you in the Pure Land when my time comes… and we'll be with our parents once again, as we once were."

She smiled back. "I'll be sure to tell them you're running late."

Maki held back tears and formed the final hand-sign. "…Ninja Art, Cloth Jutsu… Complete."

And the kunoichi was at last sealed.

Moro knelt and touched his sister's final resting place. It appeared as if his contained emotions revealed themselves for only a mere moment. For a tracker-nin such as himself to be moved by a passing was no common sight. "There, it's done." He then stood and signaled to his troops. "We'll rest for now to dress our wounds. We leave for the Fourth Division at the crack of dawn! It will take us two days, but we must make haste!" Catching Nomasaki's attention, he paused before her. "That was quite the impressive strategy, what you devised back there. There's no doubt in my mind that one day you'll replace me as Commander…" He gave a single pat to her flak jacket's shoulder. "Keep up the good work."

Meeting his dark eyes, she thought she saw a glimmer of pride. Hiding away her sorrow, she forced a nod. "Thank you, Moro-sama." Once he walked away, she saw Maki attending to her scrolls and supplies as the other shinobi took time to gather themselves after their long journey and the battle. Hesitating at first, she pushed herself forward. "Maki-senpai," She began, drawing the kunoichi's attention. "What you said to Pakura-sama… I understand now, what you mean." Shamefully, she averted her eyes. "Since I found out about my own father and swore to take revenge by killing him, I felt as if I had a hole in my heart… that only grew deeper as I festered my hatred towards that man I'll never know or meet…" She met Maki's eyes with her face cleansed of sorrow. "I think I understand why a path to revenge is an empty one of anguish and sorrow… or else I might end up like Pakura-sama, or the missing-nin Uchiha Sasuke. So… thank you… for that."

Stunned by her words, Maki gave a calm face and nodded before turning her attention back to her scrolls. "No need. Like Moro-sama, I wanted to take revenge too for the death of my sensei. I think there's something strong between love, pain, and hatred that compels us to take justice against those who wronged us, or those who we love."

Those we love…

She swore revenge for the name of her mother and her destroyed village, all in the name of her unknown father who had forsaken them. Near startling herself, she found herself thinking of Gaara. What he said to her those months ago was true – revenge was a pointless venture that bred only more suffering. If she were to kill her father like she promised herself, what would be left with after? Where was she to go from there?

She would have nothing except a hole in her heart.

A void.

"You could always change your path… I did."

Gaara's words resonated. My path… She now had the resolve to change it. "Maki-senpai, if I can… ask you a question."

The kunoichi continued with her scrolls. "Sure, what is it?"

Nomasaki hesitated. "Can… you undo fūinjutsu?"

As she reached for another scroll, Maki's hand froze. Off guard by the question, she refocused her attention on her sealing wrappings beside her. "Depends on the seal. Nearly any seal can be undone with the proper formula… even the sort that's forbidden. It just takes a great amount of time, study, and focus… but it's not impossible. Why do you ask?"

"A curse seal… can you… break one?" Nomasaki pressed. "Even just for a little while… if that could be possible."

Maki glanced to her from the corner of her eye and quickly realized the pain and hurt that lingered behind Nomasaki's violet eyes. She turned back to her scrolls. "I never tried a curse seal before, that's the forbidden sort." She answered in a quiet voice. "…I'll see what I can do, once this war ends."

"Thank you, Maki-senpai." Before Nomasaki left, she decided to ask a final question. "And one more thing… Can you… teach me fūinjutsu when the war is over? I think I'd like to learn myself… one day."

Meeting her eyes, Maki nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Starting for the others, Nomasaki paused and directed her eyes towards the grey thicket behind. The air was still and silent of life, but she felt a glance lingering towards her from where she could not see. She sensed chakra, but it was too far for her to make a clear judgment.

She wondered if it were the wolves again.

But no howl sounded on the winds.

Notes: One of the things that always bothered me with the main series was the little to no focus on characters outside Konoha, so adding in Maki (who was crucial in the Edō Tensei part of the war) and Pakura (who is a cool kunoichi in her own right) was something I wanted to add in this chapter.

Also a reference to A Song of Ice and Fire... where the old man says "A Yamamori alone in the world, it's a horrible thing, believe me" is actually based off a quote from GRRM's series/Game of Thrones show where Maester Aemon says "A Targaryen alone in the world is a terrible thing". I'm a huge fan of the books and only after writing this fic halfway through did I realize I referenced so much of ASOIAF (even my OC's appearance, she acts like a Stark but looks like a Targaryen). For anyone that is also a ASOIAF fan, I am also waiting for the Winds of Winter (c'mon holiday 2021!)