Chapter Five: Dinner with the family

"It had turned out that the plant wasn't poisonous at all it was a diuretic, and that the leader simply had the flu." Hakari laughed at the memory. "You had caught the flu from him and had passed it to Itachi as well. You both were so sick and yet, together you both were having so much fun." Asuma laughed. "That week of being sick with Itachi was the first time we had seen you smile so much and laugh so openly since you joined the academy." Hakari's smile faded, "I wasn't that serious, I remember laughing many other times. "That maybe true, but when you were with Itachi it was different. You were so vulnerable with him, so unguarded that none of us recognized you." Asuma sighed. "You began refusing solo missions, you refused to leave the village for any amount of time. Your training schedule halved, then dropped too almost nothing. You weakened yourself for him and how he repaid you was to turn from the village." Asuma took another long drag from the cigarette. "The time for mourning him is over, you must pick yourself up and move on. Your family is here for you as are your friends, those that were jealous of you will talk. It is up to you if you allow that talk to affect you or if you decide to prove them wrong." Hakari listened to her uncle's words and allowed them to sink in. "I should go see mom and dad; they would probably like to see me." Hakari sighed. "They have missed you, your father especially." Asuma told her before giving her a kiss on the head and walking away.

Hakari walked through the streets of the village, noting all that had change in the four years she had been gone. She knew the way to her childhood home like she knew the air she breathed; her feet simply carried her there. Standing before the white steps of her parents' house Hakari stared up at the front door frozen in place. The front door opened, and a medium built man stepped out onto the porch. His chocolate brown eyes swept over Hakari as his short brown hair swayed in the breeze. "Are you just going to stand there all day?" he asked distantly. "Hai, I'm sorry father." Hakari bowed her head and climbed the steps and entered the house followed by her father. "Isamu, who are you…" A feminine voice asked from the other room but died away upon entering the room. The woman that entered had shining blue eyes and sandy blonde hair she had a plump but athletic frame. "Oh, my Hakari-chan you're home." The woman smiled eyes shining with tears. "Isamu, our daughter is home." The woman moved forward embracing her child. "Yes, Sayo our daughter has returned home." Isamu grunted before walking away. The two women followed him silently. Hakari noticed the slight limp in his step as well as the scar on his palm. "You've been injured father." Hakari stated. He grunted a response and kept walking on stopping when he reached the kitchen and took a seat at the low table. "I'll brew some tea." Sayo said softly nudging Hakari to the table indicating she wished her daughter to sit with her father.

Hakari kneeled before the table on the cushion next to her father. "I'm sorry I failed you father." Hakari said gently after the silence in the room had become intolerable. Hakari's hand rested of the table as her mother prepared the tea behind them. Her father didn't answer simply sat there staring ahead of himself. Sighing Hakari moved to stand when one of his hands shot up and grasped hers together. "You have not failed me Hakari, you could never fail me." His deep voice wavered. "You are and always have been the light of my life. I was so scared something had happened to you." Isamu choked out. "I have failed you, daughter. You should have been able to turn to me when he had broken your heart, but I had refused to listen to you. I had refused to allow you to grieve for your loss of him." Tears ran down Isamu's chiseled face. "I was angry that I couldn't protect you from the heartache. It's a father's job to protect his daughter." Hakari leaned into her father resting her head on his right shoulder. "I thought you were mad at me for still believing in him and not trusting grandfather." Hakari sniffled. Isamu wrapped an arm around his daughter and pulled her to his side. "I could never be mad at you Hakari-chan." Her father said into her hair. "I love you, Papa." Hakari cried into her father's shoulder. "And I you, Hakari." He placed a kiss on the top of her head and held her as she cried. "Your father and brother are coming for dinner." Sayo announced returning to the kitchen with a letter in hand. "Mama, when did you leave us?" Hakari asked wiping the tears from her face. "The moment Otousan began crying." Sayo beamed moving to her husband. "I was not crying." He said clearing his throat. "Of course not, Otousan." She teased. "I will help you with dinner, Okaasan." Hakari said as she untangled herself from her father's arms. "Stay with Otousan, Konohamru should be home soon he'll want to spend time with his Oneechan." Sayo waved her hand at her daughter insisting she stay seated.

Sayo began preparing dinner for her family, humming happily as the father and daughter caught up. Once Konohamru returned home Hakari was plagued with questions about her time away from home. "Did you learn any cool new jutsu?" He asked excitedly. "No, I wasn't out there to learn otouto." Hakari laughed and ruffled his hair. "What about strong ninja, Ane? Did you face any?" Konohamru asked. "She did indeed." A voice said from the doorway. Hiruzen and Asuma stood in the doorway, both smiling at the younger shinobi. "Ojiisan, Uncle Asuma." The two younger shinobi stood to greet their family members. "It seems we arrived just in time Asuma; I would like to hear from Hakari about her encounter with the demon of the mists." Hiruzen smiled. "The demon of the mists?" Konohamru gasped eyes wide. Isamu perked up at the information as well, eyeing his daughter from head to toe as if searching her for missing pieces. "Now, Hakari-chan tell us about how you came face to face with the demon of the mists and survived." Hiruzen prodded taking a seat at the head of the table. Regaining her seat Hakari shuffled uneasily, she was embarrassed by how easily she had been caught by Momochi; and then to have to tell her family about what had transpired between her and him. The blush appeared on her cheeks before she could stop it and all four males at the table eyed her curiously.

"I first met Zabuza Momochi at the halfway point between here and the land of waves, I had just split paths with Tazuna the bridge builder when he appeared." Her family sat listening as she spoke, Sayo having brought sake and tea to the table in the process. "The third time I had crossed his path was at the apartment I was renting; I had returned to get a few soldier pills I had lying around to give to Hatake. I noticed right away something was wrong cause I had left up traps and they were disarmed. I had turned to return to Tsunami's house, but Momochi's protégé barred my way insisting Momochi wanted to talk." Hakari paused taking a sip of the warm tea before her. She recanted of Zabuza caressing her cheek, calling her pretty and of the pathetic excuse of a fight she had put up. She went on to tell them of sleeping in his arms that night, the kiss he had stolen and promising to return to her. "Did he deflower you?" Isamu growled when she had finished. "What no, papa. I'm still intact." Hakari groaned. "He isn't… he wasn't like that." Isamu, Asuma and Hiruzen all stared at Hakari mouths agape. "What I mean is Momochi was an s-rank assassin, but he still had a code, and I don't think he was the type to force himself on a woman." Hakari explained. All three men released held breaths, "Okaasan, your children will be the death of me." Isamu called to his wife who stood at the stove. "They are your children too, Otousan." She called back to him. Hakari began quizzing her otouto bout his lessons and how the past four years had been for him. "Now that Hakari-chan is home perhaps I can send out both of you together on missions?" Hiruzen asked as Sayo set the food in the center of the table. Sayo looked to her husband who in turn was looking at her. "Otousan, they just got Hakari-chan back don't badger them about missions right of the bat." Asuma sighed as he began filling his plate.

"I didn't mean right away, naturally I would want some of my best Anbu back in the force." Hiruzen sighed as he too began placing food on his plate. "As for Hakari-chan, take a few days to resettle then we'll start getting you on some missions; no solo missions of course." Hiruzen said. "Ojiisan, please make sure to schedule time for my training tomorrow I don't want to waste any time." Hakari said seriously as she scooped some rice onto her plate. "So soon, don't you want to take time to accumulate to the village?" Isamu asked his daughter. Hakari who was about to take a bite of bbq pork paused looking across sideways at her father. Lowering her chopsticks and straightening up Hakari cleared her throat. "I've spent too long being idle, if I'm to protect this village I need to start training immediately." Hakari answered. "Ane, come train with me and Ebisu-sensei." Konohamaru beamed. "I will meet with you at dawn Hakari, bring everything you've got. Once I gauge where you stand, we'll commence your training." Hiruzen sighed. "Perhaps, I'll instill some respect into one of my grandchildren yet." Hakari blushed at her grandfathers' words as Konohamru glared at him. "Listen here old man, one day I'm going to surpass you and be a better Hokage then you ever were." Konohamru vowed. Hakari looked at her 8-year-old brother with wide eyes, had she taught him this disrespect. "Konohamaru!" Both parents chided. "Forgive him, Ojiisan he is young and doesn't know what he says." Soya bowed to her father-in-law. "It's my fault." Hakari said bowing her head to her grandfather. "He's learned this disrespect from me. I didn't realize I had influenced him that much." Hiruzen looked affectionately over his daughter and granddaughter. "I'm not offended by any of it. My love for all of you far surpasses any offense." He laughed. "While Isamu and Soya named Hakari, it was I who suggested Konohamaru's name. He carries the will of fire in him as Hakari carries the light of truth." The two younger members of the family looked to the hokage with confused stares as the man's sons and daughter-in-law beamed proudly. "Ojiisan, you didn't have a stroke or anything while I was away these past four years, did you?" Hakari asked. The Hokage fell over in his seat as the other three Sarutobi's stared at the 17-year-old with muted horror.

Picking himself up Hiruzen mumbled, "Since when did I earn such treatment from my grandchildren?" Isamu and Asuma looked at each other before breaking out into laughter. "You've become lax in your old age Ojiisan." Isamu laughed whole heartedly. "Had Asuma or I spoken to you as such you would have set Monkey King Enma on us." Asuma agreed with his older brother as he habitually placed a cigarette between his lips. "Not in here Asuma!" Soya roared swiping the offending stick from his mouth. The family shared laughs together before settling down and eating peacefully. "Tell me Hakari, have you summoned Moriko lately? Enma has said she hardly speaks of you anymore." Hiruzen asked. Hakari looked away from her grandfather, "Moriko, and I had a falling out a few years back I told her to strike my name from our contract when she tried to convince me to give up my quest for Itachi calling it futile and selfish." Hiruzen nodded as he thought about the situation. "As far as I know the only way to end a contract is for you to die, so perhaps you can reconnect with your summon." He added as he placed his chopsticks across the rim of his bowl. "Are you still only sporting only one Chakra signature, or have you finally developed another?" Isamu asked joining the conversation. "I only use earth style, I tried using water style while in the land of waves, but it didn't work." Hakari confessed. "Most of the family is fire and wind, so why have you not tried them?" Soya offered. "Okaasan, remember that was the first thing you and Otousan tried to teach me. You both thought I would never harness any Jutsu until Ojiisan and Obaasan taught me earth style bullets." Hakari flushed embarrassed by the memory.