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"What the…"
Asuka tried to look around herself as she came to, but found her movements were hindered. She felt a strap around her head, chains at her wrists and ankles keeping her still on what seemed like a bed.
If beds had a wooden plate for a mattress.
Her back hurt.
Her butt hurt.
She sighed. Such an uncomfortable bed.
There was something stuck in her wrist, most likely an IV. She could see a tube from her arm disappear behind her. She just hoped she was not being drugged. For a moment she believed she was in a hospital, then her eyes traveled to the ceiling of the room she was in, taking in the sight of a vault covered in red bricks. Her nose inhaled stale air and mold, and it was surely damp there. Definitely not the hotel, nor a hospital. She had to be in a cellar of some sort.
"What the fuck?!" She exclaimed, even more clueless than before. Last thing she remembered, she was in her hotel room, waiting for room service, and then…
Oh fuck.
Ken Soga had been at her hotel. She remembered opening the door and finding him standing there, but after that… complete blank.
"It's nice to see you awake and lively, Miss Sarutai. Or should I say, Miss Sarutobi?" Asuka tried to strain her neck to look at the man who had spoken behind her, failing miserably.
"Sarutai," she said, her eyes narrowing as she tried to glare at the man, taking in his appearance as he strolled around the bed and made himself visible to her. He chuckled lightly, shaking his head.
"Didn't your parents teach you that you should always tell the truth, Miss Sarutai?" He stressed her made-up surname with an amused grin, but she didn't insist on the truth. Somehow he knew who she was already, so there was no point in proving him right. She needed to stay calm and think about ways to escape that predicament.
'Hey, Amanozako? Are you there?' Asuka thought, calling the spirit inside her, but she did not receive any kind of reply. 'Oh come on, I know you told me to not come here in the first place, but, I mean, I'm – literally – quite in a bind and since you're within me, well, that means you're in, too…'
Still no reply. What a bitch.
What was she supposed to do now?
Once, Asuka had been a strong and powerful ninja. Too bad she had never bothered to learn strategy: she didn't like playing shogi, she hated playing tactical video games with Gyon, and she even hated sudoku. She was just a pawn, she followed orders. Tora-san, Shikaku-taichou, Kakashi, her father; they had amazing strategic skills. She, on the other hand, was different. Do you need a barrier? Here it is! Is there a ghost haunting a village? There, sealed! Do you need an explosion? Bang, done. Straightforward and effective. That was the kind of ninja she was, maybe not as intelligent as others, but hey, we can't be all leaders, uh? You need soldiers, too. And she was a soldier; she did as she was told.
Most of the times.
"I'm hungry," she said. Her words were accompanied by a low rumbling of her stomach. Ken Soga looked at her, amused. "Well, it's been two days since I brought you here, so that means… six skipped meals?
Asuka gasped. "Six, at least. I have a healthy appetite, you know?" She wasn't feeling thirsty, so the IV was probably saline to keep her hydrated. That meant the freak there wanted her to stay alive.
She needed to stay calm, try to talk her way out of that predicament. But, somehow, she had a feeling that talking would get her nowhere.
"I've made tea. I'll pour a cup for you." The man was talking to Asuka as he would address a guest sitting on the sofa in his house. She wanted to eat, for crying out loud. She wanted a huge pizza. Or a steak. Right now, even those disgusting ninja pills she had always swallowed as if they had been a bitter medicine would be good.
But, more importantly, Ken's words finally settled in her mind. 'I've been here two days? What the fuck does this shithead want from me?'
Asuka tried to reformulate her thoughts not to anger her kidnapper. "Would there be something I may help you with, Ken-san? I need to, uh, go back to Ruma, resume my studies…"
The man hummed lightly as he approached the side of the bed and fumbled with it until Asuka's body was tilted forward and she was almost standing up. The lack of nutrients made itself evident to the girl in the form of a raging dizziness. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth to stop the swirling sensation in her head.
"Grandpa's taken a liking to you," Ken said, taking her chin in his hand, and pressing his fingers on her cheeks to have Asuka open her mouth. "Says you are a very interesting being, and he'd like to know you better." His other hand grabbed the cup on the metal table next to him and brought it to her lips. Asuka tried her best to close her mouth, but the grip of Ken's hand on her face strengthened, and her eyes closed in pain. "Don't worry, it's not poisoned," he whispered, trying to reassure her, as he tilted the cup and poured its content inside Asuka's mouth, then covered her mouth with his hand and massaged her throat with the other until she swallowed. He lifted the cup and took a sip from the tea, then grinned mischievously at the woman. "See? No poison there."
She felt the hot liquid flow through her esophagus, leaving a pleasant taste in her mouth. It was the same good tea they had given her two days before. She watched Ken take a chair and place it in front of her, then he sat down and looked at her.
"If you're waiting for me to strip, I'm afraid you'll need to untie me first," she said. His lips curled into a smile. "You're funny, you know?" He then looked behind her, just as Asuka heard tentative steps down what seemed like wooden stairs.
Ken stood up and bowed lightly. "Grandpa, everything's set. She has woken up and I gave her tea." Asuka watched as the walking umeboshi also known as Soga Umako entered her field of vision, in all his wrinkly and creepy glory.
"When you invited me to come back, the other day, I didn't imagine this was what you meant…" She told him. The old man chuckled. "You're funny, young girl." Asuka raised her eyes. "Yeah, thank you, your grandson's already pointed that out. So what about, I'll tell you a funny joke and you set me free, uh?"
She was frankly having enough of that situation. She could probably free herself if she opened one chakra gate. Even if the energy flow inside her body was messy, she still had chakra. Otherwise, she would be dead by now. The burst of power consequent to the opening of a gate would allow her to break the chains that bound her without much straining.
On the other hand, she was already weakened by the forced two-days fasting, and she wasn't sure how her body would react. Those creeps in front of her didn't seem the types to put up a fight, but then again, Ken had already sent her k.o. once, without even touching her. She didn't know anything about them, while they seemed to know something about her, namely her name and things about Amanozako.
Another thing that was troubling her was the spirit's absence. Asuka couldn't perceive her as she usually did, and if at the beginning she thought it had something to do with Amanozako being her usual grumpy self, now she knew that wasn't normal. The old man Soga had to know something. Ever since their first encounter, he had spoken to her as if he knew she had Amanozako inside her.
She needed to know more about them.
"Why am I here?" Asuka asked. The old man came closer to her, his violet eyes livelier than she remembered.
"I think it was fate that brought you to me, my dear Miss. I was almost losing all hopes of going back to Konoha." At that, Asuka's eyes widened.
"I was just a teenager when my kin were forced to leave by that hideous Second Hokage, but my feelings haven't changed." The man looked to his left, reminiscing his past. "I still remember it as clear as day. How I hated that man and his horrible brother… those ninja who despised us, fearing our power… How they cruelly exiled from the village us, the glorious Soga clan, letting those inferior Hyuuga or Uchiha stay instead."
Asuka had never heard of a Soga clan that used to live in Konoha. She had never heard of an entire clan being exiled from the village, either.
"I-I don't understand what you're saying…" Asuka stuttered, receiving a dark glare by the man.
"You, my dear Miss Sarutobi, daughter of the Third Hokage, will help me get my revenge. You and that wonderful being you have in your body." He finished his speech touching the girl's stomach. How could he know all that? She had been careful, and she hadn't brought to that city anything that could have possibly revealed something about her identity.
"What my grandfather's trying to tell you, Miss Sarutobi, is to take off your mask and cooperate with us. We know everything about you." Asuka swallowed the lump in her throat.
"What do you want to do? Why do you need me? What would you know about me?" Ken Soga sighed, seemingly annoyed.
"I don't really like long explanations. Just know that we want to use Amanozako to get revenge on Konoha." Asuka's jaw dropped. "What? And what makes you believe I would cooperate with you? Or that she would? Stop touching me, you old freak!" She shouted, wiggling, still restrained by the chains. The man just squinted his eyes.
"Don't raise your voice to an old man, Miss. Has nobody taught you how to behave?" He said, lifting the hem of the girl's shirt. On her skin, the seal was glowing. "There it is." He glanced at Asuka. "Nice job modifying the original jutsu, my dear. It will take a while to undo it."
What?
That geezer could undo the seal? But if he knew Amanozako was inside her… couldn't he imagine how dangerous it would be? In the back of her head she felt a powerful discomfort, that was not coming from her. Amanozako! Are you there? The spirit did not reply. Asuka clenched her teeth. "What are you doing to her?" She hissed at the men. "Do you even know how dangerous it would be to release her?"
"Oh, don't worry about that. We know how to handle her." Asuka's eyes shot to Ken. What did he mean? "Come on, your father even told you about us. We were on your list." She looked at the man, confused. Then, she remembered. There was still one village in her list of people that could potentially help her. It was somewhere in the Western Continent. Its inhabitants had been forced to leave the Five Great Countries because of their dangerous power. It was said that they could submit and control spirits and ghouls with their eye power.
"You are…" Ken smirked. "Indeed. There's not a village anymore, though. My grandfather and I are the only survivors." Asuka averted her eyes. If their kekkei genkai resided in their eyes, she'd better not look directly at them.
"You don't need to look away, Miss Sarutobi. I've already diacovered what I wanted to know about you." Asuka's lips scrunched. "Can you read my thoughts?" If he could, she was so screwed. Ken Soga sighed. "The eyes of the members of the Soga clan are extremely powerful. I can see chakra flowing through your body, and the tea I gave you before greatly facilitates the process. In particular, the flow around your brain allows me to look into your memories. But no, technically, I can't read what you're thinking right now." He smirked at the dumbfounded expression of the girl in front of him. She had probably understood nothing about what he had told her. Such a stupid wench. "This is part of our clan's eye power. The other part revolves around spirits. But you already know about that."
Asuka startled as she felt Mr. Soga's hand on her stomach. She grimaced at the contact, as his fingers felt cold and sweaty. "It was my great-great-grandfather who last sealed Amanozako. Well, before you of course. He was a monk in the Land of Fire, living there way before the establishment of the ninja world in villages as we know it today."
That's why the spirit had been so agitated when Asuka first found the book. She knew the Soga clan. But why hadn't she explicitly said anything?
Asuka felt growing discomfort as the old man pressed his fingers against her stomach. Whatever he was doing to Amanozako, it was affecting her as well. She grimaced a little, before speaking again, in an attempt to take some time. "What are you going to do once you free Amanozako?" His bleary, violet eyes briefly glanced at Asuka. "We'll kill two birds with one stone. First, I'll have her attack Konoha and eat every single villager there. Then, I'll kill her, naturally. The world will be better without those filthy ninja and that hideous spirit around."
She could not let them have Amanozako. She could not let them attack Konoha. She needed to act. "You should thank us, Miss Sarutobi. You'll be able to finally take that burden off your shoulder and live free as you want."
Asuka sighed. "I thought you had seen my memories, old man. There's no way in hell I could betray Konoha. You could have been a solution to my problem, had you not been a total freak," she said, opening her first chakra gate and focusing her force in her right arm, effectively breaking the chain around her wrist and grabbing the old man's throat, in the meantime freeing her other arm, her head and her legs.
'Hey, Amanozako, if you're listening… I know you hate me, but please bear with me for a little longer. I can't hand you over to these guys.'
With her hand still clutching the man's throat, Asuka blocked the punch from Ken. Still under the influence of the gate opening, her grip intensified, and a loud snap echoed inside the cellar. As the kunoichi let go of the old man, his lifeless body fell heavily on the floor. Ken, the now last member of the Soga clan, howled and threw himself at Asuka with unprecedented anger. His eyes were shining as he attacked the girl.
Asuka didn't have time to think. Ken Soga was excellent at hand-to-hand combat. He had to have received some ninja training, because his blows were fully charged with chakra and hurt like hell, while the force she had gained opening the gate was quickly being washed off. That was when Asuka felt something new inside her body.
'I told you not to come here. I told you you're an idiot. But I'd rather stay with you than become this bastard's puppet. So, enjoy my little present for you.'
It was not something new. This familiar, warm sensation… her chakra was there. She managed to kick the man in the face and backed off to regain her breath and focus. She could feel her chakra again. It didn't seem the whole amount, but she had to make do with what she had. Moreover, mixed with hers, she could feel Amanozako's chakra. She smirked. Finally, after twelve years, a step forward.
'Thank you, Amanozako.'
Kakashi put the flowers he had bought at the Yamanaka's shop down on Rin's grave.
"I'm sorry I didn't come earlier, but my mission took longer than expected."
A little less than three years had passed since the whole Konoha crush incident and the subsequent unsuccessful chase after Orochimaru and, more importantly, Sasuke. Now the boy was still missing, and probably being brain-washed by the former member of the Sannin.
Naruto had left with Jiraya to train while Tsunade-hime had become the new Hokage. Kakashi had been thoroughly exploited by her, constantly being sent away on missions, and he hadn't had the time to visit his friend's grave in a while.
After telling Rin all that had happened during his mission, Kakashi stood there for a moment, his hands in his pockets, simply staring at her grave. Memories of his cell, with her and Obito, came to his mind, and he couldn't help but smile sadly.
"I wonder if Obito would have been chosen as Godaime, had he been alive. He would have made me his personal lackey." Rin's smiling face occupied his mind. She had always believed in the Uchiha brat.
At least they were together in the afterlife.
As he turned to leave, Kakashi noticed a tall figure in front of the late Hokage's grave. The figure then turned around, saw Kakashi and nodded in his direction, taking the cigarette from his lips and slowly blowing out the smoke. The silver-haired ninja acknowledged the other shinobi and waited for him to come near, then they both walked to the exit.
"With all that's happened, I think I never got to tell you this, but your father was a great man. His departure was an incommensurable loss for the whole village," Kakashi said. Asuma side-glanced at him as he puffed on his cigarette, then let out a big cloud of smoke.
"Too bad I understood that a little too late," he replied, bitterly. Asuma didn't elaborate further, and Kakashi didn't ask for an explanation. Everyone had their family troubles, and he was not the person that would meddle.
After a while, as they were walking along one of the busiest streets in Konoha shopping district, towards the general direction of the Hokage Tower, Asuma spoke again.
"You know, I never got to apologize for my behavior back then. I guess I took it out on you because I couldn't attack my father." Kakashi didn't need to ask about what he was referring to. The day after Asuka left. "It's ok, I've never been mad at you. You were understandably shocked." Asuma took a long drag from his cigarette and kicked a pebble on the road.
"My father never lost hope in her. He hid all the photos in his house to avoid seeing them every day, but he kept her room exactly as it was when she left, so that whenever she came back, she could find a piece of her home unchanged. It was the same for me, too. When I came back, it was just like before I had left. But I never thanked him for that. I was still somehow mad at him for what he did to her. Right now, I'm still angry at him. Even though I feel like I can justify his actions, I really can't forgive him."
Kakashi remained silent for a while. It had been a while since he had last thought about Asuka, and he took his time to let his mind roam across memories of her. He selected only the good ones, though, and immediately felt a warm feeling spread in his chest.
"Do you think she's dead?" He then asked, glancing at Asuma.
"I hope so."
Kakashi frowned. "What do you mean?"
Asuma sighed, closing his eyes for a little longer than a blink. "My father never revealed any detail about just what the fuck had happened then, but he told me Asuka would come back as soon as she had found a solution. Knowing her, knowing just how much she loved the village, she would probably give her all to come back as soon as possible. If, after eleven years, she still isn't here… I think death is just the most compassionate ending for her."
Those were heavy words. Kakashi could understand Asuma's feelings, even if he didn't share them. By now, he was convinced that Asuka had died, but if he had to hope, then he wished for her to be happy. He would prefer Asuka to be alive and well, even if away from Konoha. Who knows, maybe with a husband and a few kids who would make her forget about her shinobi past. That had never been her aspiration, but maybe a man with a head on his shoulders could make her change her mind.
The two jounin arrived at the Hokage Tower. There, Asuma met with Ino and Choji to go to Yakiniku Q, while Kakashi entered the building.
"Good morning, Hokage-sama," Kakashi greeted. Tsunade raised her eyes from the paper on her desk and looked sternly at the man. "I've been waiting for you for the past hour, Kakashi." He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, sorry… I was helping out an old lady." The woman's half-lidded eyes revealed her skepticism. She sighed deeply. "Whatever. I received a message from Jiraya. Naruto and him are on their way back, and should arrive later today. I thought you would have liked to know that." She smirked at the man's surprised reaction. "When he comes back, I want you to work with Naruto and Sakura, and resume taking on mission as Team Kakashi."
Kakashi bowed respectfully. "Yes, Lady Tsunade."
He was indeed happy about his student returning. He couldn't wait to see how much Naruto had grown in these two years.
"Hey Asuka, I've been meaning to ask you something for a long time…" Nina said, raising her sunglasses on her forehead and tentatively glancing at her friend, who was sunbathing next to her. The two had decided to go on a little two-day vacation together to the seaside, and were now enjoying a relaxing afternoon at the beach.
Asuka turned her head towards the girl. "What is it?" She looked at Nina's skin, already turning golden under the sun rays, then examining her own skin with a frown. She'd better get under the parasol if she didn't want to end up burnt. She was already reddish.
"Why did you have to leave the Eastern Continent?" Asuka's eyes widened slightly. "I… thought I had already told you… because of my father's job…" Nina looked down, then back to her. She seemed… disappointed? "I mean, what is the real reason? You obviously don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but… You know you can trust me, right?"
Asuka internally debated on her answer. It was not entirely a matter of trust. She genuinely believed that Nina wouldn't gossip about her identity; it was more of a shinobi code of conduct requesting confidentiality.
"I mean," Nina said, curious, "are you maybe one of those kung-fu fighters we sometimes hear about? What was their name… Samurai?"
If Asuka had learnt anything about the Western Continent in her ten-year-long residency, it was that its inhabitants had very confused misconceptions about easterners. Mostly, these were seen as barbarians and primitive folks by the technologically advanced westerners. Once, Nina had even asked her if they had electricity in their country, and Asuka had felt a bit offended by that question.
"That's a bit of a mash-up there, Nina," Asuka said, trying not to sound too fussy. "Samurai are elite warriors who fight with swords, and they actually live in a rather small area of the Continent. On the other hand, kung-fu is what you call here 'Eastern Martial arts,' and it comprises different hand-to-hand fighting styles. We call it taijutsu."
Nina was fascinated by her friend. Asuka had never been so focused on anything, she usually would just dismiss whatever topic with some carefree statements, but as she went on explaining what taijutsu was, she seemed she had been wanting to talk about that for ages.
"Ok, so knowing all that… I guess that makes you a… tai-jutsu-er?" Asuka shook her head and prepared for her leap of faith. "Technically, I was a kunoichi, which is a female ninja. Maybe you've heard about them…" Nina's eyes lit up. "Yes! Aren't they like, spies with magical powers?"
Asuka raised her eyebrow. "Uh… not really magical powers… Just the ability to control the energy within us, which is called chakra."
Nina tilted her head to the side, touching her lower lip with her finger. "My yoga instructor always talks about chakra. I thought it was some kind of spiritual bullshit, to be honest." Asuka chuckled. Westerners were so matter-of-fact people.
"Everybody has chakra, even you. Otherwise, you'd be dead." Nina's lips formed a silent 'oh', as she seemed to be thinking about something. "Could it be that… and I know I might seem crazy, but… You know, sometimes I see this sort of aura around people… is it chakra?"
Asuka smiled. "Yes, it's possible you are seeing chakra. I don't have the ability to see it, but I was trained to somehow feel it. Every person's chakra is different, like fingerprints. We call that 'chakra signature'. Being able to see it makes you a so-called 'sensory type'."
The black-haired girl giggled. "I've always thought I was crazy, you know… like mum… and now I discover I was only born in the wrong side of the planet." She looked at her friend. "Do you want to know what color your 'chakra' is, Asuka?" The woman nodded. "It's different from any other I've ever seen, you know. Probably because you're a ninja. And I also think it's the most beautiful and artistic aura I've ever seen. It's like… black and green flames coming out of your body, swirling and twisting, mixing their color. So beautiful."
Asuka shrugged. What Nina thought was beautiful was actually a really fucked-up situation, accurately describing her and Amanozako's chakra fighting to prevail. She couldn't really use her power, even though she had it back. Since her fight with the Soga freaks, she had managed to perform very basic jutsu in a shitty way, but that was still better than nothing.
"Was it harsh, life as a shinobi?" Nina asked, eyeing the scars that marred her friend's body. She usually tended to cover them, but now, wearing only a bikini, they stood out against her pale complexion. Another thing that stood out was her muscle definition. Nina eyed Asuka's six pack with envy. The muscles in her arms and legs were also well-defined, but not too bulky. Her figure was lean and elegant. A body like that couldn't be obtained in a gym, it was like the body of an athlete, the product of intense training since childhood.
Asuka lowered her eyes. "When I was growing up, the Lands in the Eastern Continent were at war. Shinobi villages like the one I lived in were the only source of military forces for the Land. This meant that whoever was able to fight would be engaged in the war, even if our leaders tended to use mostly adult ninja to fight at the front. That said, I was 9 when I first took part in a war mission."
"That's cruel…" Nina commented, and Asuka shrugged. "That's what being a shinobi means. We all had our reasons to fight and people we wanted to protect, even at the cost of our own lives. But, even so, it' not like our leader indiscriminately sent children to the battlefront. They were protected as much as possible. I had a rather happy childhood, to be honest."
"Then, why did you come here?"
"I can't tell you the details. Let's say, a failed mission for which I needed to find a solution." Nina eyed her gravely.
"Have you found one?" Her heart clenched at the deep sighing from Asuka.
"I really don't know how long it's still going to take… I really want to go back home…" she said, bringing her legs next to her and hugging them. Nina couldn't bear the sight of her friend. She seemed so fragile in that moment. She stood from her sunbed and threw herself at her neck.
"I'm so sorry I made you sad!" she whined, and Asuka chuckled heartedly, surprised by her reaction. She caressed her friend's head. "It's ok. I always think about that. But, tell me… aren't you afraid of me?" Nina raised her head and looked at the brunette in the eyes.
She was a ninja, she had been at war, so… she had probably killed people. Did that make her a bad person? Killing people was really bad. A mortal sin. Then again, she was a soldier executing orders. Asuka was always so gentle with her, and she had been honest, telling her the truth.
"Let's say I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. You've never given me any trouble, actually." She was rewarded with a warm smile.
"Wow Kakashi, is that Rasengan?!"
The boy looked to his left, eyeing the figure that was approaching, his teenage eyes lingering on her swaying hips a little longer than his shinobi mind would have liked, then he let the sphere in his hand disappear. Asuka was still wearing her ANBU uniform, and her mask rested sideways on her head. She had just come back from her mission, then, and she also seemed safe and sound. Good.
"Yeah," he answered, panting slightly and frowning. Asuka looked at him with a raised eyebrow, understanding his disappointment. "Is that a bad thing? To me, it looked perfectly executed."
Kakashi sighed. "I've been trying to add chakra nature to it."
"Wow, cool!" Asuka exclaimed. "Not even Yondaime managed to do that."
The boy clicked his tongue. "I'm starting to think it's friggin' impossible. It takes too much control just to maintain Rasengan's spherical form, and as soon as I start adding lightning to it, it just blows up."
"The almighty Kakashi giving up on a jutsu? That's really unusual for you." That was true. But it was so fucking impossible.
"I've been at it for the past month. And still I haven't made any progress." Kakashi was no stupid. He understood there were some things that were simply too big for his abilities. Perfecting his sensei's jutsu was probably one of those, especially if Minato himself hadn't succeeded in doing so.
"If it had been me, I would have already given up since long. Or found a way to cheat." Her mischievous grin caught Kakashi's attention. "What do you mean?" He asked.
Asuka shrugged. "I know that the Second Hokage could make clones that were actual copies of himself. Whatever they experienced would return to him later. Think about training with one, it would take half the time…" Kakashi stared at the girl.
"That's called shadow clone technique. And it's a forbidden jutsu," he retorted. Asuka sighed, looking at the sky. "I'm just saying, it could have come in handy. Man, you're such a killjoy."
He had a feeling Asuka knew far better about that technique than she wished to confess.
Whatever. His chakra reserves were modest, anyway. He could have never trained with a shadow clone, even if he had wanted to.
Kakashi, taken off-guard, managed to block Asuka's punch, but when she kicked his ankles, he lost his balance and fell onto the ground. The girl was sitting on his stomach, her hands on the ground on either side of his face, and she was looking at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Shall we first spar, eat or make out?" She asked, freeing his mouth from his mask, just as his hands found their way on her thighs. Then, they stood up and quickly ran to Kakashi's house.
Kakashi annoyedly opened his right eye when he heard someone in his room, and lazily looked around himself. He was still recovering at Konoha Hospital after overexerting himself in the battle against Deidara from Akatsuki. He hadn't dreamt about Asuka for a while, but… That had been probably a sign from her. Or at least that was what he wanted to believe. She had truly loved Naruto, and if she was somewhere up there in the sky, she was probably looking down on him, smiling.
Considering Naruto's chakra and trademark jutsu, her training idea would be the ideal one to perfect Rasengan. He should just think it through a little more, but he couldn't wait to tell the boy.
Kakashi heard some rustling by his side and noticed Sakura reading through his medical record. Her green eyes settled on his. "How are you feeling, master Kakashi?"
His eye closed gently as he smiled. "Better. But it's still hard to move." His former pupil nodded and wrote some notes on the record, then she looked at him again. Before she could ask anything else, he spoke. "Are you ready for your next mission? Heard you're leaving later today." Actually, earlier that morning Lord Jiraya, Lady Tsunade and Tenz- no, Yamato, had already filled him in on the details of the mission.
Kakashi looked at his pink-haired student's discomfort. "Yeah… I really hope we'll learn something that will lead us to Sasuke." He nodded, understanding her feelings.
Sakura looked outside the window, then back at Kakashi. Her cheeks were slightly redder than before. "Master Kakashi… Who's 'Asuka'?"
Just. What. The. Hell.
His expression might have given away some of his surprise, as Sakura hurried to look at everywhere but him, her face turning completely red. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but when I entered to check up on you, you were still asleep and would repeat 'Asuka, Asuka' as if you were calling someone, but I don't know anyone in Konoha by that name, so I thought maybe you were reminiscing some old friend… or girlfriend…"
Sheesh, that girl was nosey. And he hoped she hadn't figured out just what kind of dream he was having about her.
Kakashi sighed. "Yeah." Sakura's eyes widened. She would have never, never, (never!) imagined her teacher would sincerely answer a question about his love life. He never told them anything about himself. She had known him for three years, and she had managed to finally see his – handsome as hell – face only a couple of weeks before, when treating his wounds.
"Before you start fantasizing about that, just know that she's dead." He added, effectively ending their conversation before Sakura could have the chance to investigate further.
Nina startled as she looked at the state Asuka was in when she came into the bar, that morning. If the bags under her eyes were any indicator of some sort, she hadn't slept at all the previous night, and her snappy movements betrayed her anxiety. The chakra aura around her figure looked like raging waves in a storm.
It was not her shift; she wasn't supposed to come to work for another three hours. Asuka hastily approached Nina and leant over the counter. "I need to speak with the boss," she whispered. Nina nodded, letting her know that the man was there at the moment. "Is something wrong?" She asked. Asuka glanced at her friend, her head nodding ever so slightly.
"I'm leaving."
What had she seen in her dream? Was it even a dream? Or was it a vision? Was she hallucinating? She didn't know, but she couldn't stay put anymore. She needed to go back to Konoha and find out just what the hell had happened.
Nina untied the bow on her apron and threw the garment on the counter, following after Asuka. The brunette looked at her, questioningly.
"You'll need to pack your stuff and prepare for your trip back, and we both know you're not an organized person," she offered. Asuka stopped and turned towards her friend. She was smiling, like the positive person she was. In a fit of affection, she hugged Nina tightly. "Thank you," she whispered in her ear. "I know I'll miss you." Nina patted her back, giggling. "Save these words for the actual departure, ok?"
So there she was, ready to hop on the train that would bring her, after a one-month journey, to the most Eastern location of the Continent, from where she would take a ship on a three-month cruise to the Land of Lightning.
Asuka smiled brightly at the few people that had come to see her off. Silvia and Marco, who were now a couple, and, of course, Nina. Said girl was miserably failing at holding back her tears, and was now clinging to her friend as if her life depended on it.
"I'll miss you so much," she wailed, "but I really hope you'll go back to your home and be happy there." Asuka clenched her teeth and squeezed the girl tightly. She didn't want to cry in front of them. Her feelings were a mess. She was sad to leave her friends, happy to finally go back, but, mostly, she was scared as hell. Terrified of what she might find there.
Just as the train conductor whistled, informing the passengers of the impending departure, Asuka let go of Nina, kissed Silvia and Marco goodbye and hopped on the train. She bowed deeply to her friends. "Thank you very much for taking care of me all these years. You've been great friends. I will miss you all." When she stood up, the door closed, and the train departed.
Asuka stayed in front of the door for some time, watching as the figures on the platform became smaller and smaller as the train left.