Another chapter is here!

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Karin found herself stretching in the light of the afternoon sun as she left the hospital. She and Naruto had finally been cleared to leave and were now walking down the streets of the Leaf, their destination unknown at present. "So, what do you want to do first, Naruto?"

He crossed his arms and looked up to the sky. "I kind of want to see what Jiraiya-sensei left at my place, but I also want to talk to Iruka-sensei about what happened with Mizuki. And I need to go see that woman at the Sealing R&D place about getting Byakko's mask remade, and then pick up some books from the Library about my… about the Fourth Hokage."

Karin glanced towards him to see that there was a sullen look in his eyes that clouded them over. Learning who his parents truly were may have answered questions he long since had, but they also put a weight on his shoulders in trying to live up to them and doubt whether or not he could do it. His eyes were a lot more radiant when he was happy to her.

"How about we get something to eat first?" she asked, hoping to distract him from the doubts haunting him. "Then we can decide what we'll do."

His eyes regained some of their luster as the suggestion brought a smile to his face. "Then let's head to Ichiraku's! Ayame-nee was worried about you since she hadn't seen you in a while, and I haven't had some of their ramen since before we left the village."

"I hope she's doing well." Not since the Finals had Karin seen the older woman who seemed to consider herself an older sister to him, a feeling that was mutual considering that Naruto looked a bit happier too at the thought of eating his favorite dish and seeing someone close to him.

That's good enough for now, Karin supposed as she followed behind him as they made their way towards the food stand. He needed to take his mind off of everything right now. Yet when they arrived Naruto's cheerful expression turned to one of surprising disbelief as he found two seats at his favorite eating place occupied.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked in a heated voice, pointing a finger to the Inuzuka boy, who was in the process of eating a bowl of beef ramen.

If it offended the boy, it didn't show as he finished slurping up strands of noodles hanging out of his mouth and pointed his chopsticks towards the little ninja pup that was on the seat next to him. "I thought I'd swing by after getting paid since Akamaru likes the place and the food's pretty good."

"Aww, you're sweet, Kiba-kun," Ayame said from behind the counter, before she flashed the Uzumaki pair a smile. "Come on over you two!"

Naruto took a seat next to the ninja pup, giving it a pat on the head when it yipped at him, and then addressed Ayame. "Where's Teuchi?"

"Handling some business across town," she said. "Though he has been asking about you. Where've you two been?"

"Smells like they've been in the hospital," Kiba said before Naruto could answer, earning a glare from him. "What? The scent is still fresh."

"You two didn't get hurt, did you?" Ayame asked.

Naruto's glare lingered on the Inuzuka before he answered her. "We just ran into some trouble on a mission." It was obviously an understatement if Karin ever heard one, but he didn't want to worry her. "We're both cleared now, so it's fine. Isn't that right, Karin-chan?"

"Yeah," Karin said, forcing a smile to ease any concerns she may have had. "It was just a few scratches and Naruto kept me safe the entire time. There's nothing to worry about at all now."

"Hrm…" She looked at Karin suspiciously with a raised brow and her hands on her hips. "I can usually tell when Naruto's lying, but you're harder to read." Her expression relaxed. "Well, since you're both here now and look okay, I'll buy it. Now what will you both have, on the house?"

"Can I have a bowl of the usual?" Naruto asked.

"Sure thing." She then turned to Karin. "And what'll you have?"

Karin looked up at the menu to see what they had to offer. The most appealing looking one had shredded vegetables, eggs, and seafood. "I guess I'll have the one on the left. It looks good."

With a slight bob of her head, the brown-haired older girl began to cook for them while Naruto and Kiba held a conversation. Karin mostly stayed out of it. There was nothing she could contribute to it, so she patiently waited for her meal.

"So have you found a place to stay?" Ayame asked when she finished Karin's order first. "Or are you living with Naruto now?"

"No, I've got a place now. It's not that I would mind living with him, but his place isn't really meant to have more than one person living there and I should give him his space."

"I suppose you're right." She set the bowl down in front of her. "A girl does need her personal space, after all."

"Yeah…" Karin trailed off as she recalled the shared home she had with Anko. Guilt snaked its way down her throat and into the pit of her stomach when she thought about the final time she'd seen the woman, forcing her to shake her head in an effort to push it aside for now and enjoy her meal.

[-oOo-]

"Come back again!" Ayame said cheerfully as Naruto, Karin, and Kiba departed from the stall after finishing their food. It hadn't taken them long to eat and they had other things to tend to, so they were off. Once they were out of view, Ayame sighed softly and then proceeded to go back and check on the stock.

"Ayame-nee?"

The familiar voice stilled her legs. She turned to find Naruto standing there and then peeked over the edge of the counter to see that he was alone. "Naruto, I thought you left with the others?"

"I'm a Shadow Clone," he said. "The original me is with Karin-chan."

"Oh, right. I remember those from the competition." She idly wondered how useful it would be to have multiple versions of herself running around the shop for when things got busy. Or to have them do the work entirely while she studied on new meals to add to the menu, since she'd hoped to one day expand her father's business into a full restaurant some day. "Is there something wrong?"

"The original me wanted to ask you something, since we figured you'd know about this kind of stuff, but not with the others around."

He looked bashful as he spoke, which was unusual for him. It immediately roused her curiosity, so she invited him to come in and talk to her about it. The clone entered into the back of the shop and then told her that Karin-chan had confessed that she fell in love with him. The revelation had left him unsure of what to do.

"Okay, I see why you'd want to talk about this," she said from her perch against the wall as she finished listening to him. "I imagine you don't have a lot of experience with that sort of thing?"

He shook his head. "I've been putting it off since she told me during the Finals, but I think that I should answer her after everything we've gone through."

"During the Finals… was that when she kissed you on the cheek?"

"No, it was after the match with Neji." He looked down to the floor and a blush came over his face. "She kissed me on the lips then. It felt… different from when she kissed me on the cheek. A lot different."

Some kids are surprisingly forward these days. She leaned down a bit and looked Naruto in the eyes. "She hasn't been pressuring you for an answer or… anything else, has she?"

Naruto shook his head again, slowly. "She's only asked that I don't abandon her, but other than that she hasn't asked me to give her an answer or anything. Not that I was going to abandon her at all. I wouldn't do that."

"Of course you wouldn't. There's no one I know who values the people around him as much as you." She rubbed his hair and smiled reassuringly. "Can you tell me how you feel about her right now?"

"I care about her a lot," he said. "And she's been there for me a lot too. I want to respond to that somehow, but at the same time I'm afraid that if I do something wrong that I'll lose even that. It's scary, you know?"

"Well, it's good that you don't want to rush beyond what you feel comfortable doing right now. But a relationship isn't just one-sided." Ayame stood up straight, placed her hands on her hips, and puffed out her chest. "A girl likes feeling special, so you should do something to show that she does mean more to you. That's how you need to respond to her."

"But I don't really know how to do anything for her other than be next to her," Naruto said.

Ayame stated the simple solution. "Then take her on a date."

Naruto grew pensive at the suggestion. "I used to ask Sakura-chan on dates all the time, but I really didn't have much of an idea what that would consist of other than visiting different places and eating together. And I did all that with Karin-chan before she confessed, so would that really be enough?"

"Just because you did it before doesn't mean it won't have any meaning." Ayame smiled and held a finger up. "In fact, I bet she loved that most of all. Spending time with someone you care about is one of the best things you can do for them. Do you know why?"

His lips and brows upturned as he seriously thought about it. Ultimately, he shook his head. "I can't put it into words, but when I think about it I feel like you're right."

"That's because time is one of the few things you can't get back. Every day, every minute, is precious because there's no telling how long you'll live. So when you give someone your full attention and time, they're getting something from you that's irreplaceable. Like right now for instance—I'm giving you advice and time instead of brushing you off because you're someone I care about."

Realization colored his eyes. He understood now that even if people don't realize it on their own, it was how they showed that they cared for others. "Then a date might be good since we won't be living the village for a while. I just need to think about what's involved in it."

"Just do whatever you feel is right here." She set her hand on his chest, over his heart. "As sweet as you are, I'm sure she'll really be happy with whatever you decide."

The words of encouragement made him relax and smile. "Thanks for the advice, Ayame-nee. I knew I could count on you."

"Anytime, Naruto." She gave him a brisk hug. "Tell me how it goes when you do decide, okay?"

He nodded as she released him and then vanished in a slight poof of smoke. Ayame stared at the spot for a moment before crossing her arms. She couldn't help but smile fondly as she recalled how he'd grown since they first met. "I hope it goes well for him."

[-oOo-]

Ayame's advice remained in Naruto's mind as he and Karin entered the Sealing R&D building. There he met with Narue Tsuda again, who headed the research into the masks and what they entailed. She took the news of Byakko's destruction… better than Naruto would have expected.

"It's a waste that the original was destroyed along with whatever knowledge it had, but it's better than losing either of you since the Divine Beasts can be replaced. Given the trouble you had in the Land of Honey, I'm just happy that's the only loss."

Naruto blinked. "You know about that?"

She nodded, the act of which caused her ponytail to waver. "The information wasn't exactly restricted and when my boyfriend came home with injuries, he explained that his trip to the Land of Honey had complications."

Boyfriend? Naruto took a second to recall what was said during the trip, a bit of small talk between him and the seasoned Chuunin that were accompanying him on the way there. And the hour-long lecture on how a sealing formula operated. "You mean Okei?"

"We studied the Sealing Arts together and there was a connection there, but I chose to work here full-time while he chose to enter into a different department. On a technical level, I'm more familiar with the mechanics of how various sealing scripts work. On a practical level, he's the one who uses them in the field."

Naruto recalled the vapor that Okei had used when it chased his clones around until he recognized them. "Like the poisonous smoke snake thing he did?"

"Technically, it can work with all sorts of gases as long as the volume they take up and density is within the range of what the sealing script was designed to handle with the space of the slip. It basically takes the stored gas and layers a thin membrane of chakra over it as it's released to allow him to control it as a sort of appendage. It's much simpler and cost-effective than threading his chakra through each particle and trying to control it like that."

"Is he doing okay?" Naruto asked. He had left so abruptly and it was in bad-taste given that it was without notice. But Karin was in danger and he hadn't a second to waste.

"He's doing fine enough to keep busy, so you don't need to worry." She rose to her feet with a huff. "Anyway, I'll put in the order for the mask to be reproduced for you and it should be ready in a few days. During that time, we'll have you both try to converse with the other masks so we can learn more about the Divine Priests and Priestess. I believe that using them we can unravel the mysteries of the Divine Gods."

"Are they really that complicated compared to Byakko?" Karin asked.

"The sealing work on the Divine Beasts was amazing, but simplistic compared to the Divine Priests and Priestess. And those pale in comparison to the Divine Gods. I can't even imagine what they're capable of. The thought actually makes me excited!"

Naruto could see that it did from how she was holding her arms and shivering. He still wasn't used to that. "You said that the Priests and Priestess had over thirty layers before. Does that mean the Gods have even more?"

"Oh yes! From what we've gathered so far, we estimate there around one hundred and four layers... and counting. It must've taken your ancestors years to carve them all so precisely onto such a small space. I imagine that they had specialist who did that sort of thing—in fact, that's one of the questions I want you to ask them."

Karin looked mildly intrigued, brows folded in slightly as she held a finger to chin in thought. She had always expressed an interest in learning about their clan's past, so who better than they? "That does sound interesting. But the chakra needed would require that we take the masks to charge them over the course of days."

"Not necessarily if our latest sub-projects work." She spun on the soles of her feet and made for the door. "Follow me."

Karin sent Naruto an aside glance as the older woman began to giggle excitedly. He could only shrug his shoulders before they followed after her. She led them further inside of the building and then down a flight of stairs to a room below that was divided into two parts. One was an observation room, with glass panes and equipment Naruto wasn't familiar with. The other was a white room covered in sealing script that ran from the floor to the walls with the focal points being two different circles with a large sigil inside of them.

"So, what do you think?" Narue asked. "We had a meeting with a Yamanaka on some of our ideas on how to make a spiritual link audible to everyone. Between that and a couple of us, were able to get this set up. When you activate the masks and remain inside of the circles, we can hear what they're saying—in theory. Pretty cool, right?"

Naruto cautiously looked around at the room. "You… really planned this out, huh?"

"Yep." She walked over to the control panel and then took out square slips that were on them. "And these little beauties are designed to absorb your Yang chakra. All you have to do is channel into them before you go to bed and when you come back bring them all. We'll then feed them to one of the Divine Priests masks and use it to sustain the construct while you converse with it."

It sounded simple enough. Naruto took them and placed them into his pocket before they took their leave. Narue wished them well and escorted them out of the building, leaving the pair once more on the streets of the Leaf.

It was only then that Karin spoke. "That woman was…" She took a moment to try to come up with a proper way to put her feelings into words. "She's really… enthusiastic."

Naruto couldn't help but nod as he recalled their first meeting. "At least she didn't hug you to the point where you could barely breathe."

Karin's looked mildly surprised at that bit of information. "She did that?"

"She was really enthusiastic." He laughed sheepishly while scratching the back of his head, wisely deciding not to bring up that the embrace was soft or the part where she mentioned locking them up until they had children. "Even the thought of spending her life working on it doesn't seem to bother her too much. That's dedication for you."

Karin looked a bit wistful at that. "I won't argue with you there. So many things have been lost due to time and war, so it's probably good that she's enthusiastic about it."

That said, the two continued their walk throughout the streets of the Leaf, side-by-side.

[-oOo-]

The sound of splintering wood and the crackle of electricity filled the air of the training ground within the Uchiha district, at the edge of the village. Sasuke watched as the tree tumbled over, the lightning covering his hand fading as he panted with hard and heavy breaths. The tree that had weathered the ages and years had been toppled by the anger that had built up within his chest like a flame that wouldn't stop burning.

They had trapped him within the village, forbidding him from going out on missions until further notice. Worse, Kakashi was away right now and there was no one else who could teach him how to use his Sharingan to its fullest. He clenched his fist in anger. How am I supposed to get stronger at this rate?

"Ah, you shouldn't be so violent to nature as a means to vent your aggression," a voice whispered from behind him.

He turned, flinging a trio of shuriken towards the source in one swift motion. Each one buried their points into a tree. But there was no body to be found.

"Nice to see your reflexes haven't dulled since we last talked." This time it came from in front of him, louder.

Sasuke's head snapped around, fingers tight on a chakra blade as he drew it from his back pouch and held it at the ready. He didn't drop it, even when he recognized the figure now in front of him. "You're supposed to be dead."

Orochimaru smiled. "Death is but a mere inconvenience to me."