Breathe Part 5

The brass handle to the Hokage's office was cold as I slipped my hand through. The secretary had already waved me in. One of his guards leaned against the doorpost and watched me curiously as I walked past. Minato looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"Zu-zu-chan, something I can help you with?" Minato asked. He straightened immediately as I dropped to one knee before him.

"Hokage-sama," I never addressed him as that when I was younger. It was always Minato-oji, but this certainly got his attention. "I would like to offer intelligence regarding Konoha in exchange for something."

The atmosphere of the room changed and darkened. This was the Hokage of Konoha and not my godfather.

"Why not offer it freely, Chizu?" His hands steepled in front of his face and hid his expression. The air caught in my chest and I struggled to maintain even breaths.

"I would like to offer my espionage services to Konoha as well as intelligence already gathered in exchange for my brother's release from the active-duty ANBU forces."

The air lightened considerably. "I see."

I dropped a hand to the floor as I tried to catch my breath. The mile-long trek and four flights of stairs to the Hokage's office had not been helpful in this humidity.

"Raido," Minato addressed with a nod towards the couch.

"Up you get, Uchiha-san," Raido said kindly, his hand on my elbow as he lifted me from my knees. I swayed slightly and Raido's strong grip kept me from falling over entirely.

Now settled on the couch, I returned Minato's hard look with one of my own. "My brother has sacrificed a lot for this village. His youth and his sanity, of course, but he has also sustained several injuries while serving in ANBU. I understand that what the ANBU do is necessary for this village. But please understand, while my brother may be the best ANBU captain you have ever had, he is also a sixteen-year-old that still climbs into his twin sister's bed when the nightmares become too much. A fact that I pray will not leave this room, especially for the ears in the wall."

Minato leaned back in his chair and held out a hand for me to continue.

"I am in a perfect position to gather intelligence from within the village. With my… condition, no one will suspect that I am working for you. I am also very expendable. I have maybe eight years left to live, if I'm lucky. It's convenient that my family is already well-prepared for news of my death. It also leaves a convenient excuse if I were to be caught and killed.

"The intelligence I've been gathering affects the border of Konoha itself. I've been closely following someone that I suspect has ill-intentions."

"And you didn't think to come forward with this earlier because?"

"All intelligence is valuable, Hokage-sama. I've been searching for a way to secure my brother's happiness for a long time. Also, I wanted to be sure of my assumptions before coming forward."

"I see. Your brother will be promoted to a desk job in ANBU headquarters. The job just recently opened. It will require only the occasional mission outside Konoha. Does that sound suitable?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." I walked over and held out a scroll. Raido took it first. After ensuring that it wasn't a bomb, he handed it to Minato. I sat back down and waited with bated breath to see his reaction.

"This. You can't possibly be serious? This isn't accurate."

"I truly wish that it weren't, Hokage-sama," I said sadly. The memory closed itself as I drifted back into the ocean.


Beep. Beep. Whoosh. Beep. Beep..

Beep. Beep. Whoosh. Beep. Beep.

The hand that Hana was holding twitched and she put down her book to see if Chizu would wake up. Her eyelids fluttered slightly and the machines stuttered.

"Come on, baby. Wake up, please," she urged her. Hana ran her palm across Chizu's abdomen and held her other hand. "Sasu-chan is going to be home soon. He'll want to see you. Itachi… he's not doing so well. He had to be sedated a few days ago."

The hand twitched again before settling. "I miss you, Zu. I do. Please come back to me. Come home..."

Ru cuddled closer to Hana's leg in consolation. Hai licked their combined hands from his post on the hospital bed. It had already been two weeks since the day that Chizu was kidnapped. Even though hospital stays were becoming a frequent occurrence for her, she had never been comatose for this long. It took everything Hana had to ignore the small voice in the back of her mind that Chizu was likely brain-dead. The small movements were only by-products of a dying body. Hana kissed both of her hands before putting down the right one and returning to her book.


Morning of the Abduction

The sun was peeping through the curtains when Hana rolled over on her side. The body on her pillow was not the one she was expecting. Hai licked her face and pinned her shoulders before she told him to get off. It was already six a.m. and she could hear the whoosh of Chizu's medical equipment in the bathroom. Every day at six a.m. and then again at six p.m. The apparatus helped Chizu's lungs rid themselves of their excess fluid. Without it, she would suffocate.

"Zu? Can I come in?" she asked, knocking quietly on the door.

"Oh, yeah. I'm just finishing up," Chizu answered. Her long hair was pinned out of the way. The mirror was still fogged from her shower. It had taken them a long time to get to this point-where Chizu was comfortable with Hana watching her treatments. Hana would never tell her, Chizu is the reason she became a dual certified medic and veterinarian.

"I love you," Hana rubbed a thumb along the side of Chizu's cheek. Chizu placed her hand on top of Hana's and rubbed her face along her palm. An 'I love you too,' while the nebulizer was in use.

Chizu patted Ma's head when he walked into the bathroom and butted her thigh. She put the nebulizer on the counter and began to wash and sanitize it before putting it away in its case. After brushing her teeth, she kissed Hana. She held the back of Hana's head and ran her fingers through her hair slowly. She put an arm around Hana's waist and pulled her closer.

"You look worried," Chizu put her forehead against her girlfriend's. "Stop worrying so much, Hana. I promise, everything's going to be okay."

"How can I not worry, Zu? You're not a kunoichi, you were never trained for this. You can't even train on a field. You can barely throw a kunai, much less use one in a fight."

"Hana…" Chizu didn't want to fight her. All she wanted to do was lay down in the comfort of her girlfriend's arms.

Inuzukas never gave up on a fight if they believed themselves to be right. Their future matriarch included. Chizu's dark gaze always made Hana's heart flutter. Especially when she had that look in her eyes.


AN: Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment. What do you guys want to see with this fic? Any specific scene ideas? Emojis are perfectly acceptable comments. ;)

Also, the request box is open on my tumblr: katydid001