WHAT?! IT CANNOT BE! AN EARLY UPDATE?! GASP!
Yeah...I know for one that I'll probably be kind of busy on Friday, so I'd rather not make you guys wait. Not only that, but everyone deserves a quick update since I got more reviews than I expected for the last chapter! (HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!) Plus, school's already started and I my teachers felt the need to assign us homework on the second day, so I can't WAIT to see what they want us to do during the REST of the year (not)! I think my brain is dead. I've been away from school way too long...
The chapters are coming along pretty smoothly and quickly, actually, so perhaps if I have the time, another update won't be too far in the future...Even though I'm still debating with myself about the ending! (DARN. And thought I had it ALL figured out.) It's one of those situations where you decide on one thing and then start thinking about it, then end up changing again. And again. And again. I keep telling myself it's gotta end somewhere...
Anywho, hope you like the chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
"Scroll of a Thousand Jutsu?" Tsunade questioned, staring at the small scroll that the ANBU had set in front of her.
"Yes," he nodded. "Once Nemuru-san realized the Akatsuki were after it, he immediately gave it to us as a gift. Apparently he didn't want anything to do with it anymore."
"I understand," Tsunade said as her eyes darted across the crisp parchment. She narrowed her eyes. She had heard of only a handful of jutsu before. It was foolish of the man Nemuru to give it away for free, but it wasn't like Tsunade was going to protest. She'd have to put this in a safe place...Besides, she had other business to take care of this evening, and she couldn't be worrying about items from a mission that had been held two days ago.
---
Marieke stared out her window absently. She had left the hospital only a day ago, and the fatigued feeling still dizzied her from time to time. Fortunately for her, Tsunade was able to cure Marieke of the Mangekyou Sharingan she was under some time ago. The woman was a miracle worker, and although she was grateful of the Godaime's help, she wasn't so happy about what Tsunade had said once she had finished.
Flashback
"Come to my office tomorrow once you're feeling all right," Tsunade said. She turned her head just as she was out the door, "We need to discuss the girls."
End Flashback
Come to think of it, she should be getting going now to avoid being late. As Marieke sauntered down the streets, she couldn't help but feel a bit down. Of course, it was she that suggested to Tsunade the dangers that would befall the girls, so she should naturally be happy that the Godaime Hokage finally saw that. Still…Marieke was nervous of what Tsunade decided to do about it.
"Good afternoon, Marieke-san," Izumo greeted her. "Hokage-sama is expecting you."
"Thanks." Marieke entered the Hokage's office, nodding on the way in to Kotetsu who held the door open.
Tsunade was, oddly enough, not procrastinating at her desk. Actually, a scroll was open in front of her and she was seemed to just flash a glance from the writing to Marieke.
"You wanted to speak with me, Hokage-sama?" Marieke said with difficulty.
"Yes, you're just in time," Tsunade said, resting her head against her propped hand. "The mission was a success, and yet it seems to have opened up more problems."
"That's one way to put it."
"Remind me why is it their in so much danger?"
"They…know more than anyone in this world do," Marieke answered. "Somehow they're able to predict the future and the happenings of the world without any form of prior snooping."
"Right, right…Then there's no doubt Orochimaru's found out about it, seeing as he wanted not only Sasuke but one of the girls. There's a good chance these rouge ninja have found out as well. Tell me the truth, Marieke. What would you do to keep them out of harm's way?"
Marieke's face was emotionlessly set to the Hokage's serious tone. "If I could, I'd send them back to their own universe for good."
Tsunade nodded thoughtfully. "Yes…That would be the right choice." She slid the scroll across her desk to the jounin instructor and said, "I want you to read this."
The woman's pale green eyes whipped across the page; slowly at first, but gaining speed as she skimmed the text. Her expression turned anxious, even behind the mask. As soon as she finished, Marieke turned her gaze to the deadpan Godaime Hokage.
"This…This is…"
"Yes. With this, the girls will be able to get home."
---
"No time to rest, Kyoko! Keep going! You gotta get back into shape!" Nami called to her friend from the tree she was lounging against.
"I—don't—see—you—training!" Kyoko gasped as she dodged another wave of projectiles Midori threw. "You…You lazy—"
"Hey!" Nami interrupted arrogantly, "I wasn't the one who was defeated by Itachi and Kisame!"
"Of course not! You ran away!" Kyoko shot back. "And how am I supposed to beat two Akatsuki members?!"
"Details, details! It's another win for me since you got pwned!"
"What?! You're counting our failures?!"
"No, not really. Just yours."
"Eh—Kyoko, look out!" Midori called as she dropped to the ground. She hadn't seen Kyoko tear her concentration away from the sparring to yell at Nami full blast and sent a series of kunai and shuriken in her teammate's direction.
"Augh!" Kyoko shrieked as she ducked out of the way, resulting in the pointy objects to embed themselves just above Nami's head.
Nami looked up for a split second then cried, "Watch where you're aiming those things, Midori!"
"Sorry, sorry!"
"Serves you right," Kyoko huffed.
"Why I oughtta…" Nami yanked out a kunai and chucked it towards Kyoko who stepped to the side to avoid it.
Kyoko stuck her tongue out playfully and flashed the victory sign. "Maybe you're the one who has to get back in shape."
Midori sighed and plopped down on the grass in a lying position and watched Nami chase around Kyoko who was nimble from the previous training. She was completely wiped out from the one-on-one training with not only Kyoko, but Nami a bit earlier. Because she was the one who was able to craft one-second armor around any part of her body with chakra, it was a given that she would be the one to pose as her teammates' workout dummy.
It was then she sensed another chakra's presence, something she, Kyoko and Nami had been getting better at every day. The two girls stopped their quarreling for a second and they all turned simultaneously to their silent sensei.
"Training without my orders?" Marieke smiled beneath her mask. "My, my. What a surprise."
"We're pretty used to it since you disappear all the time," Kyoko pouted.
"Something's up, Marieke-sensei?" Midori asked.
"Yes, actually," Marieke nodded. "Hokage-sama would like a word with all of you."
"It's not another mission, is it?" Kyoko said uncertainly. "I'm still kinda dizzy from the last one…"
"You and me both, Kyoko," Marieke agreed. "But no, it isn't another mission. This one concerns…well, you'll see when you get there."
All three girls exchanged confused glances, but followed their sensei obediently.
The walk to the Hokage Tower was quiet. Marieke knew the girls were whispering about who-knows-what, and she tuned them out to contemplate her own thoughts. She wasn't excited to see the girls' expressions when they found out Tsunade knew about their not-so-little secret. Surely they'd explode, or at least, Nami and Kyoko would. There would definitely be a lot of explaining done, and she wasn't entirely confident they'd even want to follow the plans set for them.
"I have a question."
Marieke's thoughts were interrupted and she looked down at Nami, but found the question wasn't directed to her. They had already arrived, and Nami was staring intently at Kotetsu.
"What's that bandage thingy for anyway?"
Kotetsu blinked.
"Er, um, come along, girls," Marieke said hastily, pushing the three of them down the hall. She waved sheepishly toward Kotetsu and turned back around.
"Smooth, sensei."
"SILENCE."
The four-woman squad stepped into Tsunade's office. The paperwork was still stacked high, and Marieke felt like she was reliving her first meeting that day.
"What's up, Tsunade-baa?" Nami asked.
Tsunade ignored the name Nami had picked up from Naruto and said, "Would you girls like to go home?"
Judging by their expressions, Tsunade guessed Marieke hadn't told them that she told her. Kyoko had cocked her head, Midori had a look of utter confusion, and Nami had an eyebrow raised.
"What do you mean?" Kyoko ventured.
"It's a straight-forward question," Tsunade continued. "Would you like to go home? That is, back to your home universe."
You could hear a pin drop. The world seemed to freeze right then and there. Then, young eyes traveled to Marieke, staring widely.
"Sensei…" Midori said quietly. "You didn't…"
"Tell Tsunade-baachan!" Nami shouted. "You did!"
"You said you'd keep it a secret!" Kyoko raged.
"If you recall, I said I'd protect you with my life," Marieke said evenly. "Protecting you would also include letting Hokage-sama know of your situation to keep you from harm's way."
"I can't believe this!"
"What's all this about going home, then, Tsunade-sama?" Midori asked, barely over a whisper. "Is there really a way?"
Kyoko and Nami turned their attention back to the Hokage, who had already reached for the item known as the Scroll of a Thousand Jutsu. Holding it in her hand securely, she said, "Yes, there is. There is a jutsu called 'Uchuu Ayumi', the Universal Step."
"So you're telling me with this Uchuu Ayumi…"
"We can go back to our world with this Uchuu Ayumi?" Kyoko finished.
"Do you want to get rid of us that badly?" Nami demanded. "You choose now, in the village's time of need to tell a full team of ninja to go home?"
"Nami," Marieke said sternly, gaining her subordinates' notice. "It's nothing like that. You've noticed some of the most dangerous criminals targeting you. Last time they were just testing what your abilities were. Who knows what they'll do now that they know what you're capable of?"
Nami didn't have an answer for that. Her eyes stayed narrowed and she still gave off a scornful vibe. It had been so long she and her friends called Konoha home, and although their 'pasts' were scatterbrained and last-minute, the previous time in the 'Naruto' world had created new memories. She could barely remember the 'real' world or the reason why she hadn't been trying to get back. Life had just gone on naturally. But somehow she, as well as Kyoko and Midori, knew that it wouldn't be so natural hopping back into their own universe once more as if nothing had happened at all.
"When are we leaving?"
Nami and Kyoko snapped their heads towards Midori. What?
"It should be as soon as possible," Tsunade said. Her tone hinted she was also a bit surprised. "But I'll allow you to spend a day here to say your goodbyes. Tomorrow night, you'll take your leave. Is that alright?"
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama." Midori bowed for several seconds then left the room.
The door closed softly. Kyoko hadn't noticed she'd been holding her breath and suddenly let it out, beginning to talk, "What was that about? And what do you mean we have only one day?"
Nami let out an irritated groan and took her leave, slamming the door and startling Izumo and Kotetsu who were standing just outside the office. The two looked at each other in bewilderment and then peeked into the room.
"Hokage-sama?" Izumo started.
"Forget it, forget it," Tsunade sighed, massaging her temples.
"I'll um…just go now," Kyoko said awkwardly, leaving after her teammates.
"They just…need some time," Marieke assured Tsunade.
"Right…I need a drink…"
---
"What I don't understand is why you wanna do this!" Nami said angrily, pacing in front of Midori who was sorting through the piles of junk stacked in the apartment room's closet.
"It's about time, isn't it?" Midori said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "We've been here long enough, don't you think?"
"Yeah! Long enough to stay for good!"
"And do what? Continue to barely support ourselves with mission money?"
"Why not?"
Midori let out a bitter laugh. "You do realize I'm still doing extra work just to pay off rent? We only do a few missions a day and get an average amount of money which is used for food and clothes and other necessities. We can't keep living like this, okay?!"
Nami narrowed her eyes. "Well…So what?"
Midori stopped and glared at her teammate. "So what? So WHAT?"
Kyoko flinched. She had hardly ever been the one to helplessly watch as two people argue. It was strange to see Midori and Nami talk to each other like this. Usually she or Nami were the ones rambling on while Midori stuck to staying quiet and waiting for them to finish. Not only that, but if Midori ever voiced her opinion, Nami would either agree (stubbornly or not, depending on whether she had other ideas…) or just persuade Midori to follow her plans. One event seemed to change the two of them so quickly…And Kyoko was still recovering from the recent shock in Tsunade's office.
"We. Are. Not. Staying," Midori stated sharply.
"Look, if we have to work a little extra, fine! I'll chip in, and Kyoko will too!" Nami tried.
"That isn't the point!"
"Then what is the point? Explain it to me!"
Midori took a deep breath and said, "The point is we've stayed away from our real universe for too long. Not to mention we'll cause everyone here trouble. They're still recovering from the attack with Orochimaru, not to mention losing Sasuke. If we stay any longer, Konoha will be in danger in its greatest time of need. I won't let that happen." She went back to the piles and picked up a graying T-Shirt and tossed it over her shoulder, deeming it unneeded.
Nami glared at Midori. "You're really starting to piss me off. So what you're telling me is that you're willing to cut all the ties we've made with the people here? You're gonna throw away everything to go back to that dull, boring life back home?"
"Yeah," Midori muttered. "If it's for a good cause, I will. And it is."
"Yeah well, good luck with that," Nami scowled. "I may not have any serious relationships with anyone in this world, but I know you do."
"…It's nothing. It always was."
Both Nami and Kyoko knew she was lying. She had said it softly, almost inaudibly, and if Nami had said anything else to her, she surely would've started tearing up on the spot. But no, Nami wasn't about to say anymore. Her point had been made clear.
"The air's thick in here," Nami said curtly, making towards the door. She barely brushed past Kyoko, who stood as stiff as a board. Her limbs seemed to be glued in place, and dependent confusion was written all over her face.
What had just happened?
Wow...That chapter was...what do you want to call it? Depressing? Over-Dramatic? Short? All of the above? I was really in the zone when I wrote this, actually. Listening to angsty music and typing does something to my brain...I wonder what would happen if I typed and listened to annoyingly happy music? Hm...
When I think about it, Scroll of a Thousand Jutsu sounds REALLY cliche and...stuff. But so does "Universal Step". BTW about the Japanese, I'm not 100 percent sure about it cuz my dictionary isn't all that reliable. If anyone's ever learned Japanese, please tell me what it's really supposed to be because I have the Japanese language knowledge of a rock. In the sequel I doubt I'll use Japanese names for jutsu, although original canon jutsu would sound kind of stupid...What do you guys think? Should I, or shouldn't I? That is the question...(Now I'm ripping of Shakespeare...SOMEBODY STOP ME!)
For those of you wondering WHY someone would just make up a jutsu like that...well...I'll just explain in the next chapter as though I planned it! I mean...LIKE I planned it. Because I did. (cough)
After reading this chapter, you're probably thinking, "That is SO CORNY" because it is and I am. (sweatdrop)
R&R please!
-HM