Whirlpool Part IV
Akahana was silent and closed off, as she left the meeting with the clan elders. She had already expected, that they would either kick her out or try to use her in some way, but the actual proposition was a complete shock to her.
She could understand it from the political standpoint, her mentor had made sure that she would completely understand politics and how to use political games to further her goals. He had taken her to most council meetings for that purpose... well for that and for the fact that he liked to show off that he fully controlled the village's greatest weapon.
But now she was faced with a situation that had never occurred to her before. She was supposed to marry the chosen clan heir, to legitimate his claim to the leadership over the clan... to her the mere idea was absurd. No one would have ever considered her a candidate for marriage. In the past she was nothing but a tool, a weapon to the shinobi of her village and a shunned outcast to the civilians. And even in this time line she was a outcast to her own clan, the other members would never accept her as the wife of their clan leader.
She sighed as she tried to understand what those elders were planning for her. She couldn't help but feel like a pawn in a greater scheme... just like it was in her past...
But what should she decide? Should she leave her clan and with it a part of her identity behind? The fact that she is an Uzumaki had always been the only distinction she had, that made her more then a nameless orphan. As a child she had clung to the knowledge that she originated from a formerly great clan, it made her different from the nameless weapon she was supposed to be, to her it made her human.
She had striven to learn more about her heritage and live up to the Uzumaki legacy. It had made her stronger, it made her a person. Her mentor had not dared to take that away from her out of fear for her sanity. Everyone needed to be something, to be part of something. He even encouraged her to become a kunoichi that the Uzumaki clan would have been proud of. It was her identity, hers alone and she would have never let anyone take it from her.
But now things were different. Based on her decision she could loose this part of her identity. Though she was no longer the weak and frightened child that needed something to cling to, she was still feeling the dread at the mere thought that she could loose this part of herself. Would she be a lesser person as just Akahana? But the other option was not really all that better. Marrying someone she did not even know for political reasons... becoming the pawn of another council... Was being an Uzumaki worth it? To sacrifice her new found freedom? To serve a foreign village? Currently she had no real answer to the questions. And three days was a rather short time to make such a life changing decision. No matter the choice, her life would never be the same again.
It took her a moment to realize that someone had followed her out of the room as her thoughts were occupied with what she should do now. Only when Misaki placed a hand on Akahana's shoulder the younger Uzumaki showed a reaction.
"Oh, Misaki-san, is there something else you need me for right now?" Akahana asked with a tired voice.
Misaki smiled encouragingly at the girl she believed to be her stepdaughter before she spoke. "No, not really. I wanted to ask if you would need some help. I know that this day and especially this meeting must have been taxing for you. Just remember, I am here if you need someone. No matter if you need help or just someone to talk to." She said truthfully.
"Thank you... I really appreciate it." And she really did. Akahana was happy that this woman, her own grandmother no less, was kind to her and supported her. Misaki and Kushina, her closest relatives from the Uzumaki clan were on her side and treated her like a true family member. Akahana couldn't describe the feeling, but she knew that she never felt quite like this before. But should she choose to leave the clan behind... she would also alienate her own family this way.
"Why don't you come with me and join your family for dinner today? I am sure that Kushina would be ecstatic." Misaki said with another bright smile.
"I really don't want to burden you, Misaki-san. Others in the clan might dislike the idea to have me overstay my welcome in the clan compound." Akahana said cautiously. Even now she could feel the gaze over every single Uzumaki they passed on her back. They watched her carefully, never letting her get out of sight in case she would try something. All Uzumaki were weary of her, even more so after her fight against Arashi earlier this day.
"Nonsense. They will either accept my judgment or they will learn that it unwise to upset a member of the leading family of this clan." Misaki said with an almost malicious grin. "Come, I really want you to. But I must warn you, today we will eat Ramen; I had promised Kushina to make her favorite food on the last evening before the Chunin exam starts. I hope you don't mind that."
Akahana perked up when she heard the word Ramen. This food was one of her few true passions, something that not even her mentor could break her of. She couldn't help but smile at the knowledge that she shared this with Kushina.
"If you really believe that it is okay, then I will be happy to join you for dinner today." Akahana replied readily after some moments.
In another part of Uzushio Akihiro sat in his own office, sipping Sake leisurely, as he contemplated his plans for the coming days. Finally, after so many years his seemingly never ending mission would be over and he could leave this dieing village. Had he known how long this mission would take, he would have never accepted to do it. Too much time wasted just to subvert one puny little village that was not even a real threat to his home, these foolish people here never stood a chance. But finally it would be all over. He would return home and Uzushio would fall into chaos. The village would die in a matter of months instead of years.
He scowled when a knock on his door interrupted the quiet atmosphere in the room. He was in no mood to entertain anymore guests; playing the goodhearted and friendly assistant for the sake of fooling that damn Uzumaki girl had cost him all of the patience he could offer for one day. Whatever poor slob was interrupting him now better had a good excuse.
As the door opened a small man with gaunt face and a frightened look entered the office quietly. "Ah, it's you. Has everything gone according to plan, Ishikawa."
"Yes, Mizushima-sama. The prisoner had unfortunately been placed on the execution list due a … misunderstanding. He won't tell anything to anyone." Ishikawa said with a weak voice.
"Excellent. With the Chunin exams starting tomorrow most of the shinobi inside the village will be distracted. And with all Uzumaki keeping a distrustful eye on that bastard child we can move without many interferences. Everything will go according to plan." Akihiro said with a feral grin.
"But... but our men already failed to take the girl away from the island once... maybe we should pick another one... surely they will guard the little girl more closely now." Ishikawa said hesitantly.
"Foolish idiot, as if they care for one orphan. The girl's only guardian will be too busy the next few days, no one will be there to help that runt. Our Kage has already chosen her, so we will get her, end of story." Akihiro said with annoyance. "Just make sure that no one gets in our way and that all people will draw the right conclusions about the 'perpetrator'. "
"Of course... I will take my leave then." Ishikawa said with a slight bow before he quickly walked out of the office.
"Fearsome fool. I would be surprised should he manage to get out of this entire mess unscathed. Maybe it is even better that way..." Akihiro mumbled with a greedy grin. Soon, very soon he would be a hero of his home village, a very rich hero to boot.
Dinner with Misaki and Kushina was a rather joyous affair for Akahana. Kushina was beyond happy that her sister had decided to join them for the evening and Akahana was just glad to be around her family for at least once in her life. Much to Akahana's surprise little Honoka was also with them since Misaki was the guardian of the six year old girl, even though it was only unofficial since all Uzumaki orphans are considered wards of the entire clan and all members have a duty to help the youngest offsprings.
It was a wonderful evening for Akahana, especially since no one talked about the earlier meeting with the clan council. Misaki knew that Akahana would need some time to think about her options so she did not trouble the girl with her own opinion unless Akahana would ask her. Kushina and Honoka did not even know about Akahana's meetings with the clan council and Akahana had decided to keep it to herself until she had decided her future.
But the entire situation caused Akahana to have another sleepless night. The whole night the decision she would have to make and the consequences of both options occupied her mind, keeping her from finding rest. When she finally gave in to exhaustion and fell asleep it were only a few hours until the sun had risen again and interrupted her sleep.
She was grumpy and still feeling worn out when she stood up again to start her third day in Uzushio. It would be a rather interesting day; the first day of the Chunin exams both her parents would participate in. She wondered how this village would test the capabilities of the young Genin. The village was in a constant state of war so she was certain that the tests would be much more martial then the exams that had taken place in her own time line.
Still weary she decided to take a walk around the village, something that she had not managed to do since she had arrived. From the very first moment she had set foot into this village other people had dictated her every movement. No matter where she went, there was always someone coming to take her away for some reason. So being able to walk around undisturbed for once was quite relieving to the young Uzumaki woman.
"Ah, Akahana-san. What a surprise to see you walking around this early in the morning." Akahana quickly spun around, cursing that just when she thought she could be alone for a while someone had to come and find her. But at least it was not another Uzumaki that would scoff at her, but Jiraiya who watched her curiously.
"Oh, Jiraiya-san. I did not see you there, good morning to you." Akahana said with only slight annoyance. "Shouldn't you be with your students at this time? It is a big day for them after all."
Jiraiya looked a bit sheepish when he heard her; one hand rubbing the back of his head as he answered. "Nah, they are already with the examiners. They should get their instructions right now before they set out to fulfill their task." For a moment he looked in the direction of the Uzushio shinobi academy, the place where his students where currently at. "Would you mind if I join you on your walk? I would really appreciate some distraction from thinking about the three kids."
Akahana looked wistfully when she heard that. It was obvious that he really was worried about his student's well being, something that was not a given with most Jonin. Some only reluctantly take a Genin team because they have to and are rather annoyed by the children they have to teach. Others only see their Genin as tools for their missions, caring little about the children's well being as long as the Genin fulfill their missions sufficiently. Of course she had never seen Jiraiya as a man who would use his students, she had traveled long enough with the man to know that. But she also remembered his perverted tendencies and his countless attempts to coerce her to aid him with his so called research.
"I won't mind. I was just about to take a look around this village. I've never been here before and I'm quite curious." Not to mention that she hoped that it would distract her for some time so she wouldn't have to constantly ponder the decision she has to make.
Jiraiya gladly followed the enigmatic Uzumaki girl as she walked down the long streets of the village as they explored the lively place. Well Akahana was the one who explored, Jiraiya had been in Uzushio before and often offered comments about places he remembered from his last visit many years ago.
"You sure sound like you have seen a lot of paces, Jiraiya-san." Akahana commented idly after Jiraiya had told her about his latest trip to a village near Iwa.
"You see a lot, especially during a world war you tend to travel to many different places on missions." The Sannin said gruffly. "Just look at me, I am merely 26 and I have already fought in nearly every country on this continent..." He shook his head somewhat sadly as he said that. "I suppose you can relate to that, after all you said that you have fought your entire life... and that without any permanent affiliation with a village."
Not really thinking about her words Akahana spluttered out, "You could say that. I have seen more countries than I ever wanted to see... and fought with or against most hidden villages..."
"Is that so... which villages have you fought with?" Jiraiya asked curiously. He was very interested in any information this girl would give him about herself. Ever since he had found her she had been nothing but one walking enigma to him.
"Kumo, Kusa, Taki, Suna, Iwa... and against most of them, too. I've spent over a year of my life fighting against Kiri together with a group of rebels. Everything to protect my home..." After that she finally realized what she was actually telling the man as she snapped out of her memories of the past.
"And which home would that be?" Jiraiya asked innocently, hoping that she would divulge that information as well.
"I've already said too much about this topic, Jiraiya-san." She started to walk away from him faster as if she tried to get away from him, but he could easily keep up with her. He was still far too curious to let her go now. But any further attempts to broach this topic was foiled when suddenly several young shinobi ran past them in what seemed to a mad hunt for something.
"Is this..." Akahana gestured towards the shinobi, "... part of the Chunin exam, Jiraiya-san?"
"Yeah. The first part is about finding a hidden place within the village. Gathering information, following trails and once they find the place to infiltrate it and take something from there without getting caught by the examiners."
"So it is a glorified scavenger hunt." Akahana deadpanned. She felt kind of disappointed, she had expected more from this village. Though she had never participated in any such exams herself, she still knew the standard procedures of some of the villages. But the way Uzushio handled these exams was kind of uninspired in her opinion.
"Well, it is the best they can do while they are at war. They won't have this event outside of the villages walls, the chance of enemy interference is far too high. We are the living proof that the land surrounding Uzushio is not as safe as it should be. So they have to do something that can be done inside the walls of the village." Jiraiya defended the exam lightly.
Meanwhile one little Uzumaki child was wandering around the village as well. Driven by her never ending curiosity young Honoka Uzumaki explored every corner of the village to her hearts content. Despite all that had happened to Honoka in the last few days she would not stay put, boredom quickly tempted her to go out and find something fun.
And especially today walking around the streets of Uzushio was especially exciting to her. The Genin that participated in the exam were rushing around, creating quite a commotion everywhere in the village, much to young Honoka's amusement. And when more and more people left their houses in the morning to get their work done the streets quickly became crowded, something that caused great chaos with the Genin rushing around everywhere.
It was during this chaos that a man followed the child quietly through the streets, waiting for a chance to snatch her without being seen. The Chunin exams were the perfect cover for this attempt. Everyone was watching the Chunin hopefuls, no one would care for one little girl, when they would realize that she was missing the girl would already be on the continent, far away from any Uzushio shinobi that could help her. Unlike most other Uzumaki children, orphan or not, Honoka made it rather easy for anyone to capture her. The other children rarely left the Uzumaki compound and even then they would always be accompanied by adults to watch over them. Only little Honoka wandered off without anyone to watch her.
A sickening smirk appeared on the mans lips when he watched the child enter a less crowded alley, away from the prying eyes of other people. Yes, now was the chance he had been waiting for. He sped his steps up as he followed Honoka into the alley, ready to capture the young girl. He was so close to fulfilling his mission. Only moments and he could finally leave Uzushio behind with his master.
But what neither the man, nor Honoka knew was that the little girl had been seen by another Uzumaki and her current companion. Akahana couldn't help but let out an annoyed sigh when she saw Honoka enter a rather dingy alley, all alone on top of that.
"Oh that girl is far too curious for her own good. Just why does she never listen to Misaki-san?" Akahana said curtly before she hurried after the girl. "I'm sorry, Jiraiya-san, but I should better catch up to the little one and make sure that she returns to the compound. Misaki-san will be worried as soon as she finds out that Honoka has disappeared again."
Jiraiya followed Akahana wordlessly. He recognized the young Uzumaki girl from the incident a few days ago when they had saved her from those thugs outside of Uzushio. And judging by what he had heard from Misaki and Akahana it seemed to be a common occurrence for the girl to disappear from the safe confines of the Uzumaki clan compound.
Akahana had just entered the alley, ready to catch up to the small girl when she saw something that made her gasp. She had expected to see the redheaded midget ambling down the alley, but instead she saw a man wearing a black cloak carry a seemingly unconscious Honoka in his arms.
"Honoka! Let her down this instant or else I will force you to do it, bastard!" Akahana exclaimed as she started sprinting towards the man. He turned around, mumbling something that Akahana could not understand, but the voice was definitely male. But his face could not be seen since he had the hood of the cloak drawn deep into his face to hide his features.
Another unintelligible snarl could be heard from the man before he jumped away, using the balconies of the nearby buildings to quickly jump up to the roofs of the village in the hopes to escape that way.
"Akahana-san? What the heck is going on?" Jiraiya asked as he jumped after her to the roofs of the buildings around them.
"That bastard has taken Honoka! Don't let him escape!" Akahana yelled loudly, hoping that more shinobi would hear her and stop the cloaked man. But so far no one but her and Jiraiya had started to follow the man.
They quickly hunted the man across the roofs as he fled towards the walls of the village to escape from Uzushio with his young hostage. The man gave no sign that he would slow down any time soon so they would have to force him to stop.
"Katon: Endan." Following the loud exclamation Jiraiya shot a large fireball at the escaping man, missing him by mere inches.
"Idiot, that bastard still has Honoka, do you want to kill her?" Akahana yelled in anger. "Aim for the roofs, stop his movements." In her anger she started attacking herself. "Futon: Renkudan." Moments later a large blast of air impacted a few feet in front of the running man, showering him in splinters from the destroyed roofs. But that only had slowed him down for a mere second before he continued running.
And thus they followed the man, shooting attacks at him to stop his escape. But no matter what they did it had little to no effect except causing damage to nearly every house they had passed so far. But Akahana cared little about the collateral damage. The houses could be repaired, but she would not allow that man to escape with the small Uzumaki girl.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Akahana's Jutsu created two exact copies of herself which ran alongside her before she gave them a command, causing them to jump down from the roofs and disappear on the crowded roads of the village.
Arashi Uzumaki had a really bad day. It started with the realization that he felt rather sore from the fight on the day before; it continued with him missing breakfast because he wasted his time grumbling about a troublesome redheaded girl. To make things even worse he was summoned by the clan council not long after that to explain himself for his actions the day before. To sum it up he had a really bad day and he had a feeling that it would turn from bad to to completely messed up in a matter of hours. Especially with some of the announcements the council had promised to make soon. He hated it when the old men kept secrets from him, but no matter what he tried, they would not budge. He would be informed shortly before the rest of the clan would get these apparently important news.
He walked around the village in a futile attempt to clear his head. But he could not escape the incoming headache. He yelled some obscenities as some random Genin bumped into him and continued running without as much as a sorry or even a sign that he realized the collision. Arashi looked up, silently asking Kami why his day sucked this much.
He couldn't help but curse Kami when he saw two figures hunting another dark shadow across the roofs not far from him; shooting Jutsus at the fleeing person without any care how much damage they caused. "Kami-sama, why do you hate me this much?" He yelled out in frustration, causing many people around him to look at him as if he had sprouted another head.
His shoulders sagged in resignation when he knew that he couldn't ignore this. He would have to stop this fight, it was his duty. Maybe some overeager Genin were just fooling around or something like that. It was an annoyance and he would make sure to beat some sense into the skulls of all three persons on the roofs. But first he would have to intercept them. Luckily for him they were coming directly in his direction.
With a few jumps he was on a balcony directly underneath the roofs; he waited for his chance as he could feel three Chakra sources approach him quickly... but something was odd, the one closest to him felt more like two different Chakra signatures, but he had only seen one person. But it didn't matter, he would end this madness here and now.
The moment he felt one of the persons near his position he jumped out of his hiding spot to intercept. But Arashi was surprised when he saw that the person he had intercepted was not some random Genin, but a man in a black cloak with his hood up. Arashi narrowed his eyes in anger when he saw the unconscious girl in the man's arms.
"Who the heck are you? Unhand this girl this instant!" Arashi growled angrily. When the man had taken a step back Arashi could see the face of the girl and immediately recognized his clan's little troublemaker.
But the cloaked man had no intention to give up yet, instead he got ready to bolt into another direction. However his plans to escape were immediately foiled when they heard three identical voices yell out the same Jutsu. "Suiton: Juben."
Arashi looked around when he suddenly saw three easily recognizable redheads standing around the cloaked man, water whips wrapped around the man, trapping him in place. Then Arashi saw one of the Konoha shinobi standing next to one of the Akahanas, both looking slightly winded after hunting this man across half of the village.
"Arashi-teme. Don't just stand there, save Honoka, I can't keep that bastard trapped for ever." Akahana exclaimed with fiery passion in her voice.
Arashi let the teme comment slide for now, he knew that it was important to save Honoka first; personal problems would have to be solved later. He cautiously approached the trapped man and took Honoka out of his arms. Oddly as it seemed the man made no move to stop Arashi. The moment he had Honoka Arashi jumped away from the man to a safe distance.
Meanwhile Jiraiya stepped closer and grabbed the man's hood to pull it down. "Let's see who our little guest is." He said with a smirk as he pulled the hood down. But much to everyone's annoyance it only revealed the man's close-cropped hair and a blank black mask that hid his face and had only one hole for one of his eyes. "Hiding your face won't help you now."
The man muttered something unintelligible, causing Jiraiya to frown. "What was that? Learn to speak clearly or else we will have to force you to." He said with narrowed eyes as he moved on to take off the mask the man spoke more clearly.
"Doton: Ganchuso." All others around the man looked in shock when they heard the name of his Jutsu and had barely enough time to jump out of harms way as rock pillars protruded from the roof. Arashi, Jiraiya and Akahana could narrowly escape the pillars, Akahana's clones though were skewered by the sudden attack, setting the man free in the process since no one was left to keep up the water whips that bound him.
Akahana quickly created two new clones and sent them towards Arashi while she and Jiraiya circled around the man to stop any further attacks from him.
"Arashi, give Honoka to us, we will bring her back to the compound where she will be safe and we will bring help as fast as we can." One of the clones spoke evenly.
"Fine, hurry though. I've got a feeling that this enemy is not as easily beaten as we might believe." Arashi said as he handed Honoka to one of the clones. The two copies of Akahana merely nodded in accordance before they quickly left the scene to bring the unconscious youngster to safety.
"Don't believe that this means anything. This village will fall and your clan will no longer stand in my way. You only delay the inevitable." The masked man said with a dark chuckle. His voice sounded cold, devoid of any feeling.
"Neither will you get this girl, nor will you bring down this village!" Arashi exclaimed hotly.
Now the man laughed outright; a terribly twisted sound that reminded Akahana far too much of the abominations she had to fight in her past. Men who had gained power through experimenting on innocents, men who had twisted life itself to gain an advantage... to achieve immortality.
"Try and defeat me, it won't mean anything. I am merely a harbinger of your doom. Uzushio will fall."
Arashi was about to charge against the man, Jiraiya as well for matter, but they stopped immediately when they heard Akahana speak up loudly. "Arashi, Jiraiya, cut if off. The bastard isn't even here anymore." Both men looked questioningly at her, to them their enemy stood right before them. The man though... only continued laughing madly.
"So the little vixen has figured it out. It doesn't matter, even one competent kunoichi cannot avert the inevitable. Once I am done there won't even be stories about your village left. I will erase Uzushio's existence from this world entirely."
"You fear this village's power. You fear that they would be able to foil your plans, that is why you have come here. Isn't that the reason for your visit, Tobi?" Akahana asked with a pointed glare.
"Oh, so you have figured me out. I wonder where you know my current name from, though. It seems that I have underestimated this village; I had not expected to find someone... interesting." Even though he still had his mask on, she was sure he was smirking at her. The same sickening arrogant smirk she had seen on his face when she had ripped his mask off during their last fight. "I've played enough with you fools. But you, little girl, we will meet again. That is a promise." The moment he finished speaking he started making hand signs, but he never finished his Jutsu.
"Futon: Kazekire no Jutsu." Akahana said emotionless. Seconds later the wind blade cut through the man's neck, severing the head from the body. But instead of blood flowing out of the gaping wound the entire body of the man became a sickly brown color before it completely dissolved into mud.
"A clone? We have been fighting a clone?" Arashi asked in disbelieve.
"Tobi substituted his clone with his little pawn sometime during our chase. He is messing with us, the sick bastard enjoys doing that." Akahana said with distaste.
"You know this man? I remember you said something about fighting a Tobi guy when you were still in hospital." Jiraiya said with a contemplative expression.
"Yes, I know some things about him. But it isn't really much. Let's just say that his delusive plan is to control the entire world. He craves power for himself and abhors any power in the hands of other people."
"Just what in Kami's name is that guy doing here?" Arashi asked, still looking pissed about the entire situation.
"Isn't it obvious? Part of the power he wants is the strength and vitality of the Uzumaki blood. He wants a child to experiment on to get these traits for himself... living specimen are always much more valuable. As for the village, Uzushio is too powerful. He will stop at nothing to see this village destroyed and all of its inhabitants killed or captured for experiments."
Akahana's words shocked both men. The mere thought that someone like that was running around unchecked... the implications of this... Jiraiya would have to inform his sensei about this asap.
"You said he was dead! You said you had beaten him in the past, that fighting him was the reason for the injuries you had when we found you." Jiraiya stated with wide eyes.
"True... I thought he was dead. But apparently I was wrong." Of course she knew that this was not the same Tobi she had defeated in her own time line. This was a younger and most likely even less predictable version of the dangerous man. She couldn't even be sure if he had already started the plans she foiled in her own time. He might very well follow some completely different path to achieve his ultimate goal now.
"Then find him and kill him before he can destroy this village." Arashi commanded with a dangerous growl.
"I can't. My last fight against him left me weakened. I have lost much of my power in that fight. It will take years of training to regain it. I am not even sure if it is possible to fully regain my strength at all." Akahana exclaimed with a small frown. She would have never believed that she would actually miss being a Jinchuriki. But now she missed the power the fox demon had given her, now she would need it once more to protect everyone from Tobi.
"He is till in Uzushio! We have to gather the strongest shinobi in the village and hunt him down." Arashi said quickly. "Not even this man can withstand the combined power of Uzushio's strongest."
"Fool." Akahana stated with a shake of her head.
"What was that? Do you doubt the power of this village?" Arashi demanded tersely.
"I doubt that he will still be here. His pawns are here, but he will be gone before you have gathered a single person to hunt him. He never stays long after revealing himself." Akahana replied curtly. "We need to unmask his pawns and stop his influence here. Else he will win and Uzushio will fall."
Akahana knew that it was important to find Tobi's servants. He had always used others for his plans and even though they would only know about the parts of the plan that he expected them to fulfill it would help her tremendously to figure out what Tobi was doing at the moment. To find Tobi here was either extreme misfortune or a lucky occurrence for her. At least she would not have to hunt him with no idea where to start now. This time she knew where to start, she would get stronger, she would hunt him and she would destroy him before he would bring misery upon this world again. That was her duty.
Only moments later a large number of shinobi arrived at the scene lead by Toshiro Uzumaki himself. Oh how Akahana already dreaded the upcoming interrogation about her past encounters with Tobi. Nearly every time she had clashed with her nemesis she had lost someone who was important to her. This time... no one had died... yet. No, she wouldn't allow anyone to die. The only really close person she had this time was Kushina, but her mo... sister had no part in this entire mess she was in. But how should she explain all this to Toshiro?
Hours of ceaseless questioning later, Akahana sat once more in the house that Misaki, Honoka and Kushina lived in. Once more she tried to sort out the mess that was her thoughts. She silently cursed the Kyubi, the demon must have known how complicated this entire situation would become after her arrival.
"Why can't my life be simple for just a few days of my life?" Akahana sighed wearily.
"Life would be boring if everything would be easy." Came the somewhat teasing reply from Misaki as she reentered the room with a tray filled with cups and a tea kettle. She set the tray down and passed Akahana a cup filled with hot tea.
"Thank you, Misaki-san." Akahana said gratefully before she took a sip of the tea. She didn't know the flavor, but it was wonderfully calming for her troubled mind at the moment. She closed her eyes for some moments and just let the calming warm feeling from the tea envelope her.
Misaki smiled wistfully at her stepdaughter. Nothing seemed to be easy whenever this girl was involved. Her introduction to the clan was troublesome and maybe she wouldn't even be allowed to remain a Uzumaki. And just as if that wasn't enough Akahana was now also involved in some sort of conspiracy to destroy Uzushio. Misaki could only guess what was going through the girls head the moment.
"Just what should I do now, Misaki-san? The council is hellbent on hunting down all enemies within the walls of this village..."
"You do what you want to do. Currently you are a free person, no one can force you to do anything. You can stay and fight for Uzushio as one of us or walk away and live a life free of any obligations to this clan and this village. The choice is yours. Even with these enemies running around inside the village you have no obligations." Misaki replied truthfully.
Akahana's shoulders slumped in defeat, this was not really the answer she had wanted to hear. The choice was hers... she knew that already, but she had trouble making that decision on her own. Things were so much easier when her master made the crucial decisions for her.
"Do you think... do you think that the village would really need me, should I decide to stay? Would my presence make a difference?"
Akahana knew that was a dumb question. No one could predict what her presence would change. Kurou doubted that she would be able to save an entire village on her own, but maybe if she could get the support of other Uzumaki, the Uzukage and the rest of Uzushio's shinobi forces, she would be able to make a difference. Could she pull it off? But what would become of Kushina if she decided to stay? Her sister would have to return to Konoha once the Chunin exams are over. They would be separated for Kami knows how long. How was she supposed to protect Kushina from the dangers that had lead to her death if she was in another country? Would she have to make the decision whether to safe one girl that was close to her or her entire clan and its village?
And then there was the whole marriage problem. Should she decide to stay she would be forced to marry some stuck up pet of the council for the sake their political games. Who would be forced on her in that case? She had never thought about marriage, it was always clear that no one would want the demon girl, the trained weapon of Konoha. She had long given up on finding love after some events of her past. But marrying a man she had never met before left her with a feeling of uneasiness. It would be a sacrifice she would have to make for the sake of the village should she decide to stay.
Misaki watched the silent girl cautiously. Akahana managed to look so calm and collected on the outside, but one look into her blue eyes revealed her inner turmoil. She really wanted to help Akahana somehow, but she would have to wait for Akahana's decision. Should Akahana stay she would help her stepdaughter, but should Akahana decide to leave the clan behind Misaki knew that any further contact with the girl would be next to impossible.
The almost oppressive silence ended instantly when a red blur ran into the room and jumped at Akahana. The girl was too surprised to react at first and was toppled over by the small six year old redhead that had suddenly joined them in the room.
"Akahana! You're back!" Came the happy exclamation of Honoka Uzumaki, as the young orphan glomped Akahana. Just like the last time the girl seemed completely unfazed by the fact that she had almost been kidnapped by some shady people that would have done unthinkable things to her. Instead she sported a bright smile.
"Honoka, please let Akahana go. It is bad behavior to tackle and hug guests like that." Misaki chided the child with a gentle smile.
"Okay, Misaki-sama." Honoka said rather unenthusiastic as she let go of Akahana and sat down next to her. "Akahana, will you stay with us?"
The sudden question left Akahana stumped for some moments. The innocent question from the six year old just hit a nerve as it was exactly the question that also troubled her at the moment.
"Why... why do you ask, Honoka-chan?" Akahana asked with slight trepidation.
"Every time the bad men come to do bad things to me you save me. Not many care about where I am so I always have to be alone, I don't want to be alone. I want you to stay with me!" The girl exclaimed loudly, much to Akahana's surprise.
"Honoka, you can't just demand such a thing. And there are plenty of people that care for you. Even though I don't have the time to spend the entire day with you I and many others try to be with you as much as possible." Misaki said with a compassionate voice. But Honoka merely pouted.
"Honoka, the bad men would be unable to harm you if you would just stop running off all alone. I know myself that loneliness is hard for a young child. But you shouldn't risk yourself like this, there are many people who would be sad should something happen to you." Akahana said with a small smile. She knew better then anyone else how hard loneliness was for a child. She had spent the first four years of her life in almost complete solitude. And even after that she was often alone during her training when her tutors decided to stay in the shadows and observe her. Honoka's loneliness was completely different from what Akahana had experienced in the past, but even despite that Akahana would not wish such a feeling upon anyone else. No one should be forced to live isolated from others.
"When you are with me no one will harm me and I wouldn't be alone." The girl concluded quickly.
"No matter what happens we would always see each other again, Honoka. I will hunt those bad men and then you will be safe. And as soon as you are old enough to join the academy you will meet many other children your age and you will have many friends. You will never be alone, believe me." Akahana said calmly as she gently ruffled the young girls hair.
Honoka looked at the older girl with her dark eyes full of hope. "You promise that you will never disappear like mama and papa?"
Akahana sighed sadly as she heard Honoka's question. The girl craved attention as it seemed and by saving her Akahana had somehow become an important person to the young girl. "I promise, Honoka."
Misaki had watched the exchange with mixed feelings. Though she was glad that her little ward had found another person she could possibly open up to, she was unsure how Honoka would react should Akahana choose exile instead of staying with the clan. Of course Akahana wouldn't be out of the world, but it would be years before they would meet each other again. In the worst case Honoka could possibly try to run away and follow Akahana, something that would place her in great danger.
"Okay, you two. As much as I hate too break this up I think is time for Honoka to go and join the other children her age for their schooling." Honoka looked a bit miffed that she had to go, but with a little urging from Akahana she quickly left.
"I'm sorry for that, Honoka can be a bit... overbearing." Misaki said with a slight chuckle.
Akahana gave Misaki a melancholic smile before she turned to look out of a nearby window. "I can relate to her. I too latched onto the person that has saved me from a sad fate."
Misaki said nothing, she remembered what Akahana had told her about her own past. It was easy to understand that Akahana had meant her mentor. The man who had saved her from a life in solitude just to throw her into a life filled with war and death.
"Misaki-san, I want your honest opinion. What do you think I should do? Should I take the council's offer and stay or should I choose to leave this village and this clan for ever to follow a different destiny?"
"In my opinion... I believe that this clan would suffer a great loss should you decide to leave. You are a true Uzumaki, no matter where you have been born. And unlike most of the clan, your mind has not been poisoned by the arrogant believe that we are infallible. This clan has already lost too many good people while the wrong kind of people survived due to their cowardice."
At first Akahana was a bit shocked by the blunt reply from Misaki. But it was exactly what she had asked of Kushina's mother. An honest opinion.
"But... I also know that you have already formed some form of attachment to my daughter. Though Kushina would understand your reasons, I am sure she would be sad that you would be gone from her life so soon after she has found you." Misaki hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should continue or not, but in the end she uttered the words she had pondered. "But should you decide to leave I would like to ask... to ask you to keep an eye on my daughter and keep her safe. Frankly I don't trust those Konoha shinobi to keep her safe. They have always been a bit too distrustful of strangers. Who knows how she is treated in that village, but should you decide to go with her I would at least know that she isn't alone. But in the end the decision is yours. I know that you will make the right choice."
Later that day Akahana was on her way to the office of Toshiro Uzumaki. Though she still had one day left to make her choice she had already come to a decision. For hours she had deliberated about whether she should stay or leave.
In the end the decision she had to make was whether she would try and protect her clan or solely her sister. She would most likely not be able to do both. It would be difficult to safe Uzushio and its inhabitants should she decide too leave and it would be equally hard to be on time to save Kushina should she decide to become a kunoichi of Uzushiogakure. But Akahana would not allow herself to be discouraged. She would chance her fate and try to do both.
She knocked on the door of Toshiro's office and waited for some long moments until she heard his gruff voice ordering her to enter.
"Akahana, have you finally come to a decision or are you here because of those traitors in the village?" Toshiro asked with his stoic voice.
Akahana took a deep breath. This was the moment that would decide her fate in the near future. Her fate and that of many others. Stay and rally the forces of Uzushio to protect the village better then last time or go and hopefully convince others to help protecting the village in the time of need. Would the people of Uzushio listen to her? Or would she be able to convince other to help this village? It didn't matter any longer. She had already made her decision. Hopefully she would be allowed to continue her hunt for Tobi's pawns regardless of her decision.
"I am here to announce my decision, Toshiro-sama." Akahana replied calmly as she saw the man, who considered her to be one of his granddaughters, listen in anticipation of her choice.