If Nothing Ever Changed, There'd be No Butterflies
Naruto was walking with Haruka. They were returning up the path they had walked earlier to meditate. He felt on edge. His bonds were both in a mild state of pain and panic.
-a bit ago-
Neji took a deep breath and then another as Ten Ten held him and Lee stood nearby. Neji simply let himself stop for a few minutes, focus on the presence of his friends. It wasn't until Hiashi came in that he thought about anything at all.
The clanhead was exhausted. His daughters were both unconscious and on their way to the hospital. He had been about to head there himself when he realized that Gai was still in the compound. Upon questioning, he found that his nephew's team hadn't left yet. Concerned, he tracked them to an old training area near the clearing.
When he entered he found his nephew on the ground, curled in on himself and Ten Ten holding him tightly.
"Neji?" The boy looked up at him. His eyes were unfocused and his breathing labored. Hiashi frowned and knelt in front of the boy he had come to care for as a son. The Hyuuga took several deep breaths in an attempt to answer his uncle. He still felt sick to his stomach.
Hiashi looked in his nephews eyes. He was transported back in time, to a place where another important person was frightened. Terrified of the power they held and the power they had seen in someone they cared about.
To a conversation that he had never told anyone about.
-Flashback-
"Here are the training information you were wondering about." The blonde nodded absently. Hyuuga's eyebrow raised as he regarded the Hokage-in-training. He had just given him a compilation of the Juuken, something he had been jumping about in excitement for for the past week. He discreetly looked around, and seeing no other living soul, he activated the privacy sutras he knew were present.
"Kiiro?" A defeated looked met his in wary confusion. The young blonde looked as if he had seen the depths of hell and the extent of heaven and was belittled by it.
"Hiashi, have you ever seen Byaka?" Hiashi's eyebrow raised at the question.
"I assume you mean the real bijuu, not the smaller summons?" At a nod, Hiashi sighed. "No"
"But, I have seen Haruka at full strength." Minato's head spun to face the Hyuuga heir. Hiashi picked up the spar cup and poured himself some of the sake that the young Namikaze had been toying with, but not drinking. "There was one mission, a few years ago, back when I had just gotten used to the idea that she was a friend, where she used her full strength." He felt the cup shaking as he thought about it.
"What happened?" The whisper was quiet. Had he not known the man as he did, Hiashi would have guess it was curiosity, but there was a painful need in that question. A need to understand.
"Someone she cared about was kidnapped. She had been assigned to help bring them back. We weren't supposed to go. It was the first time we really knew how much she went on missions for the village." He tossed a cynical smile at his comrade. "well, we tagged along anyway."
"The team got to the site and she went ahead. It was supposed to be a solo mission for her. We didn't think much of that idea. We didn't realize that the reason they were solo missions was because she didn't want to scare people." Minato nodded, having already come across this in notes from her and his teacher.
"We got to the clearing in the middle of a full blown battle. We immediately jumped in to help. We did pretty good all thing considered, but in the end in came down to 6 of them against her and 3 hostages." Minato's eye's narrowed. he was starting to recognize this chain of events to some extent, though he couldn't place it.
"They were going to kill us if she didn't surrender Byaka to them. She couldn't physically do that of course, but they didn't believe her. They were in the act of killing all three of us when she let out a scream that I have never forgotten." Hiashi shuddered as the anguished scream went through his mind again.
"The bodies of the men were blown apart. But this wasn't a quick death, but a slow pulling. The liquid flew from the body of the three holding the knives and the air swept it at the other three." He swallowed and forced himself to continue "After the wind and liquids had battered them for a moment, there was nothing left but a pile of dust and bone." Hiashi down the sake in his hand to wipe the image from his mind.
"We returned to the main camp with Haruka after that. An abridged version went on record." Minato nodded.
"It was me, wasn't it?" Hiashi nodded. The Namikaze heir had been the original hostage.
"How did you ever...I mean she just... How..?" He tried to phrase his question weakly. Hiashi looked at the older man in thought.
"At first it was hard. Then I looked at what it had done to Haruka. She was more disgusted then we were. She had protected us, hurt for us, helped us. I looked at her and tried to see the monster that had ripped those men to their deaths and all I saw was a worried Kunoichi after a kill. We all killed and hunted as shinobi, and very rarely can we afford our conscious the time to think on whether it was right or not. She did not enjoy it anymore then we enjoy killing with a kunai. The more I looked at her and saw her pain the more I saw a person,...a friend...a very well deserving kunoichi of Konoha that I respected." Minato stared out the window over the village. He knew he loved her. His sister was one of the most important things in his life. He sighed and reached down the bond he held with her.
Her questioning though made him smile. It was clear from the tone of her laughter that she was with one of the Hyuuga women. When Hizashi had proposed to his fiance, she was first in line to welcome the woman. In fact, he often wondered if she had arranged the meeting in the first place. It had seemed awfully fortuitous at the time. He felt her presence with his own and they melded as they had since they were kids. He looked at Hiashi.
"She's my sister all right!"
-End Flashback-
Neji was looking at him with the same eyes asking for the same reassurance that his couson, and to some degree himself, they were not the monsters his mind made them out to be. Hiashi smiled slightly.
"I'm glad you care enough about your cousin too care if she's someone she doesn't want to be, Neji." Neji stared at him in confusion. "Come on, lets get to the hospital before my daughters decide to put themselves in some other sort of danger." Ten Ten frowned as she rose with the clanhead. Neji looked at him thoughtfully as he too stood. Then his face cleared into a benign look. He nodded confidently at his uncle and they left with Lee taking up the rear.
Lee had understood what was going on. Whatever Hinata had done had been so drastic that even she would be repulsed. Neji was repulsed not only for himself, but if he dug real deep inside himself, also on her behalf. It confirmed that he cared about his cousin. He just needed to realize that.
000
Naruto sighed as Neji calmed down some. He'd known that this would be difficult for them. He had faced his own fear of becoming a monster recently. Faced and been humbled by it. He looked at Haruka in thought. She would have had to face that at some point as well.
"Nee-sensei?" She looked up from her stroll around the clearing in question. Naruto opened his mouth then paused. He wasn't even sure how to phrase his question. Haruka kept looking at him as he struggled with his confusion before smiling slightly.
"How is Hinata-chan and Neji-kun?" Naruto frowned slightly.
"Hina-chan is asleep. She completely wore herself out. Neji is fine now." She raised her eyebrow in question. "Hina-chan did something. Something that will probably change the way she looks at herself. And maybe the way Neji looks at her." Naruto frowned in worry. Haruka came over and knelt before him.
"Neji is a good cousin. He will probably forget his fear when hers comes to bear." Naruto nodded. Neji did tend to put Hinata before himself these days in everything. "Was it Mui?" Naruto shook his head. Mui had been present and it was her assistance that made it easier, but Hinata already had had the chakra and control. Mui simply made it easier to gain young. Haruka looked thoughtful.
"Naruto, do you feel the peace of this place?" Naruto looked at his teacher in confusion at the change in topic. He looked around and realized that when he meditated here, he was still. Infact it was the only place so far where he had felt so at peace.
"This village is a special village" Naruto got comfortable as he recognized story mode for his aunt. "Long ago when demons came to this plane and befriended more humans, the Bijuu came. They are great teachers of the demon kind and curious themselves, thus they came. Back then the shinobi villages were being formed. A small group of shinobi, led by the brother-in-law of the hokage arrived at the water fall at the bottom of this mountain. They camped there for the night. Part of the way through the night, a beautiful fox stumbled upon their camp. The brother of the hokage recognized the small creature as a demon, but did not know him to be Kyuubi.
"They fed the fox and talked with the fox. They asked about the Bijuu, about how they had heard rumors about imprisoning the bijuu in people. This group thought that demons were to be treated as people. Youko was humbled by their faith in this belief. He told them that this place was a good home and them, in a ball of immense fire, he left.
"The group took the advise to heart and built a small village at that waterfall. They called it whirlpool after the whirlpool the waterfall created. Eventually they explored the surrounding area. It wasn't long before they ended up here on the top of the mountain. They were looking around when they spotted a grave."
000
Sakura frowned as she looked at Hinata's charts. She had prided herself with becoming fairly competent at understanding the health of her friend, well, almost sister. She saw Hinata as a sister in the same way she saw Naruto as a bratty brother. Still the readings from her new sister's charts confused her. They indicated nothing wrong, that Hinata was simply sleeping because she wanted to. Sakura frowned, she hoped that wasn't the case.
She sighed as she placed the charts on top of Hanabi's. The child had been sedated. Really they should have sedated many people in the hospital that evening. She had never seen Iruka-sensei so out of control. In fact, when she thought about it, she had never really seen him in a fight to begin with. She did today. He lost control of his temper in a most destructive manner. She had seen him trying to sneak away, probably to limit the people who saw him lose it, but they hadn't let him. No, she didn't want any of them alone for the next little bit.
Shino, Kiba and Lee had spared with the teacher to calm him down. Sakura was sure the only reason Iruka-sensei finally gave in and let out his anger, was because the others needed it more then he did.
She walked over to the far room. Everyone seemed okay for now, if only Hinata would wake up.
"Hey Ino, how's it going?" Ino was working with Miketsu on on settling in. The three women Sakura had befriended during her capure were in one room, later to be moved once they were medically cleared by Tsunade. Sousuki, of course, was still in a coma and they were still waiting on Tsunade to find out if she knew Namikaze Nijikou as Dotsuko's mother. They would talk to her tomorrow. As it was, they had all missed dinner in the chaos and decided to eat. As they ate, Ino and Sakura entertained the newcomers with tales from the academy.
000
"They didn't know much about the grave. It was rather plain actually, but there was a sense of peace around it that they had never felt before. They began visiting this grave. They left flowers and spices here as the village grew below. There were many visitors, but the village, by some unconscious decision, the grave remained a village secret."
"Among the original villagers there was a pedestal maker. He wanted to honor the fox that led them here and one night he was sitting up on the clearing when the urge to explore came over him. He went off to one side of the grave and found this boulder that seemed to call to him. He had a vision in this boulder of a great fox, nine tails waving as it looked over the land in protection and possession. When the villagers awoke the next morning the man had already started the sculpture."
"The masterpiece took over a year before he was satisfied. The village recognized the rumors of Kyuubi. They then knew they had met Youko." Naruto followed Haruka as she walked off to one side of the clearing. There was a sculpture standing nearly 4 meters high of a majestic fox looking over the clearing through the trees. Naruto summoned Youko out as Haruka summoned Byaka out as requested.
"I haven't seen this statue in years." Haruka smiled as she turned to her student.
"Eventually rumors started of a village that worshipped the bijuu. Eventually this drew the attention of Ichibi and Nibi." She pointed out two statues off to one side. A tanuki and a turtle were over having a conversation.
"They came to learn, as they are the bjuu for wisdom and knowledge. When here they obliged their hosts by passing on their knowledge of the bijuu. The man created a statue for every bijuu, mostly from their descriptions." Naruto looked around, picking out for the first time, the other statues in the area.
"They aren't in order by tails?" Haruka shook her head.
"The stone told the man who and what it wanted to be. Many believe he was the first shinobi with an affinity for stone or earth element. See you have Kyuubi here ruling. Hachibi is behind him staging his coup. Byaka is here protecting him. Over there is Ichibi and Nibi conversing on knowledge with Sanbi. Suzaku is here, about to play a trick on the three. There is Seiryuu, Between the two groups, feeling the emotions of both sides and here is Gobi."
"Gobi is standing between the two groups as the communication and harmony. She balances out the harsher reality with the gentler hope and dreams. It is her job that is the most difficult. To forever be on the edge of the group and yet right in the middle."
"Why doesn't Kyuubi ever completely defeat Hachibi and then they refuse entrance of a new Hachibi, can you tell me Naruto?" Naruto looked from the statue of Mui he was gazing at to his teacher. The statues were beautiful, but he had indeed wondered it homself.
"Is it because Sanbi always vetoes, they cant overrule the decision?" Haruka shook her head, but Youko answered from where he was curled around Statue-Mui's feet.
"No Kit, even if I could get rid of the Hachibi position or put a more benevolent soul in the position I wouldn't." Naruto frowned at his Bijuu in confusion before looking to his aunt for answers. She opened her mouth to speak before hesitating. Then she shook her head.
"No, I think this is something you would do well to understand by yourself Naruto." Naruto looked at the two in confusion as Youko nodded.
"Yes, this is one lesson that only makes sense if figured out by yourself."
000
Shikamaru leaned back against a tree outside the hospital. Most of his friends were inside there. His teammate was working with refugees, Sakura helping her. The Hyuuga had both had another family crisis, one Hinata, and himself, hadn't anticipated. They had been able to fend off most of the problems. This was something different entirely. Asuma had taken the Hyuuga to Ibiki. Rumor was that he had a genjutsu on him from Orochimaru. If these manipulations were from that hebi no baka, it changed everything.
It wouldn't surprise Shikamaru though. With Hinata's blessing, and assistance, he had quietly looked into the other two Konoha main clans. After Kyuubi's attack they had both been taken out in a matter of years. He didn't like it. If the Hyuuga clan fell, Konoha would be without a major clan. None of the smaller clans, like Inuzuka, could give Konoha the support like a major clan. Hinata had already told him that he could bringin his team if he deemed nescessary and safe.
It didn't escape his notice that they were forming a group of shinobi loyal to each other within Konoha. In fact his research showed that there was similar groups every few decades, the last one including his sensei, Gai and Kakashi. It actually seemed to include Hiashi as well. This was a well-rounded group. He knew that Ino and Chouji trusted him with whatever information he came across. He didn't need to tell them anything. They trusted his secrets and his judgement absolutely. Their team was the intelligence, Team Shinzen was the scouting and information, Team Gai was the precision, and Team Kakashi was the power. They were well divided, but at the same time, they depended on each other.
He would keep his end floating. He sighed and nodded to Chouji and then went off to find Asuma to get his read of the situation. Chouji would let Ino know and be his eyes here.
000
Hinata groaned as she floated in the blue of her mind. Through the misty air she felt and heard the melody.
"Once Upon a time and long ago
I heard someone singing soft and low
Now when day is done and night is near
I recall this song I used to hear
This melody had been with Hinata as long as she could remember. Her mother used to sing it, but it never sounded quite the way she remembered it. Her mother would call it Mommy's Memory.
"My child.
my very own
Don't be afraid,
you're not alone
Sleep,
until the dawn,
for all is well
Hinata smiled as she relaxed to the loving lullaby. It cradled her and rocked her as she relaxed.
"Long ago this song was sung to me
Now its just a distant melody
Somewhere in my past I used to know
Once upon a time A long ago
She sighed as the soft voice sang to her.
"Hina" Hinata frowned as she Heard the powerful voice gently call her. "Hina, come back"
Why
"Hina, child, come back."
Why?
"Child please come back"
Why come back?
"Child please...return to us"
Its painful there
"Come back to us, please"
No, I was bad
"Hina-chan?"
Naruto-kun?
"Hina-chan, please come back"
I shouldn't
"Please Hinata-sama, come back"
Itoko...
"Come back Little Female, Come on."
Youko, I was bad
"No, Child, you were scared"
I hurt him, I destroyed him
"And feel bad about it, now come back"
I can come back?
"Yes"
"Come Home"
000
Naruto opened his eyes as he sat int he clearing and connected with Hinata. He could feel Mui, Youko and Neji help him bring Hinata back. She had fallen into that place between living and existing, when both called and neither held. He knew she wasn't completely okay with what had happened, having been told it from a new perspective by Neji, but she had to work that out herself, just like he had had to several monthes ago.
Haruka smiled at her pupil and nodded for him to rise. Dinner was a big affair in this village, and not one you wanted to miss. He woudl also start working with Kazeko afterwards.
000
Hinata slowly opened her eyes to see Neji staring at her, concerned. She slowly sat up as he let a small smile grace his face.
"Welcome home, Hinata-sama."
000
Miketsu and Sakura were helping Doitsuko settle down to bed when a nurse popped her head in to tell Sakura that Hinata was waking. Sakura left immediately to see her patient and sister. Ino followed after making sure Miketsu and Doitsuko were alright. Both girls dashed down the hall and burst into the room. Hinata was sitting up and staring at the two friends who had burst loudly into the quiet room. Neji also looked at them, though in slight fear. He had been teamed with Ten Ten long enough to know exactly what stressed girls do when their friends have been out of commission and just woke up.
Predictably, the two girls, rushed to the Heiress and gathered her in a giant bear hug, followed by the rest of the Konoha eleven present who had followed from the waiting area the girls had passed. Neji barely was out of reach of both his teammates, so they settled for pulling Chouji in. Neji just locked eyes with his couson's wide ones and smiled his little half smile. She shyly returned the hug as she looked at him in confusion. At his smile, she relaxed and returned the hug given to her by her friends with all the strength she had as it squeezed some tears of joy out of her.
000
Naruto was happily finishing his dessert, his bonds all happy, though Hinata and Neji knew they had a rough evening ahead of them.
Haruka smiled at his enthusiasm. She winked at Kazeko as she pranced over, already finished with her food. She winked back and leaned over to Naruto.
"Naruto-kun, you and Haurka are stating to help with dishes tonight." Her smile reminded Naruto of Kakashi's when he was about send the team on a very tiring and rediculous mission.
Haurka and Kazeko led him over to the dishes station. he had noticed the system the previous night. The entire village was divided into three for a meal; cooks, cleaners, and workers. The worker were people who were still doing jobs when dinner started; hunting, guarding, ect. The cooks and workers eat at the end of the meal and the cleaners are the first to sit down. Some of the cleaners take over for the cooks as they start eating and some of the cooks clean before the cleaners are finished eating. Everyone worked and finished around the same time.
Kazeko told him to watch a moment then joinin the carrying. He watched as Haruka blended intot he carrying role easily and Kazeko joined the "washing". First people at the table gathered the dishes. They carried buckets and scrapped leftover into the bucket. then silverware was tossed like kunai and dishes like frisbees at another person who stacked them by size. Then the washer would pick them up, us their chakra to clean all food off them, dip them in the soapy water. The dish was taken out by another person who use chakra to dryt he dish and toss it at the carriers, whom he was supposed to join. They then tossed them t land in the correct piles or drawer.
He watched for a while as Haruka caought dished fromt eh dryers and tossed them neatly and gently onto shelves and drawers and various other locations in this cooking tent. After a few minutes of watching in pure amazment, he started studying the final destinations.
Finally Haruka indicated for him to join. Kazeko came over and showed him how to throw with a small amount of his chakra in the dish to cushion the fall. It was difficult to control the puff of chakra needed to protect the dish without sending it into the sky. Kazeko had to send several children chasing some at first. Eventually he got it. Haruka told him that before the end of the month he would perform every job of a cook and cleaner using his chakra, and both his elements. he would learn to manipulte them to this extent.
He wasn't sure if that was a garantee or a warning. But it did sound like fun.
000
Hinata was flanked by her team as she walked home. Sakura had let her sleep at home after some convincing on the promise she would take the next two days easy. Neji had gone ahead to walk Ten ten home first. Hinata stopped as she reached her home and turned to her teammates.
"I'll see you tomorrow guys." Hoshi jumped off Akamaru as Kiba nodded. Shino looked at her and held her gaze.
"Nine?" Shino's question hung in the air as an extra promise. Hinata smiled softly, almost wistfully.
"Aa, I promise, Shino-kun, Kiba-kun."
She sighed as she walked into the backyard. She left Hoshi on the entryway as she walked past. The fox gave her a penetrating look before heading to bed. She let her smile fade as she looked at the garden.
A sound drew her attention to the patio on the back of the house. She saw her cousin standing, looking concerned. She had known she would have to talk to him sooner or later. she still wasn't sure what to say.
He held a hand out to her as she approached. she allowed him to pull her up onto the deck. He bowed his head in difference and then walk a half-step behind her as she slowly walked down the porch.
"Has Yuuki-chan settled in?" Neji nodded his head.
"Hai, Hinata-sama. Hiashi-sama saw to it. She is in the side house as an honored guest." Hinata nodded.
"Have we recieved word yet on Jushiro?" Neji shook his head.
"Shikamaru was attending to it. Chouji asked me to inform you that Shikamaru plans to keep his meeting with you tomorrow." His tone was questioning but HInata didn't elaborate. He would learn soon enough.
"That is fine." Neji gritted his teeth at her gentle demenor.
"Hinata-sama, are you all right?" Hinata smiled and nodded.
"I am, however, are you all right, Ni-san?" Neji looked at her.
"Me? You were the one who...who...well, you were the one to destroy him." Hinata stopped and looked back at him. He noticed a defeated look in this gaze.
"I wasn't the one who just learned I could rip a person apart easily," She gave him an apologetic look "you are."
He looked at her in confusion. She knew he didn't understand but she had known for some time.
"It was many years ago, during Mother's pregnancy for Hanabi-chan. We had gone for an early morning walk into the mountain. There was a secret place she wanted to show me. Looking back, knowing what I know now, I think she knew she wouldn't get another chance. It was the place she said she went to be Ayaka, instead of the wife of the heaf of the Hyuuga clan.
"Anyway, on our way back we came in contact with some bandits fleeing Konoha shinobi. I never did learn what they had stolen but it was important enough that my mother and I were acceptable losses. My mother was noticably pregnant and they thought to use her as a hostage. They were going to kill me as an example to the shinobi.
-Flashback-
Aya struggled to get to her daughter, barely six. Hinata had never battled with anyone who would truly harm her, but Aya could access her chakra enough to use water. Hinata was crying as she saw tear trail down her mother's frantic face. Their eyes met a moment before her mother's eyes moved up to the kunai coming at her.
"NOOOOOOOO" the shout vibrated off the trees as the bandits all exploded outward. Hinata was pushed down by the force. A shinobi swooped her up immediately. She looked over to her mother.
Aya was kneeling, looking at her hands as if they were snakes. The shinobi tried to hand Hinata to her, but Aya just looked at her child like she was a snake. She couldn't stop shaking as her hands came in front of her mouth. Finally the Shinobi handed the drowsy Hinata off to her father.
Aya waited until the others left and Hinata looked to be asleep before talking to Hiashi.
"I understand now, Koi" Hiashi gave her a confused and concerned look but she elaborated without any prompting. Her hadns were still shaking as she wept.
"Haru-chan told me... about a power... so scary, so destructive that she hated herself." Hiashi's eyes widened imperceptably as the shaking grew to her shoulders
"I didn't understand" Aya looked down at her hands. "Now I do" Hiashi placed his free hand over her hands urgently.
"Aya, you protected our daughter, you protected yourself. No one can fault that, not even you. What you did may have been unpleasant, but nescessary." She whipped her hands out of his grip.
"You don't understand Hiashi, it took no chakra at all, simply control and need" Hiashi looked at her in confusion. She looked at Hinata, sobbing quietly.
"I've taught Hinata" Instinctively, Hiashi tightened his hold on his daughter.
"What do you mean you've ' taught her'?" Aya hiccuped as she carded her fingers through the childs soft hair.
"She knows the water dance. It teaches control. She has all the skills required to pull someone apart by the liquid in their cells." Hiashi looked at his wife and then his daughter. Fear didn't enter his face, rather a protective stance cause him to tighten his hold on his family even more. Aya smiled at him.
"We must teach her control, Hiashi" He looked at her.
"You just said she had control."
"She must learn control over herself" Hiashi looked at his daughter.
-End Flashback-
Hinata smiled as she looked over the garden as she had been during the retelling of the memory. She turned her attention to Neji with a sad smile.
"I wasn't asleep. I heard everything and learned what I was capable of." Neji looked at her in amazement. During all the ridicules, the taunts, everything, she knew what she could do.
"But...then..." Hinata stepped down on the step and looked at him.
"I won't use it, and neither will you." Neji looked at her in startled confusion. She smiled at him cynically.
"It required two things; control we both have, but the need is different. We won't misuse it." She looked at the stars. "Our element is unique, Neji." He looked at her.
"Fire can be fueled by hate and anger, Wind by niavete, Rock by strength and determination, and lightening by focus. These qualities can be possessed by someone who is insane. Water, however, is the connection in the world. The essence of flow requires a connection to our world that insanity doesn't allow for. In essence, to control water, we must be sane." Neji still looked unconvinced. She sighed.
"This technique transcends risking your life. There is no description for the feeling of controling and sensing all the molecules of liquid in the bady. The disorientation and sheer amount of conflicting information is insanity in and of itself. This move risks your soul. No, Neji, I will probably never use it again, and I doubt you will ever need to." Neji looked at his cousin in uncertainty for a moment before his expression cleared. He sighed.
"We will be fine, won't we, Hinata-sama?" Hinata smiled as she let her cousin lead her inside to say good night to her father.
"Yes, Ni-san, we will."
Hiashi smiled as she came in the room. He accepted a smile from his heir and wished them both goodnight as they all retired from this very very long day. Hinata smield as she wished her love a pleasant night as well.
000
Naruto smiled as he wished her pleasant dreams and held in a yawn of his own. After dinner the campfires were lit. He found out that several of them were usually lit and at each different things were happening. At one there was dancing and singing. At another, there was a storyteller. He was currently clapping around a wrestling match. Haruka had told him to find a fun fire and enjoy the end of his day. She did warn him that should he eneter the story fire, where news was spread, he would most like get called upon t talk about his experiences.
He figured he would work up the courage to do that in a few days. he had already met many of the people here. They were welcoming and boisterious. He fit right in, as did Haruka, Byaka, and Kyuubi, the latter of which was giving rides to young children not yet in bed.
He had nodded to his teachers and they to him. He would meet his last teacher tomorrow, something about books and history. He wasn't entirely sure, but none of his teachers had been normal to his way of thinking. They all had stressed how important it was to work training into your everyday life. These ways were strange but he thought he could learn to like them.
All changes, even the most longed for, have their meloncoly
For what we leave behind is a part of ourselves
We must die in one life before we can enter into another
AN hi, I think its been several months at least. I'm sorry about that. I now have two degrees though :) I updated chapter 3 nd 4 this morning and if you haven't you should re-read them.
This is the last chapter in this story. The next story will be in a bit. Naruto is in this village for about three months. He's almost home again!
I don't think I introduced any terms I havn't already identified, though if you've forgotten team Shinzen is Hinata's team (Found family) opening quote is anonymous, and the end is Anatole France
Happy Fourth of July!