Chapter 14- Grieving Skies
No.
No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No!
Naruto could only watch wide eyed as Neji, the stuck up ass of the Hyuuga clan, took his last breath and his heart stopped beating.
The blond felt his breath catch, his body shaking. He couldn't understand it, couldn't comprehend it. Didn't the other boy hate him? If so, why did he save him?
Neji Hyuuga had been a complete bastard, from the very moment that Naruto had met him. He was always sneering at the blond, and being mean to Lee, even though Bushy Brows was a really awesome ninja. The only people the Hyuuga had truly acknowledged were Kakashi and Edward nii-san, and even towards Sasuke, Neji had a holier-than-thou attitude.
And then, during the fight, the stupid guy had even suggested giving up, as if that were really an option. Had he forgotten the vow that was made when one became a ninja? That one had to always give it their all? But Neji had just sneered at him, and Naruto had actually decided to give up on the other genin and fight this battle on his own.
And then, the older boy and gone and done this.
"Your friend is dead," the masked nin stepped out of his mirrors, his voice tired and his movements sluggish. "Will you not surrender?"
Naruto's head snapped towards the masked nin's direction, his confusion melting as his eyes narrowed, and a fiery sensation arose from within his body.
How dare he?
How dare he?
Naruto didn't understand Neji, would never understand him now probably, and his murderer goes and says something like this?
There was a spreading anger in his gut, anger at the masked nin for forcing them into this situation, and anger about him taking Neji away before Naruto could punch the bastard and demand to know what his problem was. It was anger that once again, Naruto had been too weak to protect those that he loved.
He felt the senseless rage curl out from within him, tendrils climbing up his skin and into his ear, whispering about the things that it could do for him. It could take away his pain, it told him, it could make the confusion and the hurt and the feeling of helplessness go away. It could do all that.
And Naruto let it.
He felt a tug at his gut and a sensation of darkness overcome him, filtering over his eyes and making the world become indistinct. Distantly he felt his skin knitting up, the senbon popping out as his wounds closed. His chakra bubbled almost painfully, rebelling against what he was letting happen to it, but he hardly cared. He was beyond caring.
He didn't care what he had to do. He just wanted to hurt the masked nin like the nin had hurt them. Like it had hurt Neji who was never coming back. Like it had hurt Naruto by letting him experience something like this again.
He wanted to Hurt. Hurt. Hurt. Hurt. Hurt.
Naruto leapt towards the masked nin, only the thirst for blood on his mind. Senbon flew towards him, obviously wanting to put him out of commission like they had put Neji out of commission, but Naruto was not going to let that happen.
He roared, his chakra pulsating out of his body, and the senbon melted. But the sizzling senbon temporarily blocked his vision, and even though it was for less than a second, the masked nin was already gone by the time that they had finally cleared.
Naruto tensed, stopping his maddening rush and crouching down low, trying to feel for which mirror the masked nin might move from next. And then, he felt it.
Above!
His mind had never felt so clear. Naruto slammed a hand into the ground and pushed his body up, spinning to give him more speed. The masked nin crashed into the spot where he had been just moments before, his senbon imbedding itself deep into the earth.
Just as the masked nin landed, he changed direction and headed for the nearest mirror, but like heck Naruto was going to let him go that far. The blond raced forwards, his rage and bloodlust giving him the speed that he had not had before.
The masked nin turned a fraction of a second too late, and Naruto's hand closed around his throat. The other boy choked as the momentum of the two made him lose his trajectory, and was sent tumbling to the ground, Naruto on top of him.
They skidded across the ground, coming to a stop only a step away from one of the ice mirrors. The masked nin was trapped beneath Naruto's body, breathing heavily. The flesh of his neck was beginning to sizzle under Naruto's grip, but the blond didn't care.
Making contact with the masked nin, Naruto realized something. The mirrors which had seemed untouchable before were created by the masked nin's chakra, and now that Naruto was holding onto him, he could disturb the connection.
Naruto roared, and pushed his chakra outwards. He wanted the annoying mirrors gone. They had allowed the stupid missing nin to move at his incredible speeds and they had allowed him to kill—to kill—
And then, they were. Steam filled the area as the mirrors began to melt, unable to withstand against Naruto's onslaught.
Beneath him, the masked nin coughed, his body feeling deceptively frail under Naruto's choke hold. He made to move one of his hands, but Naruto was faster. The blond cocked a fist, and sent it downwards with all his might with the sole intent of smashing the nin's face in.
The masked nin's head snapped back, his face turning with the force of the blow. Naruto raised his fist for another blow, intent on pummeling the nin to death.
And then, the edges of his porcelain mask cracked, spread and then the whole thing came apart. The cover fell off the missing nin's face piece by piece, finally revealing who was under the mask.
Haku let out a small breath, and Naruto felt himself go still.
Despite himself, the blond felt his mind go back to just three days prior, when Edward nii-san had sent him to that fateful forest.
The Naruto clone grumbled to itself as it hopped from tree to tree, going in the vague direction that Edward nii-san had pointed out to him. Oh why oh why did it have to be him who had to check things out? Why couldn't Edward nii-san have sent Sasuke or something to do it?
On the face of it, it made a whole lot of sense. Edward nii-san had sensed a chakra signature, but not one that would be of a match for jounins, so Edward nii-san had presumed that it was a passing ninja rather than someone who would attack them. Still, the jounin wanted to be sure, but at the same time hadn't wanted to draw attention to themselves, so they had decided on sending out a Naruto clone to check out the scene.
If Naruto-clone died, they would know the ninja was hostile, plus the bonus of any other knowledge the Naruto-clone might gleam. Really, it was the best move available to them.
The Naruto clone let out a sigh. Sometimes he really wished he weren't so expendable.
Finally, he arrived at the destined area. He hopped off the last of the trees, landing at the edge of a small clearing. A quick sweep of the place told him that there was no one here other than himself—wait, no, there was somebody else too.
There was a lady about his age staring at him with intent brown eyes from across the clearing. She was half hidden amongst the trees, a basket hanging neatly from one arm, and the other hidden from view. She looked about his age.
The first thought that crossed his mind was that she was cute. Way cute. Even cuter than Sakura-chan. The second thing that he thought of was that she might have seen where the ninja Edward nii-san sensed was.
"Hey, Miss!" He called out, waving his arms to indicate that he was talking to her, just in case it wasn't obvious enough, "Have you seen a ninja passing through here?"
The girl's eyes flashed. Slowly, one delicate hand rose to tap her chin, a thoughtful expression crossing her face, and then she shook her head. "No, I'm sorry, I don't know. What do ninja look like?"
Naruto blushed as he realized that he hadn't explained that at all, and had automatically assumed that the girl would know. Wave Country evidently hadn't seen a lot of ninja, and Naruto should have remembered Edward nii-san's warnings about never assuming anything, and always digging for the truth.
The blond skipped over to the girl, noting that she seemed to tense, and immediately tried to make himself look as unthreatening as possible. Stopping a few feet away from her, he pulled out the biggest grin he could muster, and waved one hand in a grandiose gesture, indicating his forehead protector.
And then, he bowed, "Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, ninja extraordinaire! You can tell I'm a ninja because of this super awesome—er, I mean, lovely forehead protector I'm wearing!"
The girl giggled, and Naruto looked up with a slightly embarrassed smile. He was hardly ever to make girls laugh, and it made him feel good to hear a sincere one from this villager. It was only ever the guys who found him funny, like Kiba, Chouji, Ino…
And then he remembered that Ino was also a girl, but then he pushed that thought aside. Ino was completely different. Anyway, the girls usually tended to beat him up for his antics rather than find them amusing.
"Wow, that's amazing," the girl said, her brown eyes shining with genuine interest, "you're a ninja?"
Naruto bobbed his head, beaming. "Yep! I'm Konoha's Number One Hyperactive Ninja!"
The girl giggled again, lifting a hand to cover her mouth, "I'm afraid I don't have such an impressive title. I'm just Haku. But… what are Konoha ninja doing here?"
Naruto's expression turned a little more serious at that question. "We were sent to guard Tazuna, the bridge builder. There's this super evil guy named Gato, who just won't…"
And then, Naruto explained it all. Haku 'ahhed' and 'oohhhed' at all the right parts, and before he knew it, Naruto was going into a grand retelling of everything that had occurred since they had taken the mission. He used wild gestures and sometimes even re-enacted his actions, making Haku laugh at various parts of the story. Despite what an awful mission it was, Naruto couldn't help but feel just a little like it was worth it.
"Wow," Haku said at the end of Naruto's tale, a light smile playing across her lips, "so now there are seven ninja guarding the bridge builder, three of which are jounin."
There was something in that statement that seemed odd, but Naruto couldn't quite put his finger on it. He frowned, but before he could think about it too much, Haku spoke again, drawing his thoughts away from himself. She sounded very serious, and there was something to her tone that had not been there before.
"So you want to protect this country…" the girl murmured, a glassy look in her eyes. And then, she shook her head, and a bright smile spread across her features, "You're a kind person Naruto, to care so strongly about people you've never met before. You'll become truly strong."
Naruto blinked, not too sure where that statement had come from, but then he beamed in reply. Oh well! Female minds were always confusing. "Thanks!"
Haku laughed, "Don't thank me. It's the truth. When a person has something that they wish to protect, that's when they become truly strong. Let's meet again somewhere."
The blond nodded thoughtfully, before he realized that by Haku's statement, she meant to be going. He deflated a little, having been enjoying her company, but he consented that there were probably things that she needed to do.
Besides, he probably should get to sending some form of information back to Edward nii-san that he hadn't spotted the enemy nin before Sasuke freaked out or something.
"Alright," Naruto said as he raised his arm in farewell. "Bye!"
Haku bowed, and turned her heel, giving one last smile to Naruto before she walked off. He raised his hand in farewell, shouting a 'bye' after her.
"By the way," Haku paused just before she disappeared from view. Her voice had a laughing, tinkering quality to it as she glanced back and winked. "I'm a boy."
Naruto bobbed his head in contentment, before Haku's last words finally hit him. WHAT? His jaw dropped open, and he immediately began to say something, but by that time, Haku was already long gone.
The blond let out a sigh, although he couldn't help the smile that had come with it. Haku had tricked him good. If Haku lived in Konoha, maybe Naruto would have had somebody else to contest the title of Prankster King over.
Laughing sheepishly, Naruto put his hands in the 'release' seal, and with a puff of smoke, the shadow clone disappeared.
Miles away, the real Naruto jerked as his mind was assaulted with the morning's worth of events. And then, he smiled. Brilliantly. When Edward nii-san had asked if something was the matter, Naruto couldn't help but launch into a story about the awesomest new friend he had made, and about how smart and pretty he was.
"Why?" Naruto whispered, his fist falling back to his side. He felt his fury and wrath dissolve like the mirrors were dissolving under the heat of the chakra he had unleashed, leaving only confusion and sorrow in its place.
Haku turned his head back up, a sad smile playing across his lips as he stared at Naruto with his heartbreaking brown eyes. "So you remember me. That's a shame."
"Why?" Naruto whispered again, his voice coming out with a tremble. "Why? Why?"
He couldn't understand it. Haku was—Haku was—
And then, Haku told him everything, the snowy village and his tragic parents, his time as a waif and Zabuza… Zabuza rescuing him from that awful life of the cold, cold eyes.
"So you see?" Haku finished with a slight smile on his lips, "He is my everything, but I am useless to him now. What will I do when he doesn't accept me? Naruto-kun, please… kill me."
Naruto shook. There was a whole part of him that couldn't get over the shock. This was Haku? This was the boy with the gentle smile whom he had decided to help that day?
In a way he understood where Haku was coming from. Wouldn't he have wished for much the same thing in his childhood? Wouldn't he have wanted anything that would get him away from the purposeless, hurtful life, even if it meant death in the process? Shakily, Naruto raised his fist.
Haku closed his eyes in contentment.
And Naruto punched the ground next to him, cracking the hard cement.
Brown eyes snapped open, shock clear within them.
"That's so bull!" Naruto yelled, "How could you say something like that? So what if he doesn't care about you anymore? So what? You'll find other people to care, other people to give you a purpose. Yeah, living is painful, but so what?"
Haku could only stare at him in amazement, "Naruto-kun, you…"
Naruto shut his eyes, and when he opened them again, there was a painful glint within them that spoke of experience, spoke of tragedy. "Dying is so easy, ya know? There were a lot of times in my childhood that I thought—that I thought that I would just end it all. But if I did that, I would have never have met Edward nii-san, or Sasuke, or even that loudmouth Ino. So, so, even if you don't have a purpose with him anymore, you're obliged to go through with the motions of life until you can find somebody else who will give you a purpose. You killed my friend, so the least you can do… the least you can do… is to live and atone for him."
Haku's eyes were wide with shock, his mouth half open in pure incomprehension. For the first time since Naruto had seen him, Haku didn't have a ready reply, seemed conflicted over what his choices were.
Naruto only sat on top of him, panting heavily. The exclamation had taken a lot out of him, though for what reason he didn't know. It was just words, but sometimes, words rendered more deeply than fists.
And then, suddenly, the bridge gave a huge shudder, throwing Naruto off Haku and sending him flying a few feet away. Haku fared only slightly better, rolling with the explosion rather than being shaken by it.
The two looked up as one, shocked and minds working furiously to find the source of the attack.
A large crater had formed in the center of the bridge, still smoking slightly and obscuring what exactly had happened. Over a few meters back, Naruto thought he heard Tazuna groan, but he hardly even registered it. Haku had gone tense again, pushing himself up slightly as he looked with desperate eyes over to the crater. Everything had gone silent.
"Haah—isn't that a bit—huff—overkill—huff—Maito?"
Naruto's eyes widened as he heard an all too familiar voice join the fray. His head whirled back to the entrance of the bridge, where Edward nii-san was standing, leaning slightly against one of the railings with one arm wrapped around his middle. He was panting heavily, but there was a smile on his face, and it only grew larger when he spotted Naruto looking at him.
The smoke finally cleared, and Maito Gai was revealed standing erect at the center. His clothing was torn and bloody, and one arm hung limply at his side, but he bore a proud grin on his face that nearly hid his exhaustion. Zabuza belly first lay at his feet, his sword buried some distance away from his body and no motion of breathing coming from him.
Haku let out a cry of dismay, pushing himself up almost faster than Naruto could follow and sprinting towards the fallen figure. Gai surprisingly, did not stop him. Whether the jounin saw that Haku was no longer in any condition to fight, or he for some reason felt compassion for the missing nin, Gai allowed Haku to get to Zabuza's body when he could have easily stopped him.
"Yosh! The flames of youth cannot be quenched!" Gai beamed, before he too, collapsed.
Edward nii-san briefly closed his eyes, before letting out a satisfied sigh, "Not critical. Good. Not sure if I can handle any more critical cases."
And then, golden eyes snapped open, and Edward nii-san pushed himself off the supports. He walked towards Naruto, his footfalls slightly unsteady but determined. Naruto had sat up again, some feeling he couldn't name bubbling up within his chest.
Edward nii-san was here. Edward nii-san was here. All of the sudden, Naruto did not feel worried or scared any longer. Edward nii-san would fix everything.
"Naruto," his guardian said slowly, stopping directly in front of the younger blond and crouching down so that they were at eye-level, "Naruto, I felt the Kyuubi's chakra. Well, it seems that you've managed to control it, but I need to know—are you alright?"
Naruto opened his mouth, and then closed it. He hadn't known he had used the Kyuubi's chakra. And then, he shook his head, tugging at Edward nii-san's sleeve, "That's not important right now Edward nii-san. Neji! Neji is—!"
He pointed to the fallen ninja. He had been so sure that Neji was dead, and that was why he had gone all crazy against Haku, but he had forgotten that Edward nii-san was there. Edward nii-san was the best medic nin in the world, and it wouldn't be the first time that his idol had brought someone back from the dead.
And then, Naruto saw Edward nii-san hesitate.
A dreadful feeling bubbled up within Naruto's gut, and his grip on Edward nii-san's clothing tightened. He no longer cared that Edward nii-san had cuts and bruises all of his own, and that Edward nii-san was probably hurt from Naruto's harsh grip.
"Neji was a bastard, but he wasn't a bad person. I mean, I thought he shouldn't have been a ninja, because he considered dropping the mission because it was too hard or something, but that's not what a ninja's supposed to do. So I kept fighting and thinking that he was an idiot, but he wasn't, you know? He saved me there at the end, when he could have just left by himself. Neji really really isn't as bad as he pretend to be. Kinda like Sasuke. And you love Sasuke right, so you should save Neji!" Naruto was blabbing, but he really didn't care. He just wanted Edward nii-san to save Neji!
Gently, Edward nii-san wrapped a hand around Naruto's arm, the arm that was holding onto the older blond's sleeve. His eyes were sad, and quite suddenly, Naruto got a cold feeling in his chest. He knew what Edward nii-san was going to say before he said it.
"Naruto, I'm sorry—"
"No!" Naruto cried, jerking back and ripping his arm away from Nii-san. He saw Nii-san's eyes flash with hurt, but he didn't care, "No! You're the best medic nin in the world! How can you not save Neji?"
"Naruto—"
"You've told me that the brain takes four minutes to die after the heart stops beating, didn't you? I don't know if four minutes have passed yet, because I didn't really keep track, but the more time we spend arguing, the less time there will be for Neji, see? Edward nii-san, please, I don't care if you assign me chores for the rest of my life, but go and save—"
"Naruto!" Edward snapped, the force of his voice making Naruto instinctively snap his mouth shut, "Neji is dead!"
There was a moment of silence.
Thump.
Badump.
Honestly, Naruto thought it wasn't fair. He had almost come to terms with it earlier, that someone he barely knew and thought he hated had sacrificed his life for him anyway and believed in him for some reason. And then Edward nii-san had come, and given him hope, only for it all to be ripped away in the blink of an eye, just like Neji Hyuuga's life.
"Ahh," Naruto took in a breath, and then another. He was shaking, he realized, and he could not bring himself to stop.
Edward nii-san's eyes were sad, and Naruto hated seeing him sad, but he didn't think he could bring up a smile at the moment. And then, Edward nii-san moved, hugging Naruto close and rubbing gentle circles across his back. It was reminiscent of That Day, when Naruto had promised to never hurt Edward nii-san again.
Naruto squeezed his eyes shut. And then, he began speaking.
"It's not like… it's not like I didn't know that he was already dead. I mean, I mean I have you as my guardian right? I've picked up some medical stuff. Haku even said he was being serious, so there's no way…" He trailed off, his throat closing up.
"I won't say it's okay," Edward nii-san murmured, holding him close and stroking his hair. Naruto shivered from the contact. "I doubt it'll ever be okay. Killing, watching your friends be killed… when will this ever stop? It's an endless cycle."
Naruto blinked owlishly, looking up at his nii-san in confusion.
Edward only smiled, and shook his head, "Sorry, I didn't mean to go into that. Naruto, my point is, Neji probably didn't give his life for you to mourn for him. Grieve for him in the time that is appropriate, and then perhaps set out to do what he wanted of you. That is the best way to honour the dead."
Naruto ducked his head, and nodded.
He knew all that, intellectually of course, but it was so hard to feel like that when he wasn't quite sure what part of his life exactly was worth saving.
Off to the distance, Naruto noticed the bridge builder hesitate, and then push forwards, stopping only a few feet away from the two hugging blonds.
"Kid," Tazuna began, and then paused, running a hand through his hair. He let out a sigh, half frustrated, half guilty. Naruto kind of didn't want him to talk, because what did he know, but he was not Sasuke, he also realized that the bridge builder was only trying to make him feel better.
"I… I don't know how to make it up to you," the bridge builder continued, a haunted look in his eyes, "it's amy fault really that your friend died. I… I shouldn't have lied. But know this, your friend help to save Wave Country, and millions of people will now be able to live because of this. I don't know if it'll honour him enough… but just for starters, how about we christen this structure, The Great Neji Bridge?"
The past three days had been awful.
The aftermath of the Battle of Wave had been horrifying to behold. While Sakura herself had escaped nearly unscathed, that was not the case for everybody else. The momentary pride she had felt due to her sensei's words and her own accomplishments had been squashed under the monstrosity of what she had learned, and there was nothing to bring her mood up, not even Naruto.
Hyuuga Neji had died. They had held his funeral just a day ago.
Tenten had been inconsolable.
During the darker moments of her day, Sakura could not help but guiltily think that it was all her fault, although intellectually she knew that she could have done nothing. Still, she couldn't help think that if only she had decided to fight Fugimoto from the beginning, or if she had trained harder and had been more of a help to Tenten, then they could have made it to the bridge early enough to help out.
It was a ridiculous thought of course. By Tenten's own admission, Neji was miles ahead of them both, and Sakura knew that to be the case with Naruto as well. If the two girls had gone to the bridge, they would have been more of a hindrance than a help.
It didn't make Sakura feel any less awful about Neji's death. It seemed so surreal. The boy who had been silently watching and occasionally training with them was suddenly gone, and Sakura could only imagine how it felt for Tenten, who was a teammate and possibly something more.
It felt odd to think about a death that she hadn't seen, that had occurred while she was busy with her own enemies. She wondered if this was what ninja life would be like—constantly wondering over the state of your friends and not being able to do anything about it.
Naruto had not taken it well.
Sakura had not been the observant of people regarding Naruto, but even she could see that his mood had been affected by what had happened. He had been uncannily quiet for the past week, only speaking when spoken to. Sasuke and Elric-san had exchanged more than a couple of worried looks over it, but even they could not get the blond to say much. And no wonder, for it was Neji who had died defending him.
Naruto had 'confessed' to it the day after the battle, fully expecting Team Nine to trounce him for it. Sakura couldn't help but spare a smile for her favourite idiot. Naruto was so clueless sometimes.
Needless to say, Team Nine had assured Naruto that it wasn't his fault, and had even gone as far as to say that it was the best way to die. Their smiles were strained, but sincere, and Naruto had graciously accepted it after a round of tears by all of them.
Sakura had never felt so left out. Thankfully, she had not been the only one who felt a little uncomfortable by the waterworks. Sasuke, who had also been there, looked as if for once he were not comfortable in his own skin.
While at any other time Sakura might have taken this as the time to get cozy with the last Uchiha, at that time it had not felt appropriate to her, and so they had just stood awkwardly together. There were a lot of things Sakura felt that she needed to examine before she could feel comfortable with flirting with the Uchiha again.
And then there was the matter of her waking up in the middle of the night wanting to run to the toilet, seeing only Fugimoto's glassy eyes staring back at her.
She was weak, disgustingly weak, and she had not realized how much until that fight how much it could affect her. More than that—how much it could affect her team. She had flashes of Tenten in her wounds, except that she would not recover this time. Sasuke was practically a mummy with the amount of bandages he walked around in, and Sakura shivered at the thought of what would have happened if Elric-san did not get there in time.
Sakura felt useless, but more than that she felt helpless. She did not want to see her team members like that again.
And that was why she was standing in front of Edward Elric's door, her hand raised to knock. Before she could even give one rap however, the door swung open, and bright golden eyes greeted her.
"Ah, Sakura isn't it?" Edward Elric asked with a faint but distant smile on his face, "What can I do for you?"
Sakura took a deep breath, and steeled herself. She would take no shortcuts, not afford herself any slack. That was what she had decided for herself. "Elric-san… I want to learn medical jutsu."
It was all screwed up.
This, their first C-rank mission, was supposed to be light hearted and cheery. Sasuke and Naruto were supposed to have shown off their skills, and impressed just about everyone present. It was supposed to be an easy mission that showed the Sandaime that they were ready for tougher stuff.
And then, the chuunin had arrived, throwing the whole mission out of whack. The three low level jounin came afterwards, and even with their teamwork, Sasuke and Naruto had not been able to defeat the one that they were tasked with. Then Team Nine had come, and it was no longer just their mission, and then of course there were the events of just a little over a week ago…
Well, Sasuke thought bitterly, he supposed that they did get to show off.
When he and Lee had won their victory against the Grass nin, he hadn't even considered the possibility that the others had lost theirs. For one, Aniki would not have shown up when he did, and for another, Sasuke's mind had been too tired to think properly about it.
That had been really, really stupid.
Lee had pulled some sort of Forbidden move to win their match, and that was with Sasuke sacrificing himself for it. Aniki had later told him that it had been touch and go for a good little while, and there was a real possibility that Lee might not make it out as a ninja.
Sasuke had been so relieved when he had seen Aniki that he hadn't even bothered—didn't even think—that it might not be all alright. He had been like that little eight year old again, clinging to his fantasies and pushing all his dependence on his idols.
The dark haired boy closed his eyes, and punched the wall in frustration. Letting out a frustrated sigh he leaned against the outside of Tazuna's house, his arms crossed as he gazed out into the wilderness. He wondered when they would start talking.
Most of the Konoha nin were inside, with the exception of Tazuna who had gone to the bridge, Naruto who had followed him, and Aniki who was off doing something important. Aniki had told them all that there was no more need to worry about Gato, and if Sasuke had read Aniki's grim smile correctly, then he would wager that Aniki had something to do with it.
He knew it was rude to be eavesdropping, but the stifling atmosphere inside had made in unbearable. Kakashi had also made some excuse to get out of the room, and Sakura hadn't even been there in the first place. Ever since all of two days ago, she had suddenly made herself scarce, hardly seen of outside of her room and meals.
The only ones left in there were the remnants of Team Nine and the civilians, and the civilians didn't really matter anyway. Well them, and the Hyuuga's murderer.
It was the boy Haku who spoke up first, dissipating the frosty silence with a kind and gentle voice. "I know that I do not have a right, but I am sorry for your loss."
Sasuke almost wished he could see the inside of the room, so that he could see the boy's expression as he apologized for an unwilling kill. Naruto had said that he was a friend, and that was the only reason they had let him in, really, but Naruto could make friends with a cobra and so he wasn't quite the best judge.
Or maybe, as Sasuke was finding more and more often, Naruto was a better judge than anyone.
The tense silence lasted for a little bit longer, before it was finally broken, and not in the way that was meant to.
"You're right," Lee said, his voice harsher than Sasuke thought he was capable of, "you don't have a right."
"Lee," Gai cut in, his voice sharp, "that was unnecessary."
There was a pause, and a distinct lack of apology from Lee.
"So," Gai said, presumably turning back to Haku. "What are you here for?"
Sasuke noted that the green clad jounin had not accepted Haku's apology.
Haku took a deep, shuddering breath. There was a gap between that and his words, which Sasuke presumed to mean that Haku just bowed. His voice was pain-filled, but steady, "I am a broken tool. I cannot stay with Zabuza-sama any longer. Please, accept me as the replacement for your teammate. It is the least I can do to right all the evils that I have committed."
This time, the silence was almost tangible.
Sasuke felt heat rise up in his chest. He was not even a member of Team Nine, and he felt himself flushed with so much anger. How dare he? How dare the murderer of a teammate just waltz in and think that he could be an adequate replacement? The dark haired boy was dimly aware that his fists were clenched, knuckles white with the strain, but he couldn't bring himself to care.
That Haku boy was a complete and utter fool. Couldn't he read the mood at all?
As predicted, the explosion that followed was less than pretty. Lee and Tenten started yelling at once, shrieking and heaping abuse upon the boy who followed Zabuza. For a long moment Gai did not stop them, which spoke to how he felt about the matter, really.
But, finally, Gai had to act the response sensei. His single word stopped the yells and screeches of frustration, his voice booming throughout the house, "ENOUGH!"
They all went quiet.
"Gai-sensei," it was Lee who spoke up, his voice a mixture of desperation and choked back laughter, "you're not seriously considering his request are you?"
Gai did not reply.
"Gai-sensei?" Lee repeated, his voice gaining just a hint of disbelief in it. Just a hint of betrayal. "You're not really…!"
"His manner of apology was most youthful," Gai said quietly in reply, "and both the Hip Kakashi and the Intense Elric-san have vouched for him. And…"
The unspoken statement was left in the air. And we are currently missing a teammate.
There was a sharp intake of breath.
Tenten burst into tears.
"How could you say that?" Lee screamed, "He was the one who killed Neji!"
"Lee… he was doing his job." Gai's voice was strained, though with what Sasuke didn't know. If he could hazard a guess, he would say it was somewhere between grief and restraint. "That is what a ninja does. Personal feelings have nothing to do with the matter."
Gai swallowed.
Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. This was not what he had wanted to hear, though now that he thought about it, what else could he have possibly expected? This felt awfully like eavesdropping on a private indulgence, and what he wanted was business.
It was Lee who spoke next, and Sasuke could practically hear Lee's gritted teeth, "He. Killed. Neji."
He couldn't stay, couldn't continue to listen to an accusation he had little feeling over. Oh he felt for Lee, but that was about the extent of it.
Was it bad to say that he did not care for the death of the Hyuuga? Yes, it had been a shock, but Sasuke had known Neji well, and he had not personally seen the Hyuuga go down. Naruto however, had.
If there was one thing that had gone wrong in this mission, Sasuke would say that it was how Naruto was affected. The others he could ignore, push aside, but he couldn't stand Naruto as he was now. It was not how Naruto was supposed to be, and Sasuke could only feel utterly helpless as he watched Naruto wallow in his silent grief, refusing to open up to anyone. He hated feeling helpless.
Perhaps he had hoped… perhaps Sasuke had hoped that by listening in, he could find some way to cure Naruto. It was all a stupid plan, really, because Naruto was Haku's friend and what could Sasuke possibly learn from him that Naruto hadn't already? Still, he had been ready to do anything.
Now that he knew that it was nothing like that, he needed to leave. This was a private conversation between Team Nine, and he felt dirty listening in.
Slowly he pushed himself off of the wall, walking towards the forest. To be honest it was the last place that he wanted to go, considering it was there that the dead nin's body lay, but there was nowhere else he was familiar with, and he did not quite want to interact with anyone yet.
He walked away.
Subconsciously almost, his feet began guiding him to the clearing that he and Lee had battled the enemy nin. He didn't know why that was. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he didn't really know any other places in the forest. He didn't care to think about it.
He saw the crater, and he saw the charred trees. Aniki had pulled in the last of his reserves to put out the mini-fires. Their battle had not been kind to the Land of Waves. Quite frankly, Sasuke did not care. The Land of Waves had not been kind to them.
Another set of footsteps joined Sasuke's, and the dark haired boy turned to see who it was. Dark eyes widened slightly in surprise as he saw Rock Lee emerge from the woods, stumbling up to meet him.
The taijutsu expert of Team Nine looked like he had seen better days. There were dark bags under his eyes, and a glassy layer to them that indicated that he had been crying. Sasuke felt a small prickle of pity rise up within him, before he quashed it. He knew that Lee would not appreciate such an emotion.
"You shouldn't be out," Sasuke heard himself saying. "You just got off your crutches."
Lee shrugged, "Didn't have time to get them."
His normal, exuberant nature was a match for Naruto's, and quite a bit ways odder. Sasuke had not been fond of it before, but now he could not help but wish for it back, sunset genjutsu and all.
"You heard," Lee continued, his voice dull, "I know you did."
Sasuke hesitated, but there was no real reason to hide it. He nodded, feeling slightly ashamed, "Yes, I did."
But Lee was not mad, far from it in fact. The green clad boy took a deep breath, looking at Sasuke with wide, desperate eyes. His voice suddenly changed, cold and detached to hot and poignant. "I wasn't wrong was I? About not forgiving him?"
Sasuke faltered. He did not know how to reply. He knew what Naruto would say, and he knew what Aniki would say. They would tell Lee that Haku really had only been following orders, and had been just as torn up over the kill as everyone else, perhaps more so, because he had to carry around the guilt of the kill as well. They would tell Lee that if he couldn't forgive, at least he should try to understand.
He hated having this responsibility.
Thankfully, Lee seemed to have sensed it too, "No, don't tell me what I should hear. Tell me what you think."
Sasuke's lips turned downwards, "Why?"
"Because… because you are the only one who could possibly understand. Your whole clan was murdered, right?" Lee ignored Sasuke's flinch, and ploughed on, "So I need to know, can you possibly forgive the murderer?"
Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. It was telling about how bad he felt towards Lee that he didn't blow up at the boy for bringing up his clan. "Those circumstances… are different."
Lee's eyes narrowed, "Just. Tell. Me."
There was something dangerous about Lee's voice, something that Sasuke did not want to touch. A part of him flared in protest at being treated like this, but he stamped that part down. Lee was going through a lot of grief, he told himself, and he deserved some answers.
"Yes," Sasuke replied finally¸truthfully, "that guy… if he apologized, I could forgive him."
It was an answer he had come up with after many sleepless nights, wondering if he could really embrace again the man who had slaughtered his entire family and then had forced him to watch. He found that the answer was yes, not because he was a saint, but simply because he loved his brother too much to say no. Over the entire clan, Sasuke would take Itachi nii-san.
Lee sucked in a shaky breath, looking down and smiling self-deprecatingly, "So it's just me huh? I'm a horrible person."
And then, he started to cry.
Sasuke's eyes widened, and he took a step forwards, arms half-rising although he had no idea what to do. He was bad with people crying. Girls were bad enough, Naruto was bad enough, but the ever unflappable Lee who dared to wear green spandex in public and had single handedly defeated a jounin?
"Ahh, ahh," he said awkwardly, "it's okay…"
"No it's not!" Lee screamed, hiding his face in his hands, "And it never will be! You were right Sasuke, geniuses are always right! We should have let that Grass nin go and stop the others. If we did that, Neji wouldn't be dead!"
Sasuke's eyes hardened. This, he did know how to deal with. He moved, and punched the other boy full in the face.
Lee's head snapped back, a look of shock on his face as he slowly turned his head back to face Sasuke. A single hand rose to his cheek, where a large purple bruise was quickly forming, "Sasuke-kun…?"
"How dare you?" Sasuke asked, dark eyes blazing, "How dare you insult us like that? How dare you insult Hyuuga like that?"
"What…?"
"You were the one who convinced me to fight the Grass nin. You were the one who made me see the folly of what I'd been about to do. You were the one who awakened the second stage to my Sharingan by showing me the true path of a ninja. You! How dare you go back on your word so easily!"
Lee's eyes were wide, so helpless, like a rabbit. It was such a contrast from the way that he had looked a week ago, fierce and determined, like a predator who knew that they would win, that Sasuke couldn't help but be offended.
"Do you think Hyuuga would be satisfied with this?" The dark haired boy growled, taking a step closer to green clad boy. "Do you think Hyuuga would have wanted you to betray Konoha's ideals just so that he could live? If so, then the Hyuuga clan is more pathetic than I thought."
"Don't insult Neji!" Lee cried, his eyes flashing.
"Hn." Sasuke crossed his arms, an all too familiar sneer spreading across his face, "I'm not the one insulting Hyuuga. You are."
Lee froze.
Time seemed to go still, the last two words hanging in the air just like the ice mirrors that Neji's murderer had apparently used. Finally, Lee bowed his head, conceding his defeat.
"You're right," Lee whispered, his voice soft, broken, "you're completely right."
Sasuke felt the tension leave his body, the anger that had been brought up dissipating as quickly as it had came, "Lee…"
"No Sasuke," Lee looked up with a smile. A painful, heartbreaking smile, "I think I'll be alright. I don't have any parents, so Team Nine was kind of like my family. I guess when I found out that Neji died, I just snapped. But I was wrong, at that point at least. Just give me a few hours, alright? I'd like… I'd like to be left alone for a while. I need to think."
Sasuke didn't know how to reply. He felt like a complete jerk. He could have guessed that Lee's situation was like his, what with Lee going so far to imitate his sensei, and yet he had still said all those things about Neji. If the situation were reversed, could Sasuke have accepted that explanation with that much grace?
The Uchiha swallowed, and nodded in reply. Lee gave him one, last, final smile, and then disappeared into the forest.
Sasuke let out a sigh when Lee went out of sight. He supposed that his plan to stay in the forest had just been thrown out of the window. Still, as he turned back to Tazuna's house with the full intention of jumping back to his room if he had to in able to avoid Team Nine, he found that he couldn't bring himself to regret it.
Edward had been running from one place to another for the past week and a half, and this was the first time that he got to relax. Tenten, Lee, and that guy had required constant attention, while Gai and Kakashi needed help as well. In between, he had to rest himself in order to replenish his chakra, or find Sasuke and Naruto because despite the fact that they did not say it, he knew that they needed his attention.
And then there was the matter of Sakura. When she had first come and asked him for medical lessons three days after, he had been frankly too stunned to do anything but agree. Later, as he had reflected on it, he found that he had not chosen wrongly. He would always promote healing rather than fighting, even if he was better at the latter, and the girl had real determination in her eyes.
He also admitted rather guiltily that a part of him did want the team that Sasuke and Naruto were in to have a medical ninja as well. He was very concerned over his two brats after all.
Whenever he had the spare time, he would teach Sakura something, and she soaked it up like a sponge. It was unlike the experience with either of his two boys, whom although talented at the shinobi arts, had always rather lacked on the academic level.
Conversing with Sakura had brought Edward back to Itachi…
The blond closed his eyes.
A week and a half ago, he had finally gotten a lead on his best friend, and it had slipped away from the tips of his fingers like the water, except that he had learned how to manipulate water by now, and he still hadn't found a way to get more information on the Uchiha.
When they had finally defeated Kakazu and left him on the brink of death, they had decided right away to go to the more severe cases that Edward could feel. He'd sent Kakashi to the three signatures he felt to the marketplace, and had made out for Sasuke's, when the apparent Akatsuki member had spoken up, a wistful tone in his voice.
"The Edge of Death Elric huh… so there really are more prodigies like you. Heh, looks like the Uchiha ain't so special now…"
The words had made him pause, stopping just short of leaving. He had felt the cold clutches of truth wrap around his heart. There was no such thing as coincidences like this.
He'd raced back, but the man had already slipped away. With his medical knowledge, Edward could have brought him back, but the fading auras of the others had been tugging demandingly at Edward's attention, and he knew that he couldn't leave the others to die while he tried to chase an unknown ghost. There would be other chances for Itachi.
He had a horrible, awful feeling that the man was referring to the fact that he had 'gotten' Itachi, but if that were the case, then there would be information about it, right…? Edward had to keep telling himself that.
Other than the time spent teaching Sakura, or healing the others, Edward went around Wave, doing what he had been doing just before he had been interrupted by the whole slew of ninja. Five days after the attack, and Edward had gathered enough information on Gato to send him under.
After a long talk with the man, and a lot of bullshitting about how he had an insurance that would publish everything that he came across should Edward ever 'mysteriously disappear', and the businessman had agreed to never bother with Wave Country again. Edward felt dirty for doing things that way, but it was the way that Danzo had taught him, and the only way to which Kakashi would approve.
And now, with all that out of the way, Edward could finally do what he had been planning on ever since he had heard of all the ninja who had attacked them.
There was also the fact that after a week and a half, Zabuza Momochi had finally woken up.
Edward slipped into the room, making sure to close the door behind him before he turned to the person who had almost become the resident of the room. The Kiri ninja was sitting upright on the bed, bandages covering every inch of him. This time, they weren't just for show.
"You shouldn't be sitting up," Edward said disapprovingly, although he understood perfectly why Zabuza had done it. Heck, he would do the same if the situation was reversed, but he did have his medical ninja procedure to go through.
Zabuza, however, seemed to have seen through him, because he only snorted in reply, "Why'd you save me?"
They both knew there was no denying it. Edward was the only one with the skills to have brought Zabuza back from where he was. There was also the fact that they hadn't killed Zabuza outright, when they very easily could have.
Edward took a seat on the chair beside the missing nin. There was still a tinge of warmth on it, probably still from the Haku kid. Edward wondered bemusedly about that child. He had hardly left the side of Zabuza for the whole time that the Kiri nin had been in his coma, but as soon as Zabuza had awoken, Haku had not shown head or tail of himself.
"To tell the truth," Edward began, and had to smile a little at his choice of words. He did not only tell the truth, he wanted the truth. "Something bothers me about your defection from Kiri. You were one of the Seven Swordsman, one of the most honoured positions in Kiri, and yet for some reason, you turned Missing Nin a couple of years ago. That one year that I spent travelling the lands… I could never get into the Hidden Village of the Mist. There were a bunch of dark rumours surrounding Kiri at the time. You wouldn't happen to know some of them, would you?"
There was a moment's of silence, in which Zabuza simply studied Edward. And then, he cocked a brow, "No."
Edward's eyes narrowed, "That wasn't really a question."
He really wasn't good at all this intimidation stuff, but all those years with Danzo had taught him something. He didn't know why he was questioning the swordsman so hard, because Kiri didn't really have much to do with him, but then he remembered Kakazu and Itachi and Akatsuki which he had also heard rumours of—and those rumours had also, strangely, only circulated in Mist.
Zabuza only snorted in reply, making a disbelieving noise in the back of his throat, "So what are you going to do, kill me? After you worked so hard to save me? Seems like a waste."
"I was never planning to kill you," Edward paused, "you know who I am, right?"
Zabuza sneered, "Course I do. Edge of Death Elric, considered A if not S class."
Edward smiled grimly. He really did hate using his abilities as a threat, because they were not invented to be viewed that way, but he wanted this information, and he was willing to sacrifice a little in order to get it. "Then you should know what I can do."
Zabuza's eyes narrowed, and he growled low.
"Yes," the Kiri nin finally spat. "Yes, you sorry excuse for a ninja."
Edward's right hand twitched. He did know that some hardliners were really against his ability, but he would hardly call it a 'sorry excuse'. Still, Zabuza wasn't exactly referring to that, was he?
The blond blinked slowly, before he threw back his head and let out a laugh. It was half-miserable, half-wistful. "Yeah, I am a sorry excuse for a ninja."
Zabuza's eyes widened slightly in surprise, before they quickly flitted back to their old, uncaring stance, "So you realize it too, huh? Well, why would anyone go invent a technique like that?"
"It's not the technique I'm regretting," Edward murmured, "and since you know it, you should know that I'm not too pleased that you would go so far as to kill a helpless bridge builder who was only trying to save his country."
Zabuza shrugged, "It was my job."
Golden eyes hardened to amber glass, "And I suppose it's my job to do away with missing nins like you."
Zabuza gritted his teeth, "So that's what it's come down to, has it? Either I tell you what's going on in Kiri, or you destroy all of my abilities? Yes Edge of Death Elric, I've heard of you. You can bring someone back from the edge of death, and you can push a ninja there as well… by completely breaking them of anything that is their pride, but not being kind enough to let them die."
"You do make it sound so dark," Edward mused, though not without some undertone. Personally, Edward thought that being neutralized and left to live as a civilian was a better alternative to being hunted and butchered, but there were those who disagreed with him.
"It is a sick ability. We became ninja not because we are pansies afraid of death. You ruin a life's work."
"There are worse things," Edward murmured, "but you evidently don't agree. So, what'll it be? I'll be honest here, I don't like dragging things out and playing word games. Tell me up front. Will you give me the information I want, or should I neutralize you as a potential threat right here?"
Zabuza growled, looking for a moment as if he were about to take the second option, but then, he took a breath, and calmed. He turned his head away, but not before Edward had caught a flash of regret in those eyes and a glimpse of a man who did not seem to be a demon. They so rarely were.
"I don't see how it would make things difficult for you," Edward said softly. Inwardly he cursed his kindness, but he knew he could not continue like this. He was not cut out for this. "If you really do not wish to tell me, then that is fine. I will let you go, no strings attached. Like you said, we have no business with each other."
"A change of heart?" Zabuza sneered, still looking away, "How cute."
Edward shrugged lightly, "It was my mistake to think that I could force it out of you. If you do decide to tell me though, I promise that I will not tell my Hokage unless it is relevant to Konoha's defenses."
Zabuza's eyes flashed as he turned back towards Edward with a jerk of his head. "Damn you! You're just like that kid. You think that you can live through the world of ninja by being naïve. Well let me tell you what, you can't!"
To be quite honest, Edward was thrown by the sudden show of emotion. But he decided that it was a good thing. "Kindness and naivety are two very different things. I know full well what opportunity I'm losing by giving you up, and it really isn't worth you doubting others for eternity."
Zabuza closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were blazing, "Out. Get out."
Despite the fact that it was an injured person there, Edward felt a flare of anger rise up within him. Seriously, that guy was so ungrateful! Snarling slightly, Edward did get up to leave. He had no time to waste with a man who didn't appreciate it. So much for the change of heart.
As his hand touched the door however, Zabuza spoke again. It was in quite a different tone from before, almost subdued, though there was still the undertone of defiance in it, "The Mizukage. He's being controlled somehow. By who, I don't know, but he's made life in Kiri hell."
Surprised, Edward turned back to the Mist nin, but Zabuza had already lain down on his bed, eyes closed as if asleep. From his chakra signature, Edward could tell that he was only faking, not to mention the fact that it was impossible to fall asleep in two seconds flat, but he decided he would let it go.
Zabuza had volunteered the information by his own free will, and his pretence of sleep was an indicator that he was not willing to share any more at the moment. Edward would have to wait if he wanted more answers.
Edward sighed, and stepped out of the room, softly closing the door behind him. Why were ninja so difficult?
Of course, he understood Zabuza's hesitation now. With Kiri's Kage apparently being controlled, any country who knew would have an excuse to invade under the subtext of getting rid of the 'corrupt Kage'. It was unfortunate that Zabuza did not know that the Sandaime would never do such a thing, although, Edward thought rather bitterly, Danzo would.
While it would not be fully possible to occupy another Hidden Village in a different country, it was very easy to force many concessions out of a loser village that could cripple that village's economy. That would no doubt make whatever situation there much, much worse.
Edward sighed, and headed towards his bedroom. It looked like that he would have one more secret to keep.
The next morning, Zabuza's signature was gone.
Edward silently cursed, realizing that the Mist nin had likely slipped out in the dead of the night, because he already knew about Edward's sensory abilities and knew that people like him could not sense if they were not awake.
He also likely knew that all the jounin were too tired to give chase, still recovering from their fights as they were.
With Zabuza gone, and the rest well enough to walk at the very least, Edward knew that there was no more reason to stay.
Despite the fact that Edward had already sent a letter to the Sandaime detailing why they would be needing to stay the extra time, he knew that the Hokage was anxious to have them back. Besides, Edward thought that it would do Sasuke and Naruto some good to see the places where they had grown up in. They had been experiencing too much change recently.
While it was not a bad thing in by itself, Edward was worried that it might be coming on too fast, and that the two would need some time to assimilate it all.
They'd packed up by noon, and went to visit Neji's grave for one more time after that. It was not where Neji's body was buried—such they had sealed and were intending to bring back to Konoha, but Gai had for some reason insisted that Neji's grave marker should be here rather than with his clan.
Edward did know a little about Hyuuga politics, and he also knew from the few times he had observed the boy that Neji was unlikely someone who would sacrifice himself from others. He'd asked snatches of the battle from Naruto, and pieced together the rest, as had apparently, Gai.
Then again, Gai was Neji's sensei, so it made sense that he knew the dead boy best.
Edward was eternally grateful for the boy, even if he did not know him so well. He had saved Naruto, for Edward knew that Kyuubi or not, the blond could still very well die if he did not bring up that chakra fast enough. He agreed with Gai that the boy's grave should be here, where he had done his village and himself proud, rather than back in Konoha, where he would be nothing more than one more branch member.
It was a morose affair. Edward and Kakashi both could not do much other than stand there as everybody else made their last replies. The boy who had killed the Hyuuga, Haku, had come along too, and that made things awkward for everybody. Everybody that is, except Naruto.
The blond only stood in front of the grave, blue eyes solemn and completely still. He was ignoring everybody else around him, his attention only for the final resting place of the ninja who had saved him.
Edward had to admit, he was worried about Naruto. The other blond had been smiling and teasing as usual, but there was always a sad edge to him now, and his jokes weren't as exuberant as before. Edward wondered if this death would change him, and whether that would be a good thing or not.
And then, Naruto took a step forward, lifting a hand and resting it lightly on the grave. He closed his eyes.
"Tools… sacrifices…" he uttered, his voice soft at the beginning, but gaining strength with every word. Blue eyes snapped open, and within blazed a determination that was entirely new, and yet so familiar to those who knew him well, "That's so bull! I'll protect everyone, and show everyone that there's value to living. That's my ninja way!"
Edward grinned. He had been wrong to worry at all!
Somehow, the whole company had seemed cheerier after that. Edward chuckled, and turned to leave, but a soft hand on his shoulder stopped him.
Slightly confused, Edward turned around, raising an eyebrow half in challenge and half in question at Kakashi, whose little orange book had crept up almost to his eyes, covering half his face. The jounin eye-smiled when he saw that he had gotten Edward's attention, and took his hand away.
"Hey you know…" Kakashi snapped closed his Icha Icha, gazing at Edward speculatively, "When we were fighting, I saw something odd on your leg…"
Then, Edward realized for all of Danzo's manipulations, the old man was in fact fallible, and perhaps there were ways to beat Danzo at every turn. Yes, the old ninja had tricked three of the brightest ninjas in Konoha; the Hokage, Itachi, and even Edward himself…
But he hadn't accounted for Sharingan Kakashi.
A/n: Everyone was running on a bunch of misconceptions this chapter o.O I've screwed up Team Gai sooo badly T^T. I wasn't really planning for epicness in Arc 2, but this is how it happened –sighs-
Random tidbit: I recently reread Sasuke Retrieval arc, and I am SO grossed out by Kimimaro's powers .