Chapter 22 - New Winds On An Flame: A New Generation!
Naruto took in the scenery from his office window until his chief adviser walked in. He knew from the look on his face and the thick folders under his arm that today was going to be busy day. Naruto's tired face got even darker when Shizune walked in carrying another load of thick folders.
The folders were placed down and spread out over the Hokage's desk, while he was busy kissing his afternoon visiting Himawari at the hospital goodbye.
Shikamaru sighed. "So... Wanna take your pick?"
Naruto groaned. "How about you just summarize for me?"
"Alright, then..." Shikamaru pointed at one of numerous reports on the desk. "As everyone in the Hidden Lead knows by now, about a week ago, six of the seven yakuza clan heads were assassinated all on the same day, along with over 2/3s of the organization itself."
"Basically, the entire yakuza was destroyed," Shizune simplified.
"I still can't believe it..." Naruto said.
"I can't believe it either, especially when you consider how smoothly the whole thing went. Literally every single casualty belonged to the yakuza, and, aside from one high-classed room at the Tengoku Hotel, and half of some old casino going up in flames; there wasn't a lot of collateral."
"And that's what weird," Shikamaru pointed out. "This whole thing, it was all too organized. Like someone set it up."
"Impressive~ I guess you aren't the Hokage's chief adviser for nothing, eh kid?" an voice said from the office's door.
Everyone looked back and saw a man an old man standing in the door's frame.
"Who's the old man, Shikamaru? Friend of yours?" Naruto asked, folding his arms.
Shikamaru gave his boss a look, while Shizune asked the stranger. "Do you have business with the Hokage?"
"Yeah. It concerns the yakuza."
Shizune lowered her brow. "You have info we don't concerning the yakuza?"
"Hmm..." He scratched his chin. "After spending the last fifteen years as the head of one of its great clans, I would hope so."
Naruto and his staff all looked shocked. The old man must have took that as an invitation to come in.
After shutting the door and walking up to Naruto's desk he introduced himself.
"Saizo Oza, that's my name. I'm going to guess you're pretty familiar with at least the last half of it."
Naruto regained his composure and nodded. "The Oza are one of the Seven Great Clans, right?"
"Well... After what went down a few days ago, the only clans that can still be considered 'great' in the yakuza are the Oza and Hanimura. The other five lost their leaders along with a lot of their members. They won't be recovering from that anytime soon."
"So now it's just the Oza and the Hanimura running the show?" Shikamaru asked, still examining Saizo carefully.
"Nope. That's another thing that stopped being true as of yesterday. ..and stop eyeballing me, kid. I've been in this business long enough to know when someone's sizing me up."
Shikamaru made a face and averted his gaze.
"What do you mean it's not true anymore? The Hanimura didn't gain any major casualties from yesterday," Shizune explained.
"No, they didn't. They don't need to surrender like the other clans did. ...that's why they decided to bow out honorably."
Shizune's eyes widened. "Wha?!"
Saizo continued. "The new clan head, Shojiro Hanimura announced that the Hanimura clan won't have anything to do with the yakuza anymore."
"Are you sure?" Naruto asked.
"Well, since his sister is going to inherit his position once she comes of age, she could overthrow the decision, but considering that she's even more like her old man than her brother is, I doubt it."
"So that just leaves your clan then. The Oza..."
A subtle tension sowed itself through the room. Naruto and Saizo's eyes didn't stray from one another. The atmosphere was broken by the yakuza veteran's sudden laughter.
"Hahaha! I gotta say, it's good to now that the guy running the village isn't a pushover!"
Saizo kept laughing, ignoring the odd looks he was getting from everyone.
After calming down and wiping his eyes he said "The Oza clan is pulling out too. We're following the Hanimura's example."
That was the biggest surprise by far. The Oza clan had no reason to do such a thing. If they stayed in the game know they could operate unchallenged. Konoha City would be theirs if they played their cards right.
"Why would you give up now, though?" Naruto asked with a brow lowered.
"Because, unlike Minoru, I'm not afraid to admit that Yusano won."
Saizo's statement seem to carry with it a sincerity no one in the office never expected to hear out of a yakuza boss.
Saizo adjusted his suit. "Anyway, that's all I came to say. I don't expect for you to pardon my clan's crimes. Just know that we won't be making a fuss anymore." Saizo started for the door. "Thanks listening ki- I mean... Lord Hokage."
The door shut behind him, and Naruto and others heard his footsteps as he headed down the hall. The Hokage slacked in his seat once he left.
"Geez... That guy was intense.." he said.
"You mean Saizo or Yusano Hanimura?" Shikamaru asked.
"Both. I see how they able to be leaders of an organization like the yakuza, now. They just seem to radiate this weird aura that draws people in."
'You do too, you idiot,' Shikamaru thought while smiling.
"From what Saizo was just saying, it sounds like everything that happened yesterday was orchestrated by Yusano Hanimura." Shizune said.
Shikamaru put his hand to his chin. "Thinking about it, he did mention his death coming soon. Looks like he planned to go down with the ship from the beginning. If so, he may have just did Konoha City, and the Hidden Leaf in general, a major service."
"...I doubt he did it just for the Hidden Leaf, Shikamaru," Naruto said while spinning his chair so he faced the window.
"Oh yeah? You have an idea about his intentions?"
Naruto smiled. "Nope. I just now who I'd be dying for if I was in his shoes..."
Bolt sat with his legs crossed in a chair while he people-watched from the hospital window.
"Mom, I finally finished it," a familiar voice said from behind him.
Bolt turned around to see his still bed-ridden sister presenting a crown of flowers to his mother. Hinata lowered her head so Himawari could coronate her.
Himawari giggled. "It's looks perfect on you, Mom. You should show Dad later."
Hinata smiled while playing with one of the crown's flowers. "Should I? Bolt, what do you think?"
Bolt gave his mother a brief look before facing the window again. "Hmm... Yeah. It's nice."
The momentum of glee was suddenly slowed. Before Hinata could say something to lighten the mood, a nurse came to the room.
"Miss Uzumaki? Himawari's doctor needs you to come sign off on something."
"Oh... really? Well..." She looked at both her children, then stood. "I'll be back soon, you two."
Hinata gave the crown back to Himawari and left with the nurse, leaving the Uzumaki siblings with only each others company. It had been nearly four days since Himawari awoke from he coma, and an awkwardness still polluted the air.
"Um... Brother?" Himawari stared at Bolt's back. She looked down at her sheets. "Uh, I'm sorry if I made you hate me, but-"
"Wha? No, I don't hate you!" Bolt quickly said while spinning around. "No way I'd ever hate you, Hima."
"But ever since I woke up from my coma, you haven't been talking to me much."
Bolt averted his eyes. "That's because... I'm the reason you got put in coma in the first place."
Himawari cocked her head. "...huh?"
"I mean, I know I wasn't the one who put that explosion under you, but still... you pushed me out the way, and sacrificed yourself."
"That's why you haven't been talking to me?"
"Uh... well that and, right before what happened at the park, I was feeling a little... jealous?"
"Jealous? Of me?"
Bolt made of face. "Yeah, of course of you! You're the newest prodigy in the Hyuga clan. You're the one who's already beating opponents older than you. You're the one who mastered the Rasengan on her first try!"
"But I'm not the one who unlocked their Byakugan first."
Bolt didn't have a come back for that, so he just scratched the back of his head in silence.
"Everyone in the clan was really excited when they found out you have unlocked your Byakugan. Especially Grandpa and Aunt Hanabi. Mom even cried."
"I know. She didn't have to be so dramatic..."
"And you mastered the Rasengan too! Dad was really happy about that!"
"That didn't stop him from pounding my head in..."
"Well, you did sneak out at night."
"Yeah! To avenge his daughter! He should've given me a pass!"
Himawari put her hand to her mouth and giggled. "Brother... I missed you."
"Huh? Haven't I been coming here everyday?"
"No, I mean, I missed this side of you. The side that always calls himself a genius, and plays pranks around the village, and causes trouble around the Hyuga estate, and kept saying how he was going to surpass our dad. I missed my big brother – Bolt Uzumaki."
Bolt stared at his younger sibling. He spun around in his chair to hide the fact that he was on the verge of tears. Unfortunately, he didn't realize that Himawari could still see his reflection in the window.
"Hima... wanna know the real reason I was jealous? It's because I kept thinking that I couldn't be the big brother you looked up to if I wasn't better than you were. Truth is, I still think that, and that's why, as soon as my injuries heal, I'm gonna head straight to Aunt Hanabi and make he teach me how to master my Byakugan!" Bolt grinned back at his sister. "You better watch out Hima, cause there's no way I'm letting my little sister surpass me!"
Himawari smiled brightly. This was the brother she admired. Himawari happily turned her attention back to her flower crown, while Bolt went back to staring at the window.
Himawari wasn't the only person he planned to surpass.
Sarada was extremely relieved when she saw her new glasses had come in the mail. After nearly a week of squinting, she relished the fact that she would be able to see more than two feet in front of her soon.
She was walking back to her front door, when she heard someone call out to her. She looked and saw Ryoma, dressed in black, walking up to her.
"Good morning, Sarada."
"Morning..."
Ryoma noticed how Sarada was looking at her clothes. "I just came from my father's funeral. I haven't had the chance to change yet."
Sarada gripped the rectangular box in her hands. "I see..."
"Please, don't look so gloomy. I'm fine. My clan and I received our closure a few minutes ago."
Sarada nodded and smiled, though the sympathetic look on her face was hard for her hide.
Ryoma finally gave up and asked "May I come inside?"
"Sure."
The girls entered together. When Sakura saw Ryoma and the clothes she was wearing she made the same face as her daughter. Once again, Ryoma had to reassure an Uchiha that she was fine.
"Okay, then. How about I make some tea then while you girls talk?" Sakura asked.
"Thank you, Lady Sakura."
Sarada's mother nodded and left, still leaving an awkward trail behind her. The girls sat on the couch and began chatting about various things while Sarada unpacked her new glasses.
"They look a lot like your old ones," Ryoma pointed out.
"Do you think I should have gotten something newer?"
"Not at all. This style looks... unique on you."
Sarada smiled proudly while putting them on. "So... how was the funeral? You said your clan found closure?"
"Yes. We have many who are still sad about Father's passing, but most seem to come to terms with it."
"Have you?"
Ryoma paused. "...I think Father might have died on purpose."
Sarada's eyes widened. "Are you serious?!"
"I have no solid proof, but I've had this strange feeling. Everything that happened a few days ago seemed to fallen in place too perfectly. The yakuza was almost completely eradicated, and the only clans who survived where the ones willing to withdraw from the organization willingly. It all smells of a plot with a mastermind."
"So you think that mastermind was your dad?"
"I'm not sure... My brother denies such an idea, and calls me silly. Fudai, on the other hand, is suspiciously quiet on the matter. Well, I suppose it doesn't matter now. If Father truly was behind all this, he made sure to die along with his legacy. It truly was the perfect crime... If only he had been so thoughtful concerning Shojiro and I."
Sarada watched Ryoma's sagging face. It was clear that, though she was better than when she first learned her father's demise, she was still mourning him, and the specifics concerning his death didn't help things. It hurt her a bit that she could nothing for her friend at the moment.
Suddenly, Ryoma's made an alarmed face. "Ah. I almost forgot. I have something for you."
She dug into her clothes and pulled out a familiar scroll. She unrolled it, made a hand sign, and a silver egg poofed out of it.
"Here. I want you to keep this," Ryoma said while presenting the 'egg' to Sarada.
Sarada blinked. "Ryoma... after everything, you still want me to-"
"It is because of this egg that you and I met. It may have made me the target for the other clans, but it also made me a very close friend." Sarada was lost for words. "Please, Sarada. I want you to have it."
After a moment, Sarada took the egg from on top of the scroll. She held it in her lap while she looked at it's silver shell. Then she saw it shiver. The sight made both the girls gape in shock.
'It... It's hatching?!' Sarada wondered while the 'egg''s shell cracked.
Pieces of it fell onto Sarada's lap. Thy felt as sharp as glass. She wondered what type of creature could be birthed from such a thing. Imagine her surprise when all that popped out was an adorable hatchling with white, black and orange feathers, still wearing the top of its shell as a hat.
"This... is a tiger-falcon?" Sarada asked.
"Hmm... Yes," Ryoma confirmed, looking just as suspicious. "Though, I did not expect for it to be so... cute."
The bird tried wiggling the eggshell off its head to no avail. The sight of it made the girls gush. Their faces went from red to white when the hatchling looked up at Sarada and murmured "Momma."
They froze.
"It... It can talk...?" Sarada asked while staring at the bird in her hands.
"I suppose that wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility... The tiger-falcon is a mystical creature, much like the toads from Mount Myōboku, after all. What's stranger is the fact that it has identified you as it's mother, Sarada."
"Huh?! But you're the one who carrying it for so many years! If anyone's its mother, it's you!"
Ryoma shrugged. "I'm afraid imprinting does not work that way. You and the tiger-falcon are now stuck together, Sarada."
The tiger-falcon twitched about in Sarada's grasp, trying its best to get a gape of its new home.
"So, what will you name it?" Ryoma asked casually.
Sarada frowned. "First, I need to know if it's a boy or-"
"It's male."
Sarada made a face. "Right then... Uh... How about... Biki...maru?" Sarada saw the look on Ryoma's face and tried again. "Maybe... Gustsuke?" Ryoma was dead silent. "At least say something!"
"Momma."
"Not you!"
Sarada sighed deeply while Ryoma laughed at her. "I didn't expect you to have such a weakness, Sarada. Have you never had a pet or such to name before?"
"No, never... Geez, I can't believe I can't come up with a one dumb name."
"Perhaps Hana could help." Ryoma looked around the living room. "Is he around?"
Sarada shook her head. "Who knows where that numbskull went? He went out this morning, and hwe haven't seen him since. So stupid. His leg hasn't even healed. Plus, he didn't get to see Dad off."
Ryoma raised a brow. "Sarada, your father left this morning?"
Sarada paused and watched the still unnamed bird peck at her wrists. "He hasn't redeemed himself yet. He says he'll back after he's paid back the village..."
"And you and Lady Sakura are okay with this?"
Now it was Sarada who was distant concerning issues with her father. Before the conversation could continue, Sakura finally walked in with tea.
"Sorry it took so long, girls. I lost the..." She noticed what her daughter was holding. "Sarada, is that a bird?"
The tiger-falcon faced her. "Momma."
"It can talk?!"
Sakura was so surprised she banged her knee against a table in the the room.
"Mom, look out! You're going to waste the tea!"
The sounds of screams, cups breaking and the word momma, were heard coming from the Uchiha household.
Sasuke was already at the village gates when he felt his phone vibrate. It wasn't a phone call. Instead, a picture had been sent to him; two, in fact. The first was a picture of a mess Sakura had made with freshly with several cups of freshly made tea.
It read: GAWD! I'M SO CLUMSY~~~ :{
The one after that was a picture of Sarada holding a bird with the text: Meet our new pet!
'New pet?' Sasuke smiled a bit. 'I'm only gone for a few minutes, and already something strange has happened.' Sasuke stared at the road outside of the village's gates. 'I'm going to miss out on a lot more, aren't I...?'
Sasuke knew it was inevitable if he left. He would miss more birthdays, holidays and even Sarada's graduation. Was this really the life he envisioned for his first child? The child he assumed would help rebuild the Uchiha clan?
Sasuke thought far longer than he needed too as other people passed him by. He already knew right answer. Regardless, he was already dead set on the path before him.
He started walking towards the gate.
"Master, wait!" he heard from behind him.
Sasuke stopped and looked back. Hana was running up to him as fast as he could manage with the cast on his left leg. He was carrying with him Sasuke chokuto.
"So you're the reason I couldn't find that chokuto this morning," Sasuke said.
Hana smiled nervously. "I'm sorry. I knew you were leaving today, so I wanted to train with it first."
"Train? Hana, it's good that you're eager, but what did I tell you about taking care of-"
Sasuke barely avoided the "swish" when it came up from the ground. Seeing that his master was still surprised, Hana took the chance to deliver another "swish" to Sasuke's leg, and when that failed, a "swhing" to his his shoulder.
Sasuke ducked and (though it was cheap) went for the boy's feet with a leg sweep. Hana's feet left the ground, but they went higher than the Uchiha anticipated.
'He jumped when I kicked?' Sasuke realized.
Hana flipped, stuck the chokuto into the ground as leverage, and then kicked at Sasuke's face. The latter blocked with his bandaged arm, and smiled.
'He got a little better since he got here... But still.'
Sasuke kicked at the blade of his sword. It went crooked in the dirt, causing it to tumble which, in turn, caused Hana to tumble. When he did tumble, he landed roughly on his casted leg.
Hana made a sound that could only be likened to a puppy getting its tail stomped. He laid sideways in the fetal position cradling his left leg. Onlookers, including the gate watchers, were still bemused by what they just saw. Sasuke, who had long gotten used to it, casually picked up his chokuto and sheathed it.
"You should have known better, Hana. You were never able to get me while you could still use both your legs. What made you think things would go better with just one?"
Hana slowly stood. "I just wanted to have one more chance before you left today..."
"You could have just done it at the house."
"But then I wouldn't have the element of surprise."
Sasuke pupils seemed to shrink. He felt tired and he wasn't even on the road yet. He looked at Hana again and noticed something familiar leaking from his pocket.
"Hana, isn't that the necklace Onbara gave you at Imaeda Palace?"
Hana made a surprised face and saw the string leaking from his pocket. "Oh. Yes."
"Weren't you going to give it to a woman he knew?"
"You mean Miss Beniko? ...I did. She said she didn't want it. When I told her what had happened to Onbara, and what he truly was, she cried. I finally tried to give her the necklace, but she pushed my hand away and said: I gave this to Onbara because he meant something to me, and he gave it to you because you meant something to him. Even if he's dead, I won't devalue his feelings..."
There was a silence between master and student. One that spoke more words than an outsider would assume.
"So, you're going to carry his legacy then?" Sasuke asked.
Hana shook his head. "No. Onbara wanted his legacy to end that night when he took his own life. Besides, I've already got the Fujikaze clan's legacy to carry. I've got to make Jingoro pay one day, don't I?"
Sasuke nodded. Revenge was still a main proactive for Hana. Sasuke still wondered had he done anything for the boy at all. Then, just as he was about to go, he heard "...thank you."
He looked back, surprised. "What?"
"Thank you... For everything, I mean. Master, you..." Hana looked down. He was a little flustered. "You picked me out the snow when my village was destroyed. You took me with you on the road. You gave me a home to replace the one I lost, and it came with friends... and family. I don't think anybody has ever done so much for, not even in the Fujikaze clan." Hana looked up. "So thank you, Master. I swear that I'll protect this new life that you've given me."
It was funny. Hana's confession was something Sasuke couldn't properly liken to anything else in his life. If he had to come up with one: it was like watching a son being born.
Sasuke hid his chokuto under his cloak and showed Hana his back. "Hana... next time I see you, you better have grown. Not just in height or strength, but mentally too. You won't be able to protect anyone otherwise."
Hana smiled at his master's back. "Yes, sir!"
Sasuke smiled to himself. Then he left. Hana stood at the gate until his back was out of view.
He pulled Onbara's necklace out, and held it up to the sun to look at it – it was in the shape the Hidden Leaf's Will of Fire, made completely out of silver. The sunshine fittingly bounced off of it.
Hana gripped the necklace. 'I won't disappoint you, Master.' Then he pointed his closed fist in the direction Sasuke left. 'I swear I won't!'
YAKUZA ARC - END
Thanks to everyone who stuck around for twenty-two chapters (twenty-five if you read the prologue.) I tried to introduce a lot of OCs while solidifying my own versions of cannon characters, so I'm hoping it all came together decently.
Anyway, a two-year time-skip occurs between this chapter and the next, and we're finally gonna get to the genin teams, along with the overlapping narrative of the story.
I hope you enjoyed Naruto: New Winds' first arc. Later! {Woof!}