Chapter 16: Anbu Headquarters
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Kishimoto-sensei in any way, shape or form, and I do not own the few Latin quotes that will pop out here and there. I however own the plot and the Ocs, as well as the description of some places and the characterization of some less-known characters in the original anime/manga.
A/N: I'm continuously late and I know that. I'm sorry for it, but I want you guys to know that I'm very busy and I had a few (more like a lot) of personal problems this past few years. I'm trying, but I don't know if I'll even finish this. I hope that I can, but I won't promise anything. This is an important chapter though with a lot of clarifications on the story since I worked out quite a few kinks this week. Enjoy!
P.S: I went back a few chapters and I was cringing continuously. My English was bad. It still is. So expect to have major updates soon, or maybe I'll wait until I finish the entire story to rewrite chapters 1-10.
'Where did she go?'
Hachidori sent out a small wave of concentrated chakra to sweep the training ground. Still nothing.
Slightly on edge, Hachidori warily looked toward the Hokage, standing at the other end of the training ground where a few boulders sat. He noticed another person in the shadows of the tree branches, dropping down a step behind the Sandaime. The Anbu Commander stood up and tilted his chin in greetings, which Hachidori returned with a frown. What was he doing here?
A subtle detail suddenly caught his eyes. His eyes widened as he leaped back, the ground he stood on a second ago exploding violently and sending chunks of earth flying. Hachidori crossed his hands before his mask and squinted his eyes as rocks and soil rained down, dirtying his armor and making his skin scratchy. A familiar redhead jumped out of the deep gash, her dull white armor slightly blackened by the earth.
Taking out a kunai to block a well aimed volley of shuriken, Hachidori quickly closed the distance between them and threw a punch that was efficiently blocked, grunting as a clawed hand grazed lightly his thigh. He almost wanted to reach beneath his mask to wipe off the sweat, but the Anbu Commander's stare halted him.
Hachidori's movements were controlled and disciplined, each blow carefully calculated whereas Himei's were in complete disarray, not showing any preference for any type of attack.
It was as if there were no thought pattern – she would throw a punch, create an opening only to attack a well defended part, then crouch down only to jump up right afterwards – but even then it was as if the furious attacks were organized, wild as they are, ingenious in the way an attack would shift into another without losing momentum.
Himei fought as if dancing, each blow fluid and sliding in the air and her jumps were more of graceful leaps and strides than the simple movement caused by the uncoiling of her muscles. She moved in circles and spirals and rings, he realized. Even when she jumped, she would finish with a series of catwheels and backflips and she spun often, to add momentum to a strike or to dodge around a punch or to deliver an airborne kick.
The air didn't move around her.
No, she moved with the air, glided along with it, and all of a sudden the way she fought didn't seem so strange anymore.
Hachidori's usually offensive style was now constantly kept on the defensive, his opponent's wild onslaught not allowing any space to counter-attack nor time to get away. As the match dragged on, Himei became noticeably faster and faster as Hachidori began to tire. She managed to get a few hits in, making him wheeze and pant for all but a second at the unexpected force behind the strikes – it couldn't be sheer force, but he didn't feel any chakra on her limbs. It was something else, more sinister and powerful than simple chakra, moving and flowing all the same but different as if it was chakra but isn't anymore, and trying out his theory he broke the flow of his style and sent an awkwardly angled uppercut to her jaw.
Surprised, she dodged to the side after shifting her weight on her left leg, but she didn't see the wrong angle of the punch and it hit her directly on the throat, blocking her breathing for a second as her hands went to her neck in shock and pain. She coughed, the sound raspy and throaty, and Hachidori used the opportunity and kicked her square in the chest, cracking a few ribs and sending her skidding a few meters back.
He grabbed a kunai by its ring and held it in a reverse grip in his sweaty palm, closing the distance in a second and slashed, but Himei lost her footing just as she brought her arms up to take the hit – and the blade slipped upward on the porcelain with all the momentum of Hiachidori's wide swing, and lodged itself in her throat with a wet gurgle.
And then the training ground felt all too silent after the heavy thud of a body hitting the ground, lifeless and uncontrolled like a puppet, and the sound of metal ripped out of flesh followed by the dull clang of the kunai as it landed on the blood-soaked mud.
Hachidori saw through his slightly blurred and hazy vision the Sandaime step forward, his mouth opened and saying words he did not hear, wrinkles so much deeper and numerous than what he remembered, and he thought, in a corner of his mind, that the Hokage looked much older under the heat and the sun. The blond felt more than saw the Anbu Commander's shadow right behind, tall and commanding, sending a message that he had not heard.
The Hokage, however, halted and stiffened.
He didn't know why the Hokage was stopped nor did Hachidori realize that the stickiness under his mask was Himei's blood, dripping from his eye holes and sticking to his uniform and disappearing under all the black. He didn't understand why the air felt so cold while he had black clothes and he didn't understand why he was trembling and shaking and felt like retching, and he didn't know why the redhead on the ground wasn't moving, but all came back to one and he did understand.
Then there was a pop and the fifth boulder at the other end of the clearing wavered before fading into a panting and staggering Anbu.
"Shit… that hurt like hell, brat."
Hachirori tensed then faltered, and had to shake his head before he was able to form a clear sentence.
"How did you...?" Hachidori asked, bewildered.
Himei chuckled, her voice deep and scratching. "Shadow clones."
Sarutobi only sighed, still standing on the sidelines, relieved.
"Damn brat, making me worry like that," he muttered.
The Anbu Commander squeezed his shoulder – just like Sarutobi's sensei used to, and he heard the distant and comforting and warm voice muttering Saru and saw the brilliant smile and the long, black hair – and the weight on his shoulder left. He blinked, and his trusted subordinate – Kuga – hummed thoughtfully.
"Himei-san performed Kawarimi with the clone that was disguised as a boulder then did a Henge on herself as her shadow clone took the hit. Ingenious," he commented, watching the spar with interest.
Hachidori sighed in relief and nodded. "It makes sense. Though when did you make the switch? I would normally have felt it if you used chakra. I recall shadow clones are usually rather chakra-expensive."
"I made it before the match."
"You mean...?"
Himei smirked behind her mask. "Yes. The one you've been fighting at the start was the bunshin. I switched in just before you swept the area with your chakra. Since you were using chakra you cannot sense anything that contains less chakra than what you were sending out, which basically leaves a 'hole' in your vision. You could see it if you focused hard enough on the image you get back from the chakra wave. I switched out right before you pulled that stunt at the end," she explained, rubbing her neck as she growled, "Though it didn't prevent the phantom pain."
Hachidori nodded again, then pulled out a scroll from his pouches and unsealed a standard Anbu tanto.
"How can your shadow clones last that long?"
'The attitude doesn't match but… she had also used shadow clones.'
Himei eyed the weapon and took Hakuhio out of the seal she had on her wrist. "You may have noticed my larger chakra coils and reserves. Well, I just pump my bunshins with twice as much chakra and voilà!"She took out the beautifully crafted katana out of its scabbard, the black and blue hilt catching sunlight and glowing faintly as if responding to the call of its master.
"So, kid's gloves off, huh?" she asked, and a wet, slurping sound, evoking a canine licking its snout in anticipation, was heard as she dragged her tongue over her lips playfully. Her dark red hair, dry under the sun and slightly spiked by the heat, reminded Hachidori of warm fur, and for a moment he wanted to stroke that harsh-looking hair, be accepted by the untameable animal she seemed to be.
But then his eyes widened as his mind registered her early actions. 'Unsealing without time lag!' Alerted to the fact that his opponent was most probably a fellow Seal Master, he got into a new stance and tilted his head. "Come."
Himei's grin grew impossibly wide behind her mask before she shot toward Hachidori, their weapons colliding with brutal force as she let out an eager, bestial growl before they separated.
Hachidori took the blow easily and attacked, his muscles tingling from the shock. He wasn't fazed by Himei's show of bloodlust and chased his opponent throughout the field, slashing, ducking and rolling – always moving, never, never stopping. He found out that Himei was a master at dodging – dancing around his blows almost quicker than he could follow and laughing merrily, taunting him. His temper was rising against his will until a frustrated grunt found its way out of his lips.
She merely chuckled. "I like this one. Smells clean and he can actually keep up. But for how long?" she finished in a sing-song voice.
And she disappeared again.
Hachidori gasped as he suddenly was thrown into the air with brutal force before another blow sent him crashing down to the earth, his bones cracking painfully and his ears ringing. He glanced up to the black eyeholes of his opponent's mask, finding mismatched golden and cerulean eyes, framed by thick, blood-red lashes. This close he can pick up the slight trail of her scent, all warm and dangerous, of warm fur and the hint of blood and steel.
"My turn, little nestling."
And the world was pain.
His brain wasn't even registering all the blows for it couldn't keep up. Hachidori gritted his teeth, biting his lip so hard to keep from screaming it bled, droplets of red liquid dripping down and following his jawline to his throat. The sight only seemed to excite Himei more, as she purred in amusement and spun even faster. A small voice in the back of his mind reminded him that she was still striking in places that heal quickly and aiming to incapacitate, and was by this effect holding back.
'Really, how stupid was I to sign up for this a week after that disastrous mission?'
Another succession of blows and lacerations pulled him out of his thoughts and made him snarl.
She snorted. "Yes, that's more like it. Let it out." Her smirk was almost cruel. "And scream."
He lost it.
In a bright flash of yellow light even under the morning sun, he appeared in front of her and delivered a devastating kick to her stomach and torso, cracking ribs and sending her flying. She landed on all four, snarling and growling low in her throat like an enraged animal as she coughed up blood.
'So he had already developed the Hiraishin.'
"You're a worthy opponent, I'll give you that. But you'll regret making me mad!"
She charged, still on all four, going toward him at inhuman speed. This time he dodged around her, his bright hair leaving behind a trail of yellow as if lightning. They exchanged quick blows for several tense minutes, flashing across the training ground with colossal force and animosity. Himei threw occasionally a kunai at seemingly random moments and places before she abruptly stopped in mid-strike and launched a kunai at point-blank range toward Hachidori, missing horribly and confusing the Anbu captain.
She performed a series of hand seals before leaping back.
"Genkan fuuin: Hatsuwamon!"
"Suiton: Sokubaku!"
"Tenki fuuin: Rakurai!"
Sarutobi, upon hearing the jutsus, distanced himself even more, now up and behind the strong branches of trees, and whistled. "Multiple layers! That is quite the powerful combo. Good use of sealing too."
Hachidori, though impressed, wasn't quite as gleeful. He stumbled as the ground he stood on suddenly fissured, a massive seal appearing with him right in the center. It covered a third of the training ground, and Hachidori only then realized that the kunai actually lined up in a spiral pattern of what he thought was a containment seal base.
His curiosity cost him as he contemplated the master seal during a split second, flashing away a moment too late. Water shot up from the cracked ground and swiftly wrapped themselves around his legs, squeezing as tight as they could without shattering his bones, and just as it was becoming more than just uncomfortable – it hurt, badly, but he didn't want to acknowledge it – he found that the water felt way squishier than it should be. It wasn't exactly ice so the thick tendrils could still move around, but he still found the cold unpleasant through his light clothes and armor.
It was much more difficult to make chakra travel through solids than liquids. A simple chakra surge would have disrupted the chakra flow in the jutsu and ended it or at least slowed it down, but now Hachidori can't move anything other than his rather useless arms and he was freezing. It did calm him down somewhat, and he nearly growled at how stupid he had been. Losing his cognitive abilities during a fight with a strong opponent was a bad idea. Losing control against a powerful, calculating, manipulative opponent with scarily feral instincts was as good as suicide.
Needless to say he still tried, only to find out that somehow he cannot feel hischakra anywhere near the rather, his chakra was swirling around the tendrils, so rapidly he cannot get a proper grasp on it – as if it was being sucked in. He gritted his teeth at the biting cold of the icy water against his quickly numbing and unresponsive legs, then felt the temperature drop not only on his lower half but also all around his body.
Taking a careful sniff, Hachidori craned his head and looked at the giant grey cloud that hovered over the training ground, then shifted his apprehensive gaze toward the clear and bright blue sky over Konoha. The last jutsu she had called out had something to do with seals and lightning. He grimaced slightly. That sounds bad. Very bad.
Then he screamed.
It was intense and it was painandpainandpain and the world went white and it hurt, it burnt and he wanted – needed – to make it stop but it wouldn't and-
His entire body shook terribly as he screamed, his voice cracking and he almost blacked out. It felt as if his blood was boiling. Thunderbolts rained down around him, never touching yet hurting him all the same, the electricity trapped inside him as it circulated around the water tendrils. Thunder roared high in the sky, a low rumbling that seemed to go on for ages, and lightning flashed, zigzagging in the sky before hitting the ground in an angry hiss, creating blackened lines on the ground as the light made the interior of the seal glow a blinding white.
Hachidori's trapped form disappeared for a moment as a dome of white encased his body, the electricity crackling in lines of light purple as the glowing seal strained to contain the wild force.
Just as the Hokage yelled a distraught "Enough!" the dome suddenly collapsed and the lightning gradually ceased a few seconds later. However, if wasn't much of a relief for the Anbu captain for the electricity in his body refused to leave, leaving him a sizzling and trembling mess on the burnt ground.
Himei took pity of him and removed one of the kunai she had thrown and the entire, giant seal collapsed with a hiss and melted into the ground. She pocketed the kunai and hurried toward Hachidori as the electricity finally left his body. He curled up on himself, still trembling as his hands grasped his smoking clothes in a painful grip, looking as if barely hanging on consciousness, and Himei felt a small amount of guilt at subjecting him at one of her worst and most powerful jutsu.
She approached and shook his shoulder, planning on healing him somewhat.
The body turned into smoke.
Cold metal brushed her tender neck and she watched, unblinking. The weapon was trembling dangerously like the hoarse but firm voice behind her.
"F-forfeit."
She smirked, eyes flashing gold behind her mask. "Look again," she said arrogantly, head tilted to the right.
Hachidori painfully turned his head and caught a glint of silver at his side, ready to cut him in two.
He gritted his teeth but said nothing.
As soon as gentle claps resounded behind them, he collapsed, barely caught by an alarmed redhead. Her hiss was replied by a weak attempt to a chuckle.
"Amazing match, though I would've appreciated a bit more consideration to the level of jutsu used. I still need the both of you on the active roster by the end of the week," the Sandaime commented, directing a sharp gaze toward Himei who scratched the back of her neck.
"Sorry."
The Hokage smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'll let it go this time. It was expected, I'm already happy that you at least hadn't completely destroyed the training ground. It's usually much worse with high-level shinobi assessments."
Himei snickered. Konoha had been most prosperous during the Shinobi wars. The First and the Second wars had known the power of the Senju brothers and Uchiha Madara, but the Third Shinobi war was the period where Konoha had bred most of its well known shinobi: the Sennin, The Sandaime, also known as the Professor, the Yondaime and his nickname the Yellow Flash, as well as the White Fang. It was also when Itachi and Kakashi started taking missions.
She refused to think that this time she will not be part of the newest generation. She refused to even think about the Konoha twelve, because she will think of the war and of Hinata.
Himei refused to remember, but didn't want to forget.
"Shall we go to the hospital to patch the both of you up?" Sarutobi asked, looking worriedly at Hachidori.
"No need for that old man, I'm going to take care of him. Besides, the medics will probably confine him longer than needed and you won't be able to get him back before a month. We'll visit Tsunade later if I miss anything anyway, she'll get him back in shape in no time if I don't do it first," Himei pointed out. She saw Hachidori briefly stare at her with something akin to disbelief. Sarutobi nodded.
"Reasonable enough. However, I expect both of you in my office by Friday."
Himei silently answered by pressing her chakra-coated hands to Hachidori's neck and stomach, her brow furrowed in concentration and her eyes determined. The body beneath her stiffened for a moment before relaxing again. Sarutobi, seeing as he was needed elsewhere, discreetly left in a Shunshin.
The treatment lasted several minutes, neither talking nor feeling the need to as Himei massaged gently Hachidori's muscles, healing tears and bruises as she helped him go through post-chakra exposure shock. Both were in their own worlds, pondering over the identities of the other.
Hachidori defiantly thought the redhead was familiar. He surely would have remembered that shade of hair if he saw it once, because he knew a redhead who was more or less a friend – and he liked red. It could be during his last mission, but the amount of drugs the medic-nins had pumped into him upon his return had made a good job at making him dizzy and his memories all jumbled together for the past week. He was curious, that's for sure. It had been years since he met anyone his age – he assumed she couldn't be older or younger than him for a year at most – that can keep up with his speed and utterly defeat him. Not to mention as a fellow Seal Master – yet he assumed again – and comrade.
'Her chakra was cold too. It was warm, deep down, but it felt cold.'
He had thought about a 'she' twice already.
He was sure he knew her, just not from where.
As for Himei, she knew exactly who Hachidori was. Namikaze Minato, Seal Master, Anbu captain, the greatest shinobi to ever grace the Elemental Nations and future Yondaime Hokage. The first time she saw him, or rather Shiro, she hadn't given it much thoughts – but now that she was so, so close, she couldn't help but to stare. To get even closer. Maybe it had been the hair. Shiro had long hair, almost longer than her own. He was different, his voice had been softer, his jawline effeminate, his eyes an icy blue instead of a clear summer sky – he wasn't Minato.
But now, now it was more…complicated. It was the same as Konan, the same urge to hold that someone close so that they wouldn't escape her grasp anymore, the same bittersweet pain at the realization that they were dead yet there, still warm and moving and not controlled by anyone. The same feeling of helplessness and of desperate hope, the anger and sorrow all mixed into a tight ball of something she couldn't begin to understand that threatens to burst out of her throat.
Yet it was different.
Hachidori had her hair, her eyes, her skin color. He had her voice, her hands, her smiles. He had everything she had. Or was it the other way around? The Namikaze Minato she knew had been a Seal Master. He had liked red hair. He had known an Uzumaki. He had been an outstanding Hokage. He had battled a demon and came out victorious and had killed his kind, kind heart for his beloved village, for he had willingly sealed the demon in his own precious child. He had been a man of various things, kindness, love and power. He had loved and had been loved.
He was her father and she hated him.
Hated him for his love, hated him for sacrificing his child – her – and hated him for his too kind and loyal heart. Hated him for leaving her behind, hated him for believing in her. Hated him for giving her the burden of saving the world.
She hated, hated, hated everything yet she understood.
And him, too. He had understood and embraced her hatred.
He understood, but now he doesn't anymore.
She wanted to cry.
When most of the bruises turned a pale shade of yellow and the cuts were closed, leaving behind tender and pink skin, Himei cut the chakra flow to her hand and took out a roll of bandages and salves from her left pouch. Hachidori groaned as the cold, numbing effect of her chakra disappeared. He felt better and his wounds didn't sting anymore, but his muscles were still rather sore and stiff.
"Here." She threw him a small vial filled with oil-like substance. "Rub this on the cuts after a shower before going to sleep or in the morning, before your daily work-out. You can also use it after a training session but make sure that the skin is clean. Tell me if you have any problems when you apply this to your wounds, are you allergic to anything?"
"Mango."
"Then you should be fine."
Hachidori put the vial in his emergency pouch, between the bandages so that it doesn't break. He remained silent as she treated his wounds, rubbing salves and herbs on the different scratches and scorch marks. He flexed his fingers and winced at the small ach, still feeling the slight tingle and numbness at his fingertips – it was still much better than not being able to move at all he supposed, so he didn't voice his complain. She finished bandaging his wounds a few minutes later and gave him a small tap on the shoulder.
"There, all fixed! Rest for a day or two and you'll be as good as new! Does it hurt anywhere else?" Hachidori only stared at her incredulously from behind his mask, not responding.
Himei stared back stubbornly. "What? Do I have something on my face? Or is my mask crooked?"
He slowly shook his head as if coming out of a daze. "No… it's just that you're, well, different. I mean, before and now… how should I say it… I guess it's because you're so gentle with me now?"
Himei grinned. "I guess you could say so. On duty I tend to get more… bestial. It helps me read my surrounding since I kinda just let my instincts run loose. That way I won't block anything unconsciously. But now I don't have any reason to act like that anymore!"
Hachidori nodded thoughtfully. True, certain Anbu tend to act differently behind the mask, but that usually comes with experience and is usually reserved for tracking specialists like the Inuzuka. The files he had indicated her as an Anbu specialized in Infiltration and Direct Combat with some experience in their field.
A hand suddenly was in his face, almost making him jump. Following the clawed and gloved fingers up to a slender but muscular arm to a painted mask, Hachidori grinned and took the offered hand to pull himself up.
"Thank you," he said, looking into Himei's eyes. Then, in a fluid movement, he reached to the back of his head and pulled on the red strand, detaching his mask then fastening it on his belt.
"Namikaze Minato, Anbu captain, 19 years old. Code name Hachidori. Nice to meet you!" he smiled cheerfully at Himei, who hesitated before shaking their hands.
"Himei, 18 years old. Nice to meet you… captain."
Minato pouted, disappointed. "You're not showing me your face?"
Himei averted her eyes.
Minato laughed and slung an arm over her shoulders. "Come on! Why don't I show you around the Headquarters?"
Himei groaned.
Minato only laughed at her reluctance.
'Yep, she's definitely interesting.'
-Naruto-
'This is bad,' she thought as she was dragged around by Minato.
Kurama was fully enjoying the situation, chuckling madly in her mind. 'Really, Kit, really. I'm simply amazed at how lucky you are.'
'Shut up Kyu! Do you realize how bad it is right now for us? We weren't even supposed to see him ever again! He can easily sniff us out!'
The Kyuubi grumbled under her breath. 'Yeah, I know. But does it matter? It's not as if you had been careful before. He knows who you are, it just a matter of time until he sees the link between Uzumaki Naruto and Himei.'
'Exactly!' Naruto hissed. 'And that's what we have to avoid no matter what! Now that Sasuke will be gone, we have to be extra careful! We have four years to deal with the war, Danzo, Hanzo and Madara, and your counterpart is still roaming somewhere, free for Madara to control! Since we'll be the only ones able to anything productive for the next year we need to be as efficient as possible, and having someone sniffing around is as good a distraction can get. We cannot afford to be distracted and we both know it.'
'As you wish, Kit. But do you really have to? You know you can't run away forever.'
'Who said I was running away, you stupid fox? I'm merely doing what's right for the future!'
'Watch you words, foolish human!' The fox thundered, its large paws slamming against the ground fiercely as it rose on its hind legs, its large maw opened on a row of glistening teeth, growling and snarling at her tenant. 'I'm the great Kyuubi, lord of all Demons! Don't forget your place, human, for I call you partner only as long as you stay true to yourself! Doing what's right for the future? Don't make me laugh! What future? It doesn't exist anymore! Your mere existence here had changed everything. This isn't the past! This is just as real as your future, another reality! What is there to do?'
At that Naruto let go of the attention she kept on the real world and stormed into her mindscape.
'What do you mean, nothing to do?! We have to end this war and prevent the Fourth Shinobi War from even starting! How is that nothing? So many lives can be saved, so many people would live to see another day! Even if this is not my place to be, even if I'll never be accepted, my friends are still here! Even if this is not my home, my village, my world, it is THEIR world! Their home! How is that nothing? Tell me, Kurama!'
Kyuubi sat back down, narrowing its crimson eyes and leaning forward so that its muzzle was pressed to Naruto's nose.
'You mean to tell me that you haven't realized yet? The previous attack on Konoha was not supposed to happen – have never happened in the future. Your father had never been captured in the past as far as we know. Your meeting with Konan was suspicious and highly improbable, and that brat – Shiro, I believe – had never been mentioned anywhere, not even in your parents' journals.' It changed its posture and crossed its front legs, resting its head on its paws.
'Everything has changed, Naruto. You must accept that. I'm not telling you not to do anything. In fact, I'd gladly help you get rid of the Uchiha annoyance. I'm only saying that things will not be as they seem to be anymore. I've come to realize that by going back to the past we've erased the future. Everything that will happen in the next years will never be the same as they were before. Actually, I'd go as far as to say that this is a different world. Do you understand?'
Naruto shifted her gaze to the deep green grass tickling her feet, staring stubbornly at the ground. Kyuubi waited patiently for her host to respond, and several minutes later the redhead let out a shaky breath.
'Yeah… yeah, I think I do.'
Her small chuckle was dry and hoarse.
'I think I always did. I just never believed it until now, you know? Didn't want to believe it. No one will be the same anymore. My friends – they will never be the ones I had called precious. And wouldn't it be weird? I'm older now. Eighteen years too old. I guess… I guess I have to let go now that they are really gone.'
'There's no hurry, Kit. You don't have to forget. Just… take your time and one day, make a new family. It gets lonely here, I miss being able to go outside and play. You had interesting friends.'
Naruto let out another painful chuckle, more heartfelt this time.
'Am I selfish? For wanting them back?'
The giant fox hummed in thought.
'Well, it depends on your understanding of what's 'selfish' and what's 'selfless'.'
''Selfish and 'selfless'…'
And suddenly she thinks of gentle Konan and the way she had died, red-haired and heavily biased Nagato, Jiraiya and his eternal devotion to his love, unwanted yet silently cherished.
She thinks of Sasuke and his revenge and of Itachi, fiercely loyal shinobi and a loving brother who had nothing in the cruel world but his promises and duties.
She remembers the Sandaime – the old, old man with a scarred, gentle heart that had done more than expected yet nothing that had truly changed anything – and Kakashi, who had never asked for anything more than being able to have someone close. Then her thoughts drifted to the tales of her sensei's father who had given his answer to a cruel choice and had paid for it.
At last she thinks of him, Minato with a brilliant mind and a soft heart hardened by war and loss, or at least what she knows and still recalls from the brief flashes of words and tears they had exchanged. She thinks of what he had done to her – and her hate of him, her loathing that can never be expressed and the love that she can never throw away – and she understands a little.
Fate had toyed with all of them and given nothing back, wrenching precious feelings from their desperately searching hands and leaving nothing but a gaping, empty space that aches to be filled yet can never be so fully.
They had been selfish in their wishes but selfless in their love for home. For Konoha.
They had thrown everything away to protect it and had willingly done so until they had nothing to give anymore.
They had never stopped loving and that love made them strong but also killed them.
Naruto had not been different from them, but now she will be, because all of them loved their families and loved Konoha, and had all been forced to chose one of the two at some point in their lives.
If they chose their families they will be perceived as selfish, and if they chose Konoha they were selfless.
And Naruto swore to never, never make that choice, because, as unrealistic as that sounds, Konoha is going to be her family.
'Kyu?'
'Yes Kit?'
'Kyu… thank you.'
'Don't mention it Kit. Now get out.'
Naruto blinked as her world suddenly turned black. Several seconds later, concerned blue eyes overwhelmed her vision instead of a black muzzle and warm fur.
"Himei-san? You okay there?"
She blinked again, confused at what Minato was doing.
"Captain? What's going on?" Her voice was slightly sluggish and she felt her cheeks color slightly at the slip-up, shoulders still tense and muscles ready to jump at the slightest provocation.
He smiled at her. "I should be asking you the same thing. We were walking down the hall to the cafeteria when you suddenly stopped."
He saw the tension in her shoulders but never mentioned it.
"Ah," she said, scratching the back of her neck, "sorry, I didn't realize. I guess I was more tired than I thought." It was a lie and they both knew it, but Minato chose to not point it out.
"Come on," he said, tugging her unmoving arm. "Lunch will get cold."
She nodded and let herself be dragged gently, not knowing what to say. They ran into a few Anbu on the way, Minato greeting them cheerfully and Naruto sending them small, uncharacteristically shy nods whenever she can. She felt their curious stares on her back but said nothing, happy to remain silent and ignoring them as her blond captain had.
Finally they reached the heavy, fireproof doors of the Anbu cafeteria. Minato tapped a panel next to him with his clawed index, the green screen forming ripples before a soft click was heard. Himei jumped at the sound, her hand brushing against her kunai pouch then lowering again. Minato saw the obviously paranoid and jumpy motion but let it go again, and Himei was glad for his silence.
She didn't feel like talking anytime soon.
Minato pushed on the doors and opened them with seemingly no effort and looked back. Naruto noted that the hinges looked new, unlike the doors that, despite their clean metallic shine, had various scratches along the edges and looked to have been run into a few times.
"Here we are! That panel is chakra sensitive. Your chakra signature should already have been keyed in. you only need to send a small flare of chakra in it to deactivate the seals on the doors. They are obviously fire proof and are usually hermetically sealed so gas attacks are out too. No chance of blowing through it either, the core is made with rough diamond and so is also heat resistant. The cafeteria is open at any hour of the day and is also used as a lounge. We do get visit from old members sometimes, but your chakra signature is always removed the day you quit. Pretty neat, right?" He asked excitedly, blabbering all the way, and Naruto knew that most of it was unneeded details. Her heart did settle down somewhat at the heartwarming attempt at making her comfortable and she couldn't help but to relax at the man's soothing yet slightly awkward presence.
Himei inspected silently the seals and found some of them to be strangely familiar despite their obvious differences with the Uzumaki seal matrix. The numerous swirls and soft strokes were a dead give-away, but some components looked foreign and fresher. She grinned behind her mask. "Great work, I assume some of the seals are made by you?"
Minato blushed heavily, now staring at his feet as he shifted from a foot to another in a gesture Naruto found adorable. "Yeah, but I mostly just modified some of them. The main array had been here since the founding of Anbu decades ago – hand made by Mito-sama and the Nidaime Hokage. Jiraiya-sensei had helped me out too, so I wouldn't go as far as to say I made them."
"That's still awesome!" Naruto cried out, despite wincing interiorly at the mention of her mentor. "Being able to even comprehend Mito-sama's work is prodigious! To be able to insert one's work in a complete array without disrupting the functioning or making it blow up is just unheard of, especially when the original array is so old! Actually, working with one of the Sannin is a great honor on itself!"
Minato muttered a soft 'I guess so', still embarrassed by the blatant admiration the redhead displayed.
"But…"
The Anbu captain tilted his head curiously at the softer than usual tone.
"I guess it really hadn't changed much, huh?"
Minato frowned questioningly.
'Hadn't changed…?'
"Well," Himei suddenly said, turning back to look at him, "let's go eat!"
Then, she dragged him to the row of tables where various foods were arranged in a buffet style so that people could take what they wished without being forced into a waiting line.
"So, what do you suggest?" she asked as she picked up a tray for him.
"Well, this is the hot section where fresh food is cooked four times a day, once every 6 hours. Then you have the cool section over there," Minato nodded gratefully and explained as he pointed to another row of tables, "That is open the entire day. Anbu often return at odd hours so there's always a hungry mouth somewhere. Retired Anbu are in charge of the kitchen so you won't need to worry about poisoning; they make almost everything, but you have to go to the infirmary to ask for ration bars or soldier pills. I showed you where it was earlier, it's pretty easy to find."
Actually Naruto really didn't know where it was thanks to the fuss with Kyuubi earlier, but she figured she can always try to find it later.
"Great! Then I would suggest soba, we have it almost every day at lunch. The bread is pretty good too, the cooks always experiment with those so you have new flavors coming out almost every week. We have a lot of agemono, the deep-fried dishes contain more calories and we need the energy. I personally prefer tonkatsu." Minato babbled excitedly as he began to put a little bit of everything in his plate.
Himei chuckled at him. "From what I've seen so far, you seem to eat just about everything except seafood."
Surprisingly, the older Anbu groaned. "Yeah, I forgot to mention that those are often experimented with too. I wouldn't touch those if I was you. It can turn pretty lethal faster than you'd think."
Himei raised an unseen eyebrow. "Really? Like what?"
Minato grimaced, eyeing the nearby plate of tempura carefully before picking one and biting a minuscule chunk of the fried shrimp. A second later he ran to the nearest bin and spit it out, heaving and wheezing and coughing.
"Like fried, over-sweetened shrimp enveloped in maple syrup then coated with peanut butter and pepper."
Himei had to consciously repress the urge to gag. "Yeah, that does sound bad."
Minato groaned again, still hunched over the bin. "You have no idea how much."
They waited for Minato's stomach to settle before continuing through the rows of food. A comfortable silence settled between them as they both took the time to pick their food before moving to an unoccupied table. Himei was still rather tense at the unfamiliar surroundings – she had been at the Headquarters only once before it had been destroyed.
Anbu had never been the same again. Many had called this place 'home', be it for a short while or for the rest of their lives. Losing it was like losing Konoha. They had been lost – not because of the war but because they had lost half the reason to fight. They fought for a home to return to, and while Konoha had still been standing it just wasn't the same.
Himei still remembers, all carved into the stones of her mindscape and flowing in the clear water were images of ashes and collapsed walls of Headquarters, of home, and of all the smiles and recognizable faces of her friends. She remembers screams and then everything was flames and smoke. A few of those faces had been buried along the painfully familiar walls, their bodies all mangled and crushed and deemed not worth enough for even a quick cremation. The attack had taken over half of the Anbu forces, and the survivors had been too far gone to be anything more than mere canon fodders.
'A suitable end for such a powerful organization,' she thought grimly. 'They come and go, silently and unnoticed. It's the best we could have asked for.'
The Anbu she had known had been similar yet obviously different. They had been… damaged, all about tightly controlled insanity and closer to death than anyone could have been, more than Anbu had ever been in its blood-soaked history. There hadn't been anything glorious about it, their lives so heavily intertwined with sins and battles and bloodbaths that even their breaths reeked of death. Yet she had despite all odds found something precious to protect within the organization. Naruto had found friends there, comrades and brothers and sisters. She had a team that she had called family, because for all they consciously tried to keep away they had still been connected by shared hopes and nightmares.
She still reminisced about those brief, calm times with a fond smile, and Himei let that same smile grace her lips for a split second, hidden behind her mask from the world and herself.
But Minato saw, that tightening of her eyes that showed wariness and fatigue, those lost and glazed-over eyes that seemed to be lost in faraway memories, the tender and soft and silent longing that those azure orbs seemed to radiate. It was heartbreaking, yet all too familiar and entirely bittersweet. Minato saw and understood, and he knew it ran deeper than simple understanding and compassion, but she didn't need any of his empathy, not yet. Not for a long time because she was as strong as anyone can be and beyond and that scared him a little bit, but he could always try.
They sat down at an empty table in a shadowy corner of the room, distanced and private.
'Two windows on the right, an emergency exit twenty feet on the left, three or more hidden exits on the ceiling and under the tables in a ten meters radius. Forty-three chakra signatures in the room and five in the kitchen.' Himei thought with a dry chuckle. 'No, no, I'm safe here. This isn't the war. I can relax.'
She sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, easing the tension out of her body and clearing her mind. She allowed her muscles to relax, her entire body slumping against her chair as she finally registered and acknowledged the exhausted state of her body and mind.
'This is bad,' she realized with a grimace, 'I shouldn't have let myself become this vulnerable in front of him. I need to be more careful.'
"Captain-"
"Minato. Just Minato is fine."
Himei's head jerked in shock and she raised her eyes to stare at him. He was smiling gently at her, his eyes slightly narrowed in something akin to fondness and encouragement. She let out a shaky breath and conceded.
"Okay. Okay. Ca-Minato." She grimaced.
"Minato." The blond captain's smile widened just a little bit and he nodded.
"Yes?"
"Minato," she paused, as if trying out the word. "I was wondering – I joined your team because of, well, the current lack of a Taijutsu and tracking specialist in your team-" she paused again, wincing at her choice of words.
'Smooth, Naruto, smooth. Good job at reminding him of his fucked-up mission and of his teammates who are currently in rehabilitation.'
"Well, why me? I know that I'm registered as a Ninjutsu-Fuuinjustu-Taijutsu specialist and my Anbu files also included Infiltration, but wouldn't you be better off with a support type shinobi? You lack a Genjutsu specialist in your team and I'm, well, passable at best with those and you obviously need a long-range fighter with tracking skills while I'm more adapted to close-to-mid-range frontline fighting. I do have certification for tracking, but I'm not listed as a tracker either. So why me?"
Minato had a pensive look on his face for a while as he munched on his fried pork.
"To tell you the truth, I haven't thought about it either. I guess, well… you could say I was curious."
"Curious?" Himei asked as she reached for one of the curry breads.
Minato nodded. "I've been absent from the Headquarters for a while, and when I returned there were those rumors about two new recruits that joined when I had been away. Apparently they were supposed to be the firsts of an old but never dispatched branch in Anbu, important enough to hold the same powers as the commander. I was curious as to why the Hokage would allow a kunoichi two-man team into Anbu during the war. I asked him as much and he told me to 'see for myself'. It just happened that my team was missing two members." Himei saw the regret, the grief and the anger that flashed across Minato's soft features and she felt bad for the man, but allowed him to continue.
"Sandaime-sama wanted my team back on the field with the recruits as replacement. I actually refused, and I have to admit I hated the idea of some wet-behind-the-ears new recruits replacing my teammates, temporarily or not. But then…" Minato continued in a softer tone, "He looked desperate, as if it was more of a favor than an order – and I couldn't say no. He thanked me. Can you believe that?"
Himei smiled and shook her head. Manipulative old geezer.
"Then he changed his mind and told me that only one of the two will join my team, and he said that the new member had to be tested. I thought that he had finally gone mad. I mean, not to say I'm better or anything, but I've fought against older members and came out victorious almost every time. So I thought, wouldn't I just totally overwhelm the new recruit?"
Himei did feel offended, but Minato was right. Usually the Hokage would never have pitched a recruit against an Anbu captain; it was unpractical and useless unless the Hokage wanted to prove something.
"But, well, I pretty much regret even thinking that now," Minato added sheepishly.
"And then Sandaime-sama saw it fit to inform me at the end that in fact no, I wasn't getting a new recruit, but an old member who had been enrolled early and who'd just rejoined the ranks after a long-term mission. So imagine my surprise at actually meeting one of the 'mysterious, gorgeous and scary' new recruits!" he said with cheer, and Himei couldn't help but to chuckle. When he put it like that, it was indeed somewhat amusing.
The discussion was put on halt as they wolfed down their lunch voraciously. Minato kept sending sneaky glances toward his new teammate, hoping to catch a glimpse of her face. Of course he had no such luck as the redhead kept her head tilted down, her mask raised just below her mouth so that she can eat without anyone even seeing her lips. Himei, when she finished her meal, sent him an amused look that he returned with a childish huff.
"Hey, you just returned right? How was your long-term mission?" Himei's entire body stiffened at the question, her hand pausing in the air, her chopsticks hanging from her mouth.
Minato saw her tense and immediately regretted his indiscretion. "Ah, sorry! I didn't mean to pry! You don't have to answer, honest!" he panicked.
'Shit,' he cursed silently, 'Minato you idiot! You just met her! What mission she goes on isn't any of your business, and it obviously had been traumatizing enough that she had to go back straight to Anbu! She had obviously been emotionally damaged, and you had to point it out!'
Himei put down her chopsticks with a sharp clang, making Minato twitch, and slowly shook her head.
"No, it's okay. I just… need some time to adjust. So it's fine." She inhaled deeply then exhaled, almost like a sigh. "It's okay, I don't mind. Just give me some time. How about… I list you my abilities instead? That will help on missions since we're going to be on the same team for a year."
Minato almost hit himself. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid! That was an excuse to avoid all discussions involving personal matters if I've ever seen one! Now how are you going to get to know her if she keeps distancing herself?'
"Okay. But can I go first?" Himei looked at him questioningly behind her mask's eyeholes, her mismatched eyes gleaming with something unreadable, but remained silent. Minato took it as a sign for him to begin.
"My name is Namikaze Minato. I'm nineteen and my birthday is on January 25. I'm Anbu captain of Anbu team 3, team Hummingbird. My shinobi registration number is 53163908, codename Hachidori, and currently listed as Fuuinjutsu specialist. I'm a frontline fighter with mid-to-long range. I mainly use Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, but as you have seen in our match earlier I rely heavily on my speed. Though, well, you're faster so I guess I couldn't really say that…"
Himei waived her hand dismissively.
"Now, now, don't say that captain. You're really good yourself. You got your Seal Mastery at nineteen, and from what I know Fuuinjutsu is a very hard subject that needs both talent and determination to learn. And that jutsu earlier, the one where you flash around the training ground, I haven't heard of it anywhere so you developed it, right? That's awesome don't you think? You had found a way to apply seals by touch and to incorporate space-time jutsu into a transportation seal adapted to animate objects without using a scroll or a seal-key! I don't think I'll ever be able to do anything close to that!"
Minato blushed again as he stared into his plate, embarrassed at the compliments.
"W-well, Himei-san, you're really good too! I mean, you couldn't be much older than me yet you're a senior Anbu member and you've got your Seal Mastery too, right? My Hiraishin is only half-developed at best and I still need to work out a lot of kinks while you already have at least three original jutsus that work wonderfully. Your Kenjutsu is great and your Taijutsu form is unpredictable and efficient, and your Ninjutsu is nothing to laugh at, and then you don't even need to use any seal or jutsu or anything to be that fast and you're really cool, and-"
He was suddenly interrupted by a clear, light laughter. He raised his head to see Himei clutching the table as she laughed, her hand under her mask to muffle the sound, and something in him jumped in joy at seeing the redhead relax finally.
"Hold it Minato, you're babbling!"
Minato blinked, once, twice, and chuckled in embarrassment, soon joining in her mad giggles. Despite their effort to keep their voices down, the sound easily echoed in the large room, attracting the attention of the other Anbu.
"Y-yeah, sorry."
All too suddenly a figure clad in black landed soundlessly beside their table right behind Himei. Gracefully, with the intentional shudder of light porcelain armor, the figure stood, its limbs uncoiling with the feline delicacy of a black panther.
Their laughter died and Himei calmly put her mask back in place and straightened her back, and only then Minato noticed the slow coiling of her muscles under her armor, the tensing of the muscles in her back and limbs as if a predator ready to jump after its prey. The air around her changed, suddenly saturated with something he cannot quite describe. The tension in her had left, as if the wall she had been building between them suddenly crumbled only to reveal another wall, stronger, higher, and more dangerous. Then he realized that this Himei wasn't the friendly teammate anymore.
He was back on the battlefield with Himei, fierce, feral, powerful Himei.
She pushed her chair backwards and stood.
"Getsumei," she called, her voice rougher and deeper, almost like a growl. Minato shivered at the reminder of their spar. She was back on duty.
The slightest tilt of a mask, painted with swirls and straight lines of black ink, was the answer. Minato noticed the bandages covering the Anbu's left shoulder where the red, scorching Anbu tattoo usually is, and a deep sense of dread filled him.
"I'm afraid I'll have to leave our delightful discussion for another day, captain."
Not even a twitch, the whisper of smoke, and they were gone.
Minato stared silently at the chair at the opposite end of the table.
The silence was almost unbearable.
And she hadn't said his name.