- Johan Söderqvist: "To Peru" (Kon-Tiki)
58. The Shards of Team Nine
The War, Year 2
"Any luck?"
Minato handed Kousuke a portion of tasteless beef casserole rations and sat down next to him with his own, watching the activity of border post five with mild interest. It didn't really matter how the food tasted; as long as they got enough energy for the upcoming missions, they didn't care if they had gourmet or the porridge-like meals they were served daily.
"Not yet," Kousuke sighed and stirred his food around. "We'd have more privileges if Ebisu had been chuunin. We barely get any resources as long as there are genin on board."
"What if only you and the other two asked for it?"
"I wish it could be that easy," Kousuke mumbled and stuffed a spoonful of rations in his mouth. "But I can't just drop him to daycare and leave."
"Where've you been where you can't leave him for five minutes?" Minato asked and took a small sip of water.
"Some pretty deserted places. Nowhere, really. We may be at peace with the Wind country, but they barely act like it. If we had been to places a little more civilised, then maybe … But as soon as we end up in tiny villages with an average age of seventy, we're not trusted to be able to keep the information we get away from the enemies, not when my accomplice is that inexperienced."
"And I guess the worst part is that you can't really do anything about it, either," Minato said in an emphatically discouraged tone.
"Exactly," Kousuke nodded. "There's not one tiny shit we can do about it, and that's what's delaying us. I need someone to replace my team so they can get the information we need."
Minato noticed Kousuke looking expectantly at him, and shook his head. "Sorry, we have to leave as soon as possible."
"Where're you going?" Kousuke asked, audibly disappointed.
"To the front lines with Kirigakure," Minato said. "My team and I have two separate missions we need to get done."
"So you're gonna meet Kushina?"
"Dunno," Minato said and put his rations down. "I don't even know if she's still stationed there. To be honest, I've kind of lost the hope that I'll see her at all until this war is over."
"It's just bad luck, man," Kousuke said and patted Minato comradely on the shoulder. "We know everyone with water abilities are wanted near Kiri, she might still be there."
Minato nodded, mostly to end the conversation. He didn't feel like encouraging himself into possible disappointment again. They nodded politely to a passing squad guard, before Minato picked up his nearly finished rations and got up.
"By the way, you might not have to deal with the Sand for much longer," he said, turning to Kousuke. "General Morikawa needs a small company to deal with the Lightning as soon as the preparations are done, and I want you and your team on that company."
"When did Morikawa become general?"
"Last year," Minato chuckled. "You really have been to nowhere."
"Told you," Kousuke said darkly. "Count us in, captain."
"I'll send a bird," Minato said and turned to get Kakashi and Rin. "Good luck."
"Thanks, you too."
Minato had made the right choice of not getting his hopes up, but the fact that he couldn't even see his girlfriend in the place he was most likely to bump into her, felt as equally bitter as if he had expected to do so. When they arrived by dusk at the tired village, the coast guards could inform them that all soldiers were engaged in battle on the sea. Neither Minato nor his two soldiers had anything to do in direct battle, as they were sneaking to each side of the scene to sabotage the communication between the Kiri-nin and their leaders by destroying both headquarters North and South, and hopefully drag some of the leaders down with it. Though should it be necessary, Minato would get an immediate call to head straight into battle, but that was only if Kiri was on the verge of breaking through the strong barriers of Konoha-nin and infiltrate the country. This was Minato's only way to see Kushina, but he couldn't allow himself to hope that such a scenario happened; the loss and the risk was not worth it.
"All right, you two," Minato said, getting Kakashi and Rin's immediate attention. "You know what to do. Just make sure to keep out of the battle zone, and things should go smoothly."
Rin and Kakashi nodded. This was Kakashi's mission, but he had stopped refusing to take orders even though he was as much in the lead as Minato.
"I'll go get some water," Rin said and hurried to the supplies stand.
Minato sat next to Kakashi on an algae-stained, white-painted bench. They were quiet for a moment. Then -
"What if everything goes wrong again?" Kakashi burst. He sounded as though he had wanted to say that for a long time.
"It won't," Minato said confidently. "You know as well as I that many things can happen, and things can get complicated, but I have no doubt that you can do this."
"I know we can do it too," Kakashi mumbled. "It's just ..."
He fell silent again. Minato observed him for a long moment, until he spoke again.
"I promised Obito that I would take care of her," he said, looking out on the busy ocean.
"You'll take care of each other," Minato said. "You always have."
"Always is a bit overstated ..."
"Look, Kakashi," Minato said, looking intently at the young boy to catch his whole attention. "If anything happens, it's not your fault. You'll do the best you can, and you're great at that. No one will blame you for anything, and you definitely can't go around worrying about it when nothing's happened yet."
Kakashi nodded a little modestly. "Right."
"More importantly," Minato smiled. "She's the girl you love. Have a little faith in her."
"What – what are you -"
"Oh, come on," Minato chuckled as Kakashi's cheeks reddened. "Don't deny it. You know I can tell if you're lying."
"You don't have to be so direct," Kakashi mumbled and looked away in embarrassment. As Rin came back with full bottles of water and asked what they were talking about, he replied with a hasty 'Nothing!', and they got up to leave.
"Good luck," Minato said, looking both of his remaining soldiers in the eyes. "And be careful."
"We will," Rin smiled, and at Minato's lifted eyebrow and cheeky smirk towards Kakashi, the boy nodded with new determination.
Minato turned and set off towards South through the chilly September breeze, looking for a suitable place to sneak around the front lines unseen, now with a hint of worry he hadn't allowed himself to show to Kakashi. He hoped for dear life that this mission was going to go well. He had already lost one of the children he had taken with him to war.
Minato sat by the kitchen table, backpack ready next to him and dressed in his uniform, ready to leave again. During the two days he had spent at home, he had hoped to bump into Kushina at some point, even for only a few minutes. To leave again, without even getting the chance to talk to her, felt so wasted.
He looked around him. The house had been unoccupied, except for the few times he had been home, and he knew Kushina had been there at least once; she had dumped a change of uniforms in the washing machine and forgotten to turn it on.
His eyes travelled to the living-room, and rested by an overloaded table by the window. It was stacked with notebooks and pens, and a narrow vase with a fake rose was still struggling to keep itself to the edge of the table. Minato walked over to it, placed the vase on the window sill to relieve it and picked up an empty, red notebook.
Maybe there was a way to communicate with his girlfriend after all.
He sat down on the kitchen table again, opened the notebook and began to write.
'My beautiful -'
He sighed and drew a hand through his hair. She was so going to tease him for that. He finished the sentence knowing that she would only be grateful for more reasons to poke a little harmless fun at him.
'My beautiful Kushina.
'I can't believe the official war's been going for four months already. Feels like one at the most. But it's hard to come home and not see you sitting here in the kitchen or on the porch. I miss you like it's been four years.'
That pretty much summed up everything he felt, but he decided he should tell her a little bit of what he was currently doing as well. After he had written an acceptably long letter, he read through it.
'My beautiful Kushina.
I can't believe the official war's been going for four months already. Feels like one at the most. But it's hard to come home and not see you sitting here in the kitchen or on the porch. I miss you like it's been four years.
We've been on some pretty demanding missions lately. For some reason, Obito has become less confident and tends to break up in tears after a battle. He blames it on the dust, but I know that's not true. I can't imagine how he must feel, to be at war when that was exactly the way he lost his parents. Sure, he's clumsy, but he's always been a good shinobi and did well on even the worst missions, and I keep telling him that. I honestly don't know how to kick back that confidence of his. Doesn't help that team nine's teamwork is failing miserably as well.
I wish I could've said better things than all this complaining, but the truth is, not much is happening besides the war, and I haven't found much good in this war yet. Besides the fact that me and my team made it through the first few months unharmed, of course.
I hope you're doing well, and even though I've never really believed in any gods, I swear I've caught myself in thinking some higher greatness owes us a moment together. I've been home at least three times since I left for the border, but we never seem to be home at the same time.
Not sure when I'll be home next, but I hope we'll see each other soon.
I love you,
Minato.
P.S. It's March 21st, if it makes any difference.'
Infiltration and sabotage was preferably done at night; at least Minato had found a lot of benefits, such as not being seen miles away. The flat sea had provided Kiri-guards such good view that as soon as Minato had left the safety behind the deserted Whirlpool country – he hadn't crossed the island, but rather hastily run around it to get as far South as possible – he clashed with several small platoons. His training with Kushina and his Hiraishin got him through quickly enough, but he feared the delay was going to affect general Morikawa's needs for a captain with a company. Breaking the defence by the coast turned out to be a challenge as well, where Minato had to focus on avoiding being drowned rather than taking down the entire defence.
An hour after his arrival on the beach, Minato could head further inside the country, leaving behind half a day's worth of dead bodies.
He stopped in the shadows of the island's trees and spread out a map on the dry ground. He calculated how far South he had come, and managed to find an approximate location – he was too far North. The grids covering the map told him he had about an hour's worth of walking – running with care, he could make it to the headquarters in thirty, depending on how many defences he'd have to break – and he folded the map, stuffed it in his backpack and placed a finger on the ground.
Apparently, they had expected the coast defence to take care of any intruders. There was no action around him, and it hit him that had he known this, he would have gone to the North headquarters instead of Kakashi and Rin. He had relied on them to be closer to the reinforcements, but maybe they were better off that way even though the defences were weaker in the South …
Minato shook his head and continued towards the headquarters. There was no going back to switch now; there was even a possibility that they had finished the mission and were heading back already. If Minato had learned something from Obito's death, it was that there was no use in regretting a decision that had already been thoroughly considered.
He slowed down as he sharpened his senses and felt chakra signatures in the air. He was getting closer; all he had to do now was to count the enemies, take them down and destroy the headquarters. There was probably a barrier somewhere -
He realised he had already broken the barrier when he found a kunai directly in front of his face, and threw himself to the side to avoid being hit. It flew aggressively into a tree trunk, and within a second, Minato had placed his finger on the ground and could count twenty enemies near him.
He held four kunai in each hand, and as he created a suitable stance, his enemies charged from the shadow of the trees.
'Dear Minato.
You're such a softie.
I'm doing fine. I wish I could've been home the same day as you were here – a few from my company actually went home around that time, but I had to stay. I'm guessing that since you only wrote one letter you haven't been home since the 21st of March, but I also guess that's how it's going to be for a while. Hopefully not too long.
Sounds like Obito is having some barriers he needs to break. Don't stop encouraging him, though. One day he'll remember all the things you've said to him, and he might break through. Though it can't be easy for him, but why should it be. He's barely thirteen.
Things at the front line have stagnated for a moment, but I doubt it'll last long. I'm only here for supplies and reports, so I don't get to spend the night in Konoha. They need all the arms they can get, because we're pretty sure Kiri is up to something big. They seem to always have these huge plans, but the battles haven't been fatal for Konoha yet. I hope it stays that way so we can drown their asses in their own ocean soon.
They know who I am, though. And believe me when I say that I hold a record for attempted kidnaps conducted on a living person. I'm only staying because of my abilities, and even though I'm pretty awesome that way, it doesn't make it any easier when I can't even sleep at night. My comrades have actually admitted that they can sleep somewhat safely because they know that if Kiri-nin show up, they'll go for me first.
It's been a while since I only felt like a jinchuuriki. When I was with you, I could at least feel like a normal person. I could forget what I am, and focus on who I am instead, if that makes any sense.
I wonder where you are right now.
I miss you.
Love, Kushina.
P.S. It's June 2nd. It makes all the difference.'
By the way, how did Naruto wake up? None of my theories seem logical enough.
(Naruto ch. 669)