Chapter 118 - Clamorous Silence
Karai had already been fidgeting for a while when the first wave of the injured from the chuunin arena operation began to filter into the hospital.
(Bee had come first, of course, carrying Karin and shouting random names that began with "Sa" in an attempt to get to the doctor that Naruto seemed to trust so much. And Sakura, eventually, came, and rushed off with mother, son, and both jinchuuriki to get Karin to the maternity ward.)
(Bee had long ago taken off the blood-stained jacket he'd been wearing when he'd brought in Takeru, and his bare arms were wet and shining with red-brown blood by the time he finally made it to the hospital.)
They were mostly jounin, posted around the arena to chase after Orochimaru and the Riverman. There was very little to distinguish them from the other posted ninja who had been injured earlier, for similar reasons, beyond the fact that they all mostly came in together and were suffering similar injuries—general battery, impalement by ice, the like.
But then Gaara entered with Naruto, arm slung over one of his shoulders, the latter complaining and insisting that he was fine, that they had more important things to worry about than his health.
("Naruto, you went through at least twenty floors worth of concrete, and then some. I want you looked at," Gaara said, firmly, as they walked further into the lobby.)
That made Inou start to worry. And his worry was a far deeper one than his sister's.
Karai had simply been fussing about why Hajime was taking so long in the Curse Seal ward, and was mentioning it practically every five minutes by that point, with their mother offering her weak assurances that he was sure to come back any second now.
But Inou was a listener, an observer. He had carefully taken in as many words as he could of the conversation between Ooda and his mother and Naruto and the Kazekage, and had worried somewhat as they set out. Seeing the obvious failure of their plan—especially seeing Karin carried in, obviously injured in some way, which tugged residually at him—was making his heart pound.
Naruto's injuries were the last straw. He bowed his head, closed his eyes and stretched his fingers apart, forming the diamond-sign near his chest.
Karai, her foot jiggling and occasionally touching his leg, noticed what was happening not long after. "Brother, what are you doing?"
"I'm trying to figure out what the heck is going on," Inou replied, his eyes still closed.
"What do you mean?"
"Why we're under lockdown, who the heck's hurting all these people—I mean, I have an idea, but—ugh, will you just shut up and let me concentrate?" He opened one eye at the end of his sentence. "I can't gather information if you keep talking to me."
"Sorry," Karai said, and snapped her eyes back to her knees.
Inou sighed, inhaled, exhaled, and began to drown out the static.
He knew what he would be searching for. Jounin and chuunin—the ones that had been debriefed—and this most recent rush of people was sure to give him something good to listen to. And from there, well, anything to build on what he'd heard already: things having to do with Orochimaru, Ooda, Yakata—why had they mentioned Yakata, anyways?—his family. Anything.
He figured it would give him some degree of comfort. More information meant less unknown, and unknown things were scary, so that meant less fear, right?
(And some part of him wanted to know what sort of creature was capable of nearly killing his most-talented older brother and doing damage to Naruto.)
(Since his father was still out there, unaccounted for.)
He closed his eyes tighter, and the opal-sparkling inner image of his chakra sphere began to spread.
Not long after, he began to receive the nearby.
—Hajime seriously should be back by now that big man can't have hurt—my fault all my fault I'm such a horrible mother this is all my fault it—please let nobody die today please let nobody die today please Yakata-kun be safe please let—Hajime please come back soon, brother, Hajime please—what am I going to do if they need me, should I leave Murasaki in the—stop it stop it stop it stop it I can't stand it any more I don't know anything stop it STOP IT—die today please Yakata-kun be—
Inou took a deep breath, ironing over his emotional attachments with concentration. With his exhale, he widened his reach.
—I can't do this I can't DO THIS stop it STOP IT STOP—who the hell WAS that guy I've never seen anyone MOVE like that before—is the Hokage gonna be okay I wonder, that was a pretty bad—we're doomed we're doomed we're all gonna die what are we gonna do it's just like the stories Dad used to—ow ow ow this fucking hurts can't someone heal me already—was that guy really a clone of Orochimaru? Wish I could have gotten a better look at his—
Inou's face soured. This was useless! They knew as little as he did.
Then again… Maybe the people in the emergency room knew more? Sakura-sensei surely knew something, right? And Naruto, definitely.
His reach could make it. He exhaled again, moving his hands up, closer to his forehead.
—multiple lacerations, remember your training, chakra first then stitches, one-two one-two—make it stop make it stop make it STOP—Sasuke where hell ARE you?
His concentration slipped in his excitement at recognizing the inner voice—Sakura's! He surged forth with more concentration, trying to stay focused on her.
—you fucking stupid idiot too stubborn to take Naruto's help, of fucking COURSE, you utter DONKEY, can't you take help from others for ONCE, it's not like it's admitting weakness, we're in a fucking EMERGENCY SITUATION you FUCKHEAD—
…wait, was that really Sakura? The Sakura he knew—through family meals and other meetings—sure as heck didn't talk like that.
…at any rate, she wasn't saying anything useful. Just worrying about his dad.
He had to go further.
He tried to find Naruto, or the Kazekage, but all he could hear were the thought-echoes of a conversation they were having with Sakura, which was similarly unhelpful—just more information he already knew. Though he did wonder, for a moment, why Sakura seemed to be having a much different conversation from them, mentally.
He just continued to worry, which only made him more irritated and impatient.
Which meant he was going to go further. Even if it meant losing control. If he learned at least one thing, he'd gladly put up with his mother's frenetic worry at whatever loss in conscious or bleeding he'd get afterwards.
His breath felt cold and sharp and clean in his nose.
He pushed away every familiar voice, out of his sphere, silencing every other useless voice with mental distance. At any mention of his father's name, or Orochimaru's—though he would have done the same for Yakata, surely—he sucked the voice into him, magnifying it over all others, to make sure he didn't miss anything. For a while, unfortunately, all he got was Naruto (Sakura's inner, apparently endless tirade, he had to mute after a while).
But then, through a sea of muttering pain and confusion, there came:
—thing destroyed Sasuke's home, Mother, didn't you hear him—
Inou's heart jumped against his collarbone, and he eagerly clutched at the voice, deep and hollow and vaguely familiar.
—have to do SOMETHING, we have the CAPACITY! Mother, we HAVE to intervene! Let me go, I'll DO it!
I refuse to listen to plans of action from clan-killers. And if we are to send someone, it will not be YOU.
Inou's nose wrinkled, opening his mouth a little; this was an entirely new voice, female, responding in conversation to the previous one. And it did not echo, like the thoughts of a conversation, but was clear as day.
He continued, irresistibly, to listen.
But MOTHER.
But what.
You heard what that creature did to Takeru! What it's doing NOW! If it got to Sasuke—he could DIE, Mother!
I'm well aware.
And the child it has with him, that—the boy! He's an Uchiha too, isn't he?
What is your point, Itachi?
Inou's eyes snapped open. Itachi…?! Surely not…?
Once again, his concentration slipped, and he scrambled to refocus on the strange conversation. He found himself listening to a third voice when he returned, the deepest yet.
—reasonable, Mikoto. Itachi wants the clan preserved as much as we do…
If he cared so much then he'd have done more to preserve—or, heaven forbid, RESTORE—the clan while he was still alive.
We both know that there was very little he could have done in his position at the time.
That's a pathetic excuse, and that's the last I want to hear of this subject. And I want no more of your "suggestions," Itachi. Emergency or not, the clan will not acknowledge them.
So you're going to let your only living son get killed by a monster, then, is that it?
Itachi-san, please, calm down—
A young voice, one that couldn't have been much older than Inou's own.
And in addition to that, you're going to let my—that, that BOY, the only thing LEFT of me, get ABUSED and CORRUPTED like that?
Sasuke can handle himself, and unless the boy is strong enough to fight off Orochimaru's influence on his own—like your brother did, let me remind you—then he's not worthy of being considered Uchiha in the first place.
Inou's breath was increasing, his jaw shuddering slightly from his teeth clenching together.
They were talking about Yakata, right?
What was Orochimaru doing to him?
(But that didn't scare him the most, didn't cause him to start shaking.)
(It was because the conversation felt all too familiar.)
(The woman saying these things sounded like his father. Exactly like his father.)
A hot circle of anger added itself to his concentration, smoking out his confusion, masking it. It felt comforting, almost a reflex, and it only strengthened his concentration.
So it's not even worth the effort, is that what you're saying?
Do I even need to answer?
Then why are you bothering Murasaki-san so much?
"I really don't know where he is, Mikoto-sama, I really don't, I'm sorry…"
Because we haven't found him yet.
"…I want to help you, but please, I can't do this…"
We still don't know where he is!
And that's because we made the mistake of asking someone with obviously limited capacities first.
"…I'm sorry, I'm SORRY…"
The new speaker—female, soft, apologetic—sounded strangely loud, echoed. But the smoke of his anger did not erase it—he found he recognized the voice, long before the other speaker—Itachi—confirmed it.
Murasaki…?
He creaked an eye open, chancing a slice of concentration to see what she was doing.
She was mumbling, as usual. But her words were perfectly synchronized with the conversation he was listening in on.
Murasaki-san, please, you want to help us, don't you?
"Anything, I just want to do something useful…"
Then let one of us use your gift, someone Sasuke trusts, he'll listen to them and get to safety—
Silence, boy.
—or you could get help from someone living, I know—wait, I know exactly who to ask! Murasaki-san, please, allow me!
You will get away from her immediately, traitor. And you will not listen to him, Murasaki.
"Oh come on, shut up and let Itachi talk to her! Seriously!"
The words jumped out of Inou like sparks from a fire. And he remained seated, but felt like he was standing, all of his anger moving into his stomach.
"He's got a decent plan, so why don't you let him use it?"
…can that boy hear us?
Inou?
What's that half-breed doing?
"Uchiha-kun..? What are you doing…?"
"Inou…?" His mother's voice, and the quietest yet.
He can't seriously hear us, can he?
Another one like Murasaki-san?
His shoulders were rising up and down in grand movements. "Yeah, I… I can hear you! I dunno who you are or how but—just listen to Itachi, okay? If you wanna know where my dad is, freaking find him already!"
"Inou, what's going on…?"
"Uncle Itachi… that's you, isn't it? If you can do something, do it. And I don't care who tells you otherwise, Murasaki-san, just—just go with him, do what he says, he knows what he's doing!"
He had his eyes closed, but he could feel his mother putting her hands on his shoulders, shaking him slightly; there was only a suggestion of her voice, now, asking him what was wrong with him.
Inou… but, I can't—
"Nobody's stopping you! Come on, you wanna protect your—our family, right? And Yakata-kun!"
There was some sort of reply, but it wavered from his mother's shaking.
So Inou stood, his eyes open only enough to get him to where Murasaki was sitting—now upright, with her hands in her hair—so he could stand before her, so she—so everyone—could get the message.
"If you can do something, do it! Because nobody else knows what to do!"
A diamond-like memory spun into the front of his thoughts.
"Save my dad like you saved me! That was you, wasn't it? I know you and Murasaki can—can work together or something, just get out there and help!"
His mother had joined him and was tugging on his elbow, trying to pull his hands apart. He yanked in resistance.
Inou, I, but that wasn't—
Don't listen to him, Murasaki, you shouldn't waste your talents on something like that little stunt a few days ago.
"But I, but I want to help…"
—Inou I can't—how in the world is that boy DOING that?—Mikoto, the boy has a point—I didn't ask for your opinion—
"Come on, Itachi!" Inou shouted, his voice cracking from the effort.
—sorry, but I can't, and that wasn't—offering my opinion anyways, and my opinion is that your course of action so far has been counter-productive—if the alternative you're offering has anything to do with the half-breed then you're more idiotic than I thought—
Inou groaned; the voices were beginning to meld into one, his concentration was slipping, they were talking over each other.
Either way, he was losing whatever strange ground he thought he was making.
So he snapped his hands apart, and shouted into the void.
"The Itachi my father always told me about was brave, and selfless, and would do anything, sacrifice anything for his family! Obviously I'm talking to the wrong guy, huh!" His other senses were rushing back with dizzying speed; he became aware of the blood trickling out of one nostril. "Fine! If you guys won't do anything, then I'll have to go take care of things myself!"
And with a whip of his arms sideways, Inou ran out of the hospital and toward home.
"Inou!" his mother shrieked after him.
But the first person to follow him was not Ino, but Nadeshiko, who ran with her hair whipping out behind her shortly after Inou had disappeared from sight.
Don't worry, I'll bring him back safely, she sent out to her mother, to her sister, and said no more.
"…I have to go with them," Karai said, quietly, not long after.
"Karai—why?" Ino's face seemed to have aged at least ten years in her distress.
"Nadeshiko—she's not a fighter, Mom, and I don't know if she'll be okay." Karai stood, and put her hands comfortingly on Ino's forearms. "Besides, Inou… If what he was saying was real, he'll need help."
"You're not leaving!" Ino said.
But Karai shook her head, sadly, and rose to her tip-toes to kiss her mother on the cheek. "Don't worry, Mom, we'll be okay."
She was gone even more quickly than her siblings.
When Hajime finally came back from the Curse Seal ward, a few minutes later, he found his mother sobbing hopelessly, alone, on their bench, and went to comfort her, and learn what had happened.
He stayed with her, instead of leaving to find them.
Not because he trusted them—he did trust them, especially Karai—but because, after everything she'd been through, he couldn't bear to leave his mother completely alone.
Masao was still asking Murasaki if she was all right, if she had any idea what had happened with Inou, long after the boy had departed, after his mother quieted down—though she was still sniffling, denying that she wanted Sakura to be summoned.
(Which was a blessed thing, because Sakura had left Naruto and Gaara to sprint back to the maternity ward, to be with Karin, and would probably have punched a hole in a wall if someone had interrupted her.)
Murasaki was not listening, her eyes closed, her brow smoothed. Her palms were extended outward on her knees, like a bodhisattva. She was breathing evenly and deeply, her head slightly bowed.
Masao was about to accept this as an improvement in her condition, as a self-calming technique, when her eyes opened, and she spoke.
"Akirame-san, go get Naruto and tell him to keep everyone clear of the Uchiha compound, unless he wants any more injured forces."
Her voice was hard, forceful, unfitting. Masao blinked a few times.
"Murasaki…?"
"Please, do this for me, it's incredibly important. Sasuke's alone there, and the creature and the boy have nearly gotten to him."
His eyebrows tied together. "I—Murasaki, what are you talking about…?"
Murasaki sighed, and began to rise. "I'm going to get help for dealing with the creature, and at the same time get Sasuke and his children to safety. The help I have in mind, by the way, is more than enough for our problems. Which is why, again, I'm asking you to tell Naruto where I'm going and to keep people away from the area. There's going to be a fair bit of collateral damage. You understand?"
She began to walk away, not with her usual, sliding-step gait, but with sturdy, angular steps.
And the impossible, the dormant disease, came forward.
"…you're not Murasaki, are you?" Masao said.
And the person in her body turned back, and blinked, and smiled a very thin smile. "Please do as I ask, Akirame-san, and everything will be all right."
Masao swallowed, watching her leave, before heading for the Emergency Room, and Naruto, with the orders.
The Uchiha house had long since been demolished by the time the three youngest siblings finally came upon it.
For a while, all they could do was stare. Some of the foundation remained, and a skeleton of the first floor, the pillar-ribs that held up the second floor. But everything else lay in rough piles of splintered wood and paper and chunks of roofing.
Karai had her mouth covered with both hands. "Oh my goodness… What happened to our house…?"
"So he was telling the truth…" Inou said quietly, though not in reply. He had wiped off the blood from his nose on his black long-sleeved shirt.
"Who was telling the truth, Inou?" Nadeshiko said.
And Inou became suddenly very aware of his actions of the past five minutes—not like he hadn't been aware of them before, but the irrationality and impulsiveness of it all collided with his head like a powerful gust of wind. He fumbled with his words for a few moments, stammering. "…um, well… Don't… don't laugh or anything, because I'm being completely serious here, all right? But… but I think I found a technique that lets me… hear ghosts."
Nadeshiko and Karai (who had removed her hands from her face) stared at him for a moment, blankly.
"Don't laugh, okay? I'm being serious!" Inou continued.
"Why would either of us laugh?" Nadeshiko said.
"Yeah, bro, why would we?" Karai said. "I mean, wow, can you really do that?"
"…I guess, I mean, it sorta happened on accident…" Inou said.
"So you really were speaking with Uncle Itachi back in the hospital, then," Nadeshiko said.
"…again, I… guess, I mean, I have no way of knowing if it really was him, but—but I'm sure!"
"So why were you… yelling at him, then?" Karai said, almost thoughtfully.
"…well, he said something about the house being destroyed," Inou said, "and he wanted to help or something? But this really awful woman kept insulting him and telling him to shut up, and I just couldn't take that, you know? Especially 'cos he was talking about Dad and—well, I think he was talking about Yakata-kun? And they weren't letting him talk! He seemed like the only person that even cared!"
"So you came here to see if what you heard was true," Nadeshiko said, her eyes drifting over the wreckage.
"Yeah, it was the first place I thought to go…" Inou said. "Doesn't look like Dad's here, though."
"Thank goodness," Karai said, quietly. "But… if he's not here, then where is he?"
"I have no idea," Inou said. "Itachi didn't know, either…"
"…we could always ask," Nadeshiko said.
"Ask who?" Inou said.
Without a word, Nadeshiko flipped the palms of her hands outward, and formed the diamond-sign. "Whoever's around."
Inou's shoulders tensed. "Nadeshiko… I can't, I have no idea if I can do it again…"
"You can," Nadeshiko replied, putting down her hands, tilting her head. A rare smile was on her lips.
"Yeah, Inou, come on. I mean, we believe you," Karai added, nodding her head eagerly. "I mean… what else can we do?"
"I believe you," Nadeshiko said.
(The emphasis was faint, but coming from Nadeshiko, second only to her father in how much Murasaki bothered her, Inou felt a shuddering burst of confidence.)
"…all right, I'll try," Inou said. He closed his eyes, made the sign. "Don't… say anything, all right? And try not to think."
"Sure, bro," Karai said. Nadeshiko said nothing.
Whether it was the isolation, the confidence, the experience, the familiarity with the sensation, the "frequency"—Inou didn't know.
But he soon had someone to talk to.
—trying to listen to us, see?
He's not like Murasaki, though, she doesn't have to use a technique to hear us.
It was a pair of voices; the first was rough and scratchy, the second, smooth and younger.
"Hey, hello! I can hear you!" Inou called.
Ha! Check it out, the little guy did it again!
Inou-kun, can you hear us?
"Yeah, I can hear you! Is Itachi there?" Inou said.
Sorry, kid, he's not.
But he's getting help with Murasaki-san. He sent us to look after you, after that stunt you pulled, though.
"He's not here," Inou reported, with some degree of disappointment and embarrassment. "He's getting help, though?"
Yeah, he said there was someone living that could take care of the problem, and then Fugaku-sama said some words, and Murasaki was able to let him use her body to get where he needed to go.
"Uncle Itachi's getting help with Murasaki!" Inou said. Karai's response to this was muffled, but enthusiastic. "So, who's he getting to help?"
Haven't a clue. But he said it's someone that's helped out that child of his before. His name's Yakata-kun, right?
"Someone that helped Yakata-kun before…? Well, okay," Inou said. He chanced opening his eyes, modifying his concentration to compensate, and saw what he expected—Karai listening with an intensely interested expression, and Nadeshiko's face molded slightly into worry.
Yeah. Whoever it is, it's someone he thinks is more capable than Naruto-san or Sasuke-kun, so they must be good.
Mhm. And he worries a lot about that kid, too.
But he'd never admit it.
Oh, no.
"He worries about Yakata-kun?" Inou said. "Does he, uh, know who Yakata-kun… is, exactly…? I mean, in relation to him…"
What, that he's his clone? Of course, he's been watching over the kid since he arrived in Konoha with your dad. Heard everything when he went to go talk to your mom about it. Believe me, he was surprised.
Yeah. Especially because he told me once that he never wanted to have children. I felt really sorry for him.
Practically in tears, he was so stressed out.
"Right, right…" Inou said. "So, uh, by the way… if my uncle Itachi sent you two—there are two of you, right?—to watch after us, then who are you?"
Oh, we really SHOULD introduce ourselves, shouldn't we?
Should have done so at the beginning. Sorry, kid, my bad. I'm Uchiha Shisui.
And I'm Hoshigaki Kisame. We're friends of your uncle's.
"Friends of his? From before he, uh, died…?"
Yep. Though Kisame-san was his partner after I sorta… we-ell, it's complicated. But yeah, we knew him when we were all alive.
I didn't get to meet you until after I died, though, Shisui-san.
Yeah, I know.
"The people I'm talking to, they're friends of Uncle Itachi's," Inou said. "One of them's an Uchiha named Shisui, the other is named Kisame."
There was some sort of response from both sisters, which must have been introductions, because Kisame was soon speaking in turn.
Lovely to meet you too! However insubstantially.
Your sisters can't hear us though, can they, Inou-kun?
"No, I don't… think they can," Inou said. "I mean, unless—Nadeshiko, hey, try tapping into my head, like with telepathy." He closed his eyes in preemptive concentration after he saw Nadeshiko nod, strengthening the chakra spread out over the area.
You trying something, Inou-kun?
"I can hear something…" Nadeshiko said, through two voices. "It's quiet, but it's there."
"Just trying to get us all on the same frequency, Shisui-san," Inou replied, eyes still closed. "Karai, join in if you can, I'll keep talking, though."
You kids are just amazing, you know that?
Honestly. I don't get why Sasuke-kun rags on all that Yamanaka stuff you can do, Inou-kun. I think it's impressive as hell.
Karai shoved him gently on the shoulder—yeah, she was definitely getting the message. Inou tried to ignore his hot face and continued.
"Shisui-san, Kisame-san, so if Uncle Itachi's getting help, does that mean he knows where our dad is?"
What, Sasuke? Yeah, Fugaku-sama sent out some people to investigate what happened to the house and to scout the rest of the area. Sasuke's at the Old Compound.
But Orochimaru and that… thing he's with are making their way over. Probably already arrived, considering it's not too far from the house.
"So Orochimaru did this to our house?" Karai said.
Yeah, him and that guy he's with.
"And what has Orochimaru done to Yakata-kun?" Nadeshiko's voice was the coldest that her siblings had ever heard.
Kisame took a while to answer.
…he's done the same thing to him that he tried to do to Sasuke: Yakata-kun's a vessel for him, now.
"…I see," Nadeshiko said.
But Itachi thinks it's reversible.
Shisui added this quickly, but firmly.
I can only hope.
"So what should we do?" Inou said. "Has Itachi made it to our dad yet?"
As far as we know, no.
"So what should we do?" Inou said again. "Do we stick here or what? Did he say anything about that?"
…nope, he just said to have us watch over you three. Fugaku-sama—I mean, his dad, he's looking after your mom and your older brother.
"Should we head back to the hospital, then?" Karai said.
"…no, we should go see if we can help before Itachi gets to Dad," Inou said.
Inou-kun, that's… a very brave idea, but I think Itachi's got this covered.
"I'm sure, Shisui-san, but… but we have to at least try, now that we're out here. I mean, what if Orochimaru hasn't found Dad yet? If we get to him before that, we can all get to safety," Inou said. "And if Uncle Itachi and his help already made it there, he can tell us himself if he wants us to give backup or get out of there."
"Brother… are you sure?" Karai said.
"Hey, we all made it to the chuunin exam, didn't we? We're not that incompetent," Inou said. He smirked, until a prick of conscience pulled it back. "…Nadeshiko, you, uh, don't have to go with us, though. I know you don't…"
"Whatever happens, I won't allow either of you to get hurt," she replied. "If you go, I go."
Just like their dad, huh?
Kisame was almost laughing.
More like the entire clan. Stubbornness is almost as guaranteed as the Sharingan.
Shisui was actually laughing.
I'm sure Itachi would prefer you get back to the hospital, but… he also believes in your abilities, one-hundred percent.
Just… be careful. These guys are dangerous.
"I promise, with me, they'll be fine," Nadeshiko said, with sharp, clear conviction in her voice.
We'll be with you, either way.
"I appreciate it," Inou said, his smile returning. "Don't worry, we probably won't need to fight."
Let's hope so.
Good luck, kids.
"Thanks," said Inou.
"Thank you!" said Karai.
Nadeshiko merely bowed her head, almost reverently.
And Inou pulled his hands apart, breaking the bubble. The organic hush of the living world flooded his ears shortly afterward, and he took a few deep breaths, to slow his pulse, to regain his composure.
"…so, uh, just in case we have to fight, we should probably come up with a strategy," he said, once he finished.
"Well, there are three of us, so a three-man cell should work, right?" Karai said.
"Right," Inou replied. "Each of us doing different things. I mean, once we get there, we can shift things up a bit, but general stuff is good for now."
"Sure," Karai said. "So, what do you want us to do?"
"Well… Karai, you're small, and you're quick, so you're probably best as a distraction. We wanna fight as little as possible, so you should probably draw away any danger from Dad and the rest of us, or Uncle Itachi if he's there."
"Gotcha," said Karai.
"And Nadeshiko… you defend. If anyone looks like they're gonna get hurt, you jump in and keep that from happening. Carry them away if you need to."
"That's fine," she replied, softly. Her hands were closed into loose fists.
"And I'll… be surveillance. Be on the lookout for Uncle Itachi or Orochimaru or anyone else coming by, an' in the meantime I'll keep a mental link between the three of us, so we'll all know what's going on. Be each other's eyes and ears."
"Bro, are you sure?" Karai said. "Because I could-"
"Karai, come on," he interrupted, rolling his eyes. "It's what I'm best at, and it'll benefit us the most, besides."
"…well, you know best," Karai said, with a small smile.
"Yeah. So let's get going, all right? Before anything bad happens."
But Nadeshiko, instead of heading with them down the road, went into the rubble of what used to be their house.
"Nadeshiko, hey, what are you doing?"
She dug around without answering for a few moments more—easily pushing aside a chunk of roofing that had to have weighed several times more than her, in the process—before she straightened back up, a few bundles in her arms. She tossed two each to her siblings, keeping the others for herself.
"Weapons," she said, holding up her own pouches—a shuriken case, and a kunai case, from what probably used to be a cabinet in the courtyard, or someone's bedroom. "Just in case."
"Good thinking, sis," Karai said. Inou said nothing, just strapping his shuriken bag to the loop on his belt.
But before Nadeshiko did the same with her black, cropped pants, she took a piece of ribbon from her pocket and tied her hair back into something like a ponytail, at the nape of her neck, looping it over itself so that it was many inches shorter and thus more out of the way.
Doing this, she almost looked like a different person, especially with her eyes narrowed and far colder than usual.
"Let's go," she said.
And Inou nodded, and the three of them ran off together towards the Old Compound.