Chapter 124 - Distant Relative

Once Sakura was able to examine him, physically, it was determined that Yakata was superficially injured, and severely needing a good meal, but otherwise unharmed.

His mental injuries were another story. But Sakura already had the chief child psychologist assigned to his case, and in the meantime Yakata had Nadeshiko for comfort, company, and confession, and that was a situation everyone was okay with.

Ino was, of course, told, both of the condition of the boy and her daughter. And she was relieved to hear that Nadeshiko had finally decided to get a little sleep—Yakata had mentioned that she looked tired and sick, after fussing greatly over her hair (and apologizing for it, feeling responsible), and told her to get some rest. She couldn't have disobeyed.

(Naruto stopped into Sasuke's room, too, to tell him the news. Sasuke seemed to be sleeping, again, but Naruto told him everything, regardless.)

But the person that Naruto felt deserved to hear the news the most was Karin. And he made sure that he went to talk to her himself.

(Sakura, of course, could have done it. But he volunteered, so Sakura could get other things done.)

(Or so he said.)

Though he could feel her in the room, he still knocked, out of courtesy.

"Come on in, Naruto," Karin replied, through the door.

His smile was awkward as he entered. "How'd you know it was me?"

"You have to ask? I'm a sensor-nin, come on," Karin said. She was propped up in her bed, wearing hospital robes, a newspaper on the side table. There was far more color in her face than Naruto remembered. "Some Hokage you are."

"Pardon me, then, Karin-san," Naruto said, waving a hand. "Hey, where's Ooda-kun?"

"Hm? He's in my downstairs room, keeping an eye on Shingetsu."

"Your downstairs room?"

"The one by the Curse Seal ward, okay," Karin replied. "I was staying there originally but Sakura said she wants me here in the maternity ward until I recover enough so I'm not bleeding all over the place every time I stand up."

Naruto's smile clicked into a minor grimace. "Wha-? I had no idea you were that… injured, Karin-san…"

"Oh, it's not that bad," Karin replied, waving it off. "There's always some blood and discharge the first few days after a birth, but there was some tissue damage during delivery that I still haven't recovered from. I'll be fine in a day or two, okay."

"…sure, I'll, uh, take your word for it…" Naruto said.

Karin laughed a little. "So what brings you in, anyways? Did you need to talk to Ooda?"

"Oh, not really. Though I'd like to know how he's doing, y'know."

"He's doing fine," Karin replied. "Though a bit rattled—Osato being premature, much less coming when he did, was awful for his nerves, okay."

"Yeah, that was some… seriously bad timing, y'know," Naruto said. He scratched his ear. "I mean, then again, you can't really help when a baby's gonna come, right?"

"Nope, sometimes you can't." Karin turned her head to look at the incubator by the window, where the baby was resting. "Then again, Osato gave me the most trouble I've had with a child since Yakata… I should have expected complications, okay, especially with my stress levels lately…"

"Things turned out okay, though, right?" Naruto said.

Karin returned to him, and smiled. "Yes. He's even breathing well, despite his prematurity. I couldn't be more relieved, okay."

"Wow, great!" Naruto said, finally smiling genuinely again. "I'm glad."

Karin nodded a few times in return. "So, then, why are you here, okay?"

"Well… I have some good news, actually!" Naruto said.

"Good news?" Karin said. She sat up a little. "What kind of news?"

"Yakata's been rid of Orochimaru. He's in control of his body again and recovering, y'know."

(A great, raspberry-golden bubble of relief and excitement welled up within Karin.)

"Oh my goodness, you mean he fought off Orochimaru's influence?" A hand wandered to her lips.

"Yeah, that's part of it. One of Sasuke's kids—he's a really talented mind-reader, y'know—he went into his head and helped give him some encouragement, and then we had an exorcism performed to finish things off."

Karin was smiling, breathlessly, which only made Naruto smile more. "Oh, thank goodness… Thank goodness, okay, I was so worried…"

"We all were, Karin-san. But he's safe an' sound, and Nadeshiko-chan's with him too, so he's got someone to talk to."

Karin blinked a few times in rapid succession. "Nadeshiko? Who's that?"

"Oh, she's one of Sasuke's daughters. She an' Yakata-kun really hit it off while he was here in Konoha, apparently. She even went out and got him and brought him in to the hospital after what happened at the chuunin arena, y'know, and she's stayed by his side the whole time here."

Karin laughed, once, like an exhale. "Incredible. I'm glad he has a friend here, I really am."

"Yeah, I'm glad too, y'know," Naruto said. "We're gonna go out an' try and find his parents up in Rice, though, so they can be with him here."

And something in Karin's face stiffened. "Ah, yes. It would probably be good to have Satoko and Gishi down here; Yakata could definitely use the support…"

(There was something smooth and cold and badly-concealed in her chest.)

"Karin-san, what's the matter?" Naruto said.

The stiffness in her face crinkled. "Nothing's the matter, what are you talking about?"

He shook his head. "Something's making you sad; I can feel it, y'know. Is it somethin' to do with Yakata-kun's parents?"

She kept her eyes on her hands, folded in her lap. "No, it's… not them, okay."

"Then what is it? I'm not leavin' 'til you tell me," Naruto said. He put his hands in his jacket pockets, a less-forceful choice over crossed arms.

Karin took a while to answer, the silver, dull pain in her chest remaining.

"…when you send a team up to Rice to get Yakata's parents, do you suppose you could have a tracking team go with them, to find Suigetsu's body?"

A sheet of sudden empathy hit him, hard, full of such pressed-together emotions that he couldn't identify them clearly.

"…I—yes. Absolutely, y'know," he said. "Just… when did he…?"

"Orochimaru told me that he had the Riverman kill him before leaving Rice with Yakata's body." Karin's voice was soft and thick.

(And her grief was even thicker, welling up around the nestled emotions in her chest.)

"…Karin-san, I'm so sorry…"

"What are you apologizing to me for, okay?" Her words were climbing in tone, towards tears. "It's not your fault that he's dead."

And though there was no guilt over the fact that Naruto had sent him up there in the first place—Suigetsu had volunteered, after all—he still felt like telling her: "Well… the Riverman's been put to rest, Karin-san. We had him sealed away and exorcised. So he won't be hurting any more people, y'know."

"Ah, that's good…" She stayed focused on her hands, which were holding each other tighter. "It's just… funny, okay, how the last thing I said to him was about me dying."

"Wha-?"

"When he called me, on the phone, I told him I wasn't feeling well, and he told me…" She cough-laughed. "He told me he didn't want me dying before he came back, so I promised that I wouldn't. And then he goes and ends up dying on me, okay. It's exactly the sort of thing he'd do…"

Naruto waited until the right words came, until the paralysis left his tongue.

"…I promise, Karin-san, we'll find his body for you. I'll do everything I can, y'know."

"Thanks," Karin said. "I really appreciate it, okay…"

Her silver misery mixed with the pink peace that was otherwise in the air.

Naruto's paralysis reversed itself completely.

"Karin-san—I can't… begin to imagine how tough things are right now for you, so forgive me for… I dunno, sounding like I'm just tryin' to pity you or offend you or whatever, but…"

She finally looked at him. "But what…?"

"…well, I've really been thinkin' it over for a long time, ever since I found out who Osato-kun's… uh, dad was, y'know. You know, Nagato." He shrugged. "I mean, me and Nagato didn't really know each other very long, but the time we had together really—changed me, y'know? He taught me stuff that made me who I am today, an' a lot of what I do as Hokage is 'cos I wanna do right by him an' his legacy. Y'know?"

Karin didn't say anything, just listening.

"So for the longest time I wanted to… well, ask you, y'know, but stuff would get in the way. I mean, the whole thing about treatin' your kids as individuals and not lettin' where they came from affect things, an' the fact that… well, Karin-san, I don't really know you all that well to begin with, y'know, and I'd feel it wasn't my place or anything, and…"

Karin said only one thing: "And…?"

"…and, well, I just feel like now, with all the stuff that's happened, it wouldn't be… right if I didn't step up and do something already. I mean… I know, I know I know, that Osato-kun isn't Nagato. And he'll never be Nagato, y'know, especially with you as his mom, Karin-san. But they still share that blood, y'know, and… I dunno if he's gonna grow up and look in the mirror one day and see a pair of Rinnegan in his face, or whatever, but I wanna make sure that he grows up in a world where, if that happens, he won't have to worry about anyone seein' that and wanting to abuse it, where he doesn't have to fight every day. …y'know?"

Karin, leaning forward, adjusted her glasses. "Go on…?" she said, softly.

"So—hearing that Suigetsu-san's gone—and I don't think I'd ever be able to replace him, Karin-san, ever—I know, now, that if I don't at least ask, I'd never be able to live with myself, y'know? And you don't even have to agree to it, I totally understand, I mean, we don't really know each other, y'know and…"

"What are you trying to ask me?" Karin said, when he didn't say anything more.

"…I'd like to be Osato-kun's godfather, Karin-san." Naruto looked at his feet. "To make sure that he grows up happy an' safe and never has to experience pain like Nagato did. That's it, really…"

Karin, again, didn't say anything.

(The old obstacles returned, briefly: Naruto was just a temporary helper, and they were already a family, and-)

"A Hokage for a godfather… Well, that's something I never would have expected, okay…"

He looked up, and she had a smile full of comfort on her face. "You'd be okay with it?"

"After hearing all that, how could I not, okay?" Karin said. "Though isn't it usually the parent that asks for a godparent, and not the other way around?"

"Yeah, that was another thing…" Blessed awkwardness entered his face, and he scratched the back of his head. "But the thing is, I'd never been asked before—even Sasuke and Sakura didn't ask me to be a godfather to their kids, y'know. And Osato-kun is just so…" He sighed. "Whenever I think about him I just wanna make sure he's okay, Karin-san. I wanna protect him, and I think this is the best way for me to do it."

Another cough-laugh from Karin, though this one was both disbelieving and amazed. "You really care this much?"

"…yeah, basically," Naruto said, nodding. "It's kinda stupid, I know, but this is Nagato's kid we're talkin' about, and that's a really special kid, y'know."

Karin's smile deepened. "Special to both of us, yes."

"So… what do you say?" Naruto said.

Karin blinked a few times. "Didn't I already say yes?"

"I don't know, I didn't notice?" Naruto replied.

"Then yes! Yes, I would be glad if you were Osato's godfather, okay." Her laughter lost its coughing overtone, evening out with her breath. "And beyond that, I'm incredibly grateful for your wanting to help in the first place."

"Hey, I'd be helping to begin with either way," Naruto said. "I mean, because Osato-kun was born here, he's technically a citizen of Konoha as well as a citizen of wherever you live, so it's my duty as Hokage to protect him that way."

"Really! I didn't know that, okay," Karin said.

"Yeah, I mean, it should be on his birth certificate or whatever. Ask Sakura, I dunno," Naruto said, making Karin laugh again. "What I mean is… I'd help protect Osato-kun even if you didn't want me as his godfather, y'know, 'cos that's my Hokage duty. But I wanna make sure he's okay too. Like, happy, and well-adjusted and stuff. And I don't doubt that you'll be able to do that, Karin-san, 'specially since Ooda-kun turned out so well. It's just—well, I wanna be someone he can talk to, too, y'know?"

"Yes," she replied, "I think I get what you mean. Especially with… Suigetsu gone, right?"

"…well, like I said, I don't mean to replace him, or anything, but-"

"It's okay. I understand," she said. "Having someone like you in his life is going to be wonderful for Osato. Suigetsu couldn't replace you either, you know."

"Heh, I suppose you're right, y'know…" Naruto said.

"Mm. Well, since this is decided, now, why don't you two properly meet?" Karin said.

"Huh, say what?"

"Go over to the incubator and pick him up," Karin said, and a touch of spice entered her voice. "You're his godfather now, okay, so hold him already."

Naruto laughed. "Ah, right, right! I guess I should."

With careful, almost tip-toeing steps, Naruto walked around Karin's bed and to the incubator. Osato was wrapped in a blue blanket within, his new skin wrinkled and slightly red, but otherwise peaceful in appearance.

"The lid swings upward," Karin said, from behind him.

"Gotcha, gotcha." And the lid did swing upward, leaving the plastic basket exposed.

Naruto hesitated, for a moment.

But then, gently, he picked the baby up and cradled him against his left arm. Quite subconsciously, he began rocking, soothingly, to and fro on his feet.

"Wow, he's so tiny," Naruto finally said. "I mean, I've held a lot of babies, and I've seen some really small ones, y'know, but this little guy's just so—tiny."

"He is a month premature," Karin said. "And beyond that I've found that I tend to carry small, so…"

"Mm." One of Naruto's fingers wandered near the brim of the blue knit hat on his head, and peeked under it. "And totally bald too, huh."

"If he'd come a little later you'd probably see some hair," Karin said.

"Looks cute as-is, though," Naruto said. He rocked on his feet a few more times. "Real cute."

It was then that Osato reached an arm out of his blanket, and yawned mightily.

"Whoa, look at that! Sleepy even though you've been napping all day, huh, little guy?" he said, and smiled as Osato nestled deeper into his blanket, his little hands resting like flowers by his chin. His mouth sucked at the air for a few seconds, after. "Bein' a baby's tough, huh."

Karin laughed, gently, leaning back against her pillows, watching them.

Naruto sent a finger towards the folded hands, pressing it into Osato's palm; his tiny fingers closed around it on reflex, barely making the circumference.

"All right, little guy," he said. "My name's Naruto. I'm your godfather, y'know. We're gonna be real good friends, okay…?"

He wiggled his finger, in place of a handshake, and Osato yawned again, his hands opening and moving for a new place to stretch.

Naruto held him for a while longer, before putting him back in the incubator, and closing the lid. "I guess we're acquainted properly now, huh?"

"Seems so," Karin replied.

Naruto lowered his eyes, putting his hands in his pockets again. "I'll be sure to give you ways to contact me, if you need anything. And the other way around too, y'know?"

"Of course, I'd be glad to get that set up sometime soon," Karin replied.

There was the sound of Osato yawning again, in the incubator.

"I'll be heading off, now," Naruto said. "I'm gonna go see someone about a very important mission in the Land of Rice, y'know."

Karin closed her eyes. "All right. I'll see you later, then?"

"Yeah, see you later."

He got around her bed, and was almost out the door, when she said: "Thank you, Naruto."

"You're welcome, Karin-san," he replied.

"Please." She held up a hand. "Just Karin. We're family now, okay?"

He nodded, once, strongly. "You're welcome, then, Karin."

And he quietly closed the door behind him, and went to do his newest family a favor.

And that involved visiting the Hyuuga compound, where he had another family, one just as precious and beloved.

His family there, however, had not been made in a single bound, like the case seemed to be that day. It was mended together with awkwardness and need, and concern.

Ironically, if it hadn't been for his disastrous attempt at dating Hinata after the war, Naruto would have never become such good friends with her.

(You don't exactly forget when people confess their love to you shortly before someone almost kills them. Especially when said event unleashes a hell-beast.)

But despite their best efforts, every outing seemed to only result in stammered, dead sentences, and anxiety on both ends. Naruto felt bad because he knew Hinata liked him so much, and he really liked her too, but it seemed like with even the slightest romantic advance (on either side!), she'd freeze up and have to go home. And Hinata felt bad because she wanted so much for them to have a good time, but her neuroses just kept getting in the way.

But their time together was otherwise very pleasant, when the romance wasn't creeping in. And as it turned out, to avoid the discomfort of what they both subconsciously knew was getting in the way, they'd spend longer and longer stretches of time doing totally unromantic stuff: talking and drinking tea, having lunch, just being together.

Of course, the elephant in the room had to be shot eventually. But when Hinata asked that they no longer date, expecting her request to end in misery and tears and never-seeing-each-other-again, Naruto (after a great, thoughtful pause) responded with, "Sure, if that's what you want. But can we still hang out, y'know? I really like spending time with you, Hinata-chan."

What Hinata initially imagined would be a horrible day ended up being quite a pleasant afternoon, since Naruto stuck around to just talk to her about stuff, and even stayed for tea.

The breakup was probably the best thing that could have happened to either of them, as without the expectations of romance, the anxiety evaporated, and they could just be themselves around each other. Hinata's stammers were ironed out little by little and eventually disappeared, and Naruto found that she, above all people, was someone he could really open up to when there was something bothering him. Sure, he had Sakura and Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei, but he only ever wanted to have fun with those guys, and not bother them. (And besides, complaining to Sasuke about anything would probably result in a scowl and "Honestly? You're talking to me about this?")

Most of the time, this friendship was a gentle escape from the outside world.

But there were exceptions, when the presence of the other was the only medicine available.

There had been, of course, that miserable day ten years before, for Naruto. Where, just when he thought he'd be able to handle grieving Shusuke, Sasuke turned around and threw his own daughter—whom Naruto adored, and thought Sasuke also adored—out of his house, over her rejection of the chuunin title. And no matter how much Naruto pleaded and argued with Sasuke about responsibility and fairness, he could do nothing to repair this.

It was the day that Sasuke said "I only have one daughter" that Naruto went to Hinata.

And he pressed his face into her chest, and he cried until he was out of tears.

She didn't leave. And it helped as much as it could have. She told him that things would heal, and in their way, they did.

(And he visited her many more times, with fewer tears, as troubles arose with Murasaki.)

All of this, however, came well after Hinata's crises.

They all had to do with her sister.

Hanabi had actually been all right, for the most part, until the birth of Andou. She'd been groomed to perfection as the new clan leader with Hinata's blessing, and took over for her father when she came of age. It was a time of great hope, and the promise of change. There weren't going to be Curse Seals any more, and the clan would work towards being more open with the Konoha government.

It was around her ascension that Hanabi married Tomoshi. They'd met when they were teenagers; he was a bright, order-headed youth that had taken it upon himself to consolidate the Hyuuga clan archives into a more searchable form, organizing and re-drafting ancient records. Everyone agreed that it was a good match indeed, and their marriage was much-celebrated.

(And there was also talk, indeed, about Hiashi's two daughters being so different in marital status. Hinata, who had requested that a match in marriage not be made for her yet—the ill-meaning gossips always brought up the Uzumaki boy that was always around as the reason—and Hanabi, now, marrying for love.)

Before long, they were expecting a child together.

And not long after that, Tomoshi passed away in his sleep, only twenty-one years old. He'd been sick, a few days before, but nobody had any idea that things were that serious.

Hanabi was six months pregnant, at the time. And there was already anxiety in the air, over her condition.

(More Hyuuga women had been lost to post-partum suicide than battle or old age. This included the wives of both Hiashi and Hizashi.)

(It was the invisible monster of the Hyuuga bloodline, the price that the clan had to pay for its beautiful eyes.)

After her loss, Hinata almost never left her side. And Hanabi almost never left her room, barely eating or speaking.

She couldn't bear to look at anything that reminded her of her former life, of her husband, and so shut it all out, had it put away.

All but one thing.

The child she was having had become an unbearable burden, and she despised it.

("If he's gone, why is his child still inside me? Why is it still there?")

When the baby was finally born, in February, she refused to even hold him, much less nurse him. Hinata, ever present, took responsibility for his care, and even named him when Hanabi snapped at her to do it.

("Tomoshi had no name for it. I don't either. Get it out of my sight.")

There were nurses and others to ensure the care of the young heir, while Hinata saw to her sister, keeping a wary eye out for signs of danger, as was customary. They slept in the same room, now, and Hinata waited for the darkness to pass.

But one night, Hinata awoke with a start to find that her sister was gone from the room.

It was an easy matter, finding Hanabi with the Byakugan; she was in the bathroom of the quarters she shared with her sister.

And she had Andou with her.

Hinata ran.

And she found her sister holding her son in the bath. She was trying to drown him.

Hinata leaped forward, plunging her arms into the water, wrestling to get Hanabi's hands off the child.

"No! Stop! Don't interfere! This is how it's supposed to be!" Hanabi was screaming.

Hinata got her hands on the child, who emerged from the water, distressed and (thankfully) crying.

"We can be a family again! I can be with Tomoshi! Let me go!"

Hinata clutched Andou to her chest, and she fled.

She woke up every guard she could on the way out of the compound: "Please, see to my sister!"

The small, wet body in her arms was shivering and wailing, by now, and she took off her outer robe and wrapped him in it.

She had to get him away from Hanabi. Somewhere he could be safe for a while.

Of course, she went to Naruto.

He took them in without question, and got a proper blanket to wrap Andou in so Hinata wouldn't be freezing, herself. He made hot, cinnamon tea to drink while Hinata told him everything.

"He can stay with me for as long as you need to, Hinata. You gotta make sure your sister's okay, y'know, an' I can't have you worried about your nephew at the same time with all this goin' on."

Still, Hinata fell asleep on his couch, that night; she woke up with one of Naruto's blankets on top of her, and Naruto himself dozing in an armchair with Andou in his arms, having fallen asleep in watching over the both of them.

She returned to her sister, in the morning. Hanabi was sullen and withdrawn, and she did not ask about her son.

She never attempted any sort of suicide, after that. But her condition otherwise did not improve.

Eventually, Andou returned from Naruto's house to the Hyuuga compound, though a fair while afterward. Hinata took separate quarters with him on the other side of the compound, out of worry, but nothing ever came of it.

And whether it was the lack of celebration at Andou's birth in the first place, or the Hyuuga clan's general reluctance to let the rest of Konoha in on its social goings-on, the outside world came to the conclusion that Hinata was the boy's mother, since she was always with him, and she never denied the title.

(And, indeed, shortly after the incident with the bath, Naruto had gone to Kakashi and secured a neat stack of paperwork that declared Hinata to be Andou's legal guardian, given his biological mother's condition.)

(Andou grew up knowing who Hanabi was to him. She would call upon him, without warning, every now and then, to make sure he was keeping with his studies and not being a failure overall.)

(Hinata was never his aunt to him, however. She was his mother, and he never called her or thought of her as anything else.)

For three years, things were tolerable. Hanabi even began interacting with others again, though she never smiled.

But darkness, sharp and rank, was fermenting in her heart.

In the absence of her husband, and in large part due to the nature of his death, her brain latched onto tradition and order as a means of coping.

(If she were able to control things, then devastation like this would never happen to her again. Or so the thinking in her scarred mind went.)

She remembered the old ways.

The child that was supposed to be his was soon to turn three.

He needed a guardian. And that guardian needed a seal.

Late into the evening of Andou's third birthday, Hanabi stole away, and ensured that the tradition was continued.

By the time Hinata found out, it was too late for Ninako. And the seal could not be undone.

(Neji had tried to stop her, and ended up with a splitting pain in between his eyes that did not end until Hinata arrived and stopped it.)

(His wife, however, had not done anything.)

Hanabi did not apologize. What had happened was right, in her eyes.

(Though there were talks—always reluctantly attended, by Hanabi—between her and her father and her sister and Naruto and the Hokage, and they decided that the seal was to be completely done away with, that Hanabi had erred greatly, and that it would not happen again.)

(Even if the talks hadn't happened, however, Hanabi would probably have never given the seal to any other Branch members. They weren't immediately related to her, like Ninako was, like Neji was, and thus had less to do with her abhorred Andou.)

(And the Hyuuga clan never let anyone on the outside know about when Hanabi's behavior got erratic, as it was with increasing frequency, shifting between sullenness and aggression without warning.)

Hinata kept Andou at Naruto's house for a few days, following this incident. Just as a precaution.

And things continued. And, mercifully, nothing ever happened again that sent Hinata into Naruto's home for protection. It was always the other way around, from then on out.

And Naruto was at peace with this; not with the fact that the Hyuuga clan was far from healed, especially under Hanabi's steel hand, but with the fact that he had a confidante, a person he could call in his greatest times of need, and always depend upon.

All that aside, though, Hinata really was just the perfect person for the job he had in mind.

But her family came first, when Naruto came to call after visiting Karin. He had heard everything about the trauma with Ninako, and the Uchiha family, naturally, and it was at the front of his mind whenever his thoughts drifted to Hinata and her family.

"Ninako's taking this as well as she can," Hinata replied, when he asked; she had a tray of green tea between them, and red bean cakes. "She doesn't like leaving her room, and I can't blame her at all. The gossip going around about her is horrible."

"Yeesh, I can't imagine," Naruto said.

Hinata nodded her head. "I still try to get her out of the house and out on walks when I can, though. Inactivity isn't good for her mind or her body, especially in her condition. I can usually get her before dinner, when everyone's inside."

"Good thinking, y'know. I really hope she's okay."

"I hope so too."

(Hinata was preparing herself to be a guardian-caretaker again, but this time for Ninako, and not her sister. With Neji's permission, she took an empty room in his house for her own, and stayed there occasionally to be near his daughter. This would become a permanent situation after the child was born.)

(Neji's wife did not approve of this, but tolerated it out of fear of Hanabi's actions.)

"And how are things on the outside?" Hinata said, after a sip of her tea.

"Well, you already heard about all the stuff with Orochimaru, y'know."

"I certainly did. Andou told me all about it."

Naruto laughed. "I bet he did. Well, we got Orochimaru permanently taken care of—he's no longer in the body of that Yakata kid I told you about, and s'far as we know he's dead for good."

"Thank goodness," Hinata said. "And how is Yakata-kun recovering?"

"Eh, we're gonna have to see how that goes, y'know…" Naruto said. "I mean, I can't imagine how freaked out he is. But Sakura's takin' care of him."

"Ah, yes. I have no doubt she'll be able to help," Hinata said.

"Yeah. We got the Riverman guy taken care of, too. My daughter did an exorcism an' sent his spirit away."

Hinata paused with the cup to her lips. "Yomena-san, you mean? How did you think to ask her? I know you two aren't terribly close…"

"She went an' took care of it on her own, actually. She's really amazing!" Naruto said.

Hinata sipped her tea. (And she quietly relished the pride she could hear in his voice.) "How interesting this all is."

"Yeah, totally. Hey, and this is the best part—so I'm a godfather now!"

"Are you!"

"Yeah, yeah! Like, okay, so!" Naruto was almost jumping where he sat, which caused Hinata to laugh gently. "You remember the Day of Pain and stuff, right?"

"Naruto, there's no way I'd forget."

"Yeah, okay, I know, but, the guy behind that, Nagato-san—well, you never met him, I think, just when he was usin' his Paths—whatever. Either way, Nagato-san had a child made from him by Karin-san—I mean, Karin. He was born just yesterday, y'know!"

"Is that so!" Hinata said. "A clone of him, you mean."

"Yeah, but it's better to think of him as Nagato-san's kid, it's just easier and it's kinda true, y'know," Naruto said. Hinata nodded at this. "So because Nagato-san and I were kinda important to each other, an' because I knew about how tough his life had been, I wanted to ask Karin if I could be Osato's—that's his name, Osato, innit cute?—if I could be his godfather, an' help take care of him. And she said yes! So I'm his godfather now, y'know."

"That's so wonderful, Naruto," Hinata said. "And it's really a wonderful thing you're doing for Karin-san too, I think."

"Well, it's not just for her, Hinata, it's for Nagato-san, too," Naruto said. "I mean it when I say that I don't want any kid of his to have to live through pain like his. Especially 'cos he might be… well, special, when he grows up. Like, he might get a Rinnegan or somethin'."

Hinata nodded a few more times. "A child like that should definitely be taken care of. I have no doubt you'll do a good job. Part of the reason why Andou's such a good boy, I think, is due to your influence." She smiled warmly, at the end of things.

"Aww, gee," Naruto said, and took a big swig of green tea, for his throat had gotten quite dry from all his talking. "But, hey, so, speaking of Karin and everything, I got a favor to ask of you."

Hinata put down her cup; attentiveness entered her shoulders. "What do you need?"

"Well, this is more related to Yakata-kun—this part, at least—but we'd like to have his parents brought down here to Konoha to be with him, an' I think you'd be just the right person to get them," Naruto said. "I mean, you're super good with diplomacy, y'know."

"Oh, I haven't been on a mission in ages," Hinata said. "But if it's just an escort you need then I'm sure I can manage. I do have to wonder why you're asking just me, though; there are so many others you could ask."

"Well, see, that brings me to the second part of the mission, y'know," Naruto said. "I need some sensor nin to go with you to help recover a body."

"Ah." Hinata smiled with understanding. "So you're sending me with Shino and Kiba."

"Yeah, how'd you guess?"

"Naruto, I can put a few things together," she said, a laugh in her tone. "You're sending sensors on a mission that also requires diplomacy, and you want it done right, with a team that works together well. So, you choose us."

"Yep, exactly," Naruto said, and he grinned. "I'm gonna send the order out this afternoon, so you an' Kiba and Shino can head out tomorrow morning. Or is that too soon?"

"That's perfectly fine," Hinata replied. The light in her face softened. "Whose body shall we be recovering up there?"

"Karin's partner, Suigetsu-san," Naruto replied. "He was looking out for Yakata-kun when he got possessed by Orochimaru, and ended up killed."

"The poor man," Hinata said. "We'll be sure to find him, Naruto."

"Thanks, Hinata. I really appreciate it."

Hinata bowed her head. "I'm glad I can help."