ONE WEEK LATER
Yuki stretched her body, and took another bite of Ichiraku ramen. The squad had just completed their fifth mission for the week. Yuki's vision and coordination was almost recovered. She was a couple millisecond's slower on her reactions. Yet, she had had time to create three new jutsus, and also to focus on not using her Kekki Genkai. She had found that during her training she was more than capable of dispatching enemies as long as she conserved as much chakra as possible. With a smile, she swallowed, glancing to Akira and Naruto who sat a couple feet from her. The couple had taken well to her attention. They kept the love of Kyuubi and Yuki a secret, even from Anko who had found that the bonding of the squad was extremely amazing. There were moments where the trio hadn't had to say a single word for the entire fight. They played off each other's strengths.
Yuki felt a small lump fill her throat, as she thought about the news from the past week. Jiraiya had died, and it had taken a devastating toll on everyone in the village. Granted, she had never met the man, but from the way Naruto had cried that day, it was obvious how important he was to her friend. Akira had told her to keep her distance, which was fine by her. Today, she needed to get some rest. She finished her last bowl with a slurp, and left enough to cover Naruto, Akira, and her own meals. She kissed Akira on the cheek and patted Naruto's shoulder.
"Take it easy, kay?" she said, with a yawn.
Akira watched Naruto. The past two days had been painful for her to watch. Torturous. That was the term. Her lover had been torn by the loss of his sensei. That she was there, and talked him through his grief, helped exponentially. Today's mission had gone relatively well. The toad sage they had met today, was giving Naruto a week, before they departed for Mount Myōboku,
"Akira-chan?"
Her thoughts were ripped from their current situation, as she turned to her mate.
"Yes, my love?" she asked, watching his expression.
"I-I need some time alone. I hate to ask, but-"
"Whatever you need. Be careful." she said, watching as he stood suddenly. She followed suit, and though every fiber told her to chase after him, she knew it would be a futile act. She watched him leave, and felt her heart ache again. If only she had the answer to his questions. How to heal the Ninja World, and make peace with everyone.
She sighed, and headed for Yuki's place, to fall asleep by her friend.
Naruto walked past people, and places, not really knowing where he was heading. He just needed some time to get over the news. It hurt that his sensei was gone. He'd been like a father. A friend. A confidant. Kyuubi's presence had helped greatly, and right now, he just needed some fresh air to get his head on straight. He glanced up to notice, that he didn't know where the hell he was. How long had he been walking?
A glance at his watch surprised him. Four hours. He guessed that he was about a good twenty to fifty miles from the village. He glanced around the forest, taking in the sunset. It was beautiful and reminded him of Odama Rasengan (Great Rasengan).
"But if you can master it, it'll probably become your strongest weapon. We'll name it-"
He'd been there for him every step of the way. Granted losing him was painful. He didn't even want to imagine losing Akira. Or Yuki. Those two...
He let out a small chuckle, and sighed. Granted, it was a big loss, but he'd gained more than enough to make up for it. He knew that the future wasn't set in stone. So...best to get back to training. He'd mastered Wind Nature chakra. Now, all he had to do was mix it with his Rasengan. The results had been less than satisfactory, but he wasn't going to give up. He glanced left, to be presented with a problem.
"Hello, Naruto."