You guys are completely awesome! Over one thousand favorites.
To commemorate this milestone, I decided to complete all of the Konoha character arcs as well as start the Find Tsunade arc in one go, instead of splitting into two seperate chapters.
AU changes: Obviously, since we are not sure exactly how seals work in canon due to their PFM status, all of the mentioned seal related things are AUish.
And without further delay, here is the next chapter. Chapter 26: Revelations.
It was approximately one-fifteen when Neji knocked on the door to Hinata-Sama's house. Less than ten seconds later, the door opened. "Neji-Kun," Hinata invited, "Please come in." The blue-haired kunoichi led her cousin through the house, explaining what was going on along the way. "Naruto-Kun is setting up the necessary area to examine your seal." A proud smile affixed itself to her face, the happy expression sharply contrasting the normal expressionless mask Neji normally saw her wearing. "Naruto-Kun has figured out a way to examine a seal in great detail using a special sealing array."
Opening a door that Neji somehow hadn't noticed until Hinata opened it, the two headed down a set of carved stone stairs that led into a large, solid stone room. Stepping onto the stone floor, Neji's sharp eyes noted that the room itself was a perfect cube, and countless tiny lines of seals lined each wall. In the exact center of the room was a circle large enough for a normal-sized person to sit down comfortably inside it.
A slight rustling sound drew Neji's attention from his examination of the room. Looking over in the direction the sound, he spotting Naruto carefully placing a sheet of paper on a line of black chakra-conducting ink that extended out from the circle in the center.
"Naruto-Kun," Hinata spoke, her voice half-way between tender and businesslike, "Neji-Kun is here."
Naruto glanced up. Neji honestly expected some sort grim stoicism given the serious nature of the crime that they all were about to willingly commit. But there was no traces of such emotions on the Last Uzumaki's face. Instead, intelligence and curiosity mixed with something Neji couldn't identify was all the male Hyuga could see. "Neji." Naruto stood up and held out his hand, "Welcome. Hinata-Chan told me that you want to get rid of your Caged Bird Seal."
Neji hesitated. This was it. The last chance he had before doing something he could not take back. One last chance before he hurled himself off of his current comfortable level into the unknown. One last chance before he betrayed his clan's supreme law. In order to distract himself from the moment and to buy himself more time, he asked the question that was burning within him since he had first seen Naruto's face when he entered the room. "Don't you care that you are committing the most serious of crimes?"
Naruto's reply was simple and honest. "It shouldn't be a crime to be free."
Neji's thoughts stilled. How many times had he dreamed of being free from the seal? Free to forge his own destiny? That the circumstances of his birth did not determine his role in life? "It had been too many to count. At least when I still believed in something other than Fate. Back when I still had a Dream." Neji acknowledged. But what of the others in the clan? Did they also dream of the freedom to choose their own fate?
Naruto waited. He recognized the emotions that flashed across Neji's face. It was the slow creation of purpose; the birth of a will to see out a dream; of choosing their own fate.
"Yes." Neji's voice was slow and soft as he tested out his resolve. "I agree to have the Caged Bird Seal removed." His pale eyes locked with Naruto's. "It should not be a crime to be free." His hand reached out and shook Naruto's.
Naruto smiled. It was a small proud thing, but it gave Neji hope. Hope for a future that one day there would be no 'Main House' and 'Branch House'. One day, there would only be 'The Hyuga Clan'. There would be no slavery. Birth would not determine one's place in the world. Hard work would. Anyone could become great. This...was his dream.
"Sit in the center of the circle." Naruto directed the now determined Hyuga. After Neji settled himself inside the circle, Naruto pulled out a small check sheet of questions. "Do you have any seals besides the Caged Bird Seal on your body?"
"No." Neji's voice was calm, but held a current of excitement.
"Do you experience any random spikes of chakra that is not caused by your own control?"
"No."
"Have you or ever has someone applied a class three summoning seal to your body?"
Neji blinked. "No. I have no idea what that even is."
"Ok." Naruto sealed the clipboard and checklist into a small scroll at his waist. "Are you ready? This will feel mildly uncomfortable. Please let me know if you feel any pain. And also, please don't move."
Neji nodded to indicate his readiness. Naruto spiked his charka. Blue wisps of chakra began to waft off of his hands, the color the same as the bright blue sky of a calm summer day. Once his chakra reached the level it needed to, Naruto slammed his hands down on the stone floor. The seals lining the wall instantly lit up bright blue, the brightness would have made Neji shield his eyes if he hadn't been told to not move. A moment later the circle of seals surrounding the male Hyuga lit up the same brilliant blue. Then the feeling started. It felt like a crawling gaze that slowly moved from his feet upwards, hunting for something. It slowly shifted upwards, the sensation feeling like it could read his very soul. Neji felt it pass his chakra coils on its way upwards. He swore that he felt his heart skip a beat as the crawling chakra quested upwards. It finally reached the seal on his forehead.
It was a strange, almost unpleasant sensation as he felt it, whatever it was, delve into the seal, searching every line and curved swirl. Then it abruptly retreated, the suddenness of it catching Neji off balance. He felt it rapidly retreat back into the seals on the circle. He couldn't help but glance, startled, as the paper Naruto had placed earlier suddenly bled black as chakra surged into it.
It was amazing to watch the ink. It flowed across the paper with fluid purpose, forming a larger version of his seal within moments. The ink stabilized before flashing twice. It then bled into the same green color Neji's Caged Bird Seal was. That same hated green. Was this what the fabled seal masters were capable of?
"We are done." Naruto's voice startled Neji out of his amazed stupor. The male Hyuga blinked several times. That was it? He didn't feel any different.
He voiced his confusion to Naruto. "Is the seal gone? I don't feel any different."
Naruto shook his head as he picked up the piece of paper that contained the larger version of the Caged Bird Seal. "You seal isn't gone. Not yet anyway. This was just so I could analyze and test without accidentally blinding or killing you." The Last Uzumaki's voice was slightly absent, as a majority of his mind was already working on deciphering the seal in front of him.
"Kill me?" Neji was slightly worried. "Testing the seal could kill me?"
"Yep." Naruto confirmed as he carefully placed the paper into a specialized sealing scroll for later analysis. "The center of the seal connects directly with your brain and optic nerve. If I tried now, I could accidentally fry your brain or explode your eyeballs." The explanation was spoken so matter-of-factly that Neji couldn't help but feel slightly flabbergasted.
"But you are going to test it?"
Naruto nodded. "I'll break down the seal and then test it on several clones before I apply it to you. Don't worry."
Neji was surprised to realize that his worry had indeed disappeared at Naruto's calm reassurance. "Is that all you needed?" He couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that the seal was still on his forehead.
"That's all I needed." Naruto confirmed. "But..." He glanced at Neji with that same proud smile, "I think you gained something as well, didn't you?"
"Yes." Neji bowed his head, "Thank-you Naruto-Sama." It was, for the first time, that Neji addressed someone with extreme respect when it was not required of him. Naruto-Sama was unique. Someone who inspired him. Who acknowledge his dream; who had breathed life into it. And for that Neji would be forever grateful.
Neji Hyuga of the Branch Family had walked into Naruto's home, but what walked out was different young man altogether. It was a young man who had finally found his dream. A young man who had chosen his own fate.
Across town, a different sort of fate was being chosen. "Are we all in agreement?" Shikaku, the council's unofficial leader, questioned the combined council, "All in favor raise your hand."
Rasa watched the hands around the room raise one by one. Some were hesitant, their hands slowly moving upwards. Others shot their hands up as soon as Shikaku's question reached them, anger being freely directed towards Rasa and Sand. Still others were neutral, any thoughts not showing on their demeanors. Rasa didn't move, his emotionless mask not betraying anything outwardly.
Shikaku carefully glanced from council member to council member. There wasn't a member who hadn't raised their hand. "And those who are opposed please lower your hands."
No arm even twitched.
"It is decided then." Shikaku declared. "The treaty between Konoha and Suna that has been discussed for the last two days has be accepted." He glanced towards Rasa. "I trust you will keep your end?"
Rasa nodded. The question was more of a formality than anything else. Both men knew that Rasa, nor Suna, given that Rasa was only the leader of Suna until a replacement could be found, would be breaking the treaty. If the treaty was broken, Konoha was free to invade Suna without reprisal from the other Shinobi nations. Rasa spoke after a moment, his voice unaffected by the turn of events. "I will speak to the Suna ninja. We will leave tomorrow."
Shikaku watched Rasa walk out of the council chambers. The Nara couldn't help but feel slight pity towards the man. Rasa had literally given everything for his village, and due to events that were largely outside his direct control, Rasa was now being forced to leave the village he had given his all for. Shikaku shook his head as he eyed many of the other council members who watched the Kazekage leave with anger in their eyes. The treaty that Suna had been, more or less, forced to sign was not fair. Not by any stretch of the word. However, less harsh than what many had wanted. Fortunately for Sand, many of the harsher punishments against a village could not be enacted without a Hokage. And the more level-headed council members had worked together to deny any votes to grant the council more power.
However, there had been almost a perfect deadlock on the treaty for several days. It wasn't until Jiraiya - Shikaku privately suspected that it was planned - had swept into the chamber and offered a reasonable offer on who to make Hokage. Tsunade Senju. One of the legendary Sannin as well as the world's prominent medical ninja. On top of that, her strength was almost as legendary as her medical skill. However, she had not returned to the village in over thirteen years. Still, the council had been eager to gain a new Hokage, given they had felt what it was like to be without one.
Jiraiya had then pointed out the fact that Tsunade wasn't available to summon. At wit's end, the council authorized, though it was a close vote, on giving a Jiraiya, and whoever he chose to accompany him, a paid mission to find Tsunade. Soon after, the council, now relieved that they would soon be getting a proper leader, quickly agreed on the treaty.
The treaty was, with a few caveats, fairly straightforward. Suna would pay Konoha back for any repairs that the Leaf had to make because of the invasion. In addition, any non-clan jutsus would be made available to Konoha upon request. And Rasa would have to be exiled from Suna once a new Kazekage was chosen. In return, Konoha would not pursue retribution for the attack and would come to Suna's aid if the village was attacked.
It wasn't fair, but it was not a treaty made by two villages of equal strength. Such was the nature of conflict.
The day passed swiftly for those in the house of Naruto Uzumaki. Haku, Hinata, and Sakura alternated between group training and individual training. Naruto joined the girls as his clones began deciphering the Caged Bird Seal. Kakashi stopped by near dinner time to inform the Last Uzumaki about the Anko's decision to let him look at her Cursed Seal of Heaven. The grey haired ninja politely declined Haku's and Naruto's offer to stay for dinner. The road of life was taking him on the different route this evening.
Kakashi strode quietly through the Konoha Cemetery as he headed towards a well kept headstone in the far corner of the graveyard. Slowing down as he approached the stone, just as he had done countless times before, he knelt down and brushed the small bits of dirt that had accumulated due to the rain. His hand reverently brushed the name that was carved there. Rin Nohara read the words carved into the stone, the rock slightly worn from Kakashi's hand brushing against it for years.
"Hello Rin." Kakashi's voice was quiet, barely audible. "I'm sorry." It was the first words that he said each time to the grave, and each time he wished, with every fiber of his being, that he had been able to say it while she was still alive. "I'm so sorry."
Kakashi knew that she would not forgive him. What he did was unforgivable. And even though she was one of the most caring and gentle healers he ever knew, even she would not forgive him. Should not forgive him. It was unforgiveable, what he had done.
Blinking the tears away, Kakashi began to tell his silent teammate about his day. "When I awoke this morning, it was cloudy..."
Haku approached Naruto's room with all of the calm she could muster. She was attempting to convince herself that this was just solely for Naruto-Sama's benefit. She was only partly successful. The ice-user instinctively knew that something was going to happen tonight to change their relationship. Part of her feared what it could change to, but that part was buried by her resolve that, above all else, Naruto-Sama came out better; that he came out stronger; that he came out whole. That was what was most important. Still...some small part of her hoped that their relationship would change; that it would draw them closer together. It was that hope that drew a smile to her face as she knocked on the door to Naruto's room.
Naruto opened the door, opening his mouth to greet Haku when his brain temporally stuttered. Haku had taken her hair down, allowing it's normally pinned-up length to cascade down her back. She wore a simple cotton nightdress that came down to her knees, but it only served to accent her quiet beauty. Her deep brown eyes stared up at him, her mouth open slightly.
Haku stared at Naruto who was just a scant few feet away. His t-shirt seemed to be several sizes too small and clung tightly to his muscled form. His blue eyes, filled with happy light, shone like stars in the sky. His sunny hair framed his toned face and slightly angular jaw. Realizing she had been openly ogling her master, Haku averted her gaze as she felt her cheeks heat up slightly. "Naruto-Sama." Her voice was soft as she murmured the name of the person most precious to her.
Naruto blinked, breaking the spell he had fallen under. Drawing on every ounce of self-control he had, he steadfastly ignored how cute Haku looked with her eyes averted and a faint blush on her face. Shaking his head to rid it of the more-than-just-friends thoughts, he stepped aside to allow her entrance into his room.
Stepping into Naruto's room, Haku was aware that it was different then all of the times when she entered it before to clean it. With Naruto there, it was different. The air felt different. Doing her absolute best to ignore those thoughts and feelings, Haku stopped by Naruto's bed. Pushing a slight bit of ice-natured chakra into her cheeks to keep the warm flush away from them at the thought, Haku heard Naruto close the door and walk over to the bed. The bed creaked ever-so-slightly as he laid on it, leaving half of his bed available for her.
Sliding onto the bed with an ease that secretly pleased her, Haku laid back, once again secretly delighted that Naruto had been thoughtful enough to include a second pillow. Silence that wasn't quite awkward, but yet not comfortable, blanketed the room.
Shifting yet again as he was aware of the fact that Haku was staring directly up at the ceiling, Naruto shifted onto his side to ask her a question, unable to stop the curious question from tumbling out. "Haku-Chan, why are you doing this? You never slept beside me before, so it can't because I make a comfortable pillow."
Haku shifted to look over at her beloved master. "Naruto-Sama, how could I not help you have nights free of nightmares? How could I do anything less then give my all to help you? A servant must look after her master. " Her tone was earnest and honest.
Naruto tilted his head. "But what do you get out of it?"
Haku shook her head. "It doesn't matter what I get out of it Naruto-Sama. What matters is if it helps you Naruto-Sama. If it helps you, then I am happy." Once again, conviction and honesty doused every word.
Naruto laid back down. There was something about Haku-Chan's words that bothered him. Focusing all of his mental power on her words, he carefully disassembled them. Going over each word and how it was said, as well as the tone used, took time. But he would do it for Haku. She deserved nothing less. Slowly, a picture began to paint itself in his mind. Questions that he couldn't easily answer came soon after. Now remembering things Haku had said before, he could view the words in a different light. And what he was suspecting was more than slightly troubling. And he could not let it continue. Haku-Chan was important to him. She was one of his most precious people.
"Haku-Chan," Naruto shifted into a sitting position as he carefully weighed the words he was about to say, not wanting Haku to feel like she had done something wrong, "Do you think of yourself as just my servant?"
Haku shifted into a sitting position that mirrored Naruto as her brow crinkled slightly in confusion. What was Naruto-Sama talking about? "Of course Naruto-Sama! I am your servant. I live for you."
It was as Naruto had feared. "Haku-chan," He shifted to directly face her, his eyes locked with hers. "If you never remember anything else I say, please remember this:" Naruto's tone took on a tone of earnest belief that Haku could do nothing but pay attention. "You matter. Not because of your abilities. Not because you are the best servant ever." Naruto's bright blue eyes blazed with conviction. "You are important. You matter. And no matter what you do, you will always be my precious person."
Haku froze in shock. Naruto pressed onwards. Desperate to drive home the truth. "You need to believe that you are important. You are important to me. You are important to Hinata-Chan. You are important to Sakura-Chan. You are worthy. You are someone who deserves love and care."
Haku could scarcely breathe. Her chest seemed to constrict painfully and her throat had a lump that made swallowing impossible. Naruto-Sama's words were too good to be true. But...it was Naruto-Sama who was saying them. And Naruto-Sama never lied to her. Who was she supposed to believe? The things she had been taught for so many years, that she was a servant; nothing more than a tool to be used by her master or should she believe Naruto-Sama, who was her entire world?
Sensing Haku's conflicted and distraught expression, Naruto did the only thing he knew how to do. The only thing he knew made him feel better no matter what emotions he was feeling at the time. Reaching out, he enveloped the distraught girl into a warm hug, pouring every ounce of care into the embrace. "You are important. You matter." It was only the barest of whispers, but it broke the taunt control Haku had on her emotions.
It started as a mere shudder as she fought back the tears that threatened to erupt. In response, Naruto tightened the hug, care suffusing her. Tears burst forth. Even in her most emotional state, Haku did not scream or wail. It was the silent shudders that rocked her frame as tears leaked out from her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Carefully pressing her head against his shoulder, Naruto protected her from the world at large, letting her cry privately. He continued to quietly whisper into her ear how much she mattered; letting his words convey the truth.
Haku sobbed without making a sound, all of the feelings she had bottled up until she didn't even notice spilling out in a painful cleansing outpouring. The bottled up fear and pain she had felt when she had seen her dead mother at a young age. The emotional dagger of betrayal when her father tried to kill her. The disinterest and harsh lessons by Zabuza. The empty feeling that repressing her emotions like a good tool should had left her. Zabuza's death and the loss his death had left her with. The happiness when Naruto-Sama was happy. The sadness when he was sad. The anger when he felt anger. All these and more erupted from her now that the floodgates had broken.
Naruto waited calmly as she cried, comforting her to the utmost he could. He would stay here as long as it took. She was worth it. He knew that her tears were not his fault. They were helping her, letting the burdens she should have never been made to carry melt away. Ignoring the way a few stray tears prickled at his eyelids, Naruto leaned forward and whispered directly in Haku's ear with complete and utter belief suffusing every word. "You, Haku-Chan, matter." The softest of sobs reached his sensitive ears. Then Haku's arms slowly shifted around him as she finally let herself go. Loud wailing sobs shook her form as she soaked the blonde's shoulder.
Eventually her tears and sobs lessened in volume. The shudders of her shoulders turned into small movements. Slowly pulling slightly back from the blonde's warm embrace, she wiped the stray tears from her eyes, the puffy redness of her eyes and the slight redness of her cheeks from expunging all of those emotions not lessening her beauty in the slightest.
Offering a small true smile her way, Naruto still exuded warmth and care. "How are you feeling?" The question was gentle.
Haku didn't stop a truly beautiful smile that softly spread across her face. "I've never felt better...Naruto-Sama." The title was the same, but it felt different. It was not because he was her master that she called him that. It was because she wanted to call him that. She was aware that she would struggle with Naruto's belief that she mattered against what she had been taught for so long. But here, in her Naruto-Sama's arms, she could believe.
The pair drifted off to sleep, still holding each other in a hug. It was a peaceful rest, with no nightmares to disturb the atmosphere.
Morning came swiftly for Kakashi, with the memories of Rin's remembered death still fresh in his mind, he had gone to bed the night before. The memory had twisted into a half-remembered nightmare. Stretching, the grey haired ninja couldn't help but feel apprehension towards today. Anko would soon know all of his past, including his unforgivable sin. His eyes stung at the thought of her leaving him when she knew the truth, but it didn't matter. Getting her free of the Cursed Seal mattered more.
He quickly dressed after an equally quick shower. He had to head over to watch the captured Suna ninja leave the village. He was tasked with making sure that none of the Konoha ninja or villagers did anything. Privately, he hoped that one of the ones that he suspected had hurt Naruto in the past would try something...
Idly watching the Sand ninja be escorted out of the village, Jiraiya headed towards Naruto's home. He figured that he may as well get this over with. "Hopefully the girls within Naruto's place wouldn't be too angry. I just have to word it correctly. Everything would be fine."
"..."
"..."
"On second thought, I'll stand near the door. Just in case."
Haku hummed happily to herself as she cooked breakfast for the household. Waking up in Naruto-Sama's arms was the greatest feeling she had ever felt. She felt that nothing could ruin her mood. Hearing a knock at the door, Haku practically floated to the door, opening it. Spotting Jiraiya, her mood dipped before surging back.
"Is Naruto in?" Jiraiya was doing his best to avoid a perverted grin as he assessed the ice-user in front of him. Normally such a happy expression involved someone getting lucky. And given that Haku was devoted to Naruto...Jiraiya threw up a hand to stifle his giggle as Haku showed him to the living room before heading to inform Naruto about Jiraiya's arrival. By the time a confused Naruto entered the room, the super pervert had worked himself into a proud frenzy. His godson had become a man!
"Jiraiya?" Naruto was confused. "What are you doing here?"
"Naruto!" Jiraiya couldn't help the pride swelling within him, "I knew you would join our ranks eventually."
"...What?" Naruto was completely baffled. What had he done? And what exactly did Jiraiya think he did?
"You know..." Jiraiya playfully elbowed Naruto, not believing that the blonde had it in him to pretend to be dumb after such a night. "You and the ice girl..." Jiraiya wiggled his eyebrows. Still the blonde pretended to not understand. Raising his left hand and his right finger, Jiraiya proceeded to show Naruto exactly what he thought had happened last night between the Last Uzumaki and his servant.
Finally grasping what Jiraiya was insinuating, Naruto blushed. "N-No!" He shook his head rapidly. "We didn't do that." It was Jiraiya's turn to be confused. "All I did was help Haku-Chan out and then we slept in each other's arms." Spotting the look that was swimming on to Jiraiya's face, Naruto burst the super pervert's bubble. "We had clothes on the whole time. Nothing happened remotely close to what you are imagining."
"Oh." Jiraiya looked completely disappointed. "S-So nothing sexual happened at all?" At the blonde's confirmation, Jiraiya sighed. "Well, at least a tease scene will go well in the Icha-Icha book." Shaking his head to clear it, Jiraiya straightened his back. He had come here for a reason before he had been distracted. "Naruto," He began, his face and tone growing serious, "I have something I have to tell you."
Naruto grew equally serious, sensing the mood had changed. "What is it?"
"The village needs a Hokage. And I know the perfect person: Tsunade Seju." Naruto's eyes widened at the news. "Yes. That Tsunade. The Slug Sannin. And your godmother." Spotting his godson's expression start to go stony, Jiraiya hastened onwards. "I'm sure she had a good reason for not coming back. She wouldn't have willingly abandoned you."
Naruto's expression faltered. Taking that as a good sign, the Toad Sannin continued. "And in order to bring her back, I figured that I would take you along. It's going to take a bit of time, given that we have to track her down." Jiraiya paused as he slapped a silencing seal on the floor, cutting off any sounds from exiting the room. "The truth is that even with all of the evidence you have of your parents, it's possible for a Hokage to block it from being acknowledged. However...if the Hokage is someone who cares about you..."
Naruto nodded, understanding Jiraiya's plan. But still...Naruto was quiet for a few minutes before he finally spoke. "Alright. I can leave at the end of this week. I have a few things to take care of first." Jiraiya believed in Tsunade, so Naruto would give her the benefit of the doubt because of Jiraiya's belief.
"So Monday morning then?" Jiraiya questioned, standing up from the couch. Naruto nodded. "I'll see you then if I don't see you before then." Jiraiya quickly headed out, not wanting to be anywhere close when the three kunoichi in the house found out that Naruto was leaving.
"Why is this so damn difficult?" Anko grumbled to herself. It was little over an two hours until she was supposed to meet Kaka-Kun for their...date as friends. While she had felt confident when she had first proposed their meeting two days ago, but now...what if he thought it was a real date?
What if it was a real date? She had never been on a date before. From various research materials, Anko knew that dressing up for dates, especially if it was a first date was almost required. Should she dress up? And what exactly did she own that was considered 'dressed up' given that she wasn't a dress-type girl? But then what if it wasn't a date date and then Kaka-Kun thought it was because she dressed up?
"Why is this so damn difficult?" Anko's frustrated tone echoed in her apartment yet again. A moment later an epiphany blazed into her brain. Kurenai was in a relationship. She would know how the more intricate details of how to prepare for a date. Nodding to herself, Anko headed out, shutting and locking the door behind her.
Kurenai sighed as she massaged her forehead. These last few days had been spent assisting in the village during daylight hours, coming home to study procedures and necessary duties she would need now that Asuma was the Head of the Sarutobi clan. She had just finished the a book entitled 'So Your Boyfriend is a Clan Head: Tips and Tricks for the Aspiring Clan Matron'. It had been a informative book, if not the most formal.
Still, it was hard to read after a long day of helping the village with what she could, and then finishing the book. With Asuma's new duties as a Clan Head, she hadn't even seen him today at all. And yesterday there hadn't been much of a mood for cuddling - something she did her best to avoid showing how much she secretly enjoyed it - given that Asuma had just buried his father the day before. Still, some part of her wanted to comfort him, but Asuma had been swept up by several council members who had lead him off to discuss Clan matters.
A knock at the door proved to be a welcome distraction to her frustrated yet slightly guilty thoughts. Here she was, wanting to be with Asuma while he was dealing with the very real issues of the death of his father and the new duties of being the head of a clan. The red-eyed woman firmly believed that it would be selfish of her to try to come between Asuma and his work.
Nearing the door, Kurenai picked on the specific knock pattern. Two quick knocks followed by one heavy pound. There was only one person she knew who knocked like that. Opening the door, the black-haired woman greeted her friend. "Anko." Kurenai smiled, happy to see her friend again, "What are you doing here?"
"I need your help with something." Anko shifted her gaze slightly. Getting the hint, Kurenai led her friend inside. Shutting the door, Kurenai watched her clearly nervous friend pace in the living room for a few minutes before speaking up.
"Anko," Kurenai was now slightly concerned. She had never need Anko look this nervous before. "What is wrong? How can I help?"
"IhaveasortofmaybedatewithKaka-kun." Anko's reason for being there came out in a jumbled rush. Kurenai blinked.
"What?"
Anko took a deep breath. "I may...have a date with Kaka-kun." Glancing at her friend, the purple-haired young woman was surprised to see Kurenai's shocked look. Anko couldn't help but feel a slight spurt of defensive annoyance. "What? Is it that big of a shock that I may have a date?"
"No no no." Kurenai waved her hands in front of her. "It's not that. I'm just surprised that you and Kakashi decided to finally do something. You two have been dancing around each other for quite some time."
"We have not!" Anko was indignant. "He's as dense as a rock."
"Of course he is." Kurenai agreed, an amused look on her face. "Completely dense."
Anko visibly shook herself. "But that's not why I came over." Rushing over to Kurenai, Anko proportioned her first friend she had ever made. "I don't have any idea what to do for a date." A shy expression flashed across the normally bold kunoichi's face. "Can you help me?"
Kurenai smiled warmly at her good friend. "Of course. Let's start by doing your hair..."
Kakashi walked quickly - or quickly for someone who's default mode of movement was a casual walk - towards the Dango shop. He wasn't exactly sure what this...meeting with Anko was. It was 'just as friends' of course, but then again, 'just friends' generally didn't have multiple dinners together with just the two of them. Scenes from Icha-Icha really didn't help the confusing situation either. So he had in the end decided to dress more formally, without going into high class dinner attire. Something that was more formal, but could be explained away as casual. He had a short-sleeved button down shirt that was light blue and a light brown fitted cargo pants. His ever present cloth face mask and tilted headband had been cleaned, and in the case of the headband, the metal cleaned with the special non-reflective cleaner.
Glancing up at the sun, Kakashi estimated that it was two forty-five to two fifty. Grabbing a table for two, the grey-haired settled in to wait for Anko. It was only a few minutes later that movement caught his eye. Kakashi was had made it halfway out of his seat - was it protocol to pull the chair out for the lady even if it was a date/not-date? - when his brain stuttered to a stop. The Anko that stood before him was...beautiful. Logically he knew that she was pretty before now, but it was her attitude and honest demeanor that had first attracted him. Later, he had firmly blocked his mind from noticing such things as her attractiveness, not wanting to ruin their friendship.
But how could he not think she was beautiful now? She had put on a simple sleeveless white summer dress that reached just passed her knees, and the ruffled edge of the bottom of the dress fluttered slightly in the summer breeze. Her hair was down instead of its normal upwards facing ponytail. The small Jonin part of him noted that her hair was styled to frame her face, and also blocked the Cursed seal from view. The rest of him was still taking in all of her new attire. The white of the dress highlighted both the purpleness of her hair and her light brown eyes. A small earring glinted in each ear. The changes while seemingly small, served to highlight the fact that Anko was a woman, and a very attractive one at that.
Suddenly aware that his mouth had fallen open slightly, Kakashi was thankful that his cloth mask hid both his mouth and lower cheekbones. Coughing into his fist, Kakashi motioned to Anko towards the table. Anko brushed by Kakashi and plopped down in the seat in a very Anko-like motion. Taking his seat himself, Kakashi examined the menu.
Anko found the menu on the table utterly interesting. This...thing that had changed between the two of them was new and frightening, but yet exhilarating and wonderful feeling. Glancing upwards yet again, Anko felt her cheeks heat up slightly at how different - good different, not bad different - Kakashi looked in his button down shirt. The shirt brought out the unique grey color of his eyes, enhancing his already attractive appearance. Catching his gaze moving back towards her direction, the young woman snapped her gaze back down at the menu.
Kakashi was stuck by the sight of how pretty Anko was yet again when he spied her looking down at her menu bashfully with a light pink dusting on her cheeks. Kakashi averted his gaze. Ordering their food, Anko was growing annoyed with the awkward air that had suddenly cropped up between them. "This was exactly why I didn't want to suggest a date! Now things are awkward and shit!" Scowling, Anko nibbled at the Dango stick. Normally she would have been happily munching on her favorite treat, but the heavy air between herself and her best friend had stifled her appetite.
Ten minutes later the air hadn't cleared. The tension had grown to the point that neither Kakashi nor Anko could meet each other's eyes. Between moments of flushed bashfulness, Anko was growing more and more annoyed. Why couldn't they meet each other's eyes?! Finally, the fiery purplette couldn't take it anymore.
With a loud bang, Anko slammed her head onto the table, rattling the plates and cups with the strength she had exerted. "Listen here!" Leveling her pointer finger at the grey paired ninja, the kunoichi continued. "I don't know what this...awkwardness is, but it's stopping now!" Anko's brown eyes locked with Kakashi's shocked ones, daring him to keep making it awkward. A moment later her brain caught up to her emotions. Now it was her turn for her eyes to widen in shock. What if she had just made things worse between them?
Stunned silence froze the air between them. It lengthen and grew, seemingly stretching the distance between them. A single, solitary chuckle split the air between them. Anko blinked, something unidentifiable twitching to life inside her at the sound. Then it sounded out yet again, free and joyful. The purple-haired young woman couldn't believe her ears. Kakashi, always-in-control Kakashi, was chuckling. The sound was utterly infectious. She couldn't help but give in, joining the grey-haired ninja. Their relieved laughter echoed in the mostly empty dango shop.
"Heh." Kakashi surreptitiously wiped the lone tear his laughter had brought to the surface. "Whew." He tried to fight the smile that wouldn't disappear off of his face. "Heh heh." Shaking his head, he watched Anko lean back, the aftershocks of laughter still quaking her shoulders. Letting out a relieved sigh, Kakashi leaned back himself. "It's good to be back to normal."
Anko grinned back at Kakashi, now able to meet his gaze without any strange feelings. "Yeah." The following silence that fell between them as they ate was easy and comfortable, with no traces of the lingering awkwardness from before. Yet, both of them knew, despite the fact that they refused to acknowledge it, something had changed between them. Their eyes had been opened. The battle with these strange new feelings was not over. But for today, right now, there was only two friends sitting at a table; two best friends sharing each other's company.
There was a knock on Naruto's door at precisely four in the evening. Haku, after pulsing a quick scan of sensing chakra, verified it was Kakashi standing next to a woman who she assumed was Anko Mitarashi, the kunoichi Naruto was going to help. "Please come in." Haku greeted the two ninja on the front step as she opened the door to allow them entrance, "Follow me." Following the self-proclaimed servant of Naruto Uzumaki, the pair watched as she opened a door that had somehow escaped their attention until she had opened it. Moving down the stone stairs, Kakashi couldn't help but marvel at the perfect sealing chamber that Naruto had somehow created underneath his house without anyone being the wiser.
"Please sit in the center of the circle Anko-Chan." Naruto requested, waiting until she was fully seated before he continued, "Now, I'm going to ask you a few questions and then we can begin if that's alright?"
Anko took a deep breath, preparing herself to dredge up all of the painful memories associated with her Cursed seal. "Okay. I'm ready." And to her surprise, she was. When she focused on the fact that it was not about her, but about Kakashi, about helping him; about being there for him, it somehow had let her be at peace with her terrible past.
Naruto pulled out a checklist from his pocket. "Do you have any other seals on your body besides the Cursed Seal of Heaven?"
Anko nodded, for once the perfect picture of professionalism. "Yes. I have a summoning seal on my left forearm and two storage seals. One is on my right shoulder, and the other is on my ankle."
Naruto noted her information down. "Do you experience any random spikes of chakra that is not caused by your own control?"
Anko shook her head. "No."
"Have you or ever has someone applied a class three summoning seal to your body?"
Anko glanced towards Kakashi, unsure of what type her summoning seal for her snakes was.
"She has a class two summoning seal. It's the summoning seal she mentioned earlier."
Naruto nodded as he finished his notes. "Ok." Sealing away his checklist, Naruto unsealed chakra conductive ink and a brush. "What I need to do is temporarily seal off all of the seals besides the Cursed seal so I can get a good read on it." Anko nodded her assent, still wondering when Naruto was going to ask how she got the seal in the first place. She was prepared to answer the questions, no matter how painful the memories were. Each other person who attempted to break her seal had asked those questions.
Naruto dipped the sealing brush into the chakra conductive ink and carefully reached out to Anko's ankle. Quickly drawing the simple - simple to him at any rate - seal to block the seal off, he trotted around to Anko's left side. Given that her summoning seal was a tad bit bigger than the storage seal on her ankle, Naruto crouched down to get a better angle.
To distract herself from the slightly tickling sensation of the wet brush dipping and swirling across her forearm, Anko spoke up, voicing her question. "When do you want me to tell you about how I got the seal?"
"Huh?" Naruto glanced up for the briefest of instants from his work. "Oh...That." Naruto finally figured out what the purple-haired kunoichi was referring to. "You don't have to tell me that if you don't want to." Naruto explained, "Kakashi said that it was painful for you to remember, so I designed a special diagnostic array that reads a seal that I need to study." Moving to her other side to seal the second storage seal, Naruto continued. "Once I finish with this seal, I will be able to activate the diagnostic array. You'll just have to sit still during the process though."
Finishing the last swirl of the seal with a flick of his finger, Naruto resealed the ink and brush. Moving back to the front of the center circle of seals, the Last Uzumaki carefully unsealed a specially treated piece of paper. Laying it down on the line of seals that extended out from the circle, he prepared to begin. "Before I begin, I must warn you: Given the unknown nature of this seal, especially given that it is a Cursed Seal-type, you may experience memory flashbacks or pain." There was genuine regret in his eyes and tone.
"Anko." Kakashi shifted to move to the side of Naruto before he crouched down so that his gaze was level with hers, "Keep your eyes on me. Focus on me. Don't worry about what you think you see or remember. I'm here for you; now and always."
"Are you ready?" Naruto gave Anko one last chance to back out.
"Yes." Anko didn't take her eyes off of Kakashi's. "I'm ready now."
"Here we go." Chakra began to build within Naruto, blue chakra wafting off of his frame as the Last Uzumaki focused on gathering enough chakra to power the array. Then Naruto tapped his hands that thrummed with chakra against the ground. The seals on the walls lit up like countless beacons. Anko felt the strange crawling sensation as it seemed to search up her body, seemingly laying her soul bare. And then, it found the curse seal.
It pulsed with sharp pain, sharp enough to cause her to take a quick inhale, but she had endured worse. Keeping her eyes on Kakashi's, Anko focused on her feelings for him, and the care his eyes excluded. The memories flickered in her mind, bringing the ghost of the terrible pain with them. But it was bearable, as long as she kept her eyes on her best friend.
Kakashi kept his eyes firmly on Anko, focusing on pushing every ounce of care and determination into his gaze. He would be her rock, being there for her when she needed him, now and forever. He dug deep inside himself, finding that part of him that never gave in. That part of him that pushed onwards, despite that many others would have turned back. That part of him that he termed his 'inner Naruto'. It was this part of him that he pushed to the surface, offering his strength to Anko; offering his inner will to her.
It was a timeless moment between the two, a connection created in the fire of friendship. Now the next stage began, their relationship now forged on the anvil of difficultly, not giving in despite the circumstances. Not giving up their friendship when the road got tough.
And then it was over, Naruto's chakra retreating, it's work compete. Kakashi and Anko blinked at the sudden change in the air, it's hyper chakra-charged state disappearing as quickly as it came. "Okay." Naruto, being obvious to the moment that had just occurred, announced. "It got a little tough at spots, but I finally mapped it all. Man," Nauto shook his head in amazement, "One time it was like the seal itself was trying to avoid being copied." The Last Uzumaki grinned. "But I didn't give up. I trapped that part and then was able to copy it." Holding up the piece of paper, Anko and Kakashi were startled to see that it had on a perfect replica of her Cursed Seal of Heaven.
"I'll start working on the seal right away." Naruto promised. "Once I'm done analyzing the seal, I'll run tests until we know exactly how to remove it." The Last Uzumaki didn't even consider it would be impossible. "It might take time, but I'll get it removed." Forming a clone with a moment's concentration, Naruto missed their look of shock as a shadow clone of the blonde formed without a hand sign. "Here." They watched, still flabbergasted, as he passed the clone the paper. "Form a couple of guys and copy this. Once you have say...a dozen copies of the paper, start analyzing the seal."
"Right Boss!" The clone saluted. "Do you want Thirty-Seven to keep working on that other seal, or have him switch to this seal?"
"Hmmm..." Naruto rubbed his chin in thought. "No." Naruto decided a moment later, "Keep Thirty-Seven on that seal. See if you can find One Twenty-Three. He's also good an analyzing stuff."
The clone saluted yet again before hurrying off to carry out it's Boss's wishes. Kakashi and Anko turned to watch it go.
"Naruto," Kakashi's voice held a note of incredulity, "Did I hear that right? That some of your own shadow clones have developed their own personality?"
"Yep." Naruto nodded, apparently not seeing the issue with clone that were supposed to be exact replicas of himself developing their own personalities. He tilted his head at Kakashi. "Is there something wrong?"
It was Kakashi's turn to blink. Was there anything particularly wrong with shadow clones developing their own personalities? Was this normal for shadow clones? "No," Kakashi decided, "This is another of those things where Naruto changes the rules without realizing it. When he is able to achieve things none of us thought possible, and he doesn't even realize that what he is doing should be impossible..." Out loud, Kakashi reassured Naruto. "No. There's nothing wrong."
After a bit of small talk, Kakashi and Anko headed out, moving towards Anko's apartment. "Kaka-Kun," The purple-haired young woman finally spoke, breaking the comfortable silence between them, "Thank-you for being there for me." Her voice was quiet, and utterly thankful.
"Think nothing of it." Kakashi's reply was warm and unhesitating as he turned to smile at her from under his mask, his lone visible eye crinkling in fondness. "I'll be there anytime you need me."
Anko couldn't help but beam at him as warmth suffused her heart. Grabbing his arm, she hugged it close as they made their way down the street. Arriving at Anko's apartment, the pair headed in. Turning on the lights in the living room with a flick of her hand on the light switch, Anko trotted into the living room and plopped down on her couch.
Kakashi swallowed slightly before he made his way to the opposite end of the couch. Unlike Anko, he settled just on the edge of the couch, some part of him wanting to run; to spare Anko the truth. But they had made a deal. This was for Anko. He sighed, slowly feeling the weight of his past slowly pressing down upon him.
Anko, sensing that he need a few minutes to prepare him, turned to Hageshidesu. "Kaka-Kun and I are going to have a serious talk. Can you make sure that we aren't disturbed for any reason?" Her snake bobbed it's head in a close approximation of a nod before slithering quickly to the front door. Slipping under the rickety door, the familiar curled it's body on the front step, it's head raised and alert. Hageshidesu's yellow eyes scanned the area, almost daring anyone to try and get past it. Master and Mask Man would talk and then have happy emotion-scent. None would get passed him.
Kakashi finally collected himself. "You know of how my father died, correct?" His question was soft, but easily heard by Anko.
"Yes." Anko nodded. Almost all of the Leaf ninja knew how his father had died. Sakumo Hatake had lead a mission that ended up costing the village a great loss after Sakumo had made - what many in the village had felt was - a bad call. The once famed ninja fell into a depression and eventually took his own life after the mission. Anko was about explain what she knew, but stopped before the words could come out. Kakashi most certainly didn't want to remember that. So instead she settled for a simple, "I know what happened."
Kakashi nodded, steeling himself for the painful trip down memory lane. "After my father died, I reacted by believing that I had to follow the Ninja Code. I followed the mission directions by following them to the letter. However, given that I was perhaps more gifted than your average academy student, this came off as arrogance. I believed that since I followed closely to the ninja tenets, I could not be defeated." Kakashi chuckled. "How little I understood. Eventually I was assigned to a team so that I could earn my full Genin status. My teammates were Rin Nohara and Obito Uchiha. Our sensei was Minato Namikaze." Closing his eyes in remembrance, Kakashi fought off the feeling of sorrow that their faces brought him.
Anko waited quietly, listening to his story. She would listen as long as it took. He was her best friend, and she would be here for him, now and always.
Kakashi chuckled again, but it was a watery laugh. "It only took one spar for me to understand that I was not nearly as undefeatable as I had thought." Shaking his head, a small fond smile crossed his face. "Soon after, I learned the power of teamwork. Despite the lesson I learned, for the longest time I believed that the ninja code was the best. I viewed Obito as a clumsy and unskilled representative of the Uchiha clan. Rin was...nice. Gentle. But not a ninja."
"But..." Kakashi's voice grew slightly distant as he remembered the past. "As time passed, I began to see them as first my comrades and then later my friends. For a time, I even thought that perhaps this was the best that life could offer." The grey haired ninja's voice then hardened. "Then the Third Shinobi World War happened. I was promoted to Jonin." A self deprecating chuckle passed his lips. "In my arrogance, I thought once again that I could take anything that the world could throw at me. I was, after all, the perfect ninja. On my first mission as Jonin, I was made squad leader of Rin and Obito. I quickly used my new technique, the Chidori, to attack a Iwa nin. However, I could not keep up with my own technique and nearly died on in that forest. Minato once again saved me, but not before I received a serious wound."
Something undecipherable flashed across Kakashi's face. "Rin was a gentle and had a beautiful soul. Despite that, she was a skilled medical ninja. She was able to heal my wounds with relative ease. Soon after, Minato had to go back to the front lines." Kakashi shook his head, still amazed at the sheer combat prowess of his onetime sensei. "It actually was the now-famous Battle of the Yellow Flash that he went to. The battle that changed the entire course of the war. Minato took down an entire army by himself on that day." Kakashi blinked, once more focusing on the past. "But at the time, we were unaware of that battle. Instead we ended up fighting for our lives against the two Iwa ninja who were looking for the Iwa ninja Minato had killed."
"They ambushed us and managed to capture Rin. To my now eternal shame, I voted that we continue the mission and leave Rin to her fate. It was what a perfect ninja would do."
Kakashi sighed, his shoulders heaving with the effort. "But Obito...he understood something that I did not. Sometimes we have choices to make. What we chose defines us, makes us who we are." Fondness once again colored his tone. "When I announced my intentions to go on, Obito punched me. As I lay on the ground, stunned, he told me something that I will never forget." Kakashi glanced at Anko. "Do you know what it was?"
Anko shook her head, sensing that this was another piece of history that made Kakashi into the good man she knew he was.
"He told me that 'Those who break the rules are scum. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum.' He then told me that if he was going to be scum, he would rather be scum, then less then scum." Kakashi's voice was distant as he remembered. "He then told me that my father was a hero. That even though his decision ultimately ended badly for the village, my father was right to chose to save his team."
Another sigh. "But even then, I would not relent. I headed to continue the mission. Like a good little ninja. While Obito did what I should have done. He headed to find and rescue Rin. I headed off, so sure that I was right to continue the mission. But..." Kakashi shook his head, "Obito's words ate at me, picking away at my self-righteous attitude. The grey haired ninja forced himself back to the present. "Eventually, I turned around and headed back, back towards my comrades; towards my friends."
Kakashi steeled himself, pushing himself to finish this section of his story in one attempt. "When I found Obito - Not that his trail was hard to follow, he always was terrible at hiding his tracks -, he was about to be attacked by one of the two Iwa nin. I deflected the attack, but in the process I lost my eye." The grey haired ninja's hand drifted up subconsciously to touch the headband covering his one eye. " During the battle, Obito finally awakened his Sharingan, letting him kill the attacking shinobi." Kakashi took a deep breath. "I bandaged my eye as Obito explained that he had found where the last Iwa shinobi had taken Rin. It was a cave not far from the site of our latest battle."
"We headed deep into the cave. Two heroes to save the maiden. The following battle with the Iwa ninja was brutal, but in the end we emerged victorious. We freed Rin and started to head out." Tired anger traced Kakashi's tone. "But the Iwa ninja wasn't as dead as we thought. Seeking to bury us alive, he caused the cave, already weakened by our battle, to start to collapse. I was tired and wounded. Due to the disorientation caused by only having one eye, I missed a rock on the floor. I tumbled to the ground just inside the cave entrance. The ceiling began to fall on me."
Despite seeing Kakashi alive and well in front of her, Anko couldn't help but grip the arm of the couch tighter as he continued. "But then Obito was there. He grabbed me and tossed me clear. The ceiling crushed him into the ground for his heroics." Kakashi fought the tears that threatened to trickle out of his eyes at the memory. He swallowed, doing his best to distance himself from the memory.
"The rock instantly crushed half of Obito's body." Kakashi's attempt to sound clinical and detached was only mostly successful. "Even as he lay dying, he was there for me." The grey haired ninja swallowed again, his emotions stirring up at the memory from long ago. "I was devastated by his rapidly approaching death. I believed that I was a failure, not fit to lead, or even to be a ninja. But then Obito said something to me." Sadness mixed with equal parts amazement colored his tone. "He said that I would make a great leader and even a better ninja. I asked him how he could believe that, even as his body was shutting down, dying from a blow he took for me."
"His reply was simple. 'Because I believe in you'."
Anko politely looked away as Kakashi swiped away the lone tear that had escaped his control. "Obito believed in me so much that he gave me his remaining eye, so that he could help me become the ninja he believed I could be." Kakashi's voice grew emotionless as he continued. "Rin was able to successfully implant Obito's eye. While she did it, I held Obito's hand until it grew cold."
Something sparked deep in his lone grey eye. "When we had finished, Rin and I headed out. But the Iwa ninja still hadn't stayed dead." A vicious sort of amusement flickered across Kakashi's face. "But he wasn't ready for me this time. With the aid of Obito's - now mine by his request - Sharingan, I was able to gain full control over my Chidori. The Iwa nin died. It was...almost easy with the Sharingan."
Kakashi blinked, suddenly aware that he had been talking for sometime without any real pause. "Let me grab you a drink." Anko, sensing her best friend's mood, hopped off of the couch to give Kakashi the time he needed to recover before they continued.
"And here you go." Anko handed Kakashi a drink of cool, clean water once she had spied that he seemed to be ready to continue.
"Thank-you," Kakashi murmured, once again thankful for her thoughtfulness. "What would I do without her?" The water was cold and crisp, wetting his parched throat and clearing his mind. Slowly sipping the drink to buy himself some time, the grey-haired ninja cast a quick glance of at Anko, marveling once again at how pretty she looked in the simple white dress.
With a mental shake of his head, Kakashi forced those thoughts out of his mind. Once she heard his unforgivable sin, she would not want to be close to him. Still, Anko deserved to know. She was, after all, his best friend.
"It was near the end of the Third Shinobi War when it happened. My greatest sin. My unforgivable sin." Kakashi swallowed, attempting to force back the emotions that attempted to crush him. "After I gained the Sharingan, I quickly made a name for myself. And as always, Rin, my gentle best friend, was there for me." There was tenderness in his voice that stirred something close to envy in Anko. She shook it off with effort, reminding herself that it was not the time to think about herself. This was for Kakashi.
"And then one day, she was captured by Kiri." Kakashi shivered slightly, remembering the mind-numbing terror that he had felt when he had heard the news. "I searched for her for several weeks, not taking breaks or missions." Kakashi letting out a shuddering sigh, once again having to force his rampaging emotions down. "Then, I caught word of her from one of the Kiri patrols I was trailing. She was being transferred to a different area. She would be passing my location a short distance away in two days." It was nearly an insurmountable task to push the memories and emotions back.
"I waited there for two days." Kakashi's right hand began to tremble slightly, unnoticed by the grey haired ninja. "Almost a dozen Kiri Jonin and ANBU-level Kiri Shinobi were there with her. I didn't care." Kakashi swallowed the painful lump in his throat. "I was prepared to die for her. To make sure she made it back safely." Tears burned at his eyelids. "But when I confronted the group, Rin didn't greet me with joy." The trembling in his hand increased. "She begged me to kill her."
Anko felt her stomach drop and her heart wrench at the pain in Kakashi's voice. But she knew that the tragedy that had befallen him was only beginning.
"Kiri had apparently sealed the Three-tailed Demon Beast in her. They planned on having her return to the Leaf village and then unleashing the Biju." Kakashi's voice was oddly detached, but Anko detected a tremor of emotion running through it. "But Rin didn't want for her friends to die. So she begged, begged!, me to kill her." Kakashi shuddered in remembered horror at her request. "I refused. I would not kill her." A lone tear burned its way down his face. "But Rin was always so determined. She always was, even when she was healing someone." His hand trembled.
"So when I created the Chidori and lunged at one of the Kiri Jonin, she used almost all of her chakra to switch places with him." Kakashi's gaze moved down to his right hand, seeing the phantom blood that still stained it. "The Chidori tore through her chest like it was paper." Anko gasped, the sound unheard by the still guilty ninja. "She didn't die instantly. She had enough strength to thank me." There was a broken rawness in his words that caused tears to stream down Anko's face at the pain in his tone. "And then, she told me that she loved me." Kakashi's tone was nothing but a broken whisper.
Another tear slid down his cheek unnoticed as he continued to stare at the hand that had killed her, the blood still real to him. "And you know what the best part of all was?" The chuckle was sad and filled with depression. "Kiri lied. They hadn't managed to seal the Three Tails into her. Rin died for nothing."
Kakashi's voice was nothing more than a ghost of a whisper. "And that is my sin. My unforgivable sin. Something that should never be forgiven. I killed my best friend, who loved me." Even in the grips of that terrible memory, Kakashi wait for Anko's voice to order him to leave. Expecting it, and not daring to hope for anything else.
Anko scrunched her eyes shut, damming the tears. She could cry later for Kakashi's sake. Now she had to be strong for Kakashi. Just as he had been strong for her. Sliding across the couch, the purple-haired woman didn't hesitate. She pulled him into a hug, shoving every warm and comforting feeling she felt for him into it. Kakashi stiffened at the contact. She didn't relent.
"It's not your fault." Her voice was a soft murmur, but carried utter conviction in its tone. "It was never your fault."
Kakashi sat stiffly in her embrace. He didn't deserve her comfort. "But I should have been stronger. I should have been able to check to verify her story. I should have been faster."
"No." Anko's words were still quiet, but held an undertone of uncompromising iron. "It was terrible what happened. My heart breaks for you. But it was not your fault. It was never your fault. Rin would have never blamed you. I don't blame you. Naruto would not blame you. No one would blame you. It was not your fault." Kakashi didn't instantly refute her words. Anko pressed on.
"You didn't attack the Kiri ninja to kill her. You attacked the ninja to save her. What she did was her own choice. It was not your fault. It was not your sin." Anko felt the grey-haired ninja shudder in her arms as she continued, desperately trying to get him to see himself as the same good man she knew he was. "You do not have to carry this burden. It is not yours to carry."
All of the emotions he was trying to hold back crashed through his fragile barrier. Kakashi leaned into her embrace, allowing himself to grieve for all that he had lost for the first time in his life. Even as he grieved, Kakashi didn't make a sound. A few tears coursed down his face as he drank in Anko's strength, letting her be his rock. Anko blinked away the tears, focusing on being the strength; the rock; the stability he needed right now. She would be his strength as long as he needed her to be.
The shadows grew long as time passed, but it was both infinite and timeless inside Anko's house. Eventually Kakashi pulled back. "Hey." Anko's voice was soft and caring, "How are you feeling?"
Kakashi wiped the wet tears from his face with the back of his hand, somehow not feeling embarrassed by his tears in front of her. "I feel..." Kakashi grappled for a word to use for how he felt. He felt utterly drained, but at the same time, relieved; as if a burden he was so used to carrying had lessened. "I feel...alright." The word seemed underwhelming and inadequate to describe how he was feeling, but he knew no other word. "Thank-you." He had never been more thankful for Anko like he had felt in that moment. She had seen his guilt and had not turned away. She had seen his broken soul and had embraced him. She had seen his vulnerability, and still believed in him.
Anko was aware that she could press the advantage that she had. She could lean closer and kiss him, but that was not what she wanted. She wanted a relationship, if they ever became more then friends, to be something they both wanted, not a byproduct of a moment of vulnerability. Standing, Anko smiled warmly at her best friend. "Let me grab a blanket and pillow. You can sleep here tonight."
Kurenai nervously stood at the gateway to the Sarutobi compound. She hadn't wanted to come; hadn't wanted to disturb her love, but Anko's words from earlier continued to echo in her mind.
"...and you get over there and help him. Even if you can't assist with any clan things, you'll be there for him. And that will be enough."
A moment later the gates swung inwards. Moving inside the compound, her sharp eyes instantly located Asuma. The dark marks under his eyes told her how he had been sleeping.
"What are you doing here?" Asuma's voice was confused, but not reprimanding.
Kurenai couldn't help cursing herself. She had forgotten that she was supposed to be there for him. But...if Anko could gather the courage to go out with Kakashi...she could do the same. Kurenai swore to herself in that moment, looking at the hope hidden deep inside Asuma's eyes, that she would never leave him to face life alone again. This...was her promise.
The rest of the week past swiftly. Change was in the air, but it was still a tentative thing. For Naruto and those close to him, they spent their days training, now aware of how far they still had to go in order to protect those closest to them. His clones had made great strides on the seals, and were now working on deciphering the most intricate parts of the seals. Soon, Monday morning rolled around and Naruto found himself waiting at the Eastern Gate just after dawn. Only moments after he arrived, Jiraiya strolled up to the gate.
"Did you say good-bye to your...girl space friends?" There was a teasing note to the white-haired Sannin's words.
"Yep." Naruto nodded before a sheepish and cautionary look crossed his face. "But you might want to avoid coming over to my house for a little while." He confessed.
Jiraiya indicated his thanks at Naruto's warning. He tried to avoid having his more important bits forcibly removed. "Thanks for the advice."
The two headed out, a comfortable silence between the two that wasn't broken until well after midday. "Naruto," Jiraiya's voice was conversational, but held a hint of mirth, "How would you like to learn the Rasengan?"
Naruto halted. "You mean you would teach me?" It was humbling to know that Jiraiya considered him strong enough to teach. Jiraiya nodded, aware of what he was asking. The Rasengan was create by Minato, Naruto's father.
"It's time you learned your father's signature move." Jiraiya took a dramatic step forward and spun to face his apprentice. "And now my young and hopefully impressionable apprentice, I will teach you the lost art of the Rasengan in three steps!" With a puff of smoke a balloon filled with water appeared in the Toad Sannin's hand. Naruto blinked.
"First, you want to burst this filled with water with nothing more than your chakra." Jiraiya paused for a moment before clarifying. "You have to rotate the water with your chakra. Simply exploding the balloon is not what we are looking for."
Naruto's focus was almost entirely on the red balloon sitting on his hand, using only the minimum required attention to avoid dips in the road as they walked down it. "Rotation." Naruto attempted to spin his chakra. The water vibrated, but it didn't burst. "No. That's not it." He tried flinging his chakra, like one would a stone in a sling. The side of the balloon bulged, but it didn't…feel right. Next, he tried to spin the water, snapping his chakra in as small of bursts as he could. The red latex ball stayed obstinately whole.
Something whispered deep within his mind. "What if I rotate it?" Naruto closed his eyes, intending on only imagining how the chakra would rotate for the briefest of instants. It would be a blue ball, spinning on it's axis…
Pain.
It spiked into his skull like a piston. Outside, Naruto's left hand came up to grip his head with enough force to almost draw blood. The blond ninja had stopped dead, his eyes closed.
Naruto slowly opened his eyes, vaguely aware that something warm was trickling down from his nose. He viewed his arm, now clad in blue clothing, with detached interest. The edges of his vision was blurry, like a photo that was out of focus. His arm and hand were different, some distant part of him noted, even as the hand flexed. Bright blue chakra began to swirl in the hand's palm, rotating in a dozen different directions at once. The ball of chakra grew, humming with power. The last Uzumaki tilted his head, starting down at the hand, noting its well-worn calluses compared to his own uncalloused flesh.
The ball fully formed, silently glowing with an ominous lethality. The hand flexed again, instantly extinguishing the fully formed Rasengan. A moment later the chakra began to spin again, faster this time. Faster. He had to create it faster. The thought was familiar, but not his own. Thrice more was the legendary technique was created and extinguished. Then it happened, the hand that was not Naruto's twitched, and the Rasengan spin to life.
Pain.
Naruto blinked, the world snapping back into focus. Flickering blue light to his right side drew his attention. The Last Uzumaki stared in wonder at his right palm. Sitting inside the palm was nestled a Rasengan, spinning with a lethal blur. Somehow he knew that it wasn't exactly correct, the flickering showing that it was unstable, verging on exploding. Looking upwards, he watched Jiraiya smile proudly at him, warmth filling him at the white-haired Sannin's expression. Then a look of alarm slowly replaced the proud grin. Naruto felt confused. Why was Jiraiya worried?
There was a sticky wetness on his upper lip. Curious, he wiped his finger across his lip, before bringing the now wet digit to his vision. A wave of utter exhaustion crashed into him like wave.
PAIN!
Blood. His finger was coated in blood. Pain, so fierce that it drove the air from his lungs, struck yet again and Naruto was too exhausted to fight it. Unconsciousness welcomed him into its painless embrace.
The rock was drab, deliberately so. It was so plain that it was dismissed, it's ordinariness it's camouflage. But what it hid was anything but ordinary. It hid halls of a secret base. The halls were made of stone, but were too perfect to have been carved by human hands, and they networked their way under the surface. And down one of those too-perfect halls two figures strode, heading towards one of the numerous exits.
Itachi Uchiha moved quickly towards the entrance. He and his partner, Kisame Hoshigaki, had been tasked with a mission. As the Uchiha opened the door to the side, he remembered receiving his mission.
"Itachi. Kisame." The voice was slightly distorted by the mask on the leader's face. "We have just received some very interesting news. Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi, has left his village to travel alone with Jiraiya on a training mission."
Kisame shared a glance with Itachi. While neither of them were easily frightened by any ninja, Jinchuriki were a completely different type of monster all together. And this was the one that held the Nine-tails?
"You are not to capture him. You are to judge his fighting abilities. Press him. Find out how strong he is. Learn how he fights so when we go to capture him, we will know how to defeat him." The leader's voice hardened. "But make no mistake. Naruto Uzumaki is not one to be taking lightly. He defeated the Shukaku without having to fully draw upon the Kyubi's chakra."
The leader's gaze shifted to Itachi. "Itachi, your Tsukuyomi will be instrumental in fully learning on how powerful the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi is." The leader turned away to once again gaze at the glowing artifact behind him. "Dismissed."
Itachi let the door click shut behind him, the entrance melting back into the ground with unnatural fluidness. "Naruto-Kun," Itachi lifted his gaze to the distance, "Show me how much you have grown." Beside him, Kisame grinned like a shark, his expression eager, his bloodlust for battle only slightly tempered by his caution. It wouldn't be long now. All they had to do was find the Last Uzumaki. Then the game could begin.
So what did you guys think? Drop a review and let me know.
In addition, I free admit that I have no idea how any one - females especially, given that I am male - gets ready for a date/not-date. I apologize if I got anything wrong.
To my reviewer's direct questions:
Animaman: Orochimaru isn't more powerful than in canon. However, unlike in canon, I simply increased his cunning to closer match his intellect. As far as Tsunade goes, you'll just have to see. She after all, has some explaining to do to Naruto. That being said, Tsunade, when properly motivated, is nigh-impossible to stop.