Hey! So, um, very embarrassing, I realised I never posted this chapter, though I had it in my doc manager. It's now done and, for those who would miss it, I'll put a message at the beginning of chapter 65 encouraging you to check it out. This is chapter 62: The Kusajin Genin. Sorry for the mistake, see you soon!

When the sun rose, Hitomi felt a bit better, her head barely clear enough for her to feel like an echo of herself. She slid off her cats' embrace and watched them sleep for a moment. She didn't want to wake them up, they needed the rest. In silence, she opened her wardrobe, put on her battle outfit, adjusted her tantō so her hand would naturally fall on its guard. The gestures were a habit, a ritual, almost comforting in a way.

She found her mother, Ensui and Yoshino all sitting around the table when she came downstairs, her hands busy twisting her hair into a messy ponytail. They looked at her with worry, which made her frown and look away. She was… no, she wasn't okay, but she wasn't bad either. She just needed to unwind, to put her mind to work, to exhaust all the energy buzzing in her body in the hope it would fight off the sickening powerlessness sticking to her skin – and maybe then she could feel alive again.

"It's been a few days since your last spar with swords, hasn't it? You'll fight both Yoshino-san and me today."

Ensui's voice sparked a wave of relief inside her. He understood, and she wanted to sob with relief. Instead, she nodded and walked to the garden; it was the first time in years that she didn't even attempt to eat breakfast, because she knew she'd vomit it immediately. The memories were still too fresh, and her Library not quite ready yet to put them away where they belonged, behind the Door, the one that had ended up with an uppercase in her head, like it was its own place.

The two adults found her there as she greeted the sun, the routine of those movements warming up her muscles as always. Her fingers and wrists were still a bit sore, but she knew she'd soon put those sensations behind her. Ensui and Yoshino were redoubtable opponents alone; together, they'd be a challenge even when holding themselves back. And she needed it.

At their mark, she took a fighting stance. As soon as Ensui moved, her shadow formed a protective circle around her feet and she raised her tantō to welcome him. She took his shadow with hers, forced him to lift his right hand then let go of him and tried to take advantage of the opening she had created in his guard. In vain. He was too fast for her.

She barely had time to retreat, avoiding Yoshino's fist which flew only a few millimetres away from her face. Her aunt fought with her bare hands. Against a real opponent, she used chakra scalpels as weapons, but she didn't want to injure her niece too seriously. The two adults attacked Hitomi mercilessly, forcing her to dodge, parry, step back, again and again.

They didn't give her any respite and she didn't land even one hit on them, collecting dozens of bruises and the taste of blood in her mouth in return. When they were done with her, Ensui's shadow wrapped around her ankles to keep her in place as Yoshino took her neck in a solid lock, careful to give her space to breath, her whole body was shaking with exhaustion, but the ferocious gleam was back in her eyes. The two Jōnin let go of her and she collapsed on the grass, shivering and breathless.

Without a word, Ensui helped her sit, took her right leg between his hand and started working on the muscles. Yoshino would have done a better job of stretching and massaging it with chakra, but Hitomi knew her master's hands better; she needed them most. He hoped to reduce the soreness she'd feel the next day and understood with a look on her face that she couldn't do it herself. It wasn't the first time he had to do it for her. They often trained beyond reason, they always had. It was what she wanted, after all, and he couldn't deny her anything.

"I went to the hospital this morning," Yoshino said as she came back, a jug of lemonade in one hand and glasses in the other. "They say Hayate will pull through, but they had to put him in a coma once they could cancel the stasis seal. You saved his life, kiddo. Congrats."

"But I… I wish I could do more."

"Most of your peers don't know anything about seals or medical ninjutsu, Hitomi. What could Chōji or Shikamaru have done more if they had been in your place? Those standards you hold yourself to are far too high."

"But…"

"No, Hitomi. The first life you save should fill you with joy, not guilt."

A long silence punctuated Yoshino's words, as if to emphasise the truth they held. Hitomi closed her eyes, rubbed her temples despite the tremors in her hands. On her back, Ensui's long, strong fingers traced comforting swirls, reminding her of the long nights in Sunagakure, spent working on her first seal. How she missed those days…

"Will he be able to stay a shinobi?" she asked after a long silence.

"Probably not," Yoshino sighed. "But Hayate has always been sickly, kiddo. He had to leave ANBU because of it and, in one or two years tops, he planned on becoming an Academy teacher or find work in the Hokage Tower. His life will be, in his and his loved ones' eyes, far more precious than his career."

Hitomi suddenly remembered Uzuki Yūgao, Hayate's fiancée seen during a few chapters of the manga. The way she had touched his headstone, her expression as she put back her ANBU mask… Hitomi had stopped that from happening. Barely. And 'barely' was the problem, wasn't it? It wasn't good enough, to barely stop events from happening. It forced her to improvise and, when she did, she had less time to think about the consequences of her actions or about the crucial little details. 'Barely' could get her killed.

"I'm not asking you to put your feelings behind you," Yoshino continued, her voice softening, "only to think about it. You're not almighty, Hitomi, you can't save the whole world. Hero complex is deadly in our world."

Hitomi let out a nervous laugh, her thoughts meandering to Naruto. Her adopted brother was an excellent example of her aunt's words, with his propension for hurling himself in trouble again and again. Honestly, she wasn't any better than him. She had been given her forehead protector three short months ago, and she had already brushed against death several times, had even looked it in the eyes when she had failed to dodge Orochimaru. Only the absurd luck that balanced Team Seven's trouble magnet had kept her alive.

She had to wake up, to leave her torpor, because future events wouldn't wait for her to be ready before they happened. The next reef on her path, the next turn Konoha's politics would take, would be its invasion during the tournament. She had doubted it would happen, since Gaara, the diversion in the canon, would have refused to do it in this world. However, the attack on Hayate confirmed beyond any doubt that the invasion would indeed happen. Orochimaru would attack. She just didn't know if Sunagakure would fight with him but what difference did it make, really?

A cold determination written on her features, Hitomi stood back up. She was hurting all over, but she didn't want to stop, didn't want to stay unoccupied even for a moment. Her hand firm again, she unsheathed her tantō as Ensui did the same with his katana. With a little sigh, Yoshino decided to stand back this time, so she could heal the cuts and bruises her niece would undoubtedly collect during this fight.

For a long time, the garden was full of the noise of blade against blade. Twice, Yoshino had to step in and heal Hitomi. Except for that, she held her own. Ensui was always making sure to turn dodging into a reflex for his apprentice and he didn't spare her too much when he did so. Of course, he held back, or she would be dead in a moment, but that didn't mean he treated her like she was porcelain.

Kurenai came to fetch them at nightfall. Dinner was ready. The young mother had spent the day at Hinata's bedside; the girl was awake now, but wasn't allowed to have too many visitors. Around the table, the woman told her guests and daughter how her student was forbidden from even leaving her bed without help. Hitomi bit her lips, looking down to her plate. She could go see Hinata, bring her books so she wouldn't get bored. The Yūhi heir hadn't dared visit her ex-girlfriend yet. They were still friends, but the shadow of their past relationship kept them apart and she had a hard time admitting how much it hurt.

The next day, she gathered her courage, filled a backpack with novels and went to the hospital before she could change her mind. She didn't want to give even the slightest opportunity to her desire to flee to take the upper hand. Hinata didn't deserve that. She didn't bother stopping at the counter, since her mother had given her the room number. Contrary to the civilians huddled next to the elevators, she chose the stairs. She needed to move, anyway.

She rapped her knuckles against the doorframe and entered the room when she was allowed to. Hinata looked so tiny in the white sheets of her bed, her features creased by exhaustion, dark shadows under her eyes. Her hands slightly shaking, Hitomi approached. She felt intimidated, nervous, and her eyes glanced at the window several times as if escaping through it was acceptable behaviour. Stupid and useless. Hinata couldn't hurt her, especially in this state. "I… Uh, I wanted to bring you books, so you can keep your mind busy if you want."

She left the spot near the door where she had frozen and sat on the chair that someone, probably her mother, had left at Hinata's bedside. Under her friend's eyes, she started unpacking the books and took the time to describe the content of each one. Hinata sometimes asked a question, but she mostly kept silent. They were both careful not to speak about the shadow keeping them apart. Such wounds never completely healed. Their relationship hadn't ended, it had been torn away.

"Please, Hitomi, don't hate Neji for what he did," Hinata whispered after a while. She was staring at her bandaged hands, white on white. Hitomi was grateful for it – that way she didn't have to hide her surprise, her anger. She wanted to hate Neji. Wanted to hurt him. The Whisper shivered in approval in her mind. It would help her tear the teenager apart, make it so easy, so gratifying. "Please, Hitomi. I know you're angry. I heard what you did to him after I w-was taken away. It's not his fault. He's a victim."

And it was just so much like Hinata to describe the boy who had almost murdered her as a victim. Hitomi pinched her lips together, rubbed her thumb against the braided silk wrapped around her tantō's guard. She couldn't refuse this. She knew she couldn't. "I'll try not to hate him," she promised, "but I won't treat him as a friend either. Mostly, I'm going to make sure I don't see him any more than strictly necessary. Is it good enough?"

The girl nodded, and they went back to a normal discussion punctuated with long silences. After an hour or so, Hitomi made sure Hinata was okay and didn't need anything, then left. The energy running through her body, foul and fretful, made her want to break things again. She decided to leave through the roof and turned around, walking to the stairs. She went up and up but, in the middle of a corridor on the fifth floor, she froze. She knew the name written in red ink next to this door.

Uzumaki Karin.

Her eyes went wide and her breath itched in her chest. She rummaged through her memories but knew that nothing, absolutely fucking nothing, had hinted at the possibility of this in the canon. Wasn't Naruto's cousin supposed to be in Orochimaru's service somewhere in the Land of Rice Fields? Frowning, she knocked at the door.

"You can come in!" a muffled voice answered behind it.

She walked in after making sure her features were displaying an amicable expression, and discovered the stranger putting on a jumper – thus explaining the muffled sound of her voice. She didn't know the girl and yet she recognised her, recognised her bright red hair and just as red eyes behind her glasses.

"Hum, who are you?" the girl asked, looking her up and down. "I don't know you. Am I in trouble?"

"Ah, err, no, don't worry about it."

After a moment of hesitation, Hitomi closed the door behind her and looked around the room. There wasn't much to see: everything was white, clean, impersonal. Where Hinata had received flowers, cards, little trinkets and chocolate, Karin had nothing. Maybe it was because she wasn't from Konoha… but then, she couldn't have come to the village alone. Where were the people who had come with her, why weren't they visiting? She looked seriously injured, with bandages all over her arms and the belly she had briefly seen when entering. Someone had to worry about her, but there was no sign of it whatsoever.

"Hum… I came in because you have the exact same clan name as someone I know. Uzumaki Naruto. Well… Uzumaki-Yūhi Naruto. He's my adopted baby brother."

A dumbfounded silence welcomed her words. Karin stared at her for a few moments, her lips parted. Her eyes were wide, her posture stiff. "A-are you sure? Are you sure it's his name?"

The vulnerability in the other girl's voice moved Hitomi. She nodded firmly and took a step forwards. "I'm sure."

"I-I have a cousin?"

"I guess he's your cousin, yes. The Uzumaki were a huge clan before they were destroyed. Many civilians from the clan and a few shinobi managed to escape the massacre. Most of them still live in the Land of Whirlpools and in the Land of Fire. Our two countries have been allied forever, after all."

"I didn't even know that the Uzumaki were a real clan…"

Hitomi frowned, surprised. She hesitated then decided to sit at Karin's bedside, like she had done earlier for Hinata. For almost an hour, she told the girl about the Uzumaki clan and its history with Konoha, told her about Uzumaki Mito, the first jinchūriki, about Uzumaki Kushina, the last to have hosted the Kyūbi before Naruto ended up as a host himself. Everything she said about the decimated clan, she had read it in the village archives. She had known about some details beforehand thanks to the Previous World, but most had been new to her. For example, the fact that no one knew who was to blame for the massacre. It seemed so preposterous to her that an attack that had wiped out an entire Hidden Village remained unpunished.

"How did you arrive here?" she ended up asking. "I've never seen you before and I know you're not one of our kunoichi. The Uzumaki clan is a topic in our history class."

"You're right… I came for the Chūnin exam with a Kusajin team. We went through the first stage without problem but, in the Forest of Death… Ninjas from Konohagakure k-killed my teammates and I managed to escape. I don't even know how I survived! I was so terrified…"

When she saw Karin on the brink of tears, Hitomi wrapped an arm around her thin shoulders and pulled her close. The girl didn't fight it, but didn't melt into the hug either, which was understandable. "Konohajin shinobi, huh? Do you know their names, or could you describe them to me?" After all, she wanted to stay far away from people who would kill for a freaking exam. Kill to survive? Yes. Kill to accomplish a mission? Yes. Kill for the hope of being promoted? Freaking no.

"T-they had glasses, all three of them, and were dressed in black. Two wore cloth over their face and hair, but the other didn't. He had silver hair."

Hitomi stiffened, her hand twitched on Karin's shoulder. A cruel gleam appeared in her dark red eyes. "Yakushi Kabuto and his buddies. One of them died during the preliminaries. The others have been found guilty of treason and desertion. They work with Orochimaru. If they ever come back to Konoha, they're dead."

After a moment of silence, Hitomi softened again, her grip turning to a gentle rub. She was trying to imitate the way Ensui or Kakashi behaved with her when she felt bad, when she was afraid or distressed. What harm could it cause? "They won't hurt you anymore. For as long as you're here, you'll be protected. The village is our crown, and the hospital one of its jewels."

And, just like that, a brilliant idea lit up her whole Library. She offered Karin her sweetest smile and tried to appear as appeasing and innocent as she possibly could. "You might… You might be able to stay in the village forever. Your name allows you to claim citizenship, no matter how you ended up in Kusagakure. The Hokage won't refuse a ninja willing to work and, that way, you could meet Naruto and spend time with him. He's so cute, a ray of sunshine, and incredibly nice. He'd be so glad to have family here. Of course, he has our mother, our brother and myself, but he'd be glad to have you all the same."

She stopped talking then, allowing the idea to wiggle its way into Karin's brain. Her forehead protector was nowhere in sight, and loyal shinobi hated not having it on. There was absolutely no trace of anyone caring for her in the room, which meant she didn't have a sensei. As for family… Not likely. The way she had reacted to the mention of someone sharing her name, the famished gleam in her eyes and the hope in her voice – Hitomi knew those signs all too well.

"I-I'm not sure I want to fight again, to be a ninja again. I think I'm scared…" Karin looked down to her bandaged hands, shame obvious on her features.

Hitomi nodded with understanding. If she hadn't loved fighting so much, the fear would have gotten the best of her long ago. Karin didn't look or sound like a warrior. She seemed shy, withdrawn. She had probably become a ninja by default rather than passion. "Konoha doesn't only recruit fighters. You know, our hospital is one of the best in the whole Elemental Nations. Thirty years ago, these corridors were inhabited by a legendary surgeon and medic nin, Senju Tsunade-sama. Do you know any medical ninjutsu?"

The girl perked up then and nodded energetically. She straightened up on the bed, her eyes shining with pride and hope for the first time. "Yeah! I'm very good, even. I have a hidden skill that allows me to heal any wound but, since it's chakra-expensive, I learned everything I could so I could use it only when even medical ninjutsu fails. Of course, I still have loads to learn."

Hitomi raised her eyebrows. She didn't have any trouble showing interest. She was interested, after all. "You mean the dormant Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai? My grandfather – my clan was a branch of the Uzumaki ages ago, long before the villages and such – told me it was very rare, only present in a minor branch of the clan that had been mixed with a clan from the Land of Iron."

"That's where the samurais live, right?"

"Yep! They use their chakra differently than we do, but they welcomed clans that fled the Hidden Villages because they didn't want to go to war."

The two girls chatted for a while, then it was time for Hitomi to leave. She promised to come back the next day with the paperwork Karin would need to file for citizenship at the Hokage's office and decided to go to the Tower directly to get them. She joked around with Shiranui Genma, who looked half dead with boredom and had probably lost a bet to be stuck behind a desk like that. Only then did she walk to her therapist's office. It was time for her session; something cold coiled in her belly in reaction to that thought.

Talking to Fukuda had become an obvious action for Hitomi. She just had to step into the room, sit on one of the chairs, and her tongue came undone. She told the therapist about Hayate, about the blood she still dreamed on her hands, about the feelings carved in her mind, and she cried, finally. She had expected some relief to wash over her, but it wasn't the case. Patient and gentle as ever, Fukuda worked through the anxiety attack that was hitting her, then taught her breathing and relaxation exercises that would maybe help her in the future.

She left her appointment raw and on edge, as always. Lee was waiting for her outside, a box of chocolates in his hand. As soon as she saw him, she rushed into his arms and kissed him, neither shy nor prude. Surprised, the boy caught her and held her close. His free hand tightened on her hip and his shoulders stiffened slightly. He let out a tiny groan when she brushed her tongue against his lower lip, pressing her harder against his torso. An old man who was entering the building coughed, making Lee straighten up with a deep blush. His eyes were wide and his breath a bit shallow as he looked down to her, worrying his lower lip. "Hum, h-hello to you too. Difficult day?"

Hitomi answered with a contrite smile at first, intertwining her fingers with his. She liked the rough feeling of his bandages against her skin, the strength in his hands and the way they always treated her with delicacy and carefulness. Liked too how she could make him lose his grip on reality with a kiss. It gave her a kind of power she realised she liked a lot. As they started walking at a leisurely pace, she put her head against his shoulder.

"You might have heard about it from your sensei. Two nights ago, the referee for the preliminaries was attacked by an unknown assailant. I felt the smell of blood, I don't know how, and I followed. I-I found him on the verge of death, but Ensui-shishou taught me a stasis seal that keeps you in the exact state you're in until a true medic can get to you. It saved his life, but he didn't wake up yet and he won't be a ninja ever again."

"You feel guilty about that, don't you?"

She looked down but pulled him closer. "… yeah. Yeah, I feel guilty. I should have smelled the blood earlier, and maybe do better, or, I don't know…"

"You'll do better next time. It's okay if your actions aren't perfect. The important part is that you make progress."

They arrived at the little café they liked to go to after Hitomi's appointments with her therapist. The cosiness of the place made the girl think about her journey by Ensui's side, and the pastries and drinks were so good she didn't want to go anywhere else for them. Without letting go of his girlfriend's hand, Lee ordered a wide choice then took her to their usual table, apart from the rest of the room and with him able to see the door. There were more people than usual, but the staff knew them well and made sure to keep that table empty for them once a week. In silence, the boy sat on the comfortable bench then pulled Hitomi next to him so she could put her head on his shoulder again.

"I can see how hard this whole affair has been on you. Do you have something to keep busy and take your mind off it?"

A warm smile appeared on the young Yūhi's lips, despite the topic they were talking about. Lee was so attentive to the little details about her. They hadn't started going out that long ago, and yet he already understood how her mind worked and what helped her go through a crisis. A little purr low in her throat, she kissed him again, her hand brushing against the nape of his neck. He shivered, his eyes closing in delight, groaned again and kissed her back.

"I'm gonna end up falling hard for you if you continue all this, you know?" she said when they broke the kiss.

He welcomed her words with a dumbfounded silence, then a smile slowly bloomed on his lips. He pulled her closer, his strong fingers toying with a strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail. "Nothing would make me happier. I'd simply love you back with all my might."

She let out a little laugh and kissed him again. Their order arrived, but they didn't stop and the waiter didn't say anything, used to their public demonstrations of affection. All shinobi were that way outside of a work setting. They lived fully, expected death to hit at every turn and made the most of every moment. Civilians couldn't always understand but, in a place like a Hidden Village, they had learned to deal with it. Who could even boss a ninja around anyway? Not them, that was for sure. Even muzzled with mission orders and honour codes, the dogs were never tied up.

"Your hot cocoa won't be so hot anymore if we don't take a break from kissing," Lee said after a little while.

"Oh, we can't have that now, can we?"

"No… No, we can't. But what we can do is spend the evening together. Would you like it?"

Hitomi didn't even think about it. She needed this, needed his sweet and trustworthy presence next to her, his hands on her, around her, his kisses, the mix of innocence and attention he offered her without ever holding back. She drank a sip of her hot cocoa, which had indeed already started to cool down, then put their intertwined hands on her companion's thigh. "Of course I'd like it. Something particular in mind?"

"That, my dear, is something I shall keep secret until tonight."

Hitomi couldn't help but burst out laughing and, just like that, it was settled. She could only thank the gods and entities and whatever, whoever was watching over her for the young man who helped her face little and larger ordeals coming her way.