Chapter 7: The Bonds that Make Life Worth Living (Kaito)

"You should come with me to his tombstone," Minato said after he read the last words of Kaito's report. It had been a month since he dropped off Kurenai at the hospital after the rescue mission in the Land of Waves. Since then, he'd been in countless meetings with Minato and sent on several more scouting missions to the region.

"Sorry, whose tombstone?" Kaito said in confusion.

"Obito's."

Oh.

He had forgotten that the anniversary of Obito's death was today. Yet another similarity between his previous reality and this new one. Both he and Minato had the opportunity and pleasure of teaching the young Uchiha. But unfortunately, both had ended in the same outcome. The young Uchiha tragically died two years ago during the Kannabi bridge offensive.

"I've got a small gap in my meetings. Let's head there now." Minato said as he stood up from behind his desk.

Kaito nodded in a daze. He'd been so focused on his missions and integrating into this new reality that he had forgotten about Obito.

Minato walked around the desk and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Ready?"

Kaito nodded and, in a flash, their surroundings changed from the inside of the Hokage office to the Uchiha graveyard.

Kaito's knees buckled as Minato released his shoulder. No matter how many times Minato teleported them, it still upset his stomach.

The Uchiha graveyard was one of the more beautiful and colorful graveyards in the Leaf Village. For a clan that emphasized professionalism and the ninja code above all else, it always seemed out of place for them to have the most pristine and cared for graveyard. The aisles between graves were always perfectly kept. Flowers at each grave were replaced every couple of days, always ensuring that no grave when without a beautiful bouquet.

Minato led him to the far right side of the graveyard where the most recent Uchiha were honored and stopped in front of a pristine white tombstone with 'Obito Uchiha' inscribed on it.

Kaito watched as Minato knelt, rested his forehead on the marble stone, and whispered something too quietly for Kaito to hear. He stood back and gave Minato space as he shared a moment with Obito's memory. After several minutes, Minato stood back up and backed away from the grave.

"Despite his clumsiness, chronic tardiness, and boisterous behavior, I always thought out of all my students he embodied the will of fire most." Minato solemnly said as he bowed his head in sorrow.

Kaito raised his hand and laid it on Minato's shoulder, giving the man he had so much in common with a reassuring squeeze.

"Was there something we could have done differently?" Minato asked, with his head still bowed. "Maybe focused more on teamwork or pushed them harder during training?"

Kaito stared at the hunched-over form of his new friend. The only man who could truly understand and relate to Kaito. They shared so much, including the failure of keeping their team alive. Now only Kakashi was left.

"I don't know Minato. We both trained them in different ways. But in the end, you can't force teamwork, it needs to be developed naturally." Kaito sighed and dropped his hand from Minato's shoulder. "There just wasn't enough time. The war wasn't progressing well, and less experienced teams were needed on difficult missions."

"But if I had just stayed with them."

"No." Kaito firmly stated, causing Minato to turn to him in surprise. "If you hadn't gone and stopped Stone's advance, then hundreds more Leaf ninja would have died."

"Thanks. I think I needed to hear that." Minato said, giving Kaito a friendly smile. "I've got to get back to meetings. You need a ride anywhere?"

The thought of teleporting again made Kaito's stomach churn.

"No thanks. I think I'll stay here for a bit. I want to pay my respects as well."

Minato nodded and turned to leave, patting him on the shoulder and returning the friendly gesture Kaito had done for him moments before. Then, without a sound, he was gone, teleported off to his next mission report or meeting.

Now alone, Kaito walked forward and knelt in front of Obito's tombstone. He knew the boy's body wasn't buried here. Recovery wasn't possible after the cave collapse. But he liked to think some part of Obito's soul felt all the love and affection expressed over his memorial. Rin had visited him here almost every day until she tragically passed away. He hoped they were together wherever one went when they died.

"You may not know who I am, but I had the pleasure of training a very similar Obito to you. I failed to protect the place I came from. I couldn't keep the promise I made to my Obito. But I promise you, I will do everything in my power to protect the Leaf Village you loved." Kaito whispered, his head placed gingerly against the cold smooth marble of the Uchiha's plaque.

A rustle of fabric behind him startled him into a standing position. A woman stood several feet behind him, a child less than one year old in one arm and a young boy clung to her other hand. She had long, black hair and onyx-colored eyes.

Mikoto, Itachi and Sasuke.

"My apologies. I didn't mean to disturb you." She said politely while the boy at her side stared at him with a bouquet of flowers clutched tightly in his hands.

"No problem, mam. I was just paying respects to a brave young ninja I worked with."

"Obito?" she said questionably.

He nodded. "We did a mission together during the war."

She continued forward until she and Itachi were standing next to him.

"We are here for him as well. Obito babysat my son a couple of times during his early genin missions." She said, nodding towards the young boy clinging to the bouquet. "Itachi, go ahead and place the flowers."

"Okay," Itachi said quietly as he bent down and placed the flowers at the base of the tombstone.

"My apologies, but I don't recognize you. What is your name and rank?" She asked while pulling Itachi back close to her side. The boy squirmed slightly, noticing the shift in tone, and looked up at him with big black eyes.

She's on edge. She doesn't know who I am and I'm on Uchiha land.

"I wouldn't expect you to recognize me. I joined the Leaf seven months ago after the Nine-Tails attack. My name is Kaito Furukawa." He said, "Oh and I'm a jonin."

By the way, her eyebrows raised, it was safe to say his response did nothing to ease her nerves.

"You joined the Leaf as a Jonin? How does that happen?"

He scratched his head awkwardly, while he planned his next phrases carefully. He wouldn't be surprised if, in the next minute, the Uchiha Military police swooped in at Mikoto's signal and carried him away to the military police headquarters.

"I was a mercenary before. But in my earlier years, I did some traveling and work with Jiraiya. I journeyed with him on and off for a couple of years." He said, rehashing the story he had built with Minato. "After the Nine-Tails attack, Jiraiya mentioned to Lord Fourth that I could be trusted and could help cover some of the Leaf's manpower issues."

"So, they just signed you on, as a Jonin." She said flatly back, one of her eyebrows arched up in obvious disbelief.

"Yup."

"Can they do that?" A small voice chirped from next to Mikoto's hip.

"If you know the right people, anything is possible," Kaito said amusingly back to the young boy. "Jiraiya taught me that one." He added.

"And how do you know Obito?" Mikoto asked.

"During the war, I did some mercenary work for Leaf allies. I ended up saving Obito while guarding a caravan. Pulled him out of a river. The boy was soaked to the bone and coughed up half the river."

A snort escaped Mikoto before she could hide it. "That certainly sounds like Obito."

"Took me three days to get away from him. The boy clung to me like a tick. Never stopped asking questions, endlessly pestered me to show him cool Jutsu." Kaito huffed out. "Almost threw him back in that river."

He paused and looked back toward the boy's tombstone. "A couple of weeks ago, on a whim, I asked Lord Fourth about the Kid and that's when I got the bad news. Thought I'd come over and pay my respects to a hero." Kaito turned back to Mikoto and bowed his head. "My apologies if I caused trouble. In hindsight, an unknown ninja walking into a clan compound unannounced is pretty foolish."

He didn't walk; he was teleported. Or was it summoned? He never understood how that damn Jutsu worked.

The tension disappeared from Mikoto's shoulders, and she looked fondly down toward the tombstone. "He was a hero." She said, pulling Itachi close and giving the young boy a reassuring squeeze. The boy's eyes took on a watery hue as he watched the bouquet's flowers rustle in the afternoon wind.

"Where are my manners?" Mikoto exclaimed. "My name is Mikoto Uchiha, this is Itachi." She said, gesturing to the boy at her side. "And this little one is Sasuke." She said as she cooed at the child in her arms. "I owe you an apology for my earlier questioning. If Lord Fourth brought you on as a ninja, then I trust his judgment. Thank you for helping the Leaf village and thank you for visiting Obito."

Kaito smiled and bowed his head again. "It was nice to meet you, Mikoto and Itachi. But I best be going. I promised someone a spar and I fear if I miss it, I'll never hear the end of it."

Mikoto gave him a small smile and bowed goodbye.

Kaito gave Itachi a friendly little wave, to which the boy responded in kind. He then made a hand sign and body flickered away. If he was to make his spar, he'd need to hurry to the anbu barracks.

Kaito stood in anbu training ground four. His panther mask covered his face and his gray anbu vest clung tightly to his frame. The Large cavern was lit by a mix of lanterns on the surrounding walls and seals in the ceiling above. The hard compacted earth below released dust as his feet slid into their normal athletic stance.

Across the training ground stood Nibara, with her deer mask pulled over her face. She had her knees bent and arms extended. Her palms were open and facing him in the standard Hyuga gentle fist style.

With a slight twitch in her knees, Nibara rushed towards him, intending to close the distance before he could use one of his many wind-style jutsus to attack from range.

Kaito decided to play along and sprinted towards her. As the gap closed between them, Kaito pulled both his hands up and started forming hand signs. Nibara, seeing this, picked up the pace. Puffs of chakra escaped from the souls of her feet as she pumped more chakra to her legs to increase her speed.

Kaito finished his hand seals, just as the gap closed to fifteen feet. He feigned left, shifting his body weight to sell the move and the juked right. The slight hesitation in Nibara's reaction to his second move was all he needed. As his left foot pressed into the ground, Kaito pushed chakra through his foot and into the earth.

Earth-style earth pillar jutsu.

A pillar of compact earth shot out of the ground and into Nibara's undefended side. He watched as her body contorted and folded around the pillar as it launched her off her feet and in the same direction as Kaito's juke. Her body arched through the air and impacted the ground hard on her left shoulder. He heard a rush of breath escape her mouth as the landing drove the air out of her lungs.

"Point three to Kaito. That's a match!" Bear yelled out from the observation platform carved into the wall.

Kaito walked over to the crumpled form of Nibara and helped her to a sitting position. He pushed her mask to the side to reveal a face scrunched up in pain, trying to get air back into her lungs. Kaito put his hand on her back and rubbed circles, coaxing the girl's muscles to relax and help her lungs to expand. A gasp let him know that she finally managed to expand her lungs and take a breath.

"You fucking dick." Nibara wheezed out. "You've used nothing but wind style since I've met you. And then you whip earth style out of nowhere."

"I'm hurt that you would think I'm a one-trick pony." He said as he continued to rub her back.

"I know you've got more tricks, but I didn't expect that. You used it so naturally. If I hadn't seen the wonders you pull with wind, I'd think earth was your primary element."

"I have many secrets, Nibara." He jokingly said as he helped the girl up. "And with the amount of alcohol you're going to buy me tonight. I may just tell you more."

"Ooo, I want to see chatty drunk panther! Can I join tonight's escapades?" Bear yelled from the platform.

"I'm coming too." Said hawk as he rushed over to Nibara's side. Green chakra covered his hands as he placed them gingerly on her side to reduce the bruising that had no doubt already started. "I can help keep hangovers at bay."

"Of course, you all can come!" Kaito laughed.

"How about you Hound?" Bear questioned.

"He's too young!" Hawk yelled back. "As a sworn medical ninja, I cannot condone self-inflicted liver damage on someone so young."

"Technically, I can drink." Hound flatly stated back.

"He can come. He can be our chaperone and make sure we all get back home safe." Kaito joked as he set Nibara down and let Hawk finish his treatment.

"I'll pass." Hound said over his shoulder.

Hound had come to the training ground just as the first sparring round started, obviously trying to get a glimpse of his abilities. Kaito's sudden appearance in anbu and the trust Minato showed in him had irked the silver-haired boy. Kaito had tried several times to smooth things over by being friendly and inviting him to social events, but the boy was stubborn, as always.

Kaito body flickered to the boy's side and put an arm around his shoulders.

"Come on Hound. You've been working nonstop for the past several months. A night out with comrades will be good for you." Kaito said, giving the boy a gentle shake.

"I said ill pass." Hound said, as he briskly brushed Kaito's arm from his shoulder and continued to walk away.

Oh, Kakashi.

"Alright alright. But if you change your mind, come find us in the ninja district." Kaito said over his shoulder as he walked back over to the others.

Kaito needed a drink. He needed a fun night out with comrades. For the past seven months, he's done nothing but anbu missions. In the past month alone, he's traversed hundreds of miles. Three scouting missions to the Land of Waves, all of which provided the same evidence he had seen during the first mission to save Kurenai's team. The Mist was on the move, and because they dropped out of the Third ninja war earlier than the rest of the villages, they were less battered by the conflict.

The Leaf was still licking its wounds from the war when the Nine-Tails was released. Now they were stretched beyond thin. Missions where Jonin should be sent on were getting chunin. Genin were being given far too many responsibilities. But there was no other way. They were down on numbers and at the same time, the need for ninjas was higher than ever.

But tonight, his worries could wait.

After patching Nibara up and cleaning up in the barracks showers, all four of them donned standard green flak jackets and exited the underground anbu compound into the brisk night air.

Kaito technically wasn't part of an anbu squad, but when he did team missions, he tended to be grouped with these three. They were all subs to other units and due to that; they were usually the ones available when Minato needed him to lead an impromptu team.

Daichi Momasu age 26, code name Bear. Was a man who truly fit his mask. He was a hulking giant of a specimen a good foot taller than Kaito, with arms as thick as his head. The man had short brown hair and a full beard that he somehow fit behind his mask without issue. He focused on close-quarters combat with a specialization in taijutsu and earth-style ninjutsu. But despite his intimidating appearance, he was very protective of his teammates and had a cool head. Due to this, he was usually second in command of the squad if Kaito was leading it and first in command when Kaito wasn't present.

Hotaru Nori age 23, code name Hawk, was a slender man of average height. He was the team's medic and long-range specialist. Hotaru was an excellent medic with possibly the worst bedside manners Kaito had ever seen. One time he had watched the man stitch together a potentially mortally wounded teammate while berating him with insults and threats. The poor man was too weak to respond to Hawk's threats. Most likely because he'd lost a good portion of his blood and was near death. Truly terrifying.

And finally, Nibara Hyuga age 20. Code name Deer. She acted as the team's primary sensor and supported Bear in close-range encounters. Despite her noble upbringing, Nibara was extremely hot-headed, possibly due to teasing about her below-average height. But what she lacked in Hyuga etiquette she more than made up for in their clan techniques. She was downright lethal up close. Kaito once witnessed her blast a hole through an enemy's stomach by overcharging her gentle fist technique into a brutal outburst of raw chakra. Unfortunately, she had below-average chakra reserves matching her small stature and promptly passed out due to chakra exhaustion.

This was the rag-tag group he practiced and trained with. A group of misfits who, for one reason or another, didn't completely fit the mold of the other teams and were regulated to the sidelines. Kaito had scooped them up as soon as he saw the potential in each of them and started encouraging them to train together.

As they rounded the corner near their first destination of the night, Nibara rushed ahead and kicked open the swinging doors of The Crooked Kunai.

"The party has arrived! Kuya, you might as well tap a new keg because we're closing this place down!" A very animated Nibara yelled into the tavern.

A mix of cheers and groans reached Kaito's ears, and he watched as several forks, knives, and mugs flew out of the doorway towards the little Hyuga. Nibara promptly gentle fisted them all out of the way like she'd done it many times before and strutted into the noisy tavern.

A big arm wrapped around his shoulders, and he looked up to see a large, toothy grin on Daichi's face.

"This happens all the time. Nibara typically gets us in trouble, but most of the time, it ends in a fun tussle. Let's get in there and back her up."

Kaito let loose a nervous sigh before looking over to see Hotaru cracking his knuckles in anticipation, already walking towards the chaos.

He was the medic. The medic was looking for a fight.

Kaito sighed in surrender and followed them in. He had a feeling he was going to wake up with more than just a hangover tomorrow.

Authors note 2/19/2022:

A mix of somber tones and fun team bonding. This chapter was fun to write. A nice bonding moment between Minato and Kaito over their beloved student. They are the only two people who can fully relate to each other having such similar lives. I really look forward to building their brotherly friendship.

Kaito meets Mikoto and her two children, Itachi and Sasuke. Itachi is 5ish here. I know in the manga/anime he was already some prodigy. But I'm going to pull him back a little. I want Itachi to still have some childish tendencies despite his prodigious nature. He's still a genius, don't worry.

I always thought Mikoto needed more screen time. I'm excited to include her more in the story.

Nibara gets her spar and gets decimated. All in good fun, though. Kaito's fighting style is very dynamic and aggressive. He is a complete master in wind style, so much so that he can perform the majority of his wind style jutsus with one hand and fewer hand seals than others. He is also skilled in earth style, but he must use both hands to form seals for this element. He is always on the attack, dictating the flow and direction the battle takes. Even if his opponents think they are calling the shots, most of the time he has baited them into making a move. His wind walker jutsu lets him dash around the battlefield and even change direction in midair. But even with earth style, he is always moving, using the physical nature of earth to quite literally push his opponents into his path.

If I ever open a bar, I may name it The Crooked Kunai. Outstanding ninja bar name with a possible sexual innuendo.

How are you guys liking the tone of the story? I'm trying to mix in emotional, action, humor, and friendship. Emotional because Kaito is still dealing with not only the loss of his wife but the knowledge that his son is growing up in a village he can no longer protect. Action, of course, because Kaito is a kage level ninja and has to kick ass when the setting permits. Humor and friendship because they are what is going to pull Kaito out of his past and into his new life.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Hope you had a good day! As always, I love to see your comments and I do my best to respond to the majority of them. Feel free to ask questions!

-V3X