WAVES: DAY 19
Hikari's hand reached for her weapon's pouch as they came onto the bridge. Eight workers were splayed out on the ground. Her eyes narrowed. One of them groaned and tried to shift around. Not dead, then.
The mist around them started to thicken.
"Sasuke, Hikari, get ready! They're coming." Kakashi ordered. She moved so she was back to back with Sasuke, the bridge builder at their side and Kakashi guarding Tazuna's back. She reached towards her hair and took off one of the hairpins, crushing it in her hands until it poofed out. As long as Naruto remained alert at the house and hadn't made another clone, he'd notice this clone's disappearance.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Kakashi," Zabuza's chilling voice called out from everywhere around them. He chuckled, and it wasn't a pleasant sound. Hikari took out a kunai. "I see you still got these brats with you."
They were suddenly surrounded by seven Zabuzas.
"Go." Kakashi ordered.
Sasuke struck, going for the clone closest to him. Hikari threw a handful of shurikens, taking out two, and moved in front of Tazuna. The clones didn't move to intercept or dodge. Water pooled at their feet. Hikari tensed. Zabuza's water clone had been much deadlier last time. She scanned the ground. They were now surrounded by water.
"You got better," Zabuza remarked, coming to stand in front of them with the fake hunter-nin at his side. He looked at Sasuke. "This means a rival has emerged, Haku."
"So it seems."
"I'll take care of him," Sasuke announced.
"I admit it's impressive," the hunter-nin's calm voice remarked. "They only had one tenth of a normal Water clone strength, but you took care of them."
Hikari's hand hovered near her weapon pouch. Kakashi-sensei had told them that a Water clone had one tenth of the original user's strength. So, the clones had only had one percent of Zabuza's true strength. This was bad. She pulled out three more shurikens.
The hunter-nin twirled on their heels, becoming a tornado barreling towards them. Sasuke met it. Kunai and senbon clashed. Hikari shifted her weight. Close-combat was their thing.
"Hikari, guard Tazuna-san." Kakashi ordered. She frowned but nodded.
"You won't be able to match my speed," the hunter-nin warned her teammate. "I have two advantages. We're surrounded by water, and one of your hands is blocking me. You only -"
Hikari's arm flew. The hunter-nin, Haku, had to leap away to dodge the shurikens. Sasuke pressed his advantage, moving the nin into the defensive. Steel clashed again.
"Secret jutsu: A thousand needles of death!"
The water rose and sharpened. The needles converged on the pair. Sasuke leapt and threw some shurikens of his own, forcing Haku to retreat.
"You're not as fast as you think," Sasuke called out from behind the masked figure.
The nin blurred and steel clashed. Hikari tracked them with her eyes as they blurred around one another. Sasuke dodged, reversed the kunai, and stroke out with a kick. Haku flew back and skidded across the water.
"You are surprisingly stupid," Sasuke remarked. "It seems I'm faster than you."
Hikari's eyes widened as water started to move.
"Hidden Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors!" The hunter nin called out before taking a step towards the circle of mirrors and melting into one of them. How!? She focused on what little she could see, from outside the barrier. "I shall show you my true speed." the nin called out from the mirrors' surfaces.
Kakashi made to run at the structure. Zabuza intercepted him. Hikari elbowed Tazuna. He glanced down at her. She tilted her head to the side, indicating they needed to move. He gulped but followed her.
Senbon flew.
"Sasuke!" Kakashi called out.
Sasuke screamed. The three groups now formed a triangle instead of a straight line. The senbon continued to rain down on him as he covered his head.
"Try to help him, and I'll kill your other student," Zabuza told Kakashi.
Hikari threw a kunai. The senbon rain stopped as the nin stepped out from a mirror and clutched it. Did I give him more ammunition? How stupid am I? But shurikens flew and struck the figure, taking it down from one of the mirrors. Naruto. She breathed out in relief. The nin picked himself from the ground. Hikari drew her longest roll of satin and threw one end at Sasuke. It stretched nine meters. She had taken it with her with the intention of cutting it but never did. He fingered it dubiously. Hikari glanced around them, but everyone was focused on the firecrackers and Naruto's entrance. Me. Ribbon. Put chakra. Shield. The ribbon was meant to block chakra-based attacks, not physical ones. But senbons didn't weight much, so it could work. She hoped it worked.
I have done four meters at most, and only for a minute. But I haven't practiced since Kakashi-sensei trained us in chakra control. I can do this. I have to do this. The senbon attack lasted about a minute. I just have to buy Sasuke time. I can buy him a minute. More, with Naruto here. He can attack from the outside, I can shield, and Sasuke can figure out an attack from the inside.
Sasuke nodded at her and put his hands under him. He swayed as he hefted himself up so he crouched. He put the ribbon on the floor. Hikari crouched too, careful to put herself between Tazuna and Zabuza. The ribbon laid flat. It was still too noticeable.
"Zabuza-san, leave this kid to me," the hunter nin asked, gesturing to Naruto.
"You're too soft, Haku, as usual," Zabuza said with disgust before turning to their sensei. "You know the rules, Kakashi. If you move, I'll go after the bridge-builder." Hikari saw their sensei tense. "Relax, Kakashi, and let's see how they do one on one." As if. We are a team. And we're all here.
Sasuke took the opportunity to throw the kunai at the hunter nin from inside the barrier.
The masked nin leaned back. "I haven't forgotten about you." He went inside the mirror. Every surface replicated his image.
Hikari started pouring chakra into the ribbon.
One meter. Two, three. Breathe in and out. Four meters. Steady. Sasuke's hand went near his pouch, the other still grabbing one end of the ribbon.
Five meters. Hikari saw him glance behind him to the ice at his back. Six meters. She felt the ribbon strain. She closed her eyes. In and out. Not as thin as the layer required to water walk, but equally steady. Seven meters. It was getting closer to Sasuke's hand. Eight meters. She swallowed harshly and opened her eyes. The hunting-nin's arm was braced back, clutching a handful of senbons. She made herself not to pour more chakra. Steady. Steady. Senbons flew. Steady. Nine meters.
Sasuke drew the ribbon up. He only had about half a meter to manipulate before it tugged tight. Senbons glanced off the surface. Hikari actually felt how the chakra made it rebound. Steady, like water walking. Steady, but willing to flow and change. The storm continued. Sasuke used the ribbon, tugging it into place. She felt it strain. I am rooted, but I flow. Hikari's eyes narrowed, she clutched her end tighter, and she made the release as gentle as she could. Ping, ping. They glanced off the surface. But other needles struck Sasuke from the back and embedded themselves in his legs. She continued to draw small amounts of chakra into the surface. Make yourself a smaller target, she wanted to yell. But her full concentration was on the ribbon. She was only peripherally aware that her sensei still had Zabuza at a standstill.
"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed as Sasuke crouched, a hand on his shoulder and the ribbon across his chest. There was a pause in the assault. Hikari let herself stop the chakra flow and breathed out harshly. Chakra retreated. Eight meters. Seven. Make your move, Naruto. I don't know how long I can hold this.
And then Naruto was INSIDE the barrier. No. No. No. NO. What is he thinking? She saw more than she heard them arguing.
"Enough! I'll destroy these mirrors myself!" Sasuke handed the ribbon to Naruto and put him behind him. Six meters. "Do not let go, dobe."
Snake. Ram. Monkey. Five meters. Boar. Horse. Tiger.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The mirrors held. And then there was light engulfing her teammates. Naruto dropped their link. The next time she could make out the figures inside the barriers, Naruto's clones were being destroyed. Sasuke picked up their end of the ribbon. She focused.
Six meters. "The mirrors let me travel at the speed of light," Hikari heard as if from a distance as she concentrated on gaining ground. She wanted to cry. Are shadows as fast as light? What would Shika do? Do mirrors cast shadows? Seven meters. Eight. What can I do? Eight and half. Nine.
But the hunting nin didn't attack again. Instead, he started talking about mercy and dreams. The ribbon strained. Steady, steady. She could feel it wanting to collapse. No, no. Breathe. In and out. Steady. She allowed the chakra to go back to eight meters and tried again to reach for Sasuke's end. Eight and half. Sweat formed on her forehead. Eight and three quarters. The ribbon was close to shredding. Back to eight. It was too little. It won't cover either of them. The hunting nin kept talking. She registered the words, but they weren't important right now.
"Kunoichi," Zabuza called out. Her sensei shifted so he stood completely between Zabuza and her. Hikari's eyes remained on the ribbon. She would do this. Zabuza chuckled. Eight and a quarter. "Last time, I made the mistake of letting you out of my sight. And three on one isn't very nice. Isn't Konoha supposed to be fair?" She ignored him as she focused on not retreating. Hold it. Eight and a third. "So focused on your teammates. Konoha has gone soft. They have forgotten to teach the most important lesson: to kill one's heart's feelings and destroy an opponent without mercy." Eight and a half. She breathed out as sweat dripped down her face. Focus. Get it to Sasuke's hand. Eight and two thirds. "To destroy without remorse." Eight and three quarters. Almost there. A little more. Nine.
"Hikari! Down!" Kakashi called out. She swept Tazuna's feet from underneath him, sending him to the ground. She dodged. A sword cut the air in half. Water clone. Zabuza had sent a water clone after her. Mist started to gather. Chakra dropped.
"You and your teammates destroyed one of my clones. But can you handle one alone?" Her heart stuttered. Momochi Zabuza. The Demon of the Hidden Mist. Even at one tenth of his strength, he was stronger, faster, and more deadly than her. Last time, they hadn't destroyed the clone, Zabuza had released it. She wanted to run, to flee. She wanted to go into the mirror prison, so she at least stood with her teammates. She could feel the urge to sprint forwards like a trapped bird inside her, beating its wings along the hammering of her heart. She dug her heels in and stayed where she was.
Naruto and Sasuke screamed. The sound tore through the distance separating them. She still clutched her end. One meter, two, three. Four, five. Steady, steady. The mist around it dissipated as chakra traveled up the ribbon towards the barrier.
"Ah, your pretty ribbon is like a beacon. Help your teammates, and you die."
She focused chakra on her feet and clutched Tazuna's shirt. "We jump at my count."
Six, seven. She moved herself and Tazuna to the left, avoiding a kick. Seven and a half, eight. You need to take into account the holes the senbons have made. She could see Zabuza's clone now. Eight and half.
"Now." She jumped. Tazuna followed her lead. His weight dragged her down, but they cleared the Kubikiribocho. They landed hard, but Tazuna regained his footing. Eight and three quarters.
"Hikari!" Sasuke called out. "Let go. We'll handle this."
She eyed the clone and held the chakra, trying to make it to nine. She had to reach her teammates, give them a shield - however small it was. Zabuza's arm drew back again. She pushed Tazuna away and tried to dodge. She barely cleared it.
"Let go!" Sasuke roared.
Hikari rolled out of the way. The sword chased her, coming back again and again, hungry for her blood. She couldn't handle the chakra output. The ribbon shredded. No! What have I done? Mist started to thicken again. She went to Tazuna's last location. He was still there. She stood over him and glanced around. She couldn't see anything. Even if she'd had another long ribbon, where would she throw it to? Tazuna made his way to his feet but remained behind her. She clutched a kunai in her right hand, the left prepared to shove the client again. Unlike her teammates, she didn't know any jutsus apart from the Academy three. Taijutsu wouldn't help her against someone who matched her sensei's speed and strength. She swallowed hard and tightened her grip. Where is he?
A small sound drew her attention down. Something moved. Her left hand drew out shurikens and hurled them.
"Stand down, pup," a gruff voice ordered. She relaxed and glanced down. She knew that voice. Sure enough, Kakashi-sensei's ninken stared back at her with another dog by his side.
"Pakkun-sensei?"
He huffed out a breath. "Yes. This is Bisuke. Kakashi distracted Zabuza and his clone. It won't last long. Soon, you'll have the clone on you. We'll guard you and help you know where he's coming from."
Her shoulders lowered down a fraction as she gave a short bow to Bisuke. The dog, who had shinobi across his forehead, came up to her. "Let him get your scent. Right now, only I can track you." She went down, offering her hands to the dog. Bisuke sniffed and then stood in front of Tazuna.
Hikari straightened. Ram. Snake. Tiger. Three clones of herself materialized and surrounded the client. Her fingers moved to henge herself into Tazuna, but she hesitated. If she had to fight, the height difference would throw her off. She grimaced and stopped.
Sasuke and Naruto screamed. She tried to pinpoint the sound.
"Pup," Pakkun drew her attention back. "We are going to separate. Your clones and the client will stay here with Bisuke. You and I will draw the clone away."
She nodded and hesitated. Pakkun had no such misgivings and jumped on her, settling on her right shoulder. "I'll tell you what to do."
"Can you stay there, even if I go upside down?"
"Yes."
"Thank you."
Pakkun sniffed.
"Tazuna-san, you heard the plan. These are Kakashi-sensei's ninja dogs, trained in combat. We'll keep the clone away from you."
Tazuna gave her a hesitant nod. Good enough.
"Go left," Pakkun ordered. Hikari moved, following his instructions.
"He's seen you," Pakkun warned. Hikari put on a burst of speed. She could barely sense a figure moving through the mist, even when she'd been avoiding it for more than ten minutes. "Dodge left." She hand-springed away, putting chakra on her hands and feet to clear more distance. "Forwards," Pakkun called from her shoulders. She sprinted. "Right." She launched herself to the side. The sword crashed into the ground behind her as she came out of the cartwheel. "Back." She would waste too much time on a pivot. Hikari put chakra on her hands again. The first back handspring gave her the momentum to do five more. She panted as she waited for more instructions. She couldn't do this forever.
"You'll need to sprint again, kid. He's coming fast. Make your way back to Bisuke if you can."
"Can you stick yourself to me? I have a way to get back to them."
"Yes."
"Thank you," she tilted her head to the side, so it rested on Pakkun's side for half a second before straightening. Zabuza's clone would have decapitated her many times over without his steady guidance.
"Now."
She rolled out of the way. The air whistled as the sword cut it in half. She sprinted to where the railing was. Pakkun dug his paws in. Good. She dodged right twice, put chakra on her feet, grabbed the railing, and swung herself in a half circle until she stood upside down. She crouched in the underside of the bridge and sprinted for it. Hopefully, the clone would waste a couple of seconds looking for her in the water.
"Adjust to your left."
She did so, hearing the blood pumping in her veins louder than the sounds of two fights under (under?) her. She couldn't hear Naruto's screams anymore. Why can't I hear Naruto? She didn't know what it meant. She didn't know what to think. Don't think. Trust your senses. Trust Pakkun to replace your sight. And move.
Hikari neared the other end of the bridge without Zabuza closing in. She put chakra on her hands and climbed over the side and up the railing. She could barely see herself through the mist. The clones hadn't poofed out. She dispelled them, trying to conserve chakra. She stood next to Bisuke, ignoring Tazuna's questioning gaze.
No one was screaming. What does it mean?
Hikari thought she heard a roar in the wind. Her muscles tensed. Her breathing sped up. Her hands started to shake. What was this? It was worse, much worse than Zabuza's Killing Intent. It was huge and angry and was willing to shred and tear apart. She couldn't see, couldn't move, couldn't do anything. It was spreading and growing and - a cold nose touched her neck. She gritted her teeth and focused on what she could hear.
Ice shattering.
Shards falling.
Bisuke puffed out of existence. She could still feel a slight weight but... She reached up to her shoulder, making sure Pakkun remained with her.
"Kakashi needed him and the rest of the pack. I'll stay with you, kid. Calm down. The clone is gone. It's almost over."
Hikari swallowed hard and clung to those words. Almost over. A little longer. Concentrate. You can last a little bit more. Focus on your senses. She could feel Pakkun's fur underneath her palm. She heard growling. Is that the pack? She could see two figures as the mist started to thin out. Who is whom, though? She could smell ozone in the air. She thought she could hear birds chirping. She dug her heels in and flexed her knees as a blast-wave of frigid cold blew off the last of the mist.
She narrowed her eyes and looked again. Her sensei's arm was outstretched towards Zabuza, who was held down by seven ninken. Between them stood the fake hunter nin, unmasked and with a trail of blood spreading from the corner of his mouth. She made her eyes move down. Kakashi's hand through Haku's heart. Haku's clutching her sensei's wrist. Wooden sandals. Green nail polish overlaid with splatters of red. A pool of blood spreading on the ground. She swallowed and looked ahead. Naruto stood on the other side. Alone. She sucked in a harsh breath. Where was Sasuke?
Zabuza's sword came down. Kakashi summersaulted back, Haku's body in his arms. Naruto made to interfere but was stopped by their sensei. Where was Sasuke? Kakashi laid down the body and closed his eyes before regarding Zabuza.
"Where is Sasuke-san?" her voice carried all the way to the bridge.
Naruto's face scrunched up. No. Her fingers spasmed over Pakkun's fur. No. Please, no.
Zabuza ran at Kakashi, who kicked him in the face and sent him back. She had a clear way. With the hand that didn't hold Pakkun to her, she motioned for Tazuna to follow her to Naruto. Her teammate refused to look at her.
"Naruto-kun," she called out, trying to make her voice soft and soothing. He turned his face, blue eyes swimming. Hikari clutched his shoulder, hoping it gave him some support. She held his gaze. "Guard Tazuna-san, alright?"
His head bobbed up and down. She sprinted past him and all the melted ice. No. No. Haku's skills and kekkai genkai were impressive. But she had seen his eyes before Kakashi-sensei had closed them. His wasn't the cold, dead gaze of hardened killers. He could have killed Sasuke in his first assault and hadn't. It lit a small ember of hope in a dying fire.
Hikari sucked in a deep breath as she stopped before Sasuke's body. Needles pierced his chest, his shoulders, his legs, his arms. She let herself fall to her knees. She made to put on a mask, but what was the point? There was no audience, no stage. She put trembling fingers on top of Sasuke's throat. She couldn't feel a pulse. The small weight of Pakkun left her shoulder. She remembered that she did have an audience and scrambled to not fall apart. Not yet. She had to make absolutely sure. She swallowed hard and evened out her voice.
"Haku put Zabuza into temporary death. These senbons aren't in vital places. Pakkun-sensei, could it...?"
"I don't know, pup. Let me check," she could tell that the deep voice was trying to be gentle.
Hikari nodded a bit numbly. She reached for some bandages from her weapons pouch. She pulled the needles from Sasuke's legs, trying to be as gentle as possible. She applied pressure to the trickle of blood, elevated his legs, and pressed behind his knee. The bleeding stopped almost immediately. She didn't know if that was a good thing or not. She put his heels back on the ground and started on his arms. Her weapon pouch held no more bandages to apply pressure with. She watched as scraps of peach, sunshine, and ivory satin stained crimson. She didn't know if she should pull out the senbons in his neck and chest.
She put two fingers on Sasuke's throat again. Nothing. She pressed harder, but all she could feel was her own heart pounding fast, too fast.
"Pakkun-sensei?"
The pug was on the other side of Sasuke's neck, sniffing and putting a soft paw on the skin. A tear slid down her face at his silence. She released an unsteady breath as her eyes burned and her throat closed. Her hands trembled as she moved them to Sasuke's shoulders.
Pakkun still hadn't said anything. Tears built up and overflowed. Why hadn't he said anything? She shook Sasuke's shoulder. "Sasuke-kun." Nothing. She moved her right hand so it stood over his heart, careful to skirt around the senbon near his shoulder.
"Sasuke-kun!" she called again, voice colder. She shook his shoulder and paid attention to her other hand. Nothing. No heartbeat. Her shoulders dropped in resignation.
"Sasuke-kun," she tried to make her voice even, but it broke at the end. She shook him harder. Nothing. Her breath was coming in pants and tears kept streaming down, wetting Sasuke's blue shirt.
Hikari clenched her jaw and moved her hand to the senbon in his shoulder. You didn't remove impaled objects of considerable size. She knew that. She wasn't sure if needles applied.
"Pup," Pakkun warned.
But she didn't want those things sticking out of Sasuke. She couldn't stand the sight. She glared at the needle as her hand closed around it and tugged.
"... Hikari... you're hurting me."
Everything stopped. A sob tore out of her throat. She closed her eyes and opened them again fast, needing to make sure. Blurry hazel met black eyes.
"Ow."
She forced her hand to open and rest on his shoulders instead of clenching down. Not about you. This isn't about you. She swallowed and gave him a watery smile.
"I'm so very glad you're alright, Sasuke-kun."
He blinked and made to sit up. She reached around his shoulders and tried to smooth out his way up. Pakkun gave her a nod and puffed out.
"Naruto? And the masked nin?" he asked.
"Naruto-kun is fine, guarding Tazuna-san while Kakashi-sensei takes care of Zabuza. The masked nin is dead. He put himself between sensei's killing strike and Zabuza," she hesitated. "Don't move too fast, please. Kakashi-sensei said temporary death took a week to recover from."
He glanced around. She did, too. She couldn't see Zabuza. Kakashi-sensei was crouching with Naruto by his side. Haku's body laid between them and Gato's thugs.
"I can move. Let's go," he said.
She wanted to protest, but she could see his point. Sooner or later, they'd have to move. She put his arm around her shoulders and wrapped her arm around his back so it rested at his waist. They both stood up.
WAVES: DAY 20
Hatake Kakashi hated himself as Sasuke's breathing sped up and never settled back into a sleeping pattern. His student was almost panting, but Kakashi remained where he was. His limbs felt utterly numb, and he couldn't feel his right hand. Maybe the blood had soaked through and settled there, frozen. He couldn't bring himself to look down and check.
He wanted to go to his student. Sasuke's distress was more important than this emptiness that threatened to bury him alive. But it was his fault. His fault. He should have refused the mission, no matter the consequences. Kind brown eyes glazing over in death. His fault. He should have put his team first. Red covering his arm up to his elbow. His fault. He should have taken out Zabuza when he first had the chance. 'Kakashi,' Rin murmured. His fault. Sasuke's body pierced by senbons, Hikari's fingers clutching Pakkun's fur, Naruto's tear-stained face.
Fingers griping his arm, brown eyes locking on his, blood spreading from the corner of their mou-
A gasp echoed through the room as Hikari sat up. Kakashi watched, feeling nothing, as his other student clutched her knees to her chest and tried to even out her breathing. Sasuke closed his eyes, probably so Hikari couldn't see him awake if she glanced over.
Hikari went to her feet, a whisper of bedding the only sound in the room. She padded over and hesitated before sitting down near Sasuke's head. As if from a distance, Kakashi watched her focus on the rise and fall of his chest. Hikari put her hand near her teammate's shoulder but made no move to actually touch. She seemed content to remain there, her other arm around her knees. From his position on the other side of the room, Kakashi saw Sasuke's eyelids fluttering so he could peek through his eyelashes.
Kakashi's shoulders lowered down a fraction and his heartbeat slowed down as the two figures remained still. Safe, they were safe. A third figure laid on the other side of the room, blond head peeking through the blankets. He inhaled deeply. Bonfire, vanilla, summer breeze, spices, and soft ozone. Safe. He glanced down. His forearms were clad in blue, not red. He breathed out and melted further into the shadows, watching over his genins.
Kakashi didn't know how many heartbeats it took for Sasuke to turn over, as if only now sleep escaped him. Hikari drew her hand back but didn't move farther away.
"Hikari?" Sasuke murmured, making his voice sleepy.
"Hey," her soft voice answered. "I apologize if I woke you, Sasuke-kun."
"It's okay. Why are you up?"
"Nightmare," Hikari admitted.
Sasuke frowned, clearly not expecting her to acknowledge the reason. He sat up.
Hikari wrapped her other arm around her legs. "Do you want me to go, or may I stay here?"
Sasuke shrugged.
Hikari didn't move.
The sun started peeking from the window's shutters.
"I'm so very, very glad you're alright," her volume was a whisper, but the words were steady and sure.
Sasuke drew back a bit before offering her an answer. "You told me."
"It bears repeating."
"Hikari," he called out. "Come here." The girl made her way over. "Do you remember what I told Tazuna-san after our encounter with the Demon Brothers?"
"You told him his lies were unforgivable."
"Yes. The bridge will be finished in less than a week, and by then we'll have completed our mission. However, there's still the matter of payment," he eyed his genin carefully, but she just nodded. He exhaled. He'd been worried that she would be too shaken after yesterday to demand compensation. But it seemed like he'd been right. Hikari was familiar with the setting of prices and the importance of connections, precedents, and reputation. "I want you to think about what we can and can't demand."
"They can't pay the mission right now, but it could give Fire considerable advantage over the next trade negotiations."
"Exactly."
"May I ask for clarification?"
"Of course."
"We are not crafting a contract; we're setting the foundations?"
"Yes. Someone else will come and hammer out the details."
She nodded.
"Hikari, I am not asking for anything your classmates wouldn't be able to do," he clarified. Her family surely knew secrets that would give them an upper hand, but he wasn't demanding them from her if she didn't offer.
"May I have some time to think it over?"
Kakashi gestured for them to sit on the deck outside the house. He watched his genin twirl a stick in the water. He had a good grasp on negotiations and economic intricacies, since his jounin sensei had been Hokage. Many S-ranks he'd been on were A-ranks that involved highly classified documents and secrecy.
Normally, genin weren't asked to think about politics and alliances. Neither were chunin. He wasn't overstepping, since it was a useful skill, but this wasn't expected of him. But he was curious. He'd asked Tazuna about the hammock Hikari had packed at the bottom of her bag. Babies could only be fed with breast-milk or formula. If the mother didn't have adequate nutrition, only formula. Those things couldn't be diluted, home-made, or substituted easily. It was a well-thought out gesture. A kind response. But that was before yesterday, when she'd thought one of her teammates had been killed because of bad intel. That was before he'd seen her hide her glare when Tazuna had exclaimed that everything had turned out alright.
This was a test, to see if she could handle making alliances even when she and her team had been harmed by the other party.
"Kakashi-sensei?"
"Yes, Hikari?"
"I have it."
"Alright. Let's discuss it."
"They have spent one year depending on their mangroves. Until trade to other lands stabilizes, they'll keep needing them for food. So, not depleting them will be their priority in negotiation. I think I remember that they're vital for preventing natural disasters?"
"Yes. They also keep the nutrients in the soil," he encouraged. She was going in a good direction.
"So, we can't ask for products of aquaculture or wood. And their sea fares aren't for grabs, since the existing contracts need to be upheld."
He hummed.
She hesitated. "The islanders are grateful today." He waited. Hazel eyes locked on his. They were still a bit red and puffy. "In the kyokuba-dan, we are taught that debts of gratitude are the most expensive of all. We shouldn't destroy that perception."
His eyebrow went up. That was a very interesting insight.
"We could ask for plant products."
"You're thinking of medicine?" he questioned.
"I think they'll think we'll ask for medicine. It wouldn't be bad trade. But... how much do you know of the Kita family?"
He thought it over. "The one that owns the chain of tea houses and dessert shops?"
"Yes. They're steady but haven't been flourishing. The head is stepping down soon, and his son will take over. He's supposed to be ambitious."
"Alright?"
"His father wants him to marry someone, I don't remember who, for the dowry she'd bring in. Part of him passing down the business is based on that. I won't tell you how, but the kyokuba-dan knows he plans to refuse the match for another. The son is unaware that his lover is the goddaughter of one the main Inaba family members. It's not unreasonable to assume they'll have an easier time getting mochigome."
It wasn't. The Inaba controlled most of the north's rice fields. "The son and his spouse will be able to expand, after all, since one of the main ingredients will be cheaper."
His genin locked her eyes on his. "We can't ask Waves to give up their food, timber, or goods already spoken for. But we can ask them to give up their alcohol. Have you seen Tazuna-san's beer? It's not a commercial name. Mangrove palm sap is used for fuel, but the islanders' demand for it will decrease with the bridge. It can be traded instead of made into alcohol. We'd get brown sugar and syrup. We can take the seeds, too. They're harvested as a byproduct, and they're a snack on their own. Have you tasted them?"
He shook his head.
"They're creamy and jelly-like. I like them." It was said without any inflection, a statement of fact.
"Alright. What else? Sugar and syrup, maybe seeds, is a good start for getting Kita to negotiate."
"I don't remember the name of the algae, but it's used for making agar. They are likely using it to make the beer a lighter shade."
"Clearer," he corrected, amused. "Agar is used for clarifying beer."
"Clearer," she repeated agreeably but without much interest. "The algae grows fast. It's easy to cultivate, so it won't stress out the islanders. The women and children who are in standby with no business can do it. And agar is an ingredient for anmitsu and yokan. And coffee-jelly. I think it can even be used for custards and chocolate."
"Maa, Hikari, is this you getting back at Tazuna-san for drinking all the time?" He teased, trying to get her to smile.
She shrugged, but some of the heaviness left her eyes.
He chuckled. "It's good, and I appreciate your input. I hadn't thought of the dessert industry. Fire will want additional things, especially medicine. But you're right. The trade you propose won't stress Waves' recovering economy. Cultivating seaweed won't harm their ecosystem, and it will give the families hope and something to do while they recover."
It was smart. It could even turn into one of Waves' main sources of income. If what Hikari said was true, Kita's demand for such a large scale of the product would increase soon. It'd cost them nothing. And Konoha would continue to be known as fair and helpful, while remaining strong.
Hikari looked at the water again.
He put a hand on top of her head and gave her an eye-smile. "Well done. Now, off you go to practice with your ribbons."
He watched her leave. Kindness and calculation made a peculiar combination, one he hadn't come across often in shinobi. But it was a fragile balance that hadn't been toppled by yesterday's fight. Kakashi was beginning to think that Hikari could make the delicate equilibrium work.
WAVES: DAY 21
Hikari and the rest of Team 7 stood in a half circle in front of Zabuza's and Haku's graves in silence.
"Is that really the shinobi path? To use and be used by people as tools? Why?" came Naruto's soft question.
Kakashi shifted. "Shinobi are mere tools of destiny. There's no use in asking if it's right or not. It is. That's all there is to it. It's the same in Konoha. It was the same for Zabuza and Haku."
Her gaze sharpened on her sensei. He was talking as if their lives were expandable and interchangeable. ...the same for Zabuza and Haku... He was talking about shinobi as mercenaries, selling their loyalty to the highest bidder. He was talking as if they were in The Era of the Warring States. A time where there was only one kyokuba-dan, independent from any and all countries and clans. A kyokuba-dan held together by everyone's secrets but tied to no land.
How low had the village fallen that one of its best jounins thought the dream Konoha was built on had failed? "Do you truly feel that way, Kakashi-sensei?"
All three of them waited for his answer.
"We are tools. Shinobi should keep their emotions in check. A shinobi's heart will allow them not to cry."
His mouth shaped the words familiarly, so it was probably a truth. Maybe even a truth once held by him. Hikari narrowed her eyes and hummed. "Shinobi rule #25. I recognize it. And yet, we passed your test because of our willingness to disregard the rules if it meant not abandoning our teammates. A tool has no free-will and follows its master's rules, Kakashi-sensei. And yet, you have allowed us to shape our team and our skills as best we see fit. You have given us the freedom to choose who we want to become. On our very first day, you asked us what our dreams were even as you disregarded having one. Zabuza cared for no dream but his own. So, I ask you again, Kakashi-sensei, do you truly feel that way?"
Silence answered her.
It was Naruto who spoke up again. "Zabuza admitted that Haku wasn't a tool. In the end."
She shrugged.
"I liked them."
She raised her eyebrows, surprised. She wasn't even sure Naruto liked her, so why did an assassin and someone who almost killed Sasuke get that much? "Why?"
"Haku... I think we could have been friends if we'd met in a different life."
"Do you mean if circumstances had been different?" She waited for his nod. "I believe we are shaped by how we choose to respond to our circumstances. In a different world, we'd be different people." What was the use of speculating about an almost stranger? They were as likely to get along as to have never met each other. "What about Zabuza?"
Naruto struggled. "He changed."
She hadn't been there for that conversation, but she knew Naruto believed that. "So he did. And yet Haku died thinking the person he loved saw him as nothing but a tool. He changed, you say. But that does not change that he killed over a hundred students without pause or hesitation."
"He cared about Haku!"
"In his own way, I'm sure. Was it enough, to care about the child he raised and who idealized him? Was it love or egotism when he didn't care for Haku's dreams? Even if he did change, even if he loved fiercely, it doesn't erase the past. He laughed as he remembered killing children." That was unforgivable, to her. What lines did Naruto draw? She wasn't sure. Naruto changed and yet refused to change. He clung to the first impressions he got. Her teammate was confusing.
He glared at her.
She didn't want to fight, so she changed the subject. "Naruto-kun, you knew Haku. How?"
"I met him in the woods we trained in. He was gathering medicinal herbs for his precious person. I thought he was a girl until he corrected me, dattebayo! He was cuter than Sakura-chan!"
She took a deep breath so she didn't scream and started with no inflection. "We spent three days laying down traps, and the day you saw a pretty girl inside of the perimeter, you decided it was normal? What was the point of spending that much time on them?" She paused. "By your own words, he admitted he was gathering herbs to heal his precious person. You knew we were on the lookout for Zabuza and a younger person. You knew Zabuza was recuperating. Haku told you he was a boy and he had the same build as the hunter-nin. And he had the skills to get past all the traps." The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She evened out her tone further. "And you didn't mention him to any of us?"
"Sasuke saw him too!" Naruto's face was flushed in anger.
"Oh?" She turned to her other teammate, who shifted his weight where he was leaning on a tree. "Just a pretty girl?" she guessed, lips curled in a pleasant smile. Sasuke didn't answer, so she turned back to her blond teammate. "Did you offer to help her, just to be polite?" Hikari let out a lovely, humorless laugh. "You accused me of being a liar, Naruto-kun, but Haku tricked you with truths and you want to be his friend?" She made herself stop talking. You didn't hurt your teammates with truths. Even when their words hurt you, you didn't bleed them with yours. That was a Fire kyokuba-dan truth, and she'd made it her own. She wouldn't break it, even if she had to bite her tongue until the taste of copper filled her mouth.
It was why she hadn't broached the subject of him going inside the ice prison. She couldn't be sure her words wouldn't be as sharp as Haku's senbons. Naruto thought everything was okay since they'd made it out. But Hikari couldn't get the image of needles sticking out of Sasuke, her own fingers held to his throat trying to get a pulse. She thought they should have helped from the outside, but if someone absolutely had to go into the barrier... why not her? The ribbon had been working and, from the inside, she wouldn't have to infuse such a large surface. They could have moved it and covered each other's backs. It would have been a better choice. Naruto going inside was the worst choice they'd made, but it wasn't the only one. Hikari had separated herself from the rest of her team, without the abilities to protect their client.
Hikari let her silence speak as she looked at Naruto.
He met her gaze, blue eyes proud and defiant. "From now on, I'll build my own shinobi way. An honest and straight path, with no remorse. From now on, I'll follow the Naruto path."
She thought the honest part was a dig at her. It made her want to stagger back. He was her teammate, and she'd been so very careful to only give him truths. She had given him respect and offered him a gift. He'd thrown it back at her face. "I wish you luck in your endeavor," was all she managed to say before she turned and walked away.
WAVES: DAY 22
Hikari glanced at a frustrated Sasuke. He was trying not to show the tremble in his legs as he forced himself to stand. He had been recovering faster than Kakashi had thought. It would probably take five days instead of a week for him to recover completely. If he stopped pushing this hard.
Kakashi and Naruto were at the bridge with Tazuna, so they were alone the house. She went out the door and came back with a big bowl, filled with water. She grabbed a couple of ribbons too and sat down on the floor.
"Would you care to join me?"
He glanced at her briefly before settling down next to her. "You're practicing the ribbon thing again. When you introduced yourself, you said you trained with it. Is this what you meant?"
"No. Putting chakra in it is a new thing. An experiment, really, to see if it could be done. I meant I train in rhythmic gymnastics."
"I know gymnastics and I have never seen them use ribbons," Sasuke's tone was brusque.
She offered him a polite smile. "Yes, it's different from what artistic gymnasts do. Rhythmic is a ground discipline that mixes what you know as gymnastics and dance." He was listening form the corner of his eye, so she continued. "I've loved it since I was five. It has four apparatus. I specialize in ribbon and hoop."
"Hn."
She put the bowl in front of her and was careful with her next words. She didn't want him to take it as a competition and push his body further. She wanted the exact opposite. "Perhaps it's because I was already channeling chakra to my hands to get it to the satin that I grasped tree walking. Kakashi-sensei told me to get water walking down. We can't go into the rivers or ocean right now, but I thought you could practice putting your hand on the water. I accomplished handstands before I could walk and find them easier. I still can't run."
Hikari made her way to her knees, put chakra on her hand, and put it on top of the water. She made sure he was watching and then shifted so her entire weight was on her arm. She straightened her legs, braced her other hand on her wrist, and did a one arm handstand. She held it for a couple of seconds and then came down.
"The layer is thinner than what you need for tree walking. The real trick is that its thickness needs to change as the water ripples and moves. You have to constantly adjust it," she advised as she put the bowl in front of him.
He gave her a nod. She returned it with a small smile and went back to her own business.
Hikari took one of the last fabrics she'd brought and closed her eyes. It was only two meters long. She wanted to see how long she could hold it for. And she needed to stop shredding them so she could move on to the actual six-meter, five centimeters width apparatus. Destroying satin was okay, but actual ribbons was not. They were fairly expensive, which was why she'd never practiced putting chakra on them. And she needed to. She needed to get the chakra infusion down so she could move on to the handle and then to actually moving with it.
She needed to get better, and learn more. Kakashi-sensei had told her she needed to hold four meters for ten minutes for her to learn genjutsu tricks. She wanted that and then some ninjutsu. It didn't have to be impressive, like Sasuke's fireballs. It didn't have to be chakra draining, like Naruto's shadow clones. But she had to be able to do something. Sasuke had almost died, only to be spared by their opponent, and she'd spent the whole fight dodging and running around. Next time, she'd do better. She'd make sure she could protect her teammates.
WAVES: DAY 23
Shikamaru squinted at the sky. The journey to Waves took three days at ninja speed. Five with a slow civilian. That made up eight days, maximum, of travel. He doubted the client had paid for two weeks of protection if Hikari thought it'd take a couple of weeks to complete it.
He had been more annoyed than worried as the third week stretched out. Waves was peaceful and well-off. He'd thought Hikari would return with tales of Naruto falling into the rivers and candy. Maybe artisanal chocolate. But this was the fourth week, double the time the mission should have taken. Shikamaru didn't like it.
He clenched his fists. He couldn't do anything about it. Just wait and trust. Trust that Hikari was smart enough to make it out of whatever had come up. Trust that she'd do her best to come back. Shikamaru closed his eyes. He had known that they were on different teams and would be sent out on separate missions. But he hadn't guessed how awful waiting could be. He cherished his teammates and understood why their formation was a tradition they upheld. They made sense, from a strategic standpoint. But still, it chafed.
He opened his eyes as a donut shaped cloud formed. Hoop, some part of his mind whispered. Hikari would insist that the cloud was her apparatus and not some dessert she didn't care for. A smile tugged at his lips.
He'd give it a couple of days and then start shaking things up. His father could maybe find something out. Today, Shikamaru had seen how he'd glanced at the backyard, expecting or hoping to see both of them there. He'd had to shake his head and then had pretended to go back to his nap.
A couple of days more. He sighed.
WAVES: DAY 24
Hikari walked next to her team on the finished bridge, finally heading back to the Land of Fire.
"As soon as we get back, I'll ask Iruka-sensei to take me to Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate my first C-rank! And just wait until Konohamaru finds out about my adventures!" Naruto announced grandly.
It seemed like the sentence would be allowed to rest in silence, until their sensei interrupted. "What about you two, Hikari, Sasuke?"
What was she supposed to say? I'm going to hug my parents and family, who are most likely worried. I'm going to visit my friends and invite Ino for a sleepover. I'm going to tell Shika all about this mission while we cloud-watch, since you didn't reprimand Naruto for wanting to tell someone. I'm going to spend time with the troupe who is leaving soon. I'm going to plan and train for Arata and I's coming performance and catch up on the favor trade.
Naruto wanted truth. She wanted not to be cruel.
Hikari shrugged and offered and easy answer. "Same idea: visit people, eat good food."
Sasuke grunted. "Hn."
Hikari looked at him from the corner of her eye and realized how alone he truly was.
Naruto was an orphan who, according to Shika, lived alone. She hadn't figured out why civilians were awful to him, but he had people he could go to. He had Iruka-sensei, and Shika, Chouji, and even Kiba if he sought them out. He apparently had someone named Konohamaru. From the way they'd interacted when they'd gotten this mission, she suspected the Hokage interacted with him often. Hikari frowned. It begged the question of why. She hadn't been given the truth behind it yet, but she knew her compound didn't like the Third Hokage. Knowing he had direct access to Naruto, that he was most likely one of his few authority figures, made her uncomfortable.
But who did Sasuke have? His family's tragedy happened shortly after they started the Academy, and he had never reached out. He hadn't made friends with their classmates. What about a caregiver? He was only two years older than Aimi when he'd seen his family murdered. Who would leave a child alone after that? Perhaps a family friend had taken him in. She didn't know for sure, and didn't that say something about her? I'm so blind, so unwilling to see. She wanted to open the kyokuba-dan to Konoha again because she knew they had something beautiful to offer. And she thought the horizon it'd open to was stunning. Through Shika's and Ino's eyes, she had seen the beauty of Konoha and its shinobi. But she didn't even know if her teammate lived alone. She was so immersed in her own compound that she hadn't thought to look for answers. She felt shame well up inside her. She clenched her teeth and looked ahead. Things changed. If you didn't like something, you could choose to do your best to change it. She'd make sure Sasuke knew he was valued.
If her teammates didn't have people at home to rely on, she'd do her best to ensure they could rely on their team.
WAVES: DAY 25
Hikari let her backpack drop to the ground and followed after it. She pulled out her red notebook and a pen. Sasuke settled next to her, Naruto on his other side, and their sensei at the end.
She bit her lip. Arata and she had asked for seven numbers. Two of them were for showcasing their individual disciplines. Three of them they'd do together: the first number, hand to hand, and aerial. The last one neither would be performing it. It was the one she'd entrusted to Mai-senpai and her group of dancers. The sixth one, Arata had claimed. He'd do the choreography, and she'd learn it.
She'd expected to have more time for training leading up to their show. Team 7 had been going on D-ranks. Even if they'd progressed to C-ranks, those usually didn't take long. Waves had changed that. The good thing was that they weren't aiming for new moves. This show was meant to showcase their current skills and the moves they'd created. She would mostly be putting sequences together and building transitions. It was still a hard task. She uncapped the pen. For the starting number, they'd decided to go to the very beginning. Back to ballet, the first thing they'd learned together. They'd twist it to be more daring, more suited to them, but the music had been chosen. She turned the page and started crafting.
WAVES: DAY 26
Hikari smiled as the hiragana on the village's gates came into view.