Chapter 181
A Day of Mischief: Amari and Mimi, the Deadly Alliance!
Draped in a black cloak and exuding peace and strength in every elegant step, Mei Terumī sauntered through the playful sprinkle of snow falling over Mist Village, white blemishes speckling her ankle-length auburn hair. Snow crunched beneath her high-heeled sandals as she strolled along the populated street, greeted now and then by mild bows, a smile, or a wary gaze.
The Fifth Mizukage had no planned destination, no critical meeting to attend; it was one of those few rare occasions, becoming rarer each day, where nothing pressing commanded she remain confined within the gilded cage of Mizukage Tower.
For the moment she could stretch her legs. She wanted to breathe in the Village, see and be among the citizens, and in doing so she hoped to slowly redefine the bond between her people and their Mizukage.
For too long the title of Mizukage was synonymous with a cold ruler grinding the Village and its people beneath an unfeeling iron fist. Carmine blood stained the name. Recent history tainted every street and every heart with the filth of unmitigated greed and corruption, and the Demons the Dark Times birthed left no shortage of scars.
Indeed, she could smell the putrid stench of corruption, death, and betrayal lingering on her title. With time and relentless effort she intended to cleanse the odor and filth from not only Mizukage Tower and title of Mizukage, but from the Village and Land as well.
A feminine figure walked in Mei's shadow. Draped in a black cloak, snowflakes peppered their crimson hair as they kept within two long strides of the Mizukage.
The citizens recognized the Fifth Mizukage's assistant, finally returned from the Land of the Moon. They did not bow their heads or smile, they offered only wary gazes, if they acknowledged her at all. It was the normal reaction for Mist shinobi.
Natsumi didn't smile or scowl at them. She strolled with an aloof air, a clipboard and notepad cradled in her arm. She concealed her natural state of alert well, all as her turquoise eyes scanned their surroundings as keenly as Mei, lowering only when she needed to write something down or as they went over reports.
Work never truly stopped, not even for a relaxing jaunt. The Mizukage didn't mind.
Every month that passes we gain a little more stability, Mei thought, examining the open businesses. A small few were freshly renovated, others were in the midst of renovation. Most would bear their worn down and weathered exteriors for the rest of winter.
Her eyes drifted to the populace. Men and women passed her in the street, people gathered at the limited assortment of stalls and shops, she saw adults and children perusing markets stands for food, some were searching for toiletries and other basic necessities from the traveling merchants testing the waters of the new Mist Village. Others stopped at taverns in search of a warm roof and stiff drink.
Fewer and fewer people are afraid to leave their homes, she noted the increased traffic. We aren't a bustling Village—not yet—but I can see and feel every adjustment. Once you couldn't walk these streets without bearing witness or becoming the victim of an outbreak of violence between shinobi. Those first hectic months after Yagura's death were the same.
Thankfully, those days seem to finally be behind us. The desperation is waning—although not as quick as I'd like it, I know these things take time. More businesses are opening. I've lost track of the renovations I've approved.
But not everything is fixed.
Mei took in everything. She noticed orphans sheltering beneath awnings to escape the snow. Inside an alleyway a homeless woman searched the trashcans for some manner of necessity. Food, most likely.
Tension lingered on the air. It flickered in the wary gazes she received. Her people maintained a shinobi-level of vigilance, they expected an outbreak of violence at any moment. Or for her to plunge a knife in their throats, or melt them where they stood.
No, she thought, a pang of sorrow in her heart, not everything is fixed. We are far from the Village I seek to build. My people still suffer. Until every man, woman, and child is off the streets, into a home of their own, with stable work to live and warm food to eat, my work is not complete. I will not leave a single soul behind, not while I still have strength and power to rescue them.
Systemic issues such as theirs weren't so quickly fixed, she knew. This was not a matter she could neatly tie a bow around by winters end, for these problems extended well beyond the walls of the Mist, infecting the entirety of the Land of Water. The Mist itself was a microcosm of their Nation.
However, Natsumi's and Haku's successful mission in the Land of the Moon provided the Fifth Mizukage an opportunity.
King Michiru paid the Mist and the Leaf double the price of the original offer.
That obscene sum, she swore, would not sit in a treasure chest at the end of her bed, hoarded in greed or spread among a corrupt upper crust as the rest of the Nation lived in squalor, hoping—praying—they would be fortunate enough to eat a single meal by weeks end.
It would be a vaccine injected into her Nation to bolster its immune system against a previously terminal disease causing rampant death and lifelong trauma to the entire population.
For so long we've survived on a thin purse. We lived hand to mouth, unable or unwilling to plan a year into the future, let alone five or ten years ahead. We had no future. Not a pleasant one, at least.
Our thin purse kept me from initiating programs that would aid the least fortunate, it has stalled progress in renovations of critical infrastructure.
Our limited military and medical supplies, not to mention the food insecurity of our Nation, were all strained before we rescued those held captive by the Crimson Flowers. We survived as long as we have through the Feudal Lords graciousness and the few trade deals we struck with neighboring islands.
We've lived on the edge of a knife, she thought as she sauntered ahead, observing her people. Now there is a wealth of opportunities within reach. Of course, not all of our problems can be solved by throwing money at them. But for those problems that can be solved with money, we now have the means to do so. Finally.
Mei inhaled a calm breath of crisp air, then exhaled peacefully. She smiled.
Although the Stone was tearing the world asunder once more with war, and would eventually drag her Nation and her people into it, the thought of the future left her positively thrumming from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Natsumi noticed.
"You haven't been this excited in a long time, Lady Mei."
"Mm," she hummed, nodding once to herself. "Too true. Often it feels as though I am leaping from one crisis to the next. And rarely do I ever feel as though I am resolving the matter completely. More often than not, as you know, it is a matter of kicking a can down the road, because we have lacked the finances, the infrastructure, or the supplies necessary to resolve the crisis in its entirety.
"For all we have accomplished since Yagura's fall, it has felt like the whole Land of Water is a ship adrift at sea. Our rudder is jammed, our oars are broken, and our sails are tattered; we have floated along, drawn forward on a current that our last powerful attempts to change direction brought us to, and since then we have meandered slowly ahead. Far too slowly," she added, shaking her head.
"No one is blaming you for that," Natsumi said.
"Our dearest Councilors would disagree."
"Allow me to rephrase then." Natsumi's voice painted a vivid image of her rolling eyes. "No one with a brain between their ears or a shred of integrity is blaming you for our situation."
Mei hummed a small laugh.
"Everyone paying attention, civilian and shinobi alike, see how hard you are working for our sake," Natsumi continued. "They may not always agree with your vision; old veterans like Ao and Ganryū, they see everything through the lens of the Dark Times. Yet they stay their blades. They remain patient. They work hard to aid your vision, even if their old instincts see it as soft or weak. Because they believe in you. Because time and again you've proven you hold only the best interests of our Nation in your heart. And that's something no one has ever accused those soulless Councilors of.
"After everything they did during the Fourth's reign, taking advantage of our crippled Nation to fill their own pockets, potentially having a hand in helping whoever was manipulating Yagura with genjutsu—they don't get to sit back and blame us for treading water. Their greed is one of the reasons we're in this mess to begin with."
"Mm, true. I imagine if we didn't secure King Michiru's payment our dearest Councilors would simply vanish from the Land of Water," she said, making an absent gesture with her hand.
"Don't worry. I'm sure they'll start accusing us of hoarding it to ourselves soon enough," Natsumi said, rolling her eyes.
"Oh no," Mei shook her head. "They will not have the pleasure of that. The money from King Michiru will not be hoarded by me or anyone else. They will see how it is used to raise our Nation out of the squalor they helped plunge us all into."
"I can already see the towers of paperwork. It's a real eyesore."
"Hmhm." Mei hummed another laugh. She glanced over her shoulder, a smile on her lips as she looked at her assistant. "I am looking forward to seeing them in person."
"Heh. Be careful what you wish for, Lady Mei," Natsumi smirked.
Humming a soft laugh, Mei looked ahead again.
"For too long we have treaded water, gliding towards a bleak fog," she said. "But the fog has cleared as a result of your cooperation with the Leaf in the Land of the Moon. Now new opportunities for the future of our Nation and our people are at our fingertips. The thought of it makes even dreadful towers of paperwork feel utterly exhilarating."
Their Nation's future, she swore, would not be one she decided from a gilded tower while her people languished. She would not watch them struggle from a padded nest, detached from the sweat and strife they faced. Mei swore to walk among them, to stand shoulder to shoulder with them throughout whatever new struggles their Nation faced.
"Even those gourmet chocolates didn't have you this excited. To think Haku and I went through all that trouble to get them," Natsumi drawled.
"I am very grateful to you both for struggling oh so daringly to receive such a gift," Mei replied, a smile on her lips. "The Land of the Moon's chocolates were truly intoxicating. I dare say I may embezzle some of our new wealth to purchase more."
"No need for that. I'm pretty sure if I tell the King you loved them, he'll send us a literal boatload."
"Do not tease me so lightly, Natsumi. I may take that offer."
"Heh. You and Amaririsu both."
"Oh?" Mei chuckled.
"Yeah, she calls herself the Soul of Sweets or some other nonsense. Anyway, should've seen her, Lady Mei. Pretty sure the 'to die for' reputation was almost literal in her case."
"Hm," Mei smiled. "She's quite the endearing child."
"Showing fondness for a foreigner you've never met? So scandalous, Lady Mei," her assistant jested.
"Hmhm!" Mei's shoulders shook with a soft laugh. "Given my goals, it's safe to assume my tenure as Mizukage will be rife with similar scandals as this."
"If the worst they have to say about you at the end of your tenure is 'well, she was fond of foreigners', you'll have done damn good work, Lady Mei. They may even erect a golden idol of you at the center of the Village."
"Now that would be scandalous. And quite the eyesore."
The aroma of freshly cooked chicken broth snuck up on Mei. At a T-intersection the Mizukage looked left where, near the end of the road, she spotted a clear gathering of children and adults beneath and around a pop-up canopy. Steam, she noted, was rising amid the falling snowflakes.
Curious. The Fifth Mizukage turned and glided elegantly through the snowfall towards the gathering. Natsumi shadowed her.
"Truth be told," she spoke as she sauntered ahead, "although I have yet to meet her, in some ways I feel I already know Amaririsu. Through Chōjūrō and Haruhi, through Haku and Zabuza, through my letters with Kakashi, and now even you; you've all painted such a vivid portrait of Amaririsu for me. I look forward to meeting her."
"She feels the same way."
The pleasant aroma of the chicken broth grew thicker as they neared.
Mei paused suddenly, still several long strides from the canopy and its occupants. She smiled.
Gathered together, working beneath the canopy and outside of it at a portable kitchen, were a collection of familiar faces. The leader of the operation, bundled beneath winter clothes, was a tall woman, as tall as Mei herself, helping to wrap young children and adults in scarves and coats. Her short platinum hair was tied into a small bun.
Chinami, Mei recognized. Haruhi rescued her from the Crimson Flowers aptly named Gallows, as she recalled, and continued to train her in self-defense.
Joining her, as always, was a small, healthy boy, whose once long, dark hair now brushed evenly along his shoulders. Mika, the boy who made their raid possible, and adopted brother of Chinami, moved from the canopy to the portable kitchen, gathering supplies, utensils, and bowls at the behest of Chinami.
Haruhi, the new wielder of the Kiba Blades, chopped celery and carrots with precision and speed. Efficient as always.
Haku cleaned used bowls on the other end. Fuugetsu, unnaturally composed, delivered fresh bowls to the table and retrieved used bowls for cleaning. None could know how secretly proud and peeved he was at his best friend for spoiling his most daring ambush yet. All to help the needy.
Mei noticed a freckle-faced teenage girl and a small girl standing on a stool serving the fresh bowls beneath the canopy, their hair short—growing, for they were survivors of the mine. Meer and Yumi, she recalled. Haku often made time for the survivors, especially the little one. One could hardly tell they were once malnourished and bald, their brands were all hidden.
Nen Murasame arrived from the opposite end of the street, guiding a group of orphans to the canopy.
There were other survivors—men, women, and children she didn't immediately recognize—helping them feed and clothe the orphans, the homeless, and the struggling of the Mist on this cold winter's day.
"Chōjūrō's going to feel awful he missed out on this impromptu soup kitchen," Natsumi said.
"Mm, true. Had I known, I may have delayed his mission to deliver my correspondence to the Feudal Lord."
"It was too important to delay. Even for something good like this."
"Perhaps. Nevertheless, this walk continues to be nothing short of enlightening," Mei said, placing a hand on her hip. "I needed to leave the Tower. I need to get down here, in the streets, and see where we are successfully achieving our goals. And where we are not."
Haruhi noticed Mei immediately. She dipped her head in a respectful bow. Mei dipped her chin, smiling.
"This soup kitchen is a wonderful idea. Seeing my shinobi and these civilians—survivors—come together to help the least fortunate, it brings me no small amount of pride and joy. This is the true heart of our people.
"However, the necessity of this, that there are children and adults who need the charity of others to be properly equipped to survive this weather—to have a meal—is proof my work is far from complete."
"That's why we're out here now, yeah? Seeing what we've managed to do with our thin purse, and planning how best to utilize the King's money to uplift our people."
"Yes, it is," she nodded.
From Mizukage Tower her view of the Village were merely statistics. Numbers and written reports, where intimate details could easily be softened by gentle language or oblique accounts. Such things were impersonal—disconnected. It cut out the human element entirely, prevented her from seeing, feeling, touching, smelling, and tasting the true conditions firsthand.
That's what made this walk more than a means to stretch her legs. This jaunt had purpose. Leaving behind the gilded cage of Mizukage Tower to walk amongst her people, to see their lives and struggles in person, to feel it all—the healthy growth and the lingering malaise—provided perspective she couldn't gain from secondhand accounts or impersonal reports.
Perspective Mei needed to be the Mizukage the people of the Mist deserved.
After watching the gathering for a moment longer, Mei turned around, patting Natsumi on her shoulder as she passed.
"Come along, Natsumi. There's still more work for us to do."
"Right behind you, Lady Mei."
Every year, the Leaf Village held a village-wide festival on the day of the winter solstice, celebrating the longest night of the year, and the days of light that would follow it. Everyone, family and friends, neighbors, co-workers, and strangers, gathered beneath the colorful lanterns, decorations, and lights adorning the shops, homes, and streets all across the Leaf.
The day was celebrated with plenty of food, ranging from pink and green colored tangyuan and dumplings, to hot pots and feasts, and, of course, plenty of wine. Others prayed at their shrines or visited their lost loved ones to pay their respects. Some merely celebrated at a tavern, a cabaret club, or sought pleasure at one of the few legal gambling halls or brothels the Leaf permitted business to; these taxed haunts were held to strict standards and underwent consistent assessments to ensure the highest quality of service and safety for their employees and clients.
The end of the winter festival, when the sun finally set, was marked by a colorful firework display, lighting up the night sky to cap off the day of celebration. And the beginning of longer days, bringing balance once more to the constant tug-and-pull of darkness and light.
This year the festival was seen as a chance to lift spirits and morale after a difficult year, a year marked by an Invasion, the Third Hokage's death, and the Third Great Ninja War beginning anew.
It also so happened that the winter festival would take place three days before the Trinity's final test, where their performance would determine whether they entered the ranks of the Anbu. Or were forced to seek a different path.
Their ninety-days had all but run dry. Soon they would face the final challenge after three months of hellish training.
But that was three days away.
In the early hours of the morning, long before the sun had risen, a small silhouette waited amid the freshly falling snow for their companion to arrive. For today was the winter festival.
And they had plans.
Big plans.
Sandals crunching upon the virgin snow, Mimi walked beneath the curtain of stars drawn across the sky. She stuffed her gloved hands into the pockets of her blue sweater, ducked her chin slightly against the icy chill stinging her face. Aoko's black head poked out of her sweaters neckline. White flecks fell around them.
The hour was ungodly. Should've still been sleeping like the rest of the world. Instead she suffered the bite of winter at this unholy hour. And she did it gladly. Eagerly, one might say. Perhaps as eager as a celibate priest forgoing their pledge of chastity for a charming succubus.
She walked with a bounce in her step and an upward tug at her lips. She sniffed the air to follow the familiar scent of cocoa butter and vanilla to its owner. It didn't take long.
At the outskirts of her aunt's home, leaning against the trunk of a tree rendered bare of its leaves, chin tucked into her chest and arms crossed over her belly, the small silhouette lifted her head at her approach. Attired in a dark-colored winter coat and pants, the colors melding into the darkness, they greeted her with a warm,
"Good morning, Mimi. I'm glad you made it."
"Or just glad Auntie Tsume didn't send Kuromaru to chew on you," Mimi replied, smirking. "That's why you're as far from the house as possible, right, Amari?"
Amari snorted. "I'm not stupid enough to think he or the Haimaru Brothers haven't already caught my scent. Or yours leaving. I figure as long as I keep my distance I won't end up testing the patience of an exhausted Tsume Inuzuka. So far it's working out."
"Great minds think alike."
She'd taken extra care to slip out as soundlessly as possible for the same purpose.
Mimi shrugged. "Pretty sure she'll grind all three us into the dirt if we wake her this early. Way too early for a 'good morning' to soothe things over."
"Then I'd say its time to move out." Amari pushed off the tree trunk to stand up straight. Then she smirked at the Inuzuka duo. "Are you two ready to do this? There won't be any turning back once we start."
Mimi and Aoko grinned wild, toothy grins. "Let's see them try to retaliate. They won't know what hit them."
"You're right." Amari smiled a dark and sadistic smile. "They won't."
Mimi felt a surge of adrenaline-like elation flow through her at that promise. She bounced on the balls of her feet, chuckling wickedly. Somewhere deeper beneath the elation, however, shivers raced down her spine in terrible dread.
Amari's sense of humor was evolving.
And they were all totally screwed.
The shrill metallic cry of an alarm coaxed a groan out of Naruto.
Eyes shut, he turned off his left side, onto his back, and then onto his right side, reaching out blindly with his left hand. His palm slapped against the end table beside his bed, then struck one of the twin vibrating metal bells of the alarm clock. It kept ringing.
Groaning, stretching his fingers out to the switch, he silenced the alarm. His room returned to peaceful stillness. Finally.
Naruto pulled the blanket over his head, squeezing his eyes shut tightly once he was sheltered beneath. He really didn't want to get out of bed. It was cold out there, you know. He wanted to melt here, in the warmth of his bed far from training fields. He could just drift off…
He awoke again, startled somewhat that he'd actually fallen asleep again. He blinked repeatedly, but then shut them.
Man, he was still super tired. It shouldn't have been possible. He remembered hitting the pillow, pulling his blanket up, and then the alarm went off. He hadn't stirred awake at all last night. Not one little bit.
Yet his whole body felt totally drained despite his pleasant night of sleep. He wished it didn't, but he understood.
Pervy Sage's drills were progressively getting tougher. Not that he was complaining about getting serious training, but still. Did he have to get out of bed already? Couldn't he just sleep in a little? Or maybe a lot? Getting out of bed was way too much work.
Heh, he smiled tiredly beneath the blanket. Great. Now I'm starting to sound like lazy Shikamaru. What do I need to do today anyway? I wonder if Granny Tsunade will even have missions for us. I mean, its the day of the winter festival, so there will probably be some errands and stuff for sure. But I'd really just like a day off.
Oh, wait, if today's the festival, that means Ichiraku Ramen will be offering extra fish cakes and pork with each bowl!
Giddy, he could smell the fresh broth already. It'd be nice and warm, too. Could almost taste it…
"Mmm. Ramen," he murmured, half-asleep.
Finally, after drifting in and out of sleep, he woke again and opened his eyes. Inhaling a long breath, he exhaled and pushed the blanket off his head while turning off his side, onto his back, then sitting upright.
Face to face with two burning red eyes and the grinning crimson smile of a devil.
"WAAHHHHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs.
He kicked his blanket up into the air, desperate to kick the devil and simultaneously kick himself farther way.
Heart-pounding, trying to escape, to create distance before it could snatch him, he scurried backwards and slammed the back of his head into the wall.
"Ahhhh, Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he cried.
Four Shadow Clones materialized. Belting out wordless shouts, they leapt into action, tackling the devil out of the air and to the floor.
The door to his room suddenly ripped open.
"Naruto!"
Sasuke was in a black shirt, grey pants, and had a mess of bed hair shadowing his crimson burning eyes. He was thankful for the backup, and grateful they hadn't had the time or made the effort to move into their old apartments since becoming roommates during the Exams.
"Gah, dammit." Naruto rubbed the back of his head, moving up into a crouch on his bed. "You may have got the jump on me, whatever you are, but you're gonna pay for…breaking…in… Ehhh…"
Naruto blinked. He gazed bewildered at the disheveled devil lying on the floor beneath his confused Shadow Clones.
The devil, who was of a pale-yellow complexion, was still grinning their crimson smile, his eyes glowed like the light of the Amenominakanushi. Because his teeth, which weren't teeth, were tiny little red lights, the same as his eyes. And his complexion wasn't a constitution at all, but instead…
"Is that…straw, Sasuke?" Naruto wondered.
Someone snorted from the other side of his end table. Naruto and Sasuke drew their eyes to it. Two silhouettes pressed themselves against the wall, shoulder to shoulder, hands covering their mouths. Tears welled in Amari's and Mimi's eyes.
"You two," Sasuke sighed in equal parts relief and amusement, crimson cooling for onyx.
"Amari? Mimi? What are you…"
"I can't leave you guys out of the festivities, though," Amari's voice returned to him from after the Mizuki Incident. "Maybe I'll buy a straw dummy, wrap it up in festival lights and put it in your room while you sleep." She shrugged. "Might be fun."
The light bulb flickered on in Naruto's head.
"Hey!" he yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the pair. "It was you!"
Suddenly the pair dispersed into smoke. Whether because they died from holding back their laughter or by choice would never be known.
Somewhere else in the Leaf, Amari and Mimi were, in fact, giggling and cackling madly at the memories of Naruto's horror stricken face and scream.
"Huh? They were Shadow Clones?"
A small laugh from the doorway startled Naruto. Drawing his eyes to Sasuke, he found his roommate and teammate pressing his palm to his forehead, shoulders shaking with uncharacteristic but quiet laughter.
"What's the deal, Sasuke? Why are you laughing? Wait, did you know about this?!"
"If she'd told me, do you think I would have charged in like that?" Sasuke asked, a lightness to his voice. "Hehe! Hehehehe!"
"You- You've gotta stop laughing like that! You sound like you're going crazy, it's freaking me out, you know!"
"So this is it. It's finally begun, then."
Naruto's heart tightened. "What? What are you talking about? What's begun?!" he panicked.
"Oh, Naruto," Sasuke sighed. He lowered his hand and looked at the Uzumaki with a sideways grin. "Don't you realize what's happening? Shikamaru warned us that day."
Again the dim lightbulb suddenly flared to life.
"It's a real drag to admit it, but I'm just gonna say it now and get it over with. We're all screwed."
"No," Naruto gasped in horror. "No way. So this is—"
"This is only the beginning," Sasuke confirmed, voice equally grim and amused. "No where is safe now."
Naruto swallowed a stone brick.
"Bu- but there's gotta be something we can do, right? Right?!"
"Try all you like. Think about it, though. Those were Shadow Clones, so who knows where they are or who will be next." Turning away, chuckling to himself, the Uchiha said, "Amari said she had big plans. And now we're going to find out what they are. Heh. Hehehe. Oh," he sighed in defeat as he walked away, "today's going to be a long day."
"Sasuke— hey, wait! We've gotta work together!"
Sasuke waved his hand dismissively through the air. "It's too early for this. I'm going to shower."
Looking left, then right, scanning his room for any signs of tampering, Naruto's eyes fell on the straw dummy on the floor. Cold shivers raced down his spine.
This is only the beginning, he realized in horror.
They were screwed. They were so totally screwed!
Shikamaru forced himself to sit up when he awoke. There he remained, slouched forward, eyes struggling to remain open as he waited. And waited. Too tired to counter preemptively, he sat in the mixture of shadows and dim light awaiting for inevitability to strike.
Finally, it did. The little hammer slammed rapidly between the two bells on his alarm clock, filling his room with the annoying shrill metallic cry. Shikamaru yawned without bothering to cover his mouth, then stared blankly at the wall across his room. The alarm continued to scream.
Ugh. Why do I even bother in setting an alarm when I always wake up before it. Now I have to listen to it scream. I could silence it, but I'm too tired to move. But if I don't turn it off it'll just keep screaming. Man, what a drag.
For another long moment he didn't move an inch. He merely sat there, assaulted by the cry of his alarm, wishing it'd just shut up already. He didn't have it in him to reach over.
Who had energy in the morning to do anything so physical? It took everything he had to sit up. If he reached over now and fell down, he might just shut his eyes and fall asleep again.
Yeah. That sounded nice. Taking it easy, lying down, sleeping in. He could go for something like that. Unfortunately Shikamaru couldn't. Not really. Sure, he might silence the alarm, but soon enough it's screaming would be replaced with the shouts of his mother, and there was no off button for that. Being shouted at this early would be way too troublesome.
Sighing, Shikamaru reached over to his alarm and shut the damn thing up. He didn't waste anymore time in bed after, slipping out from beneath the sheets to place his feet on the cold floor, which told him everything he needed to know about the weather today. Another cold one, likely still snowing based on yesterdays forecasts.
Great.
Out of bed, Shikamaru shuffled his way to the bathroom one tired step at a time. He covered his mouth as he yawned again, eyes watering as he passed through the open portal.
It was as he was closing the door, as the door was nearly sealed shut, that he heard a metallic snap—a noise which set him on alert, for it sounded exactly like ninja wire snapping.
In intangible milliseconds he turned his head, eyes locking onto the glint of broken ninja wire falling to the floor—just as his ears and alert shinobi mind recognized.
Then ice cold water poured over the Nara.
The sound of his own wordless wail reverberated in that strange way all bathrooms caught noise. Every muscle in his body went taut. Gooseflesh pricked up over every inch of his flesh as he froze there in a puddle of icy water, dripping from head to toe.
Shikamaru heaved heavy breaths, eyes wide, mind and body more awake and alive than they had any right being this early in the morning. Adrenaline coursed through him as he panted, looking at his trembling hands, grunting, hissing, cursing, and groaning.
He heard a muffled snicker. Then a muted cackle. His wide eyes flitted up. There, pressing themselves flat against the ceiling and wall above the door, were the troublesome girls he was going to murder.
"You two!" he hissed through chattering teeth.
Mimi was on the verge of tears, gloved hand covering her mouth. 'Risu was struggling to contain her giggles. She then jabbed her finger at him while grinning and declared,
"Vengeance!"
Before falling into a fit of giggles as she fell off the wall and ceiling. When she crashed onto the floor she dispersed into smoke. After a sharp bark of laughter, Mimi quickly dispersed into smoke as well.
The door, not fully shut, suddenly creaked open. His father appeared on the other side, one hand in his pocket, and a bemused smirk on his face. He took in his son's soaked and shivering appearance, the water on the floor. Then hummed, as though a conclusion he had foreseen finally came to pass.
"You knew," Shikamaru accused, glowering at his old man.
"No one would enter this house without Yoshino or I knowing it," he confirmed. "However, I didn't know precisely what they were up to. Now I do. In your position, I'd warn your friends. Quickly. 'Risu and Mimi are a deadly alliance, and given those were Shadow Clones, I can't imagine this will be the end of their plans."
He was right. Dammit. 'Risu and Mimi weren't going to stop here. They could already be striking the others with similar ambushes. And, based on 'Risu's declaration, his stupid joke about her and Haku "reforming their Clans" was playing a major role in it.
"This is bad." Shikamaru shivered, in part because of the chill cutting through his body, and in part because of fear. "She must've been plotting this for some time. And Mimi… Dammit, one of them alone would've been hard enough to deal with. The damage they can do together… You dealt with her mother, right, Dad? Do you have any advice?"
"Sure." His old man smirked. "Accept your fate."
"Ughhhhhh!" Shikamaru threw his head back and groaned.
Today was going to be such a drag!
"One-two. One-two. One-two. One-two. Pause!"
Might Guy paused at the bottom of a push-up. He glanced up to see Kakashi's protégé, Amaririsu, pausing at his command. The tip of her head was two feet from his, her chest mere inches from the snow covered training field.
They hadn't started with push-ups. Oh no, he had challenged Amaririsu to a youthful spar before this, restricting the kunoichi to physical ability alone—he wanted to her see and feel the difference from where she started and where she now stood after three months.
Now they entered the burnout session. Now was the time to put it all on the line! To push far beyond one's preconceived physical limitations and capture the fires of youth!
"Hehe!" Guy chuckled heartily. "When we first started training three months ago your weakest area was your physical strength, and your ability to access every drop of it. Now look at you! Fifty push-ups in and you're still matching my movements. I know you're my Eternal Rival's protégé—and up!"
They both rose to the top of the push-up. Amaririsu existed in a meditative state. She expressed nothing, absent of all emotion save one—determination. She breathed in for one, two, three, four beats. Then exhaled—one, two, three, and four again. Completely in control.
Guy grinned.
As cool as fresh snow. That's my Eternal Rival's protégé for you.
"Andddd… One-two. One-two. One-two."
They started again. At his next call they halted halfway between the top and bottom of the push-up. Amaririsu's cheeks were flushed, sweat dripped down her face. Her body trembled, but she didn't break from her meditative state. She controlled every breath as best she could.
"But," Guy picked up from his previous point, "over these last three months I've come to see you and Sasuke as my own students, too. You both gave this training everything you had. Just like Mimi and Aoko. I couldn't be more proud of you four."
"Thank you, Guy-sensei," Amaririsu spoke for the first time. "Truly. You helped me push past barriers I didn't know I had."
"Hehe! You're very welcome, Amaririsu. And up!" At the top, he grinned at his Eternal Rival's student. "But we're far from done today. So let the hot-blooded sweat of youth fly! One-two. One-two. One-two!"
Guy pushed Amaririsu onwards towards one hundred total reps, slowing pace only in the twilight quarter when the kunoichi's meditative state finally broke. Her struggles were vivid; he could nearly feel the vicious tremble of her arms and torso vibrating through the earth. She grunted, annoyed, as full reps devolved into slow half-reps. Then groaned as even they became untenable.
Amaririsu did not forfeit, however. She dropped to her knees and struggled on admirably to the very end.
"Hold this last one!" Guy grunted, paused at the bottom of his rep.
Amaririsu, quivering like a field of reeds battered beneath repeated gales, paused half the distance. They held there for one, two, three…
"And up!"
Guy reached the top before Amaririsu. Once she pushed through full extension her arms bent and she exhaled a long-suffering groan as she rested her forehead against the snow, sinking deeply into child's pose as she panted.
Resting on his knees, Guy rose upright and placed his hands on his hips. A youthful sweat dampened his skin and green jumpsuit. He grinned all the same, observing his training partner. Her whole torso expanded and contracted with every heaving breath, her muscles vibrated like strummed guitar strings. Wisps of steam rose from their bodies.
"Nice work, Amaririsu," he congratulated. "You kept up with my every move."
"Not…precisely… I had to…drop to my knees…"
"Something like that doesn't matter," Guy waved off her statement. "What matters is the effort you put into your training. You could've quit at any moment. Yet you kept pushing. It's true you modified to half-reps, and then to knee push-ups. But there is no shame in that. I didn't go easy on you, after all."
He reached over and peeled the Weighted Seal off her back, adding an additional forty pounds of resistance.
"Without this, and our previous spar, you would've had no trouble keeping up. In fact, you could've forgone this additional weight entirely, but you chose to face my challenge. Without hesitation. You chose to give your training everything you had. That's what it's all about."
Amaririsu didn't raise her head from the snow. She did, however, curl her left hand into a fist and raise her thumb.
"Thank you…for challenging me…Guy-sensei."
"You're welcome, Amaririsu."
Although he knew they were meant to take it easy on the four in these final days, Guy couldn't in good conscious let Amaririsu off easy. He had his reasons for pushing Amaririsu as hard as he did. Beyond preparing her, Sasuke, and Mimi and Aoko to be resilient enough to endure the hardships of the Anbu Black Ops.
By helping Amaririsu to improve, he would create a formidable rival for Lee, and in turn motivate his protégé to reach even greater heights to match, then exceed, Amaririsu. But she would not settle to be second best. Oh no, it wasn't in Amaririsu's character to accept second place, and thus she would push herself even farther.
Their eternal rivalry will set them on the path to surpass Kakashi and I, Guy grinned, and that is a day I look forward to. Lee and Amaririsu, they won't be excellent shinobi. No, they will far exceed mere excellence. They will be shinobi without par. There's no doubt about it.
Inhaling a long breath, then exhaling a white cloud of condensation, Amaririsu rose out of child's pose. She rested her hands on her thighs, shut her eyes, and focused on her breathing for another long moment. Finally, she looked at him and said,
"By the way, Guy-sensei, I've been meaning to tell you something."
"Hm? What is it, Amaririsu?"
"You've heard of my space-time accident, right?"
"That I have."
"Good, that makes explaining this easier." Amaririsu smiled an innocent smile. "You see, while I was in that other world, I met these two teachers whose relationship reminded me a lot of your rivalry with Kakashi-sensei…"
Along the secluded rocky mountain terrain outside of the Leaf, Kakashi stared intensely at the series of new craters dotting the terrain. His Sharingan perceived the faintest of snowflakes falling, covering the craters in a fresh white blanket, and the ruptured stones a random onlooker might think were created by small pieces of a falling star.
She pulled it off. Incredible.
His gaze fell to the kunoichi he sat upon the back of, pinning her panting form prone against the snow. Mimi kept her eyes shut. Ribbons of steam rose off her body. Snow melted around her, imprinting her silhouette into the earth as though it were a snow angel.
Despite being pinned to the earth, she was grinning triumphantly. Like a starving wolf who'd finally cornered its prey.
She knew, just as he did, the success of her new technique had far surpassed either of their expectations. Evident by the tear in his sleeve.
This kid… Amari and Sasuke can't afford to slack off. Otherwise she'll leave them in the dust.
"Almost…had you there…Kakashi-sensei," Mimi panted, grinning from ear to ear.
Kakashi chuckled, pulled his headband over his eye.
"You're still a few years too early to say that."
But, in time, you will surpass me, he thought. Just like Team Seven and your peers.
"Still, impressive as that display was, you should only use this new technique of yours as a last resort."
"I hear ya."
"Good."
Kakashi stood up, stuffed his hands in his pockets, then looked down at the Inuzuka. Mimi turned over, sat up, and was greeted by Aoko hopping into her lap.
"In a few years," he said, "when you've grown even stronger, I suspect you'll be able to limit its drawbacks to an even greater degree."
"I hope so," Mimi nodded, exhaling a heavy breath. Condensation, like mist, drifted into the air.
"At this point I can use it once successfully. And it's not like I'll have an eternity on the battlefield to attack with it," she added with a shake of her head.
"You'll improve it in time. For now be proud of what you accomplished. Not just here today, but over the course of these three months. You and Aoko, as well as Sasuke and Amari, have all come a long way."
"Mm," she nodded, rubbing Aoko behind her ears. "Only made it this far because you guys pushed us to our limits. Thanks for that. At times it was pure hell, but that was sort of the point. Now I have no doubt we're gonna ace your test and survive whatever is thrown our way. Together we'll grind anyone who stands in our way to dust. Right, Aoko?"
Aoko barked in agreement. Kakashi eye smiled.
Yeah. Together you'll be all right.
Mimi sniffed the air. She leaned to her right, peering around Kakashi with a curious expression. A single sniff of the air told the Copy Ninja all he needed to.
Half-turning, he felt his eyebrow raise at the white wake shooting into the air in the distance.
"Why is Guy-sensei sprinting at us like our lives depend on it?" Mimi wondered.
"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," Kakashi replied, sighing.
Something's riled him up. Great. I have a bad feeling about this. An awful feeling, actually.
"Kaaakaaaashiiiiiiiii!" Guy bellowed as he neared, arms pumping frantically at his side with every long stride.
Kakashi sighed. Something, or someone, had really riled Guy up. Tears glistened in the hot-blooded man's eyes. Worse yet, he appeared to be in the Fourth Gate, the Gate of Pain, of the Eight Inner Gates.
Suddenly, far too suddenly, Guy halted and immediately began to glide on the snow as though gliding along a sheet of ice. Kakashi grimaced. At his speed, with the Gate of Pain activated, his sudden halt unleashed a tidal wave of snow roaring straight at them.
"Ah hell," Mimi cursed. Aoko whimpered and buried herself into her companion in preparation for the coming wave.
Thinking quickly, Kakashi grabbed the kunoichi and leapt away. A good thing, too. The wave came upon their previous position within seconds, just as he landed and settled the kunoichi down safely out of range; it would've buried them both.
Guy glided to a halt directly across from them. He deactivated the Eight Inner Gates, panting, and hysterically jabbed his finger at Kakashi.
"Kakashi, I challenge you! Right here, right now!"
"Is that what this is all about?" Kakashi sighed. "Guy, this isn—"
"No!" His comrade cut him off, creating an X-shape with his arms. "I don't want to hear any of your excuses! This isn't the time for hesitation or second-guessing. You've finished training Mimi. I finished challenging Amaririsu just a moment ago. We're doing this, Kakashi! Right now!"
"You're more hysterical than usual," Kakashi noted cautiously.
Something was wrong. Very wrong. Every veteran instinct he had was at alert. Cold dread filled his stomach.
"What's gotten into you, Guy?" he dared to ask. "What spurred this all of the sudden?"
Guy clenched a fist near his face, shutting his eyes. Two tears streamed down his cheeks.
"To think you don't even know what has set my heart ablaze… Amaririsu was right!" Guy wept.
Kakashi's stomach dropped. No…
"I'm sorry, Kakashi! I've let you down as your Eternal Rival!"
Mimi snorted. Kakashi's dark gaze fell upon the Inuzuka, whose lips were split from ear to ear in a wild grin.
You knew about this, he accused silently.
Mimi's sapphire eyes glimmered with mirth. It told him everything.
You've got to be kidding me. Amari, he hissed, to think you would go this far!
Her sense of humor, he realized in horror, had just evolved into something no one was safe from. Not even him.
"I've forgone our usual contests for far too long," Guy wept, "and in doing so I've allowed others to surpass us. But that ends right now!"
"Guy, wait. Amari has—"
"No, there's no more waiting!" Guy declared, lowering his stance as though preparing to sprint straight at Kakashi. "I can't hold this hot-blooded fire back any longer! Through these fists of ours we'll say everything we need to, my Eternal Rival. Now—"
Kakashi took an involuntary step back, hand reaching up to lift his headband off his eye.
"Wait, Guy! Listen to me!"
"Let's gooooooo!"
Along the secluded rocky mountain terrain outside of the Leaf, where a peaceful snowfall blanketed the earth in delicate white, one of the most exhausting days of Kakashi's life began.
There, beneath the fierce onslaught of Might Guy, he swore he would have his vengeance.
Someday.
"Your visual prowess continues to grow in leaps and bounds, Sasuke," Kurenai said.
Sasuke, having survived a barrage of genjutsu and her kunais, exhaled a long breath, accented by a puff of condensation, nodding in appreciation of the complimentary observation. He lifted his slightly larger than average chokutō behind his back and sheathed it in its black scabbard.
"Your genjutsus grow more fearsome each time, Kurenai-sensei," he replied.
"Training against yours and Amari's Sharingan has had its benefits." She placed a hand on her hip. "I heard stories of the Sharingan's power for years, but I never had a chance to test my abilities against it."
"I assume my Clan took nothing to do with an outsider?"
"Mm, in some ways that could be true later on." Kurenai shook her head. "However, despite having a comrade from the Uchiha, I never did reach out to your Clan, so my lack of experience in this regard falls onto my shoulders.
"It wasn't until Itachi, Aimi, and Kisame infiltrated the Leaf that I witnessed the Sharingan's true power firsthand."
Itachi and Aimi exploited her weaknesses masterfully. They revealed the strengths of their kekkei genkai, and forced her to confront the limitations of her abilities.
In hindsight, knowing what they knew now, Kurenai couldn't help but wonder if they were attempting to teach her after Shisui faded. If they were attempting to prepare her for the eventuality of fighting the Sharingan, whether in the form of the Masked Man or Danzō.
Or, perhaps, they were merely showing her, Asuma, and Kakashi the strength of the enemies they now faced. Perhaps they sought to strip away their rosy-colored film and exhibit in excruciating detail how peace softened them, encouraged negligent idling from the Leaf.
Whatever their reasons, that battle… Kurenai looked off for a moment. That battle, right after the Invasion, was a wake-up call. For all of us. It's where the lies we've all lived in first started to peel back.
They had all trained harder since then—students and teachers. These last three months in particular, for Kurenai, training with Sasuke and Amari, experiencing their evolving visual prowess, it had provided the opportunity and knowledge to advance and expand her genjutsu mastery.
It would be handy. For their war with the Stone, and for the battle against the Masked Man and the Foundation.
"Someday," she began, looking back to Sasuke, "sooner than you think, I believe, you and Amari will surpass Itachi's and Aimi's visual prowess."
"Amari and I still have a long way to go to surpass their visual prowess. And their power," Sasuke noted, letting his Sharingan fade. "But these last three months of training has helped all of us to close that distance, even if only a little. I can feel it," he said, looking at his hands, "how much stronger we've all become."
"You've all improved immensely," Kurenai agreed, nodding in agreement. "And there's no doubt you will continue to grow stronger in time."
"Yeah." Sasuke lowered his hands. Then smiled slightly. "By the way, Kurenai-sensei, you wouldn't happen to know about Amari's big plans. Would you?"
Kurenai smirked. "Assuming I do, could you trust me to be honest?"
"Hmph. No, I couldn't."
"That's very wise of you."
Amari, her troublesome little one, had expected one of her peers to eventually ask her for information, likely in the desperate hopes she may help them thwart what was coming.
Were that to occur, she was to appear to take pity of them, and then misdirect the unfortunate souls into another of her daughter's traps.
However, she sensed no desperation from Sasuke. He merely wondered with amused curiosity if Kurenai knew what her daughter was doing. Nothing more. Because he knew there was no real escape.
Amari, Sasuke realized, had been planning this day for quite some time, and knowing her little evil genius of a daughter as he did, the Uchiha boy knew everything would go precisely as planned. No matter what they did.
So, he accepted his fate.
"Given everything she has planned, I'd tell you to be careful, but…"
"But there'd be no point. We're all screwed anyway," Sasuke said with a helpless shrug and a smile.
"In the meantime, we'll do one more round and then you'll be free to go."
Sasuke's eyes flushed crimson. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
"Ready when you are."
Everything was going according to plan.
Walking lightly along the snowy road, beneath colorful lanterns hung across the street, Amari's lips were perpetually stuck in a smile. Someone could've have easily mistaken her giddiness for winning a lifetime of free ice cream from her favorite shop, and at another time they may have been right. But not today.
Today, amidst their cozy white wonderland, was a day of triumphant vengeance. Thus far it proved to be more entertaining than she could've ever imagined, even while giggling at the madness of her own schemes. Especially Shikamaru's wordless wail. Oh, his reaction to his ice bath was glorious!
Amari brought a hand to her mouth, stifling a giggle as she passed by the people gathering along the sides of the road, beneath awnings or entering and leaving the stores hosting sales for the festival.
People bought souvenirs, like masks designed to resemble the Anbu, save their colorful and thematic paint depicting all sorts of wintery themes. Some bought warm food, or stopped at the hot chocolate stands that had replaced the popsicle sellers from the spring and summer. Everyone wanted something to warm up their hands, even when they had gloves.
Civilians stepped into restaurants, shinobi out of weapon stores. Some businesses had closed already to prepare for their busiest hours later tonight. Some squads were departing for the front-lines of the war. Workers still helping rebuild the destroyed sections of the Leaf took their lunch breaks, for afternoon was upon them, even if the grey clouds had hidden the sun.
The Leaf was abuzz with life. Despite the war, the joy of the winter festival, the hint normalcy it provided even before the full festivities had begun, were tangible.
Amari savored it as she approached her planned destination. She savored every bit of the joy, the normalcy, grateful it could still be felt despite everything. Grateful people—adults and children alike—could still smile. Still laugh. Still feel something other than despair, dread, sorrow, or misery.
She was grateful to still be alive.
If the Stone is as formidable as we expect, these peaceful moments will be few and far between going forward, she thought. Who knows how far they'll push into the Land of Fire. So much can change in a matter of days, weeks, and months. A single person can alter the world. For good or ill.
It made savoring these moments all the more important. Necessary. Because if the Stone truly did possess the power to achieve their Empire…
Amari shook the thought off as she paused, turned, and arrived at her destination, stepping beneath the white banner and into Ichiraku Ramen, where, just as anticipated, Naruto was seated at the counter beside an older gentleman she didn't recognize, both waiting for a bowl of ramen. Likely with extra fish cakes and pork, as was the tradition for Teuchi's establishment.
Another tradition was the warm smile and greeting from the supreme chef.
"Ah, well if it isn't my second most frequent customer! Amaririsu, welcome back!"
"Greetings," she bowed her head slightly. "Between missions and training, it feels like forever since I last stopped by."
Ayame, cleaning dishes in the back, also smiled at her.
"Amaririsu, it's good to see you again! Hmm. Have you grown taller since the last time we saw you?"
"Mmhm," Amari replied, trying not to hop and cheer. "But only a little bit."
A few inches, actually. But that little bit was nothing short of a triumphant victory.
Naruto suddenly wheeled around in his chair. He jabbed an accusatory finger at her, and boomed,
"You!"
Amari smiled. "Me."
"What's gonna be the trick this time, huh? Is my ramen gonna be booby-trapped?"
"Relax," she rolled her eye. "I'm here for lunch, too. And I wouldn't do anything to your precious ramen. It'd be a waste of your money and good food."
Naruto squinted at her suspiciously. "I'm not buying it."
"Okay." Amari shrugged, then sat down on the stool beside him. "May I have my usual, with extra fish cakes, please."
"Coming right up!"
"I can't believe you did that," Naruto sighed.
"Hmhm," she chuckled. Then smiled at her best friend. "I did tell you ahead of time."
"I thought you were joking!"
"I was," she admitted. "But then I really thought about it, and I couldn't resist."
"You and Mimi broke into our apartment!"
"We wanted to test our skills," she replied with a casual shrug.
"Scaring me was so not cool, Amari."
"If you knew what we did to the others, you wouldn't complain."
"O- others?" Naruto stammered, recoiling slightly. His horror was as satisfying as the Land of the Moon's chocolate. "Wa- wait a minute. Who else did you get?"
Amari smirked. "All the boys except Sasuke and Shino. So far."
"N- no way. Even Neji?"
"Even Neji," she nodded. "Had to wait until he left the Hyūga Compound, though. We weren't willing to earn the ire of Lord Hiashi or the Clan Elders for some innocent fun."
Naruto swallowed roughly. "What… What did you do to them?"
"Oh, I'm sure you'll find out later," she dismissed the conversation with an amused wave of her hand. "Soon enough Shika will come calling for you, just like he has with the others. Seems like he's had no luck finding any of the girls. And frankly, neither have I. I would've loved to see Ino's face after an ice bath, like Shika had."
"Yo- you poured ice water over Shikamaru?" Naruto gaped.
"Hehehe!" she giggled. "Oh, it was glorious! You should've heard him scream!"
"But he's your cousin!"
"Yep. And that ambush came from a place of pure love."
"I get the feeling he doesn't feel that way," Naruto said, a hint of a half-grin forming on his lips.
"Someday he'll appreciate it."
"Uh-huh."
"You know," she said, resting her forearms onto the counter, "they say vengeance is a dish best served cold. So I figure it must be ice cream, because only ice cream can taste as sweet as this."
A creaky but joyful laugh rang out from the old man beside Naruto.
"You have quite the spirited friend, huh, Naruto?"
Amari cocked an eyebrow, looked to the old man. He and Naruto were eating together? She had figured he was just another customer at Ichiraku, but clearly he was a regular if he and Naruto were friendly.
Naruto, finally remembering the other man and noticing her confused expression, went wide eyed.
"Oh, that's right. You haven't met Old Man Gennō yet. I've been meaning to introduce you two. Old Man Gennō, this is my best friend I was telling you about. Her name is Amaririsu Yūhi. Amari, this is Old Man Gennō. He's one of the guys helping us rebuild the Leaf, and he loves Ichiraku Ramen, too."
One of the people helping us rebuild? She eyed the carpenter. He seems a bit old and fragile, to be honest. But if he's still here working I have to assume his work is good enough to stay employed.
"Greetings," Amari dipped her head in a small bow. "Had I known you two were eating together, I would've introduced myself sooner. Sorry for being rude."
"It's no bother. Truly," he smiled. "It's nice to finally meet you, Amaririsu. Naruto speaks very highly of you."
"Hopefully he hasn't exaggerated too much," she said with a sheepish smile.
They made small talk as they waited for their ramen to be served, discussing the reconstruction of the Leaf, the weather, Gennō's age, his grandson and their dream to treasure hunt together, which was a passion of the old man.
Over the course of their discussion Naruto's and Gennō's bowls arrived, with Amari's arriving soon after. Gennō was a slow eater. In fact, of the large bowl he ordered, he ate only a quarter of it in the time it took Naruto to shovel down his entire bowl, containing extra fish cakes and extra pork. Then, kindly, warmly, Gennō offered the rest of his bowl to the boy.
It seemed to be a normal interaction between them. So normal Naruto only asked if he was sure once, which Gennō confirmed, before eating it.
Amari flattened her lips in discomfort, focused on the last of her ramen.
He knew he wouldn't have the stomach to eat that whole bowl. He knows it every time he orders a large bowl with Naruto. Naruto may or may not realize why, but I do. I can sense it permeating off Gennō. I sensed it when I first arrived.
He's dying.
His chakra, his life-force, it was waning even now. Yet he still got up everyday to work. He still came to Ichiraku's, spending what money he had left on large bowls of ramen he would never fully eat, but instead gift to Naruto.
Like a father spending his final days working and caring for his son, or a grandfather to a grandson.
Amari took in a breath, exhaled. Then finished off her ramen. She hardly knew the old man, but she was grateful to meet him. To cross paths even in the twilight days of his life.
I'll try to stop by Ichiraku's with Naruto as often as I can. No one should have to spend their final days alone.
Humming to herself, Amari glanced over her shoulder at the street; she could see the legs of people passing by behind the banner, but it wasn't them who truly had her attention. It was the approaching chakra, which brought a small smile to her lips.
There you are. Hm, she smiled, just as planned.
"Hey Amari?"
"Yes, Naruto?"
"What are your big plans anyway? Or have I already seen it?"
"Oh no," the Nara chuckled, "you haven't seen anything yet."
"Ugh. Great." Naruto's head fell.
"Chin up, Naruto. It could be a lot worse. You could be Kakashi-sensei right now."
Her best friend went ramrod straight. The color drained from his face, his eyes went wide. He looked at her with abject horror. And god did it feel good.
"You went after Kakashi-sensei, too?"
She smirked. "Yep."
"Wha- what did you do?"
"You!"
The breathless, indignant accusation left Naruto shivering. Amari, smiling, jabbed her thumb towards the banner.
"That," she replied.
Everyone's eyes were drawn to the man. Panting, his entire body was slouched forward, torso heaving with every desperate gasp for oxygen. He held up one square of the banner with a trembling arm.
Amari grinned like the devil.
Vengeance achieved.
Kakashi's hair was almost flattened entirely with sweat. Ribbons of steam, like a fog, rose off his superheated body. His shirt and pants were a darker shade of blue, dampened by perspiration. Even with his mask she could tell he was flushed, could feel the heat emanating off him. He covered his Sharingan eye to conserve chakra.
"Oh wow, Kakashi-sensei," she feigned innocence. "Having an Eternal Rival must really be tough."
"You," he hissed. "You!"
It seemed to be the only word he could form in his condition. An accusation that spoke every little intimate detail of the torment he had thus far suffered.
Vengeance was definitely ice cream. Something this sweet couldn't be anything else.
"No way," Naruto gaped in horror. "How did you get Bushier Brow-sensei to help you!"
"All I did was talk about these two other teachers I met, they reminded me a whole lot of their Eternal Rivalry," she said innocently. "But they seemed so much more in tune with each other compared to Kakashi-sensei and Guy-sensei. I assumed it was because they hadn't challenged each other in some time. I was worried they were losing their connection."
"Oh man," Naruto's voice was caught between horror and a laugh.
"You. I'll—" Kakashi reached towards her. "I'll…"
Amari felt the spirit of her great-great Grandfather possess her body as she grinned.
"Oh, Kakashi-sensei, I hate to break it to you, but you won't do anything today, because you can't do anything. Do you know why?"
"I'll!"
"Because your Eternal Rival is here."
Kakashi's eye went wide. Then the peaceful street was broken by a booming roar.
"Here I come, Kakashiiiiiiii!"
A great green beast tackled Kakashi with such force and speed, they almost appeared to blink out of existence. Almost. Save for the explosion of snow.
"Well," Amari stood up, grinning. "My work here is done. There's still so much more for me to do, so I should head out. Thank you for the ramen, it was delicious as always. Oh, and it was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Gennō."
Gennō smiled at her. "Likewise, Amaririsu."
"Wait! Amari! You've gotta stop!" Naruto pleaded. "This is getting way out of control!"
"On the contrary, I'm in complete control of everything right now." Amari waved her hand as she departed. "See you later, Naruto. Be sure to tell Shika everything you know."
Amari stepped out onto the street, inhaled a breath of the crisp winter air, and smiled.
Everything was going according to plan.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Shikamaru frowned at the revelation dropped into his lap.
"Every single one us, huh?" he said, lowering his hand.
Nothing was going to plan.
He couldn't believe it.
No, actually, he could believe it. They were up against a deadly alliance, after all.
He tried to warn everyone as quick as he could. He hurried through his morning routine, breakfast, and all but ran out the door to gather his comrades. But 'Risu, that troublesome girl, she was already ten steps ahead of him.
Now he and all the boys from Team's Seven, Eight, Ten and Team Guy were gathered at the memorial stone; it was the most convenient landmark he could think of, and, with luck, would be the last place 'Risu would think to find them.
Assuming she didn't already have the Crows monitoring them, which he wouldn't put past his troublesome cousin.
"Everyone except myself and Sasuke, it would seem," Shino replied stoically, standing a few strides adjacent to the Nara, hands stuffed in his pockets. "Also the kunoichis of our units have so far been spared, as we have, according to what Naruto learned."
"Why have they shown Sasuke and Shino mercy?" Kiba wondered, frustrated. "I got hit twice!" He lifted two fingers to accent his point. "Mimi tampered with my shower first thing this morning so it only sprayed ice cold water, and then when Lee and I asked Kurenai-sensei if she knew anything, like you asked us to, she sent us straight into Amari's trap!"
The Nara winced. Poor guy. Apparently they tripped a wire, or 'Risu tripped it from the shadows—no one knew for certain—unleashing a wave of snow as tall as the trees. Neither had a chance to evade and ended up buried in a cold grave, to be overly dramatic.
And, unfortunately, he was the one who sent them to Kurenai. Like an idiot.
"I've already apologized about that," Shikamaru sighed. "I never imagined Kurenai-sensei would take part in 'Risu's and Mimi's pranks."
"I suspect their ambush has left you frazzled, Shikamaru. Why? Because: That is quite the grave miscalculation you made. Uncharacteristically so."
"Hmph," Sasuke, leaning against a nearby tree, snorted. "Shino's right. I figured Kurenai-sensei was apart of their schemes. Had you come to me sooner I would've stopped them from walking into an obvious trap."
Sighing again, the Nara slouched. "Geez, like I need the extra lecture. I'm already kicking myself, I don't need an extra foot to join in."
"Hmph," the Uchiha smirked.
"As you wish," replied the Aburame.
Bad enough to be called on the carpet by Shino. But Sasuke, too?
Today was really becoming a pain in his ass.
"Hey Sasuke, how did you know Kurenai-sensei was involved?" Kiba asked.
"Simple. I asked her if she knew what they were up to," Sasuke shrugged.
Kiba blinked. Then his face flushed with rage. He stepped forward and clenched a fist in front of his chest.
"That's what we asked!"
"No, wait, Kiba, I see what Sasuke is saying," Lee spoke up, gripping his chin in thought. "We asked for direct help from Kurenai-sensei. However, it seems Sasuke only asked her if she knew that Amaririsu and Mimi were pranking us. You didn't ask her for help at all, did you, Sasuke?"
"No," he shook his head.
"Then it appears asking Kurenai-sensei directly for help was likely the stipulation of Amaririsu's trap. She may have warned us if we only expressed curiosity, as Sasuke did."
"You've gotta be kidding," sighed Kiba, his defeat palpable. "Who else have they recruited into this?"
"Let's hope they haven't recruited Anko Mitarashi," Sasuke said. "I don't want to imagine what sort of hell she'd help them create."
Neither did Shikamaru, frankly. Adding the Snake Mistress to their deadly alliance would tear the entire Leaf Village asunder.
"And we're certain this isn't over yet?" Neji asked.
"Definitely not over yet," Naruto shook his head. "Amari and Mimi are savoring every moment of this. I mean, they got Bushier Brow-sensei and Kakashi-sensei! There's no way they're done yet."
"That they've targeted our Sensei's, and proved successful in turning them against each other, is even more distressing."
"Yeah," Chōji agreed nervously. "They even managed to get our parents approval," he said with a small gesture to Shikamaru.
Chōji, the poor guy, had made it through breakfast unscathed. Shikamaru caught him as he was heading out the door, and that's when the troublemakers got the Akimichi with a downright cruel prank.
As soon as he was in the open, listening to Shikamaru detail the peril they were all in, he grabbed his bag of chips to "build up his strength," and unsealed the bag.
It was then a geyser of snow suddenly burst free of the bag, blasting Chōji in the face and knocking him onto his back with a petrified wail. And who had handed him that specific bag of chips?
His father, the traitorous old man.
"Hate to break it to you, buddy, but our parents involvement isn't surprising," Shikamaru said. "They knew 'Risu's mom, after all. My old man's mentioned her 'unique sense of humor' more than once, claimed 'Risu's inherited it."
Now they were seeing it come to life. It was such a pain.
"It is still curious they haven't targeted Sasuke or Shino yet," Neji considered.
"I have a theory—"
"Bosssssssss!"
The shrill cry of Konohamaru Sarutobi cut Shino off. Peering to the pathway leading to the memorial stone, their eyes fell upon the young boy, trailed by his friend Udon Ise, dashing straight towards them.
Both boys were pale, so pale one might think they'd seen an army of dead rise out of the earth. Their faces and clothes were stained by a splattering of various colored dyes, stretching the entire spectrum of a rainbow.
"Oh no," Naruto shuddered.
Kiba grit his teeth. "Don't tell me…"
'Risu, Shikamaru squeezed his eyes shut. Oh man, this is becoming a real drag.
"Something terrible has happened!" Konohamaru declared once he reached Naruto. "You're not going to believe it, but Big Sis has gone totally crazy!"
"She pranked you two as well, huh?" Sasuke asked.
"Hey, how'd you know?" Udon wondered.
"We've all been hit by them," Naruto answered.
"Then this is even worse than I thought!" Konohamaru panicked.
"What happened?"
"I don't know how they did it, but everyone in our class sat on whoopee cushions! There wasn't even anything there! And it wasn't all at once, either. Someone would be laughing, and then they would sit down and set another one off! It was horrible!"
"Sounds like they hid these whoopee cushions with genjutsu," Neji considered. "Or perhaps used genjutsu to simulate the same noise."
"And that's not all! All of our crayons were booby trapped, too!"
"Oh no," Naruto's chuckle was half amused, half horror.
"We opened our boxes and bam! An explosion of color splashed over us!"
"What did Iruka-sensei do?"
"He handed out wipes so we could clean up. I think he was in on all the whole thing! He was grinning from ear to ear! I've never seen Iruka-sensei so happy before."
"You've gotta be kidding, they even recruited Iruka-sensei?" Kiba gaped.
"An- and then when we went out to the training field, snowballs came flying out of nowhere! Everyone was screaming and running! But I saw them! I heard them laughing! I tried to organize my classmates and return fire with fire, but they too strong! That's why you've gotta help us get them back!"
"We're actually here trying to figure that out now," Naruto explained.
"So, wait," Konohamaru finally took a breath, looking around at their group, "Big Sis and Mimi really got all of you guys, too?"
"Everyone except Sasuke and Shino."
"No way," Udon gasped.
"Hey," Konohamaru whined. "What'd they do to get special treatment!"
"I have a theory regarding why Sasuke and I have all been left out of their pranks," Shino spoke up again.
"Yeah?" Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow. "What're you thinking, Shino?"
At this point, he'd take any help he could to turn this around. Shino's help in particular would be invaluable; nothing could frazzle the Bug Tamer.
"Amari and Mimi have used Shadow Clones to be in multiple places at once," Shino began, "they have done so to ensure the majority of us were ambushed before we ever encountered one another. However, Sasuke and I are the only outliers."
"And all the girls, too," Naruto chimed in.
"True, but I have a different theory about them. First, it seems unlikely, given how far they've gone, that they would truly leave Sasuke and I alone. Why? Because: Amaririsu and Mimi are showing no quarter, not even to their superiors or their teammates. So, if I were to guess, I'd say it was something about our activities and our direct environments that has kept them at bay.
"For instance, before you arrived, Shikamaru, I was shadowing my father as he tended to Clan matters. Had they tried to attempt anything, they would've been met by some of my Clan's most fearsome insects. It would've been quite the disturbance, even if it was an eccentric show of camaraderie."
"They also did not strike Neji until he left his Clan's compound," Lee noted.
Neji crossed his arms, lowered his head in thought. "True. In fact, it wasn't until Lady Hinata and I parted ways that they launched their ambush."
"Precisely," Shino nodded once. "As for Sasuke, they could've pranked him when they managed to surprise Naruto. Yet they didn't, at least not directly. The surprise of their infiltration, and Naruto's scream, I am certain, was enough to satiate them for the moment. Were they to try anything immediately afterwards, Sasuke may have anticipated and evaded it."
"Hmm. I get it," Shikamaru nodded. "You weren't anywhere they could get you, and Sasuke was onto them, so they're probably hoping he lowers his guard throughout the day."
"I believe so. At least, I did until Konohamaru and Udon arrived."
"Hm?" Shikamaru furrowed his brow. He didn't like the sound of that one bit. "What's changed?"
"Everything, actually. Have any of you considered how Konohamaru and Udon knew precisely where to find us?"
The question made the Nara's stomach drop.
Ah, hell…
"Hey, that's right." Naruto, puzzled, turned to the young boys. "How did you know where to find us, Konohamaru?"
"Huh? Oh, Big Sis told us where you were. Oh, and then she said something else, too."
Konohamaru cleared his throat, placed his hands on his hips, and shut his eyes as he recited in a strangely dark voice,
" 'You're still too weak, Konohamaru. If you want to achieve your vengeance, gather your comrades and come back when you have the strength to defeat us.' "
"I suspected as much," Shino nodded. "She even told Naruto to warn us of everything he witnessed at Ichiraku Ramen. You also mentioned you haven't been able to find any of our kunoichi comrades. These 'big plans' aren't just bold, but cunning as well. It's clear to me that your decision," he said, looking at Shikamaru, "to gather us all together is also apart of their plan. With Konohamaru and Udon now here, I believe we're all precisely where they want us."
Shikamaru shifted his jaw. He was right. He was absolutely right. Which could only mean…
"Hey, Konohamaru," Udon spoke up, sniffling with a perpetually runny nose, "I just thought of something. Out of everyone in our whole class, there was one person who didn't get sprayed by colored ink or sit on a whoopee cushion."
"Huh?! Really? Who?"
"Moegi."
"Huh, wait. Where is Moegi, anyway?" Naruto wondered, suddenly realizing the missing girl.
Konohamaru's eyes went wide. Frantically, he looked around himself, as though Moegi might be hiding in his shadow.
"I- I don't know! She said she'd be right behind us!"
"Hmph," Sasuke exhaled a soft chuckle. "Looks like we fell right into their trap." He then tilted his head back and up over his right shoulder, smirking. "Isn't that right, Amari?"
"Looks that way."
There were gasps among their group. Shikamaru, like his comrades, whipped around or raised their gazes to the tree branch above Sasuke.
Sitting on the branch, back braced against the trunk, right knee bent and propping up her right arm, was none other than 'Risu. Osamu was perched on her shoulder.
"You!" Konohamaru, Naruto, and Kiba all declared in unison.
She smirked, then waved playfully with her fingers.
"Hello there. You guys aren't busy or anything, right? There's something we need to discuss."
"Something to discuss, huh?" Kiba grinned. "Nah, I think we should skip that part and jump straight to the payback."
"Yeah! I've gathered my comrades and now we're going to kick your butt, Big Sis!" Konohamaru declared boldly.
The smile on his cousin's lips was, frankly, unnerving.
"Oh, and here I thought we might negotiate the peaceful terms of all of you surrendering to your fates," she drawled, slowly rising onto her feet.
"You don't get to decide fate," Neji replied.
"Mm. Normally I would agree with you, Neji. But not today. Today is a special exception to the rule."
"Is that so?"
"Yep." 'Risu placed a hand on her hip. She loomed over them with an air of superiority and confidence. "So, is it safe to assume the rest of you share their feelings?"
"Ohh, you're not getting away with everything you did so easily, Amari," Naruto promised.
"Well, then its decided. There's no turning back for any of us now, no turning back on our words."
"What are you planning, 'Risu?" Shikamaru asked cautiously.
"Oh, I'm done planning. Now its time for action, Shika."
"Heh, is that right?" he couldn't help but smirk despite his nerves.
"Fair warning, you have no chance of winning."
"We will not give up hope so easily!" Lee declared.
"Very well. Then I declare war upon you all. The Second Great Snowball War!"