Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or anything aside from my OCs.
Kori was more than shocked with the appearance and disappearance of the nine masked Akatsuki members but even more so, her team seemed to be in shock.
Touga approached her briskly, "Why did they pull away?"
"She said that 'Fate has spoken.'" Kori explained, "I don't get it either but it looks like she was only trying to keep us here for a while. Team Asuma's battle is long over. It looked to me like Asuma-san took a lot of damage. Aoba-san's team got to them before we did."
"I get the feeling that they were a lot stronger than they let on." Toshizo murmured, "Am I wrong?"
"I believe you're correct." Touga said sharply, "There were several of them that didn't even bother to join the fight. They simply stayed at a distance, watching us."
"I noticed that too." Kori nodded, "But I also noticed that each fighter had only a single thing they could do. They made no sounds, no wasted movements, and they never did anything other than what they were ordered to do. Yui had that guy pressed hard but none of them moved to help him."
"Fuck them." Kai fumed, clearly humiliated by the fact that he had been pressed into asking his friend for help, "They play dirty."
"On the contrary, I think they were more than fair with us." Touga cut in, "They could have taken us out with sheer numbers but they didn't."
"That's strange." Kori put a hand on the blond's shoulder as his expression twisted into one of pure rage, "There was a lot of strange things about those guys. They knew each of our individual names and weakness but we've never seen those guys. Their leader seemed to be pitting them against us based on our weaknesses."
The expressions of her teammates fell in shock.
"Yui is a distance fighter and has trouble with close combat because she's only got one move that is safe for her at close range." She continued, "That guy kept trying to close in on you and get you to fight hand to hand. The guy that was fighting Saizo was clearly trying to keep him distracted more than fight him. He was buying time because he knew that Saizo has the most explosive techniques but he always needs someone to cover him or he needs to catch his opponent by surprise. I didn't catch much from Touga-san's fight but that guy seemed to be using some sort of scalpel. Maybe a medical technique. He wanted to damage your muscles to prevent skillful swordplay."
"That makes no sense." Kai snarled, "There's some logic in that for us but your weakness…"
"I think, she didn't want to pit me against someone who had the advantage on me. She said that we weren't fated to die here when she first engaged us. Maybe, she didn't want to reveal all her cards this time."
"I got the feeling that she was watching you closely, Hyuga." Touga murmured, "Perhaps, she has some interest in you. The Byakugan is valuable to people of other countries."
"That could be why she went easy on me." She nodded, "If you ask me, we lucked out. If your explanation is right, she might have pulled away today because she knew my eyes were strained already."
"Fucking bitch is crazy if she thinks I'm going to let her take your eyes away." Kai snarled, "Let's move."
"Move where, Saizo." She laughed, "You're going home! You know what? We're all going home. Let's go."
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
Asahina blinked in surprise at the elderly ninja standing in her doorstep. She had never directly spoken with Danzo but she knew of his prowess and his dirty ways.
"Good evening. If you're looking for Kakashi or my students, they're not here." She said curtly, standing unwelcomingly in the doorway so as to block his view of her home.
"That's good." Danzo's squinty eyes were glowering at the pregnant woman with disdain, "I'm here to investigate your team. Starting from Hyuga Kori, I'd like for you to thoroughly explain their relations with Sunagakure and Kirigakure."
"Pardon?" Asahina was taken aback by the probing question, "What are you talking about?"
Danzo pulled a scroll from the long sleeves of his clothes and tossed it in the jonin's face, "She's received many letters from Sunagakure's Kazekage and we're starting to grow suspicious. The contents are extremely dangerous."
She had never even thought that her white-eyed student would betray Konoha for Gaara's sake but if he had the evidence, she would have no choice but to believe it. She unrolled the scroll skeptically, steeling her heart in preparation for a shocking letter.
Hyuga Kori,
I'm thankful for your kindness. Your letter was rather shocking. How would you know if you would think of me in your last moments or not? Is it possible to know those things before you're in that situation? Is that one of those "polite conversational return" rules in which you repeat what I've said but don't mean it?
More importantly, at the height of your letter, I realized that you spoke of my dream and I've told you about my goals in previous letters but you've never told me yours. What are your future goals?
In fact, I've come to realize that you've learned plenty about me over the years but I know hardly anything about you. Tell me about yourself.
As for wishing me a good night, you'd actually have to be here to do that properly.
Gaara
Asahina had lost herself in the purity of the letter. A childhood romance, even between a deadly Hyuga kunoichi and a monstrously powerful Kazekage, was very innocent. It was quite the treat to know that the Kori, who did nothing but work for the sake of the village, had this sort of relationship. The fact that it was with a respectful foreign ninja might cause some problems in the future but Asahina could completely overlook that. She was busying appreciating the budding love of her student and she almost missed the look of disapproval on Danzo's face. Almost.
"I'm not sure what the problem is." She stated bluntly, "This looks like nothing more than a letter between friends."
In fact, that's probably exactly what this whole letter was. The redhead couldn't comprehend what the problem was-what was his problem?
"Do you really not see it or are you part of their ploy?" Danzo spat, "It's not possible for ninjas to make foreign companions like this. He's the Kazekage. They're not friends, they're clearly plotting something against Konoha."
"With all due respect, I believe their friendship is a little strange as well, but it's not as impossible as you say." She shot back, "I personally wouldn't have been able to make friends with someone like Gaara but Kori's different. She's open minded and keen to the suffering of others. She knows his suffering and she's become a good friend to the young Kazekage. There's no need for suspicion."
Danzo turned without a word and left, abandoning the letter with Asahina as he disappeared down the road. It was clear that he was now suspecting her of treason as well.
She scoffed after the old ninja and muttered, "Old coot."
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
"He's what?" Aya stared at the messenger shinobi with wide eyes, her jaw hanging open, "Did he bleed a lot?"
"Shh." Ibiki hissed at her, "That's not an appropriate question."
"Tch." She mumbled.
"Alright." He said, turning to the messenger, "We'll be there."
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
Team Asahina and Touga had just made it back to the village when they received the news from a very sad Izumo. Toshizo blinked at the older ninja in dismay, clearing out his ears as if he hadn't heard correctly. He glanced around to find that his teammates were reacting much differently. It seems that they had processed the words they had heard immediately and they were now standing stiff around him.
Kai was the first to speak, "Seriously?"
"That makes this our fault, doesn't it?" Yui turned a glare onto her comrade, "Touga, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"It's not Touga-san's fault." Kori's pale face was stone hard, "Those guys were keeping us from going to help Asuma's team for a reason. Maybe Asuma's death is what they were after all along."
"That was surely one of their motives." Touga nodded in agreement, "Either way, go on and get changed. I'll report back and join you all at the funeral."
There was nothing that could be done for someone who was already dead and gone. Team Asahina dragged their heavy limbs in their separate directions to get changed into mourning attire for the funeral of Sarutobi Asuma.
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
Sarutobi Asuma.
Asahina stared down at his tombstone, the man's name was etched cleanly into the slate. It didn't suit him. Asuma was more of a rough and rebellious type of man. Neat and orderly things didn't suit him. She remembered him for many things but never once had she imagined that he would fall in the line of duty. As a senior ninja and a comrade-in-arms, he had always been someone she had respected. Despite being a man who despised the formality and restraints of the ninja world, Asuma had been a strong shinobi who never once wavered in front of an opponent. He was nothing but admirable.
Regretfully, he was gone. She hadn't spoken much to him in recent years, they had never been close friends to start with but he was someone she had fought alongside in a Great Shinobi War. More importantly, he was Kurenai's lover. Neither of them spoke very openly of their romance but Asahina had always seen the small smile on her friend's face when Asuma's name was mentioned in passing or when they made eye-contact in a meeting. As much as Kurenai teased her about her relationship with Kakashi, Asahina had teased Kurenai about Asuma.
As Asahina watched her friend silently place flowers on Asuma's grave, she couldn't help but think he had gone too soon. She knew Kurenai was carrying a child, his child, and the fact is he would never get to see their child. It brought tears to her eyes.
It was unfair.
It was cruel.
It was stone cold reality.
A long moment of silence where each person standing around the grave paid Asuma their final goodbyes passed by much too quickly. One by one, the attendees began to leave silently. No one wanted to disturb the shinobi that were leaving longer prayers to their deceased close friend. The numbers dwindled down fast, leaving Asahina who had just finished her prayer to collect her thoughts for confrontation with Kurenai.
She took just one glance at the mourning Kurenai and she knew there was nothing she could say. Not disturbing Kurenai's continuing prayer, she turned to leave her friend with some time to be alone. Kakashi was close behind her, having finished his thoughts just a moment or two ago.
The graveyard was far behind them when Kakashi spoke his first words, "I'll leave Naruto to you."
"What happened to your hand?" She asked, not having looked but she knew he was guarding his right hand.
"Naruto." The copy ninja said definitively, "He just needs a touch or two of guidance. He's figured it out himself and I've left Tenzo to help him."
"Then why me?" She murmured, "Where are you going?"
"Asuma's students." He said, pausing in the street. He waited for her to stop and fully face him before continuing, "They'll be plotting revenge."
"And you want to join them." She said it as a statement not a question. Her lips folded into a straight line. Of course, she didn't want him to go. If they managed to take down Asuma, the Akatsuki was no easy foe. But she nodded in agreement, "Be careful."
His visible eyes was shut, his lips forming a smile under his mask, "You're not going to stop me?"
"You told me because you knew I wouldn't stop you." She scoffed, "Either way you would have gone."
He nodded in acknowledgement, "But it's relieving to know that I've left Naruto in good hands."
"Again, you would have left him to me regardless." She couldn't help the smile pulling at her lips, "You selfish man."
"Yes, well, if I say I've made my decision because I was thinking of you, would that change your opinion of me?" He teased, pleased by the way her face turned pink, "If you were fit to, you would have gone for revenge yourself. I'll do it for you."
"You think that makes me happy? Don't be an idiot!" She spoke opposite to the way she felt. Regardless of whether or not his words were the truth or a lie, just the fact that he would say such a thing made her happier than words could describe. But that doesn't mean he has to know. "N-No one would enjoy hearing something so stupid!"
"As much as I'd like to tease you a little more, I have one more person to see before I go." Kakashi grinned.
"Obito?" Asahina mused, "I'm starting to think you go to that grave to see Kori rather than to think of Obito or my father."
The copy ninja chuckled, his voice deep and mysterious, "It's a coincidence."
"Oh, go already." She rolled her eyes at him, turning to continue on her way home.
She heard him call after her, "If you're jealous, you can just say so."
"Who's jealous?!" She shouted over her shoulder before hurrying on her way to avoid hearing a response that would embarrass her even further.
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
Kai gazed fondly at the back of his female teammate as she sent a silent prayer down to whoever it was on the Stone Tablet that she came to see all the time. Asuma's death had been a huge shock to Team Asahina. Kai had never once thought that a man like Asuma would be killed in the line of duty.
Long months ago, he had mused that Asuma would be killed by cancer from excessive smoking. That had been a naive thought. Any shinobi could be killed in battle on any day or any occasion. There was nothing special about any of them.
The blond's attention was drawn to the white eyes of his companion as she turned to spare him a glance from over her shoulder. She smiled as she always had, pretending that she was not at all bothered by Asuma's death. Neither of them had been close to Sarutobi Asuma but neither of them would have ever wished such an abrupt death upon the man.
More than the death of Asuma, the fact that anyone could die at any moment put a secret fear in his chest. He was not the type to be openly scared of anything. He was too proud for that but the fear was there.
"You'll be okay." Kori spoke softly as if she could read his mind, "I'll train hard. Once I'm strong, you won't have anyone weighing you down."
A gentle smile tugged at his lips. She had misjudged his fear. His biggest fear was not his own death but the death of the girl in front of him. Not that she wasn't strong. She was certainly a terror in her own right but even powerful shinobi like Asuma, one of the Twelve Ninja Guardians, fell to the Akatsuki. What would the small girl in front of him be able to do against an opponent with that kind of strength?
He snorted, "If anything, Toshi needs to train his ass off."
"Not everyone is as talented as you, Saizo." She laughed quietly, "It's hard to keep up with you."
That's funny because you don't seem to have any trouble doing so. I'm the one trying to keep up with you most of the time. He thought, only verbalizing, "I don't want to hear that from you."
"Ahem." A soft call from the trees on the opposite side caught their attention. The famed copy ninja stood amongst the shade of the trees, his one visible eye teasing them silently, "It's good to see that the two of you aren't bawling your eyes out like children."
"What?" Kai growled, "Is Naruto crying his eyes out?"
"No." He shrugged, his eye narrowing on another approaching figure, "This is weird. I'm used to seeing Kori here but the two of you have no reason to be here."
The blond glanced over his shoulder and grumbled, "Aww here comes the nagging mother fucker."
"Language, Kai-san." Was Toshizo first comment as he entered the clearing, sparing each jonin a small greeting, "I came because I thought Kori-san would be here."
"That's funny." Kakashi nodded, "Because I'm sure that all three of us are here for that exact reason."
"Eh?" The trio of young shinobi glanced up at the senior ninja, "Kakashi-sensei too?"
"Yes well, my business can wait until you kids are done with whatever you want to say." He shrugged coolly, "I'm in no rush."
Toshizo blushed darkly and Kai fixed a dark glare on the chunin, "I-I just came to see her. I'll just be going now."
Kai rolled his eyes at his teammate, clapped a hand over his shoulder to guide him away, "I'll listen to what you have to say so let's leave Kori and the pervert with some privacy."
With one last look over his shoulder, Kai strolled away, leaving the two jonin behind to discuss whatever it was that Kakashi felt was important enough to get him to come looking for her. Quite frankly, Kai was slightly irritated to have his time with her so blatantly disturbed by both Kakashi and Toshizo. It was an unfortunate turn of events that couldn't be helped but that doesn't mean that he couldn't be grumpy about it.
"Ughh." The blond groaned, "You and Kakashi are the worst. Assholes through and through."
"Don't insult, Kakashi-sensei." The dark-haired ninja scowled, "But what do you think he needed her for?"
"How should I know?" He grumbled, throwing his arm around the taller male's neck, "Why the hell were you being all blushy and shy with her, huh?! You bastard! Were you trying to get the jump on me?!"
"Hurk!" Toshizo gasped for breath under the stranglehold of his teammate, "I-It's a misunderstanding! I would never!"
Satisfied, Kai shoved him aside, "Then what the hell were you there for?"
A tint of pink lit up the dark-haired chunin's cheeks, "I wanted to ask for some advice. A-About Hoshina-chan."
"Huh?!"
"Today… The funeral got me thinking, you know, since Kurenai-sensei was there and all… I thought it would be regretful if I died without telling Hoshina-chan what I think of her." He grinned, "I mean, you might not have to worry because you're strong and all but I'm an average guy so I thought that I should tell her before it's too late."
"That's not a bad idea." The blond grumbled, "It really would be a shame. Tell her."
"N-No w-way!" The taller male shrieked, "Not unless you tell Kori-san! It's about the same thing anyways! We'll both be kicked to the curb!"
With a growl, Kai grasped the dark-haired shinobi's ear, "You fucker! What makes you think I'll be rejected, you fucking dirt-eating mouse!"
"Gaara!" Was the only think Toshizo was able to choke out after Kai's free hand went for his throat.
"Feh!" Angrily, he tossed his teammate aside, "There's no way I'll lose to someone who sees her just once or twice a year if he's damn lucky."
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
As soon as her two teammates were out of sight, Kori turned her full attention to the jonin in front of her, "So what is it that you need from me?"
"I'll be going somewhere for a while so I need you to join Tenzo and Asahina at the training sight by the waterfall." The copy ninja instructed, "Naruto is doing some harsh training and the situation becomes drastically dangerous for the people there at the snap of a finger. You'll be there to aid Tenzo if he ever needs help restraining Naruto and my personal request is for you to make sure that Asahina doesn't try to help him restrain Naruto if he loses control."
"So why me?" The Hyuga was already certain that she knew the answer but she wanted to hear it anyways to be certain.
"You've made contact with a jinchuriki so you probably know how strong Naruto can be. That experience sets you apart from everyone else." Kakashi was smiling underneath his mask, "Plus, I can't ask any of my students. I don't have any that would do much good in this situation, what with Sasuke being miles away and Sakura busy with her work at the hospital."
"I was helpless against Gaara-sama years ago. There's no guarantee that I'll be any help against Naruto." She kept her serious demeanor, "What shoul-?"
"I came to ask you because you're the best choice for the job." Kakashi cut her off, "It's a personal favor, not a mission. I've asked Asahina, who has the most experience, to guide Naruto through proper chakra control techniques and I've asked Tenzo to suppress the Kyuubi's chakra. I'm asking you to protect Asahina who can't protect herself. Nothing more. Most of all, knowing your personality, you've diligently thought of some way to protect people from the nightmare that you've once experienced. You're the only one I would ask."
"You think too highly of me." She murmured, having no solution.
It was true that she had been attacked by the Kazekage in his jinchuriki form just two years ago but there was no solution for a normal person to fight and win against a powerful demon. The only solution she had at the time was to trust the friend underneath the demon's control and that was still the only solution she had. She had her doubts about the effectiveness of that. If Naruto really lost control, could she trust what small friendship they shared to pull him out?
"A normal person cannot compete with a demon. Between Tenzo-san, Naruto and me, could we even compete with the Demon Fox?"
"You're not a normal person." Kakashi assured her, a hand on her head, "The fact that you think of Naruto and the Kyuubi as a different person shows that you're already strange."
"Of course they're not the same person! They just share the same body!" She had learned that with Gaara during their very first chunin exams two and a half years ago, "They have two different mentalities."
"And what's why I chose you." He concluded.
"Then I'll try my best."
But everyone knows that sometimes, one's best doesn't cut it. With a heavy heart, the young Hyuga hurried home.