DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from the Naruto universe.
Thinking (+ flashbacks, "Mito speaking to Kurama in her mindscape," etc.)
Emphasis
Bijuu, etc. speaking
Bijuu, etc. thinking
Minato had received a coded response from someone in Suna that seemed to be the real Rasa less than a month ago, immediately following the attack on Gekko Hayate. It was short and to the point, as the Kazekage's messages always were. And, as happened oftentimes, Rasa didn't answer the questions he'd sent his ally.
Deal with your missing nins, Minato!
Sannin or not!
Rasa preferred to speak in person or provide more info through summons but without knowing the Kazekage's motives after the whole Baki/Hayate thing, there was no way Minato was sending a toad to possibly be slain in Suna.
Rasa's message was short and clear but didn't answer Minato's questions about whether or not Orochimaru had approached him. He already had intel from Hayate by way of Kabuto that Rasa had seemingly met with Orochimaru but Minato wanted to see how Rasa would respond. He had also requested any information he had that might help Konoha locate one of their most infamous missing-nins.
Minato flashed to the closest brigade of incoming nins and stood before them. Suna and Sound, eh? Most paused but then steeled themselves to attack him. "By attacking Konoha you've sealed your fate."
He moved, barely seen, and there was carnage.
Temari had nearly dragged Kankuro over the back wall of the stadium they were competing in although it wasn't hard. Kankuro had seen what she'd seen after all. Who could imagine just how right her little brother could be:
"Father has not been himself lately."
Where was her real father?!
He was the Kazekage: the strongest shinobi in Suna! Tears she wouldn't allow to fall burned her eyes as Temari led Kankuro forward, toward her youngest brother's huge chakra signature. It was obvious, wasn't it? It wasn't as if Sabaku no Rasa would've allowed himself to be captured. No, if he was missing - like the Third Kazekage, her mind whispered, never to be found - then he was dead.
Her father and uncle, she knew, managed threats that came his way: even certain strong Suna shinobis were sent away on missions to never return.
Had one of them survived and successfully retaliated?
"Stop," Kankuro demanded, grasping her hand hard as he stopped on a branch and pulled her back. "If this is really happening, we need to find Uncle."
"Gaara's hurt," Temari shouted at him. "I should've immediately followed him rather than agree to go through with this, this utter bullshit!"
"I know but I saw what happened, too, Temari," Kankuro yelled back. "A med-nin followed him. He'll be alright: Gaara's a you-know-what, " he hissed.
"And what exactly is that?" Sasuke asked in a dark voice from behind them. Both Suna nins paused and then took off in an even faster clip, the older kunoichi taking the lead. Sasuke's Sharingan activated as weapons came flying toward him. Either this guy is very bad or he's not really making an effort. And the hidden weapon on his back: probably a puppet, remains wrapped. "STOP!"
"Go, Temari," Kankuro said as he turned around to face their pursuer. He shared a look and a squeezed hand from his sister before she took off, moving far faster. The Uchiha kid tried to go after her. "We have a treaty," he said, uncharacteristically reasonably as he moved to protect his sister's back. I hope we still do.
The Uchiha launched a volley of shurikens which he deflected as he unwrapped his puppet, Crow. "If that's how it is, YOUR OPPONENT IS ME!"
Sasuke stopped and sneered at him, glaring back and forth between the Suna nin and his ugly puppet. "You're a fool."
.
Mito's clone listened to Kiba's report, also getting a little information out of Ko as she healed him as much as she could in the time she had. Kiba was bleeding from the back of his head, deeply concussed, and had two fractured ribs that she was able to heal without issue, although he'd still need to be careful.
The clone noted that Kiba didn't seem the least bit bothered by having killed someone that took Hinata. Then again, she was sure that her original was going to kill everyone that took her little student. "I'm taking you three to the hospital and dropping you; my original is going to have to deal with the others."
"You're going after her?" Ko asked with a few pained grunts. And you're a clone? - That went unasked.
"My original will. Kiba, you carry Akamaru." The clone waited for her student to get a good grip on his partner and reached up for him, steadying him when he crouched down beside her and Ko. Her mind, though, was more focused on Hinata's chakra signature. It was almost out of range to do what she thought would be safest, and even now she had to really concentrate on it. "We have to go now." She flashed them to the hospital and shouted for medical attention.
She prepared to substitute with her original.
"You're not staying?" a nurse shouted at her. "We've received word of an attack."
Mito's clone substituted and the real her got the memories. Now standing breathlessly in the hospital, the real Mito grabbed her student by the shoulder a bit too hard as she snarled and shuddered. "Kiba. Good job and um… Stay here and grab Hinata." Mito pressed her hands together, concentrating on her little kunoichi's chakra signature, and used the seals to substitute.
"What?" he asked. "What are you doing? Sensei?'
The next thing he knew, a large canvas bag dropped where his sensei had been standing. He grabbed it, bewildered, and found his teammate inside. "I NEED ANOTHER MEDIC! She… she needs to be guarded! Whe- I NEED TSUNADE, PLEASE!"
.
Kakashi was mad as hell at his power-obsessed student who had taken off to follow the Suna kids. He would've gone after Sasuke, himself, but he had his hands full taking out the Sand and Sound nins who'd been hiding as ANBU agents, attendees, or visitors to the village. Most of the crowd in the stadium was still knocked out. He'd sent Pakkun off with the remainder of his team and Nara Shikamaru, whom he knew was stronger than he appeared and had guts and a brain, hoping that they could keep Sasuke (and Naruto and Sakura) out of trouble.
"Bring Sasuke back. We need to keep him out of Orochimaru's hands!"
Mikoto was supposed to be guarding the Uchiha Compound with a group of Hyuugas so that Orochimaru couldn't get his filthy hands on any more of them. That woman would skin him alive if something happened to her youngest.
He and Gai had actually found a contest they could agree upon in the meantime: seeing who could kill the most of these fuckers. Kurenai had enacted a broad-ranging genjutsu that she was holding up to muddle their enemies' senses which made the whole thing much easier, although that meant that Asuma - naturally - had to protect her. He was throwing wind jutsus left and right over and from behind the genjutsu mistress.
Mito was freaking everywhere, red and yellow holding up barriers or flashing around and slaughtering anyone that her giant, terrifying (when not being ridiculously lazy) cats didn't rip apart - if he and Gai couldn't get to them first. Purple barriers also were going up in strategic parts of the village.
The majority of ANBUs had taken off after Minato-sensei and Anko had obviously taken off, as well. Kakashi noted that she'd been rubbing her neck when she sunshinned out. That's not good. ANBU and Jiraiya-sama were taking down enemies in the distance but most had finally left the stadium as being too heavily guarded. Things were under control as much as they could be.
Tenzo, in his ANBU Cat mask, reappeared in front of one of the Mitos that had just disappeared and reappeared a second or so later. "You are to report to Hokage-sama."
She nodded. "I'm a clone and will do. Hyuuga Hinata has been taken; my original has gone after her."
Off she flashed.
Kurenai went pale as fury and fear swept through her. Her genjutsu turned hellacious. The few remaining enemy shinobis began retching and falling to their knees. "They - they took Hinata."
"HURRY UP," one of the clones yelled. I need to lock down this structure!"
.
Lee, the Kumo Jonin that had been carrying the Hyuuga girl, didn't realize that he'd stumbled when the weight on his back increased.
–That's because Mito had already snapped his neck as he fell to the ground. A special tri-point kunai flew and Mito didn't think twice about slashing the kidnappers' throats, one and then another.
Lightning-like electricity jolted through her, almost slowing her down, and Mito heard shouting. Some of her clones had popped which was a problem if any of the ones at the stadium had popped as well. The rush of multiple memories was strong and fast but she tried to ignore it; she had work to do.
Someone was rushing toward her. She dropped into a near half-split, thrust out her kunai, and dragged it up and through his gut. Whipping around as she jerked back up, she flipped into the air and drove a Rasengan through a shorter shinobi's back.
She was electrocuted again and bent over, chuckling darkly through the shocks that went through her system. Pressing her hands into the ground despite someone kicking her hard in the side, her chains flew up from the ground around three others who were trying to get away, greedily sucking out their chakra. Letting them go before they died, Mito kicked one up and into the mountainside, punched another so hard he all but dissolved, and curb-stomped the third so hard that the earth exploded underneath her foot.
Then it was over.
"Fuck." She'd made quite a mess. Yes, she needed to get back to Konoha but she needed to cover her tracks here. Letting her sensing ability fly, she felt some powerful shinobis approaching from the far Northeast. She didn't want to miss any of those who had taken Hinata or were possibly planning to pass her off.
There was an enormous boulder that Mito wasn't sure she could lift if it was attached to the ground underwater but, considering she was near the Valley of the End with a large water source, she figured it would do the trick. She put her hands up in the seal that she had been using most often lately. "Taje Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."
One of her clones jogged over to the body of the guy who'd just fallen out of the mountain next to Lord First's carved face. "He's more than dead. You made a real mess here."
"Right. I need you all to clean the area, asap. I don't give a rat's ass how you do it just as long as these fuckers can't be found and thus traced back to Konoha. I gotta check out who's on their way." And stop them if I have time. She threw another kunai up to the top of Lord First's head in the distance, knowing that she was very close to the Fire Country border. She unsealed a scope she'd rarely used and cursed.
If Konoha was under attack, the very last thing her father needed were these assholes joining the party.
"They took one of my kids, Kurama. Can I please borrow your chakra if necessary?"
Kurama sighed and lifted his fist out to her. "I'm already feeding you my chakra, brat. But I'm certainly not going to be taken down by the likes of them."
Mito felt a rush of power go through her and sucked in a breath. "Wow. A girl could get addicted to that!"
"You. Wish."
Mito grinned, thanked him, and saluted while on the outside, she ran to the border and waited. She also sent a group of clones off to watch - and one to report to her father. She knew she was a blood-soaked mess but maybe that would make her look more deadly and send these assholes on their way. As soon as they were within distance, she set her hands on her hips and yelled at them. "Halt. State your intentions for entering Fire Country, Kumo scum."
The blonde woman was the one to speak up first. "Watch your mouth, tree hugger."
"Be careful, kitten. She holds the most powerful of us."
Mito's scarred lip curled up and up until she was outright smirking at A-ranked Nii Yugito, wondering what she would do. Right now, she was glad that Kurama was silent. "What can I do for the Raikage's brother, Jinchuuriki-sama, and their… students?" Three of the kids behind them had competed and lost in the Chunin Prelims but they weren't with their sensei, the blonde woman Mito had hoped to talk to back then.
Now wasn't the time for such things, however, even if she was here.
"We're investigating the disappearance of a squad." Bee almost rhymed "nimrod" but this woman was hot, an S-ranked chakra tank, and had blood all over her. Whatever she'd been up to, it appeared as though she'd done it without breaking much of a sweat.
Plus Gyuuki was warning him to watch it. For some reason, he was VERY wary of this woman.
Bee also liked that she'd called either him, Yugito, or both of them by their proper title.
Mito bobbed her head. "I see. I think your students know that Hokage-sama transported them and the other squad competing in the Chunin Exams, and their sensei, along with them to near this very spot, don't ya kids?" She huffed out a bark of bitter laughter - I just killed that sensei and two Kumo teenagers, plus - when the boy nodded his head. The well-known "Killer Bee" looked put out and the boy's auburn-haired teammate smacked him hard. Mito only raised an eyebrow at their antics, her heart pained at what she'd done.
But they took Hinata.
Bee took a deep breath and must've looked threatening because now the Konoha kunoichi had one of that god-awful three-point kunais in her hand and he thought she was growling. "The team we're seeking is missing and may have gone rogue."
So that's how you're playing it? Nil Yugito's face was twitching at the older shinobi and she looked outraged at what he was saying. "Good to know," was how Mito decided to respond.
"Let's go," Bee ordered and turned around. Mito waited even as her eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat, at a memory she'd just received from a clone that was panicking before she popped. Asuma and Hideki are fighting their father? Jii-san?
She left her clones as soon as the Kumo nins seemed to really be on their way and flashed back to Konoha to find utter madness in the forest and surrounding the village walls. It was like the forest and nature, itself, had come back to attack them. "ASUMA!"
"You're the real deal?" Asuma sent a vicious wind blade through his father, knowing that Sarutobi Hiruzen would be right back until Hokage-sama got back here to seal him.
"This is… horrible," Mito whispered to herself. She put up one of her shitty chain barriers and hoped for the best, making sure it covered Hideki, too.
"MITO," Hideki shouted at the same time - he sunshinned closer to her and Mito adjusted the border. She noted that he looked even rougher than Asuma. His chakra was low and he was bleeding through his ANBU uniform. "We need a red barrier containing Lord First, Second, and Dad until they're sealed!"
Mito hesitated for a second, trying to process what he'd just said before dispelling the majority of her outside clones. It took a fuckload of chakra to make a red barrier. Making four more, she nodded and gave them orders. "You heard Aniki; get on the other side of all this shit and put up a red barrier as soon as I retract my chains. GO!" As soon as they did, a massive Suiton attack came flying which Mito redirected back at… Senju Tobirama?!
- Who began to disintegrate before beginning to reassemble himself.
"Your father's dealing with Lord First. Get me in close to Dad!"
"You know what to do?" Mito asked gravely as Asuma used a wind attack to tear the Second Hokage into pieces. Mito watched in horror as the man seemed to begin rebuilding himself out of near dust. Hideki nodded but she wanted to make sure. "Seal of confrontation in both hands, press chakra and release."
Hideki nodded. Mito was the Uzumaki so even though he knew the technique, he was glad to hear he wasn't going to screw something up. He just needed to get close to his way-too-talented, overpowered dead father. "Got it." He dragged her underground to avoid an attack by the man himself: a river of mud that was on fire. "Ready?"
"You may have a moment with him; I'll bring Asuma as soon as it's done."
Hideki's eyes widened and he swallowed hard, although no one could see. They were several meters underground.
"23 degrees Northeast, 5 meters! LET'S GO!" They erupted from the ground and Mito turned away, flashing off to Asuma as Hideki threw himself forward to put his hands, already in the correct positions, on his father.
"Kai!"
"Wh- Hideki-kun?! Is… Oh, I'm sorry, son," Hiruzen said, meaning every word. A red and yellow flash appeared and disappeared in front of him: it/she: little Mito-chan left his other son. "Asuma! –Good job, my boys." He smiled in relief and felt that he was floating. He sighed, thankful that he'd been stopped. He wasn't going to thank Orochimaru for retrieving him from the belly of the Shinigami considering he'd been forced to attack the home he'd sworn to protect but was happy to be moving on, finally. "I'll tell your mother how well you did. We're proud of you."
Both men watched as their father, the Third Hokage, disappeared into ashes as a dead Sound nin fell in his place.
.
Earlier -
Yashamura was the highest-ranking ANBU in Suna for a reason. As soon as he saw the way his village leader moved in that stadium, he knew that the man wasn't his brother-in-law, the Kazekage. Now everything made sense.
-Rasa's earlier extreme paranoia
-The way he distanced himself physically as he did early in his tenure, only accepting intel or giving orders through written messages
-Separating himself even from his family
How long had Suna's shinobis been following the orders of an imposter?
God - and what he'd been ordered to do with Gaara!
I said some terrible things and told him to do some terrible things, yet still, he held on despite failing to sleep for possibly weeks.
Failing to sleep wasn't even the half of it,
but Gaara hadn't wanted to trouble his uncle with that.
He wasn't able to, too terrified of something happening, in retaliation, to his siblings.
If I don't make it out of this, please let the kids find my journals, Yashamura silently prayed. Following orders now only felt like the lamest of excuses for what he'd done and allowed to happen.
He felt bile rise in his throat as he watched Namikaze Minato slaughter a man in the Kazekage's robes: a man who weaponized bones. A Kaguya.
Past excuses be damned! Yashamaru had to stop the ordered attack and save his men! He had to do what he could to maintain the alliance! He moved in but Minato-sama had already flashed away from the bizarre scene: a sea of bones deep in Konoha's forest. Taking a deep breath he tipped up the imposter's chin, feeling ill. Rasa's face had been sealed onto the Kaguya's skin: the small seals were already breaking down over adhesive. He jolted - or tried to - when he felt a foreign chakra catch him.
It wasn't often that someone could sneak up on, let alone catch Yashamaru - and now he couldn't move. "The man posing as the Kazekage is an imposter!"
He could hear the smirk in the voice of the shinobi who had caught him in his shadows as he replied.
"Oh, I'm aware. I suppose ya shoulda left earlier."
"We have to stop the attack! Listen to… gak!"
Shadows twirled up and around Yashamura's body, finally surrounding his neck.
.
"Stop! Please, let me help you," Shizune yelled at the Suna Genin. He was bleeding badly from both his side and his arm.
Gaara, beginning to tire but getting as far out of the village as he could, turned and hissed at the kunoichi following him. "Stay away from me!"
"I'm a med-nin," Shizune assured the kid, raising her hands in the air. "You should've been taken to the med bay."
"I don't care about the exams! I have to save my… my sister… and my brother!"
What's that about? "Okay. That's fine," Shizune assured him, nodding and remaining neutral but wanting to seem helpful. She'd heard that this kid was the jinchuuriki of Suna's sand demon. Years ago, he supposedly often lost control but Shizune hadn't heard any of those stories in a long, long time. "I only want to help you." Apparently, the sand demon didn't heal their host as effectively or quickly as Mito's did.
Mito was also half-Uzumaki, she reminded herself.
Plus the boy's wounds were quite severe.
"Please. It's not safe!" Gaara groaned, bending over and grabbing his head with the arm he could still control. If it wasn't bad enough that he'd been wounded - for the first time: get it together, Gaara! - Shukaku just wouldn't stop screaming. If he fell unconscious, it was all over. "Please. Go." A wave of dizziness and nausea overcame him.
"We're allies, Gaara-sama!" Shizune rushed forward as the boy fell unconscious, undoubtedly from blood loss. She began healing him. His eyes fluttered open as the boy's kunoichi teammate jumped to her side, thanking her profusely.
Gaara closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The kunoichis' eyes widened as they were thrown through the air and trees like ragdolls when Gaara's demon came out to play.
Even dead, Senju Tobirama was a slippery bastard. Mito had always wanted to go up against him so maybe this was some kind of cosmic karma. And every time Mito got close to him, his brother's Mokuton erupted. Then there was that Guren bitch that was throwing crystals around or hiding like she was a fresh mine. Jiraiya had only now finally taken her down but that still left two super-powered brothers of legend who resisted being sealed.
In fact, Mito was beginning to think that the first two (raised from the dead) Hokages were enjoying themselves. Her father had been trying to fight them for a while but the tag-teaming brothers were more than brutal to put down.
"I'll… take Lord Second," Minato panted when he appeared beside her. At least Hiruzen has finally been taken care of. "Grab Lord First… with… your chains." Off he disappeared again. He didn't see Mito gaping at him.
As if that will be easy! Mito had Kurama shouting in her ear to "avoid Hashirama: that dumb fucking fucker" and now she had to get at him? She shrieked when a root grabbed her foot, pressing her chains into the ground and accidentally ripping Lord First straight up from it when she gave it a really good tug. Like an idiot, she later thought, she screamed her head off.
Sometimes Mito didn't know her own strength. Whenever that happened, it was always a problem.
Chains shot out all around the dead man, forming one of her shitty barriers (Mito compared her own to her mother's and found them quite lacking) and wrapping around them both. He stared at her wincing face - and it almost seemed like his eyes cleared as he blinked rapidly.
"Mito?" Hashirama asked, not understanding what his wife had done to her hair. "OH! Sweetheart! –Hiruzen's student," he repeatedly snapped his fingers as if trying to recall something.
Mito figured she hadn't heard him correctly. "Tsunade, Jiraiya, or Orochimaru?" she asked in a whisper, wondering if this was really happening. "How does he know my name?" she wondered either stupidly or like a reasonable person.
It was debatable.
Hashirama smiled brightly, straightening up to his full height and seeming to ignore the fact that he was all chained up. "Tsunade-chan! –Have you seen our granddaughter? How's she doing?!"
"Um," Mito said shakily before wincing even more when she saw her father get slammed in a hellacious water jet. He and Lord Second were flashing all over the newly (and frighteningly) erupted forest. "Tsunade's fine." Her mother had once said her chakra was very much like the original one and only Mito-hime's but the dead God of Shinobi thinking she was his wife was just not right! "You were um…"
"RIGHT! It was Hiruzen-kun's student, Orochimaru, who did this to us." He nodded at her when understanding grew on her pretty face. She looked different but he was fairly sure this was his Mito. "Mito," he said more darkly, gazing West and crouching as if he was going to move. "The One and Nine Tails!"
On the other side of the village, Mikoto saw the sand demon appear and took off, determined to save her village.
Izumi had sworn that she could protect her child, and God help her, Mikoto believed her.
Everything outside of the red barrier Mito had put up was silent so when she followed his eyes and saw what he was talking about, Mito felt her heart drop. "Naruto!"
She flashed away, leaving her father with the Senju brothers - one of whom was back to himself but still dead, and the other who was trying to re-kill his brother plus the Fourth Hokage. Slinging her chains out, she changed course at the last second when she realized that the Kurama she had feared had escaped her brother was only an extremely well-done dual transformation. The Sand demon grabbed them as they slipped through his sand - and with the last of its power, swung her around in circles before letting her fly. "FuuUUUuuuUck!" She crashed into a tree.
Everything came to an extremely painful halt.
Mito felt Mikoto-oba's chakra sunshin in and looked up into evolved Sharingan eyes and began seizing.
Orochimaru cursed when the red barriers went up. He wasn't sure that he could continue to hold the jutsu. It was already difficult enough from the beginning with these shinobis, let alone controlling the three kages from a distance. Thankfully, he'd found a little kunoichi who was willing to hide his chakra. What a wonderful ability.
If Karin weren't lightly drugged and under a genjutsu, she probably could've hidden me completely. "Very good child. I think it's time we go." He sunshinned her from the forest, moving to where he'd meet the others to enact the next stage of his plans.
He was right to save the girl's mother years ago.
.
"Awaken, Pretty Lady!"
"Fucking Uchiha! Get away from her!"
"Your father was good enough to bring me by so I could formally apologize and then I'll be going, hehe. Your chakra really is like my dearly departed wife's. I'm sure I made you uncomfortable…"
"Asshole. Can you believe that guy? If only I could re-end him. Sleep."
"C'mon, Mito, wake up!"
"Ignore him. Sleep."
"Idiot! I can't believe either of you girls! THIS one decides to run herself out of chakra and get half her bones broken and YOU go running after a faulty jinchuuriki!"
"He was a deeply wounded 13-year-old, Tsunade-shishou! The boy needed help! You would've done the same!"
"You will stay down. Sleep."
"C'mon, Mito, wake up!"
"Ignore her. Sleep."
"So, I guess I blew it. I saw the same thing I suppose you did and - like you, I think - I thought Naruto-kun lost control. Then uhh… I saw Mikoto-sama's Sharingan and you on the ground having a… Ah, you're going to kick my ass if you'll just wake up! –I thought she'd done something to you. Sorry, Imouto."
"Hopefully she's dead."
Mito tried to open her eyes to curse the fox but couldn't remember what had happened at first.
Oh right. I think I may have killed myself, running out of chakra.
Mito woke up, her coils feeling very, very sore and worse. It was hard to even turn her head but the whiteness of the room was almost painful. Too bright. "Sh- Shizune" Mito blinked, wishing she could sense Shizune but she felt off. The woman in the bed next to hers had a large cast on her elevated leg but her size and hair looked right. "SHIZUNE."
Shizune woke up with a start and cursed her leg. "What? Oh, Mito." She glanced over at her and offered her a grin that was more like a grimace.
"What happened?" Mito asked in a broken, dry voice.
"A lot," Shizune explained, telling her nothing. Mito groaned and Shizune flinched before hitting the pain medicine button. "Give it to me, you damn thing."
Mito would've snickered but she was barely able to react. "I've got a key somewhere." Every little movement she made was painful and beyond sluggish, however. She broke the cast off her arm.
Shizune wasn't surprised. "You're in a hospital gown, all hooked up and fully locked down, Mito."
Mito tried to clear her vision and was glad that her morphine was on a continuous drip although she wasn't feeling it enough for her taste.
"No chakra," Shizune verified. She pushed her call button and when a nurse EVENTUALLY responded, reported that Mito was awake.
"My team?" Mito asked as soon as her head cleared enough to remember everything - or enough of everything. A harried nurse came in and helped her drink some water, saying that the Hokage had been asking for updates on her case but wouldn't increase her dose. "And oh my gosh: Naruto?!"
How could she have forgotten what happened?!
"All good and discharged, considering they've been coming by." Shizune pointed at the plants. Mito tried to smile: there were a LOT of useful plants all around her while Shizune had flowers all along the window. "Naruto-kun's already up and being a hassle."
"Thank the Sage! –I don't know what I would've done if something happened to any of them!"
"Shino-kun saved one of the Suna kids." Unable to help herself and breathing a sigh of happiness when she was finally allowed to get another dose of morphine, Shizune put her hands together, looking forward to teasing her little sister figure now that she was awake. "Someone's got a fan."
"A fan?" Mito asked stupidly. "What kind of…" She stopped, not liking the way that Shizune wiggled her eyebrows at all. "Who and what are you talking about?"
Shizune relaxed as she enjoyed what the morphine was doing not only for her leg but the rest of her, too. "A certain shinobi has been sneaking in, coming by to admire your drooling face while I pretended to sleep." She laughed when Mito blushed. "You look like crap so he must really like you."
Mito hoped for the one person in Konoha she kinda liked that way although considering how much the guy talked about jutsus and froze up whenever she even accidentally brushed her fingers over his hand or anything, she doubted it was him. "Tenzo-kun?"
"No, but he dropped off that Camellia Sinensis." Shizune pointed to a bush in the corner of the room.
Mito sagged. "Of course not." She tapped her fingers and wiggled her toes, ensuring she wasn't missing something. "Ugh. Lord Second beat the shit out of me and let me tell ya: Mokuton attacks are no joke." Shizune snorted but her eyebrows furrowed with worry. "Are we at war again?"
"We're on high alert. The Kazekage is presumed dead, and Suna's probably lost half of their forces. The hospital's at full capacity so we need to get out of this room."
"Agreed," Mito said, ready to get to work if she could only move or use chakra. I wonder when Mei is coming. If Konoha couldn't count on Suna and OBVIOUSLY they couldn't, Mito hoped that her father would be more willing to accept an alliance with Kiri, as odd as that seemed considering their history. "How long have I been out?"
"Almost a week. Uchiha Shisui broke you out of a coma."
"Coma?" Mito asked. Now that she considered it, her head felt stuffy for lack of a better word. Why would I be in a coma, though?
And a week? That was a first. "I… need to get stronger." Shizune snorted and dramatically rolled her eyes but Mito knew that she had major work she needed to do on herself.
- Her chains STILL needed improvement and Mito wanted to push seals through them in addition to making barriers as her mother did.
- In large groups of packed people, her sensing absolutely sucked and was a liability.
- She suffered from migraine-like headaches that Naruto didn't get when his clones were dispelled in mass. Maybe she could work on that.
- She'd like to work with Kurama's chakra if he'd allow it.
- Mito needed to resume her medical training with Tsunade.
Then there was the whole thing with her students! They had done well but there were always things to improve upon as they grew. Her father walked into the room, asking for a report and Mito told him what she could.
"Tou-san," she said quietly as he was about to leave. The Hokage looked a little haunted to Mito and his movements were stiff. He was all business aside from telling her that he was very relieved she finally woke up and that she'd done well in the battle. She didn't feel like she'd done anything extraordinary. "Are you alright? And have we heard anything else from Kumo?"
Mito sent his guard away and was almost afraid to touch her. She looked (and was) so broken when he'd first found her at the hospital. "Kumo's quiet but we're on watch. And me? –I'm just getting old!"
"Hardly," Mito smiled, glad when he took her hand. She did notice the way he was favoring his right side, however, but chose not to ask about it in case others weren't supposed to know. "Naruto's okay? Momo? And you're healthy?"
Minato nodded. "Absolutely - and Naru's great. Boy, did he do well in the attack, ne? –He and Mikoto saved his friends." Not that I would've sent him out there. Minato wanted to kick Kakashi's ass as soon as he had time to for sending his son out of the stadium, although Naruto had been ordered to simply return Sasuke - not to fight a tailed beast!
"His intervention saved me, too," Shizune agreed.
Mito smiled and felt relief wash over her. "Are Asuma and Hideki alright?" She had been with them, hadn't she?
Minato nodded and almost snorted. Asuma had found Mito down and shaking - don't think about it - as Mikoto tried to take down the demon (that Naruto had already neutralized) and had gotten into a hell of a fight with the Uchiha Matriarch. He'd let Mito find that out on her own. "Hideki had some wounds that needed to be tended to but he's back at work. We're cleaning up - both in the village and to clear routes outside of the village." He clicked his tongue. "Lord First made a real mess out of the forest."
So did the other kages, really.
Mito agreed with that: what she'd seen had been insane. She looked back up at him to find her father smirking at her. "What?"
"Lord First thought you were his wife! And you played into it."
Mito groaned. "I did not," not that I can remember anyway, she reconsidered. "And that is so not funny."
"Maa, he said that you were worthy of Mito-hime's name. I would very much agree with that!"
Mito pouted and looked away, finding that hard to believe. "It's nice that you were able to speak with him, I guess? Is he still around?"
"No, no. He only remained for less than an hour and was unable or unwilling to use jutsus for almost all of that time."
"How strange. And what a horrible jutsu," Mito breathed. She waved her father off as Genma got his attention again. Although - what I would do to see and talk to Mom again. She fumbled with the TV controls and put on something inane until she could break out, telling herself that her mother would never forgive her for doing such a thing.