KG: ...someone please give me a cream soda!
Music of the Week: Magic in the Wind by Dylan Neuschwander
Quote: "Growing up, I wasn't taught to do what was easy. I was taught to do what was right."
Yuri groaned as she entered the grounds of the Konoha Academy. There'd been a letter delivered to the Uzumaki Compound that asked for her attendance. While she didn't have the highest opinion of Konoha at the moment, she knew she couldn't turn down the offer. It certainly wouldn't go well for her career as a kunoichi. Besides, it wasn't like every single person in Konoha deserved her ire. When she looked at some of the construction still going on throughout the village, she had to admit that she felt for some of the people. Naruto couldn't stay like this, on the edge of losing his mind to viciously evil spirits.
It seemed odd. Yuri had actually never questioned it before, the nature of spirits so evil their very acts could turn the insides of the living. Demons in human flesh, some executed by justice and others never brought to it at all. Too many for even the god of Death to handle. Then, there was the thought of other worlds. People more powerful than anyone the Elemental Nations had ever seen. Yuri knew she'd have to get stronger. To stand by Naruto's side, and to fight the demons that he couldn't, The only question was, how was she supposed to do that?
The young redhead walked through the hallways of the Academy, memorizing herself with their structure. She imagined her cousin walking through their halls, a hopefully bright smile on his face. He used to tell her what a troublemaker he was. She was definitely like him in that regard.
"Hey, Sanbi. What do you think I should do to become stronger?" Yuri asked.
"You should know that there are still many things you still need to work on, girl. Your control is shoddy, your jutsu are flimsy, and you're hardly as powerful as you imagine," the three-tailed crab-turtle said while Yuri groaned.
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," she replied before she started thinking. Despite the awkward wording, Sanbi gave Yuri a place to start. Chakra control, ninjutsu, and taijutsu, all of those areas and more she needed more training in.
The young genin finally found the room she was supposed to go into. She grabbed the sliding door and pulled it open.
"Well, it seems that the last of the group has finally arrived. Glad you could join us."
Yuri peered into the room and she quickly noticed the group of three in the room. All of them were people she knew. However, she was rather surprised to see Konohamaru and Moegi along with Neji sitting in the room.
"Yo, Yuri-san! You're gonna be our third teammate?" the deceased Sandaime's grandson asked.
The redhead blinked as she stared at the others. Moegi waved at her repeatedly and Yuri began to understand where all of this was going. This was going to be her team and jonin-sensei for the chunin exams. Still, she never assumed Neji would become a sensei to former academy genin.
"I guess I am," she said as she closed the door and began to make her way down the steps.
Neji slowly nodded and leaned up. "I can tell that you weren't expecting this. To be honest, it was brought on me as well. There was a meeting of the jonin and we learned about what happened to Ebisu and Shizune," he said, folding his arms while Yuri's eyes narrowed.
"You mean that they decided on their early retirements? I wish Ebisu-sensei would have told us about it. I would have tried to organize a party for him," Moegi answered.
Yuri's frown deepened before she looked at Neji. As expected of a Hyuuga, he was an expert at keeping his face neutral. "So that's the story they're going with. I guess it'd be a little disheartening to Konoha if they found out a two jonin, one even being the Hokage's aide, broke under the pressure. I wonder how they're doing," she thought to herself.
Suddenly, Yuri had a thought. "Wait a minute. What happened to your other friend, the guy with the glasses?" she asked.
Moegi leaned back and nodded. "Oh, Udon. Well, supposedly he's starting an apprenticeship. It was a little unexpected, but we wished him the best of luck. He won't be gone forever and we were told that there was a genin without a team. Seemed like a good idea for everyone," the orange-haired girl said.
Yuri slowly nodded, not entirely convinced. However, she decided to let the matter go. "Haha! It'll be easy, with Boss's girlfriend by our side, how can we lose?" Konohamaru asked, with a lot of confidence in his voice.
"Confidence is good, but overconfidence can mean your life. Now, someone in this room hasn't exactly been fulfilling her mission quotas. So we'll be doing missions all day today. Before we end, we'll do some teamwork training. I'm not sure what Iwa's Chunin Exams will be like so you three will have to be ready for anything. Luckily for you we'll have at least a month before we have to begin our journey to Iwa," Neji said as Moegi and Konohamaru saluted.
"You got it! We'll show them the power of Konoha! Then, when I become Hokage I'll reverse Boss's banishment!" the latter said with a bright smile on his face.
Despite herself, Yuri couldn't help feeling the enthusiasm. She began to see why her lover found such a young man as a friend. "So what are we doing then?" she asked.
The Hyuuga jonin soon dropped his neutral expression. His lips curved upwards. "How does a couple of D-rank missions sound?" he asked.
…Goddammit.
-x-
Kushina rubbed the back of her head as she opened the door to the Uzumaki Compound, her mood effectively ruined after her meeting with Tsunade. This day was already not going the way that she wanted. When she entered the house, she saw how silent it was. It seemed the local workers were either on break or just off today. That meant that Ebisu and Shizune had nothing to do. She really didn't want them spending their days alone, that would no doubt lead them into dark thoughts from their traumatic experiences. Then again, just working to exhaustion to avoid the issue wasn't good for them either. Perhaps it'd do well to get them some sessions with a Yamanaka when she could find the time.
"Now that's not a face I like to see on you, Kushina. Aside from the obvious, what's the matter?"
Kushina lifted her head and she noticed Risa enter from the other side of the living room. Both redheads smiled and gave each other a hug before the former fell to the couch. "I don't remember having this much trouble when I was dead," Kushina said with a sigh while Risa laughed.
"Don't I fucking know it. So any word on our patriarch's banishment?" the mother of Tayuya asked while Kushina put her head in her hands. She massaged her temples, telling Risa all she needed to know. The latter grumbled and leaned her head back.
"That bad, huh? Well, let's not talk about that then. What's the news about anything?" Risa asked.
Kushina exhaled. "Well, I'll be heading to Kiri. I was supposed to meet up with my son and investigate some of Danzo's whereabouts, but Tsunade basically shut that door in my face for right now. I'll be leaving in two days. The others are investigating the Jashin cult that infiltrated our compound. Unfortunately, with Naruto's banishment he's off the team. However, he's decided to go on a more… personal mission to locate something related to Danzo."
Risa hummed. "Well, I'll have to send a message to the Hyuuga clan. Hiashi was planning to sent out Hinata and a team of Hyuuga to Uzushio to check on him. If he's off the island then I guess we can't really make it about clan relations," she responded back.
Kushina laughed. "Yeah, well, we'll send the Hyuuga clan an extra shipment of quality ink and paper for the concern. It's nice to have another branch of our family working with us, even if most of the village wouldn't want to do so. Though, I suppose that's what we signed up for with the Blood Pact," she reasoned.
Risa snorted. "Yeah well, seems we've all got missions lately. Shi, Tayuya, and I will be heading out to do some barrier repairs for the Konoha allies. Something about building the relations with the nation of Suna. Can't wait for a trip to a beach with no water," she grumbled as Kushina laughed.
"Before you leave, would you mind instructing Yuri with me when you've got a chance? I think it's time we continued her training. As a jinchuuriki, we can't leave her untrained. We also won't be able to hide her status forever. I don't want to think that Sochi will be overcome again, but I won't leave it to second guesses. Yuri was able to suppress him momentarily while I was indisposed," she explained.
Risa nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. Alright, we'll work on her together. I don't have to leave until the end of the week. I'll drill her as much as I can. Think you can leave a clone or two here?" she questioned.
Kushina nodded. "Yeah, that should be possible. Alright, let me get up and start preparing for the trip. Only good I see out of this is that I'll get to see Mei again. It's been a while since we got together. I should probably prepare some food for her. Also, after Yuri's chunin exams we're gonna bring all the Uzumaki back to the island. It'll be the time for all of us to not only train, but delve into the ruins of our ancestry," she said.
Risa stilled. "You don't mean the ruins where only those honored can go, do you? I'd always thought it was a myth. The scrolls of fūinjutsu preserved by the first founders of our clan only supposed to be left to the heirs of the clan. How do you remember those?" she asked.
Kushina sighed. "Because I tried to prove myself worthy of them once before I was pregnant with Naruto. It… didn't work out. I'm sure that with my son we'll rebuild our clan. It might not be to the prominence it was before, but it will have a healthy history and there will come a time where we should leave more for the next generation. In order to do that, we must learn of what came before and improve upon it," she said.
Risa suddenly smiled. "Wow, you've matured. Not the tomboy you used to be," she teased.
Kushina blushed. "Shut up dattebane!" she growled as she shot up and stomped off. Risa laughed, clutching her stomach as she watched her cousin walk up the stairs. Risa's eyes softened and a frown appeared on her face.
"Are you alright?"
Risa turned her head. She noticed Shi enter the room from behind the wall along with Ebisu and Shizune. "Beware the folly of the gods for their wrath is deep and their anger is long," she replied before she got up and patted the former Kumo shinobi's shoulder.
"Nothing, let's prepare to greet our Hyuuga brothers and sisters. We have to update them on the situation concerning Naruto," she answered.
"Got it," he said. He then turned to Ebisu and Shizune. "You're both dismissed for the day. Here's your pay."
Shi handed Shizune and Ebisu some envelopes. The two slowly took them, their faces obviously still crestfallen. Risa watched the interaction before the three and sighed. Seemed the wounds still ran deep. If not for both being under the realm of Naruto, she wondered what they would do just to make the pain stop. It seemed living was sometimes harder than dying.
"Shi, where's my daughter?" Risa asked.
"Working with Ibiki-san at the moment. Why?" he asked.
Risa hummed. "No reason," she answered as she walked off.
-x-
Sasuke closed another folder and massaged his eyes. "They seem to be more organized than we thought," he said slowly while Yugao drew on the whiteboard with a black marker.
"Many who faced Jashinists have often compared them to cockroaches. You think you've killed them all, but there are always more. Above all else, they have a strong ability to survive. Whether they all have invulnerability like Hidan did remains to be seen. However, we can confirm they aren't cavemen or cannibals. They have a very strict hierarchy and established relationships with a delicate power structure. They have confirmed bases here, here, here, here, here, and… here!" Yugao said, dotting at least five different points on five different maps.
Kakashi leaned forward. "There are even some who speculated that there are Jashinists in my positions of power, whispering animosities in the leaders of the nations, to satisfy the urges of Jashin," the one-eyed swordsman said.
Mikoto picked up a piece of paper detailing the reports on former Jashin hideouts. "Yugao, you said you wanted to investigate these former tunnels. However, if you look at the reports from previous investigations, there doesn't seem to be anything found previously. Konoha used the Inuzuka, Hyuuga, and Aburame, some of the best tracking clans in the world. Even they found nothing. We'll have to come up with better methods than they did," the former matriarch of the Uchiha clan said.
"There are no absolutes in this world. Besides, the report also stated there wasn't much to find. The place had been cleaned out long before they got there. No trace of chakra, no DNA left, not even a blood trail. Either some of these reports are fabricated, or the Jashinists did a lot of work destroying their trace," the purple-haired woman answered.
Sasuke turned to his former teacher. "Kakashi, were you a part of that mission at any point? I remember you had a summon contract with canines during the time of Suna and Oto's invasion of Konoha," Sasuke stated.
Kakashi placed down another folder and shook his head. "Unfortunately, I wasn't. It was actually a series of coincidences. From the date of one of these reports, I was on separate missions for all of them. This one, I was in the Anbu taking away Koyuki Kazehana during her uncle's usurpation in the Land of Snow. This next one, I was dealing with matters related to Kiri," he said.
Mikoto frowned and grabbed another folder. "Hmmm, it's odd that Konoha never considered having you in any of these cases. Though, given how… talented you were, I suppose they thought there were greater threats to the village's security than a cult of murderers," she answered.
"...or he was specifically targeted to not get involved. Come to think of it, look at more of these reports. The teams assigned to these cases were full of men and women not too experienced in the field," Sasuke said.
Yugao shrugged. "That's normal. It's usually the non-urgent missions that are given to new chunin to help test their leadership and teamwork capabilities," she replied.
Sasuke wasn't convinced. He scanned the detailed reports on the bodies of Jashinists that had been recovered. Within each of them was extremely complicated medical terminology that he just couldn't hope to understand. However, he knew someone who could help. "I'm gonna follow up on these. Based on the reports from the people who worked on the corpses, their last memories were written down. They were told to head to the 'Rising Dragon's Head.' Also, given that the Uchiha were supposed to be the police in Konoha around some of these times, and yet not a single one of these has been signed off by an Uchiha officer, especially given that at least three of these bases has been found just beyond the border of the Land of Fire," he said, looking to Yugao for confirmation.
Yugao saw the determination in her young teammate and allowed him to go. The Uchiha grabbed a stack of papers and walked out of the room which left Kakashi, Mikoto, and Yugao alone. The three watched him go and Kakashi chuckled. "He's grown a lot since you've appeared in his life, Mikoto. I shudder to think what he would have become if Naruto hadn't brought you back," he said.
Mikoto smiled. "Yes, he has become quite the reliable young man. It's actually funny. My last memory of him before I died was of him as a boy. Now he's grown into a strong man. However, I still catch glimpses of the sorrow behind his eyes. I don't think anything will truly take that trauma away from him, but he seems to be dealing with it well," she said.
"And you?" Yugao asked.
Mikoto's smile lessened. "Let's not talk about that."
The three members stayed in the room together for a moment or two before Yugao exhaled. "Right. Well, let's begin investigating the former bases made in these folders. You two head to the first one. I'll be there to join up with you in a moment or two. I'm gonna ask for a meeting with Tsunade-sama to ask for permission to leave the village. We'll have to investigate these other possible locations," she said.
"And if we're not allowed to?" Kakashi asked.
"Then we'll just have to bide our time. Whatever reasons Lady Tsunade might have to not allow us out, this is a matter of village security. There'll be a mission regarding that cult given to us eventually. I know because they specifically attacked the Uzumaki clan. Lady Tsunade would definitely be seen as not caring about the pride of a noble clan, if she doesn't allow at least one Uzumaki in on the case. With Naruto out, that leaves Kushina and she will involve us," Yugao replied.
Kakashi and Mikoto stared at former Anbu for a moment and nodded. "Well, when you put it like that, I don't really have much to say. Well done, Yugao!" Kakashi praised.
The purple-haired woman laughed. "I have my moments I guess," she replied.
She then opened the door to the meeting room and left while Kakashi and Mikoto picked up the other files. They then returned them to the archive department and stepped outside. The sun bright in their eyes, Kakashi and Mikoto pulled up their scarves as the wind blew against them.
The two nodded and raced off toward the first of the bases they'd researched. Yugao watched them go and turned her attention back to the Hokage Mansion. The young woman made her way to the building.
Meanwhile, Sasuke stared up at the Konoha Hospital. His eyes narrowed before he stepped inside. He saw plenty of men and women in the lobby, waiting for their appointments. He quickly took notice of the receptionist and presented himself. "Haruno Sakura, where is she?" he asked.
"I'm sorry, Sir. Sakura is currently very busy with some patients. Can I leave you a message for her?" the receptionist nurse asked.
Sasuke sucked his teeth, but sighed. "Tell her, Uchiha Sasuke needs to speak to her. I can wait," he said as he walked away and leaned against the wall. He decided to read through some of his clan's scrolls. One should never stop improving. Besides, he wasn't about to let the dobe get ahead of him if he could help it!
"How rare of you to visit me, Sasuke-kun!"
After an hour or so, Sasuke leaned up from his reading to see Sakura standing in front of him with a white doctor's office. She took off her face mask and smiled at him. "I've been busy," he replied.
"Y-Yeah, me too. Anyway, what can I do for you? I can only spare you a moment though. I'll be going into a surgery in the next " Sakura asked, attempting to keep her cool.
"Is there any place we can be alone? It's important," the Uchiha returned.
"A-Alone? Sure, follow me," she said, her mind running through various scenarios she thought she'd gotten rid of in her younger years.
The young woman led her former teammate down a hallway and into a separate room. She pushed a piece of hair from the side of her face, but Sasuke didn't notice. Instead, he slapped some folders on the table. Sakura stared at them for a moment.
"Tell me what you see when you look at these," he said.
Sakura cleared her throat and walked over to the folder. She picked it up and roamed through the pictures a little disappointed. Nevertheless, the young woman's medic training began to take over. Her eyes narrowed, staring at the discarded medic reports and the photos of the bodies. For more than five minutes, Sasuke silently watched Sakura work as she pulled up one photo from another.
Finally, she put them down. "What about them?" she asked.
Sasuke frowned. "Nothing in this seems weird to you?" he asked.
Sakura looked at the pictures again. "Well, aside from some outdated pieces of information regarding the state of the bodies, I don't know what you want me to look at. Besides, even if something was weird going on, all of these bodies were more than likely destroyed already," she said.
Sasuke bit his lip and cursed. "Of course they are. What I wouldn't give to have the dobe with us right now," He thought as he clenched his fists.
Sakura stared at her former teammate, obviously concerned. "What's this about?" she asked.
The heir to the Uchiha Clan contemplated telling the medic nin. In the end, he nodded to himself. "If I tell you, then you need to keep it quiet from others. We're investigating the matters related to the Jashin Cult," he answered.
"You mean like that former Akatsuki member that Shikamaru, Naruto, and the others faced?" she asked.
Sasuke nodded to that as well. "Yes. They infiltrated Konoha and attacked the Uzumaki Clan. We're investigating their whereabouts. There is also a lingering suspicion that they might be residing in the village," he said.
Sakura widened her eyes, but Sasuke quickly calmed her down. "Which is why we're proceeding with heavy caution. Now tell me, is it possible that the hospital keeps notes on these people?" he asked.
The pink-haired girl rubbed her chin. "Ummm, it should. There's records of almost every resident and patient. Our file room is filled with them. However, unless very specific procedures are addressed, not even Hokage-sama can access those documents. Doctor-Patient confidentiality is a very serious matter. Unfortunately, I can't allow you to specifically go into those files and documents without at least an order of importance from the Fire Daimyo. You might think the Hokage is all-powerful, but even they must be wary of the power of the Daimyo," she answered seriously.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but Sakura suddenly gained a smirk. "Me on the other hand, I've got plenty of access. Here, look at this table that this corpse is on. We usually have files for all corpses that have used a particular table stored in the computers. If I can find anything to help you, then I'll pass it on to you," she said.
Sasuke didn't like that option, but it seemed to be the only one available to him. "Alright. I'll set up a communication system between you and me in case I'm out of the village. Remember, don't speak to anyone you don't need to. We have no idea where they are," he said.
Sakura firmly nodded and she watched Sasuke turn around and leave. After a moment, she bit her lips. "Sasuke-kun!" she called out.
The Uchiha turned around, he saw the steel in Sakura's unflinching eyes. "I know about Naruto. Lady Tsunade told me. So I know about Mikoto-san, Yuna-san, and… a lot of the others," she started.
Sasuke didn't speak a word, but Sakura wasn't expecting him to. Instead, she continued. "Sasuke-kun, I love you. I've always loved you. Ever since I first laid eyes on you, you were always the only person in my heart. Even… even when you left Konoha, I never stopped loving you. I loved you so much I was willing to betray everything: my home, my parents, and everyone else in the village. You wanted to rebuild your clan and I wanted to be the one you do it with. I know in my heart that I'll always love you, even when others loved me!" she exclaimed.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, again staying silent. He watched her then sigh tiredly. "But… you don't love me. I don't think you ever will. No matter how much I try. You love someone else and… I realize what Naruto did was for your benefit. Maybe… maybe that was what I hated. Someone else fulfilled you that wasn't me, but… I've got no right to intrude on your life nor your choices. I… I don't approve of your relationship with Yuna-san. I don't think I ever will either. However, I hope you live your best life possible because you deserve it. W-We're both entering adulthood. Sometimes childhood dreams don't always work out, but we pick up the pieces and try to create something better than them. That's all I wanted to say. Thanks for hearing me out," Sakura said.
When she looked at Sasuke, he continued to look at her. He then sighed. "In another life, I could imagine myself building a life with you, Sakura. However, that is not this one. I'm not as great as you think, but… thank you," he said before he jabbed her forehead with two fingers.
Stunned, Sakura rubbed her forehead before he left. The pink-haired kunoichi sighed and leaned against the wall. Well, that happened.
In the meantime, Sakura picked the paper she'd written on and chuckled. "I guess that little ghost stunt from Naruto was just a prank on Koharu-sama. Guess I should at least tell her it's not a big deal that she thought it was," the female medic nin said with a chuckle before she grabbed the piece of paper and walked out of the room. Mmmm, somehow Sakura felt even more liberated than ever!
-x-
"Sheesh, when I thought of an awesome adventure, this wasn't what I pictured! How long's he been sitting there?" Suigetsu asked before he was slapped into a puddle courtesy of Karin.
"Keep talking and you'll just interrupt him dammit! Then we'll be staying here for another two hours!" Karin chastised.
Once Suigetsu's head reformed, he rubbed his hair and sighed. Glad to see the redhead hadn't changed even after so much time on the island. Whether with Sasuke or with Naruto, Suigetsu wished for death even being near Karin. Why'd she have to come along too?
"Are you two arguing again? You two fight like an old couple. Do some training if you're bored. When was the last time you wrote a seal, Karin-san?" Yura asked as she read a book she took from the Uzushiogakure vault.
"Since the last time it was your business!" Karin exclaimed while Konan, Juugo, and Kotohime watched the rest of the group interact. The latter of the three shook her head while she twirled a kunai through her fingers.
"You Akatsuki guys argue like this?" she asked.
Without taking her eyes off the group, Konan answered. "Some more than others."
Truth be told, Konan had been a part of aiding Nagato in setting up the duo members of the team. There always seemed to be some small child-like part of Nagato that enjoyed the irony and themes taken with some of the team. The team of Deidara and Sasori, despite the two's vastly different points of view, was one of the few things that made Nagato even remotely happy. Naturally, he never voiced it and any insinuation was met with dismissal, but Konan knew her friend. Well, she knew who he used to be. In fact, she actually didn't like leaving Nagato to the whims and deceptions of Uchiha Obito. However, she wasn't sure what to do. Maybe if she got some time alone with him, then maybe he'd see things her way. It was just a matter of how she should do it. That was one of the reasons she even took this assignment. It just gave her some time to think.
Meanwhile, Naruto slowly opened his eyes and exhaled. He'd just spent the better part of two hours working through Taji's memories, by linking his spirit with hers. Taji and Tera floated over him, waiting for his judgment. He rubbed his upper lip with his finger a moment or two. Based on what he'd seen, it seemed like the base was on the edge of the Wind and Earth countries. At best that was what he got before the memories became too painful to hold onto.
He turned back to the others, standing up to get their attention. Everyone quickly gathered around him. "So, where are we headed to?" Suigetsu asked.
"We're gonna be heading between Wind and Earth Country. That seems to be the place where the memories end. The closer we get, the more we'll have to be cautious. The old guy's been planning his move since before Jiji was Hokage. Hate to say it, but the guy's way smarter than me. I don't think we'll be able to move in such a way that we won't go unnoticed. However, we can easily use that to our advantage. More specifically, we can use you," Naruto said, pointing to Kotohime.
The Fuma kunoichi raised an eyebrow while the others looked at her. "Me?" she asked.
"Yup. More than likely, Danzo's not gonna know who you are and we'll use that to our advantage. It's gonna be a long run over there. However, before we get there, Konan, how good is your scouting?" Naruto asked.
Surprised to have herself addressed, Konan thought about the question for no more than a second. "I would assume I'm pretty good at it," she replied, much to a roll of Karin and Suigetsu's eyes.
"What are you planning in that devious mind of yours, Nii-sama?" Yura asked while Naruto's lips curved upwards.
For the next thirty minutes, Naruto would go through his plan with his team. The others looked at him with wide eyes. Even the spirits hidden in his blade gawked at what he was insinuating. "And you're sure this is gonna work?" Karin asked.
"Well I'm sorta making this up as I go along. It's one of my stronger points," he said as Suigetsu slammed his head into his forehead.
"We're so fucking dead," he replied.
"Nii-sama will be sure to revive you in the event that you are," Yura chuckled while Konan quickly took over the attention of the group.
She asked for the map and Naruto handed it to her. "I'd advise that we proceed with caution. Earth Country still hasn't lowered its guard since that incident with the Regent. We'll have to proceed with caution even if you've been banished from Konoha. It wouldn't do well for you to agitate the Earth Daimyo. It'd be a great burden on Haku since she's become the Whirlpool Daimyo," she advised.
Naruto gained a contemplative look and slowly nodded. "Right. Then, here's what we'll do!" Naruto said with a wide grin on his face while the others looked at him. Not one to skip out on explaining a good plan, Naruto brought them all in on it.
Once he was done, Suigetsu's mouth thinned. "I'm the one who's gonna be driving the horse, aren't I?" he asked.
"Would you rather have the other job? You've got an opening since I could always use my clones for it," he answered.
Suigetsu sucked his teeth while Karin sighed. "Hmmm, I'll take it back. You're not as stupid as I thought, Cousin!" she praised.
Naruto blinked. He was sure there was some kind of insult in there somewhere, especially from the way Yura glared at Karin. He was also pretty damn sure Kotohime was laughing at him. Even the normally quiet Juugo was smirking.
"...thanks, I think. Anyway, let's go. I haven't been to this part of the area so I can't teleport us there. We've got a long way to go before the sun sets. If we're fast enough, we can make it to an inn where we won't be sleeping in tents," Naruto replied with a grin on his face.
"Now that's something I can get behind! Let's go!" Karin exclaimed.
Yura snorted. "Heaven forbid you rough it in the woods, you princess wannabe," she said before Karin crashed her face into hers.
"You wanna repeat that?!" she scowled while Yura chuckled venomously.
"Princess wannabe!" Yura repeated before she growled back at Karin.
Konan, Naruto, Juugo, Kotohime, and Suigetsu watched the interaction curiously. Karin and Yura quickly started hurling greater insults at each other as Suigetsu turned to Naruto. "And you have to deal with three of these? How the hell do you even manage?" he asked.
Naruto shrugged. "Meh, I like it dattebayo!" he said.
"Really?" Kotohime asked.
Naruto laughed for a moment while Suigetsu scoffed. "You Uzumaki guys must've been total masochists," the white-haired man said as he watched the two women argue.
"They are quite spirited," Konan observed and Naruto quickly nodded. Maybe he had a thing for feisty women. That'd certainly explain his attraction to Sakura back when they were kids.
Naruto took a step forward. "Alright, alright, that's enough fighting. If you two keep it up, then you're both paying for our lodging for the rest of the trip," he warned as the two looked at him in shock.
"What?! That wasn't part of our deal!" Karin exclaimed while Naruto folded his arms.
"Consider it an expansive clause of a business contract," he responded, enjoying the scowl on his cousin's face.
Karin and Yura glared back at each other, growling before the latter turned her head away with a huff. The former clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. Oh this wasn't over, not by a fucking longshot!
Once that was finished, they rejoined the group and everyone dashed off towards their next destination. Naruto led the group far. From the afternoon until late into the night, they ran through Wave Country and into Fire Country. Well, thankfully the Daimyo hadn't seen fit to banish him from the country. At least that way he wouldn't have trouble if he ran into any Konoha shinobi.
As they ran, Chiriku continued to impart wisdom on the Patriarch of the Uzumaki Clan. All the more asking questions about what Naruto wanted, what was the meaning in suffering, what was the fear of death if life for some was not worth living. All of them were questions Naruto didn't know how to answer. Nevertheless, as they ran he thought on them. He thought about what the Shinigami said. He thought about the darkness in him, one that attracted the vengeful and vile spirits to him.
Even as he paid for a hotel, assigned everyone their rooms, and had a team meeting about what to do when they woke up, it was still in the back of his mind. He sat on a warm singles' bed, meditating as he'd been taught. Chiriku sat in front of him.
"In this journey we call life, especially for shinobi, we all craft the masks we show others. The lies we tell ourselves to keep the mask the truth slowly starts to combine together. Man shall believe in his own comforting lie rather than confront the harsh, unforgiving truth. Why do you think that is?" Chiriku asked as Naruto inhaled and exhaled.
The spirits from his sword: Kimimaro, Suiren, Dan, Gari, Pakura, and Yahiko, watched quietly. All of them felt the immense power of their summoner's Honshou. While he wasn't the brightest, they could feel the pressure of his understanding, his wisdom, slowly being strengthened.
"Because it hurts. Because the pain is unbearable, the truth forces you to look at your own ugliness I guess. When everyone is against you, the only person you have to rely on is yourself. It… it's a very selfish desire in the end dattebayo. However, I think it's better to some to prop up their own selfishness as a good thing rather than work to change for the truth," he said.
Chiriku didn't either nod or shake his head, instead he continued his own observations. Unknown to Naruto, all the spirits in front of him released a shiver when they saw the crooked grin on his face. They could feel the maddening will of a vengeful spirit slowly taking advantage of the unaware summoner. Naruto's hair quickly lost its harsh yellow color. In its place lay beautiful silver hair.
However, despite his royal appearance, Naruto was clearly in some pain. His face scrunched up and beads of sweat fell down his face. Nevertheless, the crooked, demented smile never stopped. That said, true to form, Chiriku didn't focus on that outward stuff. He could sense the agony and distress in his master's face, especially when black seals started to rain from his eyes and down the rest of his body.
"And what are the lies that you tell yourself, Naruto-sama? Look deep within yourself and try to find the answer. What truth hurts so much that you wanted to live the lie? What peace are you unwilling to give yourself for the comfort of convenience?" Chiriku asked firmly.
Naruto grabbed his head. Everything seemed to hurt. He could hear a thousand voices in his head, each of them threatening to overtake him.
"That fucking monk's words are bullshit, Shikyo-sama! What does this righteous fucker know of the lies and truths of the world?! Trust me, I can give you the answer that you want! Peace? What have we need of peace? We're shinobi, birthed and blood and buried in blood. Do you know what peace grants? It grants stagnation, it grants boredom, if there's one thing we don't need, it's boredom! That's what you've always been, right? Merge your soul, your spirit with mine! Is that what you want? To be noticed? To be acknowledged?! We'll make the world acknowledge you! Burn it all down and make them submit in a blaze of fire and glory! Your name will be immortalized!"
In the depth of his mindscape, Naruto clenched his head as a spirit rubbed the blond's shoulders, whispering the greatest things in his mind. The walls of his mind turned into the widest fields of fire and iron. Naruto stood atop a mountain of corpses, each of them mercilessly brought to heel for their own defiance. As more and more people challenged him, he conquered them. Finally, no more war, no more violence, an entire world united under the empire of Uzumaki Naruto. Yura, Yuri, and Kushina by his side, greater than any Hokage, greater than any Daimyo. Man and spirit, every domain given to him. Finally, no one would be able to deny his existence. No one would ever pretend he didn't fucking exist! No one would throw his life away like garbage like… like…
"And is that really what you want? Is that what… Uzumaki Naruto wants?" Chiriku asked, his loud voice piercing through the veil of Naruto's corrupted thoughts.
"Of course, it's what he wants! He will be acknowledged and remembered! He will have everything his heart desires! The Uzumaki Clan will return to its former glory and he will lead both the Uzumaki Clan, the Mortal Realm, and the Spirit Realm! His name shall be one that lasts forever!" the spirit bellowed, standing behind Naruto as the blond sat on his throne.
"Fear not the one who remembers what you did for deeds and time shall wither away the character of men. Rather fear the one who remembers what you were, for that shall be the path that you motivate others to follow," Chiriku answered.
"Well you know what I think! I think Naruto doesn't need either of you right now. So I'll make it frank. GET OUT!" A heavy roar blasted through the depths of Naruto's mind. Suddenly, all the voices stopped. When Naruto opened his eyes, there was no fire, there was no empire, there were no corpses. Everything seemed so quiet now.
Naruto dropped to his knees in the sewer water of his own mind. "I don't know what I want. I thought I did. I wanted to become Hokage to get people to acknowledge me, because it was the only way I could think of that no one would ever forget me, no one would ever disrespect me, I… I just wanted to be someone important to them all. It was all I could do," the young Uzumaki said to himself.
He looked up and he saw Kurama staring down at him, the fox's white tails swirling in the air. "Quit looking at me with that pathetic look, Naruto. It doesn't suit you," The Nine-Tailed Fox said as the silver-haired young man looked at his bijuu, his face filled with anguish.
"Kyuubi, what do I do? Nothing's making sense to me anymore. I feel like… nothing matters anymore," Naruto said while the Kyuubi's eyes narrowed. He lowered his head until he met his former jailer's disturbed gaze.
"You heard the monk, Naruto. Look within yourself. I've seen your kind for over a thousand years, brat. Your lives are filled with a never ending spiral of self-reflection that leads you to the stupidest choices I've ever seen in my entire life. As I expected, your power has granted me a higher existence even I'd thought possible. I actually thought I couldn't get more powerful than I was before, but now I'm a far cry from what I used to be. Thanks to you we all have a certain amount of authority over the spirits as well," Kurama said as Naruto noticed Mōryō and the Kindred staring at him along with the other summons in his sword. In particular, Pakura had changed considerably. Rather than that of a spirit form, her body had materialized considerably. A long white cloak surrounded her body and there was a gaze of power in her eyes just not present in the others.
She walked forward and helped Naruto up. When he stood to his feet, the Patriarch of the Uzumaki clan checked out Pakura's new attire. "You look… different," he said while she nodded.
"The session turned out a little terrible. You'll see when you open your eyes, but we were all pulled back into your blade, Naruto-sama. Though we can't help you with your problem, we can… slow the possession down. Unlike last time, the one that took us over before was too powerful. It fed on the darkness without you and subdued us. However, it wasn't without its positives, was it?" Pakura asked.
The Kyuubi nodded. "Indeed. Brat, you've slacked a bit on your training a bit. It seems your growth affects all of us as well. Whatever that bastard who took you did, it made your soul and spirit stronger. We're all so tied to you I doubt any of us was aware of it until now. For the entirety of this trip, you're gonna have to be soulbound with at least one of these guys every day. The stronger they all become, the more time you'll have. It'll probably go even faster if you fight opponents with them. That was one of the problems you've always had. Try some new things," the giant fox said in a reprimanding tone.
Naruto shivered and rubbed the back of his head, nearly laughing. "Now's not the time to be laughing!" Wolf shouted which got everyone's attention.
The beast floated until he was right in front of Naruto's face. "We didn't submit to you to get taken over! Take your duties seriously! There are powerful forces looking to take you over! You heard Shinigami-sama! Many of them would love to watch the world burn or take it for themselves! They'll use you and the others however they see fit if you don't get your act together!" he exclaimed angrily.
Naruto released a burst of Honshou, the sewer water beneath his feet crashing like angry waves in the air. "Then why the hell won't any of you tell me what's wrong with me?! Maybe if I knew, I could try and fix it! However, it seems like everyone knows what's going on with me but me! It feels like nothing's changed from back when I was in Konoha! Everyone knew I was the host of the Kyuubi except for me! Everything about my life seemed to be about decisions made for me without anything I ever got a damn say in anything?" He fired back before he sat on the floor and rubbed his head.
"...maybe it was better if I just died back there. Maybe that would've been the only decision I couldn't make on my own," he said as he rubbed his head.
Everyone remained quiet, a little shocked at the blond's outburst. The waters settled and Naruto remained quiet for a little while.
"Shikyō-sama…" Suiren said, holding out a hand before Naruto sighed.
"Yeah, alright. That's a good plan, Kyuubi. I'll do that first thing in the morning. Thanks, guys. I'll just… I just need a minute," he said before his mind drifted away from the confines of his mindscape. The others looked at each other worriedly.
Meanwhile, Naruto slowly opened his eyes, noticing Yura sitting in front of him. He looked around the room, cracks were on the walls, the furniture had been thrown every which way, a few picture frames were on the floor, broken. Even the bed was a mess and Naruto could only sigh.
"I did this, didn't I?" he asked.
Yura slowly nodded and caressed his cheek. "Wanna talk about it, Nii-sama?" she asked slowly, sensing his solemn mood. For once, Naruto had nothing to say. He just slowly pushed his forehead against Yura's. She closed her eyes and wrapped him in her arms.
"W-Will you really promise to love me, no matter what I turn into?" he asked, almost like a whisper.
Yura smiled, placing her head on his shoulder. "I promise. I'll always love you, Nii-sama," she answered equally softly while Naruto slowly smiled. He lifted up his head and kissed Yura. She pushed her lips against his, sighing blissfully when he touched her cheek and massaged her red hair. Well, maybe he'd been wrong before. There were decisions he made that helped his life. He loved this woman kissing him. He loved his mother. He loved Yuri. He loved them all so much.
After a moment or two, the two separated, their cheeks flushed. They then started cleaning up the room to the best of their ability. They then laid in the bed. Naruto couldn't help admiring Yura's nightgown before she crawled in with him. She rested her head on his chest while he looked up at the ceiling. His mind filled with too many things, he slowly fell asleep embraced by his lover. Her fingers moved through his hair, a warm smile on her face.
-x-
"Don't stay up too late, Sakura-san! Wouldn't want you passing out along with the patient on the surgery table!" A nurse laughed as she packed up her things while Sakura laughed.
"Don't worry. As soon as I check some materials and put in some patient work, I'll be heading home as well! Thank you for your work, Anashi-san!" the former member of team seven said as she waved her friend away.
Once she was alone, Sakura sighed. She stared at some folders and papers of the confidential patients still admitted to the hospital. Beneath a harsh lamp light, she flicked a pen between her fingers. To be honest, a lot of her thoughts were on Sasuke and Naruto. For once, the latter more than the former.
More specifically, she thought about apologizing. Of course, she didn't approve of the whole… incest thing, both from a moral standpoint and a doctor standpoint, but… she did realize she'd been out of line. It was Naruto's business and she had no right to interfere in that. He was like that one very annoying friend you'd consider close enough to be a brother. She just wanted what was best for him. However, she couldn't dictate his life, especially not one with as much stress as the responsibility he'd endured.
Every day she saw some of the sickly patients and the weeping parents, children, relatives, and loved ones. If it was her, she'd love to do anything to just revive them and make everyone happy. However, what did she know about the state of the dead? Sometimes, it's just someone's time to go. Many other scientists and theorists spoke about the overpopulation of the Elemental Nations. In a rather morbid way, war was the divine's way of keeping nations under control, to keep the earth from being strip-mined and destroyed. Sometimes, we all desire the old, but it must make way for the new.
"I bet I could make a thesis paper on that if Naruto would let me," Sakura thought to herself before the silence in the hospital became her ambience. When she finished her work, her eyes narrowed. Sakura slipped out of her chair and picked up the piece of paper she'd written on about Sasuke's picture.
A sigh, Sakura walked through the dark halls, a couple of flickering lights here and there. Her heels clacked against the floor. Somehow, a shiver ran down her spine. "Was the hospital always this dark? Guess learning Naruto's the summoner of spirits really got me unnerved," she thought to herself with a shake of her head.
The hospital was a lot quiet without Shizune around. As Tsunade's apprentice, she'd learned what happened. Now, it seemed that Shizune was under the Uzumaki clan's protection and employment as a soul under Naruto. Well, she hoped the former assistant would find well-being there.
After a moment, Sakura reached the computer lab, each of them lined up in rows. She quickly grabbed a chair and pulled open one. She booted up the monitor and found the words on the screen. "Let's see. The number for this is DL06789," Sakura said to herself as she accessed the computer's database. She inputted the number for the table the corpse was one. After a moment or two, the computer showed a list of all the medical records regarding that corpse table.
…there were a lot of them.
That said, Sakura also remembered the date from the folder Sasuke showed her. When she put the information into the computer, she was given one date. She clicked the link. Suddenly, a window popped up.
'Unauthorized! It appears that you don't have permissions to access this page. Please make sure you're authorized to view this content! If you are authorized, please submit a ticket to authorized personnel. Press 'Close' to close this window.'
Sakura stared at the screen. "What? I don't have clearance? But I've been given the highest form of clearance thanks to Tsunade-sama. What does it mean I don't have access? I'm sure it hasn't been revoked. I wasn't informed of any maintenance either," she said as she tried to access the file again.
She tried again.
And again.
And again!
Sakura inhaled and exhaled, trying to not bring down the table in a rush of anger. She grabbed her ID card and looked at it. After a moment, she tried to access other documents. Unsurprisingly, she managed to get even into the S-rank files without much difficulty. When she went back to the other file, she was met with the same message.
"What's going on here? Why can't I access this file? This is ridiculous," she thought to herself before she leaned back and scratched her cheek. After a moment, Sakura exhaled. Okay, clearly either something was wrong with her card or something was wrong with the file. She was willing to bet it wasn't the former though.
Sighing tiredly, Sakura grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down all the relevant details regarding the file. Well, if her card didn't work, then maybe Tsunade's would. Unfortunately, it was very late and, knowing her master, she'd just scream at her. Not hoping for that, she'd do it in the morning. She'd then return tomorrow night and try again. If even that didn't work, then clearly this was something she could bring to Tsunade seriously. What kind of file couldn't even have the Hokage access it?
Once that was done, Sakura collected her notes and walked out of the computer lab. She was ready to go home and take a nice, long bath.
As she walked away, Sakura never noticed that she wasn't as alone as she thought. A figure watched her leave, their eyes red with the signs of bloodlust and anger. The figure licked their lips and clenched their fingers before they slithered back into the darkness of the hallways.
-x-
"See anything?" Kakashi asked as he pointed a flashlight at some of the empty cells.
Mikoto, her single sharingan active, slowly shook her head. She stepped over a pile of rusted iron. The ground was a little uneven from the results of a large battle. "No, I'm not seeing anything so far. To be honest, I don't even know what we're looking for," she replied as she flashed her own light across the corridors.
"If you both could stop talking, I could give a better answer," Pakkun said as he sniffed the ground.
Kakashi and Mikoto chuckled to each other, but they allowed the small dog to work his magic. To be honest, the two stared at the hideout a little apprehensive. It felt almost… alive despite being abandoned.
For the entire day, Kakashi and Mikoto had been moving through the haunted halls of the former Jashin base. Even now, dozens of symbols honoring the god of Slaughter littered the walls. Pakkun continuously commented on the smell of blood, despite the base having been abandoned for over ten decades.
"I guess it just goes to show how many people we failed to save," Mikoto said while Kakashi continued to shine his light.
"We'll just have to make sure that no one else suffers under them. That's the best we can do," he answered.
Mikoto slowly nodded as they moved through the halls. Chains tied to walls, bones and skeletons not swept away, the afterimages of the lost and damned, doomed to wander the halls for all eternity. Now that Mikoto was aware of the vile spirits surrounding them, as well as the good, she wondered how many ravaged through these caverns. How many of them, whether attacker or victim, wandered through here even now?
Kakashi grabbed his scarf and wrapped it around his neck. For some reason, the caverns seemed to get colder as they made their way through. Nevermind that the sun had long since gone down. "Yugao, do you read? Are you and Sasuke making your way here?" he asked.
"I read you, Kakashi. Yes, Sasuke and I are en route. It took a lot longer than expected from Tsunade-sama to give us clearance to check the other bases. Once we've investigated this one, we'll prepare for next steps," Yugao replied.
"Find anything?" Sasuke asked.
Kakashi pushed his light over another group of cells with nothing to show for them while Mikoto stared at the ceiling. "Not unless you like cave bats," the former sensei of team seven said.
"Well you better put your vacation plans on hold," Pakkun said as he stared at the abandoned base with a look of fear and trepidation.
"Why? What's wrong?" Mikoto asked.
"…this base isn't abandoned. At least not until recently. I'm smelling over a thousand hostile signatures in this cave alone, all of them ranging from normal people to elite shinobi. A few of those smells… are also around the other bases near the village as well."
KG: The amount of horror ambiences I went through makes me terrified of the Jashin cult all the more. Maybe that's one of the reasons its fun to write about them like I do. Even with so much of Naruto passing, there's still very little known about this cult or this 'god.' Either way, this was a little fun and I've already started on chapter 63. This fic is actually more fun than I remember, not really sure why I stopped.
KG: CREAM SODA!