Shikamaru wasn't entirely certain about how he felt in regards to the situation before him. The Mortal Council, honoring the Great God-on-Earth Hiruzen Sarutobi's last known intentions, had promoted him to Lesser Demigod. They did so far later than intended because of, well, all that happened since the Rank Exams, but their tardiness wasn't the source of his split emotions. That was because he had accomplished something, he had proven himself, and he had something under his belt he could show his mother with pride, but he also would probably have a lot more work to do now. What a drag.
Outwardly, he merely expressed polite gratitude for the Council's consideration, taking up the papers they gave him to sign. He did briefly wonder if they had the authority to do this. From what he understood, they had a position of 'voice,' not power. The Great God-on-Earth and, if relevant, the Clan Heads, had to listen to what they had to say on policy decisions affecting the general population of the Village, but neither party was under any real obligation to act on it. Their power came from the perception that they were speaking with the voice of the general populace when they voiced complaints, not with the authority of the law. Internal promotion decisions that shouldn't affect mortals at all were definitely outside their purview, but he guessed with the Terrae Theon Tower empty they could make due. Plus, they probably liked flexing real power for once.
Oh well, he could enjoy his new promotion before the new responsibilities came with it, or at least he thought so before they decided that his new position meant he would be one of the first to learn about the new Great God-on-Earth, which he supposed wasn't much of a hassle but meant that he was already getting involved with the Upper Ranks' politics.
Apparently, that knowledge meant dealing with the discreet removal of any of the old Great God-on-Earth's belongings that were still in the office. In theory, anything that could pose a security risk was already taken care of. His job was to ensure that theory and reality matched up.
It kind of felt like one of those chores they assigned Lesser Heroes at the start of their career, to be honest, but he wasn't about to complain about an easy job. Not, at least, until he stumbled upon a strange man wrapped from head-to-toe in bandages casually walking out of the office that no one should have been casually walking out of at the moment.
"Eh, I wasn't informed that anyone was supposed to be here," he muttered, not really wanting to deal with this but also fully aware that duty was important.
"You wouldn't have been," the man smiled at him, though there was no kindness behind it. "I knew Sarutobi in his younger years, and I just wanted to check if he still had some personal items that would be of no interest to someone other than old men like us."
He didn't look that old, but that meant nothing with a sufficiently powerful Scion, especially a Minor God.
Shikamaru sighed. "And I have no desire to stop you, but surely you realize that I can't just ignore a potential security risk like this, even for an old man's nostalgia."
"Of course, of course, let Homura know that Danzo "Shiva" Deva was here, picking up the Moon Files. He'll understand."
"Um, would you mind staying where I can find you until you do?"
"I'll be in the private lobby. You'll find that the Village has nothing to fear from me."
Shikamaru sent someone to deliver the message in question, which eventually resulted in a vague response about letting the Minor God go. It was hardly surprising; the fact that he had so casually name-dropped a member of the Council meant he had influence, and he was pretty sure he had heard this Danzo's name before.
Like, if he had actually cared about politics, he was pretty certain that he could assign a lengthy history and faction to him just from hearsay. Didn't the Loa Clan Head hate the guy with a passion? Yes, that was where he had heard it, since normally Loa's Clan Head didn't hate or even get worked up about anything. He had been too busy sleeping through lectures to remember why, but something was off here.
Oh, logically speaking, everything was fine; a powerful and influential member of the Village took care of a security risk that affected him personally, and those who knew him better allowed it. He would surely have reason to care about what the last Great God-on-Earth did. Why should Shikamaru concern himself about Upper Ranks doing Upper Rank things?
Still, he felt something deep down. His bones told him that something here was wrong. Clan Loa generally held to the principle of trusting one's bones. Maybe he would look into it later, if possible.
--
Tsunade steeled herself before opening the Village gates. This was her first time back in her home-town since…honestly, she couldn't remember. She did know that she never actually came close to accomplishing the mission she was supposed to be on, or ever even really tried to make progress, to be perfectly honest, but she had no doubt that that could be quietly swept under the rug.
What she didn't know, in spite of Naruto's best efforts and the progress she thought she made in the battle on the field, was whether or not she was emotionally ready to do this. This place took so much from her, and its only 'reward' was to demand even more. To be honest, if she could Ascend, she'd probably do it rather than face what lay ahead, but she couldn't, not if she was just doing it to avoid responsibility. Ascension, even for a particularly impressive Minor God like herself, required worthiness.
When she finally opened the gates, looking out onto a set of statues, the last earthly memorial of the last people to do this job, she certainly didn't feel worthy. Of anything, really.
Still, she walked toward the Terrae Theon, ready for all the pomp and circumstance, until Naruto grabbed her sleeve and pulled her in the opposite direction.
"You have to heal Sasuke!" He pleaded. "You promised!"
"We have to let the people know that the next Great God-on-Earth has been chosen," she shut him down. Realizing that this would give her a valid excuse to put off the responsibility she was dreading for little longer, she continued, "but only let them know. I'll check your friend out and see if there's anything I can do before all the ceremonial nonsense happens."
That mollified him a bit. At least, it got him to let go of her sleeve and stop whining.
--
Maito "John Henry" Gai was a lot of things. Loud. Boisterous. Optimistic. Hard working. Ready to brighten anyone's day, regardless of whether or not they wanted it. What he did not consider himself to be was a meddler. Most people who knew him would laugh at this self-description, but he thought it true. He only bothered others if it was really important.
The fate of his favorite student (he had the tact to not tell Tenten or Neji that, even if they already knew), was one of those things. Upon learning that the legendary Tsunade had returned to the Village, and was heading toward the hospital, he couldn't help but jump over the reception desk where the woman was explaining what she was doing here and bowing down on one leg to beg to please, please, give Lee's injuries a look.
Although the current doctors and Health Purview experts had already dismissed his case, but he couldn't give up, not on someone whose flames of youth burned as brightly as that boy's, it just couldn't happen! He gave her no opportunity to respond as tears flooded his cheeks, going on and on about Lee's determination and prowess and how important it was that someone, anyone, give him a chance…Tsunade flicked him on the forehead.
"I promised that I would look into this Sasuke kid first, but sure, I'll try this Lee boy as well. Though to be frank, if the Health Purview has already proved useless, then I'm not going to give you any false hopes."
"All he needs is someone to believe!" Gai insisted, too excited about her yes to really argue the point. Tsunade, for her part, merely scoffed at that idea before moving on to Sasuke's room.
--
There was an irony to her recent encounter with Orochimaru that Tsunade had to acknowledge. He was completely right about how Samsara might interfere with supernaturally inflected problems that the Health Purview couldn't repair alone. It was through the thought process he started her on that she figured out how to stop the demonic energy from interacting with the boy's Itzli Mark. He'd be on his feet in three days.
Naruto was so excited that she almost mistook him for her lost half-brother, which almost sent her on an impromptu drinking binge, but she shut that down with the knowledge that that Lee kid needed someone to look after him.
--
Rock Lee refused to give into despair. Even though this was only the latest in a cluster of supposed solutions, he embraced the chance that it might work the same way he did when the first failed suggestion came up. To do otherwise would be a betrayal of Gai's faith in his recovery and against himself. He tried not to feel unsurprised when she ultimately frowned and asked him whether or not he had considered finding civilian work in the Village for the umpteenth time.
"So, there is nothing to be done?" He voiced, trying not to sound cynical, not to be cynical.
"There…is," Tsunade sounded reluctant. "I know of a way to heal you so that you can fight as a Hero again…if you can survive it."
He was too excited to listen to that second part. "I will rejoin my comrades in battle! Thank you so much, Ms. Tsunade!"
"Hold it. The Titan Ichor within you has bonded to your limbs, become part of them. It's kind of like a parasite at this point, but it's an entrenched parasite. The shock to your body from removing it has maybe a 40% chance of killing you, and Stamina Knacks won't protect you from this."
That…dampened his enthusiasm. Neji would have been shocked to learn that anything could, but even the amusing thought couldn't lift Lee's spirits at the moment.
"It's your decision," Tsunade informed him. "I would recommend just accepting civilian life, to be frank, but if you want to risk your life for this, then I'll do what I can."
--
Three days, Sasuke thought. That was what this woman, apparently the Clan Head of Deva and one of the legendary Sankami, had given him. Three days until this current weakness was resolved. Three days until he could prove himself. Doubts still existed. He might be betraying the Village if he went down this path.
Still, he knew that he couldn't continue on this current path, not if it was keeping him weak. Not if it was stopping him from his vengeance.
Those three days were interrupted, somewhat unexpectedly, by Sakura. He guessed that he should have seen this coming, considering her previous behavior, but she hadn't been that annoying about her little crush recently and to be perfectly honest he hadn't been thinking about her that much at all compared to everything else. Which, of course, just emphasized why her romantic ambitions were doomed, but that didn't stop her from trying.
"Sasuke, I was worried about you," she insisted on informing him. That rankled rather than reassured him, but he kept quiet. "I remember that it was your own brother that did this. That must be so awful. I only know a little about what happened to your family, but-"
"Sakura, please don't try to be sympathetic about it. I know that you're not trying to be hurtful, but bringing it up when you don't know what you're talking about…" he let the thought explain itself, and to her credit Sakura seemed to get it.
"I don't really know you that well, do I?" She observed. "All that time watching you, admiring you, seeing how you were the best, wanting to be with the best," she sighed, then swooned. "Now, after having spent so much time as your bandmate, I want to get to know you. I want to know if it was just a school-girl's crush or if Fate wanted us together." Sitting down beside him, she continued, "if you don't want to talk, then it's fine, but I want to listen."
Sasuke was completely blindsided by this. Would she be repulsed to get to know him as a person? Did he…want her to be? He always thought the attention from his fangirls was annoying, but now he looked at Sakura and wondered whether he might be missing something if she stopped looking up to him. Maybe it was because he found his other fangirls annoying, but still appreciated this one because…he suppressed a scream at his own confusion.
He needed to fight Naruto, prove himself to be the stronger one, and dismiss Tsumire's offer, or failing that learn that the Village had weakened him as much as she suspected and seek out Orochimaru's guidance. He couldn't be distracted by…whatever this was. He just couldn't.
In spite of that insistence, he merely answered. "I don't think that there's much to know, honestly. Since Itachi's massacre, I haven't really focused on anything else besides getting stronger so I could avenge his victims. It's been…all of my life."
Something felt wrong about that, but he dismissed it. He was doing that a lot lately.
"That's so sad," Sakura observed, "not just the murders, but what you let it do to you. You don't have hobbies, interests, dreams of your own?"
The feeling he just dismissed came back with a vengeance once Sakura identified exactly what it was, especially when it continued. "Your brother really took over your life, huh?"
The truth behind those words stung him. Mostly because he didn't want to admit to them, didn't want to let doubt seep in, didn't want to veer off the path for even a small bit…"you don't know what you're talking about!" He lashed out.
"I guess not," she admitted, "but I think you might benefit from looking at what else life has to offer besides settling this…".
"Get out!" He screamed, not wanting to listen. Not willing to listen. Not able to listen. She, after a lot of hesitation, acquiesced. A part of him hated that, wished that she had stood her ground and forced him to see her point, felt that it was something that maybe he really did have to hear…but, once again, he forced it down. There was no point in dwelling on that now.
--
Tsunade knew that she needed to stop putting this off before Shizune started yelling at her again. This time, she'd probably have the most powerful voices in the Village supporting her, and that would just get plain annoying.
So, she finally brought herself to march into the Terrae Theon Tower, open the door to what would be her office for who knew how long, and stare at the empty space where Guide Sarutobi had once sat, both before and after Minato, and after Tobirama, after Hashirama…now it was her turn. Suppressing the thousandth voice in the back of her head urging her to run, she casually strolled forward and sat in the chair.
It was surprisingly uncomfortable, for a chair that only the greatest of the great were supposedly allowed to sit in. It was a bit of a silly observation to start out what should have been a solemn and life-changing moment, but it crossed her mind, and she couldn't help but smirk at the thought.
The famous seat of the Great God-on-Earth, sought after by so many starry-eyed young Scions hoping to get their names in the history books, wasn't even comfortable to sit in. What kind of cosmic justice was that? Maybe she could put a stop to the politicking by letting people know? Hey, the reward you get for all your sacrifices and maneuvering and wars and violence is not only a chair, but an uncomfortable one at that! How do you like that?
Dismissing the line of thought and returning to the real world for a bit, she questioned whether someone was going to come tell her what to do. That, she realized, was another bizarre irony. The first thing that happened after being given the power to tell everyone what to do was to be told what to do.
Wow, she was full of useless insights today, wasn't she, and she wasn't even drunk. Was this what happened when nerves set in? When one faced a profound and historical moment that put them right into its own center? Were you forced to waste your time on useless imitations of wise sayings and noting little idiosyncrasies with the world?
Just as she was about to let her mind trail down that rabbit hole, a young man in a Lesser Demigod's uniform walked in, apparently startled by her presence.
"Loa du Monde?" He questioned. It took her a second to remember Clan Loa's name for her new job, but she managed to nod before anyone became suspicious. "I was ordered to make sure that nothing left by the last one was a security risk, and though no one told me I think I'm supposed to be passing along information about anything here that figures in the Village might find embarrassing."
Tsunade snorted at his honesty. "And have you found anything of note?"
"Nothing that I understand," he answered. "One Danzo "Shiva" Deva did come in to take something called the "moon files," apparently with the Mortal Council's permission, but outside of that," he shrugged. "It's been a drag."
Tsunade crossed her fingers together in thought. Now, what could her slimy little clansman have been playing at? What were the 'moon files?' It certainly wasn't something she could just let go, not with what she knew of that man, but there was too little to go on for now. Especially with the ten-thousand other things she'd have to deal with while settling in.
"Hey kid, you're not well-established, are you?" The boy stared at her awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Good, so you haven't been dragged into all the factional bullcrap yet. I've been away from the Village for a while, and I want someone like you to fill me in on how the internal political situation has developed. Before you ask, I'm not asking the Clan Heads or Mortal Council because they have incentives to tell me something less than the truth. That's one gamble I'm not going for, not with a house this stacked."
"My thoughts on Clan Loa are probably just as biased," he argued.
"Not biased enough to try and take advantage of the opportunity I just gave you to argue its case," she smirked back. "But fair enough. Tell me what you think about the other Clans, then, and what they've been doing."
The boy took a little more prodding than she would have liked to get going, but once he did she found herself pleased with her choice for confidante. He had a head on his shoulders. He saw a lot more than he seemed to. Yes, she intended to make use of this "Shikamaru" kid. The Gods knew she would need allies in the days to come, and the Loa boy seemed a fair enough start.
--
Tayuya "Huitzilopochtli" Aztlanti looked on the man who was supposed to be their squad leader with a surprising amount of pity. Surprising, because she thought herself incapable of such an emotion; the strong commanded the weak, and the weak obeyed if they knew what was freakin' good for them.
As someone who was…moderate in strength, she knew that full well, accepting Orochimaru's rise to Clan Head even if she technically had the right to it by parentage, accepting the weird Kue-Jin as her direct commander, and letting out any frustration she might feel about her subservience out by tormenting those even weaker than her, because she wasn't the strongest and knew it.
Seeing Kimimaro, once the terrifying monstrosity dripping venom from the bones he created everywhere, reduced to this by consuming a bad batch of Chi, whatever in the cold depths of Mictlan that was, it kind of disturbed her. He had been stronger than her, but now he was weak. Was all strength so fragile? Was what meager strength she had acquired for herself over the years going to fade away due to a single mistake like that?
Playing her flute, watching as her hummingbirds jabbed their beaks into one another under her orders, mollified by watching the stronger ones rip apart the weaker ones with their beaks, she dismissed the thought and tried to pay attention to the Mexica freak's order.
That Kabuto, or whatever his name was, wanted them to find some Amatsukami brat and bring him back to Sacrifice's new hideout. Apparently, some newbie got jumped up in importance far above those whose loyalty to Orochimaru had stayed true through everything that bastard put them through…but of course, that was how it worked. He was a God, and they could work hard to become fit to be his sacrifice.
Kimmimaro of the Bone-Court, Tayuya "Huitzilopochtli" Aztlanti, Jirobu "Mictlantehuitl" Aztlanti, Kidomaru the Chimeric Autourge, Sakon the False Akuma. Two Aztlanti, two Kue-Jin, one Devient, all outcasts from their 'proper' Village and all mashed together by Orochimaru's whims. Off on another adventure, even if the strongest of them was forced to sit back and wait for most of it. This could theoretically be fun.
--
Sasuke had a mere few hours before he could leave this cursed hospital bed. The wait was killing him. Perhaps even more so than the Mark and the Sword. Rather than nothing to do except stew in his anticipation, he was graced with the sight of Tsumire coming to visit him one last time.
"Are you still so obsessed with your loyalty?" She wondered.
"Are you unaware of the fact I could turn you in to the Village's leaders?" He responded.
"Yet you haven't," she answered, "which tells me, well, what does it tell me?"
She cocked her head to the side as if she were genuinely wondering.
Gritting his teeth rather than admit to the obvious answer, he pondered his earlier conversation with Sakura. He had nothing else, besides his quest for vengeance. She found that pitiable, but he knew it was all that mattered. Friendship, loyalty to a Village that couldn't stop his family from dying, was that what he wanted to list as his accomplishments in the end? Was that how he wished to face his family's spirits?
Although he didn't like to follow that other line of thinking, there was also the simple note that he had already given up everything else, so there was nothing to do but go along with his quest.
"Give me a time and location. If I come alone, then you'll know I said yes."
"And if you decide that you'll stay loyal after all?" Tsumire seemed genuinely curious for this question.
Sasuke smirked. "Well, if you're not willing to take risks, then clearly you have nothing to offer me. Time and location, and you'd better be there, or yeah, I'm staying loyal to the stupid Village."
Now it was her turn to grit her teeth, but she ultimately just let him know when to come to a forested area right outside the Village, just far enough that patrols could be avoided. Now Sasuke just had to go back to his original plan; if the Village left him weak enough to lose to Naruto, then she'd be arrested there. Otherwise…
--
Sakura was a little surprised, yet more relieved, to find the newly minted Great God-on-Earth not particularly busy. It was probably because the woman had apparently tossed her stack of papers to the side in frustration and decided to take a 'well-deserved' break rather than because she had nothing else to do, but Sakura was content to count her blessings where they were.
"Lady Tsunade?" She deigned to whisper.
"What is it? Oh, it's you. I'll give your friend his final check in an hour or so."
"That's great, but it's not why I'm here." Stifling a whimper, reminding herself that she was brave, and strong, and could do this, she eventually managed to blurt out, "will you make me your apprentice?"
That took the Sankami back, before she crossed her fingers together in thought.
"Why should I?" She eventually asked.
Sakura had a whole spiel about the wonderful opportunity this could be, and how she would work hard and never give up, but looking into Tsunade's eyes caused her to blank on it. Instead, she was forced to pull from the heart.
"I was the best in the Academy, or close to it. On paper, I was amazing. I had every theory, every concept, down and could impress the teachers without trying. My only problems were with the practical work, but I always figured that I could take care of that with my mind. I was certain that I would be a great Hero, just based on that alone. Then, I got sent on real missions." Sighing, she forced herself to continue. "Objectively speaking, I didn't do badly in any of them. I protected the client, I fought alongside my bandmates in the Rank Exams, and, well, you saw what I did with finding you. However, I didn't do what the others could do. Naruto and Sasuke both shined far brighter than I did when the three of us were together, and while I expected the latter, the former just…".
Trying not to be frozen by her insecurities as Tsuande simply continued to stare, she blurted out "I want to know what I didn't understand back then. I want to not only have the knowhow, but be able to use it. Right now, my best skill is with the Health Purview, and you're the best there is with it, so if anyone can improve me, it's you, and not just because you're good in general."
Tsunade smirked. "Alright, come see me this weekend. I'll test how good you actually are with the Health Purview, and we'll see. No promises, though."
--
Sakura was giddy for multiple reasons as she and Naruto made their way to the hospital. Not only was Sasuke finally going to be better, but she had wonderful news to share with him about her future. For once, she didn't even care if it would impact his image of her as a potential bride; she just wanted the team to be happy together. Sasuke, apparently, needed it more than anyone.
Unfortunately, when she followed after Naruto as he burst into the doorway without knocking, she found herself tongue-tied when she saw him standing there, seeming to look straight through her and focusing all of his attention on Naruto.
"Hey, Sasuke, you're finally up! Now we can go on missions together again, I can't wait to show you how strong I've gotten."
That caused their newly healed bandmate to wince for some reason. "Fight me," he responded once said wince was repressed.
"Wha-" Sakura wanted to interject into whatever was going on here, but Naruto merely pumped his fist into the air.
"About time! Name a time and place!"
"The roof, right now."
"Are you sure that we shouldn't go see Kakashi first-" Sakura once more tried to intervene, and once more was ignored and overwhelmed by Naruto hollering in excitement, completely ignoring the deadly serious expression that Sasuke kept on his face (far more serious, and somehow more deadly, than normal) as he ran toward where his weapons were kept, then the rooftop.
Sakura desperately tried to follow along, imitating Hinata's nervous habit of rubbing her fingers together as she fretted over what to do. Those two sparring was hardly unusual, but something about the way Sasuke was talking, something about his tone and expression, made her wonder whether or not she should be trying to stop this. But how?
--
The two stood on the roof of the hospital, one glaring, the other grinning.
"Aren't you going to put on your headband?" Naruto asked his bandmate.
"You won't be able to hurt my forehead," Sasuke boasted.
"It's not about that. It's about showing that you're fighting as a Scion loyal to the Village against another, as equals."
"I still don't find it necessary, then," he answered.
That annoyed Naruto far more than any of the bastard's previous boasts. "Very well, then, don't blame me if this goes too far." They drew their weapons.