A BLANK LEAF
Three weeks later
"This is where you spent most of your life. Your father owned this apartment before he married your mother. It's small but, as they say, cozy, right? Welcome home, tadpole." Across the living room, which doubles as a kitchen, Naruto tries to close the lid of a trash can overflowing with instant ramen containers. Jiraiya, still holding the keys to the apartment, shrugs. "Hey, it's not my fault you survived on nothing but ramen. I sent some folks to clean up before you got here, but it looks like they gave up when they saw how much work it was... want some tea?"
Naruto offers a nonchalant shrug. Jiraiya sets the grocery bags on the kitchen counter and starts unloading them: vegetables, eggs, meat, bottled water, a jar of soy sauce, several little bags of noodles, broth cubes, toilet paper, and a knife he sharpened himself (or so he says).
The last thing Jiraiya pulls out is a cutting board. He picks up the knife, spins it around in his hand, and stabs it into the board.
"It's about time you learned how to take care of yourself properly. Tsunade was very clear that you need to handle your own affairs. So if I catch you eating instant ramen, I'll snap you in half like chopsticks." Jiraiya gives him a wink. "Just so you know, I make a mean sweet and sour pork, so if you run into trouble, just ask for the recipe. Is green tea okay?"
"Would be better if you just kept quiet for a bit, old man." Naruto grins. In recent weeks, he's had to endure Jiraiya's quirky personality; in the end, he's come to develop a certain affection for him. "By the way, aren't we going to be late?"
They were supposed to meet Kakashi at training field six near the Ninja Academy, but Jiraiya took his time on the way back. As soon as he picked Naruto up from the hospital and gave him a change of clothes, he insisted on stopping by the market. "Your place is a mess, the fridge is empty, and you look so thin it's creeping me out. You need food, boy. Good food, not the stuff they serve at the hospital. Let's go get some groceries."
Naruto suspected Jiraiya just wanted an excuse to take a stroll.
"You're wrong, kid," Jiraiya says, shutting the now-stocked fridge. "You're going to be late. I have better things to do than watch you run around a field. So, on second thought, we'll have tea another— oh, there he goes. Where does he get all that energy?" The boy, after hurling some colorful words his way, vanishes.
Still smiling, Jiraiya rests his hand on the teapot and it begins to boil instantly; then he carefully places a bowl next to it and sits down to wait for the tea.
2
The village looks beautiful from up here: the sun, now higher than the Hokage Mountain, casts a soft glow on the white facades of the houses.
Naruto sits on the head of the Fourth Hokage, looking over the scene. The stone beneath him is warm, his legs still a bit weak from his hospital stay; the wound that nearly cost him his life is hidden on his side and still aches. But the painkillers do their job and it's manageable.
He's not thinking about the pain, though. His focus is on his present. "This place is supposed to be my home," he thinks, "but when I look at it now, I just see a bunch of houses inside the walls."
Although Naruto appreciates some beauty in the view, his attention quickly shifts away from the red, orange, and blue rooftops, the parks, alleys, and people. His eyes seek something beyond the Leaf Village: the seemingly endless forest that stretches out, green and dense, toward the distant horizon.
He watches for a while, then, almost vanishing, he leaps down the mountain towards the city.
3
"We'll give you the benefit of the doubt," Kakashi says, "and assume you were late because you didn't know the way. Who knows what's going on in that head of yours now? For all I know, it could be emptier than before. Gives me chills just thinking about it.
The training ground is a clearing in the middle of the forest, with plenty of space for several ninjas to train without trees getting in the way. Kakashi is sitting on a large fallen log, which is covered in countless marks that might be from shurikens, kunai, or just about anything else.
"For future reference, I'm the only one who's allowed to be late here. That's right, I reserve the right to keep you waiting so you can work on your patience and maturity. So keep it in mind: if we say a certain time, you'll be here then. But I'll let it slide this time. Thanks to your tardiness, these ladies and I" — Kakashi gestures to them without looking: on the other side of the log are Sakura Haruno and Tayuya, avoiding eye contact with each other— "had a very productive conversation. Right?"
Tayuya huffs in response, while Sakura tries to wipe the blood from her nose.
"Let's just get on with it," Sakura says, turning away.
"It was the old man's idea," Naruto explains. "Don't hold it against me too much. He insisted we go shopping and all that."
Kakashi's smile is quite peculiar. It seems to lack any hint of kindness. It looks more like a grimace: is it because most of his face is covered, or is it just his nature?
"Setting your excuse aside, I imagine he told you why you're here."
"He gave me a general idea. I didn't expect you to start without me. It's a shame to miss out on the action."
"What happened earlier was a, let's say, disagreement among the parties. Which, of course, shouldn't concern you because no one" — and here Kakashi offers another smile without really smiling— "cares what those parties think. We're here to put Team Seven back in order. And that's exactly what we'll do. As you know, we lost a valuable member. I know what Sasuke meant to you two. But the way I see it, you've had enough time to heal your wounds; certainly, I had plenty of time myself. Now it's time for us to look ahead to the future, you and me. What does the future hold? Well, things keep moving forward. Things" — Kakashi jumps from the log to the ground with a weary gesture— "never stop going forward, whether we like it or not." He says this last part looking at Sakura. She lowers her gaze, and says nothing.
Kakashi gestures for them to follow him, and after a short walk, they find themselves in the center of the clearing; Kakashi standing in front of them, hands in his pockets, his expression detached. Meanwhile, Sakura keeps her distance from the others, and Tayuya, with her arms crossed, gives Naruto a scowl when he greets her.
"Hey, grouchy," he says, "good morning."
"Go away," she responds, and he just chuckles quietly.
Neither of them notices Sakura's odd, vacant stare. Of course, Kakashi does, but, as with so many other things, he's unfazed by teenage drama, even when it comes from his own students.
Sometimes the best thing one can do is maintain distance. Kakashi observes each of them before continuing.
"Let's cut to the chase. Naruto, Sakura, Tayuya. Welcome to Team 7."
ABOUT TAYUYA (I)
In the Council chamber a few days earlier.
"The girl isn't to blame for Orochimaru's actions! Hear me out... no, listen! Are we going to start killing children now? What fault does she have? He had her locked up, for goodness' sake! You know better than anyone what kind of man he is. I'm sure if you were in her place, you would have done the same or even worse! Orochimaru is a snake, a demon. In her position, you would have gutted anyone just to avoid dealing with him."
"She's old enough to know right from wrong."
"Right and wrong look different when you have a noose around your neck."
"So, what are you suggesting? Should we let her live? If it calms your conscience, fine. But you can't expect us to let her go when we know nothing about her. And I don't care that the Yamanaka probed her mind, that proves nothing! Do you hear me, Sannin?"
"The only thing I hear is a mouth moving," she says, "a mouth that will soon have no teeth."
The Council erupts in an uproar. "Insolent!", "How dare she!" and other shouts echo. The protests of the elder members begin loudly but quickly fall silent when Tsunade, her chakra making the table they're sitting at vibrate, fixes them with a hard look.
"Honorable Council members" — her voice carries restrained, yet audible anger— "I care little what a bunch of old men think. I don't plan to imprison the girl, much less take her life. I've laid out the facts for you. You've seen it with your own eyes. You know where her bloodline comes from."
Silence. Not for long.
"The Council has already made its decision," one of them says, "there's no point in further discussion."
Tsunade lets out a bitter laugh and stands up, firmly placing her hands on the table. Between them lies an open folder filled with documents: the first one features a photo of Tayuya, still dressed in hospital clothes.
"It seems you don't understand your position," she says slowly, "so I hope you take my words to heart. This girl will be accepted as a kunoichi of the Leaf, and that's final. None of you will interfere. There will be no more debates. There will be no more opinions. This decision isn't up to the council: we, the Sannin, are making this decision. Your authority has always depended on the Hokage's strength. Without the Hokage, you are nothing. Just relics. The girl" — Tsunade gives each of them a stern look— "is the last living female Uzumaki. Her clan and mine have been intertwined throughout history. No one will lay a finger on her.
"This meeting is over. Get out of my sight."