World #7570 - Tokyo
"Heed my will, o slumbering moon!"
…
The city halted for a moment.
It lay in silence for a time, before life resumed its course.
"Was this sort of mysticism truly needed?" Ino asked Sakura, who was still staring up at the moon, eye gleaming.
"Leave her be." Toru contested. "She is the local Infinite Tsukuyomi expert." For now.
"Tell them not to send the video to the Internet archivist." Gama added. When he looked at the pink-haired woman, all he saw was red and green. "Otherwise—"
Sakura grunted in frustration.
"Shut the fuck up, I'm trying to focus here." She muttered. "…I'll erase the particular event from their memories and do just that."
Then she groaned again.
"There." She breathed out. "It's done." Then, to Hanabi. "How's that for a godly feat, number four?"
"Not too bad." Hanabi admitted.
"I even managed not to drag some non-Rinnegan-bearers into it." Sakura nodded proudly. "Also, they will forget about anything out of the ordinary happening. Today was just a trick of the light."
"But—" Gama tried.
"A trick of the light." Sakura said firmly.
Gama stared at the sky. The slight red glow on the moon was fading. He had felt an enormous amount of relief at seeing his alternate self leaving, but it might have been an early celebration.
They were monsters, all of them.
"For real…?" Gama bit his fingernails, nervously. "Just… like that?"
"Of course." Sakura nodded. "My first sensei taught me a genjutsu or two."
"I'm sure that's all there is to it." Toru muttered.
Sakura ignored him, and turned to Gama.
"If you want, I can hypnotize you into being someone people might like." She offered him, in the tones a woman might use to soothe a wounded animal. That she pitied.
"No… thank you." He said flatly.
"Suit yourself." She shrugged, with a smile that was both wry and weary. "Well, this made me pretty hungry. Are we going, now?"
"Wait wait wait." Gama muttered.
Hanabi frowned. "Why?"
"What about…" He motioned toward where the portal had been.
"Our husband?" Karin asked. She then shrugged. "He'll be fine."
"He disappears without warning sometimes." Sakura said. "We just hope he doesn't do anything too risky or bad for the world."
There were several pairs of eyes upon her. Sakura frowned, before she burst out laughing.
"Oh, come on. I'm not like that."
"…Right." Ino said slowly.
She was still staring at the leftover chakra that had been a portal, pursing her lips.
"Right." She repeated.
…
"Are you okay?" Karin asked her.
"Yeah."
"…Sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. A bit pissed, but not at you. Thanks."
For some reason, mostly hunger, they had followed Gama to a little restaurant. The place was on a quiet backstreet and he apparently could tell that they wouldn't do so well in the hustle and bustle of the city. Experience, likely.
There were plenty of empty tables and chairs and empty stools at the bar, too. And some scattered people.
The group ordered some food, pretty randomly, pointing out items on the menu. They sat by the window, watching the neatly dressed people, the less neatly dressed people, outside.
"And you, Sarada?" Sakura asked.
"What?" She muttered.
"Are you okay? You've barely touched your…" Sakura checked the name on the children's menu again. "Sonic Limited Edition Curry."
"…It's blue." Sarada muttered.
"Most Uchiha love blue." Toru said encouragingly. "Try it again."
"She's very Haruno." Sakura said.
"…Looking at it makes me want to vomit." Sarada said.
"I'm sure it tastes okay." Sakura nodded. "It's just that the blue dye they put in that triggers the 'probably poison' part of your monkey brain."
"…I guess." Sarada said, noncommittally. At least it wasn't red.
Red. Red… Sarada closed her eyes.
"Did you know…" Gama began, in the tones of a man who was trying hard to find a reason not to get murdered and stashed away into a complicated, futuristic-looking toilet. "That this country of Japan that we currently are in… is the only place in this world that has four seasons?"
Toru stared.
"…I haven't been here for long, but I kinda doubt it."
"It's true, though." Gama insisted. "Believe me. There is something more, too. Japan's four seasons are the reason why they grow giant apples here, because the unique climate provides the best place for apples to grow… in the world."
"…Where did you even hear this?" Karin asked.
"The Internet."
"The… what?" Sakura asked. "You mentioned this earlier on, too."
Gama's eyes shone bright with the eagerness of someone who wanted to share something precious to him. He pulled his phone out.
…
"Huh." Toru blinked. "That's pretty interesting."
"So…" Karin began. "It's like a network. Or a network of networks, with connections made between thousands… millions of computers."
Gama frowned. "No, it's more like… a sealed realm you don't access physically, where you can find whatever you want. Like a Mount Myōboku of Things."
Karin frowned. She was starting to get the impression Gama was not the most reliable of sources.
"Ignore him." Ino muttered. She was still grumpy, in spite of Karin's best efforts to cheer her up. "He doesn't actually know for sure."
Gama wanted to roll his eyes. He didn't, because he was terrified. "Oh, I'm sure you can tell."
"I can tell when you're lying, too." Yugito muttered. Most of them could, at this point.
Ino grumbled. "I can read your thoughts."
Gama hesitated. "…No you can't."
Ino scoffed. "You're currently feeling bad about about Nacchan, because the situation reminds you of your first love, Aiko—"
"Okay." Gama said tightly. He cut her off and kept his expression firm. Afraid, but resilient. That was him. "I got it. Don't take your grumpiness out on me."
Ino raised a perfect eyebrow. "Give me one reason I shouldn't." She stated coldly.
"Uh…" Gama hesitated. He didn't have one. "Just because your husband left with that white-haired, bloodstained—"
Her eyes shone. Gama stopped.
"I believe that's the wrong angle." Ino said, smiling slightly. "Gama."
Gama shivered. Not in delight.
Hanabi distracted Ino with a very crude drawing of Gama she drew on a folded napkin. In spite of herself, Ino laughed. She helped her add a few details here and there.
Gama let out a long sigh of relief at not having her cold eyes set on him.
"You're… Toru, right?" Gama asked.
"The man, the myth, the legend." He nodded easily.
"Ah, no." Sakura chuckled. "It's just our pal, Toru."
"Don't ruin it, you… pink teacher's pet." Toru frowned.
"I taught myself, Toru." Sakura chuckled. "Because my teachers tended to die."
Toru closed his eyes. Sarada stared and wondered… if their bodies were stashed in Sakura's basement.
"Who was this woman, then?" Gama asked.
"White-haired one?" Toru asked.
"She wants to be wench number six." Sakura explained.
Ino heard it and glared at her. Hanabi and Karin pulled her back to a new, little, very much improvised game.
"…Only six?" Toru frowned. He tried to remember.
"Yes." Sakura nodded. "You tend to overestimate the number — a bit like you do with your spot in your charts. In any case, I pre-approve her candidature. It would mean I'm not the last one anymore. I never liked the last spot." She added to herself, then she motioned for Sarada to resume eating the curry. Sarada took one spoonful of it.
"That really doesn't clarify things much." Gama frowned.
"She's one of Indra's companions from a thousand years ago." Toru said.
Sarada shivered at the name.
"Who's Indra, though?" Gama asked.
"The Sage's son."
"That's Ashura." Gama corrected. "Or Asura, if you're going to be pedantic about spellings and all that."
"He had a brother."
"Oh, come on." Gama frowned. "That Uchiha legend is rooted in nothing but—"
"Don't speak about the Uchiha!" Sarada said shrilly.
Sakura nodded encouragingly. Perhaps her Mangekyō was emerging, after all. Or maybe it was just a temporary bout of madness.
"Chill out, kid." Gama said placatingly. "I meant nothing by it. Me and Sasuke used to be good friends, before… We were friends, I mean."
"Anyway." Toru continued, taking the time to block Sarada's overhead strike, meant for Gama. "That guy, called Indra, had a son, who had a son… and several generations later they became the Uchiha — Don't interrupt me, we have decent, living proof — That guy had a companion—"
"Doesn't that make her wench number one, then…?" Sakura frowned. "Or zero, perhaps? If you guys don't want to reshuffle the numbers."
"No." Toru cut her off. "I mean a battle-companion. Besides, Naruto and Indra are not the same person. Indra had several of these companions… all of the others, long since dead."
"Supposedly dead." Sakura smiled.
"Dead dead." Toru stated flatly.
"No fun allowed in here, huh." She frowned.
"None. Yoisen — that's her name — survived for a thousand years—"
Gama interrupted. "…How."
"Chakra-fruit magic." Toru waved off. Gama stared.
"And then…?"
"And then I don't know exactly… Naruto somehow converted her to his side, probably in the same eldritch way Kage converted Kaguya—"
"…Who?" Gama asked.
"No matter." Toru shook his head. "I guess someone — Sasuke or Orochimaru — Why are you glaring at me, toad-boy…? Someone must have given her a pair of our Rinnegan, and… she probably ran into some trouble on her way here."
Gama mulled the new information over.
Keeping his mind busy always allowed him to avoid thinking about—
There was a lot to take in, and his eyes gained the sharp glint that most experienced shinobi could only hope to obtain some day.
"She must be a deviant." Gama said at last.
"…I beg your pardon?" Toru asked, blinking.
Gama chuckled ruefully.
"Just picture it." He said, waving his hands to weave a metaphorical vision. "A thousand years…? I shudder to think of what she has in store for this other Naruto, really." He grinned saucily.
Gama felt his Negative Sensing ability being triggered. Danger level: Extremely high. He felt sweat run down his back. He slowly turned around.
"…I don't remember anyone asking you for your opinion on anything." Ino said softly. "Perhaps I should just… take your ability to form one."
Behind her, Karin winced, and tried to get her back to making plans to plunder this world's knowledge. "Imagine the developments in cognitive science, in a world full of non-chakra users."
"…Just giving my honest thoughts." Gama said slowly.
"If you can call it that." Hanabi chuckled. "I made a dog once. He was more interesting than you are."
"And where is Mr. Sadao now, Hanabi?" Toru asked pointedly.
She scowled. Toru nodded to himself.
"He might be onto something, though." Sakura nodded. "The frog."
Ino glared at her. Hanabi winced and pulled at Ino's sleeve. She tried drawing Gama again.
Toru just shrugged. This all felt like a regular Tuesday, honestly.
"I don't know, man." Toru stated. "I don't really want to delve into Naruto's sex-life more than I already stumbled upon it—"
Gama tilted his head.
"Not like this." Toru grunted. "In any case, I think — not sure about that one — she was waiting for Indra, before her conversion—"
"And now, that guy, then." Gama concluded. "Huh."
"…What?"
"A thousand-year-old Christmas Cake?" Gama asked dubiously. "Yeah… I know you never listen to me and all, but even I wouldn't touch that. Imagine the mental issues." He twirled a finger next to his temple.
In spite of herself, Ino chuckled.
"…First off, I don't know what's a Christmas. And second… rude." Ino said.
Gama observed her. It didn't seem as though she were about to turn him into a vegetable right away. Safe direction, then.
"You're lucky she barely registers your opinion as something that comes from a real person." Hanabi said.
Gama didn't answer back, in spite of the myriad of possible retorts that came to him. He didn't want to tempt this Ino into invading his mind.
"…I aim to please." Gama said, instead. "And I'm good at it, too. Pleasing... Pleasuring, that is."
Toru knew what Sakura was about to say before she did. He winced.
"Why is Hebi gone, then?" Sakura asked innocently.
Silence.
Chuckles.
Gama hissed.
…
"Did I tell you I play the shamisen, Ino?" Gama asked, once he had calmed down some.
"You didn't. Also don't be so familiar with me. 'Uzumaki-san' will do."
"I'm sorry I forgot to mention it, then." Gama said, seeming contrite. "I have to say that I play with wonderful effort. I can't pretend that I'm pitch perfect, but emotion is something that I know well."
"Fascinating." She droned on.
"Truly, it is." Gama smiled. "And the shamisen is a true staple of Kabuki music, unlike let's say—"
"Look, I can hear your thoughts from here." Ino cut him off. "If you want to talk music, we can do that, but at least try not to project the fact you want to fuck me."
Gama leaned back with a sigh. He had thought that would be a decent way to avenge himself on Naruto.
He ordered another whisky.
Yugito shook her head. "The way you flirt with a married woman is pretty disgusting." She said. "Not even because she's married."
"Oh…?" Gama lifted an eyebrow. "Would you rather I flirt with you, then? I can split my attention in two."
"No thank you. Thought if it's being split in two you want…"
Gama knew she had sharp claws.
"…I have decided that I am in love with Ino." Gama decided.
"…Aren't you just afraid of her psychic powers?" Toru asked.
"I don't see any difference, that's what love is about." Gama said. "And there's nothing romantic about marriage, anyway."
"You sound more and more as though you're performing for an audience, Gama." Ino said dryly. "Anything on your mind, perhaps…? Anyone?"
'Bitch.' He thought, a bit too loud.
Ino smiled wider. Gama spoke over her.
"…The uncertainty is what makes a romance. With marriage… all the excitement is over. If I ever got married… I might as well stab myself in the face."
"Why wait for tomorrow?" Sakura asked gently.
She put her sharp dagger on the table, and slid it toward him.
"I don't believe in violence tonight." Gama said.
"You're a ninja." Sarada muttered. "This is what we do. Kill. Kill. Destroy."
"That's another matter entirely. Tonight, I'm a free man. Eat your curry."
"Don't tell me what to do!" Sarada hissed. No one told her what to do.
"Don't tell her what to do." Sakura nodded. "But eat your curry, Sarada, please."
Sarada dutifully brought one more spoonful of it to her mouth.
"And as for marriage…" Gama continued. "Is it really a surprise that only one of you shares a child with that man…?"
Yugito frowned.
"It was an accident."
"That is the point I'm trying to make." Gama almost smiled. "Passion."
"My, my…" Ino said, soft as a poisonous cloud. "You are on a roll, tonight, aren't you…? Perhaps you'll need more whisky, with that whisky…?"
"Sure, thank you." He accepted the offer and tossed more whisky back in a single swallow.
It burned. But perhaps it would help him to stop feeling as though his head was on the chopping block.
…
"So again, this place is an island." Gama said.
"…We live on islands." Toru stated. "We're kinda familiar with the concept."
Gama slammed his fist on the table. "Will you let me tell you what I've learned…?"
"Sure, go ahead." Toru nodded. It likely wouldn't take long.
"So some guys long ago built rice farms. People need food to survive, right?" Gama waited for anyone to nod, but they didn't. Tough crowd. "…Anyway, the rice kingdoms spread across the land. An Emperor rose and ruled the island—"
"Ah." Hanabi smiled. "That's familiar territory."
"Religion spread afterward, from outside influence. Then there were some reforms, and this island was made to look more like one of its mainland neighbors—"
"Not so familiar at all." Sakura shook her head. "Umi calls the shots."
"Something called China. In any case, these islanders stole the alphabet from that other country, and that's apparently why we share a language with Japaners."
"…Okay?" Karin frowned.
"They made plenty of art and moved their capital a lot, after that. Then came another religion. They changed their alphabet again and built fancy palaces. Then becoming a samurai became the thing to do, because most people didn't actually live in the palaces."
"That's why there's no ninja?" Ino asked.
"Yes, as far as I can tell."
"That's not saying much."
"…In any case, the samurai became very powerful and they decided to make their own government. The Emperor still did his own thing, but the Shōgun—"
"You mean one person didn't rise to take both roles here?" Toru asked.
"What's a Shōgun, Sakura?" Sarada asked.
"It's the Kage's Kage." She reminded her. "We talked about this already."
"Then the Emperor took power. Then the Shōgun took power. Then back and forth, in a dick-measuring contest the size of which—"
"The dicks, or the contest?" Yugito asked.
"The contest. But good question." Gama nodded. "In any case, there was a fire at the palace or some shit and the country was fractured into like a thousand smaller—"
"A thousand?" Karin asked.
"Figure of speech. They fought and they fought and then some people from another continent came here with… guns." He stressed the last word.
"What's that?" Ino tilted her head, in a way that made Gama want to lick his lips.
"Rifles." Gama waved off. "Fire-sticks…? Hand-cannons…?"
"They have those here?" Karin thought about it. "Ah, true, they're civilians. It kinda makes sense."
"So." Gama resumed. "There was plenty of political betrayal and some guy unified Japan again. Also he took their swords."
"Whose?" Sarada frowned.
"The people's. Follow, Sarada." Gama shook his head. "Then that same guy tried to invade his neighbors and died."
"I'm starting to notice a pattern here." Sakura said. "Don't try to invade the Land of Wind if I'm not around, Sarada."
"I won't." She nodded dutifully.
"Then, more fights and a new regime. They close the borders. People started fucking again, because they couldn't leave anyway. Which meant more people."
Hanabi nodded.
"Is that the end of it?"
"No." Gama shook his head. "Things got worse. And then some guys with bigger boats and bigger guns came, too. They called them… gunboats."
"Very clever." Hanabi said dryly.
"No no, it's real." Gama said. She didn't believe him. "They forcefully opened the country's asshole—"
"Get on with it." Ino said.
"…A new government was made. They made a new army or something, and conquered a neighboring country. Then they got in trouble for that and had to fight yet another country."
"Okay…?" Toru frowned. "That's typical, though."
"Then there's a World War. It's a bit messy, but there were alliances and a lot of trespassing, and before you knew it, everybody was shooting at everybody."
"Shooting?"
"With guns. The war ends and people apparently get greatly depressed. That means Japan invades more land again, to fight that. It makes some people angry."
"How angry…?" Karin asked.
"Enough to launch another World War. Or maybe not in this order. Anyway, some country invades many others, Japan plans to invade the entire ocean, and more people get mad."
"How mad?" Sakura asked.
"Well, one country got mad enough to firebomb Japan twice in a row, even though it looked as though they were winning."
"And then?"
"…And then…?" Gama smiled, waving his hand. "Progress."
He motioned toward his phone again.
"Nice, I guess." Sakura nodded. "What can you do with it…?"
"That is the key to everything." Gama explained quickly. "It's a strange world, this one, where people are constantly on the move, rushing from one place to another, as though they were shinobi — except they aren't. There is a lot of emphasis on productivity, efficiency and achievement, too."
"Like anywhere, then." Ino muttered.
"No, you don't get it." Gama bemoaned. "Much more. These people spend years in school. Everything is heavily technology… media-based—"
"Like books and stuff?" Hanabi asked.
"No." Gama said, before thinking of it. "Not really, no. It's more about… information. Everywhere. That you can reach with a computer or this phone—"
"This one in particular?" Sakura asked, eying it with a little bit more interest, now.
"No." Sarada muttered. "This is nothing out of the ordinary. We have these at home, too. And a worldwide network."
"…Wait, you do? In your world?" Sakura asked. "Why did I never notice?"
"Because you never pay attention to such things?" Toru asked dryly.
"Ah, yes. True." She nodded.
Gama continued. "There is something called social media—"
Hanabi yawned.
"What's there that's interesting, instead?"
Gama closed his eyes in consternation.
"I guess there's some interesting contrast here." Ino mused. "In this world."
"Like what…?"
"Well, the way some of these seemingly ancient traditions — which feel a bit like home, really — exist side by side." Ino began.
Sakura chuckled. "What, in this huge ass city…?"
"…There are these gigantic towers—"
"Skyscrapers." Yugito said, just as Sarada did.
"…Bustling streets filled with…" Ino hesitated.
"Cars." Gama supplied.
"Cars and people. But also temples, shrines… traditional markets." Ino said. "I find it pretty fascinating, really. You could visit a traditional tea house… and then—"
"There's a train that goes under the earth, too." Gama nodded.
"Yes, something like this. There's this contrast between old and new."
"Ah, I see… I see." Sakura nodded sagely. "Like a twenty-something years old staring at… towers. Something stuck between old and young."
"Are you trying to provoke me, Forehead?"
…
They called it a night once Yugito began yawning.
"So." Karin began. "Where do we sleep?"
"Home?" Hanabi shrugged.
"Why not here?" Sakura shrugged. She didn't eye Sarada, carefully. But a night away from her latest Uchiha-obsession might do her some good.
"I don't feel like creating anything." Karin grumbled.
Several pairs of eyes turned to Gama. He winced.
…
"Move over, Gama." Sakura declared. "You're sleeping in the bathroom."
"What if we need it?" Yugito yawned again.
"Oh, true." Sakura blinked. "Get out, Gama."
"That's my place." He hissed.
Sakura chuckled. "Funny, cause I definitely don't see your name on that plate."
He stared.
"Just do some… toad shit. Curl up in a ball and tuck your legs, there's plenty of room in that corridor."
Gama stared and realized how tired he was. Yes, perhaps the corridor would do just—
He broke eye contact. Sakura chuckled. "Oh, you noticed?"
"Don't." He growled.
"Here." Sakura said, closing her eyes in concentration. A thin, spartan-looking pillow shaped itself out of thin air. "For your troubles. See you tomorrow."
Gama stared.
"Is it even a real pillow…? Or did you trick me into believing it was real?"
"What's the difference…? You won't notice, anyway."
Behind her, Ino and Karin were working on… something with the walls. Gama observed quietly as the redhead tapped her hand at each of one wall's corners. She then casually pushed against the very same wall, and it moved back. Ino pushed the other wall away, until the room was twice the size it had been before.
Gama made a strange noise.
Then they repeated the process. Hanabi tapped the floor and the ceiling and marks spread there. There was a flash, and every non-living thing (and possibly the smallest living things) in between them seemed to simply vanish. Including dirt and some of Gama's bedding. The room was suddenly very empty.
She then removed the windows, and the brisk night air swirled in. As she disappeared into the bathroom to undoubtedly repeat a similar process, Toru crafted new windows. He then stared at one particular wall, scratched his chin, and dismissed both the windows and the wall. He replaced it entirely with a large glass pane. Another flash of light and it was tinted entirely black. He smiled contentedly.
Then he began working on furniture, humming a song Gama didn't recognize. Yugito summoned a dim, hovering fireball and there was light again—
Then Sakura slammed the door into Gama's face.
Gama glared in the dark as he lay on his back, in the dark corridor.
He slept like the dead, still.
World #01
Shizune's father apparently always said that the way to learn a job was to spend every second watching someone do it.
Now, of course, she didn't know for sure. Katō Ryo had died when she had been very young after all.
And she didn't want to become Hokage either, of course. Not before, and especially not now.
But she had always had a deep-seated admiration for Tsunade, as far as she could remember. Well, she wasn't the only one either, because the woman had been something of an idol for most kunoichi in training.
Then her late uncle and Tsunade had gotten involved romantically.
Then he had died.
And then it was only her and Tsunade, on the road.
And then Tsunade had simply left, one day, never to come back. And she died trying to save the world.
A strength that Shizune herself had known the woman still had in her, in spite of everything. Why did it have to come out then, though…?
Shizune had ended up coming back to Konoha, not long after.
It hadn't taken long for Uchiha Itachi — a man who was something of a legend, in his village — to take notice of her efficiency with administrative skills.
Certainly, she had wanted to become a medic long ago, but with the world entirely a peace — courtesy of a man who was even more of a myth… Shizune was certain that she wasn't needed at the hospital.
So yeah. She had become the Hokage's right hand.
Itachi was a gentle man, even though he probably looked scary to most. And she supposed that some people would find his handsome face, his perfect composure even more intimidating.
Of the two brothers, Sasuke was the more relatable one, after all.
They were a good team, in any case.
And if Itachi had decided — for some reason she couldn't understand — to keep his ongoing relationship with the Mizukage a secret, well she wasn't about to spill the beans. She would just smile slightly when she heard the other women, as well as a few of the men, gossip about his hypothetical love life.
"Ogawa Fumio is back from his B-rank assignment, Itachi-sama." She said.
"I see." He nodded, still buried in Umigakure's latest 'needed investments.' "In the Land of Ice?"
"Yes." She nodded. The man had an impressive memory. "He was to explore and gather information about the land, including its climate, geography, flora and fauna, and any potential resources that could make setting a trade route worth the investment."
Itachi nodded.
There was a knock at the door. Shizune's assistant — so the Hokage's assistant's assistant — was the one behind it, of course.
"Can I help you?" Shizune asked.
No answer came.
Shizune noticed the Tower was eerily silent only then.
"…"
"…Yes?" Shizune frowned.
"Someone is here to see you."
"Me…?"
"Yes."
"I see." She didn't. "Do they have an appointment?" She asked, knowing full well they didn't.
"…He doesn't."
"Then send them to take one." She called absentmindedly. "I am sorry, but it's quite a busy day."
"…Uh."
"What is it?" Shizune asked, speed-reading through some of the latest tax-filings. Some shinobi definitely needed a few in-depth lessons about the matter.
"He says…" Shizune's assistant began, hesitantly. "He says that 'Konohamaru will be enough, because he wants the job anyway.'"
Itachi closed his eyes in consternation.
Shizune frowned. "Who says…?"
"The… The Shōgun, I mean. He just… he just left and told me to tell you… 'You're promoted, welcome to Umi, Shizune.'"
Shizune's assistant slid a folder through the door. It contained the Shōgun's offer. Shizune's eyes widened. That… was a generous one.
Itachi sighed. Down one assistant.
Perhaps it was time for him to take that eye, then.
Hotaru reappeared after three days away.
In spite of Tayuya's occasional searching — that she wouldn't admit to —, she could never find him, when he disappeared. So she just shrugged and went with it. She also enjoyed her independence, after all.
Besides, he came back for practice, as well as their few gigs, so who cared…? She knew that just like Naruto did, Hotaru had his own secrets.
That night, they sat on a small wooden bench overlooking the snowy city down below. They sat, and they watched the orange-yellow lights in the distance. They sat, enjoying a comfortable silence.
The next day, they would explore the city of Kiurugi.
There were plenty of cheap cafés, of plays to see. There were the dock markets, there were plenty of curiosities to see.
Sometimes they would spend the entire day together, talking about nothing but music. Sometimes he would make sure she was not entirely out of practice with the shinobi arts. Sometimes she gave him shit about how ancient some of the things he played sounded, to which he would just say he had pretty old teachers and give her shit for not really being trained formally at all.
There was no heat in it.
She took pride in her music sounding wild and free, and she was starting to believe he found beauty in it, too.
"And that was enough for you to decide you needed to bring her to Umi…?" Anko asked Kaitaro, entirely too amused.
"I can't let Itachi have nice things." Kaitaro shook his head. "This guy keeps trying to find holes in orders and rules. If malicious compliance had a name, it would be something about weasels and fans."
"So you're… importing your romantic prospects, now…?" Anko mused.
Kaitaro rolled his eyes. "I just want the most efficient assistants, that's all. If I'm supposed to be the… reliable Shadow at all."
"…You?"
"Me." Kaitaro nodded.
"That says a lot about the others." Anko shook her head. "Should we be worried about the next wave of Uzumaki babies, in the coming months…?"
"How should I know…?" Kaitaro grumbled. "I don't keep up with their private lives."
"That's a yes to me." Anko nodded. "If they're all half as angry at their creator…"
"I'm not angry." Kaitaro scowled. "Vaguely annoyed at best. Well, you had the job, you know how it gets."
"Indeed… Sucks to be you."
He sighed. He had been about to ask her if she wanted to rule the world in his stead again.
"In any case… do you know this Shizune…?"
"She attended the Academy briefly." Anko shrugged. "Then Tsunade took her away, and that's the last I heard of her."
"Great, so you're like classmates, then." He nodded. "You can introduce me."
She gave him an amused look. "You're counting on me to smooth things over…?"
"People from outside are scared of me."
"Naruto wouldn't complain about it."
"…" Kaitaro grumbled. "He also barely spends any time here. And keeps most of his close friends with him."
"Awww…" Anko grinned. "Feeling lonely?"
"No. Bored is closer to the truth." He admitted.
"Why don't you—"
"Please don't." He growled. "I'm not going to hook up with Mai. That's that bastard who created me's way."
"Suit yourself."
Kaguya couldn't sleep.
She wished she knew what it was that made it so. Perhaps it was that blond human's words. She stood up in the reinforced glass half-dome and watched the remote light of stars. Perhaps it was curiosity, too. About Orochimaru's plans.
Maybe she simply wanted to see what that peculiar human would do next.
In any case, she used the time to observe.
Uchiha Shisui couldn't sleep.
He knew it was mostly because he was terrified about being alone in the void of space with Orochimaru and Kaguya. That man had gotten the idea from watching his former student, of course.
In any case, he used the time to make notes.
Orochimaru couldn't sleep.
He was simply too excited about making true progress. A way to move through the Map of Stars, and a crafted ship built to withstand outer space. Because they actually had entirely human bodies — bar Kaguya, of course.
In any case, Orochimaru laughed, high and free.
"How marvelous!" He exclaimed.
"…What's so great about this?" Shisui muttered. "There's nothing out there yet."
"The journey is the point, for the time being." Orochimaru smiled. "Maybe we will never know what lies beyond our sight. Only by exploring will we go into the night, leaving light and spite and plight, instead in favor of delight." He quoted.
"…Didn't think you'd be into poetry."
"I truly am not. And this is beautiful enough on its own."
"If you say so."
Kaguya seemed… interested.
Well… Shisui was, too, deep down. Because in spite of Orochimaru's jeers, he hadn't come along simply to escape Earth and his pregnant wife.
In any case, the Celestial Serpent flew through the night of space, with a crew of three people.
Yoisen's Remote Island.
Yoisen released his hand as soon as they crossed.
"…Please." She began, slowly walking away from him. "Stop looking at me like that, Naruto."
"Yoisen…" In spite of her words, he gave her a long look. "I have no idea what happened out there. But I have heard that you went looking for us—"
She waved her hand off, still not meeting his eyes. "There's no way you could have known. And there's no reason you should make an issue out of it."
"…"
She looked frail, right now. But he also knew that she would not take too well to physical contact.
Her hand was trembling. "What…? Should I weep and tear my hair…? Curse my fate…?" Yoisen shook her head.
"I…"
"I appreciate your concern, but I will be fine." She said. "It is just a bit fresh, that is it. Time will be enough, and I have plenty of that."
"Is there anything I can do...?"
"I need to clean this off." She scrubbed roughly at her sleeves. "…Give me a moment."
She walked out of the room and to the baths.
Yoisen shut the doors behind her. When she looked around her, she was almost surprised that she was in one of her favored safehouses, rather than a burning city. She pulled at her torn sleeves and reduced them down to nothing.
Only then did she discard her blade entirely. The rest of her blood-soaked clothes went soon after, seared down to nothing. Her motions were as precise as ever, her face was blank, and her eyes far away.
As she rinsed most of the blood off, she moved slower and slower, as though she were nearing sleep. Finally she stopped entirely and stood still for a long while.
Only then did her composure break. She hid her face in her hands and cried silently, wave after wave of wracking sobs.
…
If Naruto heard Yoisen weep, he didn't mention it.
He made tea for two and waited.