I was cleared to remove the wrappings around my head a few days after Misaki was released from the hospital. My new look would take some serious getting used to. One of my eyes was black like a Nara's. The other eye had a cut over it where the bastard's blade pierced and was blue like a gentle stream.

My eyes were now officially heterochromatic. I wasn't sure how I felt about it. On the one hand, I could see again. On the other hand, I looked really weird. I spent most of the day after removing the wrappings just staring at myself in the mirror as I tried to come to terms with my new appearance.

Initially, I was concerned that I'd get in trouble for implanting an enemy nin's eye instead of giving it to R&D to poke around at, but apparently Chiaki had been ahead of me there. When she ordered me to put the eye in, she shouldered all blame onto herself, and the Hokage had made it clear in no uncertain terms that no retribution should befall either of us for my new eye, so I wouldn't have to lose an eye again. I was extremely grateful for that. Having my eye skewered from my head had been the most visceral pain I had ever experienced. I wasn't in a hurry to receive a repeat performance.

I stopped by Misaki's house every couple days to check in on her. I'd stopped into Yamanaka Flowers again and asked for flowers that were supposed to represent recovery. The lady had pointed me towards jasmines and lavenders. I had no idea what I was grabbing, so it was possible she played me, but Misaki's day seemed to brighten every time I brought her flowers, so I just let it lie.

With Misaki out of the hospital, the ANBU tribute to our fallen teammates occurred. We all gathered in the training field where we held a ceremony with their empty masks. We lit a candle before each of them then placed the masks on the branches of a tree and waited for them to fall, supposed to symbolize fallen leaves that would spread nutrients for the next generation when the masks would be used by new ANBU. It was a simple ceremony, but it was enough.

It was late in the evening. We were in a bar that shinobi often frequented, the same place where we'd started on that bar crawl so long ago. Despite the hour and the full house, the bar was quiet. Apparently, this scene was unfortunately common. We were seated at the bar, and everyone, while being respectful about it, was watching us.

Chiaki raised her glass with her right arm. She was mostly healed now. She wasn't one-hundred percent – none of us were really – but she had use of her limb back. "To Sogo."

Tojo; Mita; Shisa, she went by Scorpion when in ANBU masks; Misaki; and I mirrored Chiaki's motion, raising our own glasses. A few of the patrons watching us had seemed confused when all eight of us had filled the whiskey glasses with apple juice from juice boxes, but this wasn't their tribute, and our team would have enjoyed this, so it was what we were doing.

"To Sogo." The rest of us repeated. We all drank, then refilled our glasses with the juice boxes lined up in front of us.

"To Touji." Chiaki said once our glasses were filled.

"To Touji." we repeated.

Again, we refilled our glasses.

"To K–" Chiaki choked on the name. "To Ko." she said quieter.

"To Ko." We all drank.

Chiaki slapped some money on the counter for taking up space and the dishes we used – we'd brought our own juice boxes – then we all left.

Team Kunai offered us their condolences then slowly departed one-by-one.

Mita was the last to leave. She walked up to Chiaki and hugged her. "I am glad I had the chance to know them. We will all miss them."

Chiaki wound her good arm around Mita and held her tight, shutting her eyes tight. She didn't say anything.

Mita pulled back and nodded to Misaki and I. "If you need anything, you need only ask." She turned and left us alone.

Chiaki took a deep breath as she turned back to face us. "Come by any time. I'll make sure the guards don't stop you. You both are welcome in my home any time." she said after handing us both a slip of paper with the address of her house in the Yamanaka compound scribbled on it.

"Same goes for me. The guards already know to let you through. Just be cautious of the deer. Tell them you're coming to see me and they'll escort you to my house." I said.

"Please stay in touch, Chiaki." Misaki said.

Chiaki smirked. "I will. Stay safe, you two." She turned around and walked off into the night.

As Chiaki left, I turned to Misaki and said, "Can I walk you home?"

Misaki smiled softly. "I'd like that."

There weren't many people out this late at night as we made our way to the Hyuga Compound. The few people that were out took one look at our headbands and decided they should walk down a different road than us.

"What do you intend to do now?" Misaki asked out of the blue.

I turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Chiaki is leaving our old unit. I do not condemn her decision, but I was wondering if our last mission has caused you to similarly reevaluate things."

I sighed. "Frankly? I don't know. We made it through a war and we lost them right after that war ended. I don't know if I want to stay, but I don't know what I would do if I left. I can't see myself as a jonin instructor, so I'd probably be better off staying, right? It's not like I can be a gate guard as a jonin."

Staying in ANBU wouldn't exactly be good for my mental health, but I needed time to focus on myself. With the war no longer on, ANBU missions would be more spaced out, giving me time to train and work on new jutsu to level the playing field with Yugito-level threats. If I pulled out of ANBU and joined the regular forces as a jonin, it would only be a matter of time before I was forced to take a genin team. Maybe there was something else I could do as a jonin? Shisui wasn't a genin instructor, was he?

"While it is unlikely Konoha would allow a jonin to guard a gate, I imagine you could find something similar." Misaki said. A moment later, she cast Telepathy. 'In ANBU at least, there are positions that mainly remain within the village to serve as the village's guards. Our team's task was to go outside the village and assault specific targets or patrol the border of the Land of Fire. You could put in for a transfer to a team that spends more time in Konoha. With Chiaki leaving ANBU, we would need a new team anyway.'

I pursed my lips. "What about you? What do you want to do?"

Misaki was silent for a moment. "I think I would like to instruct my own genin team at some point. While Hiroshi-sensei left us soon after the Chunin Exams and has not contacted us since, I believe he helped us. I would like to help students and to continue to be there for them. Though, I think I would rather wait to apply to be a jonin instructor for now."

"Then what do you want to do currently?"

"I would prefer to stay in Konoha if at all possible." She cast Telepathy again. 'I think I will put in for a transfer to an ANBU team that spends most of its time in Konoha. I will likely still be able to go out of the village on missions, but most of my time will be spent here. That will allow me to spend more time with my family.' She smiled brightly. "My mother told me while I was in the hospital that she is expecting another child. I am going to have a little brother."

I paused mid-step as I stared at Misaki in surprise. I was completely blindsided by the news. "Congratulations, Misaki. That's amazing."

"Thank you. I am looking forward to it. So, what do you think you will do? If you don't know, that is fine as well. We have plenty of time for you to think about it before our medical leave is over."

I was silent for a moment as I thought it over.

As much as I didn't want to join ANBU initially, I couldn't deny that it had helped me. My foundational skills were still lacking when I joined. Between training and the constant fighting during the war, that was no longer the case. I was able to keep up with Yugito Nii and a Swordsman of the Mist, albeit I didn't have anything in my arsenal that could take out Yugito. That needed to be my focus. I needed to find something I could use against the S-Class monsters that would be popping out of the ground like daisies in the coming years. Shisui had his susanoo to fight Yugito. I needed something I could pull out against threats like that too.

That being said, I was a jonin now. I seriously doubted Konoha would let me disappear for months at a time to work on jutsu. If I could work out a schedule where I had a day job then had a few hours to myself every evening, that would be the most ideal.

'I don't want to leave the village. I want to leave ANBU at some point, but so long as I'm only pulling village guard duty I wouldn't mind staying another year or so. I'll probably see if I can follow you to that Konoha-based ANBU team you want. It'll let us stay together.'

Misaki's face lit up bright as she smiled at me. "I'd like that." She walked closer to me and wrapped her arms around mine as she leaned into me, entwining her fingers with mine as she did. I could feel the slanted scar etched into her palm as she pressed her hand into mine, left from when she'd blocked the Kiri swordsman's blade from bisecting her.

I tensed at the unexpected touch, swallowing nervously as I saw the Hyuga Compound in the distance. "Um… Misaki? We're coming up to the Compound."

"I know." she said happily, still clinging to me.

I wilted under the amused gazes of the Hyuga's gate guards as Misaki dragged me into the Compound with her.

"You're home now, Misaki. I should probably–"

"Shush." Misaki said. "You're staying over for dinner."

"Um… Do your parents know? I don't want to impose."

"Then it's a good thing that my parents like you. I'm sure they won't mind you stopping in unannounced."

I gave up my protests, accepting I wasn't going to win here. Misaki led me to her house and let us both inside, calling out to her parents to let them know we were there. Mio actually cheered when she heard I was staying for dinner. Kiyoshi seemed accepting of the fact as well. Both of them congratulated me on becoming a jonin and brushed aside any concerns I had that I was imposing on them.

We ate grilled chicken and talked about mine and Misaki's injuries. While it was pretty much an open secret in the village what happened to us, Misaki and I still couldn't officially talk about the mission, so we only touched on the injuries themselves, not how we got them.

Almost three hours later, Misaki walked me to the front gate of the Hyuga Compound. She bid me goodnight and placed a quick kiss on my cheek before fleeing back into the Compound. I had to endure the teasing grins of the Hyuga guards and the jeering questions of why I was home so late from the Nara guards, but the night had actually ended rather well. Losing Sogo, Touji and Ko was hard, but it hadn't nearly shattered me the way losing Kenji had.

I wasn't sure if that made me callous or not.

X

Hiashi Hyuga smiled softly where he was sitting at his dining table sipping tea. With his byakugan, he watched Misaki kiss Shinto Nara on the cheek before running back towards her home.

Hiashi cut the flow of chakra to his eyes as he finished his tea. It seemed like it was finally time.

X

Shikaku Nara's hands were in his pockets as he watched his son grumble his way through his kata. Shikaku had spent hours training Shinto, and he didn't want to make Shikamaru feel as if his son didn't deserve his attention, so ever since Shikamaru was old enough, Shikaku had personally trained his son.

Shikamaru thought the whole thing was a drag. He was the polar opposite of Shinto. Shinto would drag Shikaku out to the training field and ask for more. Shikamaru would do everything he possibly could to avoid training.

Shikamaru was definitely his son.

"Shika!"

Both Shikaku and Shikamaru turned when Yoshino called from the edge of the training area. She was walking towards them with a companion.

Unlike the first several times Hiashi Hyuga walked through the Nara Compound, the few Nara clan members who had gathered around the training area to watch Shikamaru train – read: use watching Shikamaru as an excuse to slack off – didn't react with surprise to the sight of the Hyuga within their Clan compound. Hiashi's bi-weekly visits had the effect the Hyuga Clan Head desired. The Nara now accepted a Hyuga being in their Compound as commonplace.

"Hiashi." Shikaku greeted.

Hiashi nodded politely. "Shikaku."

"Neh… If you have company, then–"

"Do your kata, Shikamaru." Shikaku scolded his son without turning away from Hiashi.

Shikamaru grumbled, but did as he was told.

Hiashi stepped up next to Shikaku and watched Shikamaru move through his kata.

"I'd offer tea, but it's back at the house." Shikaku said.

"I can go retrieve some if you would like, Hiashi-sama?" Yoshino said, smiling at their guest.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but refreshments are unnecessary." Hiashi said.

"Can I have some tea, mom?" Shikamaru said, pausing in his kata.

Yoshino whirled on Shikamaru, stomping towards him. "Your father takes time out of his busy schedule every day to train with you and you…" Her yelling slowly faded from Shikaku's hearing as Shikamaru ran away from his mother and Yoshino chased him. The only time Shikamaru was ever motivated was when Yoshino put the fear of the Shinigami into him. Maybe Shikaku could harness that fear to get Shikamaru to train? No. He wasn't that cruel.

"I expected you in three days." Shikaku began conversationally. Hiashi was not scheduled to come to the Compound today.

"I apologize for my unannounced arrival, but I wished to discuss something with you and felt it should be addressed promptly."

Shikaku sighed, sensing how much work this conversation was going to make for him. A clomping of hooves sounded as a deer trotted over to Shikaku's side opposite Hiashi, having sensed his distress.

Shikaku took his hand out of his pocket and began idly running his fingers over the deer's coat. "And what topic prompted this sudden visit?"

"I have come seeking your permission to betroth Misaki Hyuga and Shinto Nara."

Shikaku's hand paused half-way down the deer's neck. He resumed petting the deer as he turned to face Hiashi. "I expected this conversation to wait for another year or two. Why now specifically?"

"The two make each other happy. They have just lost friends and teammates. I believe giving them something to focus on other than their despair will be good for them. I do not want to see either of them suffer, and I believe they are both mature enough to understand the ramifications of their union. My initial desire to wait was born because I did not want them to be unwitting tools in a scheme of the older generation. They are both old and wise enough to know what this will mean for them."

"They wouldn't have made jonin otherwise." Shikaku said dryly while he worked Hiashi's proposal over in his head.

While he hadn't been expecting to have to deal with this today, he couldn't refute what Hiashi was saying. Shinto and Misaki were both still young, but not so young that he would reject the proposal out of hand. Misaki had recently turned sixteen. Shinto would turn sixteen in another four months. Shikaku knew that ninja had married younger than Shinto and Misaki. It wasn't common, and those marriages typically ended in disaster, but it was known to happen. He was confident Misaki and Shinto were both mature enough, but he didn't want to force them into a position they found uncomfortable and risk jeopardizing their relationship with each other. Although…Hiashi had only broached the topic of a betrothal.

"Their medical leave will end in four months. Give them that four months. After that, you should discuss this with Misaki. I'll have a conversation with Shinto at the same time. If either of them are uncomfortable with the idea, then we won't move forward. If they both agree, then I'll give their betrothal my blessing, but they must be the ones to decide when and how to move forward afterwards. If they stay engaged for twenty years before marriage, so be it as long as that is their choice."

Hiashi nodded seriously. "I agree with your position. It is not my intent to force either of them into an uncomfortable position. I will speak to Misaki before she returns to her missions. Thank you for seeing me unannounced, Shikaku. I will allow you to return to training your son."

Shikaku waved goodbye as Hiashi left the field. He'd been in the Nara Compound enough times to know how to see himself out. Even so, one of the deer trotted out of the trees to give him company on his journey.

Shikaku sighed, hanging his head. He was going to have to do so much work later. He patted the neck of the deer next to him and said, "Would you mind tracking down my son and herding him back in this direction? He thinks I didn't realize he was using fleeing his mother as an excuse to get out of training."

The deer snorted an affirmative. It took a few steps then began bounding into the woods after Shikamaru.

If only Shikaku's son applied his vast intellect towards his training rather than avoiding his training. The Nara Clan Head shoved his hands in his pockets, a fond smile on his face. He supposed it was alright.

He really owed Shinto more than he could express. With Shinto shouldering so much weight, he had taken an oppressive load off Shikamaru's shoulders. Shikamaru would still be the head of the Nara Clan and have to contend with all of the responsibilities expected of such, but Shikaku would feel safe leaving Shinto as the village's future Jonin Commander.