?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter Thirteen — Homecoming ~ ?￢ﾜ ?ￂﾠ

The sun set and rose twice more and Team 5 finally found themselves in Konoha. The comforting aura of home wrapped them in a blanket of security. However, that didn't mean they could rest yet; there was still one more task at hand.

Team 5 brought Aiko with them to the Hokage's office. Gosei requested an urgent audience, and within two minutes, they were allowed in. The Sandaime looked on with concern as the Genin entered.

"Where is Ryujin?" was the first thing he asked.

"We encountered the Yonbi Jinchuriki upon our return," answered Gosei. He kept himself together. His words were formal and direct. "He battled him. We haven't seen him since."

Kusari spoke next. "We waited a day and a half for him to return after his battle. He never came…" Her voice shook when she uttered the last sentence. Regret and helplessness plagued her tone.

"Apparently, Iwa was involved with the Blade Faction of Grass," informed Shinrai, not a hint of any feeling in his tone. Despite that, it was lighthearted, a perfect mimicry of how he always spoke.

"I was kidnapped by Blade, and when Ryu saved me, I saw their headbands. Me thinks that word of the Kyuubi Jinchuriki's involvement reached Iwa, so they sent their own Jinchuriki to take care of it," Shinrai theorized.

Hiruzen clasped his hands together with a face of cold stone. "All of you write a detailed mission report. I expect it within the hour. I am glad that you made it to the village safely despite the circumstance. Once you all finish your report and hand it in to me, you're free to go home."

"What about our sensei?" Kusari asked quickly.

"I assure you that we will stop at nothing to find him," the Hokage answered.

"Lord Hokage," Aiko started, gaining the man's attention. "What about me? I don't really have anywhere to go…"

He nodded sympathetically. "I will provide you residence for a time."

"Thank you," Aiko said with a bow.

With that, Team 5 left to construct their report. Hiruzen's chakra flared, and an ANBU flickered next to him.

"Summon Miya Uzumaki to my office," ordered the Hokage.

The ANBU nodded and flickered out of the office just as quickly as they appeared.

—⊱✿⊰—

Roughly forty minutes passed, and the report was done. They handed it in to the Hokage, and their paths separated, finally going home.

Shinrai couldn't help the chills. They crawled down his neck, across his arms, and over his chest like insects sculpted from ice. A heavy breath escaped his mouth, and he gripped Yora's hilt tighter than he ever had before.

He was going to see Naruto again.

He was scared.

Holding Yora close provided him the comfort to breathe properly. Even if she wasn't there, that wouldn't stop him from walking forward and meeting his brother. He almost died twice. Each of those two times meant that his last interaction with Naruto would've been one of pain and anger.

Not love and happiness.

That was what he longed for again.

It was short-lived with Yora the girl. He tried to hold on to it with Yora the blade.

It wasn't enough.

Shinrai took a deep, shuddering breath in front of his apartment. Naruto should be there. Unless his mission took double the expected length… if that was the case, his fear would only grow.

Keys rattled as he took them out of his pocket. The copper of the key was inserted into the brass of the door handle. He turned it to the left and the lock clicked. Inhale. On the exhale, Shinrai opened the door.

A hint of a squeak signified the turning of the hinges. Shinrai breathed in the smell of fresh ramen. His hands trembled as he pocketed the keys. He walked forward and looked right toward the kitchen.

Azure eyes looked back at him.

Shinrai's heart skipped a beat. Naturally, he forced a smile. "Hey… Naruto."

Silence followed.

Defeated, Shinrai closed his eyes and hung his head. "Sorry," he apologized. Suddenly, he was yanked into a hug. Naruto squeezed the life out of his brother and Shinrai's blades clanked together.

"I missed you."

Shinrai returned the brotherly embrace and squeezed equally as hard. "I missed you too, Naruto."

They pulled apart, and Naruto pointed his finger in Shinrai's face. "I'm still mad at you for the whole Genjutsu thing!"

"Understandable…" admitted Shinrai, with shame weighing on his chest.

Naruto let out a sigh. "But I can't stand not seeing you, y'know."

"I promise that I'll never do something like that again," Shinrai assured, putting his hands up.

"I know you won't," Naruto responded.

An awkward chuckle escaped Shinrai's breath. "Yeah…" Eager to change the subject, Shinrai brought up a different question. "So, how'd your mission go…?"

"It was a success…" he answered lowly.

Shinrai pursed his lips. "Damn, yours went to shit too?"

"It turns out the client lied on us, and it was an A-Rank mission, not a C-Rank," Naruto explained. "But it was for a good reason. The bridge builder we had to escort was from the Land of Waves, and it was under control of some evil bastard named Gato. Gato sent a bunch of ninjas after us. We… took care of them.

"There were the Demon Brothers first. Sasuke took care of them." There was a petty yet shameful ring to his tone. "Then there was Zabuza… he was strong and Kakashi-sensei almost lost. Sasuke and I helped, and Kakashi-sensei won. We thought he was dead, but he returned later on with Haku… I met Haku before, I didn't know that he and Zabuza were working together. I thought he was a friend."

Shinrai couldn't help but clench his fists. Naruto almost died just as many times as he did. He wasn't there to help him—there was no way he could've been there to help him.

His body went cold with a terror equal to the rage he felt watching Yora's death.

"But he was good to the very end. He spared Sasuke's life when he could've easily killed him. He tried his hardest to protect Zabuza, but he was too slow to save his life. Afterward, Haku killed Gato and all his men using Zabuza's blade. I haven't seen him since," concluded Naruto. Then he grinned and looked up at Shinrai. "The bridge builder named the bridge after me!"

Shinrai chuckled, suppressing his previous thoughts. "No way…"

"Yeah! It's called the Great Naruto Bridge!" exclaimed Naruto pridefully.

With an ever present competitive spirit, Shinrai unsheathed the ivory blade chained to his waist. "This blade is called Shinrai."

"You didn't seriously name a sword after yourself…" muttered Naruto, disappointed.

Shinrai simply shook his head, smiling as he looked at his reflection in the steel. "It was a gift."

"From who?"

"A… friend," answered Shinrai with a fading smile. "I won't be seeing them again."

Luckily, Naruto didn't seem to see between the lines. Unluckily, he asked a question in return. "What happened on your mission?"

Shinrai shifted. Slowly and calmly, he explained the events that transpired in Grass. He made it a point to gloat about the fact that Gosei effectively owed him his life. However, omitted the details of Yora's existence; the fact that she was a girl, even her name, and most notably, her death.

He didn't even dare to hint at his Sharingan. Showing pain in front of Naruto was something he did not deserve.

Naruto's fists were clenched. "So… you just abandoned Papa Ryu?!"

"If there was something I could've done, then I would've done it," Shinrai defended with a stern glare. "Even if we decided to go, Aiko would've slowed us down. We probably would've gotten ourselves killed."

Naruto growled. "But what about now?!"

"The Old Man is making a Ryu search squad or something like that; it's in the hands of those who can actually do something about it." Shinrai let out a sigh. "We did what we thought was best for all of us."

Shaking his head, Naruto looked away. "If Papa Ryu is dead, I'm blaming you and the rest of Team 5."

"You should have more faith in him," answered Shinrai simply. "You should eat before your ramen gets cold and soggy."

The blond's eyes widened. "Shit—you're right!" Spattering, Naruto sped over to his bowl. "It's too late…"

"Sucks to suck," Shinrai teased. His stomach rumbled. "Fuck… I haven't eaten in days."

"Then eat!"

"Good idea," he agreed before making his way into the kitchen.

—⊱✿⊰—

The looks worried her. Most of them were harmless, simply off-handed glances toward her. It was expected. There was a white streak in her previously pure black hair. But… the looks on the faces of the elderly, the elders.

It was utter horror.

It was as if they'd seen a demon in the flesh.

She was the demon they saw.

Uneasiness shifted her steps, shortened her breathing, hung her head. If the one-eyed elder was anything to go by, she needed to watch herself. Wisely, she elected to quicken her walk home.

She would find her answers later. When this excruciating anxiety left her; when it stopped provoking her still aching head. It hurt less, for sure, but less wasn't none.

She let out a breath of relief, and levity lifted her spirit. Her home was in front of her, bathed in the afternoon light. She unlocked the door and opened it.

At last, she entered, and the familiar roof over her head greeted her. A secondary greeting of fast-paced steps and a gasp followed.

"Kusari!" exclaimed Neji as he approached her. "Are you alright? How did your mission go?" He paused and furrowed his brow. "What happened to your hair—?"

She smiled, feeling her brother's grasp on her shoulders. "It… was a success." It wasn't a lie that she spoke, but Neji saw through her.

"What happened?" he asked slowly.

His tone nearly sent a shiver down her spine. "I was hurt, but I'm more or less okay now. It was to be expected with the caliber of mission I was on."

"How badly?" he asked in the same chilling tone.

She pursed her lips. "My head still hurts…" she admitted. She lacked the energy, the will to put up a front. All her energy was used fighting the boy and keeping herself from falling apart in front of her teammates and Aiko. At least Shinrai helped a bit.

"I…" Neji began, tightening his grip on Kusari's shoulders with a hung head. "I'm sorry I was not there."

Kusari placed her hand on his chin, lifting his head up and looking him in the eyes. Her white streak of hair fell over her face, obscuring her pale lavender eyes. "I'm happy you were not there. I would hate it if you got hurt as well."

Neji looked away, pulling his head away from Kusari's hand. "Are you up to training?"

That was his usual way of taking care of things. Especially situations like this. If she was stronger, then he could worry less. But Kusari shook her head. "No, not today."

"Tomorrow?" Neji pushed.

"We'll see," she answered. "I would like to take a shower."

Neji removed his hands from her shoulders. "Alright…"

"Thank you, brother," said Kusari with a genuine smile on her face.

That didn't stop him from clenching his fists. "You're welcome, sister."

She turned her back and ascended the stairs of her home. A longing look slowed her down as she passed by her bedroom door. It'd been too long since she last been there, with all of her art supplies, her comforting bed, the baby blue color of the walls…

But, a shower is what she needed now. Rest would come next. Kusari entered her bathroom, fitted with both walls and floors of white tile. Her reflection stared back at her in the mirror.

She inspected the white streak in her hair. The white wasn't pure; it had dirt and grime from the mission… even slight remnants of blood. It was his blood. Her heart sank to her stomach, and she averted her gaze from the mirror.

With a sigh, she brought her hands up to the back of her head to remove the metal-plated fabric tied around it.

She stopped.

She nearly forgot what was behind the fabric.

Memories of metal scraping against her skull ached her head more.

Kusari removed her shoes first, taking her time. Piece by piece, she delayed the inevitable. The rest of her clothes were gone and only her headband remained. Her hands shook as she brought them up to her head again.

She could barely control her fingers enough to undo the tie. Minutes passed, and she finally was able to do it. Her headband dropped to the floor with a metallic clang. All of a sudden, her head hurt less. It was as if a pressure was relieved—like letting go of a heavy bar after holding it for hours.

Against her better judgment, she peered into the mirror. No part of her wanted to see what her forehead looked like. That statement was wrong, apparently. Whether it was masochism or morbid curiosity, she looked at her forehead.

A mangled scar mauled the branding sealed onto her. It was uneven, jagged, and scabbed over with the color of bloodied dirt. She resisted the urge to puke.

Turning her head away, she quickly entered the shower and turned on the water. It was warm and soothing—but it wasn't enough to comfort her. She stared down into the white floor, watching the water swirl into the drain, carrying the dirt from her body.

She really needed this shower…

Kusari sighed.

Lifting her head up, she faced the showerhead and allowed the water to wash her thoughts away. Wash her worries away…

Only for them to return and haunt her once again.

—⊱✿⊰—

Gosei looked up at the emerald city of leaves that was his home. The Tree Palace constructed by Hashirama Senju himself. For the past week, he longed to see that sight once again.

A wooden fortress of protection.

With a sigh, he approached, walking over the peaceful moat which surrounded his home. The moment he got home, he would hibernate. When he awoke, he would train like there was no tomorrow.

His experience in Grass was a mere taste of the Shinobi World. He would need to be able to take on Jonin soon if this was what he'd be encountering. Not only his ability as a Shinobi would need to be improved, but his resolve as well.

He would never hesitate again. His life would never need to be saved again. His destiny would've ended because he was too weak to defend it properly. He wasn't able to go out and assist his sensei because his strength was lackluster.

He was lackluster.

He wasn't enough.

But he would curse his powerlessness no more.

He would turn it into dust.

Gosei stepped onto dry land, hearing and feeling the crunch of grass beneath his feet. Ahead of him were many crunches of grass.

"Gosei! You're back!" cheered his sister Natsuyo, holding his much younger sister Shiba on her shoulder.

With a smile, he waved back. "I am!"

"How did your mission go?!" Natsuyo asked excitedly, bobbing up and down in place.

Her energy nearly overwhelmed Gosei. "Uh, it… was a success."

"Great!" she cheered, with Shiba flailing her arms in victory. Natsuyo managed to stop herself from bouncing. "I had my own success back here!"

"What might that be?" asked Gosei, mildly interested.

Using her free hand, Natsuyo raised her blonde bangs and exposed her forehead.

Gosei's eyes widened.

Tied around his sister's head, there was a Konoha Shinobi headband, wrapped tightly. "I graduated earlier than you!"

"No way…" murmured Gosei in disbelief.

Natsuyo nodded with a manic grin. "YES WAY!"

"How did you—?" Gosei shook his head, letting out a breath. He couldn't help the prideful smile that crossed his face. Similarly, he couldn't help the pit of insecurity growing in his stomach.

Natsuyo chuckled mischievously. "I challenged my sensei to a fight! If I could beat a Chunin, then I at least deserve to be made Genin, right? He agreed, and I won! It was a hard fight, though. I STILL WON!"

"Why didn't I think of that…" mumbled Gosei as he placed a hand on his chin.

Natsuyo laughed. "Because I'm smarter than you!"

Gosei scoffed; then, he shook his head. "Congratulations on your early graduation, Natsuyo."

"Thank you!" she responded with a grin that took up half of her face.

Gosei smiled with a nod. The three then walked toward their tree palace. The eldest sibling was greeted by a crowd of his other four siblings. He greeted them all. One by one as cheerfully as he could.

Afterward, he waved to all of his siblings and went to his mother's office. Her emerald eyes, which she passed down to him, looked on as he entered. Yosei smiled. "Hello, Gosei."

He bowed. "Hello, mother. I have returned from my mission."

"Tell me how it went," she requested.

Gosei did as she said, explaining all details of the events that transpired in the Land of Grass. Shamefully, he included the fact that Shinrai saved his life and that he hesitated to kill an enemy. His mother hummed as she mulled over her son's words.

"I see," she said simply. Her tone was unreadable, and it raised goosebumps on Gosei's skin. Yosei leaned forward and looked her son in the eyes. "Why did you hesitate?"

His fists clenched. "I do not know."

"Did you look them in the eyes?"

Gosei froze. "I… I did."

"You saw their humanity, their goals."

With furrowed brows, Gosei recalled the event. "I did."

"That is what you don't do, my son," Yosei advised—though it came off more as an order. "As far as we're concerned, our enemies aren't human. They're threats that need to be eliminated."

Gosei shook his head profusely. "But that's just incorrect!"

"Are they not threats? To your life, your allies, and your village?"

"They are—"

"—then treat them as such," Yosei commanded with a narrowed gaze.

He hung his head with gritted teeth. "Yes… mother."

"Good. Now, do you think you have proven yourself strong?" she asked next.

Gosei looked up and gave a stern nod. "I did not let the pain stop me from fighting. From succeeding, from going forward in the mission. The humiliation of a beating means little to me now."

"I'm happy to hear that," Yosei said before she stood. "Because you'll be experiencing many of those in the near future."

A smile crossed Gosei's face. "You're training me?!"

"Indeed, you and Natsuyo need to be stronger now that you're Shinobi," she explained. Yosei placed a hand on her son's shoulder, gripping it tenderly. "Take your rest for today, Gosei. I'm proud of you."

The words soared in his mind, and a tingle in his chest swelled. "Thank you, mother."

"Of course, my son."

—⊱✿⊰—

Today was a good day. The sun shone high in the sky and flooded Miya's living room with light. She smiled at her novel, too busy reminiscing about her day. Hinata finally got her combat style down, Shino developed his new jutsu to near perfection, and Kiba discovered his own new style with Akamaru.

There was never a day where she had such pride in her team.

She would love to have them fight Kakashi's team. Maybe even Ryu's team when he got back… That would be interesting for sure.

A sudden knock on the door drew her attention. Her network of seals alerted her to a presence that matched an ANBU.

An ANBU wouldn't show up to her door if it wasn't something important. Cautiously, but quickly, she opened the door.

"Lord Hokage has urgently summoned you to his office," the ANBU informed.

Miya nodded in response, and the ANBU flickered away. Okay… she thought. I wonder what this is about.

She threw on her Shinobi gear then shut out the sun by closing all her windows. It took little more than a minute. After exiting her front door and locking it, she flickered away. It took another thirty seconds for her to arrive at the Hokage tower.

Just under a minute of stair-climbing later, she arrived and was permitted entry into the office of Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Yes, Lord Hokage?"

"Ryujin—while out on his mission—was attacked by the Yonbi Jinchuriki. Team 5 was left with no other option but to return to the village without him," he explained, cutting directly to the chase.

Miya's eyes widened, her heart falling into her gut. Before she could speak, Hiruzen slid a paper across his desk toward her. "This is the report of the mission written by Team 5 and the client. I am assigning you and a squad of ANBU the S-Rank mission of going out and tracking Ryujin down. Whether he be dead or alive."

After reading the mission report, Miya slowly pocketed the paper. Her demeanor chilled the room, yet the Hokage remained unphased. "Leave the ANBU, I'll go myself."

"Are you sure…?" asked Hiruzen, raising his brow.

Miya gave a stiff nod. "I am," she said before turning her back. "I don't need them getting in my way."

With that, Miya flickered out of the office through a window that wasn't open just a second earlier. She was outside the village half a minute later.

The churning pool of worry barely affected her. If anything, it fueled her. Ryu's life was in danger. Hell, it could've ended, and she'd just be taking a journey to see his corpse… or what was left of it—if there was anything left.

Regrets drowned out the blur that was the world around her. They should've spoken more. She should've been closer to her only family. She needed to put away the memories of that day.

Each thought and each regret only made her go faster.

Reaching the no-man's-land between the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire should only take a couple of hours.

If Ryu was there, then he better be alive.

—⊱✿⊰—

A father laughed with his two children—one son and one daughter. They were identical. They were both bald, muscular, with skin the shade of an ebony night; however, the son was leaner, with a face just a bit sharper than his sister's. The twins were spitting images of their father.

All three joyously wrestled in the stone. Upon closer inspection, their wrestling wasn't mindless and unrefined. Both parties' moves were driven by technique honed from years of training. The technique of the father was honed many times more than the kid's.

It was to be expected. The wrestling the father used was a part of a technique that earned him an S-Rank in the Bingo Book.

He grinned as his twins charged him. Two sets of bare hands grabbed onto him and pulled. They barely moved the mountain of a man. Chakra burst from their feet and they planted themself into stone below; a similar burst appeared from their hands and they latched onto their father.

With a roar, both siblings pulled with all their might and beyond. The father laughed as he was lifted off the ground. With a grunt, he was slammed into the hard rock. The twins cheered victoriously.

They stood above their toppled father, pointing and laughing. "We finally got you on your ass!" the daughter declared.

"It took thirteen years, but we finally fucking did it!" the son added.

The father chuckled on the floor as he looked up at his twins. "You two will certainly surpass me one day."

"I know," the daughter said haughtily.

The son frowned. "Don't be rude, Kura!"

"Leave her be, Kuro," the father suggested. "The world will find a way to humble her if she won't herself."

Kura scoffed. "The world isn't strong enough to humble me!"

"Uh huh…" falsely agreed the father. He stood back to his full height. The heads of his kids only reached to his chest, it was expected given their age. However, if the average person were to stand next to them, the children would be taller than them.

"Yoru!" called a woman's voice.

The father—Yoru—looked back toward the cobblestone mansion that was his home. His smile grew once he saw the sight of his wife. The way her skin glistened in the sunlight was like a starry night wrapped upon a lean physique. Her hair was short, but not absent like the rest of her family.

"Hosu…" he mumbled back with the giggle of a schoolboy. They've been married for years, but the sight of her still made his heart flutter. Especially when she was in her Shinobi gear…

"We have a mission, my love," she informed, walking over.

He immediately composed himself. "Do we now?"

"Indeed." She cleared her throat. Yoru narrowed his eyes; that meant something big was coming. "We have a target to track down and kill."

Yoru grinned. "Who?"

"Ryujin Hiyenzo," answered Hosu.

Yoru laughed. "OH! The bastard that burned my base to the ground!"

"Wait," Kuro interjected. "Doesn't he have the Kyuubi?!"

The parents nodded, with Yoru's facade starting to fall. "He does…"

"That shouldn't be an issue," Hosu said. "Lord Roshi was sent to kill him first, but he barely returned to the village with his life. Hiyenzo should be similarly crippled if we go by his account."

Mulling over the information, Yoru chuckled. "Is that so?" Hosu nodded and Yoru crossed his arms in response. "I'm still bringing a squad of ANBU with me. I'm not taking any chances fighting the Kyuubi."

"Smart," complimented Hosu, making her husband fluster. "Konoha is likely sending their own squad to track down their Jinchuriki as well."

Yoru shrugged. "Yeah, that too."

"Kuro, Kura," Hosu began. "Behave while we're gone."

The kids gulped in sync. "Yes, ma'am."

The mother smiled. "Good."

"Alright, when I get back, I'll teach you two how to use the Rock Armor!" promised Yoru as he walked away from his twins.

They cheered in unison, with Kuro accidentally elbowing his sister's face. She punched back. He kicked in retaliation. The siblings wrestled each other into the stone.

Their parents let out an endearing laugh, overhearing the youthful tussle. They gave one last look at the two star stones in their life.

Then they set out on their mission.

To kill Ryujin Hiyenzo.

?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter End ~ ?￢ﾜ ?