Jiraiya and his companions bowed respectfully before Konoha's leader. The Third Hokage had resumed his office.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Jiraiya, after all these years," the Hokage greeted with a warm smile, evoking a sense of nostalgia in Nori. She could vividly recall her mischievous childhood when she had been led into this very room on numerous occasions, facing the same man who now stood before him.
Jiraiya nodded, a small smile gracing his lips as he observed Sarutobi-sensei, still in good health and back in his Hokage role.
"And, Nori Nohara, it's good to see you in good health."The woman stared back at the Hokage, her expression somewhat blank, causing a perplexed look from Tomoki.
"Ah, you've brought a visitor from afar," the Hokage commented, noting the unfamiliar presence.
"You've certainly caught on," Nori replied with stoic calm, her presence seemingly adding an unusual weight to the air. Nori hesitated as she caught a disapproving glance from her sensei. Clearing her throat, she bowed again."Thank you for your kind words, Lord Hokage," she responded snorted, playfully gesturing a thumb towards Nori.
"Look at that! I did manage to teach her something after all."The Hokage raised an eyebrow, while Nori's eye twitched in response.
"Lord Hokage." Tomoki stepped forward and offered a respectful bow. "I am deeply honored to be received with such hospitality in your village." Unbeknownst to him, Nori rolled her eyes at his formality.
"Of course. However, if you wouldn't mind, we'd like to document your entrance and stay here," the Hokage requested.
"Of course."
The Third gestured towards the closed door behind them.
"My secretary will assist you with the necessary procedures."
Tomoki's enthusiasm was palpable as he practically bounced away.
"Right away, Lord Hokage!"Once Tomoki had left the room, the Hokage's cheerful demeanor seemed to shift, replaced by a more calculating expression. Nori restrained herself from making another remark that might dishonor her sensei.
"Turning to more urgent matters," the Third began, "I'm intrigued by your unexpected return. I understand the journey back here was quite lengthy. Last I heard, you were in the Land of Lightning."
"Tell me, Hokage-sama, has my former teammate Orochimaru made an appearance at this year's Chunin Exams?"The room's atmosphere grew tense at the mere mention of Orochimaru's name. The Hokage clasped his hands in front of himself.
"Yes, he has indeed. I assume you're continuing your pursuit of him."Jiraiya cast a glance at Nori, who had become focused and serious, ready to dive into the heart of the matter.
"That's what we do. It's what we've been doing all this time," Jiraiya affirmed, receiving a resolute nod from Nori. Together, they faced the Hokage. "We're tracking down the snake."
"We believe he's targeting Sasuke Uchiha. Are you familiar with him?" Nori inquired.
"That's precisely why, until we're certain he's left Konoha, we'll remain here. I'll personally investigate any traces of him, while Nori and Tomoki will safeguard Sasuke's well-being," Jiraiya explained, glancing at Nori from the corner of his eye. "That's where she's heading now. As for me, I have other significant matters to discuss with you, Hokage-sama-"
"But-" Nori interjected.
"And these matters aren't suitable for dumb, little girls' ears-" Jiraiya added.
"Was the insult really necessary?" She groaned, "Fair enough, but I'm twenty-five-!"
"Thank you, Nori. That will suffice for now," the Hokage intervened. "You can find Sasuke Uchiha at the hospital. I'll arrange for a report containing all the necessary information about his condition. You're dismissed."Nori's disbelief shifted from the Hokage to Jiraiya and back, her mouth opening and closing. She finally accepted the dismissal, offering a bow before vanishing with a poof, leaving the two men alone.
The Hokage redirected his attention to Jiraiya.
"What's so sensitive that you wouldn't want Nori, whom I believe is of your full trust, to hear?"
Jiraiya nodded, briefly casting his eyes downward before meeting the Hokage's gaze once more.
"It's about an organization I've encountered during my own investigations, Hokage-sama. Have you ever come across the nameAkatsuki?"
THE PAST
Hands joined and fingers intertwined, igniting the long strands of black hair beyond human physical capacity. Like black mambas, they elongated in a slithering motion, almost alive on their own. This ability, she had heard Mama say once, Nori had inherited from her biological father and it was the only thing she possessed of the honorable warrior that had lost his life before she was even born.
Each tendril reached for the scattered kunai she lost, leaving behind their fellow companions lost in battle by the sharp edge of the enemy's would have to pay for each of those lost limbs.
Reading her mind, the tentacle-like strands threw themselves against her opponent's feet, making the young kunoichi somersault in the air just in time for Nori to throw the gas bomb she carried, right towards her sparring managed to cover herself, but the blast sent her rolling on the ground as Nori made a series of hand signs.
"Katon: Marauding Fire Whip no Jutsu!"
"Suiton: Water Barrier Wall no Jutsu!" Rin yelled in response.
The impact of the fire and water combusted in a second blast that reached both of them. A large smoke screen covered the scene but not their yells as they both fell defeated rolling in opposite directions on the little spar was over.
"Rin!"A new voice exclaimed with concern.
Nori's head felt heavy on her shoulders, a strange drumming hammering inside her ears: her heartbeat. She grunted raising on her elbows and groaned as she fought gravity to seat back fog clouded her lungs. She coughed against it, while gripping her side where a pinch going all the way into her ribs kept her doubled. Sweat drops rolled down her face, mixed with dirt and a bit of blood, but she didn't bother to rub it away and kept holding her side.
"I'm fine... I'm okay!"She heard Rin panting."But Nori... Nori-chan... she hit that rock on her way down..."
There was nothing for Nori to see but smoke, but she distinguished Rin's and her mother's shadows.
"Oh, thank Heavens you're okay... That's enough for today, young ladies."
Nori contained a sob and grit her teeth, recognizing through the mist the image of a man running her way, Rin's father. She let herself fall back down on the ground and raised a single hand in the air.
"I'm okay..." She told him. "I'm..." She gasped at the pain, but the man she now ought to call Papa ignored her weak attempts to spare the help. He tried to help her up, but the restrained yelp from the girl was a clear indicator she was, in fact, not okay.
Her adoptive father tried a second time, more carefully, and Nori kept her eyes on her feet the entire time they walked side by side to meet the other two, just as the fog began to dissipate.
"She's hurt." He informed the others, which rushed through the last layer of the explosion's remains.
"I really am not." She interjected aloud. "Rin!" She called once she saw the girl with a cut on her forehead, still dripping with blood.
"Nori!" The girl ran her way with her Mother behind. "That was awesome!"
Nori blinked twice, concerned on whether the girl had hit her head too hard.
"I believe that's enough practice for the day." The woman repeated standing next to her daughter.
"Are you okay?" Rin leaned down to Nori, but unlike when Obito tended to do it, it didn't bother her coming from Rin. Nori's mouth remained shut, still half-leaning on Papa, while everyone awaited for her answer. "Nori, please."
The younger girl shook her head and sighed in defeat:
"It's hurting here. It's hurting very bad..." She confessed, squeezing her eyes shut lowering her head and stepping away from Papa to lean on Rin.
"Mama? Papa?" Rin looked up at her parents. Both adults looked at one another. "Can you help her?"
The young woman looked at their surroundings and sighed:
"We must take her to the hospital."
"No." Nori said firmly.
"I am not asking, Nori. We're going." The woman's voice was definite. "It was the deal if you wanted to spar and got hurt."
"Are you going back on your word, Nori?" Papa irked a brow her way.
The girl stared at them for a moment and then lowered her head. Rin's father placed a hand on her head, making her flinch at the touch. The hand immediately disappeared.
"We shall patch you up in a second." The woman leaned on her knees to reach Nori's level. Just like with Obito, Nori didn't like it. "You will be fine, Nori."
The girl looked away from her gaze and hid on Rin's shoulder.
She had been many times at the hospital before. She had been taken in by a family that made a living out of their work in that place, after all. Both Nohara-san and Papa were iryo-nin. It was also in that dreadful place where half a year ago her mother had spent her last hours.
No. It wasn't necessarily because of those things that she was a frequent visitor of the place, no. Only a week ago, she'd been there scrubbing pans on the kitchens for scaring off that Hikari girl.
"What didthe nomaddo know?"
It was just her luck that Takara-san would be walking by the reception as the Noharas and she arrived. Even Nami, the receptionist girl afraid of her own shadow, squeaked at her bark:
"Who didsheterrify this time?" Takara-san tapped her nails on the clipboard in her hands, looking down them all. She was a huge menacing woman, with sharp eyeglasses and a nasty grin. Papa pushed his own glasses up the bridge of his nose with a nervous grin and cleared his throat before bowing, followed by Nohara-san.
"Her name isNori, Takara-sama." Nohara-san said respectfully, her eyes still on the ground as she spoke to their superior and straightened up. "The girls had a little... accident while training. I-I fixed Rin in a second," She looked at the girl in question, now styling a bandage around her head, "but Nori..."
"Trainingthe nomadagain, huh? Last time it was your husband, now she's the one injured herself. Who shall be her next victim? Little Rin?" The huge woman scoffed.
To Nori, she wasn't ugly because she was huge but she was definitely huge because she was ugly. She probably kept all the venom that came out of her mouth stored in her flappy cheeks. That's what Nori thought.
"The Third has appointed us the task to help her develop her... ability."
"He has, hasn't he?"
"It is our duty," Nohara-san continued, her voice growing with confidence. "as her family."
"Family...Humph!" She turned around and slapped the board on the desk behind her. "Keep them from overcrowding my reception. Quick!" She ordered Nami, who yelped jumping on her feet and motioned at them to follow her.
"This way..." She muttered with her raspy voice, slouching as she walked away.
Only Takara-sama was allowed to treat Nori. The reason? The girl ignored it, but it was probably a security measure the Third had established. She couldn't keep up with the measures the old man had placed around her. Clearly, the woman hadn't volunteered for it on her own accord.
Takara was brutish, uncaring, dismissive on whether her skillful hands hurt her ribcage (and apparently, also strained ankle) more than necessary. Nori wouldn't allow either her nor Rin to see how much it bothered her. She kept a stoic face the entire time. At least her guardians had remained in the hallway, talking to one another.
"No duties for a week. And try to keep your face out of trouble for a while, will you?
Rin helped her sit up on the hospital bed, just as the sliding door snapped shut.
"I bet Takara-sama has a long list of patients to care for ahead of you, Nori-chan." Rin hurried her voice as she smiled excusing people's behaviors for her sake as usual. "Nori-chan must be a top priority of hers to be treated so quickly! An important person-"
"She doesn't like me."
The sound of a pin falling to the ground would've been too noisy inside the room.
"Takara-sama doesn't like anyone." Rin muttered insistingly, shaking her hands in front of her.
"I don't mind. I don't like her either..." Nori stared to the front, before she added: "She likes you." Her voice cut the air in the silent room. A private one, always keeping her isolated from the rest of the patients. "Everyone does." She observed aloud, after a pause. "Everyone only ever smiles around me if you're around..."
"That is-"
"True." Nori irked a brow at her bandaged middle, as Rin sat by the edge of the bed. "Nobody likes me." There was no hurt or emotion in the statement. She was simply stating a fact.
"I like you." Rin frowned, leaning slightly towards her. "Andthatis true."
Nori stared at the white, cold sheets, sliding her hand on top of them. Her eyes flickered once towards the closed door. The room was dead silent, no voices came from behind the door.
Rin's parents must have gone somewhere else to speak. Who knew what they were speaking about? Perhaps how embarrassed they felt.
Nori raised her brows.
"I am a Fire Nomad..." She said as if Rin didn't know it already, as if by mentioning it Rin would take back her words. "and a mutant." She egged her. "I am ademon." Nori tilted her head, her brows still in the sky. "I hurt you. Doesn't that bother you?"
"This?" Rin touched her forehead. "It was nothing! You should see how badly Kurenai has left me before..." Something flashed before Rin's eyes and then she leaned again. "You arenota demon, Nori-chan."
"That's whattheysay..." Rin didn't know what to answer. "The people in the village."
"They don't know you."
"I don't like them either."
"You can be the bigger person, Nori-chan."
"It's easier to say than do when you're a demon-"
"You arenota demon, Nori-chan"
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because a demon could never be so beautiful." Never once did Rin hesitate or pause, she answered straight-away as if the answer had already been in the tip of her tongue.
Nori tilted her head, frowning in deep thought, searching for the relation between physical beauty as an indicative of a non-demonic nature. After a moment, she gave up. Perhaps it was once of those things Nohara-san told her she would eventually find out as she aged.
"You think I am beautiful?" A new doubt bloomed.
"Hn!" Rin nodded enthusiastically. "The most." She continued with a smile that lighted the whole room. It was like the sun barging into the room through the open window.
Nori hadn't noticed how tense her shoulders where, but as she stared at Rin, smelling for an ounce of insincerity but finding none (thus taking Rin's word as truth), she felt her shoulders relax and nodded once.
The sliding door opened.
"Are we ready to go home, girls?" Papa chirped with a wide smile. Nori ignored him, turning back to Rin.
"Something good came out of this." She smirked.
"Huh?" Rin asked as she and Nohara-san helped her to her feet.
"I won't have to see my team in a week."
THE PRESENT
Nori kicked a stone as she left the Hokage tower, feeling a tad irritated. However, she chose to set aside her annoyance and focus on her current priority: ensuring the safety of the Uchiha boy.
If only the village hadn't undergone such drastic changes in the past 12 years. As she surveyed her surroundings, searching for the most efficient path to the hospital, she was suddenly engulfed by a huge feeling like a light purple color (if it could be described in any way) overpowering her. It reminded her of the hue of the sky after a rain shower. She took a moment to absorb this experience, standing in front of the Hokage tower. Slowly pivoting, she gestured towards familiar landmarks and unfamiliar additions.
"That's new... And yet, that's still there..."
Nostalgia.
Abruptly cut by a jubilant cry that shattered the air, causing Nori to snap her attention to the source.
"MY SOUL SISTER!"
A blur of green hurtled towards her, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. A force of nature that she recognized as her old teammate.
"Might Guy," Nori muttered her eyes becoming moist, watching Guy's high-speed approach.
"MY KINDRED SPIRIT!"
Nori's face morphed into a horror-struck grin as she realized the impending collision. She called out, her voice tinged with concern.
"Guy?"
"MY ETERNAL COMPANION!"
At the very last second, Nori took a step away from Guy's path and where the boy would have crashed on the ground in the past, the man did a tiger jump, rolled on the ground and getting back on his feet stroke a pose that exclaimedI am fine!,before turning around to cover his mouth and jumping in his toes looking at her.
"Nori, you are back!" He moaned with delight. "I can hardly believe it!"She studied the exuberant man before her feeling in a daze.
"My friend..." She muttered, incredulous as him, "You must." her eyes betraying a hint of nostalgia. She blinked repeatedly and shook her head, extending an arm, "Look at you, Guy! You look so..." Well, she didn't want to lie or say anything rude during their first encounter. "Grown-up!" she added, choosing her words carefully.
"My, and look atyou! Why, last time I saw you, you were a half-dead looking walking stick!"
A vein popped on Gillie's forehead. It was good to see Guy's characteristic bluntness remained unchanged.
"Thanks." She said, right eye twitching.
"Oh, I'm so excited, I cannot believe you're here, and-OH!" He stroke a dramatic pose. "Why did it have to be now, after- after..." Guy broke down into a fit of uncontrollable cries in which Nori couldn't make herself to do anything else other than patting his shoulder, feeling sympathetic for him.
"Now, now, Guy, what's troubling you?" Nori asked, her concern genuine.
"Oh, Nori, you won't believe what happened! You missed seeing him at his best. It's my boy, Nori! Lee, my dear Lee, and he's in a dire state!"
Nori covered her mouth in astonishment.
"Guy, you have a son?!"With a firm grasp on Nori's shoulder, Guy pointed into the distance.
"Why, Lee is more than a son-he's a bond beyond mere blood." His head snapped at her. "He's my student!" Guy raised his thumb, winking.
While Nori had questions about the boy's condition, she was glad to know Guy had embraced the role of a teacher. She could easily imagine Guy's encouraging spirit inspiring young minds, much like it had motivated her, before training under Jiraiya.
Guy, a teacher. Nori sensed her eyes blur, before blinking the veil away.
What was causing this surge of emotions today?
"But there's no time for tears!" Guy's demeanor shifted abruptly. "You have to meet him... YES! YOU MUST MEET LEE! TO THE HOSPITAL!"
Before Nori could respond, she was whisked away there, coincidentally her initial destination.
The place evoked a flood of memories. A place where Nori had shared lunches withonee-san, recovered with Guy and Genma after ill-fated missions, and received treatment after Orochimaru's initial abduction.
So many memories...Every corner seemed steeped in significance. Evidently, Guy sensed Nori's introspection, adjusting his pace to match her friend's contemplative state, as he had so easily done since they were kids. Together, they walked the hospital in silence. He didn't quicken his pace when she took longer and slower strides, while sliding her hand, touching the white walls next to her to take in her surroundings.
If she didn't touch the walls, she would convince herself she was, indeed, in a dream.
"This way." Guy's command was gentle, and he patiently waited each time Nori lingered to examine an object, whether it was a water tank or a bench.
Eventually, they reached a silent room, where a lone boy lay on a white bed. Nori tilted her head, studying him, then turned to Guy, who appeared lost in concern as he gazed at his student. The boy bore a striking resemblance to Guy, from the bowl cut to the bushy brows.
Guy awaited Nori's response, his expression a blend of hope and anguish.
"Guy..."
"Isn't he a sight?"
Nori nodded sincerely, detecting the boy's severely damaged chakra pathways. Witnessing someone so young in such a state stirred uncomfortable wiped cold sweat from her brow and clasped her hands together, collecting her thoughts.
"What happened to him?" she inquired, her voice muffled by her two settled into chairs, and as Guy recounted Lee's abilities (or lack thereof), the training he had imparted, the clash with a Sand shinobi, and its aftermath, Nori absorbed every detail.
"Now, we wait." Guy sighed, his distress evident, tugging at Nori's heartstrings for both her friend and the boy.
Lee was so young. For the third time that day, Nori felt her eyes moisten, blinking hard to suppress the , what was causing this surge of emotion within her?
"He sounds like a fighter to me." She said looking back at Lee's unconscious frame, careful not to offer undue there was something she had learn was the notion of things beingokaywas precarious in the life of a shinobi and Guy would seize onto hope.
"All we can do is wait." Nori agreed, echoing Guy's sentiment.
"Um..." The man rubbed his face, rising to his feet, suddenly overcome by nervousness. "I have a really important task I need to attend to right now, but, uh... please feel free to stay as long as you'd like! I'm quite certain Lee would have appreciated your company. He's heard of you and he hoped for the day when he could finally meet you." Nori felt a warm sensation in her chest knowing her friend had mentioned her to his students. "If there's anything I can assist you with before I go-"
"Actually, there is." Nori nodded at him. "By any chance, would you know in which hospital room I can find one Sasuke Uchiha?"
THE PAST
"So, what type of justu is it that you use?" Obito leaned sideways, bumping onto her shoulder and startling her enough to drop the paper mask she had been decorating over the picnic blanket they shared.
Making paper masks was amongst Rin's favorite activities. It was Sunday morning and the girls planned to spend the day in the park doing exactly that. Only, Rin had forgotten to mention she invited her genin team.
Nori was peacefully seating on her own, beginning to paint her paper mask hoping to get ahead of Rin while the girl went to buy onigiri for them to snack, when the Uchiha boy arrived, excusing himself for histardiness. It would've been fine for Nori if he hadn't bothered to show up at all.
"You know, whenitgoes all crazy like an octopus!" Obito insisted, while she remained frozen, staring to the front with empty hands in the air. He ignored the grimace she sent him and how she slid over the blanket away from him before retrieving her mask. He stuck his tongue out with fun and shrugged going back to his own mask.
Nori searched in the distance for Rin, hoping she would return quickly.
"Is it like a forbidden jutsu or something?"
Nori hissed under her breath and met his eyes.
"Oi,Googles! I cannot concentrate on my work if you keep talking. Would you want to keep quiet now? Huh?" She tsked and looked down at her mask.
There was a silent pause.
"Boo!" The ten-year-old exploded and pointed an accusing finger at her. "You're worse than Kakashi, you really are!" He dropped his paper mask and crossed his arms in a mood, before noticing the irked brow of the girl. "The grumpiest!" He yelled, making the girl jump on her seat.
After a moment of silence in which Nori noticed she might have hit the wrong buttons of the parrot boy in the blue suit, she asked:
"How did you know aboutthat?"
Obito narrowed his eyes at her.
"Might Guy." He responded.
"You know him?" She sounded as skeptical as he did.
"From the Academy." The Academy she had never assisted to.
"Hn..."
"He's Kakashi's rival." He added, giving little context.
"What's a rival?" Nori asked stoically.
"Well, that is... you know..." Obito hesitated, before scratching the top of his spiky hairs. "Er... maybe you should ask Rin about that... Yes. I'm sure she can give a better answer than I can."
"Hn."
"Your teammate is annoying." He added after a while, at which Nori froze her strokes of paint over the mask. Only her eyes moved as she looked up at him and a corner of her mouth turned slightly upwards.
"I know."
Obito took her response positively and chuckled with a wide grin just as Rin sat over the blanket.
"Obito! I'm so glad that you made it!"
"You could've mentioned your team would be coming." Nori muttered quickly.
"I'm sorry, Nori-chan?" Rin shrugged sheepishly, placing the small basket with goods in the middle of them all. "You always mention how much you dislike your team-" Nori's cheeks turned red at her mentioning this in front of the boy.
"I don't dislike Chouza Sensei."
"Since I like mine, I thought we could all spend time together for you to enjoy yourself for once."
"Hn..." Nori tilted her head, already peeking into the basket.
"It's not like Kakashi will come." Obito won at grabbing the first onigiri, making Nori's eye twich. Across from them, Rin sighed and lowered her head.
"I suppose he wouldn't." She said. "I hoped for it, though... just so we could all hang outside of training, of course!" Rin added quickly.
"Right-o."
"Kakashi." Nori said staring at the two genin talking about their missing partner. "Why does he wear a face mask?" The two other kids blinked twice.
"Nori-chan! I brought you your favorite sweets from Akuma-san's!"
"Right! Also, you guys won't believe why I was late! While I was coming here I found a carton box filled with baby kittens..."
This time, Nori didn't bother to question whether the third member of the team didn't care to show up because of her presence, she couldn't care less while eating Akuma-san's sweets and listening to Obito's story (not that she would ever admit she was actually listening to him).
Hours later, Rin was working on her dog mask, Obito's was a cat. In Nori's head, hers was a porcupine, but Obito insisted it looked like yokai. As the run reached its highest point and Nori placed down her mask and stood up.
"Eh?" Obito frowned.
"I'm leaving now." Nori said simply.
Rin nodded once and smile.
"Good luck, Nori-chan."
"Eh! Where is she going? Where are you going?" Obito called at her back but she had already walked away.
Large shadows were cast across the village as Nori walked through the bustling streets, dragging her feet and eyes narrowed to avoid the itching sun in her eyes. Dressed in her common attire, her black hair swaying gently with each step, she ignored the parting crowds as she made her journey towards the red tower, a place she had visited many times before.
It was none of her Rin's teammate's business whether she had an appointment with the Hogake. Today held a different significance, though. She sought answers to questions that had been lingering in her mind.
As Nori entered the grand hallway of the tower, her footsteps echoed against the polished stone floor. The air was filled with a sense of importance and history, as if the very walls held the secrets of generations past. She approached the reception desk, where a chunin greeted her with a polite smile.
"I'm here to meet with the Hokage," She stated with an air of formality.
"Nori Yubokumin- Well, technically, it's Nohara now, I suppose..."
"Hn." She said. The young man scanned the list and nodded.
"I see you have been scheduled. Please wait a moment while I inform the Hokage."
Nori nodded and took a seat in the waiting area. The room was adorned with artifacts and paintings depicting the village's history. Her gaze wandered across the room until it settled on a portrait of the Third turned into what felt like hours as Nori's thoughts drifted. She contemplated the legacy of the men in the frames that she'd never known and whose legacies would never be , the chūnin returned to the waiting area.
"I'm sorry, Nori. Lord Hokage is currently unavailable. He's occupied with urgent matters."Nori's lips twitched.
"Alright." She jumped off her seat. "Thank you for letting me know in advance." She half-scowled at the man and turned away, her hard eyes on him the last to move.
As Nori left the Hokage Tower, her steps were deliberate in her annoyance. She never anticipated these meetings, but it was just her luck that when she actually wanted to be there, the old man couldn't. She didn't want to go back to Rin, though. Not if her teammate was still had another place in mind, a place that often served as a source of solace and contemplation. The place that had arose those questions she'd been meaning to ask the leader of the village.
The Memorial stone stood in a quiet corner of the village, surrounded by carefully tended gardens. Like in other occasions, Nori stood in front of it, reading the hundreds of names carved in rock. People she didn't know, people that would soon be forgotten. Just as she had forgotten her own people, just as she would be forgotten one , there was something about that rock that legitimized everyone's story and their crossing through this world in an heroic stroll that she found captivating. After the library and her comfy tree branch, it was her third favorite spot in all had been only 4 years since she had arrived, she was still discovering new places.
Her gaze shifted to the sky, the sun casting a warm glow over the memorial. A breeze rustled the leaves of the surrounding trees, as if the spirits of the fallen were whispering in the wind. Nori closed her eyes, allowing herself a moment of listened the sound of steps and took one back of her own. If someone was coming, she thought, it was best to leave before trouble arrived. It seemed to find her easily these days, and she didn't want to spend another day washing the sheets of the hospital as punishment for making someone trip over. She was also tired of being summoned and seeing the disappointed look in the sallow face of the Third.
She turned around and found herself facing Rin's other teammate. The one with the stopped on his tracks, looking down at the other child, in his usual training gear and still covering half of his face. Not being able to see the entirety of it, made Nori uncomfortable. That is how she studied people after all.
Her eyes flickered once to his empty hands. He didn't give a reply and simply looked towards the Memorial as if she had never been standing there, continuing on his path. She stood still, waiting for an over-the-shoulder insult to arrive, a scoff, a mean glare.
Nothing. That was new, she supposed.
She began to walk away as a question bubbled in her stomach and before she could meditate it, and given the previous non-existant negative reaction towards her person, she turned around.
"Do you know..." She began. "what's needed to get someone's name on that rock?"It couldn't be offensive to speak, considering they were acquaintances through Rin, right? Even if they'd only seen each other once.
She stared at the back of the boy while he faced the Memorial stone. His stillness and silence made her wonder if she even asked the question aloud or if she had just thought of it inside her head. In a second instance, she wondered if he had decided to ignore her. She was about to turn around and leave when he replied:
"Isn't it obvious?"Nori narrowed her eyes at his back, hesitatingly.
"Plenty of people die everyday... All those names cannot be there."
The wind blew, whistling through the trees and woods surrounding them.
"To die honorably, saving one ofours."
Thereit was, the division line separating her andthem. So, the boy with the mask thought the same that the rest of the village thought of her...
"I am one ofoursnow." She raised at her full height, before continuing: "And I was saved by someone. Someone whose name is not on that rock."
"Who?"
Nori balanced on her feet, glad that his back was turned on her. Only in that way she was able to showcase her emotions in her face.
"Mama."
The wind blew again. The boy placed his hands on his pockets. She waited for a long time.
"She wasn't Konoha-nin." He answered.
And neither are you.The wind whispered.
She turned around slowly, and left.
THE PRESENT
It was like deja-vu.
With Sasuke still incapacitated and Naruto under Ebisu's watchful eye, Kakashi was looking forward to a brief respite before heading out at night to gather information about Kabuto and Orochimaru's whereabouts. An undercurrent of unease was brewing in Konoha, closely linked to the upcoming Chunin exams' final stage. Consequently, Kakashi had taken on double shifts for patrolling, and it seemed this relentless pace wouldn't abate anytime soon. Thus, in those spare moments: rest.
"Kakashi! Open the door, for goodness' sake! Kakashi! This is a matter of utmost urgency!"
Kakashi groaned inside the book he was currently reading, and having lost all decorum through the years, Guy didn't wait for him to answer the door, instead appearing with a poof in the middle of his living room.
Observing Kakashi's reclined position on the couch, Guy jabbed an accusatory finger at him.
"Kakashi, were you even planning to answer the door?"
Kakashi offered him a smile, putting his book down. Judging from Guy's demeanor, it seemed something significantly positive had transpired with Guy's student.
"What's the matter?" Kakashi inquired nonchalantly, sensing a wave of good news was behind Guy's eagerness.
"You won't believe who has returned to the village!"
Kakashi took a brief moment to consider, his friends largely confined due to their students' involvement in the Chunin Exams. It could be Tenzo, he hadn't seen him in a while...
"Who?" Kakashi asked, feigning sheepishness.
"You've got to guess first!"
Kakashi looked at him for a moment, studying the emotions in his face and then back to his book, feeling tempted to go back at it, before going back at Guy. Finally, Kakashi settled for the latter option, resuming his reading and leaving Guy hanging.
"Er... Kakashi? Aren't you going to give it a try?" Guy prodded, realizing he had lost Kakashi's interest.
If it were truly significant, Kakashi knew, Guy would eventually reveal it without requiring his participation, no need to put up with his antics.
"Well, since you're so eager to know..."
And there it was.
"...well, none other than a blast from the past, my friend!" Guy burst forth with enthusiasm.
To Kakashi's astonishment (since his eyes remained glued to Akiko's latest escapades), his tone transitioned into a gentler, more composed demeanor. That alone was almost as captivating as delving into Ren's romantic exploits in the book.
Almost.
"An esteemed fellow and our cherished fellow shinobi, who has traveled an extensive distance to return to us, Kakashi." He persisted before lowering his voice. "It's her! She's back, and she's here! The Hokage himself assigned her the duty of guarding Sasuke Uchiha! Nori is back."
...
"I said, Nori is back!" Guy reiterated, this time with a surge of enthusiasm, aiming to extract some sort of reaction from Kakashi. Yet, the jonin remained unfazed. "Er... Kakashi? Don't you want to come see her? It's Nori. Nori Nohara."
"Didn't you already see her?" Kakashi quirked an eyebrow.
"Yes, with my very eyes! But... I thought maybe you'd be-"
Kakashi yawned, stretching his arms above his head before sinking more comfortably into the couch. He finally met Guy's gaze.
"Could you lock the door when you leave, please?" Kakashi offered a smile, resuming his position behind his book.
"Er..." Guy appeared hesitant, visibly perturbed by Kakashi's lack of emotional display, then gasped. "Oh-ho-ho, I recognize this ploy of yours, Kakashi! I can't believe I almost fell for it! You're always trying to exude that cool, disinterested vibe, but I won't be duped by your age-old facade, my rival! Change is in the air, like spring's transformation of blooming flowers into summer's breeze. I refuse to be swayed!"
"Thanks, Guy~" Kakashi sang from behind the book.
"I reject it!" Guy declared dramatically, swinging the door open. "I'm off to share this wonderful news with Genma! Good day, Kakashi Hatake!" With an emphatic slam of the door, Guy was gone, finally leaving Kakashi to relish his solitude and much-needed rest.
Sasuke Uchiha.
Nori tilted her head from side to side, scrutinizing the last living heir of the Uchiha clan. She searched for any resemblance between him and the memory of Obito Uchiha she still retained. Other than the shared familial traits she associated with their lineage, the distinctive dark hair and fair skin, for instance, there was no emotional response triggered in , it was hard to judge a book by its cover. Who knew? Maybe the unconscious Sasuke Uchiha bore little resemblance to Obito at this moment. Perhaps there existed some latent aspect of their bloodline that manifested as unyielding faith and energy, traits that Obito had embodied when awake. A small part of her hoped this was the case.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts and refocus on the mission, she opened the files sent by the Hokage regarding the Uchiha. As she delved into the documents, she gradually felt a sense of familiarity with his story.
"Who would have thought we share more similarities than I realized, heh Sasuke?" She addressed the unconscious boy, referencing both their experiences of clan massacres and being pursued by the Snake at some point. At least she had been adopted, had a family...
An older sister.
Nori's thoughts lingered on those memories for a moment before shaking her head.
"You, be smarter than I was, alright? " There was no response from the still figure. "We can work on that when you wake up." Nori's expression remained unyielding.
After a while, growing weary of speaking to herself, she let out a heavy sigh, sinking back in her chair. A sense of another presence approaching made her turn her head. She had to double-take to confirm she wasn't imagining it.
A silver-haired jonin entered the room quietly, holding a book in front of his face with one hand and his other hand resting in his pocket. Half of his face was concealed by a mask, and another covering veiled the eye above his left eye. Though his aura indicated both physical and mental exhaustion, Nori noticed the intensity in his eyes as they searched for any signs of the boy awakening.
As if made to confirm her theory, the jonin placed two fingers in Sasuke's jugular, and opened one of his eyes, just like a medic-nin would have done. With a heavy sigh of his own, the man turned on his heels and exited in the same direction he had entered, leaving Nori bewildered about whether she had indeed remained in the room the entire time.
She frowned, perplexed by her own experience.
"Kakashi?" She murmured aloud, shifting in her chair and turning towards the vacant doorway.
It had indeed been him. He had changed, naturally. He now stood taller and sturdier than the 15-year-old boy she once knew. He hadgrown up, yet there was no mistaking his identity. The familiar silver hair, his stance, his mask, and the one dark eye she remembered so vividly...
"I guess he didn't..." She mumbled slowly, settling back into her chair. "Huh..." She raised an eyebrow.
Had he truly not seen her enough to overlook acknowledging her presence, or, perhaps he had a lot in his head to pay attention to the person next to Sasuke? He had been engrossed in a book... but that seemed unlikely. Very little had escaped Kakashi's keen observation in the past. Was it possible that he hadn't recognized her?
Nori shook her head, grappling with confusion and astonishment at encountering yet another of her former teammates so soon. She rubbed her forehead redirecting her gaze to the open stood up and glanced over her shoulder.
"Don't you dare to move, heh, Sasuke?" she said granting herself a moment of levity, before rushing out of the room.
At a lower floor, a young kunoichi called out, waving to her teacher as he passed by her in the hospital corridor.
"Oh! Kakashi-sensei!"
"Yo," Kakashi replied, raising his hand in greeting.
"Did you come to see Sasuke?"
"You too." Kakashi's smile seemed to widen beneath his mask as he noticed the bouquet of flowers Sakura held. The girl felt her cheeks heat up.
CHAA! Why does sensei always have to find me in the middle of doing something nice for Sasuke?If she were being honest with herself, it made her embarrassment even worse, especially considering she was the only member of Team 7 who hadn't made it to the final rounds. He didn't want the man to think she was slacking for being distracted.
"I-I also brought some for Lee."
"That's very considerate of you." The jonin lean slightly downwards and patted her head lightly, before continuing on his way. "Guess I'll see you around." He raised a hand in a casual farewell without looking back.
Sakura watched him go, smiling at his retreating figure before turning her attention back to her purpose: visiting Sasuke. She hoped he was recovering well and would soon be back on his feet. After all, he needed to train hard if he wanted to show those Suna shinobis what he was made of in the arena. At least, she hoped he did, partly for Lee's sake as well.
Opting to check on Sasuke first, Sakura was about to enter his room when she nearly collided with a woman exiting it. If not for the woman's impressive reflexes, their encounter could have been quite a collision.
"Sorry, kid." the woman said before dashing down the hallway.
Sakura stood there, momentarily stunned. Dark thoughts flickered in her mind as she rushed into Sasuke's room to ensure he was still safely in his bed. Everything appeared unchanged; he was resting.
However, this encounter raised her curiosity. Who was that kunoichi ( for it was clear she was shinobi) and why had she been in Sasuke's room? She noted the woman's attire wasn't that of a Konoha citizen or a medic-nin.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura gasped to herself. If he hadn't left yet, she might be able to alert him to what she'd just witnessed.
She glanced at the window. It was a hospital's, but desperate situations called for desperate measures. She rushed to it, preparing to open it, only to be greeted by the sight of her sensei conversing with the mysterious woman outside.
"Eh?" Sakura nibbled her thumb anxiously. "What is this?"