Betaed by Doodledon122
Chapter: 7
A wave of terror washed over me as I watched Gaara's hand shoot forward from the sand, clutching something in his fingers. At first, I assumed it was the kunai I had thrown. However, the pressure against my stab wound and the lowering of Gaara's sand proved otherwise.
"There, that should help slow the bleeding, but you need medical attention immediately. Kankuro, Temari, take him back to the Leaf Village. I'll go on ahead to look for his squadmates," Gaara spoke as he pressed a sterilized cloth against my wound, placing my own hand over it to apply pressure. He then stood up to speak to his brother and sister before jumping from tree to tree, heading off as promised.
By this point, my vision began to fade, and my hearing became distorted. I felt myself being lifted by Kankuro and Temari before feeling the wind on my face as we began to move.
"So this one guy managed to kill those five Sound Jonin by himself?" Temari asked as we moved.
"You saw those guys. They were all cut up and impaled. It shouldn't be too surprising. I heard a rumor he lost that arm in a fight with Orochimaru and that he killed Zabuza to claim Kubikiribōchō, which we did find impaled in that tree back there," Kankuro responded.
"Geez, remind me never to get on this guy's bad side," Temari added.
This was the brief conversation I overheard between Kankuro and Temari before I blacked out completely. I was unconscious for what felt like only a few minutes, but as I woke up, it quickly became obvious that much more time had passed. Looking out the window, I could tell it was midday—about two o'clock, judging by the position of the sun.
The curtain around my bed was pushed aside as Tsunade entered, accompanied by Kaen.
"Oh, good, you're finally awake. Here, drink this. It will help," Tsunade said as she approached my bedside, pouring me a small glass of what I soon realized was sake. This shot of sake, though an unpleasant surprise, helped return my senses quickly, so much so that I downed at least half the bottle sitting next to my bed.
"Hey, I didn't bring the entire thing just for you!" Tsunade exclaimed, snatching the bottle away from me. "Now that you're awake, we can discuss your punishment."
This statement startled and angered me, prompting me to slowly sit up in the bed, using my left arm for support as I leaned back against the headrest.
"My punishment?" I asked, my tone upset and annoyed.
"Yes. Not only did you, Senshi, and Kaen act on your own initiative with what you discovered, but you yourself have been barred from being a Shinobi. This stunt of yours proves you won't listen to me. And that's not even considering the suspicious secret training and business deals Senshi has been setting up for you. You and Senshi are on incredibly thin ice—not only with me but with the Feudal Lord as well."
Tsunade wasn't happy to see me drinking her sake, and even less so when I questioned her. She explained everything in an angry tone, but Kaen stepped in before I could respond.
"Forgive me, Lady Hokage, but if we had not acted when we did, Sasuke may very well be in the hands of Orochimaru right now. Not to mention, Katate not only held off but killed the Sound Four, allowing me and Senshi to catch up to and defeat Kimimaro to retrieve Sasuke. As for his training under Senshi, I can vouch that it was purely to aid Katate, proven by when he was attacked by bandits during a delivery."
Kaen's words surprised both Tsunade and me, leading him to provide further explanation.
"I believe Katate has been punished enough. The loss of his arm against Orochimaru and the subsequent restrictions were punishment enough. However, after last night, I believe he has more than redeemed himself. I think he has proven that he's worthy of becoming a Shinobi, despite his incompetence with hand signs. Besides, with a Dojutsu like his, restricting his development is idiotic."
Kaen's words seemed to have an effect on Tsunade, as she spoke before exiting the room.
"Well then, my spouse, we will just have to wait and see what happens with him. Regardless of why or how it happened, Katate has disobeyed the law twice now. A trial will be held in a few days to decide what to do with him. If you think you have an argument strong enough to convince the Elders—and possibly even the Feudal Lord if he arrives—then you'd better prepare it."
With that, Tsunade spun around, snatched her bottle of sake, and walked away.
"So, you're suddenly on our side now?" I asked with a short laugh as I turned my attention to Kaen after Tsunade left the room.
"I've always been on your side, Katate, but with you and Senshi both being wild cards, someone has to keep a level head and think rationally. That's why I stay on Tsunade's good side while you and Senshi are causing chaos," Kaen replied with a smile as he offered me his hand to help me out of the hospital bed.
"I guess I can't really argue with that, can I?" I responded with a short laugh as I accepted Kaen's help and stood up. The wound on my side didn't cause any pain. Upon glancing down and moving my hospital gown aside, I saw a scar where the wound from Sakon had been.
"Yeah, that guy got you pretty good, but from the sounds of the report, you gave a lot worse than you got. Although, that's not to say you didn't have us worried. When you were brought in, we didn't know if you'd make it. Then you were out for a few days. But you're up now, so everything turned out alright. Get dressed and meet me outside. I'll treat you to some lunch now that you're awake. I think you've earned it."
With that, Kaen left the room, allowing me to change into the clothes brought from my house. It was a simple pair of black pants, a red shirt, and a leather jacket I hadn't worn in quite some time. Stepping outside, I was momentarily blinded by the sun before my eyes adjusted.
"So, what are you hungry for?" Kaen asked as we began walking down the street, away from the hospital.
"Something hearty and filling, with a lot of meat. I certainly feel like I've been out for a few days. Not really in the mood for ramen or anything like that," I answered, placing a hand on my stomach.
"I get what you mean. Don't worry, I know the perfect place."
Kaen led me to a high-end bar and grill restaurant called "Saki and Flames."
"This place is expensive. I've only been here a few times," I said to Kaen as we were seated in a personal booth in the back of the dining area, a section reserved specifically for Shinobi.
"That's because it mainly serves Shinobi. The public is welcome to eat here too, but they prioritize Shinobi patrons over normal citizens. That also means they hold their food and standards to a much higher degree than most other establishments. As a result, the prices are higher, but they have hands down the best food, so most Shinobi who can afford it eat here," Kaen explained.
As Kaen spoke, our server approached the booth. She was tall—several inches taller than both Kaen and me—and had ginger-orange hair. Three distinct dimples adorned her face. She wore black kitchen pants and a black server's jacket with a red undershirt.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen. What can I get the two of you for drinks?" she asked with a smile.
"Just water for me, thanks," I replied, jotting down my drink order before looking at Kaen.
"You don't have to tell me what you want. I know your usual," she said, writing down Kaen's order before tucking her notebook away.
"I was starting to get worried. You stopped coming by for a while, and I didn't hear anything from you," the server said to Kaen, causing him to let out a short laugh.
"Yeah, I've had a bunch of stuff come up the past few weeks. I'm sorry I never found a moment to write. I hope you didn't think I was dead."
"More like I was worried you were cheating on me. I know no one out there can kill you," she joked, planting a kiss on Kaen's cheek before walking away to get our drinks.
"Sounds like someone's into something serious. How long have you two been a thing, and why am I finding out like this?" I asked with a friendly smile, sitting back in my seat as I watched Kaen look at me with a smile left over from his chat with the server.
"Her name is Jaia. We've been seeing each other for about a year and a half now. She's a sweet and kind woman who just wants to live a normal, easy life. That's why I haven't introduced her to you or Senshi. The two of you are crazy," Kaen explained.
Shortly after, Jaia returned with my water and a special cocktail for Kaen. I ordered the beef and chicken combo, as it was labeled on the menu.
"How does she feel about you being a Shinobi? If she wants an easy and normal life, that's kind of as far away as you can get," I asked.
Kaen's expression dampened slightly. "She's on the fence about it. She has every right to look at the profession the way she does, given what happened to her father. But she understands that I'm required to be a Shinobi, so she accepts it. Doesn't stop her from being paranoid whenever I go on a mission, though."
"Anyway, enough about my love life. Let's talk about something else," Kaen added, waving the subject aside.
"Fair enough. What about this trial I apparently now have? Sounds like I'm in pretty deep water," I said, rubbing the back of my head as thoughts of what could happen raced through my mind.
"Not that deep. It's honestly more of a public performance than anything. Everyone's all riled up after what happened, and Senshi locking him and Sasuke in the Uchiha compound didn't help anything either. The Elders just want a trial so they can look everyone in the eye and say, 'Everything's okay. We figured out what happened.' In the end, Tsunade has the final say over everything. The Elders are just advisors. So as long as we can convince her, all's good. Don't even bother getting worked up about the Feudal Lord either. That egotistical ass never shows up unless he's absolutely required to. So don't worry about the trial; it's all in the bag."
Kaen spoke with confidence as he laid out the details of the trial, which would take place in a few days.
"I see. I guess if you think my case is solid, I can relax for now. But there's one thing I absolutely need to know: What happened to that guy you and Senshi chased after? Doesn't seem like he gave you guys much trouble."
This sparked a proper laugh from Kaen as his smile returned, thinking about the encounter.
"In all honesty, no, he really didn't. There's not much to tell."
As Kaen began to explain the fight, the scene panned up into a field where Senshi and Kaen faced off against Kimimaro. Senshi had managed to cut Kimimaro off and got in front of him.
"My, my. How disappointing. Those four couldn't handle three Shinobi. Pathetic. If your friend doesn't kill them, I certainly will," Kimimaro said in a cold, threatening tone while setting the barrel containing Sasuke down and pulling a bone sword from his shoulder.
Senshi and Kaen looked at each other and nodded. Kaen charged head-on at Kimimaro, who raised his bone sword for a downward slash. Seconds before the blade struck, Senshi shot in front of Kaen, catching the bone sword between his palms. Kaen then slammed a precise punch into Kimimaro's side, pivoted around Senshi, and delivered another punch to his back, followed by another strike to Kimimaro's opposite side.
With Kimimaro stunned, Senshi threw the bone sword aside and lunged forward, slamming a knee into Kimimaro's gut, knocking him to the ground. Kimimaro tried to rise, but Senshi jumped to the left, only to be kicked across the face by Kimimaro. Kaen lunged past Senshi to the right. Now on opposite sides of Kimimaro, they ran forward, performing synchronized flips and delivering powerful heel kicks straight down into his back before jumping away, leaving him face-down in the dirt.
"He's pretty tough, I'll give him that," Senshi said to Kaen as Kimimaro slowly began to stand up, coughing in pain.
"Yeah, he hardened his bones just before our assault began. Looks like we'll need to put in some more effort," Kaen said, shaking his hand from striking Kimimaro.
Kaen then rushed forward and planted a kick into Kimimaro's chest, but the attack was caught by bones that erupted from Kimimaro's body. Kaen spun to the side while shouting, "Flame rotation!" A large dome of flames erupted around him, blasting Kimimaro back as Kaen freed his leg from the bones. Senshi prepared a fireball jutsu, which he fired off with devastating size and power.
When the fireball collided with the flame rotation, they combined into an enormous tornado of flames that engulfed the area. The flame tornado grew as large as the nearby mountain range, leaving only a wasteland of ash when it died down. Senshi, Kaen, and the barrel containing Sasuke were left unscathed in the eye of the tornado.
As the camera panned back down, returning to the front of the Saki and Flames building, Kaen and I walked out the front door. He finished explaining the details of the encounter, and it was at this point that the two of us said our goodbyes and went our separate ways for the remainder of the afternoon.