Haruhi helpfully stood in the back, holding a basket of herbs in her arms while Kiki Nohara hummed a tune and shifted through her supply of herbs and medicines in the store room in the basement of her house. Haruhi tried not to gawk, but it was very hard. There was virtually no clutter, which fit Kiki's focused personality well. Beakers and other equipment stood at the ready, washed and cleaned if not in use to be making medicine and extracting useful medicines from the herbs Kiki grew and collected. Haruhi took a closer look at the equipment, and recognized it. She had seen the newer models in the hospital when visiting Sasuke, and checking Sakura's and Haku's schooling. This was an older version of that technology. She had even seen these models in storage at the hospital.
"Kiki?"
"Yes Haruhi dear?"
"Did you work at the hospital?"
Kiki's humming stopped. Her clever hands paused.
"Smart girl." The old woman chuckled. "I was a doctor. Not a medic-nin. I couldn't use healing chakra. But I knew my herbs and medicines well, as it was passed down to me from my mother. The Nohara always sustained ourselves quite well. This ability was noticed, and I took schooling lessons, and worked at the hospital for a while."
Why did she stop? Old age and retirement weren't reasons, considering all the work Kiki put into maintaining her underground healthcare services.
"...Why did you stop?" Haruhi asked tentatively. She got the feeling it was a hard topic for Kiki, but she really wanted to know.
Kiki stilled again, quiet.
She turned to face Haruhi, and Haruhi gasped. She had seen Kiki's face so many times before, and had long since gotten used to the purple marks, and the gray hair cut into a short bob to keep out of concoctions. But the way she was smiling fondly at Haruhi right now, combined with the marks and that haircut was so reminiscent of Rin in Kakashi's team photo that it briefly took her breath away.
"You are bold, and really know how to ask the important questions. That is admirable, especially since they try to beat those traits out of women. But some subtly would become you."
Haruhi's face warmed considerably.
"...I suppose I couldn't. After the third war was over, it just reminded me too much of my granddaughter. Of course, there were other reasons. Eliminating civilian workers from the hospital and placing clan civilians in their stead, and shifting funding away from domestic programs, and getting medical care to Konoha's poor and undocumented citizens required me to go under the radar, but I have to say that was the main reason."
She finished gathering the herbs and started humming again.
"Is the Nohara family not a clan?"
Kiki chuckled again.
"Haruhi, your desire for knowledge is insatiable. I love it! The Nohara aren't a clan, although there are some civilian clans. We are more of a family with strong traditions."
"What about the purple marks? Another strong tradition?"
"You see face markings like this all over fire country in more remote villages, sometimes purple in color as well, but it can be other colors. They are traditional for citizens of fire country to wear, although it has become out of fashion in the bigger cities and towns as of late."
Kiki gathered the last of the herbs.
"Follow me!" Kiki said, bustling past Haruhi and carrying more herbs in her work apron. She had folded it upwards to carry more herbs that couldn't fit in Haruhi's basket. Heartbreakingly, Haruhi now knew where Rin's apron came from. They walked through the house, Haruhi following behind her and gawking at the eccentric home. Haruhi paused in front of another room, sterile except for a hospital chair in the middle with medical instruments around it. The operation room. Haruhi felt Kiki's heavy gaze on her.
"Not everyone can go to the hospital, Haruhi. And women are far too often denied the health care they need too."
They kept walking.
Almost every surface was covered with some plant. They hung from the ceiling, Jutted out from the walls on ledges, sat in pots on top of tables, chairs, bookshelves, cabinets, and even the staircases.
They walked past the front room, where rows of cabinets and shelves held medicines with prices labeled underneath, notably cheaper than the prices the hospital and the pharmacy offered. Haruhi had already seen several poorer citizens come into the shop.
She also noticed the other products Kiki sold. Homemade chapsticks, soaps, and hygiene products. She was making a killing here.
"How can you do all this by yourself?"
"Dedication, and I pay some of my sisters' grandchildren to help me too."
Yes. Her sister's grandchildren because she didn't have any herself. Not anymore.
Kiki's house was far out like the Hatake household, and therefore had land to itself this far away from the heart of Konoha. There were even more plants outside, all organized into neat rows based on type and medical usage, with a little private garden in the corner for Kiki's personal use, and a chicken coup with several hens inside.
They walked past a window covered with netting that supported vines on the outside, giving Haruhi a great view of the greenhouse, and they finally made it to the kitchen.
Kiki deposited the herbs on the table, and Haruhi removed the backpack Kakashi gave her and put it on the floor.
"There! Sakura and I can synthesize these later to make more medicine. When is your little student arriving again?"
"She should be here soon." Haruhi said. "How long have you known the Haruno's?"
"Oh! How long! I delivered Kizashi when his mother couldn't afford the hospital! Since she had come from the Land of Water with no money. I delivered him right down in the operating room we just walked past. They started using the hospital after Kizashi became a genin, but I've always sold medicines to them."
Haruhi hadn't known that.
"Really?" A familiar voice asked, and Haruhi spun around to hug Sakura.
Kiki smirked and nodded.
"Sit down Sakura, I'll brew you some good tea, and I made cookies last night! I think we have much to discuss."
Sakura's fascinated expression melted away, and she nodded. She placed down the medical outreach program with an air of gravitas that seemed unusually heavy.
"Right! Lady Tsunade and I have been working through our medical outreach program and have secured grant funding for it from the Damiyo. We'll start by opening clinics in the mornings in the main hospital square-"
Kiki snorts.
"That'll never work."
"Why not?" Sakura sounded surprised and a bit offended.
"You came here to ask my opinion, and I'm telling you a centralized medical care system won't work for most of the people who need it. They are too wary of Konoha's government to just go out in the open like that. You'll need a different approach."
Sakura hummed.
"What do you suggest?"
"Firstly, make it more accessible to the common people. The hospital is right in the heart of Konoha, which seems like a good place to put it, but only the richest live downtown in the heart. Most of the people who need this programs services live on the outer edges, or in cramped apartments in the middle rings of the village. And most of them are working labor intensive jobs in the morning, so you need to open in the afternoon, and in places that are easily accessible for the worn down workers."
Sakura was writing this down at the speed of light.
"I suggest that instead of having one large clinic attached to the hospital, you break them up into smaller clinics stationed around and outside of Konoha nearest to the places they're needed most. I also suggest doing house calls. Go out to the people if they cannot come to the clinic."
Haruhi nodded, and thought about Inari's husband, who was too injured to come to Konoha by himself. House calls would work perfectly.
They hashed out a few more details, before Kiki got up to get something from the front to give to the departing Sakura.
"Here dear, this tea will help your mother get enough chakra for the baby, and keep them healthy. "
Sakura, unexpectedly, burst into tears. Haruhi was used to this by now, and Kiki had experience with upset people, so they made quick work of getting Sakura on the couch with a blanket and hot chocolate, and putting the cat in her lap.
When Sakura was ready, she spoke.
"There is something wrong with my little siblings chakra, and we don't know what it is."
They both froze.
"Wrong how, dear?" Kiki asked. She may not have been a medic nin, but she still had worked in the hospital for decades.
"It's, uh, they say it's too large, and, too big for a baby with civilian parents. They might, I don't know, uh do something to the baby i, and if the excess chakra is destroying it's chakra coils, or if my mom can handle it!" Sakura said.
Kiki hummed.
"It's true that both of your parents are civilians, but your father was a genin, and is of Water Country descent. That might account for the larger chakra pool."
"Yeah, but it's not just larger than average, it's double what it should be! They might force the baby to become a ninja!"
That was bad news. Tsunade may be nicer than Hokages past, but she was still a kage, and would be a fool to let an asset like that go, with the potential for great chakra control and a huge chakra pool. Civilian kids who showed promise and didn't have clans to protect them were often drafted into the academy. If the village had found out about Sakura's chakra control earlier she may have been forced to join the academy instead of being signed up for it.
Kiki's face went dark and painful. She was remembering something.
Sakura calmed down and stood to leave.
"I promised I'd help Tenten and Hinata with something."
"Okay Sakura, can you also hang out with Sasuke tomorrow? I think he could help you further with the medical outreach program, with many of the poorer being sheltered in the Uchiha district I think talking to him about this would be perfect. You may even be able to set up a clinic there."
Sakura perked up.
"Yeah, yeah! I hadn't thought of that. Thanks Haruhi-sensei!"
She left with the chakra tea, a bounce in her step as she closed the door behind her, and Haruhi and Kiki were suddenly left in a painful silence. Haruhi should probably be going now too. Kakashi would be wondering where she was and would start looking for her soon.
"That's what happened to Rin, you know."
Haruhi looked at her, breath artificially calm. Kiki seemed to be lost in thought as she stared at her own cup of tea.
"My Rin, she was so much like my daughter. But my daughter and son-in-law were sent to the front lines to be doctors to wounded shinobi early on in the third war and most medic nin were confined to Konoha. They died quickly, and only Rin was left. She tried so hard to be brave, but I could see she was sad and hurt, even as she admired her parents."
Haruhi blinked back tears but continued to listen. She gasped when she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. It was Kakashi, frozen in place, looking at Kiki with dread.
Kiki continued.
"She made friends with that Uchiha boy, an orphan like her. She met him when he came here for medicine. He couldn't afford the pharmacy, and the Senju run hospital was never kind to Uchiha. She taught him how to garden to compensate for his measly orphan stipend."
Kakashi had a look of dawning realization and fascination, not unlike the look Sakura had when she had overheard Kiki. Grief, and guilt, and horror built up over years made their home on his face. Had he known this was Kiki Nohara's house Haruhi suspects he never would have stepped foot inside.
"And then Rin was drafted. Obito had told her about water walking and a jounin spotted her doing it almost perfectly a few weeks later. Konoha couldn't let talent like that go to waste. Especially during wartime."
A hurt, twisted look settled across Kakashi's face, and his hand was splayed over his heart, pressing down on it as if in pain.
"Oh...my Rin. She tried so hard. She even signed up for Tsunade's medic nin program to be allowed out onto the field. She wanted to keep her friends safe, but I think she also wanted to be like her parents. I think-no, I know it was her way of trying to be close to them."
Kiki laughed, but it was not a happy sound. It spoke of loss, and bitterness.
"And she was like her parents, in the end. Dead."
The word rang throughout the household like a concussion wave. Haruhi copied Kakashi and had her hand pressed to her chest.
"I still don't know how or why Rin died. I got no explanation, only a cheaply worded letter of condolence from the Hokage tower, the one they printed and handed out en masse. I never even got to see her body, or even get parts to bury. I could have laid her to rest next to her parents so they could have least been a family in death, but I guess that was too much for Konoha to give me. When I went to The Hokage tower and sought answers, I got warnings not to pry instead. I still don't know what happened, and it keeps me up every night."
Haruhi shot a look at Kakashi, and he got the message. In what must have been the single biggest act of bravery she ever saw, he spoke up.
"... I could tell you, if you want."
Kiki gasped, and spun around to see Kakashi standing in her kitchen. It was clear she knew who he was, if the recognition across her face was anything to go by.
"I would appreciate it." She slides out a chair for him, and Kakashi sits down like the seat is lined with thumbtacks. His back is ramrod straight, and his fists are tearing the material over his thighs. It's clear he doesn't know where to begin, and Kiki has mercy on him.
"Start from the beginning. And tell me everything."
Kakashi breathes deeply.
"When Obito...was crushed in a cave-in, he made me promise to protect her. And I did. For awhile. But then something happened. I speculated for years, but I'm still confused over it. Kiri chose Rin to seal the three tails into, and send her back to Konoha to blow the village up."
Kiki gasped, and Haruhi glanced at Kakashi. That was a closely kept state secret, but it seems like Kakashi was taking Kiki's earlier words to heart.
"I don't know why. Maybe it was her civilian status and smaller chakra pool. Maybe her chakra control allowed them to seal it into her easier. Maybe being a medic meant that she wouldn't be questioned on the way back to Konoha-they were recalled often. Maybe being the student of the yellow flash would send a demoralizing message, but her being sensei's student meant that his fuinjutsu would nullify the bomb. It makes no sense!"
He calmed down.
"I tried to help her, but Kiri was chasing us down, and even if they weren't, I wouldn't be able to fix the seal completely. I charged my chidori, my lightning blade-a dangerous assassination technique and the most powerful in my arsenal. It's extremely hard to control, and immensely powerful. I-I shot forward, and Rin, she jumped in front of me."
Kiki's hands were in front of her mouth, her brown eyes teary.
"My chidori killed her, and diffused the bomb. She gave her life, to protect everyone else."
Kiki shook her head in horror.
"My granddaughter gave her life protecting others. But she didn't have a choice, did she?"
Kakashi trembled.
"Even if she hadn't jumped in front of your chidori, she would have blown up. Or the effects of having a biju sealed into you at such an old age would have killed her by corroding her chakra coils into nothing. She was dead the moment they put that monster in her. A 13 year old girl should never have to die to save others. Rin, and you and Obito shouldn't have been on the front lines in the first place."
"I'm sorry-"
"Stop apologizing, it's not your fault. "
Kakashi was silent, and Haruhi saw him turning over her own words she had spoken to him at his father's grave. He had no control over the situation. Not everything was his fault.
"What happened to your team is a tragedy, and shouldn't have happened. I can see this has been eating you up inside, but I think you are starting to realize that this was beyond your control. I'm not angry at you. And you've done nothing wrong, but I still think you need to hear this. I forgive you."
Kakashi gasped, and covered his face in his hands. Kiki leaned over and pulled him into a warm hug.
"It's alright, really." Kiki said. When Kakashi recovered enough to lift his head, Kiki brought him some cookies.
"You're a strong young man, you should come over sometime, and help me move things around the house. I think you can also share some stories about Rin with me. I never saw much of her after she graduated from the academy."
Kakashi laughs warmly, and it's the lightest she ever heard it.
"I think I can do that." He says.
Haruhi and Kakashi are walking down the road away from Kiki's. She had insisted on keeping them for dinner. Haruhi's right arm was looped with Kakashi's and her left arm was holding on to it. Kakashi's looped arm was reading a book he checked out from the library, and his other hand was in his pocket as they ambled down the street.
"You know what would be a good team bonding exercise right now?"
"Hm?"
"If we vandalized the hokage monument!"
Kakashi laughed. A little harmless vandalism wouldn't hurt anyone
"Alright, you get Sasuke, I'll wrangle up the others. Meet in an hour by the base of the monument."
She untangled her arm from his, and gave him a kiss on the cheek before heading to the Uchiha district. Sasuke said he would be searching the main house for more training information, or something along those lines.
So when Haruhi walked past the praying people and knocked on the front door, she could contain her gasp of horror when Sasuke answered. She quickly brought him back inside, and closed the door. Haruhi wasn't sure about the running water in this house so she took her wet wipes from her backpack and cleaned his face, then gave him a drink from her water bottle.
Damn. The kids were not alright. She hoped Kakashi was having a better time with Naruto and Sai.
"Sasuke?" She asked. "What's wrong."
He looked at her as if he couldn't comprehend what she was asking, before realization washed over his face, and his features twisted up in grief as he looked away.
"Everything. It's so big and I don't know what to do."
Fat tears leaked from his eyes, and Haruhi wrapped him in a tight hug. He clung to her, and she could feel her own face become wet with tears.
"You don't have to do it alone. There are people who love you, and will help you."
"Who?!"
"Me!"
The silence echoed. Sasuke pulled back to search her face for any hint of a lie, and when he saw none, he clung onto her tighter, burying his face in the juncture of her shoulder and neck. She stroked the back of his head, hands feeling the texture of his spiky hair, and brought him closer.
"...Really?"
"Yes. I know I wasn't the warmest when we first met, but you really grew on me. You're like the kid brother I never had." She chuckled wrly through her tears. "You're a good kid, Sasuke, and a great person, and I'm proud to know you."
Sasuke swallowed thickly, jaw working harshly.
"...I had people who loved me, and they were all killed."
"That was wrong, and I know nothing will ever bring them back-"
"Right! That's right! They were corralled into a pen like animals then slaughtered!"
She held onto him tighter, and he sobbed.
"A-and besides, you don't even know what you're promising to help me do!"
"..."
"...Sasuke, what happened."
He told her some of the details, and she couldn't say she was surprised. When Sasuke noticed her grim, but expectant mask, he grit his teeth.
"Horror like this shouldn't be expected! I'm going to do something about it!"
"What will you do Sasuke?". She does not yell. She does not raise her voice. She holds him gently, and wipes away his tears with her thumbs.
He falls silent, and Haruhi closes her eyes.
"Orochimaru is just as much of a monster as the Village elders, Sasuke."
He jerked back in surprise, before strengthening his resolve.
"I know. I've seen-"
He cuts himself off, and breaths shakily.
"I've seen the aftermath of his experiments. I know he's a monster. I know. But If I go to him, I can train without the threat of the Village elders. I can gather intel, and free his prisoners. And maybe...I can do something about Konoha. I can reveal what they did, and make them face Justice."
Haruhi's hand reaches up, and she begins twirling her hair. She thinks about it, and to her surprise she finds it's not a bad plan. She knows Sasuke is capable of surviving Orochimaru, and if he went, he'd be able to help so many people.
Her heart stutters thinking about Sasuke in the hands of that man, images of him experimenting on her, warping her seal he had stolen during the invasion, and of Sasuke prisoner in a pit of snakes.
He knows what she is thinking, and wraps his arms around her neck, comforting her this time.
"You said you love me?" He murmurs.
She nods.
"Then trust me. I can do this. I need to do this. The world cannot go on like this, and the Shinobi system started with Konoha. If I can do something here, it'll make waves."
She hesitates. Sasuke gets upset.
"When Jiriaya finally fixes your seal, are you going to leave?"
The question pieces her like a knife. The silence rings like a bell. She stares at Sasuke, who dared to ask the question everyone else had been dancing around. Would she go?
"Well?" He presses.
She is quiet.
"How can you judge me for leaving when you are going to do the same thing?!"
Not even she knew the answer to that question.
"How can you say you love me and then plan to leave forever?! Does everyone who loves me leave?"
Haruhi bites her lip, and starts crying again.
"Your family is gone, but somewhere, mine is still alive, and they are wondering what has happened to me."
It is Sasuke's turn to be quiet.
"Would you have me leave them forever? To forget they exist? When the time comes to choose whether to stay or go, I know it will be the hardest decision of my life. I can't say what I will do because I don't know. "
He jerks himself away from her, lip trembling.
"...But I do know that I love you. No matter what happens, I will always care for you. I have faith in you."
Sasuke looks at her, hope sparkling in his eyes.
"...Please, Haruhi-sensei. Don't tell anyone."
She sighs, bittersweet and heavily. Haruhi learns forward and pulls Sasuke's face towards her so she can kiss his forehead.
"Alright. I'll keep this to myself. But you need to be careful."
Sasuke was still so young, but he was growing rapidly. He was not longer an innocent little boy.
"I'm sorry I asked you that."
"No, you were right to. I will need to choose eventually."
"...If you choose to go home, I won't be mad at you. If I could go and see my family again I would." Sasuke offers, and she is so touched by his kindness that she has to turn away.
She chuckles wetly, and ruffles his hair.
"Thanks Sasuke. Sakura wants to talk to you tomorrow about the medical outreach program, and setting up a clinic in the Uchiha district."
"Okay."
"And there was a reason why I came here. I have a feeling it'll make us feel better."
"Oh?" Sasuke smiles slightly.
"Kakashi says he'll let us vandalize the Hokage monument again, but if we want to make it we'll have to hurry. I'll even let you have Tobirama this time."
His smile becomes sharp.
Sakura stepped into Tenten's apartment.
"Sorry I took so long! Anyway, I'm ready to look at Neji's and Sai's-what is he doing here?!"
Naruto waved at her from where he was sitting criss cross in the corner and holding Sai's hand.
"Sai wanted moral support."
Sai said nothing, and his face was completely blank.
Neji scoffed, and Hinata poked her fingers nervously while Haku and Karin poured over seal and medical notes.
"Geeze, why don't we invite over all of Konoha now?" At this point, they probably should let Sasuke in on it too. With all the looking over of his clan's notes he has been doing lately he might already know about Sai's seal. Maybe he could tell them more information.
Tenten hums.
"No need for that. Can you look over Sai's seal now?"
The joking atmosphere fizzled out. She noticed Sai's hand clenching around Naruto's, and she realized the moral support thing was not a joke.
"Sure, what can you tell me about it."
They had made progress with Neji's seal. They would soon be able to work it off his head, sometime within the next few months, before he ran out of time. They wanted to help Sai too, which was why he was here as well. They wanted to see if his seal could give them any pointers.
"We traced the seal down on paper and honestly? The similarities it shared with the caged bird seal is astounding. They both have the same basic control frames, and use similar lines. Looking at the patterns in Sai's seal, I recognized some of the newer sealing patterns created here in Konoha, so this seal isn't all that old, at least compared to the Caged Bird Seal which goes back centuries."
Tenten looks disturbed. Sakura wonders if she recognized this because of Koharu teaching her. She wonders if Koharu had any involvement.
"Anyway Sakura, we need you to see if this seal affects the body in similar ways to the caged bird seal."
Sakura turns to Sai.
"Say ahh." Sakura joked weakly.
Sai stuck his tongue out, and the seal revealed itself. They knew it had something to do with Danzo, but not much beyond that. Sai implied (because he couldn't outright speak) that there were others like him with this seal. If this was a widespread thing, then...
"Guys, I know we should keep this to as few people as possible, but I really think we should tell Sasuke."
"What? Why?"
"The Uchiha clan had to be investigating these disappearances, maybe keeping quiet about them, because if Danzo and Koharu-"
Tenten twitched.
"-Both are involved with this, then the Uchiha clan wouldn't have been able to come forward with this until amassing more political power. They probably have records and recordings of these incidents somewhere. With Sasuke's records, we might be able to find out more. I was going to talk about my medical outreach program with Sasuke tomorrow, so I can bring this up to him then. I also think he is trustworthy."
Tenten looked to Neji.
"Well Neji, this is your decision."
Neji and Sasuke had never been best friends, too similar. But they each held a grudging respect for the other.
"Fine."
Sakura inspected the seal closer, careful to use medical ninjutsu to probe the seal as cautiously as she could. It would be bad to set it off or alert the seal master.
She noticed right away the similarities Tenten and Karin were talking about. It had the same basic structure. It had the same chakra threads that connected back to one main seals master, and latched onto the host's chakra system in the same way-like a parasite. Sakura could already see the chakra coils around the affected area becoming damaged, and her fear for Neji increased. She could see how it connected back to the person who placed down the seal too, and noted how similar it was to how the Caged bird seal was connected back the the Hyuuga clan heads except instead of the three chakras for Hinata, Hanabi, and their dad, there was only one here.
Her heart leapt into her throat when she noticed the threads from the seal traveling back into his spinal cord. Just like the caged bird seal, it affected the nervous proved when Sai said the seal could control what he was allowed to say. The seal could block certain keywords like this, just like how the caged bird seal could sense hostility towards the main branch, and melt the brain and eyeballs through the connections with the neural pathways. It was sickening.
Immediately after that Saskura noticed the differences. The caged bird seal was much more detailed, which made sense for a seal going back centuries. It also made sense considering it was directly latched onto the brain, and two important sensory organs. It was generally more powerful.
The Tongue seal was connected to the spine, but it wasn't nearly as firmly entrenched as the caged bird seal. Sakura could tell where Sai's chakra system began and the seal ended. She could make out how the two entwined, and if she was careful, how she could unravel it.
They had a real shot of studying this seal and using the notes they took to remove Neji's. They wouldn't be able to undo all of the damage it caused, but with this new information they could save Neji's and the other branch Hyuuga's lives.
Sakura relayed this information to the others, Sai closing his mouth and sitting back down. The room was alight with discussions, and planning. They would need to remove Neji's and the other branch family seals quickly so as to not alert the main branch. They might have to wait to remove Sai until they got more information to take down Danzo for good.
Tenten removed the silencing seals, and they all trooped downstairs, and waved goodbye to the Hyuuga's. Karin and Haku waved goodbye as they walked back home to the apartment they shared with Naruto, leaving Naruto, Sai, Sakura to walk along the street.
"What are you kids up to? Not causing any trouble I hope."
They screamed, and jumped a foot into the air.
"Kakashi sensei!"
"No, we're not!"
"Aw, really? Well that's too bad, since Haruhi and I were planning on painting the Hokage mountain and needed some help…" Kakashi-sensei said while carrying paints in his arms.
"Well, actually, now that you mention it, we might be up to some trouble!" Naruto said.
Sakura sighed in relief.
"If Haruhi-sensei is coming with, then where is she? Is Sasuke coming?"
"They'll be here soon."
"I do not understand. Vandalism of village property is against protocol." Sai stated, even as he eyed the paints with a keen interest he couldn't hide.
"Aw man, live a little Sai!"
"Look, here they come!"
Haruhi-sensei and Sasuke were rounding the bend to the base of the mountain. Haruhi-sensei looked to be a bit out of breath, but not nearly as exhausted as she would have been before leading the lifeguard and swimming lessons. Sasuke was next to her. He seemed quieter than normal and now that she thought of it, so did Haruhi-sensei.
"Just in time guys! I've already laid out the genjutsu, so have at it. Haruhi, I'll help you up." Kakashi said. He swooped behind her and lifted her into his arms in bridal style. She giggled and kissed his cheek, to Naruto's scoff of disgust, Sai's fascination, Sasuke's coolness, and Sakura's cooing.
The four of them started up the mountain, with Sai having mysteriously gotten ahold of most of the paints.
"Fly! Fly! Fly my pretties, my minions of the night!" Haruhi cackled as Kakashi carefully held her against him as he began his diagonal walk up the mountain. It seemed like this was another weird reference to Haruhi's homeland.
Sakura made it to the first Hokage, and began with a very pretty flower crown. She would do his makeup later. He'd look great with winged eyeliner. She wondered if anyone would find it funny if she drew vines coming out of his nose and made it look like boogers.
Sasuke was attacking the Second Hokage's visage with fevor, stabbing his paintbrush into the Kage's face like a knife. He had drawn a magnifying glass on Tobirama Senjju's forehead with a very small brain in the center of it. Sasuke painted an X over his mouth, with a speech bubble coming out of it that said "lies" .
Sai was working on the third hokage. Sakura actually had to stabilize herself when she saw what he was doing. His painting was so talented that he was making the rock look photorealistic. Liver spots, wrinkles, and aging all obvious. It was hideously perfect, and she half expected the rock to start breathing.
Naruto had the honor of painting the fourth hokage. He had taken the approach of painting on a thick pair of glasses, a mustache, and a large nose. Sakura remembered Haruhi-sensei telling them about it, something called "Groucho glasses."
Finally, Haruhi-sensei and Kakashi-sensei were double teaming Tsunade. Sakura laughed when she saw Haruhi painting cat whiskers on Tsunade's face, adding fur, triangle, ears, and slitted eyes. Haruhi-sensei wasn't as good as Sai's handy work, but she was pretty good.
They waited till the paint dried and would be harder to erase, before booking it to Kakashi-sensei's house, laughing all the way. It looked pretty good overall, and when Haruhi-sensei and Kakashi-sensei made dinner, that pasta with tomato sauce Haruhi was always talking about since Sasuke requested it, they had a good time debating who's was the best. A good night.
A pale hand with painted nails gripped a straw hat, and brought it to cover more of a face with premature lines, and spinning red same eyes that singled out the gates of Konoha, and the ridiculously painted hokage mountain.
Someone chuckled, a deep voice.
"Seems like Konoha is full of artists." A man remarked, blue skin mostly covered, but unable to hide his glinting pointed teeth.
Itachi Uchiha said nothing. He cares not for the mountain. He came here with a goal in mind with his partner, to succeed where Madara and Deidara failed. To capture the nine-tails. But Itachi had a secondary mission.
To check up on his little brother. And if he wasn't performing up to standards…
Well. Some things were necessary. Even if they were cruel.
OHHHH HERE HE COME! THE BOOTLICKER HIMSELF, ITACHI UCHIHA! Next chapter is wilding, y'all .
But enough of that. What did you think of Kiki and Rin's background? Sasuke's and Haruhi's bond? It should be noted that in this universe Kagyua and the "god tree" or whatever do not exist.
Question of the chapter: How do you feel about team seven's bond?