Disclaimer: I do not own "Naruto" or any other characters related to the series
Chapter Twenty-six
"...Naruto?" Said boy didn't look up from the table that he sat at alone. His back remained towards his guardian, amethyst eyes watching his every move carefully. "...It's time. You should go and meet Sakura and Sasuke. I'm sure they're waiting for you." The blond didn't bother replying. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say. He merely stood from his seat, the legs of his chair screeching against the wooden floor. The woman watching him flinched at the sharp sound but said nothing else.
Both of them were dressed in black.
Trudging towards the door, Naruto slid his sandals on. There was a sluggishness to the way he moved, but Karibi left her comments quiet, keeping a close eye on the boy as he slowly went about his business. He rested his hand against the wall to keep his balance, and just as he reached to open the door and walk out, he paused. The 22-year-old raised a brow before her eyes widened, the blond suddenly spinning on his heels and darting for her body. His arms were securely wrapped around her waist, and he clung on to his guardian with the kind of desperation Karibi had never felt from him before. Silence settled over the two, Karibi crouching down to pull the young boy into a warm embrace.
They remained there for quite some time.
*Five days earlier*
"...I can feel you staring at me."
"I wasn't staring."
"Yes you were, Hana."
"I just...I didn't want to wake you up."
Karibi's eyes fluttered open, the moonlight glowing in through her window. She let her eyes adjust to the dim lighting, a candle lit at her bedside; on her other side, Naruto was seated with his head leaned back, jaw wide open and legs propped up on the side of her bed.
"How long was I out for?"
"About a week."
"What about those cuffs?" The first thing the recovering kunoichi noticed was the bare skin of her wrists.
Hana let out a huff, relief swimming in her tired eyes. "Ibiki-san was able to get them off of you after several attempts. The research team is looking into getting as much information from them as they can." Karibi groaned, nausea racking through her and rocking the woman to her core.
"Good riddance. What's the damage?" She was alive, but she wanted to make sure there were no long-term repercussions to her reckless, yet necessary, actions; Hana's scoff was somewhat reassuring.
Before getting an answer, a surge of dizziness washed over Karibi, the world spinning and spinning. "Shit." The kunoichi tried to sit up but winced, Hana quickly rising from her seat and easing her former teammate back down.
"You can't move too much. You completely over did it. You're lucky to even be alive right now."
"I'd apologize, but the fact that we were pretty much at war with the Sound and Sand makes me feel justified." The unenthused look on the medic's face made Karibi chuckle. Her amusement faded with Hana's solemn expression.
"...What's wrong?" It seemed she had missed something while she was unconscious.
With an uncertain look on Hana's face, the older woman sighed. "...It's...It's Sandaime..."
*Seven hours later*
He was sure that no one would be awake at this hour, but that didn't stop him from getting up and heading to the hospital.
Kakashi walked through the silent streets, the sun peaking over the horizon. He kept his hands buried into his pant pockets, his single eye filled with darkness and remorse. He tried not to linger on the dreaded news of the Hokage, keeping his mind on the idea that Karibi would be in better shape upon his arrival.
Striding into the hospital, the jonin ignored the way his stomach immediately lurched; now, more than ever, he really disliked being there. After waiting in the elevator for a few seconds, the gray haired shinobi stepped out of the lift and headed left down the hallway. Once he arrived at the door he was searching for, he quietly slid it open and peeked his head inside.
Naruto was exactly where he had left him, but Karibi was not.
His initial reaction was to panic. However, once rationality took over, the jonin merely searched for the woman's chakra; if she had just woken up, he knew she would be in no condition to go far. Glancing up towards the ceiling, the 26 year old raised a brow before he slid the door shut as silently as he could. He then headed towards the stairway, heading up towards the roof.
Upon his arrival, he was greeted by hues of pink, orange and yellow in the sky.
He was also greeted with Karibi's back.
"...How could this have happened?" Kakashi immediately realized the news had been broken to her.
He didn't reply, taking long steps towards his friend. He stood right beside her, hands resting in his pockets and eye resting on the sun. Karibi's merciless grip to the railing kept her from tumbling over the edge and to the ground several stories down—not that it mattered; she'd be able to catch herself with ease.
"...It's not—"
"I should have been able to stop him." She should have been able to see Orochimaru coming.
Kakashi frowned at the woman. "You can't predict the future."
"I could have broken through that barrier," she muttered bitterly, giving Kakashi a pointed look. "I could have broken through and saved him."
"You couldn't have, and we both know that." Karibi glared at the taller ninja but didn't argue. And as she continued to give him an angry look, Kakashi remained composed and calm. He met her stare with his own, waiting with the utmost patience for her to relent. And when she finally did, he heard a sigh slip from her lips.
"...What are we going to do now?" she whispered. The helpless tone in her words made his heart sink, the weakness she was displaying was rare. The gray haired jonin let his gaze soften before he stepped closer to Karibi, eliminating whatever space had been left between them. His arm wrapped around her shoulder before he placed a kiss to the top of her head.
"We do what Sandaime would have wanted...We keep going."
§
Naruto squirmed as he slept, dreaming of bloodshed and screams and of death. His hands squeezed tightly to the arm rests of his seat before warm hands found their way to his cheek. The tension suddenly began to ease out from every pore of his body, his scrunched face relaxing and whatever nightmare he was trying to fight off dissipating.
"It's alright. I'm here," Karibi cooed, smiling gently at the slumbering genin. A heavy breath fell from her lips before she wiped sweat from his forehead and slid back into her bed; Kakashi watched from the other side.
"How is he?" the woman inquired with a rare gentleness in her voice, pulling the blankets back up to her chin. Kakashi shrugged as his reply, planting himself in the empty chair beside her. His eye drifted towards Naruto for a few seconds before he gave his friend a true answer.
"Apparently, he broke into an all-out brawl against Gaara." It was then that Karibi remembered the Nine-tailed fox and the Sand genin; their power was haunting.
Noticing the discomfort on her face, Kakashi leaned forward against the side of the bed to brush some stray pieces of hair out of the woman's eyes. "...He was able to actually harness the chakra from the Nine-tailed fox and use it for himself...he's come a long way, Karibi." Said kunoichi scoffed, though there was a proud gleam in her eyes.
"...I don't know how I feel about that."
"I don't expect you to."
"...He came out alright?" Kakashi nodded.
"He came out in one piece. Saved Sakura and Sasuke, from what Pakkun told me." That made Karibi smile.
"Good...I guess...In the end that's what really matters." The older jonin nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. I'd say so."
§
Blue eyes fluttered open, greeted by the morning beams. A groan emitted through tired lips, the sound of cracking bones following soon after. A squeal sounded through the still of the morning, Naruto stretching his arms up into the air and letting his muscles breathe. When his vision finally cleared, the 12-year-old looked immediately to the bed.
He faltered when he found Karibi up and eating with Kakashi at her side.
"You're awake!"
"Naruto. Finally up, I see."
"Kakashi-sensei! What the hell are—" Naruto let out a yelp of pain as a spoon hit him right on his bandaged forehead.
"What did I tell you about swearing?" Rubbing the new goose egg forming, the blond grimaced, Karibi smirking while Kakashi sighed.
"I'll be taking that as my cue." Standing from his seat, the jonin-teacher nodded to Karibi, giving her hand a squeeze before he looked to Naruto. The blond glowered for a brief second before he relaxed, Kakashi smiling softly and turning to walk out of the room.
And then, it was just the two Uzumaki's.
Karibi found herself feeling awkward and unsure of what to say while Naruto blushed, glancing down at his fiddling fingers. Tension began to fill up the room as the silence dragged on. And when Naruto was sure he'd explode, his guardian finally spoke.
"Why don't we go for a walk."
§
The clouds began to form in the sky, covering what once was a blue and cloudless day. Naruto let his eyes roam the gray puffs while Karibi walked beside him, using a walker to help get her around; her legs were still a bit weak from just how far she had gone.
After taking a few minutes to collect her thoughts, the jonin glanced over to the genin. "I heard about Gaara." Naruto came to a stop, his eyes wide and his jaw ajar. His shocked eyes flickered up to Karibi's face as she waited for the boy a few steps ahead. "...You did a good job, Naruto. You saved Sakura, and you stopped Sasuke from putting himself into danger." The blond let his gaze flicker to the ground, the light from the sun fading as the clouds continue to gather above him.
"...He's like me, Ribi-chan." That made the woman grimace. "He's a Jinchuriki."
"...I know." A pained expression flashed over Naruto's face.
"...He was...It was scary." Naruto's confession was unexpected for Karibi and for himself. He wasn't sure what he was trying to say or what point he was attempting to get across, but the words flowed freely from deep within the young ninja. "I've never seen someone so...so full of hate and so alone." It was strange, just how much Gaara reminded Naruto of himself, still.
"He really wanted to hurt people. He wasn't going to stop until he killed Sasuke and Sakura." Naruto let his eyes shut for a second, recalling all of the animosity in the One-tailed jinchuriki's eyes. "And he would've. If he had let the demon inside of him take over, he really would've." Karibi's jaw clenched at the vivid memory of Minato and Kushina's funeral. She recalled the moment of hearing about their death and the way her soul seemed to get sucked right out of her body.
"...Is that gonna happen to me one day?" Karibi gapped at the question, Naruto gazing up at her with unsure and frightened eyes. Her delayed response only seemed to make the boy deflate more, his gaze averting to the ground. "Am I going to turn into—"
"Don't you say it." Karibi's walker tumbled over as she shoved it away and quickly knelt down in front of the blond. Her hands grasped tightly to his shoulders before she gazed deeply into his eyes. Naruto tensed under her pressing stare, her warm touch reeling his wild thoughts back to the ground.
"...Naruto, I know I give you a hard time. I know everyone does. But you have grown up so much. And you have become such a strong and fine ninja." Karibi smiled brightly before she placed one hand on the genin's cheek. She let her thumb brush against his soft skin, following the permanent line that was etched on to his cheek. "You're a hard worker, and you're also talented. You strive to do better because you care and because you are determined...You've come this far because you love with all your heart and because you care about everyone around you." Naruto's eyes began to shine, his vision suddenly blurring.
"...What happened to Gaara will never happen to you. And if it's not because of the glowing soul that you have, it's going to be because I will protect you. I will never let anything ever happen to you." Karibi pressed her forehead against Naruto's, both of their eyes fluttering shut; tears began to stream down the boy's face.
"...You have grown up in a world where people try and tell you what you are and who you'll be. And you have never let their words blind you. Don't let it start to now."
*Two days later*
"In two days they plan to hold Sandaime's funeral and a memorial for the shinobi we lost."
"I guess that makes sense. With the rebuilding of the east side and even some of the north-west side of the village, there won't be another time to mourn and remember." Karibi stared down at her bowl of miso soup, taking spoonfuls and pouring them back into her bowl while Kakashi watched her.
"...Are you alright?" Karibi scowled at the question, her eyes finally meeting her friend's.
"...After everything that I've been through—that we've been through, I would like to say that losing someone gets easier. I'd like to think that after all the people we've lost, it hurts less and less...but that's just not true..." Karibi lifted a spoonful of soup to her lips and then paused. "...I guess this time around I've just realized I have too many lives depending on me. I can't fall apart." She then slurped up what she had portioned on her silverware.
Kakashi nodded, letting his single eye venture towards the window; it had been cloudy for several days, but it had yet to rain. "...You're one of those people." Kakashi blinked, torn from his forlorn thoughts by Karibi's voice. "You're one of the reasons I refuse to keep letting myself crumble to pieces." The older jonin smiled gently at the bedridden woman, a hand finding its way to hers and giving it a tight squeeze.
The gray haired man didn't waste a second, pulling his mask down with pinched fingers and leaning forward to capture Karibi's lips with his. The woman's eyes shut as her companion's tongue freely explored her mouth, her entire body pressed into the tower of pillows behind her. Forgetting about her meal, the kunoichi placed a hand on Kakashi's exposed cheek, her heart racing against her chest. His kiss was intoxicating and slow, every ounce of emotion he felt for her poured into the touch.
A familiar chakra poked at Kakashi's fogged mind. It pushed past the veil of want that he had, and he was swiftly pulling away from Karibi's reddened lips. In a matter of seconds, his mask was up and he was back in his seat, Karibi blinking the haze away and with a puzzled glimmer in her eyes. Her questions were answered as the door rattled open seconds later to reveal Naruto; in his hands was a tiny plate of riceballs.
"Ribi-chan!" Naruto paused and glowered at the sight of his sensei, Kakashi merely shooting him a bored stare.
"Sensei..."
"Naruto."
"Hey, short-stuff." The moment between the two had given the woman enough time to recover, a pleasant smile stretched across her once occupied lips. "What's that?"
"Your favorite!" Whatever irritation Naruto had was forgotten as he hurried to his guardian's bedside. He held out the plate to her, the riceballs from her favorite shop making the jonin's smile widen.
"You didn't have to—" Suddenly, the door to the hospital room slid open once more.
"Jiraiya?"
"Oh, well, look at that. Looks like I came at the right time." The older man's voice was filled with less vigor than it normally was, but he was still chipper; the circumstances explained the lack of enthusiasm in his words.
"Ero-sennin?" The Sanin scowled.
"How many times do I have to tell you to quit calling me that?"
"I think it makes sense." Karibi's approval led Jiraiya to sigh.
"Looks like you're in better shape than you were." The kunoichi nodded, a somber expression on her face.
"Thank—" The older shinobi was quick to wave her thanks off.
"I already told you. I had it covered." Karibi didn't say anything else about the matter; she merely smiled.
Noticing the arising tension between the pair, Kakashi eyed the sanin. He then stole a quick look to Naruto, standing to his feet. "Naruto. Come on." The blond blinked, puzzled by his teacher.
"What? But I just got here."
"Help me get water for everyone. I'm sure now that there's food and an extra person, we'll be sharing your little snack you brought." Naruto grumbled begrudgingly under his breath but didn't argue, following after the jonin-teacher. As he disappeared behind the shut door, silence settled after him.
And then, Karibi and Jiraiya were left to speak privately.
"Glad to see you're up. You were pretty close to keeling over on me." The sanin watched as his companion shrugged.
"I was just doing what I had to do. And to be clear, I wasn't keeling over on anyone." The older ninja nodded with an unconvinced look on his features.
"...In light of everything that's happened, I just wanted to check on everyone." Karibi's gaze softened as she watched the man make his way towards the window. He gazed out with lost eyes, his reflection revealing the truth behind his facade.
"...I'm sorry about Hokage-sama." Karibi's jaw clenched as she forced herself to stay composed. "I...I know that you and him were—"
"We were." The grieving sanin cleared his throat and nodded, turning back to Karibi with the same composed expression he had walked in the room with. "...He was a good man and a strong shinobi."
"He was."
Wanting to change the subject, Jiraiya plopped down beside Karibi's bed, replacing Kakashi in the chair. "Have you talked with Naruto?" The older Uzumaki blinked. "After everything that's happened—with the One-tailed fox, I think it would be a good idea to talk more about the Nine-tails." Karibi's expression hardened.
"Not to step on your toes—"
"Which is exactly what you're doing right now."
"—But I just want to make sure you two will be alright." That made the woman relax.
"What do you mean?" With a sigh, the sanin shrugged.
"From here on out, things are only going to get harder. A lot is going to change—especially now that Sarutobi-sensei..." He couldn't seem to say it out loud just yet. "Orochimaru is out there on the loose, and we still don't have all the answers we need. And there's more trouble to come not just from him. If you're going to have a conversation about the Nine-tailed fox, then I think now should be the time...before it's too late." The older man wasn't there to bring about bad news, but the both knew he was right.
Eventually, the truth would come out.
The door to the room slid open once more, sufficiently ending any more talk about the jinchuriki. Naruto carefully strolled into the room with two cups of water, Kakashi following behind him with another two cups. His single, visible eye landed straight on his occupied seat, and before he could stop himself, he spoke; laughter from Jiraiya soon followed after.
"You're in my seat."
*Two Days Later*
Finally, the rain began.
And with it, Hiruzen Sarutobi's funeral.
Karibi stood in the row behind Naruto's, gazing over at the coffin designed for the Third Hokage. There was a dread in the air as everyone began to line up one-by-one to leave a flower for the late Sandaime and pay their respects. And as people filed behind one another, Karibi found herself lost in her thoughts and her memories.
Where would she have been without the third? He who had seen a light inside of her when she had thought none existed. He who had believed that she could do what she thought was impossible and take care of Naruto. If it hadn't been for the Third, she wasn't sure where her life would have ended up in that very moment. For now, Naruto was a huge moving piece of who she was and who she was going to be. It was terrifying. And yet, all she could do was be grateful—grateful that he had been a part of her life, and grateful that he had shown her a better path for her future; her future and Konoha's, as well.
Konohamaru's sobs made Karibi's gut twist, Naruto turning his head to look at his younger comrade. He understood the boy's pain—having felt it in a different way. Karibi knew Konohamaru's pain all too well, and she did her best not to react and relive her moments of loss; Minato and Kushina's death would forever follow her.
Glancing to the empty spot to her right, Karibi tried not to wonder where Kakashi was. She knew that he was mourning just as everyone else was; he was doing what he needed to do.
Karibi watched as Naruto approached the coffin, a pile of flowers already formed from the previous shinobi who had paid their respects and said their goodbyes. The blond lingered before the framed photo of Hiruzen—not to anyone's surprise. Sandaime had always been special to Naruto, and it was no secret. He had watched over him as a child, even when no one else did; this was a surreal and painful moment for the jinchuriki.
Konohamaru's weeping never stopped as Naruto returned back to his spot in the line up, Iruka and the grandson of the late Third going together to say goodbye. The redhead in the row behind let out a deep breath through her nose before a sudden warmth to her right greeted her.
Neither Kakashi nor Karibi said anything to one another; their fingers merely brushed.
There was a heaviness that Naruto wasn't sure he'd be able to shake. He had been through his fair share of remorse, but never had he gone through it during a time where Sandaime was absent. The Third had always been there to catch him when he fell—to guide him through the darkest of times. And now, he was gone. And Naruto had no idea how he would be able to cope.
"...Iruka-sensei?" Said teacher looked up from Konohamaru's side, catching his former student's tearful blue eyes. "Why do we do it? Why do we risk our lives for others?"
"...Well...When someone passes away, it's the end. His past, his future—all the dreams he once had...they disappear along with him. And this is true, even if you die honorably in battle, as so many have...Just as Hayate did." Karibi swallowed the lump in her throat at the mention of her late comrade. "All the ties that bind him to the living are severed...All but one." Iruka gazed at the photo of the Third, his brown hair bright and his eyes full of youth and possibilities.
"People." Naruto gazed down at his academy teacher, the man smiling softly to himself. "Parents, siblings, friends, lovers—the people who were important to him. And these very people, the ones that are left behind, they're joined together by a great circle...of their shared memories of him."
The rain slowly began to stop, though the dark clouds still lingered. Karibi slowly looked up to the sky, her hair soaked through; she paid that no attention. She let her eyes flutter shut, the memory of Sandaime cooking her food after the news of her lost family hit her making her smile.
"We're all in this circle together...it's hard to explain...but we remain in this circle because we have to...because it's important to us." Naruto slowly nodded, his heart still heavy with grief.
"I think I understand what you're saying...but I'm still sad that he's gone." Kakashi eyed his student from behind for a moment before his visible eye roamed to the picture of the Third Hokage.
"Think how sad you would be if he died for nothing." Naruto blinked, looking over at his instructor with wide eyes. "...But he left us something priceless." Naruto's gleamed as he stared at his sensei, Kakashi's soft expression meeting his.
"Don't worry," he muttered lightheartedly. "You'll understand one of these days." And that made Karibi smile.
"Hey," Naruto retorted back with a smirk. "Give me some credit. That much, I understand."
Karibi smiled down at Naruto before she looked over at Kakashi. He glanced to her and said nothing, though he did lean into her and bump her side lightly.
The crowd began to disperse as the ceremony ended. And as everyone began to go their own ways, Karibi lingered behind. She stood with Naruto in front of her, both staring at the photo of Sarutobi. And as they gazed at the man, they both blinked.
The sun began to shine.
Looking up at the clearing sky, the jonin slowly began to smile. She continued to stare up at the sun, Naruto slowly approaching her side as his eyes lingered on the beaming light. With a sudden surge of bravery, the genin reached up and clasped on to his guardian's hand. Karibi tensed, her head swiftly turning so she could properly look down at the blond; his innocent smile made her relax.
"You wanna get tea with us, Ribi-chan?" Karibi blinked, looking over her shoulder and back at Naruto's team while they waited for him. Her gaze loitered around by the three before she chuckled and nodded, turning to look back at the boy in her charge.
"I'd love to." And as she pivoted on her heels to lead the way, Naruto tugged on her hand to stall her.
"What is it?" The blond cleared his throat, looking back at the Third.
"...Bye, old man." And then, they were off.
Hi everyone!
To those who are celebrating, happy Father's Day!
Three updates in a row, and all within a good span of time! I'm rather proud of myself, I must say LOL I'm hoping that this stroke of consistency continues. But I can't promise anything! I'll do my best to continue on with updates!
Now, the epic Chunin exam portion is over! And I feel like in the series, right after that, they just shoved us into more action with Itachi and Kisame showing up! It's exciting for me to think about how Karibi is going to fit into to this next little adventure. I've already mapped things out as far as what I think is going to happen, but getting it all written out is going to be interesting, to say the least! Hopefully, it all pans out the way I'm hoping it to!
Thank you to everyone who's read so far and who's decided to stick around and continue to read!
Reviews:
bored411: It's been crazy with the chunin exams! I know I wrote in a time skip, so seeing the initial reactions of Kakashi and Naruto with Karibi is something that you guys didn't get to read, but with other things I wanted to include and just with the pace of this story, I think it was the only way that I could get it to make sense! However, i've been sort of juggling the idea of doing something like "Three Days with Sensei" type of thing with what you guys missed...but we'll see ;D Thank you for reading! And thank you for reviewing!
WindyCitySlayer1: I'm keeping up so far! So I'm optimistic that I can keep this going at least for a little while longer! I'm hoping for a lot longer LOL I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! And I hope that you will enjoy future chapters that I post! Thank you so much for reading :)
AnimeFrkGrl: Hello there! Thank you for taking the time to leave such supportive and encouraging words! I really appreciate you doing that! I've brought this up a few times in my notes and such, but before actually starting this story, I put a lot of time into what I wanted the general direction of it to be and how I wanted Karibi to be! I wanted to make her fit in properly with the other characters of the series and to make sure that she contributed to the plot but also didn't twist things around too much! So it was a lot of time trying to find a balance of that, while also making her an interesting character, herself! So it makes me happy to know that you like her and that reading her story and about her past has drawn out that sort of reaction! I've read a few stories like that, and I think that's always one of the best parts about being a reader. Her relationship with Kakashi is also something that took me a long time to really map out as I feel like OC character stories paired with canon characters are a little more tedious to write! And my biggest pet peeve (if you have not seen me talk about it in my past posts) is making sure that characters remain in-character, so I wanted to make sure that Kakashi remained in character while writing him with Karibi! It's been a slower build-up between the two of them, but there is going to be a chunk in the story where you'll see more fluff and more "every day" sort of scenarios versus all the action that "Naruto" is! And there will definitely be more action and "mature" content in the future LOL those types of scenes happen to be a challenge for me to write, so I plan to challenge myself! So, hopefully, you'll enjoy those scenes ;D I'm so happy to see that you enjoy this story, overall! I can only hope that you'll continue to read and continue to like what is being posted! Thank you so much for reading!
Lonewolf1836: Hi! Thank you for for reading this story and for leaving a review! Yes, the dynamic between Karibi and Jiraiya is a little rocky, and I think from different perspectives, you can see why that makes sense! There is going to be a lot more between Jiraiya and Karibi and even Naruto in the future chapters, so hopefully those chapters and scenes will also resonate with you as the previous moments have! It's nice when you're reading to be able to relate with characters, I think that's one of the best parts, so I'm glad that in some way you're able to understand what Karibi is going through! It's not easy being in that situation. Thank you, again for reading and reviewing :)