Daisugi: The Art of Growth

by LytnX5

New genin graduate as the hopes of the Land of Fire. Shinrai Uzumaki, adoptive brother of Naruto Uzumaki and the other wicked half of the Demon Twins. Kusari Hyuuga, sister of Neji Hyuuga, trapped by destiny. Gosei Senju, descendent of the Shodai and eldest heir to the Senju Clan. Their sensei, Ryujin Hiyenzo, Kyuubi Jinchuriki and former student of the Yondaime. FullSummaryInside

42. Chapter 35

A/N: Hi! Hello! You see, this chapter has a lot! Biggest reveals in DaiSWaB so far. But more importantly, I guess I should say that uh, The relationship between Karin and Shinrai is BAD. If you find yourself in a situation resembling those two, I highly recommend doing your best to get out of it!

It's definitely obvious to some people, but the fact that some people would either glorify it or think that I am trying to glorify it keeps me up at night. I'm saying it now since uhhhh something kinda happens here and yk i really hated writing that scene! No spoilers besides another paragraph of explanation.

I feel the need to put trigger warnings for one scene, it's not TERRIBlE(not to me at least), but I'll at least say TW for dubious consent and cut to black implications
the scene that is triggering will start and end with \—⊱✿⊰—/ this screen divider so you can skip it if you think you're unable to read it.
okay that's enough from me! enjoy what's probably my best chp so far! Lytn, out o7

?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter Thirty-five — The Ancients Come Present ~ ?￢ﾜ ?

They were getting close. Too close. This was the last night that Karin had to give Shinrai what he deserved from her. So far… she failed. But he was satisfied. He was satisfied with barely anything. Trying to love him was impossible for her, so she wanted to fake it for his sake.

He didn't want it.

He didn't want fake love.

Karin was forced to be honest with him.

There was no love, no space in her heart to care about anyone or anything.

Shinrai appreciated that. He loved that.

He showed that the best he could.

He did it well.

In the final night, Karin had her head laid in his chest. She felt his heart beat against her cheek, his stomach rise and fall against her side as he breathed. He was alive, his chakra was strong, His body was warm, so warm, just like his chakra.

It was… comforting.

If Karin pretended that nothing beyond him existed, then it'd feel so good. She felt the urge to wrap her hands around his back, pull his heart closer to her. To relax and allow herself to drift into a heavy sleep because Shinrai's body felt better than any bed she ever slept on… though the standard wasn't exactly high.

The night sky was shrouded by a cave that they found, there wasn't even a campfire for them to see each other. They were both awake… despite the early morning hours of night undoubtedly present.

Even in darkness, he was the light.

When it was cold, he was the fire.

Fire… it fit him so well.

Especially for her.

Because she'd known if she got too close, it would burn.

Being as close as she was already hurt.

It hurt because Shinrai would be gone soon, not dead, but even worse.

He'd be gone and suffering and it'd be all her fault.

She had no right to find solace in the warmth she felt around him.

What she needed to do was throw herself into the flames and take the pain with a smile.

Make sure the fire grew as big and as strong and as hot as it could… before it inevitably went out.

It didn't matter about what Shinrai wanted; it was all what he deserved and he deserved so much more than what he wanted.

Karin would be the one to give him that.

\—⊱✿⊰—/

Karin was warm, so warm. The weight of her head on his chest was like a weighted blanket, so was the rest of her body on his. For once, he didn't have to feel bad about it either, not icky because he was trying to make her comfortable when she wasn't, to make her smile when she wanted to frown… she just… was.

It was almost like she was limp. There wasn't even the slightest hint of her usual tension. She… was calm. She was okay… with him.

That feeling felt better than any of the kisses she pretended to enjoy giving him. The most even and warm satisfaction of all time, it was like sitting in a hot spring at the perfect temperature. The feeling of knowing that Karin was enjoying this just as much as he was… it was beautiful.

He pushed a little, taking his hand and laying it on her head, to stroke her hair. Once his palm touched her hair, she didn't flinch or tense up. Her hair was soft, full, thick and full of life. Everything about her physically really was fucking flawless.

The breath she went out was like the breaths they used to take between kisses, except it was… calmer, less intense, but equally passionate. Her breath brought an excited twinge of a smirk to his face. "Karin."

"Hm?"

"Can you sing?"

"I've… never tried. Why?"

"Because… I wanna hear you sing?"

Karin shifted, sitting up. He couldn't tell where she went since there was no light. At all. Activating his Sharingan to see her might have scared her a bit? Maybe? He didn't wanna… try. Plus, he'd get more opportunities to see her later.

"What should I sing then?"

"Uh…" Shinrai winced, thinking of Yora's song. His instinct urged him to hold her hilt, but he shoved it down. "I dunno, whatever comes to mind? For you, what feels right."

"Ah… I'm not exactly… a creative mind…"

"If it's coming from you, then I'm going to adore it."

Karin let out a breath. "I know." Then she took a deep one, centering herself. "Are we… losing… or…" Karin stopped herself once she heard herself.

Her singing… was not good. It was unclear, strained, and really just sounded off.

Shinrai laughed. "Damn… you're almost as bad as me."

A slap was heard as Karin covered her face with her hands. "I'm sorry."

"No! Don't be! Keep going! I still wanna hear it!"

"Why?!"

"Because it's fun!"

"Nothing about you makes any fucking sense—"

"Since when does love make sense, Karin?"

She let out another exasperated breath, a bit of a chuckle accompanying it. The sound made Shinrai's heart soar.

"Are we losing… or… beginning… to try a new life without you…?
The moment that's where I…! Kill the conversation, wrap things up, with a lie that I'm enjoying every minute with myself…
And you can make… hell… feel just like home—" Karin cut herself off and shook her head. "I can't do this."

Shinrai just laughed and smiled, leaning forward toward her. His bare forehead bumped into hers and she yelped. "Sorry—"

"Light a fire, please."

"With what?!"

"I don't know! Figure it out."

Shinrai groaned and took off his jacket, just having his mesh armor on. He took a few steps back and threw it in front of him. Using his jutsu, he lit a small flame and light filled the cave they were in. He could see her face and just the sight made him grin.

"You're so fucking beautiful."

Karin rolled her eyes. "So I've been told."

Shinrai sat down in front of his flaming jacket and beamed at her, taking in every detail of… her. Karin's face was one of the few good things his Sharingan burned into his memory.

Karin… refused to look above the flames at him.

Snorting, Shinrai joked that, "You must think I'm ugly then."

"If I did, then I wouldn't have even considered kissing you."

Shinrai snickered at that. "Well, nice to know it's not my looks that repulse most girls."

"You knew that already…"

Shinrai let out a breath that was meant to be a laugh.

Silence fell upon the crackling flames.

Karin broke it.

"With me… what's your end goal?" she asked, leaning closer to the fire as she peered into it.

Shinrai tilted his head. "That depends… on what you want, what you're okay with."

She almost looked frustrated with his answer. "I'm okay with anything Shinrai. You know that—"

"Okay, let me rephrase. What you enjoy."

That answer shut her up, her floral firework eyes burning with desperation and irritation. "Assume that I enjoy everything—"

"Why? You won't—"

"That doesn't matter!" she screamed.

Shinrai froze, ice in his veins as he looked at her. Immediately, shame made her wrap herself in her arms and pull herself into a ball. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry—"

"Don't be…" Shinrai murmured, swallowing the lump in his throat. He was the one being difficult, after all. "I… uh… I hope we love each other, forever and ever. You'll agree to become my girlfriend, then my wife, maybe have some kids together if you're fine with that… down the line. Then we die happily together."

Karin shook her head. "That'll take too long."

"Huh? Yeah? We have time—"

"No we don't—" Karin slapped her hand on her mouth and cringed.

A beat of silence past where Shinrai just looked at her… she wasn't… faking a goddamn thing. This was really just… all her. All of Karin and her volatile emotions. He didn't expect her to act like this in particular… but wasn't disappointed, no.

He was going to love her no matter what.

If anything, he was happy that she was getting all of this out.

"What do you mean we don't have time?" asked Shinrai, making his voice as calm and comfortable as possible, it was almost like he was talking to Naruto… back when the village's hate really got to him.

Naruto… Shinrai couldn't hold back his wince.

"If you were to die tomorrow, what would you want to do with me? Right here, right now, because you'll never have the chance to do anything else again," Karin said, completely ignoring his question and asking her own.

Shinrai… pondered. "You don't think we'll kill the Snake Sannin?"

"Just answer my question please," she pleaded, peering into his eyes through the flame.

She's scared… Not that I can blame her… Just the thought of facing Oroch—

—Naruto's mangled body—

—Shinrai shuddered, then fixed his mind to her question. The stab of terror he felt needed to be offset with something funny. A joke, yeah… he needed to find one. Once he did, he snorted. "Well, I'd hate to die a virgin."

"Okay," she said without missing a beat. She got up and walked over to him.

"Wait, wait, I was joking—" Shinrai clarified, putting his hands out.

Karin knelt down in front of him, leaning forward until their lips were an inch away from touching. She was trying to be that seductress she already failed to be before. "What if I said I was willing?"

"Then I wouldn't believe you," Shinrai answered, giving a hard and serious look.

Karin's false persona melted, and she looked down in shame. A damning silence passed before she thrusted a kiss into him. Caught off guard, she pushed him to the rocky floor and pinned him with her lips.

She pulled back, and looked him in the eyes. She was almost… panicking?

Shinrai looked back. "Karin… We're not going to die tomorrow."

"You don't know that—"

"Yeah, I do. I have too much to live for. I have to live so I can love you, I have to live so I can be there for Naruto, I have to live so Ms. Miya won't be sad, I have to live so I can help Kusari.

"Even if I somehow fail to kill fucking Orochimaru I know damn well I won't die. You can count on that."

Karin buckled as if hearing his words hurt. "Why… why are you the way you are?"

"I dunno…" Shinrai answered honestly. "I just am."

Karin winced and just looked at him… in the same way you couldn't turn your head away from a corpse. "What do you want from me, Shinrai?"

"I already told you. I want to love you."

Karin shook her head, denying his statement and grabbed his wrist, pulling his palm onto her chest. Shinrai's heart skipped a beat as he felt one of her tits in his hand. "Karin—?"

"Nono, this is what you want? This is what you want right?!" She asked, nearly screaming at him.

The overwhelming flood of emotions prevented Shinrai from answering. What would he even want to say? Yes? No? He just wanted to make sure she was alright. Karin was off of him. The moment he gained his bearings enough to look at her, her short top was already on the floor.

The moment he processed that, her bra was on the floor beside him. He blinked and shook his head. "Karin! What are you doing?!"

"Giving you what you deserve."

"What—? What do you mean?!"

She didn't respond, pulling off her shorts and her underwear before gripping the band of his pants and looking him in the eyes.

If he was to say no, this would be as good a time as any. Did he want to?! Would this help her? Obviously, she was trying to do this for a reason—he just couldn't understand why. She was panicking, frantic, and not okay.

But at the same time, he felt bad refusing her. What if this was her way of getting all of this out, like fighting was for him? It was all going so fast that he just didn't have the opportunity to ask—

Nothing about this was okay.

But… he couldn't help but let it happen anyway.

—⊱✿⊰—

Gosei groaned, shifting against the discomfort of laying down for so long. Ugh, I went unconscious again? How long was I out?! His eyes opened to that damned Academy Classroom light. I miss the sun…

"Hey, you're awake again," said Sakura?

He looked to his left to see her hovering her hands over his torso, Mystic Palm shimmering over him. "Decided to finish what you started, I see…"

Sakura chuckled a little. "I guess… just doing my duty to Konoha."

"Good, good," Gosei responded. "How long was I out for?"

"Another day," answered Sakura, focusing on his wound, given to him by the Kyuubi. "I've… managed to get the poison out of your chakra, with… a lot of help. Your mom gave you a lot of attention."

His eyes widened. "She's awake?!"

"Yep! She's… the Hokage now," Sakura said, looking dreamily, admirably into the sky. "Well, is going to be, in a week. She's leaving Konoha to find Lady Tsunade of the Sannin."

Gosei nodded along. "I see… Who's going to be running the village until then?"

"Miya Uzumaki is," informed Sakura, also having a look of dreamy admiration in her eyes.

Gosei nodded along. "That's good to hear." A smirk crossed his face. "I'm the son of a Kage…" That statement, that sentiment felt so… right. It fit perfectly into his destiny.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Congratulations," she said half sarcastically, half genuinely. Afterward, she let out a dejected sigh. "I wish I had a cool parent like you…"

"Isn't your father Head of the Civilian Council?" asked Gosei, brow raised.

Sakura shrugged. "Well, yeah, but it's not like the Civilian Council actually does anything. He said the only Hokage to give them the time of day was the Fourth… all the others just ignore him. He's lame."

"I disagree," stated Gosei. "Konoha may be a military institution, but it is also a civilian residency. Your father has the important job of keeping the proper balance and keeps Konoha's economy flowing. Without funds, Konoha's Shinobi System would fall apart. He's a very important man."

"If you say so…" Sakura said with a sigh.

A beat of silence passed and Sakura spoke again. "Oh, yeah, Natsuyo wanted me to tell you that she's going to be going with Lady Fifth on her mission to retrieve Lady Tsunade."

Gosei's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Yeah! She seemed really excited about it. Apparently Lord Jiraiya and Naruto are going, too. Natsuyo said it doubled as a training trip for them," she added.

Gosei's fists clenched hard. Naruto and Natsuyo were going to have personal training from both his mother and a Sannin?! Furthermore, they were going to find Lady Tsunade?! All without him. All without him—because he was wasting away in this damned hospital bed.

"Sakura," Gosei began, slowly, cooly. She looked at him with her brow raised. "You said my chakra is unaffected by the Kyuubi's Chakra, right?"

"Yeah?"

Gosei shut his eyes and focused, commanding his chakra to circulate faster. Immediately, Sakura's Mystic Palm was thrown out of whack and she yelped. "What are you doing?!"

Gosei didn't answer her. He felt his chakra—it was mostly fine, but using it burned. Pain? That was nothing. Next, he charged his physical energy, his Yang and a screaming pain at his torso rebelled against it.

"Gosei, stop!" Sakura commanded, looking ready to slap him.

He did. He did stop.

Gosei seethed a breath through his teeth. I'm not going to be left in the dust due to a pathetic injury! "Sakura," he asked (un)calmly. "Has Natsuyo left yet?"

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Answer the question."

Sakura glared. "Not until you tell me why!"

"I want to talk to her."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "...probably not."

"Good."

With that, Gosei stifled a scream as he sat up. Sakura glared with panic and frustration. "What are you doing?!" She tried to push him back down—Gosei fought back of course.

"Ugh—Get off of me!" Gosei commanded, holding back Sakura with his arm.

Sakura glowered with an intensity that reminded him of his mother—"Not until you get back in that god damned bed!"

Gosei growled, pushing forward and getting a foot on the ground—the tile was freezing on his bare feet. Surprisingly, Sakura put up a strong resistance, but even in his weakened state, he was still a Senju. He got both feet on the ground and stood up—immediately stopping himself from collapsing.

"Where is my Bo Staff?!" he demanded, wavering.

Sakura was physically restraining herself from causing him more damage. "GET BACK IN THE BED GOSEI!"

Ignoring her, he didn't see his staff anywhere. He cursed under his breath, weaving a half seal. A pillar of earth in the shape of a cane sprouted from the tile and allowed him to walk. Sakura kicked it from his grasp and he fell, with Sakura catching him by the collar.

An aura of genuine fury radiated off of her—it was horrifying.

"Gosei Senju," she began. "If you don't get your ass back in that hospital bed, then only heaven will be able to save you from what I will do to you."

He seethed and grabbed his earthen cane, supporting himself and getting Sakura off of him again—"Listen to me!" Gosei yelled. "I have been left in the dust by Natsuyo, Hinata, Sasuke, by Naruto, by Shinrai—Kusari." He let out an infuriated breath. "Every single one of my peers have surpassed me and I refuse to stand for it any longer!

"To hell with injuries, to hell with whatever my body says! If I'm stagnant, if I do nothing in that damned bed then they're going to leap past me even farther! I will not have it. I am not having this for another damned second!" With that, he limped past Sakura as she stood ready to pull out her hair."

"Y'know what? Go right ahead! When Lady Fifth comes and drags you back here I am going to be laughing my ass off while I heal you for the next two weeks!"

"Keep dreaming!" Gosei snarked in return as he limped out of the Academy, everybody too stunned to stop him.

They knew better, after all.

He was Gosei Senju. No matter how far surpassed he was, nothing could take that away from him.

—⊱✿⊰—

Nothing like a good bowl of ramen to calm Naruto down when things were stressful. Slowly, bite by bite, the smooth, soft noodles made him feel so good on the inside. Once the noodles were done, he chugged down the steaming hot broth; he felt the warmth spread throughout his chest when he swallowed. Naruto kicked his feet and grinned once he was done.

Honestly, it was a miracle that the Ichiraku Ramen stand survived the carnage that was Konoha Crush. Old Man Teuchi and Ayame were evacuated during the whole thing, so they were just fine! That made him really, really, really happy.

"Thank you guys for the food!" Naruto beamed at them, taking out his toad wallet, and giving them the five-hundred ryo he had in there. All of his funds. "It's not much… but money's tight here, y'know?"

Teuchi shook his head. "Nuh uh, you keep your money, Naruto. You'll need it much more than us!"

"No—please! I can just go on a mission and get it back!" Naruto pushed the cash toward Ayame and Teuchi.

Ayame pushed the money back toward Naruto. "No, it's our duty to feed Konoha without charge in a time like this! It won't be right for us to take the money!"

Naruto grabbed his head. "But I'll feel bad!"

"Don't!" they said in unison. Teuchi laughed. "Wouldn't be the first time your ramen was on the house, eh?"

"That's why I feel bad!"

"Naruto, don't worry about it!" Teuchi grinned at him. "You can pay us back all of your debt when you become Hokage."

Naruto let out a sigh and laughed. "Yeah…"

"C'mon, we just got a new Hokage and we're already talking about the next one?"

Naruto looked back with his brow raised. "Pervy Sage?!"

Ayame's eyes widened. "What Sage?!"

Jiraiya sighed. "Naruto, what did I say about calling me that in front of other people—?"

"But it's what you are!" Naruto argued, waving his fist.

Jiraiya waved his fist back at Naruto. "That doesn't mean everyone has to know!"

Naruto opened his mouth to say something but Jiraiya pulled him away from the ramen stand by the back of his collar. "HEY! I didn't pay—!"

"They said it was on the house! Pay them back later! Ever heard of a tab, kid?!" Jiraiya threw Naruto on his ass in front of him.

Naruto stood up and gave a pouty glare to Jiraiya. "Why the hell are you even here in the first place?!"

"Because I'm taking you on a training trip mission, that's why!" Jiraiya stated with gusto and a grin.

All of Naruto's frustration melted into excitement. "What?! No way!"

"Hell yeah!" Jiraiya affirmed with a nod. "I wanna take Shinrai too, where is he?"

Naruto stiffened. "He's already on a top secret super dangerous mission!"

Jiraiya gave him a skeptical look. "Uh huh… When missions weren't being given out, he went on one?"

"Yeah… uh… it's an S-Rank! Super Secret! Ms. Miya sent him out on it the night after the invasion!" Naruto rambled, keeping his composure better than he did with Miya.

Jiraiya nodded along to his explanation. "Okay, so if I go ask Miya, she'll tell me what he's doing!"

"No! It's a super duper S-Rank secret! You can't know!"

"...Okay, let me go test that theory—"

Naruto grabbed Jiraiya's shirt. "NO! She's doing Hokage things, she's busy! What about that training trip, eh? What are we doing?!"

"I don't know if I should bring you… Since you're keeping secrets from me…"

Naruto shook his head. "It's a really big thing—"

"Is Shinrai trying to go after Orochimaru?" asked Jiraiya calmly.

Naruto's eyes bulged out of his head. "HOW DID YOU—?"

Jiraiya's eyes bulged out the same. "WAIT THAT'S WHAT THE FUCK HE'S DOING?!"

Naruto froze. DAMMIT I GOT BAITED!

The Sannin rubbed his temples and let out a heavy sigh. "O…kay… Isn't he supposed to be the smarter one between you two?!"

"Yeah but, Shinrai's a lot stronger too! And he's not alone!" Naruto defended.

Jiraiya nodded slowly. "Who's he with?"

"Karin! She's a girl with great healing chakra and Adamantine Chains! She passed the Chunin Exams by herself!" Naruto defended.

Jiraiya shook his head. "Yeah, that's cool. Do you know how little that matters?! He's a Sannin!"

"Isn't he weakened?! Shinrai has Kyuubi Chakra too!"

Jiraiya let out a haggard sigh. "Okay, let me tell you how weakened the Snake Sannin is." Jiraiya clasped his hands behind his back. "First of all, he has no use of his arms. Secondly, he can't use chakra at all.

"Orochimaru was stronger than me; keep that in mind as you fight me."

"Wait, fight you—?!"

Jiraiya nodded. "Yeah, let me put it into perspective for you."

Naruto clenched his fists, roaring into Version Zero as his Kyuubi Chakra erupted. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he roared, crossing his fingers as a dozen Narutos popped into existence around Jiraiya. They dogpiled him, with Jiraiya leaping above them all. With expert kicking Taijutsu, he decimated the clones—a flash of speed that Naruto had no hope of tracking kicked Naruto's head into the floor.

"See?"

Naruto went pale.

"You know how strong Shinrai is, right? Do you think he could keep up with that… think about your knowledge of Kyuubi Chakra, think about how strong you know Shinrai is. Is he beating me?"

Naruto pursed his lips. Shinrai… without any extra power ups was stronger than Naruto was in the one-tailed cloak—maybe two?! But… he had a Version One cloak on top of that already there. He had help too…

But Jiraiya was just overwhelming—"I don't know…"

Jiraiya's eyes widened a slight amount. "Not a complete no? Surprising. Either way, I'm not taking any chances. On this mission, we're going to be finding Shinrai and this Karin, alright?"

"Okay," agreed Naruto without a second's hesitation. "I… don't wanna tell Ms. Miya, though."

"Scared she's going to kill you?"

Naruto's skin turned the color of bone. "Well, yeah, but like… she has enough to worry about right now, y'know? I don't wanna make things worse."

Jiraiya let out a sigh. "Fair enough… stressing out our Hokage seems like a bad idea."

"Yuh huh!" agreed Naruto as Jiraiya finally let him stand. "So, uh… what was the original mission?"

"I guess we're going to have to track down both Sannin at this rate…" muttered Jiraiya with his sense of humor. "We were going to join Lady Fifth and her daughter on a trip to find my teammate, the Slug Princess Tsunade. Was hoping I could get some training done with you at the same time."

"Oh! That sounds cool! Why is this uh… Tsunade so important?" asked Naruto, scratching his head.

Jiraiya scoffed. "You don't know of her?! She's the greatest Medical Shinobi of all time! And look how many injured we have? We need her in a time like this…"

"Makes sense…" Naruto muttered.

Jiraiya ruffled his hair. "Now, go prepare. We leave at noon. We can't waste any time with Shinrai's life on the line."

Naruto nodded, then scurrying off toward his still intact apartment—it was one of the few buildings still completely standing after Konoha Crush—ready to get everything that he needed.

I'm coming for you, Shinrai!

—⊱✿⊰—

The moment Kusari realized she was unconscious she shot up. Her Byakugan flashed alight, and she scanned the cave she was in. I didn't even realize I was knocked out! White, almost transparent webs lined the entire area of black rocks, with hundreds of spiders crawling everywhere—it made her skin crawl alongside them. What was most apparent in the cave was the man sitting in the center, on the floor, unphased by the spiders crawling all over him.

Kimimaro.

"You've awoken, Shivua," he said, voice even, not low or high pitched, but distinctly powerful. The chakra behind his bandaged eye was still visible in its starry divine glory, but nowhere near as blinding as it was before.

What Dojutsu is that…?

On top of that, his vascularity and muscularity was toned down… Was she hallucinating before?

Kusari pulsed her Byakugan, and all she saw for the radius of miles was rock, rock, and more rock. How deep underground did he take her?! On top of that, on top of that… Kimimaro knew of Shivua.

Kusari had so many questions for him that she didn't know where to start. As she pondered, Kimimaro tilted his head. "Shivua, are you not going to speak?"

He… didn't seem hostile. He saved her life, after all. Kusari bit her lip, not putting down her guard. "How do you know of Shivua?"

"Why wouldn't I know of Shivua?" he asked in return. "She is the progenitor of my clan."

Shivua… a she? "Your clan…" Her eyes narrowed. "The Kaguya Clan?" I've never heard of them…

Kimimaro stood. "Indeed."

Kusari stood to match—he towered over her. After a beat of silence, Kimimaro let out a disappointed sigh. "It is a shame you know nothing of your true nature. However, being who I am, I am here to inform you."

She remained tense as she opened her ears to hear what Kimimaro was about to say.

"However, I will only tell you if you are worthy."

Worthy?

"The Kaguya Clan is known for our bloodline, Nikuura. It has three components." Kimimaro's flesh split open, leaving room for his ribs to stick out of his chest.

It made Kusari's skin crawl.

"The Dead Bone Pulse."

Next, his skin ripped over his arms. The vascularity and inhuman physique returned as tendrils of pure muscle stuck out of his skin, powerful and fueled with chakra.

Kusari was disturbed even deeper.

"The Dying Flesh Tear."

Finally, the skin around his hand hardened, forming a spiky, pale weapon from the very skin on his body.

It was the least disturbing part of Kimimaro's demonstration.

"The Living Skin Sheer."

Kusari pursed her lips. Shivua it—she was pleased, deeply by Kimimaro, the display of his bloodline… it was the first time Kusari felt anything other than anger from this… progenitor inside of her. "What does this have to do with me?!"

"You are Shivua. As the progenitor of the Kaguya, she had her own Nikuura. You may not be a Kaguya by blood, but you do have potential to awaken the Nikuura for yourself. Shivua used her Nikuura to transform your body to her liking."

Kusari's eyes went wide. "What—?"

"I have watched you since the day you were born, Shivua. You have displayed great power, but not the ability to use Nikuura. It is tradition in the Kaguya Clan, that if one does not awaken Nikuura by age ten, they are beaten into awakening it, or expelled from the clan.

"It has been nearly thirteen years and you have no Nikuura for yourself."

Immediately, Kusari put her arms up into the Juken stance—faster than she could react, Kusari felt her bones snap.

She screamed from the agony she's barely felt before. All Kimimaro did was backhand her.

"Fail to awaken Nikuura and I will kill you and make it so the next transmigrant of Shivua is no failure myself."

Kimimaro balled his fist. His Dying Flesh Tear ripped tendrils and strands of muscle through his skin, turning his arm into a mass of muscle. She could react—he was holding back. Even still, it was too fast. It slammed into her chest and her entire body rattled. Her ribs were collapsed into what felt like nothing and she couldn't breathe.

"Are you seriously so pathetic, Shivua?"

Had he once used her name? Kusari could barely think through the utter agony of her existence. Kusari screamed out and attempted to stand—she just collapsed back onto her shattered chest and growled. Blood poured out of her mouth and she clenched her fists.

"You're shaping up to be Shivua's most pathetic transmigrant."

His words glossed over her as she forced Shivua's power to rise. The pain became nothing and her hair started to stand.

"Shivua…" Kimimaro rasped, growing frustrated. "Get up—"

"MY NAME IS KUSARI!" she screamed, exploding with ancient power as the pain numbed itself. She struck at Kimimaro with an Ingoken.

It collided with his chest and did nothing.

The Living Skin Sheer ripped into a blade of pale flesh that gutted Kusari. Blood poured from her belly and she shrieked, kicking at Kimimaro with an Ingoken that was futile. The Dead Bone Pulse ripped his skin and he grabbed a club from his ribs. He knocked Kusari in the head and her whole world went black.

Her scalp burned as Kimimaro grabbed her by the hair, tendrils of his muscle traveled down her face, they were wet—covered in blood. His muscle slowly, painfully pierced into her skull, allowing him to whip her into the webbed rock below as painfully as possible. Her skull cracked and her legs shattered into nothing.

"Have you no self? Have you no determination? Have you no resilience?"

Kimimaro kicked Kusari, releasing her head as she went flying into the opposite side of the cave. It was small, only a dozen meters, She barely lost any force as she slammed into the wall.

Kusari couldn't even be angry.

She was scared.

All she felt was the cold embrace of how guaranteed her fate was to end. By all measures, it was hopeless. Shivua was never meant to be controlled—Shivua was never her. Shivua was something else—far beyond what she could comprehend and think.

Shivua was… nothing.

All she remembered were the days where she simply wanted to be average, pass by and serve the Main Branch like every other Hyuuga like her. How laughable was that? The one-eyed elder succeeded in killing her, in a way. That Kusari was dead and she should stay that way.

What about the new one? This Kusari who was going to die just like the old one? This Kusari saw past that, this Kusari had resolve harder than her shattered bones. This Kusari had a goal to free the Branch Families from the Main Branch's tyranny. This Kusari had to be the consequence of every bad action in this pathetic world.

To Kimimaro, none of that mattered.

To Kimimaro, he was killing Shivua, not Kusari.

"...Who am I? Kimimaro?" she rasped, barely able to speak as the hulking man walked toward her.

"You are Shivua."

"Wrong," Kusari corrected, gritting her teeth. At the same time, she became acutely aware of every bone in her body. Kusari flooded her bones with Chakra and they joined back together, allowing her to stand as she glared at Kimimaro with her active Byakugan. "I am Kusari Hyuuga. End my fate, kill me if you want to! But if you do, you know this. You are not just killing Shivua, you are killing Kusari, you are killing me. I refuse to let that go unacknowledged!"

It was then when Kusari truly processed that she was standing. Despite all of her bones being shattered into nothing, they were back; they reformed stronger than ever. Kusari's eyes widened. Her gaze moved to her forearm; she took her other hand and hovered it over her forearm while flooding chakra into the bones there. The bone shifted and her skin split. Kusari grabbed the handle of a Bone Tanto and pulled it out of her—a new bone formed in its place seconds after.

Kimimaro simply tilted his head. "So, it is the Dead Bone Pulse that calls to you first? It was the same for me." The chakra behind his bandages flared and Kusari was blinded once again. At the same time, the hands of an angel grabbed her. Immediately, she was soothed. A woman's voice shushed her, humming at the same time. Her mind drifted into peaceful waves of thoughtlessness before fading as the heavenly hands released her. Just as quickly, the voice left and Kimimaro's blinding chakra died back down.

All of her bodily injuries were gone as if they didn't happen. Kusari couldn't help but let out a relieved breath as the agony faded.

"What… was that?"

"That was the Queen of Heaven," answered Kimimaro as he sat back down.

Kusari furrowed her brow, not dropping her guard. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Exactly that. I summoned the Queen of Heaven to heal your injuries."

Kusari blinked… "How—?"

"Sit down, Shivua—"

—"Kusari, call me by my name."

Kimimaro's visible eye narrowed. "Sit down, Kusari, I will tell you everything."

Shoving down her instinct to not, Kusari sat down on the bed of spider webs, legs crossed, mirroring Kimimaro. "Alright. Now, tell me."

Kimimaro took a deep breath, gathering his knowledge before sharing it with Kusari. Each passing moment was a building eternity of anticipation.

"It starts with the Sage of the Six Paths. He had four children, two sets of twins. The eldest were the Sun Twins, Indra Otsutsuki, and Ashura Otsutsuki. The youngest were the Moon Twins. Bontena Otsutsuki and Shivua Otsutsuki."

Kusari nodded along, ignoring the rage that Shivua felt toward her… siblings, it seemed.

"Bontena and Shivua were sisters, who eventually grew to be the progenitors of the Hyuuga and Kaguya clans respectively. Bontena was satisfied with her role, her clan, but Shivua was not. Her ambition far surpassed any of her siblings.

"Shivua… she wanted to ascend to the highest level possible, transcend mortality and become… Kaguya."

Kusari's brow furrowed. "Kaguya? She wanted to become the clan she created?"

"No, the Kaguya Clan was named in Kaguya's honor. Kaguya herself is the Mother of All. She is the one who created all that has existed, does exist, and will exist. She is immortal and all knowing, all present and all powerful. She is the air we breathe, the dirt beneath our feet, the chakra we use to battle, the Senjutsu that harmonizes the world, the blinding sun and the shimmering moon. Kaguya is all."

"I see…" Kusari nodded. "And Shivua wanted to become that?"

"Indeed. Shivua was willing to do anything to fulfill her ambition of becoming Kaguya. Her willingness to destroy went too far for Bontena to tolerate. A cataclysmic battle between the twin sisters commenced." Kimimaro snarled and Shivua raged within her.

"Bontena triumphed, killing Shivua to match her own sense of justice. Bontena put the wellbeing of insignificant ants over the prosperity of her own sister. Bontena knew that… and succumbed to her own pathetic grief, taking herself out of this world because she couldn't live with the pain of killing her own sister."

Kimimaro's recounting of history made Shivua roar within her—the ancient fury was making Kusari tremble.

"However," he continued, "Shivua did not let death stop her. With a chakra as powerful as Shivua's, it was impossible for her to die truly. Not even the Pure Lands could hold her vengeance. She broke out, having a piece of her soul and all of her chakra transmigrate to a single Kaguya that will become her and fulfill her ascension.

"Bontena saw that. She simply couldn't let Shivua reach her goals. She abandoned her own afterlife to transmigrate for the sole purpose of stopping Shivua. Her transmigrants, of course, are confined to the Hyuuga Clan."

Kusari tilted her head. "But… I am Shivua's transmigrant, and I am of the Hyuuga Clan? How is that possible?"

"After centuries of war between the Kaguya and Hyuuga Clans, Shivua grew restless. Loss after loss, Bontena continued to come out on top. Her descendants were dwindling in number and it became harder and harder to find a suitable candidate to transmigrate into.

"Then Shivua had an idea. Shivua… decided to invade Bontena's bloodline. Shivua and Bontena are sisters, after all… even across different lines, they still shared blood. That was when Shivua's greatest transmigrant thus far came to be."

"Shiroida…" Kusari realized, eyes widening.

"Precisely," Kimimaro confirmed. "Shiroida was able to destroy the Hyuuga Clan from the inside out, eradicating their peace, enslaving them with the Caged Bird Seal. But most of all…" Kimimaro brought his hand up to the bandaged half of his face, and undid them.

They drifted to the ground.

Kimimaro's right eye was the most beautiful and most powerful thing Kusari had ever seen.

"He awakened the Tenseigan. One of the Sage of Six Paths' ultimate ocular powers."

Kusari was simply… enamored by the eye of God. A pupil of night surrounded by a glowing, starry blue iris—a lotus in the shape of a star beamed amongst the floral lines in the iris. The sheer power from the Tenseigan being unveiled weighed the small cave down with such presence that it was unbearable. She was no sensor, far from it, and yet she felt the power of that single eye far more than even the power she had within herself.

Simply perceiving it made her feel like an atom next to the sun.

The definition of nothing.

"He used the Tenseigan to change the very fate of the Hyuuga. Shiroida wrote it in the stars for the Hyuuga to waste away, to fall apart and become pathetic. Just that they are, aren't they?" asked Kimimaro.

Stiffly, Kusari nodded. She didn't know what else to do but agree.

"His last act was to write the Hyuuga Clan's final fate into stone. The next transmigrate of Shivua into the Hyuuga Clan, will surpass him as Shivua's Greatest Transmigrant."

Kusari was trembling; her heart beat ice through her veins. "And… that's me."

"Indeed." Kimimaro stood back up and Kusari paled. "Before you, it was my father who was Shivua's previous transmigrant. He knew that after him, it would be time for Shivua's greatest to be born. He instructed me to serve Shivua's will, and gifted me Shiroida's Tenseigan in order to guarantee that."

Kimimaro reached into the air but a rift appeared—a blue tear in what seemed like space itself. He grabbed a scroll, covered in spider webs and crawling with newborn spiders, and handed it to her. Kusari swallowed her disgust to take the scroll.

"A summon contract, the Spider Clan, known as the Weavers of Fate. They will assist you on this journey."

Kusari nodded and slid the scroll into her pouch.

Kimimaro let out a breath, looking to the ceiling of the cave. "And now, time to write your fate into the stars."

"What—?" Kimimaro grabbed her by the head. Terror froze her in place. His Tenseigan glowed and the lotus in his eye bloomed. Slowly, Kimimaro raised his other hand into the air. Just as he did, the cave they were in dismantled itself—no Kimimaro deconstructed it. It disintegrated into rocks the size of her and floated. The cave opened to the sky—Kusari still couldn't see any land—were they in the sky?!

The sun blinded Kusari with its light as Kimimaro cleared every cloud in the sky. Nothing but expensive blue and blinding shine was above them. That was until Kimimaro rotated his hand to the left.

The sky moved. Kimimaro moved the sky with a flick of his wrist. It whirled and Kusari felt sick. Blue blurred to orange, to purple, to black. All she saw were the stars above—the formerly crescent moon turned full in seconds and moonlight illuminated Kimimaro as he looked Kusari directly in the eyes.

"With the fate that I decree, you will be the one to destroy the Hyuuga Clan, Kusari Hyuuga: The Greatest Transmigrant of Shivua Otsutsuki."

With that statement, the very stars stitched themself into a new constellation that she'd never seen before. A dragon of purely blue stars expanded its wings in the east, looking ready to do battle with the white tiger that roared in the west.

Kimimaro let out a breath. The moon returned to its crescent and his hold on the sky released as daytime returned. He reconstructed the cave and Kusari and Kimimaro were concealed once again.

Kusari wouldn't stop shaking.

With his hand still on her head, Kimimaro focused. A starry blink and Kusari felt grass beneath her feet—the sun beamed and there were no more spiders, no more webs. In front of was… Konoha?

She was home?

"I will always be watching you. Anything that you need is my obligation to give you. If you need assistance, then I will assist you. Until we meet again, Shivua."

In that same blink, Kimimaro was gone.

Everything was simply… blank. Nothing felt like it existed. Not when she witnessed her own fate being made. Kusari always believed in fate, but to see it confirmed so undeniably was something else. What… her fate. Her fate was to destroy the Hyuuga Clan.

Shivua wasn't just malice—she was a being. Kusari had the sentient chakra of a Goddess that transfigured her body. Not this. Kusari did not want any of this. There was no way she'd destroy the entirety of the Hyuuga Clan—no, not at all. The Main Branch, absolutely, but the Side Branches as well? Absolutely not. No—she was supposed to protect them.

How could she deny it? How could she deny fate itself?! She couldn't rebel against the stars she'd pray to—the stars that lit her very path in life. It was the fate of Shivua, not her! Shivua was… Shivua was not good. Of course, of course she knew that—but… a Goddess how was she supposed to control a Goddess?! Every time Kusari thought she had Shivua under control—it was just the other way around. Kusari was falling right in line.

Her hatred of the heiress, her awakening of this Nikuura… Kusari was already shaping up to be this so-called Greatest Transmigrant.

Outside of Konoha, looking in—to where she could see the decimated wall that led to the rebuilding Hyuuga Clan… Kusari said, No.

I am not Shivua… I am Kusari. I am Kusari Hyuuga. Her Dead Bone Pulse reveled in the sentiment while she felt Shivua rage within her—rage against her.

Listen to me, Shivua and listen close. I am not you. You are me. And you've sacrificed your power to me. I will use everything you give me to make the Hyuuga Clan the greatest it will ever be.

If that makes you angry? Then I do not care.

Shivua screamed inside of her—Kusari's movements were stifled—she walked forward anyway.

Kusari took her first step into her own fate.

Not Shivua's.

Never Shivua's.

—⊱✿⊰—

The sun beat Sasuke relentlessly. Admittedly, there wasn't much he could do in order to help Konoha rebuild or anything, not now at least. Miya Uzumaki, the placeholder Hokage, said that all Shinobi were on standby to take any and every mission that they could. That was going to be his part. To keep that promise to himself, to his home, the moment Sasuke could, he trained. He worked himself to the marrow.

It was recovery time now. Hopefully, he earned a promotion to Chunin with his performance in the Exams. He'd be able to help a whole lot more then. What wasn't helping, however, was the damned sun—its summer rays were melting him from the outside inward. Sasuke felt like rubber on a stovetop—it was terrible.

As if his prayers to the divine were answered, the sky shifted. His brows furrowed—the sky shifted?! The sun set in seconds and it flashed to evening, then to night before his very eyes. Once the crescent moon reached its peak, it was then when the cold night breeze blessed Sasuke with the relief he desired.

Though, that wasn't exactly his focus. His focus was how the fuck—? The night became brighter as the crescent moon was given fullness. All Sasuke could do was watch in utter fascination and complete questioning.

Is this the power of a God…? Sasuke muttered as he witnessed a new constellation be born in the sky. A dragon of faintly blue stars. Just as fast as it happened, it reversed itself. The moon died into a crescent and the sky reversed. Before long, Sasuke was melting in the sun's rays once again.

He blinked.

He rubbed his tired eyes and stared back up at the sky. Did that… just happen?

Sasuke sighed, shaking his head and walking back to the Uchiha Compound. Ironically, it was borderline untouched. The same empty, desolate place he called home. Sasuke didn't blame them, as a matter of fact… he appreciated it. What was the point in destroying a place unlived? The only person it'd affect would've been him, after all.

Pointless.

Good.

Sasuke didn't know what he would do without the ghosts that accompanied him through his home. Would they be gone if the Uchiha Compound was destroyed? Sasuke would never know the answer to that question.

Despite how desolate the compound was, it felt so… full. It was… nigh impossible to describe.

Well, the answer was… that it felt like a ghost town.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Despite how isolated he was, Sasuke was never alone.

That feeling became quite literal when he opened the door that led to his bedroom to see someone sitting on his bed. Immediately, his Sharingan whirled to life as he drew a kunai. "Who are you?!" Sasuke demanded to know, pointing his weapon at the man.

His hair was brown, kept royally in the shape of a hawk's wings, with a gathering tied with the strength of a horsetail that fell behind him. His skin was pale, nearly mirroring his—unlike him, however, he had distinct, purple eyeliner that matched the six purple magatama knitted into his divine white robe.

Despite all of that, there was one detail that stood out the most.

The crimson three tomoe of his Sharingan that stared back at Sasuke.

"And how the hell do you have the Sharingan?!" Sasuke questioned. The more he looked at this man, the more Sasuke realized that he looked just like an Uchiha.

The man simply leaned forward, his legs taking up as much space on the bed as possible as he leaned forward. His elbows rested on his knees as he pushed his feet into Sasuke's carpet. "I am you, and you are me."

"What the hell?!"

He tilted his head, the tomoe of his Sharingan whirling at Sasuke. Distaste painted his face clearly like vantablack on the purest white. "Can you not recognize yourself when you look into the mirror, Uchiha?"

Sasuke clenched his fists. "Who are you and what are you talking about?!"

The man glared and sucked his teeth, looking away. "As if I needed more of a reason to see you as pathetic."

Sasuke glared and the man stood—he felt like an ant compared to him. Not even in just height, but presence. It put even Itachi's to shame.

"My name is Indra Otsutsuki, and you are shaping up to be my most pathetic transmigrant in these past thousand years."

Sasuke's eyes went wide. "You're Indra?!"

"As are you, unfortunately."

The boy shook. It really was true. I really am… Indra. That meant, destiny was on his side—his victory over Itachi was guaranteed twice over. "How… are you here?! You're dead!"

Indra rolled his eyes. "I put you under a Genjutsu. I am far from real. This is how I appear before you to speak." With but a single step forward the illusion of Indra made Sasuke step back until his back hit the wall.

What is this?!

"As to why I decided to appear before you…" Indra glared—his Sharingan transfigured. A divine spiral merged his tomoe into one. "Well…" His tone became dark and the weight of the room around him became crushing.

Sasuke was sure that if it was real, his home would be nothing but a crater.

"As I've already said, you are pathetic, Sasuke Uchiha."

He grit his teeth and snarled—an insult from the Progenitor of the Uchiha himself. Shame? Anger? Confusion?! "I've done nothing but work myself to the bone—"

"What has that amounted to? There was a reason why Itachi was believed to have my blessing as opposed to you. You know, tell me what Itachi was doing at your age?"

Sasuke churned. Fury and inferiority made him sick. "He was in ANBU."

"Look at you!" Indra spat. "Wallowing in your Genin Rank. Where is your drive? Where is your lust for power?! You barely compare to half of my previous transmigrants! Let alone… my greatest. Let alone Madara." Indra smirked at the mention of his previous blessed one.

"Madara, he was one of a kind. Born into the height of a wartorn era! His drive, his lust it was primal. The rawness of every emotion he felt birthed the most powerful Sharingan to ever exist since my own! Every action he took was to gain the strength to make his will a reality! I didn't have to intervene once! Madara was perfect!"

"And yet he still lost to the Shodai…" Sasuke muttered, jabbing up when he probably shouldn't. It didn't matter—he wasn't going to take any insults laying down. Even if it was from Indra himself.

In response to Sasuke's jab, Indra scoffed. "And are you any different? You do know who Ashura is, don't you?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, teeth gritting. He hadn't a clue what the name Ashura was supposed to mean to him. Despite that, it awoke a feeling, an image within his mind's eye. "Naruto…"

Indra almost looked relieved at his presumably correct answer. The feeling he gave spoke, so you're not entirely irredeemable. "And he saved your skin how many times?"

"Twice!" Sasuke rebutted. "And I saved his skin just as many times!"

Indra tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. "That is not incorrect."

"I know that!"

"That only means that Ashura's transmigrant is equally pathetic this time around."

Sasuke sucked his teeth and looked away.

"In my day… do you know who never managed to best me, not even once?"

"Who?!"

"Shivua."

That name slammed a thousand bricks into Sasuke. Kusari!

"Shivua utterly embarrassed you in your most recent encounter with her! Compared to the one you claim vengeance toward you are nothing! Compared to my previous transmigrant, you are less than nothing! And here you are, claiming the Uchiha name.

"To believe that the honor of my Clan falls to somebody like you! Who doesn't even have the drive to kill the one who took everything from you!"

Sasuke's sheer chakra made his hair stand. "How dare you—? YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"

Indra stepped forward and glared. Mangekyou Sharingan inches away from Sasuke's two pathetic tomoe. "Make me. Make me take it back. Become worthy of the Uchiha name, become worthy of my blessing and have me eat my words. Because right now, you are anything but."

Sasuke glared and his Sharingan glowered in an attempt to phase Indra. "For being me, you have no idea who I am! Even you will have no choice but to look up to me when I'm done—after I kill Itachi, I'm going to surpassing even you."

Indra simply hummed. "Good."

With that, Indra faded into nothing.

Sasuke blinked. "What?" That's it?! His mind only worked for two seconds before he realized. Was that a ploy to motivate me—? Sasuke snarled and dented his wall. It worked. It worked too well.

Without a second thought, Sasuke ran back outside to the Uchiha training fields, ignoring the beating rays and his intense fatigue.

Sasuke didn't go back inside until far after the sun set.

—⊱✿⊰—

Hinata's speech did well for her beloved clan, it seemed. For the first time in years, she didn't need her mark to feel proud of herself. The Hyuuga Clan on mass all gathered to clear the rubble, the destruction, to purge the spilled blood. Unfortunately, Hinata wasn't exactly… physically blessed, not without her mark, no. With her Byakugan, however, she was able to precisely see what would fall apart and what wouldn't. She directed her beloved; she showed them the best way that she saw with her eyes.

Her father, meanwhile, was the general that barked orders to everyone—including Hinata. The Hyuuga's Head controlled the body, extending the strongest limbs to the hardest duties, and the weakest to the most menial tasks. The harder duties consisted of moving the rubble, making sure that there was space to rebuild. The menial ones included sorting the gathered materials into reusable and waste. All of the blood made most of the recovered materials useless.

Wood was already rotting; paper was ripped into wet shreds; all that was able to be used again was the comparatively little amount of stone materials that the Compound was made of previously. Most of it was wooden. That proved to be a mistake, one that had to be rectified in rebuilding.

Just as Hinata was leading the sorting effort, where her eyes proved to be the most useful, the beating sun above turned cold. With her brows furrowed, she looked up, as did every Hyuuga in her line of sight. All of them witnessed the sky above accelerate from day, to evening, then to night in the matter of seconds. Fascinated, Hinata watched as the crescent moon beamed full as the clouds vanished. A clear starry sky… in which every blue star unaccounted for merged into a dragon.

A new constellation.

A new fate had just been woven before Hinata's very eyes. For as long as she could, she saw the dragon of the east spread its wings, taking up as much of the sky as it could. Across from it, the white tiger of the west roared to meet its challenge.

Two constellations intertwined, two fates intertwined.

The concept of fate was… dubious to Hinata at best. Her beloved placed far too much faith in it. But, even she knew what was written in the stars was inevitable. By the time Hinata truly began to question it, the clear sky reverted. Just as quickly as the stars came, they were banished by the light of the sun.

Hinata's range wasn't as good as it should've been, no. But, she could view the entire Hyuuga Compound no matter where she was inside of it, and that was enough for her. Beyond that, being able to see the cells of an ant from hundreds of feet away wasn't… bad, objectively. But it would've been better had she been able to see that same ant's cells from a mile away.

At least she was able to spot her father immediately. With a breath, Hinata looked to the sorting effort that she was leading. "You all are going to be able to handle this while I leave, are you not?"

The Genin, Academy Students, and Civilian Hyuuga all nodded, giving the sentiment that they will. Hinata smiled truly at them. "Good, I knew that placing my trust in you was the correct decision."

With that, Hinata walked urgently through the Hyuuga Compound to reach her father. He was heading the clearing effort, with the Hyuuga's Jonin and Chunin. With his brow raised, he eyed her, obviously knowing what she planned to discuss. His eyes narrowed. "Hello, daughter."

"Hello, father," Hinata greeted in kind. "I believe you know why I am here already…"

Hiashi's face hardened. "I do."

"...Is there something the matter?" Hinata asked, barely needing her Byakugan to peer into the… concern? on her father's face.

"It is none of your concern, not right now, focus on the rebuilding effort."

Seeing her father so… shaken was rare. Deciding with her better judgment, Hinata bowed. "Yes, father." With that, she left to return to her duties.

Her duty to her beloved.

—⊱✿⊰—

The sun had risen already, Karin had regained her clothing, Shinrai had as well. What happened earlier in the morning hours was a vivid blur. Karin… didn't know how to feel about it, yet. Shinrai's chakra was uneasy the entire time, but… there was also pleasure there as well, that was good. That made her feel better about it…

All Karin could hope was that her body satisfied him.

The more regrets Karin could take from him before he died, the better.

He was outside of the cave, Shinrai. What she felt was weird… she wanted to see him painfully so. All she could think of was making sure he was alright, doing her best to make sure he smiled as much as he could before Orochimaru inevitably came.

There was no turning back now.

There was no way Shinrai wasn't going to die, the same way Karin died when her mother was killed by Blade.

With a sigh, Karin walked out toward him. He was simply sitting, watching the sky above, curiously, with a furrowed brow.

"Hey, Shinrai," she greeted.

"Hey… did you see what the fuck happened to the sky?" he asked immediately.

She tilted her head. "No? I was inside…"

"Ah… it was sunny, then it turned into nighttime, and now it's sunny again."

Karin paused. "Are you… okay?"

"Yeah, but, like… that's weird, I don't think the sky is supposed to do that."

"I don't think so either…" she murmured before taking a seat next to him. Karin simply felt him. He was warm, still. The more she was around him, the more his chakra felt like a warm cloud that just consumed her more and more until it seemed like it was only him that mattered.

What even was she compared to someone as good as him?

Well, the one that would take all the good from him, that was what she was.

"Last night…" Shinrai began, taking a deep breath. "Why did you uh… do that?"

"Because I felt like it," she answered, stiffening up and biting her tongue.

Shinrai tilted his head. "Nah… I think there's more to it."

There it was. Karin was in a corner with nothing to defend herself with. She couldn't speak even if she wanted to.

"You were scared… something was up with you. Something more."

"I am scared," she admitted. "After today… after today—"

"After today, we'll both be going back to Konoha with the Snake Sannin's head and Baiko walking beside us."

Karin just looked at him with pain on her face. "Have you ever failed—how can you think like that?! You don't know—"

"My whole life is a fucking failure, Karin," he said with a heavy sigh.

Karin bit her lip, hard. She tore a chunk off with her teeth but it grew back, not even a scar remained. "Right… those girls…"

"Not just that! It's with Naruto. I can't pretend to be the brother that's never hurt, the brother that's never even had a sad day! I can't be the one who he can always lean on because he's a hundred percent sure that I'll never break.

"And…!" His throat seemed to close on him as he gripped the hilt of his black blade, the one with the chakra. "Her."

"Her…?" Karin asked, eyes drifted to the Grass Cutter he cradled. Such pain and pure hurt banished the warmth of his chakra. Feeling Shinrai without him being warm was just wrong… almost how she felt seeing the life drain from her mother.

A beat and her eyes widened. "Your Grass Cutter?"

Shinrai swallowed hard. "Don't worry about it."

Karin bit her lip, guilt ripping her apart like a hurricane of knives from the inside out. He still didn't love her, he still didn't trust her and there was nobody she had to blame but herself. "I'm sorry… about whatever happened."

"It's fine… it was a while ago." The lie was obvious, even without her ability to sense him trying to hide from his own emotions.

"You know you can't lie to me."

"Fuck," he cursed, his chakra going colder. Karin winced but then he let out a sigh. Her heart soared as his chakra warmed, just that little bit. "Well… even if it's not fine, it's not too bad anymore." A grin split his face and he shot it at Karin. "I have you now."

Karin's heart burned up inside of her. It hurt.

She just wished he could continue to smile after today.

If one thing were to go right in her life, please let it be him.

The itch on her neck was slowly becoming less and less in comparison to her will to give Shinrai what he deserved.

It was like she was being torn in two.

She wouldn't dare admit to her motives for speaking to him—she'd rather die than feel that shame.

So, she just stared at him, at his grin and felt the growing warmth in his chakra. "I have you too… and I'm so happy that I do." The admission wasn't a lie and yet she could barely look at him.

She was so happy to be with him… even if he was as fleeting as a candle's flame.

Somehow, his grin became even bigger as he giggled. He inched closer to her and Karin did the same. Once they got close, they just stopped, neither of them knowing what to do. Shinrai's hand drifted over and held onto hers.

"I'll… ask you again…" Shinrai's grin dropped a bit as he looked at her. "Why did you—"

"Because… I'm scared that you'll die. I'm scared that you'll die with regrets. I want to take them all away. I don't want you to die without having loved me… I thought that would help."

Shinrai bit his lip, taking in what she said. "If there's one thing I'll die regretting after this, it's that you never enjoyed all of this as much as I did."

If Karin's heart could ache any more, it would have right then. She couldn't, she couldn't enjoy it like he did. She simply wasn't capable.

Karin was not who he wished she could be.

Love was her antithesis.

Simply because of her nature, he would die regretting it all.

Why am I… so… fucking—there were so many words she'd use to insult herself that she couldn't choose one.

"Then what can I do?" she pleaded, not to him, to herself. It just happened to be out loud.

Shinrai pulled her in close and kissed the top of her head. "Do what you want. Fight to make yourself happy… let yourself grow Karin. Know that… whether I'm involved is optional. Don't you fucking dare throw away your comfort for me ever again, please.

"It's your life, Karin Uzumaki. Not Seed's, not Blade's, not Orochimaru's and definitely not mine."

Those words slammed into her like a fucking hammer. "Thank you…" She was barely able to say.

"Nah, thank Naruto, if he was never sad… then I wouldn't have been able to come up with this to say to him, and now… you!"

Karin nodded, leaning into Shinrai's frame. She let herself tremble. She let the lump in her throat form… and yet she still refused to let the tears fall. Without a moment's hesitation, Shinrai wrapped his arms around her and held on tight. Because it was what he wanted, Karin allowed herself to bathe in his warmth.

What would she do?

She didn't have long at all to figure it out.

What she chose would dictate… everything.

All Karin could hope was that she'd choose right.

—⊱✿⊰—

The weirdest thing ever just happened to the sky. It was bright and Natsuyo was loving it—and then all of a sudden it turned night. Just as quickly, it turned back to day like nothing happened. It completely stopped Natsuyo in her tracks, even for a solid minute afterward. Well, she had to leave Konoha by noon—so she had to hurry up. All of her stuff was in a storage seal that Mother paid Miya Uzumaki to construct years ago.

All of her knowledge of Sealing Jutsu came from learning how to summon exactly what she wanted from the seal. Natsuyo had everything she needed in there! Clothes, anything she might've needed for training, some snacks—she didn't need to pack water because Mother could just… make it.

But, yeah! Natsuyo stared proudly at the storage seal. She was ready for the journey ahead… to find Tsunade of the Sannin. Surprisingly, Mother didn't speak of her too often, and whenever she did, she was obviously disappointed. It wasn't the same type of disappointment she showed when she scolded her, Gosei, or any other of their siblings. No, it was… stronger than that.

Well, at least Mother was the Hokage now! As a Konoha Shinobi, Tsunade couldn't say no, right? Not that she would, of course. She was family and one of Konoha's greatest Kunoichi, somebody that was once on her list of people to surpass. Well, she still was on that list… just in a different way.

Speaking of that list… Mother was the Hokage now. That felt… different. Far from wrong, as a matter of fact, it felt great. But, it made the name Yosei Senju even heavier than it already was, somehow. The Hokage was the fire in the shadows, the strongest in Konoha, the embodiment of the Will of Fire that was Konoha's greatest, undisputed.

That was exactly what she wanted to be.

But… being Hokage was Gosei's dream. It felt wrong wanting to take that from him. Being the Hokage, in concept, everything the role meant was everything she wanted to be. But, being the Hokage was Gosei's destiny—how could she even think of wanting to fight him for that? Of course, she fought him all the time—but never on that.

The dream of Hokage was the line she told herself that she'd never cross.

Natsuyo pursed her lips… she didn't know if she'd be able to keep that promise anymore—

—the door bursted open and she whipped her head back to see—"Gosei?!"

Her elder brother was leaning on a cane of earth, drenched in sweat, and heaving every breath and shaking.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" she questioned.

With determination shining through his eyes, he declared that, "I'm going with you."

His words stunned Natsuyo into a short silence before she yelled, "In this state?!"

"Yes!" Gosei affirmed, standing to his full height with the help of his cane. "I refuse to be left behind you any longer! Where are my things?! I need to pack."

"Gosei I get it—but don't be stupid!" Natsuyo attempted to get Gosei to sit down, but he shoved her off.

With a glare of pure resolve—Natsuyo had never seen his face like that before… it was almost like looking in a mirror—Gosei made her stop immediately. "I know you get it. I know you understand like nobody else does! That is why you know why I'm going to push myself beyond these pathetic limits to achieve the heights that I deserve!"

Natsuyo froze in her tracks. "Right…" I'd feel bad stopping him… If she was in his position, would she have done any different? No. Not at all.

A frustrated groan filled the air as Gosei rummaged nearby. "Mother's already waiting for us! Be quick about it!" she warned, moving by Gosei to help him gather his things. It only took her a couple seconds to locate his Bo Staff, which she tossed at him instinctively.

To her surprise, he caught it out of the air without even looking. He was… surprisingly sharp for somebody that was hospitalized just hours before. Well, that was Gosei for her. Discarding his cane of earth, he used his staff for support and let out a deep, long breath.

"I'm ready," he declared.

Natsuyo blinked. "All you have is your staff," she pointed out.

He raised his brow at her. "That's all I need."

"No changes of clothes? No food? Nothing else?!"

Gosei shook his head. "I can wash this in minutes with my Godai, it's nothing. As for food, I can take from everyone else, including you, especially Naruto. You said I needed to be quick, didn't you?"

She rolled her eyes and groaned. "C'mon!" Natsuyo walked past Gosei, and he followed behind her. Again, his pace was surprisingly quick, well… relative to what she expected. If Natsuyo moved at the speed she wanted to, then he'd be left far behind.

It took twenty minutes for them to reach the village's gates, exactly at noon! The time they were supposed to leave. Mother, Lord Jiraiya, and Naruto were all waiting, with her fellow Genin looking quite impatient. Mother immediately narrowed her eyes on Gosei. "...What are you doing here?"

"I'm going with you all," he declared, standing tall with a nigh unnoticeable quiver.

Jiraiya raised his finger, slowly pointing at Gosei. "Weren't you… injured by the Kyuubi?"

Immediately, Naruto looked away with a flash of guilt crossing his face. Natsuyo pulled on her collar and looked toward the ground.

In response to Jiraiya's question, Gosei scoffed. "So what if I was? It was days ago. I've recovered to a suitable level."

"Kyuubi Chakra poisoning just doesn't go away like that—trust me kid, I know," argued Jiraiya. "You should just rest here back in Konoha."

"Absolutely not," denied Gosei. "If Natsuyo can go, if Naruto can go, then I will go. Nothing will stand in my way. Those two are not going to get the chance to widen the gap between us! Especially my rival for Hokage!" Gosei announced, eying Naruto.

In response, Naruto stuck his tongue out at Gosei—wasn't he just sad?!

Gosei looked ready to counter with something else, but Mother spoke, silencing Gosei and setting Naruto straight. "You can come, Gosei."

Jiraiya looked at her wide-eyed while Gosei smirked. She continued, looking her son dead in the eyes. "I am proud of your determination, my son. You chose to come despite your injuries, and I will let you. It is your decision to make, and your decision to regret, should it not go your way."

Gosei looked stern, before bowing to Mother. "Thank you very much."

"Naruto," she said, catching the boy's attention. He gulped as Mother looked at him. "If Gosei is unable to continue, you will have one of your clones carry him back Konoha, understood?"

Gosei stood back up immediately. "Wait, can't Lord Jiraiya use one of his toads, or have one of his Shadow Clones carry me home?"

Mother nodded in consideration. "Indeed… but I wish for it to be Naruto that has to carry you back."

Gosei cringed and Naruto cackled. "Now part of me hopes that you'll have to fall on your ass half-way through!"

With a roll of his eyes, Gosei ignored him, looking back at his mother. "Again, thank you for allowing me to join, and… congratulations for your appointment as the Fifth Hokage, Mother."

Mother chuckled and closed her eyes, a smirk of pride curling her lips. "Thank you, my son." She turned her back and was the first to walk out of the village's gates. "Well, we have no time to waste, do we?"

With that, the squad to retrieve Tsunade the Slug Sannin left to fulfill their mission.

—⊱✿⊰—

Miya spent her first day as "Acting Hokage"—emphasis on acting—in the office, where Danzo also made himself quite comfortable. Yosei gave her specifically the task of organizing the funeral for all of the lives lost during the invasion. With the past few days to assess losses… it was complete, especially with the Hyuuga Clan's assistance.

It took her three hours to get through every name and commit them to memory. Thankfully, she wasn't surprised by any names. Only… Shino and Gai were the ones that she lost. That was far too much in itself. A haggard sigh escaped her breath as she used pen and paper to plan the mass funeral.

The idea she had, was… well, it wasn't bad. Miya found herself proud of it. Unfortunately, it made for an undecided date, but it would be set in stone sooner rather than later, hopefully. The event was to coincide with Yosei's coordination as Hokage—to show that even through the greatest loss, the Will of Fire will always continue, reborn into the next generation.

Like a Phoenix—like… Ryu.

Instead of black, everyone would be encouraged to wear red. Though, a coordinated outfit was too much to ask for after everyone had their belongings destroyed any various number of ways. Less mourning, more… appreciation. Celebrate their sacrifice, their strength, and the fact that no matter what, Konoha would bounce back. Hypocritical considering how she felt, but… it didn't matter, the thought was there. Nobody was close enough to her to see through her.

Besides Naruto.

Also… she had to deliver a speech. It felt wrong for her not to. It wasn't her strong suit, but… she had her obligations. All she had to do was set the stage for Yosei to take over. Once she did, well… that went without saying. Yosei's words could move mountains. That statement was probably literal, knowing her.

What else would be right—?

Miya couldn't see her paper. Her brows furrowed as she looked out of the window of the—no longer leaning—Hokage Tower. It was… night? She could've sworn it was just daytime—then it was. It was daytime.

Blinking, Miya looked behind her to where Danzo had his own separate desk. He was also looking outside of the window. "You saw that, didn't you?"

"I did," he confirmed tersely, narrowing his visible eye.

Thank the Sage, I'm not insane, she muttered. "Do you know what that was?"

"I haven't got a clue," Danzo said, turning back to his own paperwork as if he didn't have a care in the world.

Miya bit her tongue. She and him were in the same boat, it seemed. Danzo, Miya barely had an impression of the man beyond what Ryu and Dantai used to tell her back in the day. Even then, it wasn't much at all. Stern, even, surprisingly fair. Furthermore, Yosei trusted him enough to be the one to actually run Konoha in her absence.

Her eyes drifted to what he was writing on. Chunin Promotion Forms… At the top, she saw the name Shinrai Uzumaki. Did she agree with that decision? She did, she was biased, admittedly… but it seemed she wasn't alone in that assessment. "Who are you deciding to promote?"

Danzo didn't even pause as he answered. "I am not entirely decided on that matter. The balance between the merit of deserving Chunin and the necessity of having Chunin in a trying time. I decide who I promote as I review what was noted on them by the examiners, as well as any of my own knowledge that I have of the prospect."

"Which does Shinrai fall under?" she asked.

It was then when Danzo finally paused. He looked up from his paper to look her in the eyes. "Why do you ask? Do you disagree with my decision to promote him?"

"No, I would promote him as well," she responded. "I want to see how far we agree on the decision to promote him."

"Necessity," Danzo answered, before returning to the Chunin Promotion Form.

Miya hummed. "I see." It was in line with what she heard about him. That made her less confident in her suggestion to him, but that didn't dissuade her in the slightest. "If I may," she began, catching his attention again. "I would like to appoint a Genin for promotion."

"Who?"

"Rock Lee."

Danzo's brow wrinkled the slightest bit. "Denied."

"Why is that?" Miya asked cooly, expecting the denial, and fully prepared to argue on Lee's behalf.

"What use is a Chunin that can barely use their own Chakra? His test scores are average and he only graduated from the Academy because of Might Gai's personal recommendation. All Rock Lee has is combat skill, which is not needed now. If this was Wartime, then I would have considered it, but not now."

Logical, cutthroat, just as Miya expected. "I understand, but I believe that his promotion would work as a contingency of sorts. There's no telling if or when Kumo, Iwa, Suna, or any other enemies that we have will take advantage of our weakened state. War may not be here, but it is a high probability that should be considered."

"I see your point, but the war is not here. Suna, admittedly, is an immediate possible threat, but one I believe that a Chunin Taijutsu Specialist will not be needed to tip the scales in. The same goes for both Kumo and Iwa. Rock Lee… simply is not significant enough to matter."

Anger flared within Miya, but she didn't let it show. Danzo was stubborn, but so was she—

"I understand your bias toward him. Sympathy for the death of his sensei, death of his teammate, and incapacitation of the other. However, you let that cloud your judgment, you let that guide you, Miya Uzumaki. It is the reason why in your current state, you aren't capable of being a true Kage."

Again, his words pissed her off. Again, she hid it. What made it worse was Danzo's tone, he wasn't even malicious, he always had that same, dead, even, analytical and thoughtless-yet-logical tone. Miya would've argued… but she didn't have anything. There was no logic that would get through to him—dammit! Another failure etched into her mind. She'd have to make it up to him—somehow.

"Is there anything else you would like to know?" Danzo asked, actually looking at her.

Miya pondered. It was masochistic, probably, definitely. She couldn't help the lingering thought—she couldn't help but ask, "Would you have promoted Shino?"

"Absolutely," Danzo answered without missing a beat. "His death disappoints me… his potential as a Shinobi was higher than any other in his clan, and you were bringing it out at an astonishing rate. I truly looked forward to seeing what he would have become."

It hurt. It hurt because it was true. Miya sighed, turning back to her funeral plan. "I agree with everything you said."

The only thing she got in response was the silence of pen on paper.

Miya let out a sigh and continued to write herself.

I'm sorry.

—⊱✿⊰—

Yosei was the type of person to see every opportunity in a given situation. There were many she saw in the mission to retrieve her cousin… a generation older than her, granted, but still cousins, still family. Family, it was a funny thing, wasn't it? Yosei did not quite fancy Tsunade, at all. She all but officially abandoned the Senju name, and wasted away half way through the Third War.

Tsunade was one of the reasons why Konoha lost the Third Great Shinobi War. An influx of injured and dying Shinobi that they weren't capable of dealing crippled their forces, their strategy. Killer Bee's awakening as a perfect Jinchuriki sealed the deal. Konoha's loss was what gave Kumo the confidence to attempt a kidnapping of the Hyuuga Heiress and demand reparations from Konoha when it failed.

Fascinating, that there was a time where Yosei once looked up to her elder cousin. Tsunade was the height of being a Kunoichi that she was desperate to reach as a girl. Now… Yosei let out a hard sigh. Tsunade was lucky to even be thought about in Yosei's head.

It'd been nearly two decades since Dan's death, since Nawaki's death. If Tsunade wasn't over herself by now… No. There was no way that she was that pathetic.

She hoped.

Yosei hoped that her family would be someone worth being proud of. Like Natsuyo, like Gosei… like her other kids would be. Natsuyo had fused her Godai before even she did—she was on the fast track to surpass her. Gosei didn't show the same… promise that Natsuyo did, but that was no fault of his latent potential, far from it. His mindset was at fault—the mindset that he was breaking out of.

To think that two Genin had more respect from Yosei than a Sannin. At least Orochimaru's power, his drive could be respected, despite his despicable nature. Tsunade had nothing. It didn't matter, Yosei's personal feelings about Tsunade did not matter. What mattered was getting her back in Konoha in the first place.

…And something else. An… opportunity she saw in this mission. But, it was something that even she couldn't do alone. It was something that she needed assistance with. There was only one person she could think of to help.

"Jiraiya," called Yosei. "We must speak in private."

She heard Naruto groan as he and Jiraiya's conversation was interrupted. With a pep in his step, Jiraiya walked up beside her, with both of them walking until they were out of earshot of the Genin.

"Funny, because I wanted to talk to you about something as well," said Jiraiya with a laugh. "You first, of course, Lady Fifth."

With a breath, Yosei prepared to explain herself. "You are… an expert in romance, are you not?"

"Of course I am!" answered Jiraiya without a lick of delay. "Why do you ask?"

"I arranged my marriage with Kenzo in order to continue the Senju bloodline as purely as I could. Naturally, I expect the same of my children, to continue the Senju bloodline purely and to establish the Senju in its rightful place, despite our dwindling numbers.

"However… there's one… issue that I found with that. I do not love my husband, not at all. Of course, we're friendly, but now that my childbearing days are over, I don't see much of a use for him anymore."

Jiraiya winced. "That's cold."

"So I've heard. Then, I looked to Minato and Kushina and what they had. They loved each other, there was no doubting that. That love pushed them beyond the limits they thought they had, it made them so much more powerful, so much better.

"I never had that love. I want better for my children."

Jiraiya nodded along, a devious smirk growing on his face as he pieced together what Yosei was going to say.

"Naruto Uzumaki, being of the Uzumaki Clan and son of Minato, is an ideal partner for Natsuyo to continue the Senju lineage. I wanted to arrange a marriage between the two for the longest, however… I couldn't bring myself to set it in stone due to the lack of love that was likely in this marriage.

"That is why, I want your help. I need you to use your expertise in romance to… ignite love between those two. The best of both worlds, if you will," Yosei explained, looking Jiraiya dead in his wild eyes.

He clapped and rubbed his hands together. With gusto, he looked back and analyzed the three bickering Genin behind them. "Lady Fifth, don't you worry about a goddamned thing. By the end of this trip, those two are going to be smooching their way into the purest Senju Bloodline that you've ever seen!"

"...Thank you, Jiraiya," Yosei breathed, shaking her head at his wording.

His following cackle was unnerving considering the context of the conversation. "Of course! Anytime."

"Now what was it that you needed?" asked Yosei.

Immediately, his demeanor shifted, becoming much more serious. He stretched and leaned on the hands he clasped behind his head. "I just wanted to inform you about an additional objective we should have on this little outing."

Yosei raised her brow. "And that is?"

"Shinrai, I wanted to bring him alongside his brother because… duh. But, as you can see, he's not here."

Yosei nodded along.

"He's not in Konoha, as a matter of fact. He is, as we speak, attempting to track down and kill Orochimaru."

"What?" she questioned, brows furrowing. "A Genin has the gall to think he could assassinate a Sannin?"

"Well, a Genin with reinforcements in the form of another Uzumaki and access to a Version One Kyuubi Chakra cloak against a weakened Sannin. Naruto has the confidence to think that he shouldn't… immediately die.

"But, it's Orochimaru. We need to retrieve him as soon as possible so he doesn't fall into Orochimaru's grasp once again."

Yosei narrowed her eyes in consideration. "Noted." Orochimaru regaining the perfect body that Konoha was lucky enough to retrieve in time was the worst possible outcome for Konoha. What he would do with access to power like that… there was no telling. It was a shame that she was pregnant at the time of Orochimaru's desertion. Had she not been? Orochimaru would not have been an issue for more than an hour.

Unfortunately, Yosei wasn't quite as familiar with Shinrai's presence as she was Tsunade's, she never had a reason to invest in him. It would take longer to track him. Furthermore, she doubted that his chakra would be notable enough for her weakened senses to pick up with ease.

"I'll only be able to reliably track him once he activates the Kyuubi's power. Which, I assume, he'll only do against Orochimaru." A smirk crossed Yosei's face.

Jiraiya's eyes widened as he caught on to her plan. "You're going to use him as bait."

"I am. The moment I sense the Kyuubi's chakra, we will rush to his location. Assuming he does find Orochimaru, which I doubt he'll do in the first place, we'll have the snake cornered and he'll be out of our hair, permanently."

"And if Shinrai dies in the process?" asked Jiraiya.

Yosei wasn't phased by the question in the slightest. "So be it. His sacrifice will be worth it."

"Yeah… that's on brand for you," Jiraiya admitted with a chuckle.

Yosei kept her stoic appearance. "I'll save him if I can, of course."

"Yeah, I know you will," Jiraiya said with a sigh. "The thought of Shinrai dying like that, so soon… it makes me sick."

Yosei only hummed in response. It was only a bit, but she could understand Jiraiya's investment in Shinrai, a direct product of his failure as a teammate.

"I would prefer to not put Shinrai at risk at all," Jiraiya continued, eyeing Yosei.

He eyed her in return. "At the cost of letting Orochimaru go once again?"

"I… wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let Shinrai die like that."

"And you would be able to live if Orochimaru created a thousand other tragedies just as bad as his?"

Jiraiya sucked his teeth, looking away. A chuckle rattled his body. "You got me there, Lady Fifth. We just have to fight for the best ending. The one with Orochimaru dead and Shinrai alive."

"That is what I like to hear from my Shinobi," Yosei said with a smirk.

Jiraiya laughed, about to say something before deciding against it. Knowing him? It was some sly comment. Was she too intimidating to compliment? Even for a man like Jiraiya? She wouldn't have minded unless it was something utterly vile.

Jiraiya never stooped that low.

Well, at least it was the millionth affirmation that she had the presence worthy of the Strongest Woman Alive.

Not that it was needed.

Not. At. All.

—⊱✿⊰—

Not one thing. Not one thing Ryujin could count that really mattered at the moment. Everything was just so… empty. The world was just an echo-chamber for his own stray thoughts. He saw Konoha in ruin and felt nothing. He had a loss so embarrassing that he had to be saved like a Genin and felt nothing. Once again, he failed to kill Orochimaru when he had the chance handed to him on a silver platter and felt nothing.

All he was capable of doing was existing.

Kyuubi was speaking, but whatever it said just washed over him like lukewarm water. He didn't sense Naruto's presence in the village, he didn't sense Shinrai's presence in the village, he didn't sense Gosei's presence in the village, he barely sensed Kusari's presence and he didn't really care about any of them.

He sensed Miya in the Hokage tower, working next to Danzo and it didn't matter at all. Aiko's volatile emotions were like a blue dot in a sea of purple. Different enough to stand out, but close enough to everything else to still blend in, especially when there was so much of the latter. Ryujin… didn't even feel bad.

He definitely didn't feel good.

It was like a flatline. His view of the world was a flat heartbeat. A dead heartbeat. A heart that didn't have any blood left to bleed with. Everything was just so meaningless. Honestly, what was stopping him from simply releasing the Kyuubi and being done with this? At the same time, what was stopping him from putting his pedal to the metal and carrying Konoha on his back like he did so many times before?

The fact that both options seemed equally viable was… unique.

There was so much that he could do that it was paralyzing… and Ryujin just did not care that he couldn't move.

Baffling… so the years of everything finally caught up with him, eh? Was he even human anymore? It didn't feel like it.

Nothing felt like anything…

"I've been standing here for twenty minutes, Ryu."

Everything went cold. It felt like Ryujin had just been dunked in an ice bath. That voice woke up him. He was… walking in circles, in a forest, or rather, that was what he was doing before that voice froze him in his tracks.

Slowly, he craned his neck to see a man leaning against a tree. His height was undeniable—he was taller than Miya. Curly brown hair draped over his amber eyes like a sloppy mop. Dressed in a fully black Konoha Jonin uniform… it was undeniable who he set his eyes upon.

It was the same ghost he saw in the Land of Grass. I wonder what brought this up again? Ryujin weaved a disbelieving hand seal. "Release."

Nothing happened.

That man still stood there.

Ryujin flared his chakra again. "Release!"

Nothing.

He blinked at Ryujin. "Do I need to slap you?! Or do I need you to slap me? Either would work?"

"Get out of my head!" Ryujin roared at the ghost, trying and failing to force it away—to dispel the Genjutsu.

Ryujin blinked and the man was in front of him. A flash and pain accompanied the sound of skin hitting skin. A slap. That slap was—"I'M REAL YOU DUMBASS!" yelled the ghost.

Shaking his head, Ryujin shoved the ghost, feeling a human being against his palms. He stumbled back and groaned. "Ryu, c'mon. I know that you're smarter than this."

"This isn't real!" Ryujin broke his own finger. Again, nothing happened. Kyuubi's Chakra healed it in an instant as he harnessed it and felt the ghost. It was there. He sensed it—Kyuubi sensed it. Emotions of mischievous joy. Joy at seeing an old friend—joy that could only be achieved in reality, in the living world.

"...Dantai?!"

He grinned, spreading his arms in a dramatic pose. "The one and only! You better be happy to see me! Oh, I swear…"

"You should be dead," Ryujin muttered in disbelief.

Dantai rolled his eyes. "Oh, so I guess I'll just kill myself to fit your fucked up perception of reality."

Ryujin wouldn't stop shaking his head. "No… no… you're… you…"

"...Was captured by Orochimaru and was finally able to escape because he is fucked up right now!"

The explanation for Dantai's presence washed over him. "You're alive?!"

"YES RYUJIN!" Dantai screamed, playful frustration radiating off of him like a firestorm. "I'M FUCKING ALIVE!"

Dantai, the friend he thought dead for so many years… was standing here in front of him, alive and in the flesh.

That made Ryujin feel something.

?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter End ~ ?￢ﾜ ?