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

52. Chapter 44

𓍊𓍊 ~ Chapter Forty-four — Pride and Repentance ii ~ 𓍊𓍊

Shinrai just found himself lying on the couch. There were more people he had to apologize to. Natsuyo… and Karin and Naruto. Natsuyo was so nice, so fun to be around… and he just tore apart that friendship forever. Not for a second did Shinrai think she was going to forgive him. Somehow, what was even worse… was Naruto and Karin.

He hurt them, too. He had to apologize to them. He had to face them himself.

There was no way he could—just the thought of it brought the frostbite back to him. After what he did to Karin, what he almost did to Naruto. It was his responsibility, and yet he couldn't bear the thought of living up to it. Everything inside of him churned, it made him sick. It made him think that he shouldn't be here anymore.

"You are worth saving simply because you are alive, you have a life, you have value because you are alive."

What made Hinata think that about him? It was because she didn't know enough. If she knew everything he did, then she'd leave him like everyone else should. What he did—who he was made worthlessness fill the empty sack of flesh he was piloting.

A knock on the door made Shinrai turn his head. His eyes lingered on the door.

Miya wasn't home…

Shinrai sighed.

It took less effort than Shinrai thought to get up from the couch. Frosty steps dragged across the floor as Shinrai opened the door, not even bothering to look to see who it was. "Miya isn't home…"

"I'm not here for her."

That voice made Shinrai look up. It was Ryu. His face looked… surprisingly gentle. Shinrai hadn't seen Ryu look like that since he told Naruto about his parents. The fact that Shinrai had to talk to him brought a weighty exhaustion to the boy's being.

Well, Shinrai did scream at him last night. Ryu was somebody he owed an apology to, as well. With a sigh, Shinrai forced himself to speak. "I'm… uh… sorry. For screaming at you last night… I shouldn't have."

"No, Shinrai," stated Ryu, voice strong like it always was. "I'm the one that should be sorry. I should have stayed longer to help you…" His fists clenched. "I failed you."

"The fuck are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Shinrai."

The boy didn't know until he saw the dire look in Ryu's eyes. Hypothermia gripped Shinrai from the inside again—realization froze Shinrai until he shuddered.

"I didn't tell anybody." Shame radiated from Ryu's fists as he clenched them hard. "I didn't even sense it myself…" He inhaled. "I'm sorry. I should've been more, I should've tried harder—"

Ryu kept rambling and Shinrai drowned out the noise, as he couldn't stop himself from shaking. It was uncanny, almost scary how it felt like he was talking to himself. Did he seriously look this pathetic apologizing to everybody? What made him push Ryu to act like him?

Hatred pulsed within Shinrai and stabbed him from the inside out—emotional blood couldn't spill because it was all frozen—

—Ryujin's hand grabbed his shoulder, snapping Shinrai out of his thoughts. "Stop it. Hating yourself is going to get you nowhere. I know that."

"Sorry… but you're a little too late for that."

The hurt that dimmed Ryu's eyes made Shinrai hate himself even more. He really did… hurt… everybody.

How could Hinata find him worth saving?

"I'm here for you, Shinrai; whatever you need, I'm here." Ryu looked Shinrai right in the eyes. "I should've been before, I should have never left; I'm sorry that I did."

"This isn't your fault," breathed Shinrai. "I got myself in this mess…" He just wished Hinata would've let him take himself out.

"I was made your sensei, so you are my responsibility; I could've—would've stopped all this from happening had I just—" Ryu let out a bitter sigh.

Shinrai chuckled, shaking his head. "You really are full of yourself…" He shrugged. "Well, I'm a Chunin now. I'm out of your hair; you don't have to worry about me anymore." Why was he still trying to push him away? Why couldn't he make any fucking sense—?

"I don't care," admitted Ryu. "I still want to help you. I don't want to feel all the turmoil you're in exist within you anymore. I don't want you to end up as the same man that I am. You deserve to be better—"

"—I don't deserve a fucking thing!" Shinrai almost snapped, he let out a breath.

Ryu still looked him in the eyes. "It doesn't matter how hard you try to push me away, I'm going to stay here with you. I'm not making that mistake again."

Shinrai, blankly, just… stared at Ryujin. His face remained still, powerful… unwavering. A grating sigh collapsed from Shinrai's breath. "Why does everyone fucking care so much?"

"It… can't be helped." Ryu shrugged.

Silence fell—it was broken by Ryu ruffling in his back pocket. "I wasn't too well for a bit recently. Finding myself, my center… my core, that's what… put me back on the right track." He pulled out a book and Shinrai dubiously watched him.

"This is called… a Koan. They're sometimes questions for you to answer, other times, guidelines for you to follow, to be honest, I've only read two but… this first one is what helped me the most." Ryu opened the book and read.

"Who is it that repeats the Sage's name? Who is this dragging corpse about? What is this? What is it? What was the original face before my father and mother were born? Who am I?" Ryu let out a breath.

"Answer this, and come back to me, alright?"

"...Sure." Shinrai didn't much know what to think of this… Koan.

Ryujin locked his eyes into Shinrai's eyes. "Please, Shinrai, just… try. That's all we can ask of ourselves… to try. Even if you think it's impossible, even if the world is going against you, even if you can't stop fighting yourself, just try. That's all we can ask of anyone."

Why the fuck would he try? Trying was all he'd ever done and it resulted in ruin, it resulted in his world falling apart.

He tried his luck at twenty-eight girls at the Academy. That only hurt him.

He tried to love Yora. That led her to die.

He tried to be there for Naruto no matter what. Now they couldn't bear to see each other.

He tried to love Karin. That shredded the both of them.

He tried to win against Ka'rai. He just fucking failed—so many people died.

He tried to be the best friend to Kusari. He just ended up hurting her.

He tried to kill Orochimaru and save Baiko. Now Baiko was awake and still there with Orochimaru still alive.

All his trying led to ruin.

Yet… he saw the look in Ryu's eyes.

If Shinrai didn't try… then he'd hurt Ryu, too.

He was tired of hurting everyone, no matter who they were.

So… "I'll try, Ryu."

He let out a relieved breath, the smallest smile crossing his face. "That's great."

"Thanks… yeah, thank you, Ryu."

"Anytime, Shinrai."

Ryu's demeanor shifted as Shinrai heard the shuffling footsteps behind him.

"Ryu…" Miya's voice echoed through the open doorway as she towered over Ryu's back. He didn't answer her, just letting out a sigh as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Shinrai instinctively took a step back—they were all crowded too close together. It didn't take much longer for Ryu to move out of the way, letting Miya walk in her home. However, Shinrai didn't miss the whisper of "Thank you" from Miya that went unanswered.

Ryu just… walked away.

For once, it didn't make Shinrai feel bad. His eyes drifted up to meet Miya's. He was surprised to see what looked like a relieved grin spread across her face. About a second of eye contact passed before Miya pulled him into her arms. Somehow, this felt better than it did last night.

Of course, Shinrai hugged her back and leaned against her torso like he always did. This was what he was trying for. Not for what he did yesterday… it was for this. For what felt like forever, the cold wasn't frostbite. It wasn't gone; it was still every part of him. But it wasn't as insufferable as it was before.

But, surprisingly, Shinrai was the first to pull away. "Uh… you're going to see Naruto and Karin, right?"

"Yeah… I do need to see them." Miya shifted her collar, keeping her other hand on Shinrai's shoulder. "Why?"

"Hold on…" Shinrai walked to the coffee table and pulled out a small piece of paper, one he'd usually use for a seal, but not today. Efficiently—like he was capable of writing in any way but that—he wrote down a message. For the both of them.

I'm sorry for what I did to the both of you. Neither of you deserved it. I think it's better if we don't see each other for a while. I'll come back when I promise that I won't hurt either of you again.

A heavy sigh signified that Shinrai was done. I'm such a fucking coward. "Can you… give this to them when you see them again?" requested Shinrai, reaching toward Miya with the note in hand. He didn't bother to hide what it read.

Even still, Miya didn't look at it as she grabbed it, sliding it into her pocket. "Of course, Shinrai."

A equally heavy sigh weighed Shinrai down again. "Thanks. I don't deserve you, Miya."

"Yeah, you're right." Shinrai felt ice—"You deserve so much better than just me."

The ice didn't leave. It just went from shocked to guilty. "No, I don't…" he muttered under his breath.

Judging by the frown on her face, Miya seemed to have heard him. "Don't talk about yourself like that, Shinrai."

He opened his mouth to argue, but… Ryu's words stopped him. This wasn't trying, not at all. Instead, he gave her a stiff nod and shut his eyes.

"I love you, Shinrai."

"I love you too, Miya."

With a curt smile, Miya drifted right back out of the door. Did she come back just to check on him? Why? Even still, even when he was trying—Shinrai couldn't fathom why so many people still cared. Nobody should after what he did. The fact that Gosei didn't forgive him honestly made Shinrai feel better about everything.

Because it made sense.

Nobody else did.

Especially Hinata.

She had less of a reason than anyone else to care—and yet she still did. Shinrai at least hoped that she was all talk, and he'd never see her again.

Why?

Because it made sense.

—

Anger… it was an emotion that Hinata rarely interacted with, truly; she vowed to herself to feel it as little as possible. But after she found out what happened today, Hinata found it fit to make this time an exception.

"Shouko." Even without her blessing, her voice echoed through the tent she called him into like a clang through metal. "I am not pleased with what you did today."

"Lady White Eyes…" Shouko almost looked aghast at her reaction. At least his Byakugan wasn't active. He clasped on his robes and chuckled. "All I did was serve your cause by putting that barbarian in her place."

"Shouko, I believe that I told you to leave Kusari be." Her lavender eyes pulsed with the intensity of the Byakugan, despite the fact that it wasn't active. "You disobeyed my direct command."

"Oh! But she initiated the combat!" A sharp grin crossed his face and it matched the glint in his eyes.

Hinata swallowed the fire in her throat and remained still; she remained calm, she remained level. It was wrong for her to do anything else. He was determined to make himself look innocent when he was anything but. "After you provoked her."

"Lady White Eyes, I was simply exercising my right to share my opinion. All that happened was that Kusari wasn't pleased with what I said, and so she attacked me." Shouko started pacing and Hinata's eyes were like pointed lasers that followed him.

"Everything I'm doing is in service to you and your cause! I spoke out against Kusari's barbaric movement! I had crowds supporting my words, Lady Hinata—your gospel. Kusari, she came, she was displeased, we debated—and that led her to fury. So, I defended myself when she attacked.

"You were wrong about her love for the Hyuuga Clan. If she's so willing to assault one of her clansman over mere words, then who's to say what her full destructive potential is? I put a cap on that threat; her supporters don't even reach two dozen and I've saved the sanctity of the Hyuuga Clan, Lady Hinata, don't you think?" He stopped pacing in front of her and leaned down into her face. "You owe me for—"

"I don't owe you a damn thing, Shouko," Hinata snapped in the most gentle voice possible. It was only then when she realized her neutral expression had dropped into a scowl.

Dammit.

Hinata cleared her throat. "My apologies." Churning shame and guilt only made her rage nauseating. This was why she never gave in—anger made her lose her grip on herself, her control; anger was the antithesis to control. Everything was slippery and loose and all she could see herself doing was falling falling falling. It was disgusting; it was disgraceful.

When Hinata opened her mouth to speak, she felt her stutter come before she even uttered a word. The way her throat tightened and her whole body hitched against her control—Bontena's blessing spread across her skin and her eyes turned white. Hinata was shocked to find her White Eyes were angrier than her lavender ones.

At least she was in control of it.

Hinata stood and despite the fact she was shorter than Shouko, her presence far exceeded his. "It does not matter what you did for me. I am focused on what you did to me and to Kusari. I see through every skewing of events, Shouko, I know who you are. You poked and prodded Kusari to make her react; you went out of your way to disobey me while trying to make it look like you weren't.

"You claim to do this in my honor, but the way you carry out your support only spits in my face. I do not stand for violence, I do not stand for insults. If you want to act in my honor then act how I would." The lightest glare made Hinata's pearly eyes look like they were shining. "Am I understood?"

Shouko watched in a silence that Hinata despised. The look on his face went from surprised to endeared. That slimy smile split his face as he clutched his robes and giggled. "This is why we're so perfect for each other, Lady Hinata… you soften me when I need it, and I'll act upon the hardness in my heart because you're too soft to do it yourself."

His giggles intensified as he looked Hinata in the eyes which she hid her disgust in.

"Oh, I can't wait for you to be mine…" Excitement made him cackle as he backed away and sighed. "We'll run the Hyuuga Clan perfectly together." With that, he exited the tent.

Hinata didn't even give him permission to leave.

A white storm whirled in reaction to her anger as Hinata swallowed it down and sighed. Her mark receded and Hinata hated the lump forming in her throat. All of her control was gone—using her blessing made her anger more intense. How? Why? It was supposed to help her—! Hinata took a deep, long, calming breath. (It barely worked.)

Why does this have to be the man I must marry?

—

Again, Kusari was stuck in a damned medical tent. Unlike the last time, she didn't get to fall unconscious. Hours passed and Kusari just had to sit in her agony, as she was barely able to move. Her small number of supporters were gathered around her still, outside the tent in the greater medical tent of the Hyuuga, but for the most part, she was on her lonesome. Kusari was forced to use her already burnt out Dead Bone Pulse to piece her bones back together from the inside—it burned and it was slow because of all the chakra points that Shouko shut. That bastard needed to be slaughtered by the greatest extent of Shivua's fury, and Kusari was going to make sure that happened to matter what.

Her hair rose and fell as she forced Shivua's anger to make the Dead Bone Pulse work faster, to unseal some of her chakra points, and even when she looked her worst, felt her worst, that damned Genin refused to leave her side. As a matter of fact, he helped her, doing his best to unseal some of her chakra points. Because of him, after hours, she could finally walk again. There was still a pathetic limp to all of her movements.

As she managed to stand, Kusari let out a ragged sigh, swallowing Shivua's fury as she looked him in the eyes. "You… what's your name?"

"Sora!" the Genin answered, giving her a bashful salute.

Kusari wanted to force a smile, but she couldn't. "Thank you…"

"No problem!" He backed off and let Kusari limp herself out of the tent.

A frown crossed his face. "Do you need help—?"

"I'm fine," she lied, her entire body still feeling like it was impaled on millions of rusty nails. Something, she needed to feel like she was doing something. It was the only reason why she kept herself in the Hyuuga Compound—was it some sense of duty? Responsibility? That sounded too much like Hinata.

What the hell could she do in this state?! What?! Nothing. Shouko showed her that right now, she could do nothing. All the progress that she made—Shouko ripped it apart. What was worse was that Kusari wasn't enough of anything to stop him. She let all of this happen. All of this was the most insufferable body ache that could be imagined. As she limped out of the medical tent, her supporters silently, uneasily, still followed her. Sora made sure to stay right by her side.

They followed the same person that screamed at them just a day before—the same person that was embarrassed publicly earlier today. For the first time, Kusari didn't feel like she deserved this—Shouko exploited all of her mistakes. Nothing he did to her would've mattered had she acted perfectly. Kusari hated and hated the fact that she fell into his trap like an idiotic rat. What she hated worse was how right that bastard was. If he was wrong, then she'd still have all of the supporters she had initially.

This was pathetic.

It took her thirty minutes to find somewhere secluded enough in the Hyuuga Clan, secluded enough for Kusari to feel somewhat comfortable. The sun above shone mockingly as she sat down, her supporters in a half-moon in front of her. Of course, Sora was at the forefront.

"Lady Pearl Bones…" one of them said, concern shadowing her face. "What are we going to do?"

"I…" Kusari would've grit her teeth and clenched her fists had it not brought her a world of pain. In order to answer a damned question, Kusari had to sit agonizingly still. "I don't know."

"I think we should just stick to our guns!" Sora exclaimed as he slammed his fist into his open palm. "This is just a setback, right? So we keep fighting! This shouldn't stop us, not in the slightest! Everything is going to be alright."

"Right…" agreed Kusari, the slightest smile pursing her lips. "Though, I'll have to change my approach just a bit. Being as… forthcoming and straightforward may not work with our current position."

"Eh? Well, yeah, I guess so…" Sora muttered. "But, that's… who you are, I think. Right?"

"Somewhat," mumbled Kusari.

Sora nodded. "I just say that it'll be disgraceful to compromise who we are for the sake of the Hyuuga Clan's support."

"Yeah, I agree," said another one of her supporters, nodding his head. If there was one thing all of her supporters had in common, is that they were young. None of them could have been older than twenty. "If we show them who we are, and they don't like it… then we don't need them."

"Damn right!" Sora cheered him on, clapping his hands. It was followed by a round of applause that Kusari wished she could join.

Even still, Kusari forced herself to give an approving nod through the pain. Despite everything… they really had little doubt left in their hearts. "Well, it's settled then. Same approach… but different material…" Kusari then had another hard question to answer. What else do I have to offer them?

As she contemplated her questions, the supporter with her Byakugan active got on her guard. "Lady Pearl Bones… the Hokage's son is approaching us."

"Gosei?!" questioned Kusari, cursing under her breath. "What the hell does he want?!"

"Do you want us to tell him off?" asked Sora.

Another boy nodded. "Yeah, the last time one of your teammates came to see you…"

"Does he look hostile?" asked Kusari, not daring to activate her Byakugan in this state.

The woman shook her head. "No…"

"Then let him come." Kusari let out an aching breath as she anticipated his arrival. From the depths of the Hyuuga Compound, Gosei arrived. There was… definitely no hostility on his face, but definitely some skepticism.

Narrowing her eyes, Kusari greeted him. "Gosei."

"Kusari," he nodded his head in… respect?! What the hell—? "I've heard what you've done here, using your bloodline to reconstruct the entirety of the Hyuuga Compound yourself. It's nothing less than amazing!" A proud smile crossed his face. "It warms my heart to have seen you grow like this; the path of destiny led you down a prosperous road, that's as clear as day.

"I'm proud of the Kunoichi you're becoming, and I'm happy to have you as my teammate, Kusari."

Unblinking, shocked, Kusari just stared at Gosei. Most of all, she hated how good his words were to hear. The curt smile widened, and Kusari wanted to slap herself for being so happy. Was this her mother's doing? Were her pleas to the stars answered? Kusari would have liked to think that. For the first time in what seemed like forever, companionship with Gosei was in her grasp and Kusari wasn't going to let go of that again.

Her original dream had two lifelong friends, not just one.

"Thank you, Gosei," Kusari let out a sigh as the smile on her face made it tingle with joy. "I… truly appreciate this."

"Of course! I just found it right after my moth—Lady Fifth spoke highly of your achievements here."

"Lady Fifth spoke highly of me?!" Speaking so loudly made Kusari ache even more.

Gosei laughed. "Of course she did! A woman as amazing as you ought to have caught her attention."

"Right…" Kusari despised the blush on her face. Why was this filling her with so much joy? It was almost as if what the hell Shouko did didn't even happen. The longingness in her gaze surpassed the rage as she saw him in her reach once again. Though Kusari knew Gosei, she knew herself.

If she fell back into the rage that plagued her so deeply… then this pride, this happiness, these compliments… would be gone just like they once were. That made them mean a bit less, knowing how conditional they were. Gosei wasn't Shinrai. How unconditional Shinrai's support was… it was almost scary. But that begged the question of whether Kusari even planned to break the conditions of Gosei's support.

Did Kusari still plan to slaughter the Main Branch? Shouko, absolutely. But outright murder for the rest of them seemed more like Shivua's doing than her own. Life as her slaves suited them well enough. Massacring them all was a slippery slope considering the Azure Dragon that plagued her fate. Seeing Hiashi Hyuuga with the Caged Bird Seal was more satisfying than having Ingoken blow a hole through his heart. Vindication brought a different type of smile to her face before she wiped it away with a sigh. "Gosei…"

"Hm?"

"Can I ask for your assistance?"

"Of course!" He walked up beside her and sat down. "What do you need?"

That was… easy. Kusari cleared her throat and it was agonizing—the wince and growl stopped from her speaking.

"Are you injured…? What happened?"

"I lost a duel," Kusari answered bitterly—fiery rage ignited in her once again.

Gosei's eyes went wide. "Shinrai…?"

"I—" The anger churned into a different type of hurt—one that plagued her heart instead of her body. "Yes… I did fight him. But it wasn't him that left me in this state."

"Oh… Does this relate to the assistance you're asking of me?"

"Indeed." Kusari sighed instead of clearing her throat. "In addition to rebuilding the Hyuuga Compound, my movement is trying to improve upon the tradition of the Hyuuga Clan, destroying what's been limiting us and instilling something greater for the better of the Hyuuga. Obviously, the Main Branch doesn't support this.

"A member of the Main Branch and I… fought. Not only did I lose the battle—" Kusari's rage ignited her words and a slash of fear gutted everybody nearby. "—I lost many supporters amongst the Hyuuga Clan. I need your assistance in showing the Hyuuga Clan that my way is the better way.

"As you know, I've expanded my moveset beyond that of the traditional Hyuuga fighting style. I want your help in doing the same…" Kusari looked to her supporters. "I want you to teach anybody willing to use Change in Chakra Nature, please."

"I see…" considered Gosei, nodding his head. His contemplative silence made Kusari's heart race.

Please agree, please agree, please agree.

"I… support your movement, Kusari."

"Thank you—!" she said too excitedly.

Gosei chuckled. "What you're doing will definitely make the Hyuuga Clan into a more powerful part of Konoha, adding variance to their style of battle where there wasn't before. Of course, I'll help when I can, but do know that because of my own training, I won't always be available."

"I understand," Kusari said, looking into his eyes. "What type of training are you doing?"

Gosei retrieved a scroll from his pouch. "A summoning contract."

"I see…" considered Kusari, remembering the scroll which was crawling with baby spiders in her pouch. "I should start investing in my own, actually."

"Oh, you have one?"

"Indeed," confirmed Kusari, refusing to grab it. "The Spider Clan."

"Don't…" Gosei looked dubious. "Don't you hate bugs?"

"Indeed."

Gosei chuckled. "Well, I wish you luck with that."

"Thank you," Kusari said for what felt like the millionth time.

"Furthermore, I don't suggest showing yourself to any summoning clan in that state."

"I didn't plan to." Kusari rolled her eyes.

Gosei stood. "You should take a stop by the Scarlet Sword. It's an organization of the greatest medics in Konoha, including Lady Tsunade of the Sannin. They'll treat your injuries with efficient time and skill, don't you worry."

"I see…" murmured Kusari. "Though… I can't go there myself in this state."

"I'll help you!" Sora exclaimed.

Kusari looked aghast. "But you'll miss your lessons on Change in Chakra Nature…"

"It's fine! I'll pick up on it when I get back!" He had an unshakable grin that almost reminded Kusari of Naruto. It was… odd.

But, well, Kusari needed the help. Even though it felt bad, Kusari said, "Alright." With that, she forced herself to stand; it was easier with Sora's help.

Gosei smiled and waved as Kusari limped away. "Goodbye, Kusari! I'm happy that our destinies were able to intertwine like this once again."

"Of course," Kusari said back. "Again, thank you for everything!"

"No problem! I'm just helping out a friend."

That… was the best thing Kusari had heard since the round of applause the Hyuuga gave her for showing off her Dead Bone Pulse. Kusari smiled as she and Sora limped their way to the Scarlet Sword.

—

Well, it was time for Tsunade to see what this Scarlet Sword was all about. Since there was no hospital, they set up shop at the Academy. Standard practice—that she implemented. At least Konoha's Medical Department didn't fall to total shit with her gone. But at the same, it was her fault for leaving; even she wasn't ignorant enough to be blind to that fact. Well, she was here to fix it now.

So, Tsunade walked into the Scarlet Sword like she owned the place. Because she was going to after today. Eyes from all around immediately focused in on her as she entered. Immediately, Tsunade was surprised by how… organized it was. Proper rows, each station had adequate space, cleaning and sanitation materials were everywhere. This looked much higher brow than she was expecting.

"No way…" muttered a pink-haired girl with stars in her eyes, staring a lot harder than everyone else.

Tsunade scoffed. "You got a problem, brat?"

"Nope! Not one at all!" she bashfully backed off and fixed her hair, giggling and chuckling. "I'm just… a really big fan."

"Are you now…?" Tsunade chuckled. "Who's the brains behind this operation?"

"Ms. Aiko!" answered the girl. "I'd be happy to lead you to her, Lady Tsunade!"

"Yeah, I'm sure you would…" Tsunade looked to see where the girl once came from. The bed was empty, so she didn't seem to be neglecting any patients. So, she wasn't a bad medic. Good on her. "Yeah, show me where this… Aiko is."

"Yes! Okay, okay!" The excited little cherry blossom walked ahead, and Tsunade followed.

Of course, Tsunade wasn't going to let this walk be silent. "How long have you been a medic?"

"A few months! I'm pretty new, but everyone says I'm good at it!"

"Cool, cool…" Tsunade pondered with her hand on her chin. An inexperienced medic probably wasn't the best choice for an accurate measure… Oh well, she wasn't going to break this brat's heart and tell her to sit down. "How would you say the service at the Scarlet Service is?"

"Amazing! Before the Scarlet Sword cropped up, everything was disorganized. Injured were just thrown at medics with no regard for severity or anything… it was just… chaos. Now there's a log, with each medic's skill level and the severity of the patient's injuries, so they can be matched up. Each section of the Academy was divided up into different sectors for differing levels of injured and skill levels, everything's much much better!"

Tsunade blinked. "That's… basic."

"Oh… is it?"

"Yes!" Tsunade facepalmed. "God dammit Sensei… how the hell have you been running this village?!"

"He's… dead…"

"So?! Did he not write down any proper protocol—did anybody even look at my fucking notes while I was gone?!" Tsunade groaned. "At least tell me it's still required for each squad to have a medic."

"Yeah, it is."

"Oh, thank fuck." Tsunade sighed. "This village hasn't completely fallen to shit. Only mostly."

"You… curse more than I thought."

"Is that a fucking problem?!"

"No! It's nice…" The girl let out a breath and smiled. "Even the greatest people aren't perfect."

"That's the most backhanded compliment a Genin has ever given me."

"No, no I didn't mean it that way—" the girl gasped and bowed. "I deeply apologize, Lady Tsunade—!"

"Oh get up!" Tsunade crossed her arms.

The girl did as Tsunade commanded and chuckled, before they both looked in the direction of the soft footsteps. A redhead woman with an eyepatch looked confusedly at the two. "Hey… Sakura, who's this?"

"I am Lady Tsunade of the Sannin." She introduced herself, walking ahead of this Sakura and toward the redhead. "And are you the… Aiko that runs this place?"

"Oh my—" She cleared her throat. "Yes! Yes I am…!"

Tsunade smirked. "Great! Just letting you know that you're second in command now."

"Wait, I'm sorry—?"

"I really love what you've done with the place, Konoha seemed to have forgotten how to run a proper medical institution after I left, but you brought a sense of order here!" Tsunade put a hand on Aiko's shoulder and smiled. "But I can take it from here."

With her single diamond-blue eye, Aiko gained a stern look. "Thank you for the compliments, but this is my organization. I won't let you take it away from me."

"Eh?! Is that right?!"

"Yes, it is!" declared Aiko. "Of course! Any help I can get is greatly appreciated, but for you to just walk in and say you run the place is incredibly rude. The people of Konoha have entrusted me with their health and how it's run."

"Pfft, oh please, do you even know medical ninjutsu?"

"No, but I know how to run a place."

"Wow! So can I!"

"That's great, Tsunade, but I'm running it right now." Her eye narrowed in thought and she put her hand on Tsunade's shoulder. "Obviously, I can tell you're experienced. So, how about this? I remain the figurehead, I remain in charge of all business related functions, money management, land layouts, etcetera, and you can become an additional figurehead, and manage the functions of the medics and injured themselves, hm?"

"You…" Tsunade couldn't help the smirk on her face. "You know how to negotiate, don't you?"

"Well, I am a businesswoman."

"Okay, I agree as long as I get sixty percent of all profits."

"Oh, the Scarlet Sword is a non-profit organization."

"What?!" Tsunade groaned then she sighed. "Fair enough, I suppose."

"Yeah, I'm not making anybody pay for healthcare; that's immoral." Aiko let out a heavy sigh.

Tsunade, stepping back, nodded. "True, it's not like Konoha's economy is in a state to be fixed in the slightest."

"That's true…" Aiko frowned.

Sakura spoke up. "Yeah… my dad's trying to work on it. We're starting to get financial aid from Fire Capital now."

"Great!" cheered Aiko, before turning her attention back to Tsunade with a smile. "Well, I think we should announce your involvement, don't you think?"

"Indeed." Tsunade turned her back and walked back toward the entrance at the same time Aiko did. Shortly after, Sakura scurried behind them. It didn't take them too long to reach the entrance where Tsunade came in. Of course, all of the medics present set all of their gazes back on them. Sakura found it wise to be a part of the audience, not on the stand.

Tsunade cleared her throat, but Aiko spoke first. "People of the Scarlet Sword, thank you, thank you for all contributions to all of this. I'm here to announce that we have a very important person joining us in our aid! Lady Tsunade of the Sannin!"

"I could have introduced myself," grumbled Tsunade before she projected her voice to the crowd. "Well, she's right! I'm here! And all of you medics turn your attention to me! Because I'm going to be micromanaging all of you and making sure you're up to snuff. From what I've seen, Konoha's Medical Department has fallen to shit and I'm here to make things how they're supposed to be, you hear me?"

A subdued round of applause sounded out through the room. Tsunade gave a nod of approval and Aiko grinned. The round of applause was broken by that pink girl. What was her name again—? "Don't you worry, Lady Tsunade! None of us are going to let you down! At least, I know that I won't! I'll be the best damned medic the world has ever seen! Cha!"

A second round of applause supported the pink girl in her dramatic declaration. Tsunade just found herself chuckling. "That one has some spunk…"

"Yeah! Sakura's a good one… I like having her around."

"Oh, so that was her name!" Tsunade snapped her fingers and whispered. "Let's see if she becomes interesting enough for me to want to remember it."

"I think she will—"

The door opened. Aiko's single eye went wide. "Kusari—?"

Tsunade's attention then turned to two Hyuuga entering the room. One of them was obviously an older teenager, dirty-brown hair with the Hyuuga's signature lavender eyes, and he had his arm wrapped around a Hyuuga girl's shoulder, holding her up. Half of her hair was white, the other half jet black—on top of that she was a good amount younger than the boy, and definitely muscular for a girl of her age.

"Aiko?" the girl—Kusari, probably—looked up at the eye-patched woman beside her. "It's been a while…"

"It has!" Cheerfully, she walked over to Kusari, helping her in. "What happened to you?"

"I lost a duel," Kusari simply answered.

Aiko gasped. "Oh no! It must've been pretty intense…"

"Indeed." Kusari agreed with a miffed look on her face. Shortly after, she looked toward her. "Are you Lady Tsunade?"

"Yes…" she answered.

"Good." Kusari looked to the boy helping her walk. "Sora, take me to her."

"On it!"

Tsunade looked, almost offended, at her while she limped her way all the way up to her. With a flat gaze, Kusari looked Tsunade in the eyes. "Heal me."

"Why should I?"

"Gosei sent me."

"That doesn't mean shit."

"What—?" Kusari's face scrunched with shock. "But—"

"That nepotism shit does not fly with me… Kusari." Tsunade glared down at her.

Unlike most kids her age, Kusari was unphased. "Okay, but you're a medic; it's your job."

"Yeah, and look—there are plenty of other medics here to heal you!" Tsunade waved her hand throughout the room.

Kusari shrugged. "So? I want you."

"Why are you so adamant?"

"Because you're the best." Kusari stepped forward and the boy holding her up looked scared. "Why would I want anything other than the best to heal me?"

"Kid, injuries as minor as yours are a waste of my time." Tsunade laughed. "Oh no! You can barely walk by yourself, that's soooo fucking severe. Either pay me something that's worth my time or get out of my face."

"Pay you?! I'm Lady Pearl Bones—"

"Who?!" Tsunade put her hand over her ear. "Don't use some title you made up to try and sway me. The only lady from the Hyuuga Clan I know is Lady White Eyes."

"You—!" Kusari took a deep breath that looked extremely painful. "You only know of her because she's old news. I am recent and I am better."

"Oh don't you think so?" Tsunade snorted.

Kusari glared. "I know so."

"Girl, where the hell is your respect for authority?!"

"It died the moment the Main Branch tried to assassinate me."

"Wait, Kusari—" Aiko looked aghast. "What?!"

"Man… the Hyuuga are a fucked up crowd." Tsunade groaned. "If this was your attempt at trying to guilt me into healing you, it's not going to work."

"Dammit!" cursed Kusari.

The Hyuuga boy pulled on his collar. "Lady Pearl Bones… I think we should just find somebody else."

"Fine… I'll share with Gosei how insufferable his relative is." Kusari gave Tsunade a sharp look before limping away.

That statement made Tsunade cackle. "Oh please, he already knows."

She wished she could see that Hyuuga girl roll her eyes.

—

"Psst!" Sakura called. "Kusari! Over here!"

Her Hyuuga girl friend looked over and Sakura waved. She wondered who that boy was. Sakura hoped it wasn't anything weird… he was too much older than her. Kusari and he exchanged a few words before changing directions. The two bickered for a bit, something about Change in Chakra Nature training? Weren't Hyuuga banned from using that?

After saying goodbye to each other, the boy ran off and Kusari laid down on the hospital bed—the same one Gosei was in that morning. It would've been really funny if Shinrai ended up coming here by nightfall. But, she'd rather… not. Though, she did miss Naruto… they haven't been talking much since he went on that big shot mission, besides when he came back, of course. Sasuke's been doing his own thing, training, coming by occasionally to say hi—which was way more than what Sakura expected.

But, aside from Team 7, Sakura had more than a few questions to ask Kusari. "Okay so… what happened?"

"I lost a duel." Kusari grumbled.

Sakura frowned. "I need specifics so I can heal you more effectively."

"My chakra points were closed. All you need to do is open them back up."

A dubious look crossed Sakura's face. Her eyes scanned Kusari's visibly deformed and broken bones. "Are you sure that's it…?"

"I have a bloodline that grants me control over my bones. I'm okay, Sakura."

Was Kusari trying to sound assuring? Also—"What?!"

"Did I stutter?"

"Man, you're something else…" Sakura muttered as she looked over Kusari, allowing the glow of the Mystic Palm to cover her hands. "Also, uhh… what the fuck do you mean you had an assassination attempt on your life?"

Kusari let out a ragged, painful breath. "I have something special about me, something I cannot disclose. Well, one of its side effects is my special Bloodline. I was seen as a threat by the Main Branch of the Hyuuga Clan, so… they attempted to kill me.

"Obviously, they failed. Because of that, I've been growing to harness this power that I have in service of the Side Branches, eventually hoping to… change the Main Branch for the better," explained Kusari, and Sakura was smart enough to know what change meant. She was healing a damned revolutionary.

Well, if they tried to kill Kusari, then Sakura wasn't exactly going to judge her for it. But man… "Why are all the girls here cool besides me…?"

Kusari just shrugged. "I don't know… just get better."

"Right…" responded Sakura, using her Mystic Palm to soothe the pain in Kusari's bones and open up her chakra points. Seeing the pain leave the faces of her patients was honestly the best part of her job here.

As she did, Sakura looked upon Lady Tsunade as her and Aiko talked about… something. They were being quiet. Just get better, eh, Kusari? Her eyes focused on Lady Tsunade and the power that her name brought.

Y'know what… I think I will.

Her Mystic Palm shone brighter as a determined smirk crossed Sakura's face.

Cha mother fucker.

—

Karin still felt like shit after what happened with Shinrai. Well, when was the last time she didn't feel like shit? It must've been a lifetime ago. At least Naruto gave her something to grasp on to, how to not fuck up everything she does. Right now, he was making food… for the both of them. Karin didn't have the heart to tell him that it didn't taste much better than the scraps that she was given by Blade and Orochimaru.

But, well, it was better than starving. The love that Naruto put into it made Karin enjoy it, anyway. As she just… twiddled her thumbs in thought on the couch, her senses picked up an unbreakable presence coming toward them. "Miya's coming…" announced Karin.

In the kitchen, Naruto cheered. "Hell yeah! I missed her!"

"You just saw her yesterday…"

"So? Plus… yesterday wasn't really a good day." A dejected look banished his smile.

Karin winced. "Right…"

Before long, there was a knock on the door. Naruto leapt over the kitchen counter to answer it. "Ms. Miya!"

"Hey…" The woman's energy was much more subdued than Naruto's, yet equally joyous. All of them had their Adamantine Chains, and yet Karin herself still felt so fragile compared to those two. The love that swelled from the both of them made her feel… out of place. The hug they shared lasted for seconds before Miya pulled back and walked in.

"How are you holding up? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Naruto let out a sigh. "I talked to Ryu… that made things better, y'know?"

"Oh, did you…" Miya pondered. "I saw him today, too."

"Oh—he left to talk to you?!"

Miya shook her head. "Shinrai."

"Oh!" Naruto looked baffled. "Then why the hell didn't he say that?! That bastard just fucking ditched me!"

"Ah…" Miya let out a dejected breath. "I'm not going to try and pretend I understand him… as much as I should be able to."

"Don't worry…" A determined smirk hardened Naruto's face. Golden understanding glinted across his eyes. "I will."

"If you say so…" Miya responded, quite distantly.

Karin let out a breath. "I know he will."

The eyes of the room were set on her—that made her heart skip a beat. Naruto's wide, unshakable grin calmed Karin in a way that she didn't think possible. His chakra shone like the sun, so warm, welcoming, accepting—understanding… like it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever sensed in her life.

Well, that was because it was. If there was one thing in this world that she could believe in… it'd be Naruto Uzumaki. After having every reason to break, to fall, he still stood standing like nothing had ever happened.

"Well, I have something for the both of you," Miya said, after clearing her throat. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a note. "It's from Shinrai, to the both of you."

Dread sunk in Karin's heart as every possibility of what could be on what note cut her mind open. Naruto, on the other hand, just narrowed his eyes. "Huh… alright."

Miya handed it to the both of them and Naruto took it, opening it while Karin looked over his shoulder.

I'm sorry for what I did to the both of you. Neither of you deserved it. I think it's better if we don't see each other for a while. I'll come back when I promise that I won't hurt either of you again.

Karin's eyes narrowed. That wasn't… bad. It was fair. She shut her eyes to feel Shinrai, wherever he was. Of course, a shiver went down her spine. But there were no glacial daggers—all of the blades in his chakra were dulled. It felt more like he was floating on his lonesome in an icy ocean.

She had a promise of her own to make. Her and Shinrai here had the same goal, it seemed. If they met again, then they'd only hurt each other again. Once they were both certain that they wouldn't hurt the other, then they would face each other—

Naruto laughed. The sudden noise snapped Karin out of her thoughts. Bitterness and offense?! That was what fanned the flames of Naruto's chakra. Even Miya had a look of cautious alarm on her face. "Naruto?"

Slowly, he stopped laughing. "Sorry, sorry…" He scratched the back of his head. "I was just caught a bit off guard, y'know?"

Naruto wasn't lying, no, but Karin could tell he wasn't being entirely truthful, either. On the other hand, Miya just sighed. "Alright…" She cleared her throat and looked toward Karin. "I'm going to take you to the Yamanaka now, alright?"

"Wait, what?"

"I have to make sure you're not unintentionally sending information to Orochimaru, or anyone. They're going to use their technique to probe your mind for any irregularities," explained Miya. Everything about her demeanor, her chakra, was very neutral. It was better than the suppressed negativity that she had before.

With a dejected sigh, Karin nodded. "Alright." She despised the idea of having somebody go inside of her mind—to see all of her darkest secrets, her worst moments, everything she's ever experienced. But, well, if she wanted to live a comfortable life in Konoha, she didn't have a choice.

A resigned, sparky breath fell from her mouth as she followed Miya outside the house. Of course, Naruto had something to say. "Listen, Karin! You're gonna pass all clear and be back here in no time, believe it!"

"Thanks, Naruto." His words made her feel a bit better, but not really. Karin simply despised that it had to happen in the first place. And so, her and Miya left the house in silence. They exited the building, entered the streets. Everything was still part destroyed, partially in progress, with a smaller yet relevant part being completely built or intact.

"So, Karin, what do you think of Konoha?" asked Miya. She was still neutral.

Karin crossed her arms, grabbing at her sleeves. "It's… better than where I've been so far. I can't wrap my head around how… positive this place is. Even in the face of an invasion, I still sense people being happy. It doesn't make sense… it's a fever dream."

"I see," Miya responded, nodding her head. "That's our Will of Fire."

"So I've heard."

"Do you really know what it is?"

Karin frowned. "Not really…"

"It's what Konoha was founded on, that everyone in this village is your family, and that you're supposed to put your life on the line for them, be ready to sacrifice everything to ensure their protection, their happiness. Hold that within yourself, and you'll become more fulfilled than you can ever dream of."

"Really?" questioned Karin, furrowing her brow. To her, it sounded like a bunch of idealistic bullshit. Though, she didn't want to actually… say that. It was rude. "I don't think I can… believe that."

"I don't expect you to, right away," admitted Miya. "Though, I think you're on the right track."

"How?!"

"From what Shinrai told me… a lot of what you did was to try to help him, as wrongly as you went about it—" Anger flared in Miya's chakra and Karin distanced herself. "And in the end… you were willing to die for him."

Karin rubbed at her neck, where Orochimaru… She had to shut her eyes and bite her tongue to stop thinking about that.

"You have… potential, Karin. I'm sure you do. I just have to make sure it comes out in the right way." Miya gave her a soft, kind of forced, smile. There was sincerity in her chakra—responsibility. Miya felt… responsible for her?!

At this point, it was like everybody but her was saying that she was worth something. Maybe she had to believe at some stage. "I see…" was all she could muster as a response. The silence returned but it was much less dreadful than before.

Before long, Karin and Miya reached a building—one that looked like a prison. Well, probably because it was a prison. What she felt inside was much more what she was used to. Pain, sorrow, hardness, stoicism, emotionlessness… It felt like everything she was used to. Why the hell was a prison where she felt at home?

Miya, of course, led her inside. Karin decided to tune out the silence around her… like she was used to. Any negativity that would come her way would alert her, like it always did. Miya talked to some scarred man, and then she led her to a room where there was a man there. Brown hair, orange eyes, standing in front of a chair with straps for her limbs, she presumed.

"Karin," Miya said, breaking her out of her mental void. "He'll be the one probing your mind."

Karin blinked, looking at the man, then the chair—where she'd be restrained, unable to move or fight back and be at his mercy—while he was inside of her mind, looking at everything. Disgust rose in her as her skin crawled. "Absolutely not," stated Karin, crossing her arms.

Miya's eyes went wide, and that man looked skeptical. "Karin, you have to—"

"No the fuck I don't," she declared, standing resolute. "I refuse to have a man look into my mind."

"Karin, please—"

"I don't care! Have a woman perform the whatever thing—I don't want a fucking man in my head!" Karin yelled as she stood even firmer.

With a stressed, yet empathetic sigh, Miya looked at the man. He just threw his hands up and sighed. "Alright, hold on…" He muttered before leaving.

Karin let out a relieved breath, forcing her healing chakra to her heart to calm its frantic beats. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," responded Miya, putting a hand on her shoulder. Karin… appreciated the gesture. Before long, a dirty-blonde woman with red eyes walked into the room.

"You requested a woman for the mental probe?" she asked.

Karin nodded.

She returned the gesture before pointing toward the chair. "Alright, sit down, let me strap you in." Going against all of her instincts, Karin obeyed. She still despised this, all of it. This just made her able to stomach it (that was a fucking lie). If anything went wrong, then Miya was probably going to step in.

Before long, she was restrained by the chair—she felt her chakra being suppressed by whatever was in the straps. She couldn't even summon her chains—she was fucking helpless. Now there was no controlling her chakra to slow her heart rate, to calm her breath, to stop the sweat beating from her skin.

She hated this, but she knew the worst was yet to come. When the woman weaved that sign and outstretched her hand, Karin felt the echoing dread consume her being like a poisonous parasite. The woman's hand grabbed her forehead, and she felt an obtrusive second presence in her mind that wasn't supposed to be there.

Ewewewewew—Karin wanted to scream. The moment she felt it, she fought futility against the restraints so she could get out.. Of course, she couldn't. Panic swelled with a fire that couldn't even scorch the threat at hand. Helpless, helpless, she couldn't do a thing to protect herself from this shit. Tears stung in her eyes, but she wouldn't let them spill—as if she was going to show any more vulnerability than she was being forced to.

This was disgusting—it was putrid—she felt the woman's presence move and invade and search every nook and cranny of her mind and it was the worst fucking thing in the world. The violation felt like somebody sticking their filthy hands down her throat and digging with their fingers. It lasted too long the moment it started. There was a light where it should've been dark— everything that was supposed to be hidden was exposed, and Karin felt all of it.

Vile disgust and horror pooled in her like internal bleeding—it hurt that she was forced to take this without any fucking say. All of her attempts to fight against it failed entirely. Thankfully, thankfully, it ended—something that should have never started in the first place. Karin glared the fury and pain of a lifetime at the woman. Her eyes narrowed as she pulled back. "I'm sorry…"

"Get me out of this fucking chair," spat Karin as she tried to pull out of the restraints.

Miya frowned as she walked over, looking at the woman. "Is she clear?"

"Yeah, nothing's up."

"Good." Immediately, Miya released Karin—the moment she was free, Karin almost sprinted away from the chair and toward the door, relishing in the full force of her chakra being active to her.

"Thank you," Miya said before going over to Karin. "You alright?"

"No," she answered bluntly as she hugged herself.

Miya's chakra swelled with genuine concern and care. For once, Miya's warm, unbreakable hug was directed toward her. She grabbed Karin's hand and gently walked her out of the prison building. "Listen, Karin, it's alright, you're free; nothing like this is going to happen again—"

"—It shouldn't have happened in the first place!" Karin had to stop herself from screaming at the top of her lungs. Even still, bleeding resentment oozed from her words. "Shit like this always happens to me… every time I think things are changing, things are looking up, something reminds me that things are never going to be good for me.

"Why? Why is it always me?! How can you think I deserve more, that I'm worth something when everything in existence proves that I'm not—shit like what happened in that fucking room!"

Heartbreak cracked Miya's chakra and pulled her face into a frown. She kneeled down to Karin's level to look her in the eyes. "Listen, listen… I'm sorry that it had to happen—"

"Are you really?! You're saying that like you're not the one who brought me here—because you didn't trust me! And you don't have a fucking reason to…" Karin dug her face into her palms—everything goes back to me, everything goes back to me, everything goes back to me—

—Miya pulled Karin into her arms and held on tight. She was… silent. Both of them were. All Miya had was the genuine concern and care that she felt—that she knew Karin would feel too. Fuck, she wanted to cry again.

"Nothing like that is ever going to happen to you again. I don't care if I have to fight hell itself, Karin, I'll make sure you're safe forever."

Why did everyone keep fighting for her? It made no fucking sense. Fighting against everything in her heart, Karin hugged Miya back. It… helped. It helped. It helped. It helped. Karin breathed into Miya's torso and they just stood there for who knew how long. Karin pulled back once she remembered that they were just sitting outside of a prison in public.

She wiped the barely forming tears from her eyes and pursed her lips. "Are we going back to the apartment now?" Calling it home felt wrong.

Miya nodded, lacing her fingers in Karin's hand. It felt… secure. "Yeah, c'mon, let's go."

They started their trek back toward the apartment, where Naruto was waiting for them. As they walked, with the aid of Karin's chakra, she calmed herself. Once she did, Miya decided to start another conversation.

"What do you want to do, Karin?"

She swallowed hard at that question. Well, she knew what she had to do… stop fucking things up. Once she did that, she'd be able to face Shinrai once again. It also went back to what Miya said in their first conversation… Do something that Shinrai would be proud of. Karin continued to look up at Miya.

After that, she thought back… to girls like Natsuyo; she was so happy, so pure… something like that had to be protected. Even still, Miya went out of her way to try to help somebody like her. Stars formed in Karin's eyes as she looked up at Miya.

A minute of thought passed, and Karin finally had an answer that felt right. "I want to be like you."

Shock flashed in her chakra as a taken-aback expression crossed her face. "Really…?"

"Mhm," affirmed Karin. "You help people, you make them feel better… and I'm tired of hurting everybody I touch."

"Heh… I see." Miya put her hand on Karin's shoulder. Judging by the ironic humor in Miya's chakra, it seemed that there was more to her than Karin had hoped. She did mention how she hurt somebody in the past, though Karin doubted that what she did was anything near as fucked as what she did to Shinrai.

"Well," Miya continued, "Luckily for you, I have an idea."

"What is it?" asked Karin.

Miya chuckled. "That'll wait until tomorrow."

"Alright…"

A comfortable silence passed as they walked toward the apartment. Though, as they got closer, Karin noticed the vacancy in it. Naruto… wasn't home. So, Karin said, "The house is empty… he's not home."

"Oh," Miya pondered. "He probably went out to train."

Karin didn't know why she was uneasy. Even still, she went out to sense where he was…

Naruto's unbreakable sun was closing in on an unmistakable glacier.

Shinrai.

"Oh no."

—

The fact that he gave Karin and Naruto something made Shinrai feel a bit better. He didn't have to worry about seeing them… that made everything seem a lot lighter than it was before. Finally, he had to apologize to Natsuyo and deal with how much she'd scream at him. It was going to suck, but everything in his life did right now. After that, he'd give thought to the Koan thingy that Ryu told him about… whatever it was.

A big part of Shinrai still didn't want to try. What was the point of trying to dig for gold when all he knew he'd find was sand? It made him feel stupid. It was going to exhaust him, run him dry… but he still had to try. It's what he promised to Ryu. It made Miya happy. It was how he was going to be able to face Naruto and Karin again—

There was a loud and rough knock on the door.

Shinrai wanted to scream.

With a haggard sigh, Shinrai peeled himself off of the couch and toward the door. Hopefully, it was just the mailman delivering a package or something. Maybe the ANBU trying to get Miya's attention or something, whatever. He opened the door—

—Crack!

Shinrai collapsed to the floor with his nose bleeding. The pain ached through his skull and he grit his teeth—his Sharingan bleeding to life as he saw… Naruto. The disdain in his red eyes faded to dreadful black.

"Naruto—"

"Did you seriously think I was going to listen to the dumbass note?!" Naruto marched in the door and picked Shinrai up by the collar, forcing him back on his feet. "You must've forgotten who your brother is, bastard!"

Being at the butt end of Naruto's fury made the dreadful cold so much worse—fuck he hated this shit. Frostbite made him feel like nothing as he saw the hurt and anger in Naruto's eyes. "Do you really think that you're just gonna pull what you did yesterday then disappear like nothing happened? The Shinrai I know isn't that stupid!"

"The Shinrai you knew is dea—"

Naruto slapped Shinrai. "No the fuck he isn't! You're just not acting like him!"

Shinrai peered into his brother's eyes and that frostbitten hurt was eating him alive. "Naruto—I'm sorry—" Shinrai despised how pathetically those words fell from his voice.

"You wanna be sorry, eh?!" To punctuate his point, Naruto jabbed his finger into Shinrai's chest. "Then be better!"

"I'm trying," Shinrai promised. "I'm trying to be better—that's why I need to be alone. I can't be better if I'm scared that I'm just going to keep hurting you! I'm just going to keep hurting you, Naruto!"

"So what?!" Naruto scoffed and looked Shinrai in the eyes. "I don't care if you hurt me, dammit! I'm gonna hurt more with you away than I ever will with you by my side!"

That sentence ripped Shinrai's heart in two. Shinrai hated that he fucking understood all of this, too. This was… Naruto. Naruto doing this made the most sense out of anything that happened lately.

"Y'know what you're going to do?! You're gonna come back home, and you're gonna stay—and you're gonna be my goddamn brother like you're supposed to be!"

"I can't—" Shinrai's breath hitched in a frostbitten spear.

Naruto glared. "Yes the fuck you can!"

"No, Naruto!" Shinrai grit his teeth. "Karin… I don't want to be around her. You, you're you, you're my brother… I'll try for you—" A frantic jolt made Shinrai clutch at the fabric over his heart. "I can't be around Karin… I already gave her everything that's mine in my room. I don't wanna cause her more stress, more hurt, making her move again."

Ice fueled every beat of Shinrai's heart as he bowed his head to Naruto. "I swear, man, I'll be here whenever you want me to be; just let me stay with Miya… please." Fuck, Shinrai hated begging.

Naruto looked down at him, the frustration in his eyes softening with more hurt. Immediately, Shinrai stood back up, letting out a haggard sigh. Naruto just groaned. "Fine… But you're still going to train with me today, you got that?!"

"...Sure," Shinrai said with a sigh.

With that, Naruto broke into a grin. For a moment, as his eyes laid on Naruto's fucking grin… things weren't as cold anymore.

Yeah, this was what he was trying for.

This right here.

The cold returned the moment Naruto turned his back to walk out of Miya's home. With little hesitation, Shinrai followed his brother out. They flickered from rooftop to rooftop together, geez, Naruto was in a rush—and since when did he get so fast?! It made Shinrai a bit proud… as much as he didn't want to think about yesterday, it really made Shinrai realize that Naruto really was catching up.

That made him a bit proud. It still couldn't bring a real smile to his face.

Minutes passed and Shinrai noticed how they found themselves in… Training Ground 7. When they landed on the dirt and grass, it was pretty much dried mud and dead grass. It probably got flooded. Sitting there, of course, was none other than Kakashi. Sasuke was there, too, and so was… Natsuyo—shit.

"Yo!" Naruto called. "Huh, where's Sakura?!"

"She has her hands full at the Scarlet Sword…" Kakashi answered, narrowing his eyes on Shinrai. "It seems that you brought a guest, Naruto."

"Yeah! I finally managed to get Shinrai off his ass!" responded Naruto with a laugh.

Sasuke gave Shinrai a scowl. "Yeah, you've been ditching training you bastard!"

"I have a bone to pick with you, Shinrai Uzumaki!" Natsuyo yelled.

Shinrai winced as Natsuyo marched over to him—everybody could feel the heatwaves of anger radiating off of her. "Listen… I'm sorry. What I did was really fucked up—I shouldn't have, you didn't deserve it, I'm sorry."

That stopped Natsuyo in her tracks. "What? You're sorry?!"

"Yeah! He is very sorry!" defended Naruto. "He was having a real bad time; he wasn't thinking straight!" Naruto slapped Shinrai on the back. "I set him straight though!"

"Did you…?" Natsuyo gave Shinrai a dubious look.

Naruto grinned. "You bet your ass I did! I conquered the Kyuubi's Chakra! So a bit of Shinrai is nothing."

Why the hell was Naruto vouching for him so hard?! It wasn't like what he was saying was a hundred percent true, either… Shinrai hated this.

Kakashi hummed. "Now, I know I'm missing a bit of context, but I believe that it'd be best for Shinrai to speak for himself, no?"

A cold beat pulsed through Shinrai's heart. "Yeah… I did some fucked up shit that I would really rather not talk about… yeah, I felt like shit, but that doesn't really matter. I hurt people… and I'm just trying to do better, now."

"Hmph." Natsuyo crossed her arms. "Keep doing better and you just might earn my forgiveness."

"Alright…" Shinrai said. This would've gone so much worse had Naruto not been here…

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Well, I assume that you're also not here to learn Lightning Style?" asked the Jonin, giving a side eye to both Sasuke and Natsuyo—the latter of which gave him a cheeky grin.

Shinrai shrugged. "I'm… just here. Throw what you want at me."

"Ah. Perfect!" Kakashi eye-smiled. "Just don't continue your streak of attacking comrades, and I'll be willing to teach you whatever."

"I don't plan to…" Kakashi's comment hurt more than it should have. But, as Naruto pulled him into the crowd with Sasuke, Natsuyo, and Kakashi… the cold never went to frostbite.

—

Gosei's time at the Hyuuga Clan was surprisingly pleasant. Each one of Kusari's supporters were eager to follow in her footsteps and break tradition; it was great to see that she had such an enthusiastic bunch behind her. Gosei was usually a supporter of keeping the traditions of the past intact, but this particular tradition of the Hyuuga seemed to hold them back more than bolster them. Though at the same time, it would be equally foolish and dangerous to forget the powerful techniques standard to the Hyuuga Clan. Hopefully, the Clan would come to a sort of balance.

Kusari had been using her Hyuuga techniques less and less, so things might have been a bit alarming. Furthermore, she needed quite the amount of training in terms of being a political figurehead. Especially since Kusari had the bright idea to scream at her Hyuuga Clan in fury. That was not sensible in the slightest; it was easy for him to see why her reputation amongst the Hyuuga Clan was so poor. Luckily for her, however, she had him to assist in building it back.

But, as the sun fell on the horizon, Gosei knew that his time amongst the Hyuuga was done. He had other matters to attend to on this day, and none of them involved going home, not yet. He bid them a farewell and trusted them to develop their newfound skills without too much assistance from him.

He made his way to the Senju's personal training ground, deep within the gardens, and he had to pass by the clearing in the garden where that bastard Shinrai assaulted him. The sight of the torn ground and bloodstained grass made Gosei scowl. He wasn't going to give it any more place in his mind.

Once he was in the personal training ground, he was thankfully alone. Amongst the evening light, Gosei pulled out the golden scroll and opened it. There were many spots for names, most empty, a few filled. Of course, the most recent summoner had the name of Yosei Senju.

What was even more obvious was the name that was going to be signed next. Gosei bit his thumb, drawing blood. With that, he signed his name in the empty space beside his mother's. Gosei felt his chakra connect to a place where it didn't before… it was warmer than it was before. A giddy smirk crossed his lips. With his thumb still bleeding, Gosei streaked the blood across his palm and weaved hand signs.

"Summoning Jutsu."

A Jutsu formula spread in front of him, then a puff of smoke dyed orange by the setting sun popped in front of him. Immediately, Gosei put his guard up as he heard a growl. The earth beneath him cracked and the smoke cleared. Before him stood a massive lioness, with the stature larger than that of any horse he'd ever seen. Earthen green, predatory eyes towered above him—primal muscle was made to shine in their full glory as golden fur lined the lioness' body. Each one of her paws was double the size of a human head, and Gosei didn't even want to think about what claws she had in store.

To show his respect, Gosei bowed on his knees to her. "I am Gosei Senju, and I was given this summoning contract by my mother, Yosei Senju."

"I know who you are, boy. I definitely know who your mother is…" If mother earth had a voice, then this must've been what she sounded like. Even still, Gosei didn't like the disdain that radiated from the mention of his mother.

Gosei, still bowing, stiffly nodded. "I see. Well, I wish to follow in my mother's footsteps! I want us to build a companionship in arms! One that will benefit both of us."

"Is that right…" The lioness couldn't hold in her laughter. "What makes you think you're worthy of working with me? You haven't even met my pride—let alone earn their respect. You're not close to being a match for me, and my children aren't far behind."

"Okay…" Gosei accepted every bit of her criticism. "Then I'll prove myself worthy. Tell me your name, Great Lioness, so I can address you properly."

"Hmmm…" she pondered, looking down at him. "I can definitely respect your drive, at the very least."

Gosei didn't hold back his smirk.

"I am Kandaka, the Matriarchal Queen of the Pridelands." Her chakra flared as she placed her paw onto the ground. "Now follow me to my kingdom."

Gosei stood up and nodded, walking into the area of the expanding jutsu formula.

"Reverse Summoning Jutsu."

A puff of smoke and Gosei felt himself travel through realms—to a different part of the planet of which he resided. Another puff of smoke and it was noon once again. It wasn't dizzying at all, like he thought it'd be.

Everything was so damned… gold. On top of that, everything there just felt better. The air was cleaner, the running waters always sparkled, the dirt below them was firm and nature somehow felt infinitely more alive than it was back home. Golden fields of tall grass took up the entire horizon below the blue sky. The rough rocks of the savannah looked like they were covered in sand—and they glimmered like fool's gold in the sunlight.

"Beautiful…" Gosei gaped.

Kandaka allowed a feline smirk of pride to cross her face. "Isn't it? Everything the light touches… is my kingdom."

And Gosei took all of it in. Everything the light touches… As much as Gosei's pride hated to admit it, this savannah—The Pridelands, put the Senju Garden to shame. Maybe it was the novelty of the experience. As Gosei kept looking, he peered upon what made itself the most obvious feature of the Pridelands, a gigantic rock—it was shaped like the open mouth of a lion if he squinted a bit. The massive natural structure loomed over the rest of the Pridelands like a mountain over the flat landscape.

"And that is Hokoriwa, where my family lays their heads to rest." Kandaka proceeded to walk in the direction of Hokoriwa and Gosei followed diligently behind her. They trekked through the savannah, with the tall grass almost swallowing Gosei entirely. Every creature that lived there immediately bowed to Kandaka in respect at the sight of her—it was just… awesome.

"Lady Kandaka," Gosei began. "In lion prides, isn't there supposed to be a lion that leads the pride? A king of sorts?"

"There is… but he is dead." Kandaka kept walking, keeping her eyes on Hokoriwa. "He was killed because your mother sacrificed his life in battle."

"What—?" Gosei stared at Kandaka blankly with utter shock in his eyes.

Kandaka couldn't hold back her snarl before it faded into melancholic nostalgia—it was grief. "His name was Omono, and he was the most powerful amongst us all. The father to my children and the greatest king the Pridelands had ever seen. When he walked, the flora would bow to him and if the earth obstructed him, it would grant him the right of way so he could march unimpeded.

"Omono, he was able to stop any threat to our home and family effortlessly. Under his rule, the Pridelands had never been so safe—even his very roar was able to banish any threat from its sheer force.

"Alas, he's dead. He's dead because your mother sacrificed him like he was a piece on a shogi board. Of course, we've been managing just fine without him… but it will never be the same." Even through the pain of her grief, Kandaka kept her head held high.

Gosei's fists clenched. "I'm sorry…" Mother, how could you?!

"Do not worry, Gosei, for the sins of your family do not fall on your head. But… my daughters may not be as wise." At that, Gosei was led to Hokoriwa. Now that he was closer, he could see that it was hundreds of feet tall—it at least doubled the size of the Hokage Monument. Gosei couldn't wait to grant Konoha this same level of stunning beauty.

He stepped foot on the massive rock and started to scale it. Gosei hated how sick he felt at the pit of his stomach—how could she?! How could his mother destroy this family for her own goals?! It was just… not right. There had to have been another way. There had to have been a choice where Omono didn't have to die. There was no way there wasn't—

—The roar of a lioness was intertwined with the roar of fire. Gosei was pounced on. He barely had the time to react with his staff—it was sweltering under paw of this giant lioness. The size between her and Kandaka was almost indistinguishable! As he was being attacked, Kandaka just… watched.

Gosei bellowed and lightning sparked from his staff, fending off the lioness as his heart raced. Now, he could see who his assailant was. A lioness with burning red fur and smoldering orange eyes—her coat was etched with dark red markings of pure fire. Her predatory teeth were bared as she growled at Gosei. "Son of Yosei Senju—You'll pay for what your family did to mine!"

At the same time, Gosei didn't fail to notice the growing audience of three other lionesses. From the one who attacked him, fire arced from her claws as she slashed and Gosei leapt out of the way. As he blinked, the fiery lioness struck his face. His cheek smoldered with bleeding blood, making Gosei snarl. "Dammit—" In that moment of weakness, the lioness prepared to leap—

"Enough, Suani," Kandaka ordered.

The fiery lioness stopped in her tracks. "But mother—"

"I said enough." Kandaka's glare hardened like minerals.

All of the aggression of Suani was swallowed inward as she bowed to Kandaka. "Yes… mother."

Gosei's heart still beat like thunder in his chest. The other three lionesses present were all staring at him with various levels of contempt. Each and every one was nearly the size of Kandaka herself. "These are my daughters, Gosei."

Kandaka pointed to the fiery lioness across from Gosei with her head. "This is Suani." She continued to glare smoldering embers at Gosei with her teeth bared.

Next, Kandaka moved left, pointing to a gray lioness, the smallest of the group. Her fur swirled with navy blue whirls, and her shining blue eyes were just filled with… sadness. The most distinct of her swirls were the ones who fell down her eyes like tears. "Shimojin." A contemptible breath of sorrow spilled from her as her name was called.

Still moving left, Kandaka's attention fell onto a lionesses of sparking yellow and blue—the two colors zigzagged horizontally across her coat, it almost looked like she was a manga hero come to life. Heterochomia of yellow and blue shocked both of her eyes—they kept switching colors. It was fascinating to witness, Gosei had to admit. "My name is Rakurai! I'm not pleased to see the bloodline of a villain has been allowed to continue."

"I am Kuki," said the final lioness, catching Gosei's attention herself. Her fur was completely white with her eyes a clouded gray… the way she carried herself surprisingly matched the way her mother did. Furthermore, her eyes didn't match the contempt of the other lionesses. "I find meeting you to be… quite interesting, Senju."

Gosei looked around all five lionesses, each of them still glaring at him with various levels of resentment, contempt, and sorrow—glares that weighed a million tons. So, Gosei took that weight like he was holding the world itself… and walked with it.

"You already know what I am, so I don't need to introduce myself. But, none of you know who I am! You know my name but not the meaning behind it—you know of my heritage but not how it has grown through me!

"I am Gosei Senju! The Sins of Yosei Senju fall on my head! Hold your grudge against me so I can fight for the honor of my family and prove us just! Any trial you put my way, I'll pass! Any challenge I'll complete! I will do so because I am Gosei Senju."

Suani simply continued to growl. Both Kandaka and Kuki tilted their head with intrigue. Rakurai just scoffed. Shimojin continued to pout. Their varying reactions didn't matter to Gosei… for they'd be standing by his side soon enough.

That… was destiny.

—

Night fell and the training Shinrai had with Team 7 and Natsuyo was… well, it wasn't fun, not compared to what he used to feel, but it was still something, he guessed. It wasn't making him worse so Shinrai wasn't going to complain. The Sharingan tips he got from Kakashi were probably going to be useful, probably.

But, yeah… he was fine. (No, he still wasn't.) As he walked home, he felt something on his wrist. It burned. Shinrai knew what that meant immediately.

Danzo was calling.

Narrowing his eyes, Shinrai went to the nearest alleyway. Everything went black, and then his eyes opened. Back in Root, Danzo's office.

Shinrai cleared his throat and bowed. "Good evening, Lord Danzo."

"Good evening, Shinrai," greeted Danzo, looking completely unchanged from the last time they saw each other. From behind his desk, slowly, Danzo stood. He walked in front of where Shinrai was and pulled a chair. "We have much to discuss."

Swallowing, Shinrai took the seat. As he did, Danzo sat back down to his seat at the other side of the desk.

"First of all, I would like to criticize your handling of Orochimaru's attempted assassination by your hands." Danzo's eyes narrowed and Shinrai winced. "You said you were nearly able to kill him."

"Yeah…"

"If you had taken the time to allow Miya Uzumaki to help you, then you would have guaranteed his death. You made the same reckless mistake that Ryujin did." Danzo's gaze stayed even, intense, and narrow.

Shinrai just sighed. "I was told by Karin it was either right then or I would miss my chance to even attempt it. I took a risk… it didn't pay off."

"You wrote that in your report, indeed." Danzo hummed. "I didn't think that you would be so easily fooled, Shinrai. I'm disappointed."

"What—?"

"The manipulation tactics of Karin Uzumaki were blatant and obvious, and you still fell for them." A bit of a scowl crossed Danzo's face. "I'm disappointed."

"How did you—?"

"Karin Uzumaki had her mind probed today. The info, naturally, was given to me per my request. Furthermore, Shinrai, you hid valuable information that could have possibly harmed Konoha on your mission report. Why was that?"

"I…" The letter wavered out of Shinrai's mouth as his heart raced. "I wanted to ensure her safety. I was fully confident that she was no longer working with Orochimaru. Her healing chakra is an invaluable asset to Konoha, to lose that on the pretense of her past actions would not have been advantageous to Konoha."

Danzo nodded slowly. "Is that so? I do appreciate your attempt to spin this in a positive light for Konoha, but I know that you only spared her because of your emotional attachment to the girl. But the fact does remain that you're not wrong in that assessment. Clever wording."

Fuck… he sees right through me.

"You played with fire Shinrai, you got burned, and you were unwilling to handle your own volatile emotions, Shinrai. I'm disappointed."

Shinrai grit his teeth—the frostbite was freezing him over on the inside.

"It's common for those with Uchiha Blood to lose their minds to the madness of their emotions. Frankly, it's good that you were able to experience it…" Danzo's glare turned sharp and Shinrai felt like his throat was slit. "...so you can never repeat it again."

"What…?" Shinrai's brow furrowed. "I thought you'd want to kill me or something?!"

"No, that'd be a waste. A broken tool can be salvaged, a rusted blade can be refurbished, a dulled sword can be sharpened."

The fuck? Even Danzo was telling him that he had worth still. Was he dreaming? This shit wasn't fucking real.

"That is why I decided to promote you to Chunin. If I'm going to be frank, your recklessness does make you a poor fit for the position, even if every other part of you is on par or beyond. But I promoted you because it will give you the freedom necessary to grow into somebody worthy of that rank." Danzo narrowed his eyes. "I was like you, once. Young, emotional, reckless. I wasn't born this way, as much as I wished I was.

"Despite that, I still became one of Konoha's greatest assets. You, with all of your mistakes and turmoil, are no different." Danzo looked Shinrai directly in his frostbitten eyes. "You are Chunin, you are no longer bound to the whims of your sensei, every decision you make is truly your own.

"Join Root, Shinrai. Repay your debt to me. Become one amongst our ranks… and excel."

Shinrai trembled at the proposition… a million and one thoughts buzzing through his head and he said… "No, I can't, not right now." Shinrai cringed as he forced himself to explain. "I'm not in the best headspace to put my best foot forward. I don't want to keep fucking up… I need more time." Shinrai's heart hammered in his chest. The silence was too loud, too loud, too fucking loud.

"Hmph." Danzo remained still and his pupil dilated into a disappointed gaze. "So be it. Everybody who is a part of this organization chose to be here. If you are not willing, then I have no use for you right now."

Shinrai let out a relieved breath.

"Just know this…" Shinrai looked back up at Danzo. "The longer you decide to wait, the deeper the debt you will have to pay."

Shinrai let out a shaky sigh and swallowed. "Yes, Lord Danzo."

"You are dismissed."

Shinrai blinked—everything went black—his eyes opened and he was in front of Miya's house. The lights were on; she was home. With a haggard sigh, Shinrai unlocked the door and walked in.

He really appreciated the hug that Miya greeted him with.

—

It was time. It was time for Baiko to free Jugo. Lord Orochimaru had a smile on his face as he walked toward the cell where Jugo was. It was the first step… save Jugo. Save Shinrai. Save the world. That was how it was going to go, and failure was not an option.

"Man… you're so fucked…" Suigetsu let out a dejected sigh as he looked at Baiko—standing far away from him. Kabuto also stood back beside him, watching intently, but silently.

He sucked his teeth and kept his vision on Lord Orochimaru as he unlocked Jugo's cell. "I'm not going to fail, Suigetsu."

"Man, I wish I could believe you."

Baiko ignored him.

"Baiko, are you ready?" asked Lord Orochimaru, his sheer physical strength holding back the door from opening. Jugo's screams of manic rage sounded alongside his banging against the metal.

Shaken but unwilling to back down, Baiko crouched into his battle stance and allowed his Byaku-Sharingan to come to life. His chakra pulsed and formed in the same way that he copied from Lord Orochimaru. "Yes. I am ready."

"Alright…."

Suigetsu gulped.

Kabuto narrowed his eyes.

Lord Orochimaru disappeared into a pit of snakes.

The door flung open—

—Pain ached through Baiko's face. Ow, ow, ow, nothing had ever hurt this much before—"Ow!" Baiko cried. On the other hand, Jugo cackled. A gigantic fist rammed into Baiko's ribs and he wailed out again. It hurt… so bad. Baiko hated pain; he hated being hurt!

Jugo grabbed Baiko by the arm and slammed him onto the ground. "WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT HELPING ME?! HUH?!" Jugo stomped on Baiko's chest and pushed him into the cracked concrete. Baiko couldn't breath—everything was hurting ouch—ow ow—why did he feel like this?!

"YOU WERE TALKING SO BIG BUT YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Jugo belted out a sadistic cackle. "Now… I'm gonna bathe in your blood." On Jugo's left arm, his skin turned black and grew into a massive blade. "DIE—!"

Lord Orochimaru was in front of him. What? Where did Jugo go—? A massive impact from inside Jugo's cell shook the entire corridor and answered Baiko's question. White snakes sprouted from Lord Orochimaru's arm and shut the door. "Kabuto," he called. Immediately, Kabuto flickered toward the cell door and sealed it shut.

Baiko was still hurting too bad. It was way worse than what Lord Orochimaru did in training—ow! Tears started to flow from Baiko's eyes as he released his Byaku-Sharingan. "Lord Orochimaru… I'm hurting…"

"That you are," he said, looking down at Baiko. "It's terrible, isn't it?"

"Yes!" Baiko sniffled as the tears kept coming from his eyes. He failed… he failed to save Jugo—he didn't stand a chance! This was terrible. How was he supposed to save Shinrai—save the world if he couldn't save Jugo?!

Lord Orochimaru shook his head, kneeling Baiko as he lay crying on the floor. "Baiko, this is… failure. How does it feel?"

"Bad… it's really really bad." Baiko wouldn't stop crying.

Lord Orochimaru seemed to agree. "It is… But what are you going to do about it?"

The answer came immediately to Baiko's voice. "I'm gonna try again! I can't leave Jugo like this!"

"This guy—!" Suigetsu let out an exasperated breath.

A proud grin crossed Lord Orochimaru's face. "Good… But, what are you going to do before that?"

"Wha…?" The focus on the fact that he was going to try again made Baiko stop crying… but it didn't make everything hurt any less. What was he going to do? What?! Well, if he tried again like this, then it wouldn't work, he'd just keep failing, right? "Well… I have to get better, right?"

"Precisely!" Lord Orochimaru's grin widened even more as he laughed. He snapped his fingers. "Kabuto."

In a flash, Kabuto was in front of Baiko, kneeling over him while his hands glowed green. Kabuto's green hands made everything stop hurting… he was getting… better. Baiko liked those green hands, he wanted to learn how to do that. Once Kabuto was done healing him, Baiko let out a clear breath and it didn't hurt! "Thank you, Kabuto!"

He fixed his glasses and nodded. "Of course."

"Baiko, come with me," Lord Orochimaru said, getting up and walking away. Of course, Baiko followed him and soon after, Suigetsu dragged his feet to come along. They trekked through the corridors before entering another room, where there were a bunch of scrolls.

"Baiko, these are scrolls of the many techniques I've gotten my hands on throughout the years. Take your pick, and I'll teach you whatever." Lord Orochimaru grinned at him.

Baiko's eyes went wide and he gaped in awe. On the other hand, Suigetsu whistled. "Lord Orochimaru… mind if I—"

"Touch a scroll and I'll put you back in that tube."

"Yes sir!"

"But why can't he learn too?" asked Baiko with a frown. "I want him to help me…"

"I don't quite trust him like I do you," Lord Orochimaru answered.

Baiko's frown deepened as he sighed. "Okay…"

Even still, Suigetsu decided to stay as Baiko looked over the scrolls. There were… a lot of them. So, Baiko used his Byaku-Sharingan to look at all of them at once. None of them looked… pleasant. All of them had such violent names and others just looked like they would hurt too much. Baiko didn't want to hurt people…

So, when he saw a scroll called the Juken… a Gentle Fist, his attention was caught. Baiko went over to it and grabbed it. Another scroll that caught his attention was the one labeled Genjutsu. Lord Orochimaru told him about it before, attacks on people's minds, making them see things that weren't real. Fake things couldn't hurt people, so he liked those two.

After selecting his two scrolls, Baiko jogged over to Lord Orochimaru and showed them off. "These! I want to learn these two. They look like they'll hurt people the least."

"Eh?!" Suigetsu looked dubious.

On the other hand, Lord Orochimaru nodded. "Is that so?"

Baiko nodded as well.

"Then it is what you will learn." Lord Orochimaru turned his back and signaled for Baiko to follow.

Just that he did.

Don't count me out yet, Jugo. I'm still coming for you.

𓍊𓍊 ~ Chapter End ~ 𓍊𓍊