The Avengers
FortePlus
The THRILL from Green Hill
- Location
- Toronto
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Scarlet Justice - ep. 52
"The Avengers"
[Sasuke Recovery Mission: Prologue 2]
---
A few more hours pass before I bid Kabuto farewell. I would uphold that promise to see Midori, though I wonder what ideas he has on his mind...but that would be dealt with after the current mission was completed.
The Hidden Sound is not just one village, but multiple bases in various countries. The main stronghold in Sound Country, once called Rice Country and a significant area for Kobayashi Rice. It holds most of Orochimaru's vital items. Hidden Grass, meant for field testing and battle training. The Southern Base, containing many different prisoners and unique wardens to hold them all in check. The Northern Base, truly massive and the largest of all sites where human experiments are conducted, most notably with the Cursed Seals. And the Eastern Base, closest in terms of distance and also home to many secret scrolls and research materials.
It's a long road ahead to solve this mystery. Sasuke will have to be searched for very soon, but there are other things to worry about. Kabuto wasn't direct about it, but there might be a possibility of Orochimaru being revived at one of the sites mentioned. That really can't be allowed to happen, which makes the number one priority destroying as many of those bases as possible. The planned punishment for the Sound has to be escalated into war, and that's going to create logistical problems all the way down. We don't have the hands on deck to do everything we want to.
"That was solid work," Ibiki comments as we leave the room. Another guard is on standby with Yugao. I signal to her and she exchanges bows with the new guard before catching up.
"You guys got something?" she asks.
"More than just something. Lili here made him sing like his balls got chopped off," Ibiki says to Yugao.
"That sounds impressive enough, if a bit vulgar."
"Self-preservation. I took a few gambles to start with...he thinks Sakura and Ino are dead, and that along with the resentment he already had for his old master opened things up. But he has no home to go back to, and no reliable allies that will come before the wrong people get to him. I didn't press on his relationship with Danzo Shimura, but he had to be considering it along with everything else," I explain.
"I kept hearing people go on about your lack of experience, but that doesn't seem like any sort of issue," Yugao says, sounding impressed. "It's like you were born for this role."
"Staying cool under pressure...something I learned from my older sister. I can't imagine I would get too far without that." I go over the information in my head once more. "Let's get everything we've learned to the top while it's still fresh. Kabuto didn't reveal everything, but he was incredibly generous considering his position. He could have easily taken these secrets to his grave."
"Why do you think he didn't?"
"Someone like him also wants to live life. And spite for your old employer doesn't help, either. I imagine the people who harvest rice on behalf of my father and his cronies feel much the same way."
"I've got a great retirement package lined up," Ibiki says with a laugh. "The Third knows his way around a business."
"Indeed. Shall we advance?" I say.
We reach the Hokage and inform him of what we've found. The room is quickly secured and we have a secret meeting, sorting through as much of the information as possible, debating important points from four sides, and making predictions about where to go next while forming various strategies. It's only as night falls that our meeting comes to an end, and we all agree to return here in the morning with extra personnel.
I head home without stopping, going through everything in my head again and turning it over, just in case I missed something important. Nothing else comes up as I reach the front door and step inside.
"I'm home."
Luna is out late this time. Probably somewhere with Midori...it's fine in any case. I take a hot bath to get rid of some of the stress and listen to some music while I eat in my room. After washing up, I get ready for bed. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day.
---
Morning again. Luna wakes me up, showing me her loving smile.
"Good morning, Miss Lilith."
"Good morning." I yawn and get myself ready for the day quickly, changing into a copy of my outfit from yesterday. It's been nearly twenty four hours since Sasuke and Sakura left. But we can't be reckless...we have to make a plan and then execute it if we want any chance of stopping them, and whoever they might be traveling with. Sasuke will need a guide to one of those bases, I know that for a fact.
"There's been a terrible commotion about the village today. I went out to get some eggs at the market nearby earlier, and shinobi are moving to and fro, preparing for some sort of operation," Luna remarks as she sets breakfast in front of me.
"Anything about Sasuke?" I ask.
"Nothing, no."
"That's a good thing...I'll explain things eventually, but he's caused some trouble again that has a relation to the commotion you've been seeing."
"I see. It must be serious. Lady Midoriko and I were taking care of business yesterday, in the kingdom. We added my name to the royal register after it was approved by members of her transitional council."
"Mm. Things are escalating, then. You're officially part of the serpent world, then."
"It seems so."
"Was that the secretive thing she was working on?" I ask.
"I don't believe so. There's definitely something else that she's keeping away from me. I wonder just what it could be...well, I can press her a bit when she comes over for lunch..."
"You can muse on that a while. I'm off," I say as I finish eating and peck her on the cheek quickly. "Thank you for another wonderful meal, I'll see you later."
"Should I make lunch for you?"
"I'll be back for dinner at the earliest, so don't worry about me before then," I say as I check my pockets. I have everything, and there's a detour I simply have to make. "Take care, Luna."
"Goodbye, Miss Lilith!"
I close and lock the door behind me before heading off. An important person that I have to check in on, no matter what...yesterday I could excuse myself with the high drama and sudden reports, but today is different. I have to see him. I can't imagine how much he must be hurting on the inside.
As I move further downtown, I find a couple of friendly merchants that I helped out on earlier missions within the village. They all recognize me and give me discounts as I shop. My mission pay goes into buying what I need, and then I continue on to my destination, bags in hand. It's not far from here...a small, shabby little apartment that I've seen once before. I give the front door a few light knocks.
"Hm...Lili?"
"Yes, it's me. Might I come in?"
Naruto nods and opens the door wider to let me in. He's still dressed in his pyjamas, rubbing sleep from his eyes. The door closes behind me and I set my bags on the wooden table. I wash my hands and immediately get to work. First, something to drink. I pour a glass of fresh apple juice, and start on warm cocoa with marshmallows. Naruto trudges to the table and sits quietly, watching as I move around his kitchen.
"Breakfast is okay, right?" I ask.
"Y-yeah. Sure," he replies timidly.
"This place is quite clean. Was it your doing?"
"Oh, nah. It wasn't exactly like that before...um, a few people came by. Hinata was the first one...she's really, really nice, you know? The kitchen was kind of a mess since I tend to forget and do everything in one shot once it piles up. I didn't want her to do anything, but she started before I could stop her. And then I offered to take her out for lunch, but she ended up buying for me, somehow. Heh...she was really good to me. I remember talking to her before the fight with Neji, I think I told you about it. Can't believe I thought she was just some weird. Stupid of me, seriously," he mutters. "She's a good and honest person. And strong as hell!"
"..." I thought about pushing things along, but it never did seem like the right thing to do. It looks like he's slowly coming around on his own, though. I think Hina would be satisfied with that much.
"Shino came along, too. I still think he's weird, but...he's a surprisingly nice guy. And then Shikamaru came to check on me for a bit, and Iruka-sensei, and...um, the lady with the dark skin. She reminds me of a cat, for some reason...Erika! That's it. And Kiba came around, and that Ghost the Black guy with his pet bird," he says as I set his cocoa in front of him. I turn back to the stove, where the oil is already heating up in the pan. "And Kosugi-sensei. And super-thickbrows-sensei told me to keep my spirit up. And Pervy Sage came around to talk. And then I shared leftovers with Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi afterwards." He pauses in thought. "I didn't realize how many people cared about me..."
"It's a nice feeling, isn't it?" I start on the eggs, cracking them open with one hand.
"Yeah, definitely. Really good. I was thinking about Gaara. You know, how he was alone for so long...forced to kill to prove that he was even alive and junk. I was almost like that. It...wasn't all that far away, I gotta admit. We talked a bit since I ended up near the hospital at one point, and his big sis needed some help. It's all thanks to Grandpa Third and Iruka-sensei that I ended up like this, and not like he was. That I got a chance to escape the loneliness and darkness. And after meeting you, Lili, my world got a lot brighter. O-oh...um, is it okay if I have scrambled eggs today?"
"Anything you want," I say with sincerity. I scramble the eggs quickly in the pan and add a proper amount of seasoning. "What else would you like, Naruto?"
"I'm okay with whatever...I mean, not to...I mean...just whatever you think of is fine, I don't mind..."
"Understood. Sit tight and I'll give you something good." I toast a few slices of bread and cook the meat that I bought earlier. A few vegetables, another egg to scramble, more seasoning. I finish, carefully plate the food, and bring it over to Naruto along with his juice. He's already salivating from the aromas.
"W-wow..."
"It's all yours. Eat until you're full. I'll be here to cook some more if you want."
"Haha, I think this is more than enough. Oh, what about...?"
"I already ate breakfast. It's fine, I'll have tea," I say as I raise a mug.
"Oh, okay. Right, you live with Luna...I bet she makes great eggs herself," he says as he starts to munch on breakfast.
"She's good with everything, pretty much."
"Mm-hm." Naruto is so busy stuffing his face that he goes silent, save for his chewing. It might be the first time that's ever happened outside of Ichiraku's. I'm happy that he's enjoying the food so much, and I sip at my tea with satisfaction. Soon enough he finishes and covers his mouth to stifle a belch, looking embarrassed.
"S-sorry. That doesn't happen a lot, promise..."
"It's fine," I say with a smile. "I think that's very high praise, considering everything. Did you like it that much?"
"Yeah, yeah! I really did! That's the best breakfast I've had in...forever. Yeah. Can't remember anything that good."
"That's good to hear. It's what friends do, right?"
"I guess so...heh, it feels like something right out of the TV, like one of those anime."
"I think I see what you mean..."
"The childhood friend, coming over to cook breakfast for the guy she secretly likes..." He looks at me and wiggles his eyebrows. "Trying to tell me something, Lili?"
"That you're an idiot and you have a chance at me like a snake has a chance of growing wings." I sip at my tea and raise a finger. "Not flying, though. Snakes can actually do that, in a way."
"O-oh! No kidding...?"
"Midori-nee told me about it the other day. If snakes can flatten their bodies enough, they can slither through the sky," I say.
Naruto's eyes float to the ceiling in thought. "Hmm...that sounds neat. If you...uh, catch those current thingies, in the sky, maybe you can fly like a bird...hm. Ah, it's alright. Looks like I'm meant for someone else after all, and not someone so pretty it makes other girls pull their hair out. Hehe..."
"Flattery is always acceptable," I say with a smile.
"Ain't it? But I'll always like you, Lili. I really mean that, even if it's not 'coz you're my girlfriend or anything."
"What about Sakura? Did...you want to pursue her, still?" I ask delicately.
"I...hmm." He furrows his brow in thought. "I think...I'll hold out hope that she'll love me back one day, maybe. But it's not the smartest thing. I know...I know that she's given herself to Sasuke completely by now. Leaving the village with him was proof enough. I mean, I know that I'm way better than that loser Sasuke could ever be! It's not a big deal...sometimes girls just need time to come around, and all that. Right?"
"You might be right about that."
"Yeah. Just...giving it time." There's a melancholy smile on his face. "I just gotta hope that she'll snap out of it one day and notice me. I hope both of them snap out of whatever it is has them doing these crazy things."
"..." I don't want him to keep holding it in.
"Leaving the village. Stupid of them. Really dumb, but I think they'll realize their mistake and start changing. For the better. As much as I gave him trouble...I...I don't hate him, you know? I never did. I just wanted him to see me, to acknowledge me as a rival. And when he did, when he told me he wanted to fight me at the exams, I didn't care about much else. Maybe that was part of the reason I could beat Neji."
He lifts his mug with a trembling hand and sips at his cocoa. As the mug goes back down, slowly, I can see him. He looks so...heavy. It makes my heart ache.
"Sasuke...he put my life before his, back on that bridge. And it hurt so much, thinking that he was dead. I just lost control. I've never felt like that towards anyone before. He's an idiot, a total moron, but I never wanted anything bad to happen to him. I never wanted...anything like this to happen. Not that curse mark thing, not him getting beaten up by that creepy snake man, not...not looking like he was about to cry in front of all of us. I never...never wanted people to get hurt, or disappear. I'm scared for Ino because she got hurt so badly, and I'm scared for Kakashi-sensei when he gets back, because he tried so hard, he tried to help Sasuke this whole time as his teacher..."
"Naruto..."
"I know he has something he wants to do, I know that he has that mission, whatever it is, but I don't...I don't know. I just don't get it. Lili...?"
"Yes, Naruto."
He turns his head to look at me, tears falling from his eyes. "Why?"
"I'm...I'm sorry. I don't know," I reply quietly.
"I just...I just wanted a chance to say those words to him. I wanted to say it...I wanted to tell him that he was...that he was my...my..."
I stand up and walk to his seat, reaching out. I pull him upwards and into me. He wraps his arms around me tightly, and...lets go. Cries like he's wanted to this whole time. It's painful to listen to. It makes me feel like I'll sink through the floor because of the weight. But I put a hand on the back of his head as he sheds tears, my fingers nestled in his hair. As heavy as it feels, I pull him closer. I let him slowly sink into me.
It's not for the first time...that I've come to this understanding. I love this boy so much.
I know what I must do, for his sake. My desires...my feelings. They could never matter in this moment as much as his.
"You are a sweet, wonderful child," I whisper to him. "You are a precious light that has come into my life. Beautiful and warm."
"..."
"I hate him. I think that he's trash...I think that he deserves whatever horrid fate he runs into," I say as I hold Naruto against me. "But...I love you more than I could ever hate him. I am going to reach into the beyond and bring him back here, to this village. And then, you can say those words to him that you've held inside for so long. He is your friend, your brother, and I will risk myself to save him. Just for you."
"Lili...I..."
"Naruto. I love you. I want to see you grow, and I want to be by your side. I want all of your dreams to come true. You're going to become Hokage one day, just as you said you would. And because I love you so much...just as I am the Third Hokage's sword of justice, I will become yours, here and now. Call on me...say my name into the wind, and I will be there for you. I promise on my soul."
I feel him squeeze me closer. I can't help but start crying myself...feeling the pain in him, the desire to make everything right.
"Can I...do it now?" he asks.
"Yes. I am yours to command."
"I'm not...even if I wanted to...I can't. It would...hurt so much to try. Please...bring back my friend. Bring Sasuke home, Lili."
"Yes, my love. As you wish."
We slowly let go of each other, and I wipe his tears away.
"Thank you..."
"You have such beautiful eyes. I want to see them filled with happiness, and not despair. That's why I'll do whatever it takes."
"It's...so much."
"And you are worth every drop of effort." I kiss him on the cheek. "I don't want to leave you, but...there's an important meeting I have to get to."
"Yeah. It's...probably to do with Sasuke, right?"
"Among other things. It's getting serious, so...be ready for anything."
"G-got it. See you, Lili...you can come by any time that you want, okay?"
"I'll be sure to." I pull on my sandals and start to leave.
"Wait a sec..."
"Naruto?"
"I...said it before, that I'm probably not the best guy for this. Sasuke's got a strong jutsu, and that curse thingy...and then Sakura's there. And Pervy Sage said yesterday that it wasn't a good idea to chase after them...but I got a list of guys I think would work out."
I nod. "Give me their names. I'll take everything into consideration at our meeting. I'm a jounin now, after all."
"Oh, right...I actually wasn't thinking about that, you know? Hehe, that helps. Okay, so I was thinking..."
I'm going to keep my promise to Naruto. Even...if it means crushing Sasuke completely.
---
The Hokage has the special meeting in his office, and we're joined by familiar faces. Ibiki is busy putting the information gathered yesterday to good use - and probably having fun while doing it. I wonder if he'll ever make use of that retirement package, since shinobi that are useful don't have to retire, strictly speaking.
Yugao is here, sans mask. Hayate has certainly done well for himself, though I know he's a skilled shinobi in his own right. I might be a little jealous that he has such a pretty girl as his lover. A little. Maybe. Shikamaru is here, looking much less distressed than yesterday. That hopefully means Ino is doing better. Erika has joined us, with her considerable battle power and precise attitude. And Anko is here, too. One of the Leaf's foremost tracking and infiltration experts...and it's only fitting that she help erase her old master's legacy, once and for all.
"Sorry we're late," I hear from behind me. Jiraiya arrives with Kakashi. That should be the last of this small party. Many others will get their orders after this, and will begin to mobilize.
"It's no trouble at all," Hiruzen says. "Now that everyone is here, I'll be as concise as possible. Based on the information that we've received from Kabuto and other soldiers of the Hidden Sound, we have the locations of their bases. It's likely that Sasuke has left for one of these areas to gain information on the curse mark and increase his abilities. All of you in this room know about his intended mission...to kill the man responsible for the massacre of the Uchiha Clan. Itachi Uchiha."
It's also presumed that all of us would be able to at least survive an encounter with him. Hopefully it doesn't come to that.
"As a result of these circumstances, we will need to have several branching operations at once. We have possession of Orochimaru's remains, but I would like them to be sealed as quickly as possible. This presents a problem when it comes to analysis. Our current level of expertise isn't high enough to properly extract and analyze the secrets of his body in a prudent manner; a project of this scope is projected to take months, if not years at our current rates. Therefore, I would like to find and retrieve one of our village's greatest assets-"
"With a great set of assets herself," Jiraiya says, nodding.
Hiruzen tilts his head down and coughs conspicuously. "Yes, noted. I would for us to search for Tsunade and have her return to the village as soon as possible. Hopefully the news of Orochimaru's passing will compel her to come back, and she's being scouted as a possible candidate for succession." He smiles. "I would also hope that a plea from her old sensei wouldn't be rejected right away."
"I know we're not exactly a democracy here, but I'd like to volunteer myself for that journey if possible," Jiraiya says. "More than that, I want to bring Naruto along and work on him some more. He's an interesting new egg, and I think he can learn some good stuff along the way."
"You're sure that these are things we want taught to him?" Yugao asks boldly.
"Oi, don't get smart all of a sudden. What's wrong with me, the great Toad Hermit, teaching him?"
Kakashi has a look on his face that says 'everything'.
"There were impressive results as we saw in the Chuunin Exams," Hiruzen muses. Ah, so it was Jiraiya's doing...well, that speaks well enough to his credentials. Naruto has definitely grown in the past two months or so. "That opportunity should be considered. The remaining missions involve assaulting each of the Hidden Sound bases that we have located, meaning we will be leading large forces into battle. And finally...the location and recovery of Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno."
"It couldn't have been more than a day or two since they left, if their households gave any indication," Kakashi says. "I told Sakura's parents that she's gone missing, but not any of the details just yet. They took it as well as any parent would in that situation..." He lets out a breath. "We'll still be able to track them by scent, and they're still green...if they meant to make as much distance as possible, their ability to hide their tracks will be diminished. And if they decide to slow down to hide themselves better, that just makes it easier for us to catch up and scan the area for them. It's probably going to be the first thing, if I have my wits about me still."
"Has Ino woken up?" Hiruzen asks.
"Not yet, but she's breathing on her own," Shikamaru says. "The docs said she should be awake by tomorrow, and she's being taken care of by someone pretty skilled." He looks at me as he says that, and I nod in understanding. Ruki is still being as wonderful as ever...nothing surprising.
"We should check on her before leaving for the mission related to Sasuke," Erika says. "Along with solidarity, there are practical reasons...there's no doubt that she saw something important on that night. It seems to be the only reason that she would be injured so badly and left to die."
"I doubt it. Even if it was something minor...those sadists would have tried to kill her anyways for sport," I say.
"I see..."
"So...how exactly are we gonna split this thing up?" Jiraiya asks. "We've got a couple of people who can track here, some good fighters..."
I've already decided that I'm leading the mission to bring Sasuke back, if the Hokage allows it. And he probably will, based on our connections. But I need to make a good case. I can pretty easily take most of the people in this room and go after those two; it might be a short mission in the first place. But elites are in short supply, and we're also going to be launching attacks on the Hidden Sound bases to dissuade Sasuke from approaching them. I can't drag manpower away from those things. Jiraiya is set on looking for his old teammate, and he'll be taking care of Naruto, who has agreed along with me that he shouldn't be going out there - he's not ready at this stage.
The best way to do this...bringing adequate manpower without sacrificing the strength of the village. Naruto had the right idea with his list. I'll make a few tweaks to it...six is probably too big, and while redundancies are good, they're not necessary. Five people including myself for mobility and flexibility.
"I'm going to take point for the recovery mission," I announce. "My proposal aims to balance combat strength and village resources. In addition to that, I would like to push forward personal bonds as positive motivation and reinforcement. These things together will create the most likely scenario that Sasuke is brought back to the village alive, as is desired by Lord Hokage."
"Good pitch," Anko says with a smile. "Hard to strike a balance between people who'll go after a target with energy and won't kill 'em at the same time. I think I see where you're going with this."
"Naruto and I had a meeting this morning, and based on our combined observations, I have created this final list for discourse." I take out a small scroll and hand it to the Hokage, who looks it over for a while as he starts to smoke on his pipe. He nods and passes it around to the others, who note the choices and react in much the same way. Kakashi seems amused and impressed. Jiraiya is the only one who seems skeptical.
"It's an interesting list, I'll give you that much. How about you explain your choices?" he demands.
"Lord Jiraiya-"
"Kakashi. It's alright," I say. He nods and goes quiet. I stare up at Jiraiya before speaking. "The reasoning is simple here. I have a personal stake in bringing back Sasuke and Sakura. I am also the strongest in my graduating class, and in addition to all of that, I am recognized as an elite of the Hidden Leaf. That makes me a logical choice to lead any mission we have here, but this one especially since it will require a certain precision that I feel only a few of us in this village possess. My second choice is Shikamaru. He has proven himself to be a great tactician, reliable in battle and able to plan extensively on short notice. He also has a personal stake in this, as Ino was badly hurt and both Sakura and Sasuke are his classmates. He is currently free to take on this mission, and on top of that, will have strong knowledge of any person I choose because of his observations. Third is Hinata. She is my sister in spirit, and our synergy is extremely high. She is competent, focused, and also will have a personal motivation on this mission, making it much more likely to succeed. Shino is fourth, and he is my right hand. We have great synergy as well, being teammates, and he has a brilliant tactical mind that can back up Shikamaru's. He also boasts superior tracking and tracing capabilities when compared to the majority of the village's shinobi. And lastly, our wild card. Rock Lee has a great amount of passion, a strong personal connection for the mission, and incredible taijutsu skills that soar above most adults. Ninjutsu is well stocked, and genjutsu is easily countered. It means that he has nothing to worry about and can shine as brightly as needed, and that he can become our trump card if things go wrong."
Anko lets out a low whistle.
Jiraiya tries not to look impressed. "You keep talking about personal motivations. Why is that so important?"
"Why, indeed. Sasuke...he is far from my friend. But he is my comrade. He is our comrade. No matter how we might feel about him, individually, or as a group, we are the closest to him, and therefore the most suitable to try and convince him to come back. He's not just a runaway to us. He's someone important. As shinobi, we are told that we should kill our emotions and focus on missions, because they can blind you. But they can also strengthen your resolve, and give you the power to make the impossible possible. I fight for Naruto, and so does Hinata. Shino is my right hand, and supports me in whatever I do. Shikamaru wants to protect his village and avenge Ino. Lee will fight because of his love for Sakura. We are all here for different reasons, but our goal is the same..."
"..."
"We want to bring our comrades home. No matter what," I finish.
Jiraiya says nothing, instead giving me a look that I shrug off.
"And of course, you have business to take care of with Naruto. I made him a promise, and now it's up to you to make him grow stronger. He won't like it if he's fallen further behind Sasuke by the time we drag him back here."
"Confident, aren't we?"
"Yes. Very much so, Lord Jiraiya."
There's a...nostalgic look that seems to cross his face for a moment before he smiles. "Fine. Do what you've gotta do, Princess."
"I shall. Thank you for your encouragement."
"We will take apart the hidden bases on our own, with that decided," Erika says. "I assume you considered my battle power in your calculations."
"I did. As of now...it's likely you're above me when it comes to straightforward combat," I say to her.
"I don't think I can agree with such a thing. You still have power left to reveal, Captain Kobayashi."
"Oh?" Well, aren't we cheeky today. "So you've been spying on me, then."
"I would like to call it admiration. You're a very interesting woman, as I'm sure you know."
I laugh lightly at that. "We shouldn't spend too much time flirting, you know. There are quite a few things to take care of."
"Understood. We will speak at a later date," she says with a smile. "At this point in time, I will be attacking the Northern Hideout in order to conserve our battle strength."
"Alone?" Yugao asks.
"It would be easy enough to do so. However, cooperation between villages is a useful boon. I will be joined by Gaara of the Sand Waterfall, as his attacking style is well suited to large-scale assaults. He has expressed his desire to help. Lord Hokage, I will depart to make final preparations for my mission. Farewell."
"Farewell, Erika. Be safe."
"Yes, my lord. Understood." She vanishes in a swirl of leaves, leaving one behind that floats in the air. The Hokage lets it float down into his palm before setting it on his desk.
"A vibrant girl," he says with a smile.
"Is...vibrant the right word?" Shikamaru asks. "But putting that aside, I'm fine with what Lili's picked out. Sasuke is one of our own, and we should be the ones going out there to kick his ass over anyone else."
"That's surprising resolve coming from you," Kakashi says.
"I guess so. I think I've just gotten really attached to Ino."
"Hm. Even you have a boiling point, then."
"Yeah. Definitely."
I remember how disgusted he looked after Edo Tensei was released. And he also has his pride as a man to consider...aside from his tactical mind, there was no way that Naruto and I were going to leave him out. This is big for him as well.
"I'll lead a force into the Southern Hideout," Kakashi says. "Sounds like there are unique characters to take care of, but only a few of them. So it should be fine."
"You almost sound too relaxed, scarecrow," Anko teases.
Kakashi shrugs. "What can you do. It's still early in the morning, so I might seem a bit slower than usual. Sorry about that. I have recommendations for the other bases, if you guys would like to hear them. Shikamaru can coordinate with me on this."
"Yeah, all ears."
"Very good. After the squads are debated upon and finalized, we will commence our missions tomorrow morning," Hiruzen says.
My day still isn't done after this. I have some people to talk to...they're all definitely in the village, or else this might not have worked out so well. Just have to get them onboard.
But that's nothing my natural charm can't deal with, right?
"The Avengers"
[Sasuke Recovery Mission: Prologue 2]
---
A few more hours pass before I bid Kabuto farewell. I would uphold that promise to see Midori, though I wonder what ideas he has on his mind...but that would be dealt with after the current mission was completed.
The Hidden Sound is not just one village, but multiple bases in various countries. The main stronghold in Sound Country, once called Rice Country and a significant area for Kobayashi Rice. It holds most of Orochimaru's vital items. Hidden Grass, meant for field testing and battle training. The Southern Base, containing many different prisoners and unique wardens to hold them all in check. The Northern Base, truly massive and the largest of all sites where human experiments are conducted, most notably with the Cursed Seals. And the Eastern Base, closest in terms of distance and also home to many secret scrolls and research materials.
It's a long road ahead to solve this mystery. Sasuke will have to be searched for very soon, but there are other things to worry about. Kabuto wasn't direct about it, but there might be a possibility of Orochimaru being revived at one of the sites mentioned. That really can't be allowed to happen, which makes the number one priority destroying as many of those bases as possible. The planned punishment for the Sound has to be escalated into war, and that's going to create logistical problems all the way down. We don't have the hands on deck to do everything we want to.
"That was solid work," Ibiki comments as we leave the room. Another guard is on standby with Yugao. I signal to her and she exchanges bows with the new guard before catching up.
"You guys got something?" she asks.
"More than just something. Lili here made him sing like his balls got chopped off," Ibiki says to Yugao.
"That sounds impressive enough, if a bit vulgar."
"Self-preservation. I took a few gambles to start with...he thinks Sakura and Ino are dead, and that along with the resentment he already had for his old master opened things up. But he has no home to go back to, and no reliable allies that will come before the wrong people get to him. I didn't press on his relationship with Danzo Shimura, but he had to be considering it along with everything else," I explain.
"I kept hearing people go on about your lack of experience, but that doesn't seem like any sort of issue," Yugao says, sounding impressed. "It's like you were born for this role."
"Staying cool under pressure...something I learned from my older sister. I can't imagine I would get too far without that." I go over the information in my head once more. "Let's get everything we've learned to the top while it's still fresh. Kabuto didn't reveal everything, but he was incredibly generous considering his position. He could have easily taken these secrets to his grave."
"Why do you think he didn't?"
"Someone like him also wants to live life. And spite for your old employer doesn't help, either. I imagine the people who harvest rice on behalf of my father and his cronies feel much the same way."
"I've got a great retirement package lined up," Ibiki says with a laugh. "The Third knows his way around a business."
"Indeed. Shall we advance?" I say.
We reach the Hokage and inform him of what we've found. The room is quickly secured and we have a secret meeting, sorting through as much of the information as possible, debating important points from four sides, and making predictions about where to go next while forming various strategies. It's only as night falls that our meeting comes to an end, and we all agree to return here in the morning with extra personnel.
I head home without stopping, going through everything in my head again and turning it over, just in case I missed something important. Nothing else comes up as I reach the front door and step inside.
"I'm home."
Luna is out late this time. Probably somewhere with Midori...it's fine in any case. I take a hot bath to get rid of some of the stress and listen to some music while I eat in my room. After washing up, I get ready for bed. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day.
---
Morning again. Luna wakes me up, showing me her loving smile.
"Good morning, Miss Lilith."
"Good morning." I yawn and get myself ready for the day quickly, changing into a copy of my outfit from yesterday. It's been nearly twenty four hours since Sasuke and Sakura left. But we can't be reckless...we have to make a plan and then execute it if we want any chance of stopping them, and whoever they might be traveling with. Sasuke will need a guide to one of those bases, I know that for a fact.
"There's been a terrible commotion about the village today. I went out to get some eggs at the market nearby earlier, and shinobi are moving to and fro, preparing for some sort of operation," Luna remarks as she sets breakfast in front of me.
"Anything about Sasuke?" I ask.
"Nothing, no."
"That's a good thing...I'll explain things eventually, but he's caused some trouble again that has a relation to the commotion you've been seeing."
"I see. It must be serious. Lady Midoriko and I were taking care of business yesterday, in the kingdom. We added my name to the royal register after it was approved by members of her transitional council."
"Mm. Things are escalating, then. You're officially part of the serpent world, then."
"It seems so."
"Was that the secretive thing she was working on?" I ask.
"I don't believe so. There's definitely something else that she's keeping away from me. I wonder just what it could be...well, I can press her a bit when she comes over for lunch..."
"You can muse on that a while. I'm off," I say as I finish eating and peck her on the cheek quickly. "Thank you for another wonderful meal, I'll see you later."
"Should I make lunch for you?"
"I'll be back for dinner at the earliest, so don't worry about me before then," I say as I check my pockets. I have everything, and there's a detour I simply have to make. "Take care, Luna."
"Goodbye, Miss Lilith!"
I close and lock the door behind me before heading off. An important person that I have to check in on, no matter what...yesterday I could excuse myself with the high drama and sudden reports, but today is different. I have to see him. I can't imagine how much he must be hurting on the inside.
As I move further downtown, I find a couple of friendly merchants that I helped out on earlier missions within the village. They all recognize me and give me discounts as I shop. My mission pay goes into buying what I need, and then I continue on to my destination, bags in hand. It's not far from here...a small, shabby little apartment that I've seen once before. I give the front door a few light knocks.
"Hm...Lili?"
"Yes, it's me. Might I come in?"
Naruto nods and opens the door wider to let me in. He's still dressed in his pyjamas, rubbing sleep from his eyes. The door closes behind me and I set my bags on the wooden table. I wash my hands and immediately get to work. First, something to drink. I pour a glass of fresh apple juice, and start on warm cocoa with marshmallows. Naruto trudges to the table and sits quietly, watching as I move around his kitchen.
"Breakfast is okay, right?" I ask.
"Y-yeah. Sure," he replies timidly.
"This place is quite clean. Was it your doing?"
"Oh, nah. It wasn't exactly like that before...um, a few people came by. Hinata was the first one...she's really, really nice, you know? The kitchen was kind of a mess since I tend to forget and do everything in one shot once it piles up. I didn't want her to do anything, but she started before I could stop her. And then I offered to take her out for lunch, but she ended up buying for me, somehow. Heh...she was really good to me. I remember talking to her before the fight with Neji, I think I told you about it. Can't believe I thought she was just some weird. Stupid of me, seriously," he mutters. "She's a good and honest person. And strong as hell!"
"..." I thought about pushing things along, but it never did seem like the right thing to do. It looks like he's slowly coming around on his own, though. I think Hina would be satisfied with that much.
"Shino came along, too. I still think he's weird, but...he's a surprisingly nice guy. And then Shikamaru came to check on me for a bit, and Iruka-sensei, and...um, the lady with the dark skin. She reminds me of a cat, for some reason...Erika! That's it. And Kiba came around, and that Ghost the Black guy with his pet bird," he says as I set his cocoa in front of him. I turn back to the stove, where the oil is already heating up in the pan. "And Kosugi-sensei. And super-thickbrows-sensei told me to keep my spirit up. And Pervy Sage came around to talk. And then I shared leftovers with Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi afterwards." He pauses in thought. "I didn't realize how many people cared about me..."
"It's a nice feeling, isn't it?" I start on the eggs, cracking them open with one hand.
"Yeah, definitely. Really good. I was thinking about Gaara. You know, how he was alone for so long...forced to kill to prove that he was even alive and junk. I was almost like that. It...wasn't all that far away, I gotta admit. We talked a bit since I ended up near the hospital at one point, and his big sis needed some help. It's all thanks to Grandpa Third and Iruka-sensei that I ended up like this, and not like he was. That I got a chance to escape the loneliness and darkness. And after meeting you, Lili, my world got a lot brighter. O-oh...um, is it okay if I have scrambled eggs today?"
"Anything you want," I say with sincerity. I scramble the eggs quickly in the pan and add a proper amount of seasoning. "What else would you like, Naruto?"
"I'm okay with whatever...I mean, not to...I mean...just whatever you think of is fine, I don't mind..."
"Understood. Sit tight and I'll give you something good." I toast a few slices of bread and cook the meat that I bought earlier. A few vegetables, another egg to scramble, more seasoning. I finish, carefully plate the food, and bring it over to Naruto along with his juice. He's already salivating from the aromas.
"W-wow..."
"It's all yours. Eat until you're full. I'll be here to cook some more if you want."
"Haha, I think this is more than enough. Oh, what about...?"
"I already ate breakfast. It's fine, I'll have tea," I say as I raise a mug.
"Oh, okay. Right, you live with Luna...I bet she makes great eggs herself," he says as he starts to munch on breakfast.
"She's good with everything, pretty much."
"Mm-hm." Naruto is so busy stuffing his face that he goes silent, save for his chewing. It might be the first time that's ever happened outside of Ichiraku's. I'm happy that he's enjoying the food so much, and I sip at my tea with satisfaction. Soon enough he finishes and covers his mouth to stifle a belch, looking embarrassed.
"S-sorry. That doesn't happen a lot, promise..."
"It's fine," I say with a smile. "I think that's very high praise, considering everything. Did you like it that much?"
"Yeah, yeah! I really did! That's the best breakfast I've had in...forever. Yeah. Can't remember anything that good."
"That's good to hear. It's what friends do, right?"
"I guess so...heh, it feels like something right out of the TV, like one of those anime."
"I think I see what you mean..."
"The childhood friend, coming over to cook breakfast for the guy she secretly likes..." He looks at me and wiggles his eyebrows. "Trying to tell me something, Lili?"
"That you're an idiot and you have a chance at me like a snake has a chance of growing wings." I sip at my tea and raise a finger. "Not flying, though. Snakes can actually do that, in a way."
"O-oh! No kidding...?"
"Midori-nee told me about it the other day. If snakes can flatten their bodies enough, they can slither through the sky," I say.
Naruto's eyes float to the ceiling in thought. "Hmm...that sounds neat. If you...uh, catch those current thingies, in the sky, maybe you can fly like a bird...hm. Ah, it's alright. Looks like I'm meant for someone else after all, and not someone so pretty it makes other girls pull their hair out. Hehe..."
"Flattery is always acceptable," I say with a smile.
"Ain't it? But I'll always like you, Lili. I really mean that, even if it's not 'coz you're my girlfriend or anything."
"What about Sakura? Did...you want to pursue her, still?" I ask delicately.
"I...hmm." He furrows his brow in thought. "I think...I'll hold out hope that she'll love me back one day, maybe. But it's not the smartest thing. I know...I know that she's given herself to Sasuke completely by now. Leaving the village with him was proof enough. I mean, I know that I'm way better than that loser Sasuke could ever be! It's not a big deal...sometimes girls just need time to come around, and all that. Right?"
"You might be right about that."
"Yeah. Just...giving it time." There's a melancholy smile on his face. "I just gotta hope that she'll snap out of it one day and notice me. I hope both of them snap out of whatever it is has them doing these crazy things."
"..." I don't want him to keep holding it in.
"Leaving the village. Stupid of them. Really dumb, but I think they'll realize their mistake and start changing. For the better. As much as I gave him trouble...I...I don't hate him, you know? I never did. I just wanted him to see me, to acknowledge me as a rival. And when he did, when he told me he wanted to fight me at the exams, I didn't care about much else. Maybe that was part of the reason I could beat Neji."
He lifts his mug with a trembling hand and sips at his cocoa. As the mug goes back down, slowly, I can see him. He looks so...heavy. It makes my heart ache.
"Sasuke...he put my life before his, back on that bridge. And it hurt so much, thinking that he was dead. I just lost control. I've never felt like that towards anyone before. He's an idiot, a total moron, but I never wanted anything bad to happen to him. I never wanted...anything like this to happen. Not that curse mark thing, not him getting beaten up by that creepy snake man, not...not looking like he was about to cry in front of all of us. I never...never wanted people to get hurt, or disappear. I'm scared for Ino because she got hurt so badly, and I'm scared for Kakashi-sensei when he gets back, because he tried so hard, he tried to help Sasuke this whole time as his teacher..."
"Naruto..."
"I know he has something he wants to do, I know that he has that mission, whatever it is, but I don't...I don't know. I just don't get it. Lili...?"
"Yes, Naruto."
He turns his head to look at me, tears falling from his eyes. "Why?"
"I'm...I'm sorry. I don't know," I reply quietly.
"I just...I just wanted a chance to say those words to him. I wanted to say it...I wanted to tell him that he was...that he was my...my..."
I stand up and walk to his seat, reaching out. I pull him upwards and into me. He wraps his arms around me tightly, and...lets go. Cries like he's wanted to this whole time. It's painful to listen to. It makes me feel like I'll sink through the floor because of the weight. But I put a hand on the back of his head as he sheds tears, my fingers nestled in his hair. As heavy as it feels, I pull him closer. I let him slowly sink into me.
It's not for the first time...that I've come to this understanding. I love this boy so much.
I know what I must do, for his sake. My desires...my feelings. They could never matter in this moment as much as his.
"You are a sweet, wonderful child," I whisper to him. "You are a precious light that has come into my life. Beautiful and warm."
"..."
"I hate him. I think that he's trash...I think that he deserves whatever horrid fate he runs into," I say as I hold Naruto against me. "But...I love you more than I could ever hate him. I am going to reach into the beyond and bring him back here, to this village. And then, you can say those words to him that you've held inside for so long. He is your friend, your brother, and I will risk myself to save him. Just for you."
"Lili...I..."
"Naruto. I love you. I want to see you grow, and I want to be by your side. I want all of your dreams to come true. You're going to become Hokage one day, just as you said you would. And because I love you so much...just as I am the Third Hokage's sword of justice, I will become yours, here and now. Call on me...say my name into the wind, and I will be there for you. I promise on my soul."
I feel him squeeze me closer. I can't help but start crying myself...feeling the pain in him, the desire to make everything right.
"Can I...do it now?" he asks.
"Yes. I am yours to command."
"I'm not...even if I wanted to...I can't. It would...hurt so much to try. Please...bring back my friend. Bring Sasuke home, Lili."
"Yes, my love. As you wish."
We slowly let go of each other, and I wipe his tears away.
"Thank you..."
"You have such beautiful eyes. I want to see them filled with happiness, and not despair. That's why I'll do whatever it takes."
"It's...so much."
"And you are worth every drop of effort." I kiss him on the cheek. "I don't want to leave you, but...there's an important meeting I have to get to."
"Yeah. It's...probably to do with Sasuke, right?"
"Among other things. It's getting serious, so...be ready for anything."
"G-got it. See you, Lili...you can come by any time that you want, okay?"
"I'll be sure to." I pull on my sandals and start to leave.
"Wait a sec..."
"Naruto?"
"I...said it before, that I'm probably not the best guy for this. Sasuke's got a strong jutsu, and that curse thingy...and then Sakura's there. And Pervy Sage said yesterday that it wasn't a good idea to chase after them...but I got a list of guys I think would work out."
I nod. "Give me their names. I'll take everything into consideration at our meeting. I'm a jounin now, after all."
"Oh, right...I actually wasn't thinking about that, you know? Hehe, that helps. Okay, so I was thinking..."
I'm going to keep my promise to Naruto. Even...if it means crushing Sasuke completely.
---
The Hokage has the special meeting in his office, and we're joined by familiar faces. Ibiki is busy putting the information gathered yesterday to good use - and probably having fun while doing it. I wonder if he'll ever make use of that retirement package, since shinobi that are useful don't have to retire, strictly speaking.
Yugao is here, sans mask. Hayate has certainly done well for himself, though I know he's a skilled shinobi in his own right. I might be a little jealous that he has such a pretty girl as his lover. A little. Maybe. Shikamaru is here, looking much less distressed than yesterday. That hopefully means Ino is doing better. Erika has joined us, with her considerable battle power and precise attitude. And Anko is here, too. One of the Leaf's foremost tracking and infiltration experts...and it's only fitting that she help erase her old master's legacy, once and for all.
"Sorry we're late," I hear from behind me. Jiraiya arrives with Kakashi. That should be the last of this small party. Many others will get their orders after this, and will begin to mobilize.
"It's no trouble at all," Hiruzen says. "Now that everyone is here, I'll be as concise as possible. Based on the information that we've received from Kabuto and other soldiers of the Hidden Sound, we have the locations of their bases. It's likely that Sasuke has left for one of these areas to gain information on the curse mark and increase his abilities. All of you in this room know about his intended mission...to kill the man responsible for the massacre of the Uchiha Clan. Itachi Uchiha."
It's also presumed that all of us would be able to at least survive an encounter with him. Hopefully it doesn't come to that.
"As a result of these circumstances, we will need to have several branching operations at once. We have possession of Orochimaru's remains, but I would like them to be sealed as quickly as possible. This presents a problem when it comes to analysis. Our current level of expertise isn't high enough to properly extract and analyze the secrets of his body in a prudent manner; a project of this scope is projected to take months, if not years at our current rates. Therefore, I would like to find and retrieve one of our village's greatest assets-"
"With a great set of assets herself," Jiraiya says, nodding.
Hiruzen tilts his head down and coughs conspicuously. "Yes, noted. I would for us to search for Tsunade and have her return to the village as soon as possible. Hopefully the news of Orochimaru's passing will compel her to come back, and she's being scouted as a possible candidate for succession." He smiles. "I would also hope that a plea from her old sensei wouldn't be rejected right away."
"I know we're not exactly a democracy here, but I'd like to volunteer myself for that journey if possible," Jiraiya says. "More than that, I want to bring Naruto along and work on him some more. He's an interesting new egg, and I think he can learn some good stuff along the way."
"You're sure that these are things we want taught to him?" Yugao asks boldly.
"Oi, don't get smart all of a sudden. What's wrong with me, the great Toad Hermit, teaching him?"
Kakashi has a look on his face that says 'everything'.
"There were impressive results as we saw in the Chuunin Exams," Hiruzen muses. Ah, so it was Jiraiya's doing...well, that speaks well enough to his credentials. Naruto has definitely grown in the past two months or so. "That opportunity should be considered. The remaining missions involve assaulting each of the Hidden Sound bases that we have located, meaning we will be leading large forces into battle. And finally...the location and recovery of Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno."
"It couldn't have been more than a day or two since they left, if their households gave any indication," Kakashi says. "I told Sakura's parents that she's gone missing, but not any of the details just yet. They took it as well as any parent would in that situation..." He lets out a breath. "We'll still be able to track them by scent, and they're still green...if they meant to make as much distance as possible, their ability to hide their tracks will be diminished. And if they decide to slow down to hide themselves better, that just makes it easier for us to catch up and scan the area for them. It's probably going to be the first thing, if I have my wits about me still."
"Has Ino woken up?" Hiruzen asks.
"Not yet, but she's breathing on her own," Shikamaru says. "The docs said she should be awake by tomorrow, and she's being taken care of by someone pretty skilled." He looks at me as he says that, and I nod in understanding. Ruki is still being as wonderful as ever...nothing surprising.
"We should check on her before leaving for the mission related to Sasuke," Erika says. "Along with solidarity, there are practical reasons...there's no doubt that she saw something important on that night. It seems to be the only reason that she would be injured so badly and left to die."
"I doubt it. Even if it was something minor...those sadists would have tried to kill her anyways for sport," I say.
"I see..."
"So...how exactly are we gonna split this thing up?" Jiraiya asks. "We've got a couple of people who can track here, some good fighters..."
I've already decided that I'm leading the mission to bring Sasuke back, if the Hokage allows it. And he probably will, based on our connections. But I need to make a good case. I can pretty easily take most of the people in this room and go after those two; it might be a short mission in the first place. But elites are in short supply, and we're also going to be launching attacks on the Hidden Sound bases to dissuade Sasuke from approaching them. I can't drag manpower away from those things. Jiraiya is set on looking for his old teammate, and he'll be taking care of Naruto, who has agreed along with me that he shouldn't be going out there - he's not ready at this stage.
The best way to do this...bringing adequate manpower without sacrificing the strength of the village. Naruto had the right idea with his list. I'll make a few tweaks to it...six is probably too big, and while redundancies are good, they're not necessary. Five people including myself for mobility and flexibility.
"I'm going to take point for the recovery mission," I announce. "My proposal aims to balance combat strength and village resources. In addition to that, I would like to push forward personal bonds as positive motivation and reinforcement. These things together will create the most likely scenario that Sasuke is brought back to the village alive, as is desired by Lord Hokage."
"Good pitch," Anko says with a smile. "Hard to strike a balance between people who'll go after a target with energy and won't kill 'em at the same time. I think I see where you're going with this."
"Naruto and I had a meeting this morning, and based on our combined observations, I have created this final list for discourse." I take out a small scroll and hand it to the Hokage, who looks it over for a while as he starts to smoke on his pipe. He nods and passes it around to the others, who note the choices and react in much the same way. Kakashi seems amused and impressed. Jiraiya is the only one who seems skeptical.
"It's an interesting list, I'll give you that much. How about you explain your choices?" he demands.
"Lord Jiraiya-"
"Kakashi. It's alright," I say. He nods and goes quiet. I stare up at Jiraiya before speaking. "The reasoning is simple here. I have a personal stake in bringing back Sasuke and Sakura. I am also the strongest in my graduating class, and in addition to all of that, I am recognized as an elite of the Hidden Leaf. That makes me a logical choice to lead any mission we have here, but this one especially since it will require a certain precision that I feel only a few of us in this village possess. My second choice is Shikamaru. He has proven himself to be a great tactician, reliable in battle and able to plan extensively on short notice. He also has a personal stake in this, as Ino was badly hurt and both Sakura and Sasuke are his classmates. He is currently free to take on this mission, and on top of that, will have strong knowledge of any person I choose because of his observations. Third is Hinata. She is my sister in spirit, and our synergy is extremely high. She is competent, focused, and also will have a personal motivation on this mission, making it much more likely to succeed. Shino is fourth, and he is my right hand. We have great synergy as well, being teammates, and he has a brilliant tactical mind that can back up Shikamaru's. He also boasts superior tracking and tracing capabilities when compared to the majority of the village's shinobi. And lastly, our wild card. Rock Lee has a great amount of passion, a strong personal connection for the mission, and incredible taijutsu skills that soar above most adults. Ninjutsu is well stocked, and genjutsu is easily countered. It means that he has nothing to worry about and can shine as brightly as needed, and that he can become our trump card if things go wrong."
Anko lets out a low whistle.
Jiraiya tries not to look impressed. "You keep talking about personal motivations. Why is that so important?"
"Why, indeed. Sasuke...he is far from my friend. But he is my comrade. He is our comrade. No matter how we might feel about him, individually, or as a group, we are the closest to him, and therefore the most suitable to try and convince him to come back. He's not just a runaway to us. He's someone important. As shinobi, we are told that we should kill our emotions and focus on missions, because they can blind you. But they can also strengthen your resolve, and give you the power to make the impossible possible. I fight for Naruto, and so does Hinata. Shino is my right hand, and supports me in whatever I do. Shikamaru wants to protect his village and avenge Ino. Lee will fight because of his love for Sakura. We are all here for different reasons, but our goal is the same..."
"..."
"We want to bring our comrades home. No matter what," I finish.
Jiraiya says nothing, instead giving me a look that I shrug off.
"And of course, you have business to take care of with Naruto. I made him a promise, and now it's up to you to make him grow stronger. He won't like it if he's fallen further behind Sasuke by the time we drag him back here."
"Confident, aren't we?"
"Yes. Very much so, Lord Jiraiya."
There's a...nostalgic look that seems to cross his face for a moment before he smiles. "Fine. Do what you've gotta do, Princess."
"I shall. Thank you for your encouragement."
"We will take apart the hidden bases on our own, with that decided," Erika says. "I assume you considered my battle power in your calculations."
"I did. As of now...it's likely you're above me when it comes to straightforward combat," I say to her.
"I don't think I can agree with such a thing. You still have power left to reveal, Captain Kobayashi."
"Oh?" Well, aren't we cheeky today. "So you've been spying on me, then."
"I would like to call it admiration. You're a very interesting woman, as I'm sure you know."
I laugh lightly at that. "We shouldn't spend too much time flirting, you know. There are quite a few things to take care of."
"Understood. We will speak at a later date," she says with a smile. "At this point in time, I will be attacking the Northern Hideout in order to conserve our battle strength."
"Alone?" Yugao asks.
"It would be easy enough to do so. However, cooperation between villages is a useful boon. I will be joined by Gaara of the Sand Waterfall, as his attacking style is well suited to large-scale assaults. He has expressed his desire to help. Lord Hokage, I will depart to make final preparations for my mission. Farewell."
"Farewell, Erika. Be safe."
"Yes, my lord. Understood." She vanishes in a swirl of leaves, leaving one behind that floats in the air. The Hokage lets it float down into his palm before setting it on his desk.
"A vibrant girl," he says with a smile.
"Is...vibrant the right word?" Shikamaru asks. "But putting that aside, I'm fine with what Lili's picked out. Sasuke is one of our own, and we should be the ones going out there to kick his ass over anyone else."
"That's surprising resolve coming from you," Kakashi says.
"I guess so. I think I've just gotten really attached to Ino."
"Hm. Even you have a boiling point, then."
"Yeah. Definitely."
I remember how disgusted he looked after Edo Tensei was released. And he also has his pride as a man to consider...aside from his tactical mind, there was no way that Naruto and I were going to leave him out. This is big for him as well.
"I'll lead a force into the Southern Hideout," Kakashi says. "Sounds like there are unique characters to take care of, but only a few of them. So it should be fine."
"You almost sound too relaxed, scarecrow," Anko teases.
Kakashi shrugs. "What can you do. It's still early in the morning, so I might seem a bit slower than usual. Sorry about that. I have recommendations for the other bases, if you guys would like to hear them. Shikamaru can coordinate with me on this."
"Yeah, all ears."
"Very good. After the squads are debated upon and finalized, we will commence our missions tomorrow morning," Hiruzen says.
My day still isn't done after this. I have some people to talk to...they're all definitely in the village, or else this might not have worked out so well. Just have to get them onboard.
But that's nothing my natural charm can't deal with, right?
