Scarlet Justice [Naruto AU]

[FortePlus]

That was so incredibly chuuni. Like, not bad. But so chuunibyo. (also, the fact that my phone had chuunibyo saved as an autocorrect worries me)

Click to shrink...

If there isn't at least one high speed taijutsu sequence powered by chunni and friendship, is it really a Naruto story?

I say nottebayo.

 

[FortePlus]

Scarlet Justice - ep. 58
"Gravitas et Virtus"
[Sasuke Recovery Mission: Epilogue]
---

"There is something that should be understood...when it comes to the divide between heaven and earth. Do you see the birds in the sky?"

I hurriedly push the straw hat towards the back of my head, looking towards the sky. Small birds, and a larger one. The hawk, majestic in flight.

"Everyone wants to fly. To reach the sky, to reach towards heaven...that is what is exalted above all else in this world. To reach the heavens above, in a single flowing motion."

I look up at my mother from the grass, hearing her words in this memory, but not understanding them until this moment. She walks forward before kneeling, dirt staining her white dress as she picks up a wriggling thing in her hands.

"But the connections to the heavenly plain are not that simple."

"..."

"Do you remember? The same serpent that was cursed to crawl on its belly was lifted up in the desert by the prophet, and made into an instrument of power that parted the seas themselves. All things under heaven and earth are created with the strength of the cosmos. Let us be humble in all things...and bring that strength out from within us, to make the world right again."

She lets the snake leave her hands, settling back onto the grass before slithering through it again. Her hands rise to the sky, and she smiles.

"I pray that with the rain, there will also be showers of wisdom and blessings. I want my heavenly blossom to grow in spirit and truth."

I feel myself lifted into the air, looking down at my mother's smiling face.

"Lili. Your eyes are bright, you know. One day, you'll see much further than I could hope to."

"Mommy? Will that...make you happy?" I ask in a tiny voice.

"Happier than anything in this world, my love."

Caroline brings me close, and our noses press together with pure affection. I close my eyes and let her warmth and wisdom flow through me.

A simple memory. And one with a value that cannot be matched by any earthly item.

---

"..."

My eyes open.

The weather is different. Those same skies from my distant, precious memory are here as well. The clouds roam in that vivid sea of blue, fluffy, thin, and light. I feel the cold against my bare skin; my sweater is gone from my body, and there's an immense pain running through my right arm that is steadily dying down. As I glance at it, I see that it is wrapped in bandage with a splint to keep it from moving. My chest is sore, and there's a strange tingle running through my body.

It's early evening.

I realize that I'm back to normal. I'm mortal again.

"..."

It's...a disappointing feeling, I think. A bit deflating? But I can get over it and go back to living my life again. I don't feel that desire to cross over just yet.

"You're awake." Hina helps me to a sitting position slowly, leaning me against a tree. She puts a small pill into my mouth and gently makes me drink water from her palms. I feel my body relax, and she places a hand on my stomach. "Your body is doing well. I had a look and your heart was a bit excited after you sank underwater, but you were still breathing properly and able to move your legs once you reached dry land. Do you remember anything?"

"Nothing much...the last I remember was watching the blood go into the water."

"I see. So your will was guiding you the rest of the way..." She lifts her hand from my stomach and brushes back some of my hair. "You have a lovely and strong soul, Lili. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Hina. You were wonderful. Magnificent."

"I did all that I could for you."

"You've also picked up my sharp tongue, I see."

She blushes. "It's...a bit embarrassing, recalling all of that. I've never said such things, even in anger...not until today, anyways. I suppose you really are rubbing off on me, but that's not a bad thing, is it?"

"I wouldn't say so, but I'm a bit biased," I say with my own smile.

"Can you feel your arm?" she asks me.

"Yes. It hurts, a whole lot."

"It's the sign of life. Pain is essential to our living as shinobi," she says as she checks over the bandages again. My eyes finally adjust to the light, and I realize where we are.

"Ah...these are the bones." We're currently in a clearing, some distance away from my fight with Kimimaro. The bone spires that I dodged from his final attack are still here.

"We carried you here to check on Lee. He was doing well enough, and worried for us. It took some convincing from Shikamaru to keep him still, since he wanted to do everything he could to help. I can't believe these sorts of constructs...you faced this type of attack and won, Lili?"

"Yes. It looked quite scary at first, but with that sort of speed...it was good enough to save Lee and make it out alive. That's what mattered most, anyways."

"Mm."

"What is everyone's current status?"

"Sasuke has significant injuries. Fractured ribs, damaged lung, fractures and breaks in his right arm and leg, symptoms of a concussion and possible damage to the skull...there's more to be sure, but I can't recall all of it right now from what I've taken down. The main point is that we can't carry him back like this. Shino has left for the nearest town so that we can send a message to the village, and request medical shinobi."

"They're usually out some distance behind us for operations like this, but the Leaf Medic Corps is definitely stretched thin because of these invasions...us being on the end of one, and then putting someone else on the end of another. It's fair that we have to wait a bit in that case," I say.

"Yes. I think from the time of the message being sent...it might take about two days or something close to that for a proper medical team to arrive. Shikamaru also needs to remain still, so that he doesn't aggravate his leg any further. It seems to be an ankle sprain, which isn't too terrible, but will still need time to heal. Shino will still be recovering from the depletion of his insect colonies, as they ran dangerously low while he was helping to defend us. Lee is being kept still as I mentioned earlier. As a result of all this, Shikamaru has placed me as second in command for the time being due to my mobility."

"Yes, that sounds like him. Fucking slacker." I sigh. "Sakura?"

"Minor cuts and bruises, broken nose. She'll live." There's an unsaid 'unfortunately' at the end of it. I can't blame Hina for being furious. I look to my right and see the mentioned girl sitting against a tree some distance away. Sasuke is lying on a blanket, his body covered and his face wrapped up in bandage.

Less damage than I was expecting, to be honest. It was quite a blow when I think back on it.

"You did well not to kill him with that technique."

"Hm. Did I...I wonder," I say to Hina.

"You would have taken his head off cleanly if you aimed higher. Was Naruto on your shoulder reminding you of what was at stake?"

"No...it was me alone that time. He helped before, when the fight was starting, but after that...it was different. It's hard to describe...the place that I travelled through earlier." I turn my head back towards her. "Did you see what happened? Did you see anything strange?"

"Yes."

"Tell me."

"You transformed again. I saw it clearly, even without my doujutsu. Your hair and your eyes were a beautiful red. Your body was shining brightly, glowing like a star in the night sky. And there were four white wings on your back, big and pure and white. I saw thousands of feathers everywhere, floating around you. That was the single frame etched into my mind, as I saw you dance through the air. I didn't catch your movement or the form of your attack at all. All I could see in the moment afterwards was...the feathers floating away from your back as you landed on the water, and then disappearing into dots of light."

"Mm." Was that...something beyond what I envisioned? It certainly sounds beautiful and majestic. Transcending my own limits, and gaining a heavenly new form. Gaining the power to soar through the sky, like the sacred hawk...grabbing hold of heaven's tethers through this blessed wisdom, as a serpent who has ascended in strength from her place among the earth's roots.

It was as my mother said so long ago. Those words, spoken into the universe, now made manifest by my strength. With her beautiful spirit pushing me forward, constantly. I really did see beyond what she could...

"Lili. Let me imagine it, even if I don't completely understand," Hina says as she kneels in front of me.

"It was the field of God, Hina. I transcended my humanity for just a moment...I went beyond mortal sight and feeling, beyond mortal understanding."

"Ah."

"All because of the forbidden formula...this was the result. Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Stage Four. 'Twin Drive System'," I say proudly.

"So you finally completed it...the dream technique, then," she says with a sigh.

"Yes. A magnificent breakthrough."

"You really are a fool. Sometimes you're too chunni for your own good. Stuck inside of your own head, making up nonsense so that you can terrorize the Leaf and the world at large," she scolds evenly. "Idiot. Idiot, idiot, idiot. Reckless. Stupid. Chunni. Meathead. Mad woman. The worst."

I let my eyes drift upwards as she continues. We both know that I'm not listening, and that she just wants to vent after a stressful time. Hina eventually finishes and calms down.

"Your arm. How is it?" I ask in the silence.

"It's moving properly now. But very painful near the shoulder. It seems that Sasuke's attack didn't do enough damage to take me out completely," she says. "I've dried your socks. Do you want them?"

"I should be fine for now." I look out to the evening sky again, over the top of the bone spires as the colours begin to change ever so slightly. "That jacket is really good. My chest didn't even get wet. By the way-"

"I didn't look. I knew you would ask something like that."

"Shame. It was a good chance, you know. I've grown a fair bit since the Academy."

"You're really the worst."

"Probably. You have to rest too, Hina. It's been a long day for everyone."

"I have to wait for Shino to come back before I can properly sleep. But I can rest a while here with you. I have a request."

"What is it?"

"I want to use your lap today. It should be warm and soothing."

"Teasing me again."

"You deserve that much. So...can I?" she asks.

I really can't resist her if she's asking so earnestly. I nod and she puts her head in my lap gently, looking up at me. My good hand reflexively goes to stroke her head.

"I can't save anyone properly," I say into the air.

"Do you really think that?"

"I do. It's...hard. I wonder what kind of leader I'll really become in the future. This was an urgent mission with high stakes, so the options were limited. I just don't know if things could have gone differently."

"Aren't those things to think on later? What matters right now is that you won. You stopped Sasuke and Sakura from leaving, and saved all of us from further harm. You did amazingly well, Lili."

"I suppose."

"You should let your thoughts settle more...it seems to be difficult to reconcile everything after all of the earlier excitement. Please don't be so hard on yourself. You did well. You're a wonderful leader."

"Thank you, Hina. I needed that. I'll need more of it soon, for sure."

"I'll always be here for you."

"I know."

"This is a nice feeling...I understand why boys talk about it all the time," Hina says with a smile. "What was it they called it?"

"Lap pillow," I say.

"Yes. Warm and soft. Pleasant. But I don't know if it's the aesthetic or it's just you."

"Mm. Further research seems to be necessary, then."

"I don't know about that happening any time soon."

I laugh softly. "It's said that a woman's thighs are soothing to the soul in any era. Times may change, but the blessings of a warm and cozy lap are eternal, unsullied by the passage of time."

"You never change, do you."

"Hmhm. We'll grow together in womanhood and sex appeal, Hina. It's time to focus our bodies and spirits to become the most complete women we can be."

She sighs. "Right. Then I'm in your care, senpai."

"Yes, always."

I let myself get lost in Hina's warmth, mixing with the breeze that flows past us. My eyes close, and my hand comes to rest on my sister's head gently as I relax. And despite myself, I drift off to sleep once more. This is what my body wants for the evening...and so, I don't try to fight it any longer.

---

I wake up, feeling refreshed. Hina removes the strips of bandage from my face, with the cuts and scratches having healed up for the most part. Since she hasn't gotten the hang of healing chakra just yet, she's settled for regular first aid. It's been more than good enough, as Shikamaru and Lee have proper splints along with me, and have been made comfortable enough to rest and recover properly.

It's still early, and most everyone else is asleep still. I get my writing instruments and a scroll, then start to document what happened during the chase. Observations, thoughts, and discussions...all of the relevant things I can think of that will need to go into a report. I lie on my belly on top of a blanket and write at a leisurely pace with my left hand.

"At work already? You really are trouble."

"Ruki gave me the same amount of lip at the hospital," I say to Hina as she returns. "You can guess how far she got with that."

"Yes, clearly."

"I'll have to interview all of you soon. There's nothing better to do while we wait for the medics to get here, so we might as well get it out of the way. I should be done with the mission reports soon, too."

"Please don't work too hard," Hina says.

"I won't. As I keep saying to you and Shino, paperwork is a trivial thing for me. I couldn't tell you why that is...maybe a buried memory from long ago. My father certainly didn't teach me about his business, and my stepmother...she's my stepmother, let's leave it at that for now." I notice a basket in her hands. "What's that you have there?"

"Produce and other fresh food. Shino brought it in yesterday. I also did some hunting with Shikamaru's guidance."

"He finally got off his ass to do something. Good boy," I say as I continue writing.

"Lili, be nice."

"No. That damn slacker knows where he stands with me."

She sighs and waves me off. "Let us know when you need our battle reports. I'll start on breakfast in the meantime."

"Aye." I watch as Hina re-starts the fire from yesterday easily. There are already a few cooking instruments fashioned from a combination of forest material and our remaining shinobi tools. Hmm. "Hina, did you want something stronger as a utensil?"

"It would be nice. Did you have something?"

"Up ahead." I stand up and focus chakra into my left hand, then point it forward at one of the closer bone spires.

"You really shouldn't be doing that."

"Hush a moment. I'm making your life easier." I fire Mobius and shatter the bone before yawning. "There. Have at it."

"I really wonder about you, Lili."

I shrug and go back to my earlier position, lying down and continuing with my mission report.

"It turns out we can make use of these. Some rather large pieces we can eat from, too. Thank you, Lili."

"Mm-hm. Always here to lend a helping hand, you know."

Hina starts to cook meat over the fire, and it smells delicious already. I want to finish off these parts of the report so that I can dig in without shame and then sleep it off for a while.

"Breakfast already? Man, you guys get busy early..."

By the time I hear Shikamaru's voice, another hour has passed. The bulk of the reports are done with, so it's just the individual interviews that have to be done now. Those can wait a bit.

"It's mid-morning, fucking slacker."

"Oi, mid-morning is still too early for your tongue to be so sharp. Lee's coming, Shino was just taking him on a tour around the perimeter. Hell of a guy, still as energetic as ever even with half his body out of commission."

"That's Rock Lee, alright." I set down my pen and let out a breath. "I'm more than happy that he's his obnoxious self at this stage, honestly. Helps me keep some perspective."

"Good morning, fellow Leaf comrades! Today is the start of a most youthful day!"

"Indeed," I call back. As I get to my feet, I see that Lee has his right arm draped over Shino's right shoulder. His right arm and leg are in their own splints, as set up by Hina the day before. "Good of you to make it back for breakfast. Hina is almost done."

"Ah, excellent. Captain, I can vigorously deliver my report from yesterday's intense battle!"

"After eating, my boy. Put something in that belly of yours, or else you won't be feeling too youthful in the middle of my note taking."

"Understood!"

"I also have additional writings for you to look at. Some focus will be necessary."

"Additional writings? Hm! Okay, I understand. I will enjoy Lady Hinata's youthful breakfast, and then return to duty as quickly as possible!" His head swivels towards where Sasuke lies. "Oh! Sakura, you have awakened as well!"

"..." The very last thing I want to do is talk to her, but there are things that she needs to hear. Important things.

"I...if there's...something you..."

"Just be quiet, Sakura. You don't need to do anything," I say tersely.

"I...I just..."

"I said to shut the fuck up. Enough of us can still move, so we don't need your help. You've done enough for us, as you must know by now."

"Maybe it would be better if we put her to work," Shikamaru suggests. "She's not gonna run off, not with Sasuke in that state."

"I absolutely do not agree with that course of action," Hina says firmly. "I may be injured, but I will take care of our food needs efficiently."

"Sheesh. This is why I hate dealing with women. You're all so vicious, even someone like Hinata..."

"If you're worried about needing to earn your next meal, put those stupid thoughts out of your head," I say to Sakura. She rubs her arm nervously. "Believe me, if I wanted you dead, I would have a million more pleasurable ways to off you instead of just letting you possibly starve in the middle of a forest. You'll eat when the food's ready along with the rest of us. Until then, you can go sit in your corner with your precious fucking Sasuke. Shove your hand down your pants and have some fun. I don't care what it is you do."

She sniffles and says nothing else.

"I know that we are all upset," Lee says as he lowers himself to the ground, "but such cruelty is unnecessary, I believe. I beg everyone to be a little kinder, and more reasonable at this time. Anger will not fix anything that has happened here today."

"We have been reasonable enough, Lee." Hina takes her cooking off the fire and turns towards us. She wipes her hands with a cloth and sets it down before walking up to Sakura, who is trembling by now. One hand clutches her wrist, with her arms in front of her chest in a sort of defensive posture. Hina does nothing but stare, looking as if she's shoving invisible swords into Sakura with each passing moment.

"I have been reasonable enough, especially. Allowing her into our camp like this, unrestrained...basically uninjured. That is a kindness that would be afforded to no other person who has committed the crimes that she has. I have every right to strike her until I am satisfied that she has spilled enough blood. Hurting my comrades, my beloved sister...and more than that, the love of my life. I am providing food, and I have provided medical aid to this person. But you say that I am being unreasonable for expressing even a hint of dislike, of anger towards someone like this? Someone who helped do all of this to us, who is being shown mercy and a way home instead of being thrown into oblivion where she belongs?"

"Please...I-I'm..."

"You can spare me your apologies. And your tears. They're worthless to me now," she says as her head snaps back to Sakura. "I...will never...ever...forgive you, Sakura Haruno. You have hurt too many of my precious people, let alone my friends, for me to let this go. Consider my tolerance of your pitiful, worthless existence the greatest kindness you have ever received in your life. I am done speaking."

Those embers burn hot.

Sakura...crossed a bold line the other day. She did something that hurt many people and almost killed a few more. I don't feel the same anger as Hina does right now. More of a disappointment and a pity too deep for words. I watch as Hina calms down before turning away, going back to preparing breakfast for the group. Sakura seems on the verge of falling apart.

I might as well get it over with, and have things start anew.

"Lee, I'm sorry for being so cross with you...I'm just having a hard time right now," I hear Hina say.

"I understand, Lady Hinata. This is a difficult time for everyone, and...many things did happen as a result of Sakura's actions. I wish it were not so."

"Come with me," I say as I spin Sakura around by the shoulder. She stumbles a bit before regaining her balance as we walk deeper into the trees.

"W-what is it...? Is it more? Something you d-don't want the others t-to..."

"Hina has said enough for both of us. My sentiments aren't the exact same as hers, but the anger is shared. You did a despicable thing along with Sasuke, and you should be ashamed of yourself. That is not why I brought you out here."

"T-then...why."

"You didn't hear the start of the conversation between myself and Sasuke. Too busy getting into position for your little ambush."

"..."

"You remember what happened the night you left with Sasuke."

"I...w-with the four...from Sound. And then Kimimaro j-joined...on the way."

"That's what happened once you left, yes. Before that, something else happened."

"I f-f-fought with Ino...and then she left to get...help," Sakura says.

"She never got to put that call out, Sakura."

"H-huh?" Her eyes widen slowly.

"We found out you left because your travel companions wanted to make sure nobody present would tell on them. They saw Ino running, and confronted her. They beat her without mercy, and left her near a stream to bleed out and die."

"Ino...?"

"She's alive. She woke up the morning that we left. We spoke for a while."

"I...I caused...? No...please..." Tears run down her face as she shakes her head.

"Do you know what she said to me? What she asked?"

"N-no...no, I don't want to know-"

I reach out and grab her by the chin, forcing her to look at me.

"She said that she still loved you. She asked us to forgive you. And she begged me through her tears to bring you back home."

"Ahh...no...no...Ino!"

I let go and she falls to the ground, like a doll with cut strings.

"Why me?! I did that, and she...she still...! I c-can't...!"

She clutches at the sides of her head and screams. It's followed by ugly crying and the most pitiful wails. I stand over her and watch as she's shredded apart by her own emotion, by the guilt and pain that she feels at this very moment. I do nothing but watch as she finally shatters into pieces, crushed under the weight of her sins.

And this is just the beginning.

She has sinned against me. She has sinned against many others, and I cannot control their decisions, nor do I have any plans to do so. Death seems to be something she would want, something that she would crave to escape this pain. That is part of the reason I stand here. I won't let her get away so easily.

Sakura will pay for her sins. She will pay penance to everyone she has harmed. She will pay penance to the village that she betrayed. Sasuke will too, in his own way.

They will pay for every wound and scar that we have suffered in this strife.

I will make sure of it.

 

[Pinto1085]

I'm so happy whenever I see that this story has updated. It is my favorite Naruto fanfic that I've read in recent memory and has prompted me to start reading some of your other work. I love your imagery and the way you portray scenes. I love the way you expand on parts of the Naruto-verse that we usually don't see very much of at all. I love all of it. Keep up the good work!

 

[Cyan Snake]

"Hina, I would be honored if my first kiss could be with the one I love. Will you be my first kiss Hinata?"

 

[FortePlus]

"Hina, I would be honored if my first kiss could be with the one I love. Will you be my first kiss Hinata?"

Click to shrink...

Naruto: "...and that's how I met your mother."
Child who also looks like Naruto: "So is Mom also married to Auntie Lili?"
Naruto: "What? No, obviously she's just married to me."
Child: "So why did she have two honeymoons?"
Naruto: "Well obviously that's a traditional thing, the bride and the maid of honor...wait a minute..."

 

[FortePlus]

I'm so happy whenever I see that this story has updated. It is my favorite Naruto fanfic that I've read in recent memory and has prompted me to start reading some of your other work. I love your imagery and the way you portray scenes. I love the way you expand on parts of the Naruto-verse that we usually don't see very much of at all. I love all of it. Keep up the good work!

Click to shrink...

Thank you. Hopefully you enjoy the stuff coming up next. And I guess the other 1.2 threads of content I have going, maybe.

It's been an interesting story to work on so far. I think I'm handling the more sensitive bits correctly. Though I think the hardest parts are 1. fights and 2. relationship framing.

 

[FortePlus]

Scarlet Justice - ep. 59
"In The Books"
[Sasuke Recovery Mission: Epilogue 2]
---

Breakfast is a quiet affair as I get back. We all sit and eat in a circle together. I give Sakura her food and she sits off to the side, in my peripheral vision just in case anything happens. Nothing does, aside from her lethargic eating.

"I'm sorry for earlier," Hina says quietly.

"It's alright. You were upset, and you had every right to be. This isn't a normal situation," I reply to her.

"I know, I just...feel bad about it, even if I was justified. I wish I was like you, Lili. It's...hard expressing these kinds of emotions."

"Don't worry about that. Please remember that I love you as you are. You are strong, and will grow stronger in time, Hina."

"Yes. Thank you..."

I nod and we all go back to eating. Once we're done, I start organizing my documents again and give the team a short while to rest. Shino moves out to gather water and returns a short while later with the small bucket he procured from town yesterday. Everyone gathers a cool drink before the rest is used for Sasuke's first aid. Hina checks over him while Sakura quietly watches.

"We can start from the bottom," I say to myself. "The last set of conflicts, which is conveniently...these. Shino, bring Lee over to me. I want to start with his interview."

"Understood, Boss."

"Thank you." I help him set Lee in a sitting position with his back against a tree. I sit cross-legged in front of him, with a notepad in my lap opened and ready to go. "Good afternoon, Lee. How are you feeling?"

"I feel quite well, Captain. Thank you for asking."

"Good. I'm going to be taking care of the reports from here. This mission has had a lot of twists and turns, and unique data points that need to be recorded for future events. Perhaps not similar to this, but it will be useful all the same. Give me your best recollection of the battle you had with Kimimaro Kaguya yesterday. Any details you feel are important, speak them out loud. Don't worry about making me do work, this is what I'm here for as your leader. Understood?"

"Understood, ma'am," he says as he salutes with his free hand.

"Good. The engagement time...after final orders were given...alright. The encounter itself," I say as I take notes.

Lee started off by catching up to Kimimaro and Sakura. He tried to convince Sakura to come back, but Kimimaro was giving out orders and had a hold over the girl that made her unwilling to take any bold or derivative actions, lest she be injured or maybe even killed. The fight was entirely one on one, Kimimaro's sense of honour kicking in. Lee removed his weights, which were stuffed under those hideous leg warmers - an interesting tip that I'll look into later - and then was forced to open the Inner Gates as Kimimaro escalated. The initial curse state first, then the second stage which eventually forced Lee into using the second and third gates, to no avail.

"It was then, at my lowest point, that the villain tempted me," he says. "Captain, I am ashamed to admit that I did give thought to his proposal. I was already severely weakened by the Gates, and he offered to send Sakura back with me if I would only let him escape across the border with Sasuke."

"You feared death."

"Yes."

"Do you remember the fight I had with Sakura?"

"I do. Kakashi-sensei intervened at the last moment...there was something between yourself and Sasuke, wasn't there?"

"Yes, there was. There is, even now. Lee, I understand what you were going through. The fear of death...that loathing, that cold feeling inside of your heart. It makes you think, and say, and do things that you normally wouldn't consider. You're not some invincible warrior," I tell him. "There is nothing wrong or shameful about being scared. What's important is what you chose to do next. Tell me, in your own words."

Lee's answer was to fight, and to overcome the fear that was growing inside of him. For Sakura, and for the sake of his nindo. It was the surge that I felt just before reaching him, the Fifth Gate opening and giving him incredible strength at great cost. Opening five out of the eight Inner Gates before being old enough to drink, or even grow chest hair...he's definitely some kind of genius, this one. And a very strong shinobi, even if I find him a ridiculous sight at times. He fought and went past his limits for all of us.

"Reverse Lotus," I repeat.

"Yes! The ultimate high speed taijutsu meant to crush any opponent in a single sequence! It has to be so, because of the extreme stress it puts on the body."

"I see. Very interesting," I say as I take more notes. Ideas are already pouring in for my own techniques, but I keep my focus to the reports for now. Experimentation can be done in a while, once my arm properly heals. I also have to investigate the heavenly power I used in the valley.

"Unfortunately, it was not enough against the villain called Kimimaro."

"He was an annoying bastard to the end. Yammering on about his pedophile master and just refusing to die after getting torn apart over and over. It's not your fault," I say with a wave of my hand. "You did very well considering you only had your taijutsu to rely on. So...I did witness the end parts of the Reverse Lotus, and then personally stepped in...which is the end of your involvement. No observations afterwards?"

"Nothing, ma'am."

"Good. That should be it, then. Thank you, Lee. You did very well, I have to remind you of that again. Your effort helped this mission go from a bother to a resounding success. Don't forget that."

"Yes! Thank you, Captain."

"Also..." I reach to one side and hand him a small scroll. "This should be convenient to read in this form. I thought about using a notebook, but it's difficult to read with only one arm in play at all times. The scroll contains observations and breakdowns of the fight that I had with Kimimaro while you were asleep. The diagrams were done quickly and aren't extensively detailed, I do more of my talking in the text itself. It was just a matter of adding more visuals as I thought they would be appreciated. The back half has a section on my fight with Kidomaru, a long range ninjutsu user. And then there are the smaller details like distances and measurements, theories on tool use, and other such things."

"Mm...hm!" Lee unfolds the scroll a bit and glances at it, looking impressed as his head moves up and down.

"I was thinking about going over battle details with everyone and looking into the right and wrong steps they took, but...that's a little much considering there were so many unknowns, and this was a mission that normally would be well outside the scope of chuunin and genin fighters. It wouldn't be worth drilling everyone on that sort of thing, not right now. And putting all of that aside, I don't want to give anyone grief by forcing them to relive those fights any more than they have to. Times have been stressful enough."

"Hmm...I understand now what Guy-sensei was speaking of the other day."

I look up from my writing briefly. "What do you mean?"

"The qualities of leadership you possess. Guy-sensei called you a 'tiny adult', in a positive manner, of course. He was very impressed with your combat skill and knowledge, and also your ability to organize many things at once. It is a rare skill coveted by military leaders in all eras."

"Mm. Tiny adult, huh...he might not be wrong about that. I've grown up very quickly, for many reasons. Some worse than others. Don't go growing up too quickly yourself, Lee. It's not all bad being an adult, but childhood is something you should enjoy as much as you can."

"Yes, understood."

"Good. Time for you to rest properly. Come, tell me where you want to go," I say as I stand up.

"Ah, is it really okay?"

"Of course it is." I help him up and onto his good leg.

"Very well. There is a small stream nearby, with a flat rock that makes a very good seat. I wish to spend some time meditating there."

"Let's go, then." I carry him through the trees and towards the small clearing he mentioned. There is indeed a flat rock, with sunlight streaming onto it through the leaf cover above. It already has an occupant, which I should have expected considering who it is.

"Useful, I suppose. The slacker can watch over you while I'm gone," I say.

"I thought we were allowed some quiet time," Shikamaru mumbles.

"You are. I'm just bullying you because you deserve it."

He sighs.

"Lee wants to meditate. That's fine, isn't it?"

"Yeah, go nuts. There's enough room for the whole gang. You should take some time off yourself, Chief."

"Maybe later. I have work to do. As long as you stay off that leg, I'm satisfied. I'll send for you in a bit."

"Got it. See you soon."

I head back and see that Hina is done with Sasuke. She gives instructions to Sakura as I settle back into my spot and open my notebook to a new page.

"Shino, it's time. Are you ready?"

"Ready, Boss." He quickly appears in front of me and sits down.

"Feeling okay today?"

"Fine. I've managed to recover a notable amount of my insects, but not enough to stand by at full power just yet. Sorry, Boss."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Shino. Take it easy, please. The worst is over, and your job is to recover enough that we can make it safely home. If you do that, you will make me happy. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Good. Let's start with...orders given...and the event itself starts there. When you're ready, Shino."

Shino details his fight as expected, and I can imagine myself in his position. No time wasted - he immediately tested that Tayuya's taijutsu and she retreated after a single exchange as expected. There were three massive, strange sorts of summons that she controlled with her flute. As soon as she discovered that genjutsu didn't work, she shifted into an all out attack with her three summoned creatures.

"Of course, this was all within calculations," Shino says as he adjusts his glasses.

"You used the female bug as bait, planted on her during your brief exchange. Following that, you set up your next few moves while she tried to figure out some way to draw you out."

"Yes."

Tayuya had no defense against the swarms of insects that came for her, and things only got worse as her flute was jammed with bugs without her knowledge. It was her only effective weapon; whether it was carelessness or arrogance didn't matter, since she was out of options. She removed her summons from the field and shifted to her Level 2 state, intending to reset everything and overpower Shino from in close. Shino responded by piling on the pressure and making it hard for her to move.

"Stubborn girl, wasn't she."

"Indeed. Shikamaru and Hinata arrived just then, with the latter landing a surprise attack that greatly injured my opponent and disabled her. Even then, Tayuya continued to fight against the three of us. It was as if she felt she had no choice, that she couldn't simply retreat and join one of her teammates."

"You would think so..." I recall how Sakura was taking care not to get in the way of Kimimaro, and Lee's descriptions of Sakura's actions before his fight. "It's possible that she didn't have any other choice."

"What makes you think that?"

"Kimimaro declared himself the leader of the Sound Five, and clearly wasn't around before. I assume he was their leader at some point before falling ill. There might have been a genuine fear that he would kill her if she returned without having defeated at least one of you."

"Shikamaru held her in place as I drained her chakra further, and Hinata delivered the final blow with the Gentle Fist. It worked out as you thought it would, Boss."

"I did organize the fights in a certain way, but not every good plan works out, even if you wish for it to be so. Mm. At least things went well this time." I write a few more notes down. "And the fight with Sasuke, I would like details of that as well. Tell me the things you saw from your vantage point."

It ends up being as Shikamaru said yesterday. Sakura coordinated with Sasuke to create explosive attacks that were just barely rebuffed by a combination of Hinata's ranged attacks and Shino's insects. The repeated attacks took a toll on both of them, especially after Shikamaru injured his ankle and was unable to move efficiently afterwards.

"That should be enough. Thank you for your time, Shino. You did very well."

"Thanks, Boss. Are you going to be okay?"

I shrug. "There have been worse days, to be sure. Physical pain is a small price to pay. But I appreciate your concern, as always. I have one good arm and both legs are working perfectly. That's more than enough for any fool who dares to cross me."

"Heh. I suppose it was a bit silly to worry about you, then."

"Perhaps," I say with a smile. "Rest well, Shino. We should be leaving tomorrow, and it's a rare chance to relax that you've more than earned. Thank you for your faith in me."

"No problem. I'll see you later, Boss."

"Send in that slacker for me, will you?"

"On it."

I wait a few minutes and make some more notes before turning to a fresh page. Shikamaru uses a sturdy branch to get around and keep off his bad leg. He settles down and lies on his back, hands behind his head.

"It's impressive how you always manage to look fantastically lazy," I comment.

"The clouds are nice from here, too."

"I'm sure they are, yes. I hope you've recharged enough to give a proper report. It's likely that I'll hurt you otherwise. Let's see...from here...and then the event starts up. Okay, you went through the forest and encountered your target. Or targets."

"Yep."

"Time for you to use that brain and recall what happened. I need details, too. Don't skimp on anything, slacker."

"Yeah, yeah." Shikamaru started off by analyzing the attacks of his opponent, Sakon. Once options were frustrated, Sakon revealed his secret. He was actually two people at once, sharing a body with his brother called Ukon. They separated and tried to trap Shikamaru repeatedly, only to be driven back each time. Shikamaru made use of the forest cover well and consistently agitated the brothers, throwing them off their game. He wasn't strong enough on his own to fight two physically superior opponents, but stalling was easy enough.

"Hinata arrived at about eighty percent power or so. Rough guess. We estimated that Shino wouldn't be done at the time, so I worked out something with my new backup. Didn't take long to seal their opening points with coordinated attacks."

Directing Hina to move in time with his weapons and jutsu, the two enemies were overwhelmed from the direct assault. Hina took out one, only to have the other merge with his fallen brother somehow. They seemed to have that ability which allowed them to heal wounds and conserve stamina. But reducing themselves to one target didn't help them in the end. Shikamaru landed his newest technique, called Shadow Neck Binding. It hasn't been perfected yet, but with Hina's help landing it was easy enough, and the brothers met their end while sharing the same body. Once they were done, they assisted Shino. Shikamaru goes over the details from his end this time. From there, they met up with me and got their orders to chase after Sasuke.

"It was sort of a bad move. I tried to dodge one of those log traps Sakura set and a fireball from Sasuke at the same time. I think it was the Phoenix Flower in that instance." He shrugs. "But either way, the terrain up there wasn't too great. Ground came loose suddenly and I screwed up my ankle coming down hard at a terrible angle. After that, I was kind of sunk. I'm not as fast as you or Hinata, but I still need mobility to position myself for my jutsu."

"Well, you survived. And you did a good job the entire way through. That's why I left so much in your hands, you know."

"I figured as much. I hope you don't pile too much on in the future as a result of this. That would really suck, even if I'm gonna end up doing it in the end anyways because you asked."

"You don't have to worry about that. You're a slacker and a pain in the ass, but I wouldn't have you any other way, Shikamaru."

"Heh. You sure you mean that?"

"I'm sure," I say sincerely. "You're going to be a wonderful man one day."

"Oi, what's with that all of a sudden?" he says as he sits up.

"It's not a joke. I mean it this time, so take the damn compliment. Alright?"

He pauses a while before nodding. "Yeah. I really will. Thanks for that, Lili."

"You're welcome. And thank you for the detailed recollection of events. It's going to be helpful for my studies and the report that will be sent to the Hokage."

"Yeah...speaking of him, I'm not sure what's going to happen when we get back. Gonna try to talk to my old man and Asuma to glean some insight, but...it's gonna get wacky, trust me. This whole mission is outside of everyone's strike zone," Shikamaru says.

"I'll keep myself primed. Thank you for that. Now, you can go back to watching your clouds as you wanted to. Some help up?"

"I'm good." He jumps to his good leg and leans on his makeshift cane. "See you at dinner, Chief."

"Later." I finish up my notes as he leaves. Hina takes her place next to me. "I didn't even have to call for you. I'm very spoiled, it seems."

"You just might be. How are things going?" she asks.

"Very well. The interviews have been full of detail, all of you have been quite attentive when it comes to certain things. I'm going to organize these notes into a proper scroll later, and then that will be handed off once we get to the village. Might be best to put it straight into the Hokage's hands. Hm. Shikamaru was mentioning politics just now. I wonder how much of a mess this will be."

"Hopefully we all get through it."

"Yes. The mission isn't over yet, unfortunately. I'll likely have to talk to Sakura later, in order to extract certain details..."

"You might be able to leave it to Intelligence," Hina points out.

"That much is true. We'll see how I feel later. The important thing is that she's in our custody. And right now, I want to hear from you." I prepare my notebook and start on the necessary details. "From your departure to the start of your battle."

"Yes."

Hina took my words to heart and met with Jirobo, the fat sack of Sound garbage, in a clearing nearby. The terrain was slightly loose in some places, which worked to Hina's advantage with her considerably lighter footwork.

It was barely a fight.

The Byakugan combined with the Gentle Fist and Hina's formidable speed made short work of the brute. He was boastful, calling Hina weak at the start and claiming that she had been sacrificed by the rest of us because of that. She proved him wrong very quickly, sealing his pressure points with ease and forcing him to use his curse mark in desperation. It was when he activated his second level that the game came to a close. Hina saw the opportunity and struck, delivering a fatal blow to the area surrounding the heart and cutting off all supply to the area. I can only guess that his curse mark would have given him a great increase in strength, but his speed wouldn't see much of a boost. A solid, pragmatic move on Hina's part, and one of the outcomes I was looking for when I organized the match-ups. She landed a sneak attack on one of the pretty boy twins as she came in to assist Shikamaru. Then she went on to help Shino out by delivering the fatal blow to Tayuya. And after that, the tough fight with Sasuke and Sakura. It turned out to be a very intense affair.

"Sasuke was retreating and I started after him. Sakura came right for me, with what looked like an explosive tag in her hands...it was a fake, but I hesitated just a moment. Sasuke attacked from behind me with a fireball. I fended it off just barely with the Air Palm technique, but of course it put me out of position again...Sakura was about to..."

She pauses and takes a breath in. I keep my face neutral, feeling anger at these things but shoving it away for the time being.

"Sakura was following Sasuke's orders. He saw me as too dangerous to just injure. There's a technique that Brother Neji can do very well, and I used it myself in desperation...it involves expelling chakra from all of your pressure points at once to blow an enemy away. That's how I got out from underneath Sakura, and I was moving to properly disable her. Sasuke attacked twice from behind as I was doing that, and the second was..."

"Chidori," I finish. "It threw you off the cliff."

"Yes. And it was then that you arrived."

"A moment later, and..." I chew on the end of my pen to try and calm down. Hina rubs my back gently.

"It didn't happen. You saved me, Lili."

"Just thinking about it puts me in such a state..."

"I know. I was scared, too...I wasn't thinking of anything, I just felt emptiness and panic. It wasn't like the time in the desert, and I was somewhat prepared to face that level of danger this time around. Still, the feeling was uncomfortably intense. I haven't sorted out my thoughts from that time yet. I don't know if I truly will unpack everything and look at it again. I might just seal it away, for the sake of my health. It sounds a bit unhealthy, but...I don't think every moment should be lived again like that."

"I feel the same way."

"Is...that enough for your report?"

"Plenty. I think things like this will have to be factored into whatever sanctions or punishments or what have you that are to come. If anything significant, at least. There was interference with sensitive data prior to this mission according to Ino. I don't doubt there will be tampering here as well. But...that's more for me to worry about than you, for now at least."

"As long as you don't burn yourself out tussling with elites."

"I'll be guarding what's left of my sanity closely, I assure you."

Hina frowns at me. "That's not as reassuring a statement as you think it is."

"Isn't it? I doubt that a 'more sane' Lili would have reached out to you so dramatically in the midst of battle to strengthen your lioness' heart."

"You remind me entirely too much of Naruto sometimes," she says as she gets up.

"Now that was uncalled for," I reply, playfully pouting.

"Good luck with your reports, Captain Kobayashi. I'm going to pick herbs for our dinner."

"I can't wait." I hum to myself and finish the last part of my notes. All clear. Now, to organize and transfer them to a secure scroll. By the time I'm done, dinner will be ready for sure. Lovely.

 

[FortePlus]

Scarlet Justice - ep. 60
"For The Cause"
[Sasuke Recovery Mission: Conclusion]
---

Once dinner is finished, Hina checks over Sasuke again and gives him a last dose of the drug that she had prepared, using it as a sedative to keep him somewhat stable until proper help could arrive. Shino returns later in the evening and reports that the medical team is on their way - they will reach us in the morning as planned.

"How is he?" I ask as Hina finishes. She wipes at her forehead with a cloth.

"Stable and sleeping. We don't have much in the way of medication left, so that should hopefully last until morning when the experts arrive."

"You've done incredibly well."

"Thank you."

"But...it's hard doing this sort of thing, isn't it?" I ask.

"It is. Possibly the hardest thing I've done so far." She gets to her feet and looks down at Sasuke as he rests. "I have even more appreciation for you after this. It's taking a lot to keep those...thoughts away."

"Mm. You've become a lot more honest."

"You know the reason for that. It's only because I'm here with you, Lili. I can be myself in these times, and say things that would be terrifying to reveal to other people." She looks at me. "I wonder...is it wrong to think that people are beneath you?"

"You're an elite. You can think whatever you like. But your actions have to tell your story. It's self-control...that's the real difference between a noble and trash."

"That makes sense..."

"Are you worried?"

"A little. I...want to be able to express myself openly, but I wonder about how I can go about it without hurting people, or just saying the wrong things at the wrong times."

"You can talk to Hanabi. She can help you."

"Hanabi...imouto. Are you sure about that?" she asks.

"Yes. That girl is very strong. Imouto, just like elite, is a title. You can learn how to master such things."

"You're right. She's...very strong. Confident in a way that I never was, but can begin to approach now. I will ask her about these things when I get home."

"Good. For now, put those things out of your mind and get ready for bed. Shikamaru and Shino will take first watch together, and I will take the last. Understood?"

"Yes. Thank you."

I finish transferring my notes and turn in as soon as it gets too dark. The fire is warm as I curl up near it, and it's also useful for Shikamaru's purposes as he can immediately channel his shadow through the ones cast by the flames. Shino will be able to assist him even at reduced strength. I sleep with my back against a tree, two kunai in my lap and underneath my blanket just in case.

"Lili?"

"Hm." I crack open one eye and look at Hina, who is standing near the camp fire.

"It's about time to switch over. Although, if you want more time..."

"Like I would let you do something like that," I mutter. I yawn and hand my blanket to her as she comes closer. "Are those two okay?"

"Yes. Everything is all clear for now. Please wake me if anything happens, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She sighs and shakes her head. "See you in a while, Lili."

"Rest well, Hina."

She moves to her designated spot near the fire and puts her head down on a thick pile of grass that she had gathered during the day, then pulls the blanket over herself and closes her eyes. I watch her drift off into sleep for a moment before looking to the night sky. Not that far to morning, then...

The quiet means that my mind can wander a bit while I keep my senses sharp. Things and thoughts filter in and out smoothly. I think about my mother, remembering how beautiful and vibrant she was. My feelings towards my stepmother Emi, a woman who went from hostile to revealing strange and often inappropriate things to someone she now trusted. I think about Luna and how wonderful she is to me. About how much I love Midori, my sister who gave me the strength to fly through the sky. Hina looks more and more like a woman each time she speaks, and it makes me extremely happy. Hanabi is really cute, and I'm glad to have her as a little sister now. Or was it...moe. Yes, very moe. I want to protect her, especially if she pouts a little and insists she doesn't need it while calling me onee-sama.

I want to go home soon so that I can bully Kurenai again. I really miss her...and I hope that she's safe while on her missions. I want her to teach me more things, even as the village calls me an elite. I also hope that she's happy with Asuma. They're a cute couple. Speaking of jounin, Sharingan Kakashi is too aloof sometimes. He should get it together, and hopefully he's being pestered by Ruki. Those two getting together would make sense, I think.

My thoughts go to Naruto, and they make me feel warm inside. I really do want to see him keep growing, and there are thoughts on how to help him along. Maybe not too soon, but...one day he'll get to where he wants to be. Erika is an interesting person...I wonder sometimes if she's really flirting with me, or simply being polite in that strange manner. Hm. And Ino...she should be healing by now, hopefully. I really want nothing but the best for her, and I think about how close we've become in what feels like a short time. Will she really be okay? Her and Sakura...those old feelings, mixing together.

...

I think I understand a little...why Shikamaru likes to watch clouds so much. It feels like my head is much clearer than before.

I can figure all of this out soon enough. We simply have to make it home first, and that time is coming soon.

---

"Well, here we are."

Hina and I set Sasuke down, in the small opening that we've chosen within the forest. The old camp has been dismantled and our tracks erased to the greatest possible extent. This morning was spent retracing our routes back to the old battlegrounds and finding each of the enemy corpses to mark the spots where they lay. The Leaf should be interested in studying those bodies and I'm assuming they've sent a large enough force to collect them as well as assist us on the way home.

I bind Sakura's hands together. Hina suggested something that I agreed to - sealing the girl's pressure points so that she can't properly mould chakra. I watch as Hina calmly and carefully places her hands over Sakura's wrists, squeezing gently before letting go. She does the same with Sakura's ankles. We have her put her foot on the trunk of a tree to test it, and she shakes her head to confirm that she can't walk upwards.

That means we're ready.

"Okay, everyone. This is the next part of our mission...we're not done until we make it back to the Leaf, so stay alert," I say as I shrug on my jacket and zip it up. "Protective formation. Lee, stay with Sakura. Shikamaru, with Sasuke. Shino, stand facing north and do what you can with your insects if you notice anything off. I will face southwest and Hina southeast, with our detection roles overlapping as much as possible. Let's begin."

Everyone gets into their positions quietly. Then we wait.

"..."

At this stage, anything could happen. The mad scramble to get Sasuke back was meant to prevent anyone from picking up on the fact that he left the village in the first place; spies are walking through every village and therefore it's entirely reasonable to think that another village has heard rumours of defection. That was the reason why information was so limited, and will continue to be limited upon our return. Still, there are many possibilities, and with so many of us either incapacitated or below normal combat efficiency, things start to get precarious.

But as I said to Shino before, I have one working arm and two good legs. I can give anyone a fight who spoils for it.

An hour passes. I can sense people coming through the forest...two groups of five people, if my senses are correct.

"There are ten people approaching," Hina says, confirming my findings.

"As the message said," Shino adds in. "The medical team should be five people by itself..."

The first scent I properly pick up is...liquor. And a hint of perfume, with an exotic sort of smell that I don't recognize. Must be expensive.

Ten people land in front of us, and we hold our formation. I get a good look at them; three are dressed in the white medical outfits that I remember from the exams, and there's a woman with short black hair, wearing a dress with slits on the sides so that her legs can move freely. She has a white jacket with the same medical symbol as the others, and a Leaf headband around her neck. It's the last member of the medical team, wearing a long white jacket over her clothes, that grabs my interest most. I can sense her strong chakra, and from her presence can tell that she's the leader of the group. Her hair is blonde and in twin tails at the back of her head, she has a youthful face, and a very large pair of breasts. She has hazy brown eyes and there's a violet rhombus on her forehead.

"I approve," I say quietly.

"Lili...where are you looking..."

"Stop it, you," I whisper back to Hina, putting on my serious face. "They're a work of art."

She sighs and drops it.

"I suppose you're the Retrieval Team, then?" the blonde woman asks.

"Yes, ma'am."

She stares at me for a moment. "Within the Fourty-Fourth Training area there is a point where the river forks into three parts. What would the distance of that point be from the gate entrances?"

"It would be approximately 4.8 kilometres from the gates if in fact there was a third branch of the river. There are only two, and only one of those has a proper crossing."

"..."

"Also, the canteen coffee at the tower tastes like mud."

She smiles. "Yeah. Always did taste like crap. Locations?"

I take out the scroll and toss it to her. She reads it and then promptly tosses it backwards to the other group of five.

"Follow the map, collect those bodies, and then meet back here when you're done. Get to it."

"Yes, ma'am!" They disappear. She nods to her remaining members and they approach us, getting to work healing any outstanding ailments and checking on Sasuke especially.

"Where's your mission leader?"

"Right here," I say confidently. "Lilith Kobayashi, Retrieval Team Commander."

"Oh, wasn't expecting that. No offence, kiddo. But that means you're the one the old man was talking about. The 'Scarlet Viper', then. I get to meet you in person off the bat, exciting. Who's your second?"

"Shikamaru Nara."

"Shikaku's boy. Guess you've done well for yourself, then. Good! And the rest?"

"Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga, and Rock Lee."

"That's quite a mix. I like to see everyone working together, but you've got two important clan kids running around with you. That's no easy feat."

"It helps that we're teammates already," I say.

"That's impressive enough by itself. They must really trust you to come out and do something crazy like this. Hey, give me that arm of yours."

"Yes." She delicately takes my right arm and inspects it. "We have both Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha with us, as you can see. Alive, as the Hokage ordered."

"Lady Tsunade, Sasuke has heavy injuries but is stable at this time," the black haired woman says. "I can heal him well enough so that we can carry him back, once everyone assembles again."

"Hm. Well, we don't want to wait around in this forest for too much longer. Go for it, Shizune."

"Ma'am." Shizune nods and makes a set of handseals. There's a blue glow coming from her hands as she presses them against Sasuke's body. Sakura looks on with interest, the same way she did while Hina was working the day before. "Who was working on him before, Captain Kobayashi?"

"My comrade nearby, Hinata."

"Yes. Please tell me if there were any problems with my treatment," Hina says as she stands near Shizune.

"Actually, I just want to praise you sincerely," Shizune says as she works. "You couldn't have had much in the way of supplies, yet you managed to hold everything together for such a long time. It's amazing work, and you should be proud of yourself."

"Ah...t-thank you, ma'am."

"Most people would be tripping over themselves, saying that it's expected for Hyuuga and all of that boring shit," Tsunade says. "But I know for a fact that they have the same low percentages of medic-capable kids as everyone else in the village. Shizune's right, you did real good, girl."

"Thank you, milady." Hina blushes brightly and bows.

"Hm. How'd you break this arm, kid?" Tsunade asks me. Tsunade...oh, it's clicking in now. This woman is one of the Three Shinobi mentioned...

"It was the final attack I used. I had to adjust the pressure at the last moment, or else I would have killed Sasuke for sure."

"So the arm shattered because you...held back power. The arresting motion...yeah, that makes sense. Consistent with the injury pattern. If you come over to the hospital, I can have it healed in about five days. Otherwise, it looks like...mm, about two weeks if you let it heal on its own."

"Really?"

"Yep. I'd suggest taking the break myself. Not often that you get time to slack off with pay."

Hmhm. So she has a great chest and loves taking it easy. Clearly my type of woman. "I'll give it some thought," I say to her.

"Do that. And your heart...you might wanna rest that properly, too. Seems like it was under a bit of stress at some point earlier."

"Ah, yes. The chakra mode most likely contributed."

She blinks and sets my arm down gently. "No kidding. You learned Lightning Release Chakra Mode? Sensei was right, you are all kinds of awesome. Oh, so...did Kakashi teach you 'that' technique to go along with it?"

"Chidori, you mean. He offered, but I decided against it. I learned something later that suits me much better."

"Interesting...very interesting."

"..." It's definitely saucy of me, but I have to ask anyways. They're...really big. "By the way..."

"Hm?"

"How did you get yours to that level?"

She looks at me a moment before chuckling. "Eh? Really now. You're jealous?"

"Very," I say seriously. She nods and reaches into one of her pockets, pulling out a glass bottle.

"This stuff is good for it."

"Oh. That's what Hina and I drink," I say. It's the fortified milk.

"I see. Then you're on your way. Don't worry about your progress right now. Keep fighting," she says with approval.

"Yes, ma'am!" A fantastic doctor. I'm in love already.

"Oh, and don't forget to work on your back muscles, heh. Maybe you don't want 'em quite this big, and I'm a bit special anyways. Like I said, don't worry too much about it."

"Right. Princess Tsunade, another question. Did you happen to meet a strange boy on your travels?"

"Strange...someone like that, yeah. Jiraiya brought around this loud midget when he was looking for me. Crazy kid made a bet with me and of course, I egged him on. He actually completed the Rasengan. Heh..." She smiles at the memory. "I felt like I was looking into the past for a while, and frankly...I was getting tired of wandering. So it didn't take much persuading on their part. Sarutobi-sensei is getting up there in age, too." Tsunade puts her arms under her chest. "I think Hokage is sort of a fool's errand, but...well. If they need someone to fill in, or whatever, I could consider it. Just in case. I don't really want to do it, but I will."

"Ah." Tsundere, too. Full of surprises, this one.

"That kid really reminded my of Jiraiya. Right down to that obnoxious attitude. Kept yapping about how he would become Hokage one day, and somehow I got caught up in that silliness. But it was refreshing. Felt good, to be honest. Just questioning all of those beliefs I held onto because of my fears...and spending my life gloomy and depressed isn't what they would want for me."

"You've lost loved ones, too."

"Yeah." She stares wistfully into the distance. "It felt like my world was turning into dust at one point."

"It still hurts, doesn't it..."

"It does. I...wanted to join them, in the next world. But I know that there's still so much to do in this life. So I want to make them proud. One day, perhaps...I can finally give life to their dreams by becoming Hokage."

"He got to you too," I say with a smile.

"Yeah...the little runt did. I guess you're going steady with him?"

"It would be sweet, wouldn't it. But...boys aren't my thing."

"Like that, eh."

"Yes. Like that."

"I see. Thinking about what Jiraiya told me, I would have assumed that he would be here bringing the Uchiha kid back home. What was the reason you took on this mission?"

"It's because I really do love him," I say sincerely.

"The way you look when you mention him...yeah. I can definitely see it," she says, smiling. "Well, let's make sure everyone's in good enough health before we get ready to move. You wouldn't happen to have any reports ready, would you? It's probably been a rough time."

"I do, actually. There was enough time in the day to complete them thoroughly," I respond. "The official notes are sealed away, but I do have the rough sections available." I reach into my side pouch and take out the notebook I was using, handing it to Tsunade. She nods and looks at the first open page.

"Very nice. Should make for some good light reading on the way back."

"Ma'am! Bodies recovered!" The second team returns with four scrolls in hand. They have red and black bands on the ends, with black paper in the middle. A type of scroll that I haven't seen before, and probably is meant for potentially volatile corpses. It makes sense with the unknown nature of the curse marks.

"Excellent. Formation!" Tsunade calls out. "I'll lead out front. Shizune, take my right. Lilith...oh, is-?"

"Yes, certainly."

"Good. Lili will take my left. Hinata, please take the middle behind me."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'll need each remaining member of the medic corps to carry Sakura Haruno and Rock Lee, and to assist Shikamaru Nara in his movement. The rest of you on the corpse recovery team can line up behind them. And last but not least, I want Shino Aburame at our rear. Get into your positions and get ready!"

We do as she orders, lining up in a fashion that makes us look like an arrow. It's amusing, thinking about it.

But it also feels right. We're finally...finally going back home. It's almost over.

"Ready!" Tsunade calls one last time.

"Ready!" we all respond.

"Okay! Forward!"

Our legs are fresh as we hurry through the forest. Nothing of note happens as we continue straight through without stopping at full speed; there were a few traps on the way up that were disabled by Tsunade and her group. One break for rest, and then we're off again while travelling through the night.

It's just past dawn on this morning, three days after we set off to stop the worst outcome from occurring. The familiar gates of the village tower over us as we come to a stop.

Finally...we're home.

"Made it. Okay...deliver those bodies to the morgue, I'll deal with them at some point once we have everything cleared by the Hokage. Rest of us will take a trip to the hospital, god knows we need it for you kids."

"I really think I should deliver those reports, Princess Tsunade," I say to her.

"Well, first off," she says as the team with the corpses leaves, "formalities aren't needed with me, Lili. Second, I think that we should make sure there isn't anything too bad happening with your group before we let them run off. We have equipment and medicine that wasn't available in the field. You're anxious, but take it easy, okay?"

"Yes. I understand."

"Good. Let's go, then."

We quickly head to the hospital and get an area sealed off for our use. The mission was still a secret to everyone else, and it made sense that it stay that way. Tsunade and Shizune quickly herd us through an x-ray machine, take some blood samples, and check our breathing and pulses while making notes. They're quick and thorough, administering treatments as needed and then getting ready to send us home with instructions for recovery.

"Gonna apply a cast for you instead of a simple splint. Keep that arm from moving at all. Make sure to work your shoulder every once in a while, keep that blood flowing. From the x-rays, you'll need about two weeks to heal the fractures. That's followed by at least another week to recover your arm strength. You'll be fine, just hang in there."

"Yes. Thank you."

We're in one of the small rooms together, and she's skilfully started the application around my arm. Her hands delicately mould the cast around my wrist and arm, with space made for my fingers. It stops just below my shoulder and feels hard after a few minutes, however, it will need another day or so to fully harden with this mixture. She takes care of other minor wounds, like the slight burns to my skin and the scratches on my face that Hina put ointment on.

"Everything okay?" she asks as she finishes.

"It's fine for the most part. How is everyone else? Did you get their results?" I ask her.

"I did, because I knew you'd want to know as soon as you could." Tsunade grabs a clipboard behind her and looks at the notes she and Shizune have made so far.

Hina will be down for a week while her shoulder recovers. Her wound has already healed a bit, but it's still tender and excessive movement will aggravate it. Her bandage has been replaced and she's been given some light medication to help dull the pain and speed up healing some more. She's in great health otherwise, and all of her minor bruises have been healed.

Shino was suffering from simple exhaustion and told to rest. He's been given a mixture to help with his overall recovery, and his insect colony will regenerate properly in time.

Shikamaru suffered from an ankle sprain as suspected, and a few other bruises. There are orders to keep off the leg and he will be making use of crutches in that time to get around. Some medicine will help with his healing and his bruises have already been taken care of. He's fine, and must be looking forward to his unexpected vacation from work.

Lee's injuries were as severe as realized earlier by Hina, but all of that will be fixed with a quick surgery and some proper care. The main goals will be muscle repair and bone stabilization...luck would have it that some of the fragmented bones didn't invade the neural framework, but they came close. That would have made surgery exponentially harder, and decreased the chances of survival to fifty percent or close to it.

"It's a forbidden technique for more reasons than people realize. Forcing the body past its limits with chakra, especially in that manner, can cause things to literally explode and throw pieces into places they shouldn't go. I imagine he opened five when he only needed three because he wanted to make it a certain kill."

"Only three?" I ask.

"The Reverse Lotus can be accessed after opening the Life Gate, if my memory's still good. Pain and Limit are also in the same area, on the spinal cord, so it makes sense that he'd be taught those two if he mastered the first three...it's still reckless bullshit, but I gotta hand it to the kid. Big pair of balls on him."

"Indeed."

Sakura is sitting in a separate room, being interviewed by members of ANBU. She'll be sent home in a few hours, giving her time to recover before the real work begins at Interrogation. And Sasuke has been placed under the influence of a much stronger and more effective sedative, meaning he can rest properly. There's extensive monitoring being done to check for changes in condition, and Tsunade will be focusing her attention on him until the end of next week, when his major surgery will be scheduled.

I think about all of these things and find myself getting a bit confused. There's so much going on...so many things I have to figure out. The weight starts to bear down on me, and I understand more and more what I might be walking into.

I returned Sasuke to the village. Alive.

Now what?

"You look like you've got something on your mind, Lili."

"I do, I admit. I need...some advice. Badly. This is a confusing time, and I don't want to completely lose a handle on my emotions."

"Right. You wanna see your team off first?"

"I should do that, certainly." I hop down from my chair and leave the room. Everyone is gathered outside, waiting for me.

"How's it going, Chief?" Shikamaru asks. He's already got his new crutch, with his leg bandaged properly.

"Fine. I won't be able to move my right arm for the next two weeks. Small price to pay, I suppose."

"You sound like yourself, so that's good. I'm gonna head home, see if my old man is back yet. Ah...right. Hopefully my mom doesn't freak out when she sees my leg..."

"It's better than her crying over your corpse."

"Heh. I've got you to thank for that."

"You're a slacker, but don't go selling yourself short. Remember what I told you."

"I won't forget, honest. You'd kick my ass if I did."

I smile and wink at him. "See? You're learning quickly. Well done."

"It sounds like you're not going home yourself, Boss," Shino says.

"That's about right. I have these reports to deliver to the Hokage, and it should be done by the end of the day. I also have things I would like to discuss with the peerless Lady Tsunade here."

"Peerless, huh. Is that how she ropes you guys in?" Tsunade asks.

"It is either that or threats to our person, it seems," Lee quips.

"He's...not entirely wrong," Hina admits. "Lili has her quirks, even if they're not the most sensitive ways to approach a situation."

"We have achieved a high degree of efficiency, though," Shino says.

"I wonder about that...you might be letting that title of 'right hand' go to your head too often."

"It's not possible. After all, you are the one who gracefully balances the scales of Team Eight, Hinata."

"Hm. That sort of flattery...suspicious, but acceptable," Hina says with a smile.

"It seems we're in good spirits after that adventure...this pleases me," I say to the group. "Come, let me send you all off properly. Rest well, and remember we have one last thing to do as a team. I'll see you all later."

I give each person a hug with my good arm and wave as they leave together, going back into the main area of the hospital with Shizune leading on. Tsunade goes back into the room we were in before and seals the entrance before taking a seat at the desk nearby, unsealing something from a scroll.

"Always a good time for some tasty beverages."

"Everyone says that nowadays," I say.

"Welcome to the big leagues, kid. Every other team member you'll have from now on is a drunk, a druggie, or a sex fiend. Usually two of those mixed together. Sometimes you get a really fun one who's all three at once," Tsunade says as she pours herself a drink. "Not as scary as it sounds."

"Reassuring, really."

"See? The system sort of works. Mm." She takes a sip from her glass. "Ah, yeah. Smooth. So, what'd you want to know?"

I take a seat on one side of the desk. "I want to know, roughly...what I might be in for. It's bothering me, just thinking about all of the things that may or may not happen. Sasuke and Sakura caused us a lot of pain, every single one of us. Whether it was physical, mental, or emotional...the things we've suffered and endured feel like they could have been too much to handle if we all made the wrong choices. I had to be nearly perfect and just...shove down so many things inside of me, simply so that we could make it to the end of the day intact."

"Politics is a real bitch."

"So I know. Sasuke and I have had...an encounter before."

"Got the rundown. Really fucked up."

"Yes."

"Alright. I don't have psychic powers, so all of this can change on you at any time. But checking in was smart of you. I think the old man would have said some things to throw you for a real loop, and you would have been a wreck at the end of it all," Tsunade says. "But based on all the information I have, I can put together a basic scenario for you. Again, I haven't been in the village a while and this stuff about the Uchiha kid is fresh...but I've dealt with the upper ranks and pols enough in my time to put together some models. There's also some juicy stuff that you didn't get to hear because you were gone."

"Oh? How scandalous."

"Ain't it? Okay, from the top, then." Tsunade knocks back her drink and fills the glass again, then swivels her chair a bit to face me. "So. You've saved the village's golden boy and his girlfriend. Congratulations. Now what happens? First is our entry into the village, which basically nobody is going to question or worry about. The ANBU can be very persuasive when they want to be. But of course, you all came back from somewhere, right?"

"Swapping documents?"

"You're going to be on a mission you weren't assigned to. Maybe two, maybe three. The injuries are all going to be there and recorded, just a little deception about where you got them. All the little missions going on? Perfect cover."

"Mm. I can only assume we're going to be listed as combatants with Erika. She was heading out alone, with Gaara as her backup. That seems to make sense..."

"Following that up...you're going to be turned into ghosts. This mission happened, no question about it. Everything is going to be stored somewhere, and the Hokage is going to remember this for the rest of his life. His advisors, the shinobi council...everyone who needs to know about this will know. The clan heads will get fed the requisite information based on standing. Ino-Shika-Cho, the Inuzuka, the Sarutobi, and of course the Aburame are wrapped up in this. Hyuuga goes without saying since they have their powdered noses in fucking everything. But as far as you guys are concerned...you'll just be five brave shinobi who rescued Sasuke and Sakura from a bunch of evil invaders. That's the cover story. They got beat up real bad by the evil Sound shinobi, along with Ino, and an unidentified task force followed the trail to find them. A bunch of intense fighting, resulting in the Sound shinobi dead and the two brave genin of the Leaf rescued."

"..." I inhale and exhale sharply. That...is a lot. I understand why it would be unwise to publicly out Sasuke and Sakura for what they did, but it still hurts to hear. All of the pain and suffering they've caused, and they get to come home as heroes. It's a bit maddening if I think about it too much. At least Ino will be recognized because of this. She was brave enough to confront them and do the right thing.

"So...we come to the second part of this. Charges and sentencing." Tsunade takes a sip from her glass and sighs. "Reminding you that this is just conjecture on my part...but don't expect any big punishments for them. Execution was off the table if you brought him back alive, so I'm talking about real impactful stuff that would end anyone else's career."

"Reasoning?"

"Well, he's got a few things going for him. Victimized by Orochimaru. Suffering because of a curse mark that has corrupting influence, as testified to by Anko and Sensei. And that whole thing with his older brother, who he's within his rights to pursue. It makes this shit a mess, and it drives a wedge between the different factions who have opinions on how these things should go. You've got one side who wants maximum punishment with no compromise, a bunch of hardliners. On the other side, you have the guys who don't want anything bad to happen to Sasuke because he's the Uchiha progeny and so valuable to the village. Sensei would try to meet them in the middle, and I don't think that's going to work. There's also how it looks in the public eye."

"Hm. You mean to say that the usual things won't work as intended," I reply.

"A demotion won't work, and putting Sasuke back into a stream with less experienced kids at the Academy won't help anyone's development. It's also a public signal that Sasuke did something wrong and people will want to know why, possibly getting information from people who shouldn't be giving it out and compromising village security. You know, again. Corporal punishment is a wash because, again, in-fighting. Killing him is out, you would have been excused if he died in battle or because of his injuries - Shizune and I would vouch for you there, too - but execution is a no-go for several reasons."

I know some of those reasons all too well. Itachi is still standing guard over his little brother, and I have no doubt that all hell would break loose if the Leaf did anything that led to the end of Sasuke's life. I wonder what he thinks about this little stunt, if he's even aware of it.

"They're too young for prison. Regular jail, nuh-uh. Terrible optics just like everything else. You see where this is going, there's a lot of scrambling to keep people from getting any credible evidence of this recent fuck-up, and if it interferes with proper punishments, then so be it."

"Unfortunate."

"Life's like that."

"Indeed," I say. "So, to summarize...everything about this recent mission is being hidden from the public, including our involvement. Sasuke and Sakura are having their actions covered up, and will soon be hailed as heroes of the Leaf who fought off dangerous attackers before being kidnapped, rescued, and brought home to safety. And because of fighting by shinobi and assorted politicians, we should expect no formal punishments for Sasuke and Sakura because those would create critical security flaws and in at least one case, bring untold destruction to the Leaf."

"You should throw your hat in the ring for Hokage. Got the brains for it."

"I'm about as interested in the job as you are."

"Mostly cold on it, but willing to try if asked?"

"A very well educated guess, milady," I say with a smile.

"Heh. Great minds think along the same lines. Never alike, though. That line was always bullshit, I don't know why people keep repeating it. Ah, well." She finishes the rest of her drink and lets out a breath. "Anything else?"

"No, that should be more than good enough. I think I'm ready to face whatever storm might come..."

"Take deep breaths before you walk through those doors, yeah?"

"I'll remember." I hop down from the desk and start on my way out. Something comes to mind.

Maybe...it doesn't have to be like this. I can write my own ending. I don't know about Sasuke, but Sakura...I can secure Sakura's future. Because I promised that she would pay me and my friends back for all the harm she's caused. I like to keep my promises.

"Tsunade...I actually do have one more thing," I say as I turn away from the door. My tongue briefly touches my lips. "I've been watching Sakura the past few days, noting her reactions here and there. At the moment, she's a shell of herself. Broken up over what happened to Sasuke and Ino."

She raises a brow at me. "What's your proposal?"

I don't want to ruin the moment...so I hold back the cruel smile that should be on my face right now. "I want you to put that girl into service. You see, I think she owes much to this village...and she should find a way to give back to it. But the best part," I say as I walk closer, "is that you're going to benefit from this the most."

Tsunade sets down her glass before leaning forward in her chair.

"You've got my full attention, Miss Kobayashi."

I finally smile. "Wonderful. This is something I know we'll both love."

---

"Lord Hokage will see you now."

The secretary looks at my right arm for a bit longer than she intended to. I pretend to ignore it and wait for the doors to open. I take a deep breath in as instructed earlier, and walk inside. The doors close behind me, presumably being sealed.

It's one of those bright and warm days today. I can see the light streaming through the window, lengthening the old man's shadow as he stands to look at his village. His hat comes off and he sets it on the desk before sitting, smoking from his pipe as usual. Today's scent is...unusual. Unfamiliar, definitely. I wonder what it is he's smoking, exactly.

"Please, have a seat," Hiruzen says. I nod and sit in one of the soft chairs placed in front of his desk. I remember that he has them moved in and out based on the guests he has. Shinobi are fine with standing as they come and go, but he seems to like this arrangement more these days.

"I have the mission reports for you."

"Ah, right. My apologies, I can..."

"Don't work yourself so hard, my lord. I can come to you. My legs are working properly."

"Yes, yes. Of course."

I walk to his desk and place the scroll into his hands. He unseals it and looks at the information within, scrutinizing every detail.

"Hm. This is quite detailed...quite detailed, indeed. All of the relevant elements within the village know of your mission's success. Congratulations, and thank you for your service. You have done much more than you know, and more than we can properly repay you for."

"Naturally. That's why it was love that drove me forward, and not compensation," I say as I sit in the chair again. "To see Naruto's smile, and your relief...that is enough for me right now. I have other desires, but they can wait."

"I see."

"There are difficult things to say, I realize. I have difficult things as well, but please...do not hesitate. As the leader of the Recovery Team, I need to hear about the things that have been happening inside of the village...things that will determine our future, and that of the people we raced to save from themselves."

Hiruzen nods and sets down the scroll. He folds his hands and places them on top of his desk.

"Lili...after you left the village, I did what I could. And what I had to as Hokage. To suppress unrest and stop discord from rushing through the village, I created a cover story that was approved by the village's higher ups. Sasuke and Sakura, as you might have heard, were officially kidnapped by the Hidden Sound's forces who had snuck into the village using information that Orochimaru had left them. They struggled before being beaten badly, and Ino who came to help after hearing the commotion was also badly hurt. We assembled an elite team to pursue the kidnappers, who were killed in battle. Sasuke and Sakura were brought back to the village, with both recovering."

"I see."

"As for punishment..." He pauses a long while. "The village council, along with the majority of participating officers and the elders have come to a decision. Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno will not be formally charged with defection from the village. Sasuke was being manipulated for a long while by Orochimaru, with some ways being more subtle than others. Sakura seems to have been carried along for her protection. Whether that's accurate will be determined by later tonight or tomorrow morning."

"Covering up evidence of their collusion with the Sound, then."

"Yes. That much is true," he admits.

"So we're being erased and Sasuke is escaping harsh punishment."

"We of the village have decided that it's in our best interests. There are many...security issues and other such things to consider."

"I figured on that." Tsunade really did have a good read of the situation. Just about everything she's said has come to pass.

"We have already made a note of his defection, but none of it will be a matter of public record. It was unfortunate how he went about it, but...he was also within his rights to go after Itachi Uchiha."

"Getting people hurt is acceptable?"

"Not at all. We will be considering that as well."

"Well, I have something for you to consider too, old man." I slide towards the edge of my chair and stare at him. I make sure that he's aware of my weight. "I'm going to loosen my tongue a little bit, and you can do whatever you want to me later as a punishment. But this? This has to happen right now, while we're here discussing all of this."

"Lili-"

"If you could shut the fuck up, I would like that. Did you hear me? I am the one speaking," I say forcefully.

"..."

"Lovely. Look here. Do you see this?" I say, pointing to my right arm, covered in a cast.

"I can see that your arm-"

"That's all I need to hear. Everything else is meaningless. Look at it. Now listen to me closely. I don't care about my fucking arm. I don't care about any of that fucking garbage. I would have broken both arms if it meant completing that mission, but it surely wasn't for you lot. Do you know what I care about? People. My people. I care about people with names that have meaning to me. Shino, and Shikamaru, and Lee. And Hina. My sister. She almost fell straight to her death because of that trash you call Sasuke. I watched it happen, and if I had been any slower, I would have come back to you an empty, hollow shell who would question her own existence before taking a knife to her throat and-"

"Lili-"

"Why are you fucking talking, old man. You can't even allow me this, can you? Stifling me. Shoving my words back down my throat, after everything that I've done for you and your precious village filled with precious little fucking shinobi. He hurt Ino. He hurt Naruto. My Naruto. I had to fight myself after seeing him for the first time, that villain who decided to take the power of that wretched curse into himself, that toxic darkness, that all consuming hatred. I had to fight myself because he hurt Naruto and made him cry into me. Helpless. Hurting, afraid, just so depressed that it broke me seeing it. Ino had the life beaten out of her and she begged me to bring that other worthless trash called Sakura back, because somehow she is also a human being and is also loved. I barely understand it sometimes. But Ino is my friend and I love her too. So I did it. I did all of it. And now it's going to be erased from the collective consciousness. What will you give us?"

"..."

"Nothing. Because you don't have anything to give. Can you fix my friends? Can you heal them? Give them the things they lost, that they sacrificed, that were dragged beneath the waters of the valley out in the middle of the world?"

"I cannot."

"Of course you can't. I knew that. I just wanted to hear it from you."

"Lilith."

"Are you getting angry now? Good. Get angry. Be angry at me, at this little girl tearing you to shreds so casually over these actions. Show that anger to me," I taunt. "Show it to me."

"..." He stares at me, wanting to speak. Setting his face like the stern old man, like the leader he is meant to be. But I've already gone so far. That won't bind me.

"Show it to me," I repeat. "Show me that righteous anger of yours, Third Hokage. What is it you have to say to me right now? That I'm wrong? That I should have more control of myself? That I should hold to that sort of calmness and professionalism and strength that you admired from before? I want you to understand that I am still a human being, that I have not yet ascended. On the day that I do, you will be able to see that Lili, that shining beacon in the sky, that woman who has ascended past herself and linked her very soul to the cosmos. But the one who sits here before you, with that sort of anger, that unbridled arrogance that is making your old bones creak, she is still a human, a vicious little mortal with bloody fangs that drive poison into the veins of anyone who dares cross her," I say as I tremble with anger. "I want you to look into these eyes and see and understand the pain that courses through my veins, that makes me want to rip and tear until my nose is filled with the scent of blood and it seeps into my brain."

"..."

"I want you to know, and remember, and feel everything that is flowing through me, that I held back because you asked it of me, because Naruto and Ino begged, because people were hurt and hurt themselves in pursuit of this justice. I formed myself into a weapon of behalf of you and those who wanted their mission to be a success. Could you even stand to wipe the blood away from me before placing me into that sheath to stain and rust? You and your fucking village."

"..."

"My thoughts are too scattered at this point. I'm done. You can say what you need to say now, Lord Hokage." I slowly wind down, still staring into him. He closes his eyes and sighs.

"You...are reckless. Beyond anything that anyone could imagine," he says quietly.

"I know that much."

"All I will say is...thank you. There are no words that I can speak that will properly dull the pain of these past events. No words that can truly give you closure after what has transpired. Right now, I am just...a frail old man," he says as he sets down his pipe. "And these things are all I can do. For you, and for this village."

"..."

"Sasuke...and Itachi. I showed my weakness in both cases. I wasn't swift enough, or forceful enough at the right times."

"And what about my little outburst?" I ask.

"A simple discussion. The mission leader sought to air her concerns and grievances to the Hokage after coming back from a challenging assignment. That is all."

"What an interesting way to put it. You know, I might very well do it again."

"I might have to put you in jail in that case. Someone might overhear, and I really can't let it go in front of other people." He scratches at his head nervously. "So...it would be nice if you showed more restraint in the future, Lili."

"Taking care of the elderly is a virtuous thing. I can do that much for you, since you've asked so nicely."

"Much appreciated."

"Of course. You know, I meant it when I said that I would become your sword. It's because you're not the frail old man you think you are, or like to pose as while walking around the village. You are a warrior king who will lead this world into the future."

"..."

"And so, I take pride in being by your side. I may be self-righteous, and coarse. My conduct and preferences might be seen as deviant, and my disdain for certain types of authority will cause more than a few problems down the road."

"Well, there is no such thing as perfection. I have accepted those parts of you, Lili."

"You flatter me, sir. I suppose that I should leave you to look at those reports...and give you a break from my face, after that earlier sequence. To apologize for it would undermine its purpose, but...I do hope that you haven't taken it too badly." I rise from the chair and bow deeply before starting to leave.

"Lili. Please wait a moment."

"Hm. Have you changed your mind all of a sudden?" I say as I turn from the door. He sets down his pipe again and approaches me. "Perhaps you did want to reprimand me, even if it's a light scolding..."

"Words wouldn't be enough to...express these thoughts to you. And I couldn't let you leave without doing so."

"Lord Hokage?" I look at him curiously as he comes closer. And finally...he opens his arms, and puts them around me.

"For everything that you've suffered...I am sorry. Shinobi are those who endure, but even that pain can become too much for one person to bear."

I say nothing and let him pull me closer. This feeling of warmth, of sincerity...it's why I devote myself to him. Why I care so much. Why I am able to show my true feelings in front of him.

I was never angry at this old man. My venom was not for him, and he knew that much.

He smells like smoke. I close my eyes and we stand together quietly in the middle of the room.

I passed through the gates earlier today, but...that wasn't it, was it? No...I realize that now.

Here, in this moment, with everything pressed into the pages of history...

...it's now that I've finally come home.

 

[FortePlus]

[screaming in existential angst intensifies]

just so many technical things and plot stuff. still more in store.

p.s. sorry @Megacookie but there were no survivors this time. ya gurl done bit it

 

[FortePlus]

imagine posting a chapter and looking at it and then

realizing 1000 hours later that you didn't add the threadmark lmfao

 

[Megacookie]

p.s. sorry @Megacookie but there were no survivors this time. ya gurl done bit it

Click to shrink...

It's fine. I got newer, better girls!

sobs

 

[FortePlus]

Scarlet Justice - ep. 61
"Futures, Endeavored"
[Sasuke Recovery Mission: Conclusion 2]
---

"What an exhausting time."

I grumble to myself as I walk through the village, feeling too drained for any sort of running or jumping. It's amazing what emotional turmoil can do to a body. Ruki did talk about it the other day; stress levels and blood pressure and brain signals, so many different things that come from your mind that directly activate different parts of you physically. A true double-edged sword. The same emotions that can drive you to illness are the same that can bring your body past its established limits.

But even thinking about those sorts of things is a bother right now. Ugh. I just want to be home already. A hot bath, warm food in my belly, the softness of my bed and some spicy novels. I want at least that much before I fly into my dreams tonight.

"He was right, though. It was definitely reckless." Yelling at the Hokage like that would be a death sentence for anyone else, but whatever. I rescued his golden boy, alive, and completed an important mission relatively cleanly. All threats neutralized, zero losses on my side, and done within three or so days. I did fantastic fucking work. Right, forget about feeling sorry for my outburst...that old man and every single one of those balding old shinobi should have been in that room, their heads lowered to the floor as I chewed them out one by one. And then I would make them lick my feet as the first part of their penance towards me.

Oh, that would be sweet indeed.

"Alas...some fantasies are too bold to come to life. A shame."

The village is just as I left it...only a few days have passed, but it felt much longer than that because of all the tension. Well, with my arm like this, I should be sticking around for a while yet. Perhaps getting reacquainted with some of my favourite places...

With my left hand, I reach for the chain in my right pocket, pull out the attached key, and open the door slowly.

"I'm home."

Luna is washing plates in the kitchen while Midori sits at the table, wearing a bathrobe as she reads a book. A hot cup of tea is next to her.

"Miss Lili! You're home, you're home! Welcome back!" Luna squeals as soon as she sees me and rushes over to wrap me in a hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you again! Your arm...what happened to it?"

"It's broken. I will need about two weeks for it to properly heal, according to Tsunade."

"How distressing. I will take care of you with all that I have, then."

"There's no need to push yourself, Luna. I'll be out and about either way, since I can still walk. Some people to talk to, possible interviews and visits...the work isn't quite done yet, as unfortunate as it is to say."

She smiles and nods. "As expected of you. No opportunities wasted when it comes to business. If that is what you want, I will follow your will. But I would be honoured if you allowed me to spoil you a little after enduring so much."

"As you wish, Luna. Thank you for that."

"I live to serve you, milady."

"Lili, welcome home. You seem like you've been through a lot," Midori says as she stands up. "Perhaps some time to rest would do you good before we talk about your adventures."

"Maybe...maybe so." I feel my cheeks heating up as I look at her. There's this sort of odd sensation...a weighty feeling that I've never experienced. At least, I think so. I go to my knees and bow before her, lowering my head.

"Lili...?"

"Ane-ue," I say with reverence. This...I remember this. Saying her name, back then. "I've returned to you. Please, forgive my appearance."

"Lili...please raise your head."

"Yes." I look up and into her golden eyes from my position on the floor. My heart is beating quickly. I can see that she's blushing the same way that I am now, and she puts a hand over her chest. I feel like I'm...in tune with her at this very moment. I feel like we're truly connected, somehow.

"You...you saw it as well, didn't you?" she asks.

"Yes. I saw it," I say quickly.

It feels like it's just the two of us right now. But I know what she's talking about. The field of heaven. Her place.

"I see. How wonderful. I...can finally share that divine connection with someone. I can finally dance with another in that place. Lili...my darling little sister..."

"Midori-nee...I...I've always..."

"Will you dance with me there? Do you want to see that place again?" she asks, trembling. There's so much happening and it's...overwhelming. But it feels good and right. It feels like I've reached the place where I'm supposed to be.

"Yes," I say. "I want to hold onto you and dance on the heavenly plains. I want to see it again...I want to play there with you, Midori-nee. It's something I dreamed of the moment I realized where I was. Something I think of at this very moment."

"I'll show you...how to get there properly. I mean, if you...don't figure it out yourself. You're really special, Lili. You keep doing these things...you keep rising higher and higher towards me, and I can't help but feel joy. But I want to meet you there. I will meet you there, I promise."

"I trust you. I love you."

The words are the same as always. That same, familiar sequence. But they feel so much different today. Like...like my consciousness is slowly fading, and I'm falling into a dream. But I don't mind as long as it's for her. This is...not just a singular feeling of love. Everything from before is rushing back, like it's our first meeting all over again. The first time we met each other, the first time we signed that contract in blood, joining us together. I always, always, always wanted to be near her, not just physically, but spiritually. And now that I've seen it, that place beyond human sight...those desires are stronger than ever before, trying to burst out of me.

"I love you." The words come from me, filled with more meaning than before. "I love you!"

"Lili..."

"Midori-nee...I love you!" I cry out. I'm suddenly on my feet, and I run over to hug her tightly with my good arm. She squeezes me back, in the way that she always did. Always making me feel warm and safe. I'm closer to my beloved sister than ever before. My first sister...the first part of my new family.

"I love you, Lili." Her voice is so soothing. "I will always love you. Thank you for reaching that place...for reaching me. Thank you so much..."

"Have you been alone all this time? I'm so sorry...I-I thought that just being here with you, that would be enough. But you wanted more than just that. You wanted so much more..."

"Oh, you're such a wonderful child," she says, sobbing. "You're so good to me, Lili. Thank you for being born."

"I love you, Midori-nee."

"I love you, Lili."

I finally pull away from her and wipe my tears. As she does the same, I give her and Luna my brightest, happiest smile.

"It's good to have you home again, Lili."

"It's good to be home. I'm so glad that I could see you both again...my precious, precious family."

Midori and Luna hold each other close as I look on. This glow between the three of us is something that I would like to bask in forever. And the proud, bright smiles from my sisters...they make me feel like I can do anything, even in this state.

"Let's spoil our Lili for the rest of the day," Midori says. "I can take care of cooking while you do what you do best, Luna. Does that sound acceptable?"

"Certainly. Miss Lili, let's get you out of those clothes and into the bath."

The rest of the day is the best time I've ever had. I'm treated just like a queen. Luna carefully helps me in the bath and makes sure my cast is dry all the while. She tends to my hair, then works her magic on my skin. I'm wrapped in a soft and fluffy bathrobe afterwards and taken to the living room, where my hands and feet are given the greatest care. And in the meantime, stories from far away lands are recited to me as I'm fed a three course meal by hand, not having to lift a finger to eat. The luxury of cool, refreshing air flows through the apartment as I'm tended to by my older sisters, who happily complete each task and make sure that I'm comfortable each and every moment.

If this never happens again, I won't mind it. This is an absolutely heavenly experience, one that most mortals would give everything for. And here I am, enjoying it at no cost. But I deserve at least this much, don't I? Acknowledged or not, I am a hero of the Leaf.

I savour the last bite of red velvet cake, and find myself supremely satisfied.

"Mm. I didn't think you two would go this far, but I'm so glad you did. Thank you for this..."

"You're very welcome, Lili," Midori says as she fans me.

"Well, in my case...you simply have to ask, you know. I could do this much for you daily," Luna points out.

"But you know I wouldn't force that on you."

"I know. You are quite interesting in that way, milady."

"Hmhm. So it seems." I yawn and smack my lips. "Goodness. It seems that the earlier fatigue is catching up with me. It's only evening..."

"You won't be doing anything else for the day, hopefully," Midori says to me.

"Nothing else for today. Perhaps not tomorrow, either..."

"You really should sleep in. Now would be a good time to start with that. Shall we head to your room, Lady Kobayashi?"

"If you could...I don't think I can move after being so spoiled," I say with a smile. Luna gently lifts me from the couch and carries me to my room. Midori pulls back the covers, and Luna deposits me as I shrug off my robe. She takes it from me and Midori puts the covers securely over me as I yawn again.

"Thank you again...you really are the best."

"Anything for you, Lili."

"Yes. We are always here for you, Miss Lili."

"I'll be here for you, too. Whenever you need me...that's what sisters are meant for," I say drowsily. "Have sweet dreams tonight...I'll be thinking of you, as always."

"Good night, my love."

"Good night, mistress."

"Good night..." I smile and close my eyes.

---

"Miss Lili? It's time to wake up."

I slowly open my eyes to see Luna hovering over me. It takes a moment for me to remember that I asked her to wake me up early today. This is the third day since my return to the village. A calm Saturday night, a lazy Sunday, and now today.

It's Monday. Damp and cold from the recent rain.

"I have soup warming on the stove. Whenever you're ready."

"Of course. Thank you."

She nods and leaves me alone to get ready for the day. I yawn and scratch at my head. There's still a lingering bit of exhaustion from the mission, but that's nothing unusual. My right arm isn't too much of a bother, and I work the shoulder a bit while doing my stretches. I head to the bathroom and clean up, then head back to my room and get myself dressed. Ease of movement is the most important thing, and today isn't something I need to look pretty for. Even if it was, I'm not interested in my appearance anyways. I choose something simple: a long black sweater paired with black tights. The cast is layered very neatly thanks to Tsunade, so it doesn't look like an eyesore within my sweater sleeve. Hair and makeup...unimportant. Going natural today is fine.

Luna presents me with a large bowl of soup, and I gulp it down quickly. Some hot ginseng tea afterwards, and of course, my favourite milk.

"Today will be sunny, despite current appearances. A good thing to be sure," she says while taking away my bowl.

"Mm." I drink down my milk and she takes away the glass. "You're going painting today?"

"Yes. The weather hopefully will hold, and we can have a proper session. It's been a while since I've seen the girls, as well. Midori has gone on business again."

I talked to her a bit yesterday, about the events that took place on the retrieval mission. There wasn't much talking on her end, though she was curious about the chakra mode, and what I told her of Hina's description of it. She had the same thoughts as Tsunade regarding the outcomes and the political process. There were also oblique threats to consider with her presence and other things...nothing that I could immediately understand, but would soon enough. She's aware of Kabuto and has been talking with the Jakari sisters about next steps, trying not to get too involved but considering her options at this time. It's safe to say that he's now out of the purview of the Leaf, or any of the five shinobi powers for that matter.

I wonder what made that Danzo Shimura fellow so anxious...hm.

"Things are changing in her world. I wonder if she'll have the time to train me like she keeps promising. It's not a bother if she can't do so, but...I know that it's an important thing for her, more than it might be for me. She wants to see the plains of heaven with me next to her."

"Yes, she's eager to have that happen. I know that she'll find time for you," Luna says.

"That much is true. I suppose I should get going, then." I leave the table and find a small pouch nearby, strapping it to my upper thigh. It has all of my essentials for the day. "Will you be home late, Luna?"

"Yes. Supper will be left on the warmer before I leave."

"Thank you for that. Then I will see you soon."

"Yes, milady." We share a hug before I exit the apartment, walking lightly down the stairs. This apartment is nice, but I'm still thinking about moving. Perhaps after a certain point...maybe the aforementioned training with Midori, since I would likely be away for a long enough time. It sounds convenient, but the problem is choosing a new location. That might take some time. Buildings near the Uchiha District are easily purchased, but thanks to this incident and others like it, it would put a bad taste in my mouth living around there.

I walk straight to the Academy complex and meet with my team - they're still my team right up until the moment that we collect our mission pay. Normally, it wouldn't take three days for a payout, but there are obviously things afoot because of what we were tasked with.

Shino looks as healthy as ever, and Lee is here with a pair of crutches. The surgery seems to have gone well. Shikamaru has one crutch, staying off his bad leg as instructed. Hina has gone casual, wearing a red sundress and putting her hair up in a high ponytail. She still has bandage over her left shoulder.

"Good morning, loves," I say in greeting. "The weather is quite interesting by Leaf standards, no?"

I hug Hina and we exchange air kisses, then I hug everyone else with my good arm as firmly as I can. Shikamaru gets an extra pat on the cheek, and we exchange smiles at that.

"Shall we go?" I ask.

"Yeah. Let's get this over with, Chief," Shikamaru says. "Mind if I share some thoughts after we get our hush money?"

"I'd love to hear them. Is anyone here busy?" I watch as everyone shakes their heads. "Good. I'll treat you all to some sweets, then. There's a place that Hina and I love to visit, since the cinnamon buns are lovely."

"Anything to get out of the house at this point," Shikamaru says.

"I take it your mother was displeased that you returned injured?" Shino asks.

"Somehow it was worse than that. She's been smothering the life out of me, treating me like a baby or something. If I move more than an inch in any direction she'll go off like an air horn, crying about how my leg will never heal at this rate or whatever. Damn..."

"Seems like you can't win for trying," I quip.

"It totally blows. She thinks I'm a hero or something. I don't want to be treated like that...real pain in the ass, honestly."

"Well, what isn't painful for you? The list must be short."

"I'm guessing the last few days were better for you, since you're back to bullying me already."

"They were quite nice. I was treated like a goddess upon my return home."

"Yeah, that'll do it." He sighs. "Well, time to do this. Been a pleasure working with you guys, mostly."

"And I've enjoyed working with you, Shikamaru. Hopefully we can team up in the future."

He smiles. "Just give me a call. Don't expect me to like it, though."

We make it to the Mission Assignment Desk. The Hokage smiles as he spots us, and gives me a friendly nod. I nod back and bow at the waist respectfully for him.

"The five of you are here for your mission pay, as expected. It took a while to prepare for various reasons, but I believe that you will all be satisfied with what you will receive. However," he says with a critical look, "do not be afraid to speak up if necessary."

As I thought, he didn't approve of these obvious bribes coming into our hands.

The team grabs their envelopes one by one before filing out, everyone around us none the wiser. Iruka isn't here...right, he's part of the regular forces and wouldn't know about the mission in the first place. I could talk about it to him on my own time...then again, maybe Naruto told him already. I'll figure that out soon enough.

Hina leads the way to our chosen shop for the day, and we pick out a round table to sit at. Our various injuries seem to make us stand out a little, but not in a bad way; the looks we get are sympathetic and there are respectful nods sent to us by civilians. A waitress arrives and takes our orders for drinks.

As soon as she leaves, we look at each other before simultaneously opening our secured envelopes, complete with cheques and receipts inside.

"This is correct...isn't it?" Shino asks cautiously. "Hm. This really is a bribe, then."

"How much?" I ask.

"Two and a half million ryo."

"Whoa...s-so many...zeroes!" Lee exclaims, his eyes swirling.

"Lee has two million...and I have four million here," Hina says casually. "Well, it's plenty to start a new life in the country, if I so desired. Though I suppose this has more to do with the clan than how well I did on the mission. I suspect that Father has received a substantial deposit into his accounts as well."

"I got three and a half," Shikamaru says as he sets his cheque down. "Most likely on account of my clan, too. What about you, Lili?"

"I was the team commander and carried the most responsibility, so with that in mind...they came up with this amount. Six million ryo with an extra three for mission bonuses. Must have been some formula they copied and applied to it. So that makes nine. Nine million ryo." I sigh and use the cheque to fan myself. "What the hell do I need nine million for all of a sudden...well, I shouldn't complain too loudly. Especially since I'm not handing it back to those pricks."

"Probably meant as some sort of gift, assuming they know who you are."

"I guess so. That's not a far off theory."

"I'm going to share one with Hanabi and one with Neji. That leaves two million for myself...I can put it in a spare account and pick up a card for it," Hina says. "What about you, Lili?"

"Three for Luna, she'll appreciate it. The other six will stay with me. I already have a house fund and a rainy day fund, along with my allowances. Mother and Midori-nee will have no use for it, they're already using ryo to stuff their pillows and sleep on. I'll use it to have fun, it's not much use otherwise right now."

"The lives of rich people are mysterious," Lee says. "I will buy something for Guy-sensei and Tenten! And perhaps a gift for Neji as well, though he may reject it due to coming into money soon."

"Mother will enjoy a substantial gift," Shino says. "I'll split it and start a proper fund for my own endeavours as well. Why? Because money used properly can create a greater good, instead of the evil commonly used by men."

"Mom can keep it," Shikamaru says lazily. "I'll chip off some for Choji and Ino, Asuma-sensei too. But the majority's going to her. Maybe if she can blow a bunch of cash on a getaway or spa day or whatever, she won't be such a demonic drag..."

"Slacker to the end, then," I quip at him.

"Yup. With the excuse to keep off my leg, I've got a lot more time for cloud watching with Choji. Heh, I guess I can treat him to some of those super-rare steaks he likes to talk about. Yeah, he'll love that."

"That's good to hear. You're making the most of life."

"That's the dream." He sighs. "So...I'll give you the rundown on what's been happening. Lady Tsunade handed out the condensed versions to everyone. The juicier details I got from my old man and his friends. Things aren't what they seem like on the surface."

The waitress returns with our drink orders, and we put away our bribes for the time being. I cross one leg over the other while in my chair. It seems like I will want to pay close attention to this.

"Tell me about our friend from the Hidden Sound first," I say as I sip my strawberry milk.

"Right. According to the info I got...Kabuto has been pretty cooperative overall, aside from a few sticking points. But they're releasing him to some people that the Hokage considers trustworthy. Sana Jakari and her twin sister, Sanae Jakari," Shikamaru says.

As I expected. Seems like Midori has chosen her time to move.

"They're the owners of Jakari Programming Corporation, known more widely as JPC. The Leaf has a strong partnership with them, but they're also rumoured to have connections to a powerful kingdom. Unfortunately, nobody knows what that place is, or where it might be. The arrangements were made in secret, so there aren't any details. But the Hokage made them in person, and most importantly, alone. So it had to be something really volatile, I guess."

Yes, that's definitely Midori's work. The promise to Kabuto I made earlier has been fulfilled, and he finally got to meet her. From that, I can guess that she's decided to spirit him away after all...meaning that I'll see him again at some point. From what I can glean he wasn't interested in collaborating with the Leaf much further anyways. But if there is information to be found, my sister can get it out of anyone she wants. Even if it's not exactly...ethically sound. Or safe for children to witness.

Hina orders cinnamon buns in the background as I think.

"Hm. What about Sakura and Sasuke?" I ask, knowing half of that answer already. "Things should be moving by now concerning them."

Shikamaru nods. "Yeah. Actually...my old man mentioned that you 'aired your grievances' to the Hokage in the meeting you had with him. You didn't...say anything weird, did you?"

"No, nothing like that."

"Oh...good."

"I merely cursed the old man to his face. As you do after a troubling mission, rescuing someone who once tried to choke you to death after a spar, injured your sister with a technique he was taught for the sake of the village, and made one of your precious friends cry with despair." I shrug. "I couldn't call that unusual."

"Fucking hell," Shikamaru says, rubbing his forehead. "I refuse to accept you're human at this point..."

"You should accept that much. If I had ascended past my humanity, it would have been a lot worse."

He cycles through a few different facial expressions before slowly shrugging. "You know, you're right about that, now that I think about it some more. Could have been a lot worse. That's life."

"You're learning. Very good."

"Yeah, well...I'm good with not knowing what exactly you said in there. It's a damn drag knowing what I know as is, but...yeah. Anyways, our favourite cross country explorers. Confusing stuff, but ultimately satisfying, I'd say. Let's start with the fairer half. She's not getting hit with anything bad in view of the public, you know what with the whole 'heroic effort' cover story. Lady Tsunade, though. She's been putting Sakura to work as her apprentice."

"A moment, please...an apprentice?" Hina asks, incredulous. "Her? That traitor? An apprentice to the world's greatest medic? How and why?"

"A coordinated effort," I say as I sip at my milk again. "And it's not what you think, Hina."

"Yep," Shikamaru says with a nod. "It's the sort of thing that would make you wish for a prison cell. This sort of apprenticeship isn't a badge of honour, far from it. Sakura's been put through the ringer since around Saturday, non stop work. Harsh physical training, high intensity studies with loads of written reports, and then medical application. You've got your surgeries, your autopsies in the morgue, basic treatments, the works. So she's been dealing with dead bodies and watching surgeries in real time, like right up there in close. Only two things she's provided are a large bottle of water and a bucket."

"A bucket?" Lee asks. "Whatever for?"

"That's where she throws her guts up into," Shikamaru says. "My old man says she empties her stomach until she can't anymore and walks home crying. Tsunade is making that girl see the worst things with no option to run away. Man..." He scratches at his head. "I give her a week from now tops before she just breaks..."

"And becomes a tool. Which as far as I'm concerned is fair for her," I say. "It's something cruel if you think about it enough. It's also well deserved for that useless bitch."

"Sheesh."

"I see. So she's getting what was coming to her. Well done, Lady Tsunade," Hina says. "It seems that justice has not been completely discarded."

"Does Lord Hokage approve of this?" Lee asks, worried.

"Ah, reluctantly," Shikamaru says with a wry smile. "Sakura will still be part of Team Seven and report for missions in the future, but she's also designated for missions with other teams as part of the Medic Corps. All other times she's with Lady Tsunade and Miss Shizune. And where Sasuke's concerned...he's set to have his major surgery at the end of the week, and then all of his time will be spent recovering. He'll be back with his squad as soon as he gets back to full health. Kakashi will be keeping a strict eye on him along with ANBU."

"I'm sure Kakashi is groaning at the prospect," I say.

"Who wouldn't. My dad said this much...Lord Hokage initially wanted to set an example and put them into prison for a while. Just to drive home the seriousness of the things they did. He handed down an order from the top that made sure those two wouldn't be designated as missing-nin once he found out they left. Of course, that wouldn't erase the problems that would crop up if they made it across the border, and it meant that the village would have been on the hook for any trouble they did cause in foreign nations, but it was a way of protecting them from the absolute worst scenarios. It also meant that the retrieval team could be created in the first place."

"Very interesting. But even at that point, anything could have happened."

"He was hoping to get you on the draw first, and then wanted it so that you volunteered for the mission instead of it being forced. This gets important later on, when we had to decide what ultimately happened with Sasuke," he says before taking a sip of his iced tea. "So if we ended up killing him, there's nothing that anyone could do about it. The cover story would change a bit, but he did end up leaving the village and that meant that things would be out of anyone's control. But he came back alive, so that changed the calculus. Sasuke's...pretty valuable to the village. He's not given any direct special treatment for a lot of reasons, but losing him and all the opportunities he provides would be a big blow to the village. There's also the diaspora to consider."

"More missing-nin problems, I assume."

"The Uchiha weren't averse to skipping town, even if their clan was involved in the Leaf's founding. A bunch of them have scattered to different places, and a few have had children that also manifested the Sharingan. I wouldn't know where exactly those kids are, but they're out there. Part of why losing track of Sasuke made the higher-ups so nervous. Because of that, there was a big alliance between senior shinobi and the pols to override the Hokage's moderate position on sentencing. Instead of any punishment it was ground down to nothing, which wasn't what he wanted. At the same time, if he pushed for something substantial, he would have to join hands with the hardliners, who wanted stuff like prison time, hard labour, and execution. Sasuke's lineage was irrelevant to them, and they saw true justice as punishing everyone who broke the rules equally."

It's a terrible place to be. And no doubt fuelled by the meddling of people like Danzo Shimura. I know that the Hokage could not kill Sasuke because of all the things that had happened before. It would make the village much weaker and in a short amount of time.

"I still don't understand what the endgame is here," Shino says. "Letting him free is one thing, but he still might have his ambitions flare up so that he leaves the village again. What happens then?"

"There's a definite answer for that," Shikamaru responds. "A system in place that will involve three people of this village: Lili, Naruto, and Erika. It's only the Hokage that has the actual details on this, but if I had to guess...even he doesn't have infinite mercy, and it might just be a flat out assassination if he steps the wrong way again. I don't know enough to make detailed comments. It's an extreme sounding thing, but it's not like he has anywhere else to go now. The Hidden Sound and all of its bases are confirmed to be destroyed. Erika on her mission with Gaara recovered two people, and Kakashi one person...they're apparently unique characters that would provide solid value to the village, and are cooperative enough. Lady Tsunade is set to examine them so she can figure out if they can give her more data about the cursed seal, for Sasuke's sake mostly. Also, Uncle Choza said something interesting that I agree with..."

"He might be thinking that they can provide some sort of positive influence for Sasuke, and perhaps in the other direction as well," I say.

"Yeah, exactly. My old man was talking about it, too. Me...meh. I don't think it'll work, but I'm willing to eat my words if Sasuke stops being anything besides a dumbass," Shikamaru says with a shrug. "There's also Danzo to consider, he seemed pretty interested in Sasuke's well-being which isn't a good sign. I think he'll try to groom him, ultimately. Almost too perfect."

"At this point, we'll have to rely on Naruto to pull him out of the darkness," I say. "That's why I brought him back. I'm no good with trash like that..."

"Yeah. Real pain in the ass." He sighs. "At any rate, it's gonna be at least a few months before Sasuke can return to any sort of fighting shape. No doubt he'll be simmering in his trademark anger, but there's not much we can do about that. Either someone reaches him in time, or he gets tempted to the dark side, again. And if Danzo gets his hooks in him, he's not a problem that we can just erase like Orochimaru."

"Unfortunate." I think for a moment. "By the way, has Naruto...?"

"Lady Tsunade said he hasn't gone to the hospital at all. Kakashi said he hasn't left his house since...Friday, I think. Sakura went up to see him and he didn't respond at all. I wonder if he's just depressed, or waiting for something..."

"Yes, I see." I take a long sip of strawberry milk and go into thought again. Sasuke is in limbo...I really wonder what I should do. Or rather, what I should say. Things have clearly changed.

The mission to save him physically has ended, but this battle for his soul is going to be trouble on its own. And it's not going to be a passing issue I can solve in three weeks while my body heals. I need to figure what I can do...this will take some time. Even if I don't like him, I meant what I said many times before. He is a valued member of the village. I can't let him disappear into darkness and do nothing about it.

Our desserts arrive. I share a cinnamon bun with Hina and enjoy another delicious glass of milk. The rest of our meeting is spent sharing lighter stories; Hina has gained a fair bit of respect for her performance within Hyuuga, Lee is crying over the praise he got from Guy, Shikamaru was his lazy self over the past few days and Shino was fussed over by his mother. He's also gained a fair bit of status in his clan, with an entourage that he has no idea what to do with. I'll have to help with that at some point.

It's still morning after all of that time talking, but we decide to part ways and go back to resting properly. Shikamaru will obviously be at home, Shino will be training a bit with his father as he's recovered nicely since the mission ended. Hina is going to check on Naruto. Lee chirps about training, but I scold him along with Hina for even considering it. Shino agrees to escort him directly to Guy, in order to prevent any shenanigans from occurring. We exchange hugs one last time and give out our farewells...and with that, the Sasuke Recovery team is officially disbanded.

The day isn't over yet, though. I have a few things that I want to take care of...it's been a few days since I've returned, and there's no sense in putting them off any longer. My first stop will be the hospital. I really want to see how Ino is doing.

 

[FortePlus]

Scarlet Justice - ep. 62
"Tomorrow's Children"
---

"Room 306," I say to myself. That's where Ino was the last time. I ascend the stairs at a leisurely pace and make it over to the room. The name on the door has been changed.

"Hm." The desk where the doctors and nurses congregate is nearby. I walk over to it and wait for someone to recognize me.

"Oh, hello! Did you need something from us, miss?"

"Yes. Is there information on a patient named Ino Yamanaka?"

"Are you a friend of hers?" the older woman asks.

"I am."

"Alright, let's see, then. Ino...ah, that's Lord Inoichi's daughter! Oh, she was certainly precious, and so full of life even after what happened to her. Brave, brave girl. She was discharged yesterday. Lady Tsunade saw to her personally and took care of her cast, among other things."

"I'm glad that she's well," I say sincerely.

"I think we all are. Oh, I see you have a cast on yourself. And it's along your whole arm, too."

"A difficult mission against the Hidden Sound," I say to her.

"Yes, yes. I've heard about that." She sighs while shuffling papers around. "Aside from that, there were those five shinobi who we'll never know the names of. Avenging Ino and saving both Sasuke and Sakura like that. It's unfair, you know? They should be recognized for their actions. Covered in glory like everyone else."

"..." I look up at her and nod. "You're right about that. I would say that what's done is done, but...those thoughts aren't wasted. I believe that they know how grateful people like you are. Your feelings and prayers have reached them. I think that's enough. It doesn't sound like it, and it probably won't ever feel like it. But...it's enough."

"Do you really think so?"

"I do. The kinds of people who would put themselves on the line like that, they would understand completely."

"I surely hope so. Is there anything else you needed, miss?"

"No, ma'am. Thank you for your help," I say before bowing. "Thank you for your hard work during this time. Please take care."

"You do the same."

I make my way out. It sounds like Ino is doing well enough, so she can go another day or two without seeing my face. Perhaps I should clear my head some more before doing anything else of importance. As soon as I leave the hospital, I head for the middle of the village and do some window shopping. Quite a few fancy things that I can snap up any time that I want, but that's far from the point. Just stopping from time to time and admiring the fine works on display is amusing enough. I've come to realize just how tactless the rich can be, even as they continually position themselves as the crown jewels of society. It's a bit pathetic. I'm glad that Emi is growing out of such nonsense.

There are things I want to purchase today, simple ones. And it's unwise to keep walking around with this bribe so casually. A stop at the bank, then. I head downtown to make the deposit, at a plain-looking building made of brick and mortar unlike those in the surrounding area. Sensible, with all the valuable and flammable material stocked inside. There are the usual weekday lines, made up mostly of middle-aged men putting away their days' wages and middle-aged women trying to juggle their finances. The last desk is closed, and I check my small watch. It shouldn't be long now.

An elderly woman, about my height, slowly makes her way to her seat and starts to set up for her shift. Her movements are slow, yet methodical. I can see the other tellers roll their eyes at her and offer assistance, which she politely brushes off before continuing with her routine. When she's finished, some people are sent over to her desk and mutter on while in line.

"Miss? The next desk is open."

"It's fine. Go on ahead, I'm waiting for someone," I say to the person behind me. They nod and move ahead. I let others go past me while waiting for the last line to clear, and as soon as it does, I head over to the old woman's desk and sit on the chair in front of her. She's finishing up some writing with her impeccable brushstrokes, and sets down the brush once she's done. A gentle breath to let the ink dry a little faster before the paper is set aside.

"Ah. Princess, you've returned," she says with a smile. Her white hair is tied into a bun that has hair shooting out of it every which way. "Another deposit?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Let's have a look." She takes the cheque from me and puts on her glasses. "Hoh. Lots more zeroes than usual. I haven't ever seen a payout this big..."

"It seems that I'm moving up in the world," I reply as I provide my identification. She looks at it and nods before handing the card back to me. I slip it into the pouch that's strapped to my thigh, and then pull out my bank book next. People have started their move over to cards, and those who still use books tend to have them stamped using machines these days. I prefer having the statements handwritten. It feels more comfortable. The transaction is completed in short order, and I look at my new balance.

"Nice and fat piggy bank, eh?"

"Something like that," I say with a smile. "Obaa-chan, a withdrawal of 10,000 ryo, please."

"Shopping later?"

"Mm...I'm feeling a bit melancholy today. Many things have happened recently. Ice cream, some new underwear, and a few books should help lift my spirits."

"You really are a strange child, eh."

"So it seems."

"Well...here you go."

"Thank you." She hands me the money requested, and I neatly put it away. The bank book again reflects my new balance as she finishes. "Obaa-chan, I'm off again. Please take care."

"Yes, take care. Say hello to your big sisters for me." She was convinced from the moment she saw us together that Luna, Midori, and I were related. We didn't correct her that time, since it was so cute...and she's certainly not wrong by now, is she?

"I'll give them your greetings. Until the next." I wave and slide down from my seat. The bank book goes back into my pouch, and I shake out my hair. "Now, let's see...the big bookstore should be over there."

I see a large advertisement on the windows as I approach. Oh, very interesting...an Icha Icha spin-off book has just been released. I'm still waiting for the third novel to be released, so this should sate my hunger for now. I head inside, scanning the shelves for anything interesting. A few manga catch my eye and I pick them up before making my way towards the featured novel.

"Icha Icha Garden," I mumble as I read the title. Very light on details...hm. I shrug and place it in my basket, then browse the aisles and collect a few more books before leaving. There are a few shops for racy underwear, which look intriguing. I wonder if Luna would like something from here as a present...but then again, Midori is probably doing enough work on that end. I'll pick up my practical items and leave that alone.

A half hour passes and I pick up some athletic wear for future missions - no sense in having it fail on you in the middle of the forest or something like that. Things for home, too. I thank the sales ladies for their help before leaving to get my ice cream, the last stop since it's such a time-sensitive thing. I buy from the local shop that makes everything by hand. It's expensive for most people, but very well worth it. The only shops that make anything comparable are in Frost Country, or cost even more than what I pay here.

This place also doubles as a sit-down establishment. As a result, I see some familiar faces. Erika and the fat-chested sensei are talking over sundaes. I think about approaching them, but decide against it. Erika has some interest in me, but I really don't want to talk to the pedophile across from her today. Or any other day, really.

It's only early afternoon at this point. Maybe Hina's visit is over by now, so I could...

"..."

I should. I will, actually. Though I have quite a few things on hand, so I'll have to put them away properly. I make my way home to drop off my cargo, putting away most of the ice cream and leaving my clothing and books on my bed for later. Luna has left a large pot to warm on the stove, and I peek into it.

"Beef stew."

I want to carry some over. It's a bit difficult with only one useful arm, but I get a good amount into a container, and slide it into a shopping bag to carry properly. Hopefully he's feeling better after Hina's visit. If not, then it won't be too much of a hassle to try again another day. I put a small bucket of ice cream into another bag and carry it along before leaving the apartment again.

As I make my way through the streets and closer to Naruto's apartment, I note the condition of the area around me. Nothing too terrible, but...well, I think that I can make a few changes for the better when it comes to his living space, if he wants it. Maybe a good chunk of that mission pay will go to a worthy cause after all. It's something that I can chew on a bit first.

I reach the front door and knock on it gently.

"On my way, one sec!" There's some rummaging I can hear before the lock clicks and the entrance opens. "Ah, sorry about that."

"It's okay. You sound like you're in good spirits," I say with a smile. "I really missed those eyes of yours."

"Lili? Ah, it's really good to see you! C-come on in," Naruto says while waving me inside. "How's your arm, is it okay?"

"Nothing serious. It should be fine in a few weeks, I just have work on strengthening it once the cast comes off. Oh, I brought stew," I say as I hold up the shopping bags. "And some ice cream, from one of the fancy shops you've never heard of. But I can smell that some home cooking has been going on."

"Oh, yeah. Hinata was here earlier and she cooked...she kinda insisted," he says with a sheepish smile. I notice he's still in his pyjamas, and his hair is pretty wild-looking. "I wasn't feeling so great the past few days, with everything that happened."

"You can talk to me about it," I say gently. "I'll listen to everything you have to say. That's what friends do."

"Yeah...alright. You wanna sit down and eat first? I'm not really hungry right now."

"We can save it for a while later." I set the bags down and take the stew out, opening the lid slightly as I put it on the counter. "It has to cool first before going into the fridge. And the ice cream can go inside the freezer now...okay. Tea or cocoa today?"

"Ah, cocoa is good. Marshmallows, too," Naruto says.

"Coming right up." I boil some water in a small pot and mix the powder in. At the same time, I put another pot on and get ready to brew my tea just the way I like it. It takes a few minutes, but it's also a simple enough thing to do. A little bit of milk, some honey to sweeten...and done.

"You really end up spoiling me, ya know?" he says with a smile. I hand him his mug, with the marshmallows bobbing up and down in the cocoa. We sit down at the table next to each other, sipping our drinks slowly and quietly. The silence is comfortable, considering everything that's happened. I really hope this hasn't caused him too much pain. At the least, he's let Hina inside, and is willing to spend time with me. His happy face as he enjoys his cocoa makes me happy, too.

"I, uh...didn't go to the hospital. Haven't gone yet, I mean. Sasuke...yeah. And I know that Sakura came by the other day, but I felt like...I felt like I didn't wanna see her. It didn't feel right. You know?"

"I think I get it a little."

"Yeah. You...probably know. I'm scared, honestly. The picture I have of those two, in my head, it's gonna fall apart the next time that I see them. We won't be that Team Seven anymore. The kids who did stuff like fight super criminals, or beat up giant snakes in a death forest, or chased after cats and junk. Everything will change forever. I know that it has to happen, though." He pauses to take another sip of his cocoa. "Seeing Hinata's shoulder, and your arm...I have to face reality. Because you guys made so many sacrifices, just to keep that one promise. I can't...no, I won't let it go to waste."

"I know you won't. That was never in my thoughts, Naruto."

He sets down the mug slowly. "Kakashi-sensei was the only person I've been talking to recently. Since he was in the loop, and all that. He came to see me as soon as he heard what happened. I couldn't believe it for a while, even if it was him telling me all of it. Is it really true that you guys...that they're treating it like a mission that doesn't exist? Like you guys didn't actually go out there, and do all the things that you did? Are they really making Sakura and Sasuke out to be heroes? And they're not even getting punishment for everything they did?"

I nod slowly. "All of it is true, Naruto."

"That's bullshit!" he yells, slamming his hand down on the table. "Friends or not...it's not like I want them to die, but something...even if it's just something small, they gotta get some sort of punishment for what they did! That's not fair!" He looks at me. "And you guys...how can you live with that?"

I stare down at the tea in my own mug, watching the ripples spreading out on the surface. "I can't. I really can't live with it. You're right, it is bullshit. It makes my blood boil if I think about it too much. Not because of my arm...it's because of everything that happened to us."

He sighs and nods a few times. "Good. So you feel the same. Ah, dammit. I know the old man would have come up with something fair if he could. It's gotta be that tree...root...whatever jackass messing with things behind the scenes, like Pervy Sage mentioned the other day. And I think that once Sasuke wakes up, with old jerks like that pushing him around, he'll go right back to the dark side. Orochimaru is gone, so you'd think it would be the end of it, but...ugh."

"Hey. Don't get stressed out, okay?" I say to him. "You don't have to put all of those burdens onto yourself."

"But it's hard, though. I...really wanna get to Sasuke, but he's asleep right now and has to recover first. So it's gonna be a super small window," he says as he folds his arms. "He's recovering, so I can't use my fists to knock some sense into him until he's healthy. And then he's such an idiot loner that trying to be friends with him normally is a complete pain in the ass." Naruto makes a face. "He's so damn stubborn, you know? I figured that you kicking his ass might have woke him up, but we won't know for sure until later..."

He's really been thinking about this, hasn't he? Perhaps that little trip with Jiraiya did a lot more than I assumed. That sort of decisiveness, along with his compassion...it's something you like to see out of a future leader.

"You really are remarkable," I say.

"Eh?"

"Even now, you want to save him."

"Well, yeah...but I think the reason for that's changed a bit," he says. "It's not just about him anymore. I don't want to waste the gift you've given me, Lili. You put everything aside to bring him back to the village. I can't ever repay you for something that big, you know? You...gave him and Sakura a second chance. All because I asked. That's..."

"It's because I love you," I say with sincerity. "And love...sometimes it makes people do things they wouldn't otherwise. The sorts of things that would be called foolish in another time and place."

"Ah, that's true. Yeah. Um...s-speaking of that..."

"What is it?"

"Well, you know how Hinata's been coming around from time to time, and we've been talking and stuff? I know that I liked her before, I told you as much, but...she's been coming on strong lately, I think. Lili...w-what do I do? I don't wanna screw things up with her, you know? She's so nice..."

Hmhm. So it begins. I make sure to keep a neutral face as I nod. "It's a simple thing to navigate, my love. Simply get to know her better. Ask her small questions, point out things you enjoy, things of that nature. But the most important thing is to be yourself. That's the part of you that she likes the most. A guy like you," I say as I rustle his hair a bit, "shouldn't go out and do too much. Girls like you when you're natural. Understand?"

"I think I got it, yeah. Just be me. Oh, and she laughs a lot at my jokes. It's weird because nobody else does that..."

Well, she's gained a bit of a mean streak lately. That might be my fault. So she might be laughing at him instead of with him most of the time...ah, it's nothing too troublesome. They can bond over that later once they start dating for real. "Don't worry about it. But if you're interested in bullying her, I know a few techniques."

"Eh...I dunno," he says with a brow raised. "You're way into this bullying thing, ya know."

"It's an art," I say seriously.

"I guess I can take your word for it there." He sighs and leans back in his chair, sipping at his cocoa again. I drink some more of my tea as we go silent again for a while.

"Are you really doing okay?" I ask.

"I'm probably a little depressed, I think. Comes with the territory. Dunno."

"Mm."

"Lili?"

"Yes?"

"Brotherhood doesn't always mean like or love, right?"

"It doesn't, no. Family...unfortunately, it sometimes can hold no weight as a word at all. But when it does, being angry at someone, or wanting them to do better...that wouldn't be enough to break the bonds between you."

"It bites. I don't want things to change. And Sakura...heh, I always liked Sakura. The other kids made fun of her, and I remember she used to hide her forehead. It never looked that bad to me, so I never really understood what they were saying. Maybe, though...there's more to it than that, if I had to be honest with myself. I still think she's nice, it's just...different now. I wish I could keep those two from before, instead of the ones I have to deal with now."

"Reality is harsh sometimes. I'm sorry, Naruto," I say. "I wish..."

"Don't."

"Huh?"

I watch as he grips his mug tightly. "Don't do that. Don't waste any more of your wishes on them, Lili." His voice changes as he says that. It's...almost dark in a way. Forceful and protective.

"Naruto...?"

"Don't waste yourself on them any more. You've done enough. More than enough." He breathes out and turns his head to look at me. There's so much intensity in his eyes. "If either of them do anything to hurt you, to waste the sacrifices you've made...I'll...with my own hands, no matter what anyone else decides...I'll punish them both. I swear it."

"Oh." I've never heard him like this before. I feel a heat spread across my cheeks as he holds my gaze. He's...really gotten manly all of a sudden. It's incredible.

"Even I've got a limit, you know."

"I...understand," I say with a nod. "Thank you for looking out for me. I should be fine, but...thank you for that, Naruto."

He smiles. "Hey, that's what friends are for, right? Oh...did you wanna do anything, or just hang out like this? I don't mind either way."

"..." I don't really have anything to do later, so...it should be fine, right? "That sounds alright. Let's stay in together."

"Great! I got some games and stuff, or if you want to play cards, or..."

"Naruto. It's okay...I can tell you about the mission."

"Can you?! Oh man, please please please tell me about everything! How'd you beat up Sasuke?! What crazy move did you make up?"

I giggle a bit behind my hand, and wait for him to calm down. "Okay, take it easy. I didn't fight Sasuke right away, you know. You wanted to hear everything, right?"

"For sure!"

"Let me warm up some more cocoa for you." I take his empty mug to the stove and wait for the cocoa in the pot to warm, stirring it a little with a wooden spoon. "My first opponent was a man with six arms."

"Whoa...was he like a spider, or something?"

"Exactly like that. He shot sticky webs from his mouth that had chakra in them. So it was a bit troublesome dealing with that part. Fortunately, I was able to think quickly on my feet and negate that advantage."

"Sounds like a long range guy," Naruto says as I bring him his mug again. He bites into one of the marshmallows and swallows. "So...how'd you trip him up?"

I sit down next to him and let out a breath. "I started with a quick analysis of his abilities. The ranged attacks had certain properties, and so..."

 

[FortePlus]

Scarlet Justice - ep. 63
"Glowing Blossoms"
---

I spend the entire afternoon with Naruto, telling him about the mission to bring Sasuke back. He was so excited by the end of it that he couldn't calm down, which is making it hard to go home. But seeing him so happy...it wasn't much of a hassle staying after all. We shared some of the beef stew and he really enjoyed it. I'll have Luna make some more for another day. That, and I'll ask for the recipe so Hina can put her own spin on it.

"Hopefully you'll let me go for now," I say with a laugh.

"Y-yeah. Sorry, I just...wow, I wish I coulda been there! That sounded like the most awesome fight, and that cool combo move...man! You called it 'Final Justice', right?"

"I did."

"So cool..." He sighs. "I gotta catch up. Sasuke's not much of a worry right now, especially with my cool new jutsu. Hehe, I'll show it off to you one day soon!"

That was...Rasengan, right? I've heard of it, but never witnessed it in person before. It should be a treat, considering that Tsunade was impressed he even managed to learn it in the first place.

"Looking forward to it. I'll let you know when I'm free, there are a couple of things to take care of in the next while."

"Still on the go, huh. Well, take it easy at least. You want that arm to heal, yeah?"

"I do. Tomorrow though, I'm going to see Ino. They let her out of the hospital."

"That's great! I went over to see her the other day, ya know? She was looking a lot better than before."

"Lady Tsunade recently gave her some treatment. She should be good as new by now," I say as I leave my seat. I take our empty plates and cups to the sink before washing them out.

"Yeah. Granny Tsunade's a miracle worker. Really stubborn, though...and scary when she gets mad."

"That all sounds normal enough for an older woman."

"Dunno if splitting roads in half is normal for anyone..."

"Nonsense, it's perfectly natural. Okay, I'll get going," I say as I finish washing up. "You can hang onto that container when you're done with it. If you want more stew, just ask and I'll ask Luna to cook some. I have a feeling it won't be necessary, though...just a hunch, hmhm."

"Alright. I'll have the rest for lunch tomorrow, I guess." He stands up himself and walks me to the door. I step into my slippers and turn around to face him.

"I'll be seeing you."

"Yeah, for sure."

I smile and hug him tightly with my good arm, closing my eyes. "Thank you for everything. Please, feel better soon. Take your time, and take care of yourself always."

"You too, Lili," he says as he hugs me back. "I won't forget any of this, I promise. Thanks for everything you've done, and for being my friend. I won't give up on those two, or on that dream of mine."

"I know. You're going to become Hokage one day, and I'll be right there with you."

"Yeah."

"Of course, I might have to take my turn ahead of you. If I do too well, they might not want anyone else..."

"Heh. We'll see about that, yeah?"

"We will. I can't wait." I let go and kiss him gently on the cheek. I can see that his eyes are as bright and warm as ever...just as I want to remember them. The night is warm as I step into it and head for home.

"He's really growing," I say to myself with a smile. It might be inexplicable to someone looking at us. Someone like me, putting so much affection and faith into someone like him. We're so far apart in so many ways.

But I believe in him. In the person he is, and in the person he will become. I believe in love, and that it can make ordinary people into the greatest heroes the world has ever known. I believe that it can help us change the future.

Most of all...he makes me happy. That alone is enough to make me want to stand by him.

I don't care what the world thinks. I never have.

---

It's the next day, and I set off after cooking myself breakfast. The day is cool again and there's the chance of rain, according to the radio. A gloomy band of weather the past few days, it seems. I pick out a long pink sweater this time and jogging pants. They feel comfortable, which is what matters most right now.

I step into my slippers and leave the apartment. Today I'm free again, and there's nothing terribly important that I have to rush towards. Let's see. Today's itinerary...I'll go and see Ino as planned, and then make a stop to see the Hokage if he's not terribly busy. Shikamaru said some interesting things yesterday that I want to follow up on.

"Well, looks like our hero is out and about today. It's good to see you."

"Likewise," I say to Kakashi. He closes his book and gives me one of his smiles. "Have you been well?"

"Yeah. Nothing terribly exciting with the whole invasion, and all."

"You would say such a thing. But I'm glad that you're okay. Everything worked out well enough from what I've been hearing. The Hidden Sound is no more, and Orochimaru's legacy has been erased from the earth. For the most part, anyways. Sasuke still has the brand on him, and an unfortunate transformation. But we can deal with that later on."

"Have you gone to see Naruto yet?"

"We spent most of yesterday together. He's in good spirits, which pleases me. And I can see that he has a conviction about him that wasn't there before, which bodes well for the future. I know that you've given him all the detail that you could regarding the mission and its outcome."

"He was bothered by some of it. Frankly, I was more bothered than he was at the whole thing." He pauses a bit. "The difference in how these missions have been handled is...sort of stark, I'd say."

"This is based on your experience as a member of ANBU, yes?"

"Yeah, more or less. Missions in the Black Ops were need-to-know. Only a few people knew of what was going on, and the general public never came into it. Everything was in the shadows. With the regular forces, you have a lot of things in the open. So people know what's going on and can see it, there are things that can be seen as good and bad in the public eye, and you have to account for that as well. What's happening with you, though..."

"..."

"It somehow feels like the worst of both worlds," he says as he looks into the sky. "You do all the work, complete the mission cleanly, and then just have your recognition taken from you. Everyone knows that something important happened, it's recognized and celebrated for all to see. But not only are you erased from public record, it's someone else who gets to be called 'hero' in your place."

"The one who was my true enemy," I say. "That does sound cruel when you put it like that. Unfortunately, I would like this village to remain intact. So I can't make these facts known to everyone. It would be harmful, and more than that, a waste."

"I see. You have an interesting way of looking at the world."

"It's not much different from yours, I would say. Comrades are worth a lot more than people realize. I've read about your father, the White Fang."

"Have you..."

"The man who was disgraced by the village for putting the lives of his teammates over the completion of the mission. That shame must have crushed him, and it ended up leaving you all alone. I'm sorry for that, Kakashi. Losing your family is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. Even if you did come through it brilliantly."

"For a long time after that, I decided that I wouldn't end up like him. Rules and regulations, following orders and giving them precisely...that was my experience growing up after his death. It was what I wanted, and what I thought would bring the most success as a soldier. It made me superior to a lot of my peers. It gave me the opportunity to be promoted long before anyone else."

"..."

"But I grew arrogant. I always valued the mission over the man, and there was that one mission that kept bringing me trouble as a result. It took a friend to wake me up to reality. He looked up to my father, and thought he was a brilliant man for more reasons than his skill in combat. And he gave me a lesson that I've tried my hardest to pass down to my students, and to my fellow shinobi."

"Those shinobi who break the rules and codes of this world are garbage," I say. "And yet..."

"Those shinobi who abandon their comrades are lower than garbage," he finishes. "It was the lesson I took with me after that day. Maybe if I had learned it sooner..."

"Perhaps. But it's today that matters. If you carry out your teachings with the same conviction that you always have, you'll make a change that will be felt by everyone in this world."

"Sounds ambitious."

"It might be. Don't worry, I can export those ideals for you. We wouldn't want Sharingan Kakashi to end up in the hospital more than he already does," I say with a smile. "Your father's spirit flows through the village in its own way. Looking after those who fight alongside you...that's helped me a lot in these times."

"I see."

"What were their names, Kakashi? If you could tell me."

"Obito Uchiha and...Rin Nohara."

I nod. "Names written into the memorial stone. Then they will become a part of my memory, too."

"You know, you don't have to go that far."

"I don't, but you know how stubborn I am. Especially with people I've come to like," I say with a wink. "Speaking of like, you have an interesting habit of avoiding women. I'm sure there are one or more pretty ladies that have caught your eye."

"Hm." He pulls out his book. "I might have caught someone's eye myself."

"Oh?"

"I wonder if you had a hand in it."

"I have my doubts there," I say casually. "And we wouldn't be able to verify such a thing, anyways. There are many, many beauties within this village."

"You would know."

"I would, yes. It's a remarkable thing."

"What's remarkable is how much gossip there is about you by now. There are women who talk about securing the chastity of their daughters. Well, Tsume is the loudest about it, at least."

"Mm. Hana is dangerously attractive."

"Things like that might get you in trouble down the road. Not anything serious, but people have been known to make complaints to Shikaku. Then again, he might enjoy the extra paperwork."

"Interesting. So he really is whipped."

"Yep."

"We should talk about this more over a drink or two. For now, I have places I would like to get to. It was lovely speaking to you, Kakashi."

"Always a pleasure, Lili. See you around, and take care of yourself."

"I will." He waves lazily, reading his book all the while as he leaves. It seems that Ruki has started courting him, which is good. I'm sure he's happy reading his books, but he deserves something more wholesome than that. It's been a long, harsh life for him.

"But you've done more than you could realize for this village. Thank you, Kakashi."

---

"The next stop for today is the Yamanaka house."

I step into the flower shop and have a small chat with the temp girl from before. Definitely outgoing and cute. She's happy to say that Ino is doing well. Today, I ask her to suggest an arrangement.

"Oh! You're sure? I mean, your arrangement the last time was beautiful..."

"I wanted to see your take today. After all, you've shown yourself to possess a fair amount talent, in addition to your other charms."

"O-oh. Thank you..." She blushes before hurrying off to grab my flowers. It looks like she's chosen poppies. Red, white and yellow ones. A good selection, simple and fitting for the times. I give her my payment and thank her before going on my way.

"Let's see. Should be south of the Nara forest, if I remember correctly." The district with the Yamanaka houses is a bit out of the way, near the Nara and Akimichi clans. The three of them are closely linked, as I've learned many times before. Ino is part of the sixteenth generation of Ino-Shika-Cho, and is next in line as the head of the Yamanaka Clan unless she marries out of the family. Her position is the same as Hina's used to be, and Hanabi's is now.

It's a large home that I come upon, but not excessively so. Built in the Eastern style with what I assume are low wooden floors. And as expected, there's an extensive arrangement of flower beds, leading from the front of the house right down to the beginning of the walkway. It's quite a sight to see.

"That...should be good. Nothing else doing for today, so I can finally chill out. Nice."

Ino is out front watering, her face free of bandages. And her hair is still short, but seems to be growing nicely since the last time I saw her. She's wearing a blue kimono with white lilies patterned on the fabric. I wait for her to turn and take notice of me.

"Miss Yamanaka, good morning," I say with a bow.

"Lili? You came out to see me, how sweet!" She sets down her watering can and runs to me, smothering me in a hug. "Welcome back!"

"Thank you. I see that you're doing better."

"A lot better! I just need to do some exercise to get myself back into fighting shape...other than that, I'm super okay. Lady Tsunade saw to me herself. She's so cool. I feel so much better and my cast was able to come off since the bone was healed. A little shinobi magic helped, hehe. Just a bit longer, and I can nag those two boys of mine properly like the good old days."

"Ah. So you're looking forward to work, then."

"Honestly? Yeah. I've been having fun and relaxing like this, but there's a part of me that'll feel unfulfilled if I just let it end here, you know? If I'm gonna bow out, I want it to be on my own terms if at all possible. Has to be my own decision. I mean, I haven't had any really bad thoughts, or any anxiety...I just wanna see about getting back to work, that's all. Might sound weird, eh? But...this is my life. I like it. I don't mind being a shinobi."

"That's good, then. As long as it's what you want, Ino...that sounds good to me."

"Yup!" She gives me a sunny smile. "Ooh, are those flowers? Did you find someone you wanted a piece of already?"

"Actually, they're for you."

"Oh, thank you! I super appreciate these, as always. You spoil me, Lili." She takes the bouquet from me.

"Open it up?"

"Sure. Let's see what you've got here..." She unwraps the paper and looks at the arrangement. "Ooh. Poppies. They're nice and fresh, too...mm. I love them. Very bright, festive almost. These are from the shop. How's my temp doing?"

"She's cute, and has impeccable taste."

"Good. We're hiring her full-time. That gives me a bit of freedom during the week, I can play around or study if I want. Time is really precious these days, you know?"

"I agree," I say with a nod.

"Since you came to visit, let's head inside for a bit. Mom's out, but Dad's home. He's in his study catching up on work." The two of us walk up to the sliding door, and Ino pulls it open. I take off my slippers and set them alongside the other footwear at the front, then shuffle into the guest slippers and follow Ino further in. There's nothing but wide open space...an open concept home, then? Interesting. Wood floors, cool to the touch. Very nice all around. I should talk to Luna about something like this later.

"Weather's been up and down lately. I didn't know what to wear, so I went with this since I wasn't going to be moving around too much," Ino says.

"It's a beautiful pattern. The colours suit you," I say to her.

"Thanks! You somehow manage to look stylish no matter what you wear. I'm just a little jealous."

"Only a little?"

"Okay, more jealous than that. The news hasn't totally spread about how much you enjoy the company of women, so the boys still throw those thirsty looks your way and talk about you quite a bit."

"I doubt it would change much if they knew."

"You think?"

"Boys seem to have this idea they can 'cure' girls like me."

"Gross. You want something to drink? I've got pink lemonade here."

"Whatever you're having is fine."

"Okay, pink lemonade it is. One second..." She pulls a pitcher out from the fridge and pours two deep glasses of lemonade for us. The kitchen is wide and looks very modern. There's an island in the middle where most items are stored on neatly. Really makes the room pop with the marble surfaces.

"Let's head out to the back porch. Nice and quiet there...and Dad can call for me if he needs me."

"You're a good daughter."

"I try." Ino hands me a glass as we head out to the polished wooden deck. We sit next to each other on the swinging chair that's been set up, and tap our glasses together before sipping from them.

"Mm. It's good," I say. "Not too sweet, a pinch of strawberry...very nice. You made it yourself."

"You're scary good at that."

"Took a fair bit of practice," I say with a smile. "This is a really nice home." The back garden is filled with all kinds of flowers and lush green bushes forming barriers. Everything is neatly lined up, the branches pruned and leaves skillfully trimmed.

"Oh, you think so? I was gonna say, I didn't think you'd be impressed by any of this. You know, coming from money and all."

"The garden at home is quite big, but it doesn't look nearly as lovely as this. None of the places that I've been to do, actually. Good taste doesn't come packaged in with wealth. It's an unfortunate reality, seeing as they control so much in this world of ours."

"Ah. Seems like that kind of world is deeper than most people realize. You ever think about like, becoming a socialite?"

"My father planned that out for me from an early age. He didn't see me as useful for anything else in life."

"That sounds really cruel. I mean, are you sure about that, Lili?"

"He had sex with my mother for business reasons. I think that's the only reason he has sex with anyone, really. Some sort of power trip, something like that." I make a face. "He's hoping that I end this phase of my life soon, so that I can get knocked up in a year or two and produce a true heir."

"Is that what he said to you?" Ino asks.

"Not in so many words. But he's expressed his displeasure with my career path to my stepmother once already. He didn't even care enough to show up at my graduation."

"Geez. I'm so sorry, Lili. That's really, really cold."

I sip my lemonade. "That's normal, I'm afraid. He can do so much worse than scolding and abandonment. So...I want to cut ties at the first opportunity. Even if it means a life of poverty as a result."

Ino sighs. "Your resolve is amazing. I mean, you're nuts and a huge pervert, but you're amazing. I guess that's why I like you so much."

"Surely there's more to it."

"Girl to girl? You're super cute, too."

"Someone's honest. Well, you're definitely a looker yourself, you know."

"Is this flirting?" she says with a smile. "This feels like flirting."

"Just let it happen."

"Uh, no. You'll corrupt me within the hour, and you know it."

"Darn." We laugh a bit after that.

"Thanks so much for what you did, Lili. I owe you a whole lot. You really...brought Sakura back to me, like I begged you to. Thank you. And I..."

"You don't need to say any more than that. I said it before, that I loved you very much. I made a promise that I intended to keep. Also, you should thank Lee when you get a chance. He gave a lot of himself for Sakura's sake."

"Yeah. He's got the biggest crush on Sakura. I know he did his part, too. So I'll make some time to visit him soon. Tenten usually knows where he is. I just wanted to thank you first after everything that happened. You're one of my most important people, you know?"

"I know. Thank you, Ino."

"Did you get that little message I sent?"

"I did. I was thinking of you a lot, you know. I hit Sasuke with that sixteen hit combo you put into my head."

"Wow...that must have been something. But what about Sakura?"

I grin. "Hina took care of that one."

"Holy crap. Did she really?"

"Right hand to the face, and she made sure to chew Sakura out once the fighting was over."

"Go, Hina. Wow. She's really turning it up, isn't she? I'm so proud of her."

"Right? She's beautiful."

"All thanks to you, of course."

"Well, I tried my best. But there was something sleeping inside of her the whole time. I just...helped bring it to the surface, that's all."

"There you go again, being modest for no reason. Speaking of blossoms...well, not to get so heavy all of a sudden..."

"It's alright, you know. What is it?" I say as I put my hand over hers.

"Sakura...she's not long for this world. The Sakura we know, I mean. I mean, she's not gonna die or anything, that's not what I'm saying."

"I get it, Ino. Slow down a bit."

She takes a breath in and nods. "Yeah. Yeah, thanks. I...can see it happening day by day. That whole training regimen...Lady Tsunade is slowly erasing her, even if she doesn't mean to do it. Soon she'll be gone. And the new Sakura will be vulnerable emotionally. It'll be up to me to protect her...I dunno if I'll have time for anyone or anything else. Which is unfortunate."

"You don't have to resign yourself to that fate, Ino," I say. "That sort of burden..."

"It's my choice, Lili. Honest," she says gently. "And even through all of that, her soul won't change. That's what matters in the end. Sakura will always be my best friend. Even if it doesn't mean happiness, this is what I want. I love her. I still love her, even after what she did to you, to me, to everyone. I...I want to be friends again one day, like we used to be. Because right now, that's...gone. It hurts, but..."

"Ino."

"As long as I have you with me, it'll be okay. You give me a lot of strength, you know. Just talking with me over the phone, or being here next to me like this. You mean so much to me, Lili."

"You'll have my support, Ino. No matter what you might choose. Just...tell me if it gets to be too much, okay?" I say.

"Only if you promise to do the same, Lili."

"I promise." We squeeze each other's hands and share a smile.

"Thanks. We'll get through this together, for sure."

"We will."

"So...to swing from one extreme to the other again," she says with a laugh, "I've got a question for you."

"Go ahead," I say as I finish off my lemonade.

"I know that you're into girls, but what I really want to know is...what kind of relationship suits you best?"

"What kind?"

"Yeah. You like to call yourself a connoisseur, no? So I would think that...it would be difficult just picking one girl over a couple of them. Am I wrong?"

"Hm." I think on it a little, putting a finger to my lips. "It's an interesting question. Complex in some ways, I would say. My dream scenario..."

"I'm actually pretty curious about this."

"Are you? Well...let's see. I would want a lovely, lovely girl to be my other half, for sure. There's just something so romantic and soothing about it. In the same way that seeing two women share their love awakened me, seeing them in a warm and loving relationship also appealed to me greatly. But you're right in that I wouldn't want to give up a free sort of lifestyle, where I could enjoy the company of beautiful women any time that I pleased."

"That's an interesting answer. Maybe...you can have your cake and eat it, too. If you play your cards right, that is."

"A wife and many mistresses, you think?"

"If she's open to it. Personally, I think you're charismatic enough as is to pull something crazy like that off. Something like a harem in name more than in deed, I guess? A bunch of cute girls in your orbit, with you and your future wife in the middle."

"How long have you been thinking about this, Ino?"

"Maybe the past ten minutes. Far as you know, anyways," she says with a sly smile. "Either way, you'll be beating off girls with a stick when you get older and they figure out what you're into. I say, start planning now. Get ahead of the game and such."

"I can't believe you're telling me to form a harem," I say with a laugh.

"I'm not telling you to do it, just...you know, giving out advice in case. It's helpful, right? Helping your friends is good."

"You just want to see some juicy chaos."

"See, nobody needs to know that part."

"Tsume is going to kill you."

"She'll have to catch me first. Wait, why do you have to go after Hana anyways? Something about forbidden fruit tasting the sweetest?"

"Ooh, you know me well."

"You're actually horrible. Like, the worst. Listen, you don't have to go after every girl with a pulse, and again for posterity, I never told you to."

"Anyone truly off limits?"

"Nothing like that."

"Mm. Not even...Erika?" I say casually.

"Interesting that you mention her...there's nothing like that going on, though. I mean she's nice, but...you know. Can't be sure I swing that way yet," Ino says with a shrug. A little too casual on her part, but I'll leave that thing alone.

"Well. I'm sure you'll find the right person soon enough."

"One more question, then."

"I have a feeling it's going to be spicy."

"Maybe. If...at some point I expressed...interest. Would you consider me?" she asks.

"Of course I would."

"You said that way too quickly."

"I mean it!" I protest. "You would make a great partner, and not just for your looks."

"You really mean it."

"I really mean it. I would love something like that."

"Thanks. I just...wanted to know. Curious, and stuff. Yeah. That's it." She coughs. "It might end up being a guy that I spend my life with, but it's still really early. We'll see. But thanks for answering so enthusiastically."

"Ego boost?"

"Ego boost," she says with a nod. "I'll walk around like I'm the hottest thing in town for the next month thanks to you."

"You're welcome."

"But we're friends no matter what happens. Right?"

"Right," I say with a nod. "Well, I don't want to leave so soon, but I have things I want to talk about with the Hokage."

"Oh, okay. Good luck over there, then. Dad says you're a pretty important figure these days, and that you should watch your back some. Hm...actually, what we were talking about earlier, the whole socialite thing..."

"Hm?"

"I was thinking that I could make use of that. I've already got roots in the village, pun intended, and I have a good grasp on social areas. I'm a beautiful young woman from a prestigious Leaf family. There's some influence there, so I can build on it and keep rising. That way, I can watch your back properly."

"Another pair of eyes sounds amazing."

"Doesn't it? I'll get to work on that as soon as I can. It's one way that I can start to pay you back for everything you've done. We'll definitely put our spin on village affairs, and ruffle some feathers along the way. That's the only way to get things done."

"I'm looking forward to that," I say as I get up. Ino takes my glass from me and we head back to the kitchen.

"Heh. Just look out for my rising star, Miss Elite. I'll be seeing you, then?"

"You will. And you have my number."

"Yep!" She gives me a warm hug, squeezing me tight. "Thanks so much for coming over, Lili. I love you a whole lot."

"I love you too, Ino. Be well."

She sets the glasses in the sink before walking me towards the front of the house.

"By the by...I was out shopping yesterday, and I saw something cute that seemed to suit you," I say as we reach the front entrance. I transfer slippers and we reach the door.

"Cute, eh?" She gives me a grin. "Well, we can make ourselves a deal. You see something cute, buy it for me, and I'll wear it as soon as you ask."

I smirk and raise a brow. "You think I won't do it. You really think I won't do it."

"I'm only halfway expecting it. Make sure to buy another set for yourself so we match."

"I'll see you later, Ino. You'll get your first outfit by courier," I say with a wave. She snorts at me and waves back.

She's going to be pretty shocked once she gets the first package from me. Like I wouldn't take her up on that challenge.

 

[FortePlus]

Scarlet Justice - ep. 64
"Patron Saints"
---

"Lord Hokage will see you now."

I follow the aide over to those familiar double doors. They're opened and I walk up to the Hokage's desk, where he sits while quietly smoking his pipe.

"Ah, Lili. Good to see you again."

"Likewise, Lord Hokage." I bow respectfully for him.

"Please, have a seat." I nod and do so. The chairs here and nice and soft, as always. "What did you come to see me for today?"

"Just a small chat and a status update. There are a few things I want to ask you."

"Of course. Anything that you want to know, my child."

"Let's start with a sensitive item, to get it out of the way. At least, I believe it would be as far as you're concerned. It's regarding the movements of Itachi Uchiha. You should be able to see the reasons for that sort of inquiry."

"How much do you know about him?" Hiruzen asks me.

"Mostly the basics. Ane-ue has mentioned things here and there."

"I see." He taps his pipe on the side of the desk before puffing out a cloud of smoke. "At the least, you should have full knowledge of the circumstances behind Sasuke's defection. Itachi has been in and out of the village a few times already, since the end of the invasion. Thus far, I am the only one who knows of these visits. He carried out the killings of the Uchiha Clan seven years ago in order to stop a coup against the Leaf. Sasuke has been on a mission to kill him and avenge the clan as one of the last known survivors. This is one of the reasons that he lusts for power."

"Were the killings on your orders?"

"No. Negotiations with the Uchiha were progressing, but suddenly failed. Itachi worked as a double agent, spying on the Uchiha and deciphering their plans for the benefit of the Leaf. Sasuke...protecting Sasuke was his final request before leaving the village forever as a missing-nin. He agreed to stop the coup, including killing his own parents...but only if Sasuke was able to live under our protection until the promised time."

"So you couldn't kill Sasuke even if you wanted to. Because of that promise." I sigh. "And Sasuke's goal is to kill that man, called a traitor to his family and his village...his older brother. How cruel..."

"Indeed."

"It's an unfortunate thing," I say. I wonder if I could bring myself to do such a thing. If I could be strong enough to avenge my loved ones, and live for that purpose from such a young age. I realize that I could, but the price would be incredibly high. I wouldn't have a self to speak of. Sasuke at least could bring himself to love others. "Even trash like him has experienced hardship."

"Lili..." Hiruzen takes a careful pause. "Is that how you truly feel about him?"

"If you would forgive me for speaking out of turn again...that is a question we both know the answer to, my lord. I will never forgive that garbage for what he's done to me, or to my loved ones," I say coldly. "It's not something subject to change or up for debate. I will treat him with the respect and dignity that every fellow of the Leaf deserves, but no more than that. He is unworthy of it."

"Hm. I see. I suppose that some grudges can never be erased. My apologies for agitating you."

"There's no need for that. It's fine, I...simply have those unchanging feelings within me. Rest assured, I will be at your call if you want me to help him along. But to say that those embers will never fade...'tis so, yes. Should I expect any trouble from Itachi?" I ask.

"It will depend on your intentions towards Sasuke. But...I would say to expect something from him soon enough."

"I understand. I will relay any messages he may have for you. Might you tell me about his current movements, my lord?"

"He currently works for a mysterious mercenary group, called Akatsuki."

"A dramatic name, to be sure."

"It seems so, yes. There is very little data on them thus far...Jiraiya is doing an investigation into their operations. He hasn't had much luck. According to Princess...rather, Empress Ryuuchi, Itachi arrived shortly after the invasion as a reminder of his existence."

"Yes. Ane-ue mentioned she spoke to him, but the information I received was limited," I say as I brush back some of my wild hair. "She has her reasons, as always."

"Yes, she does. I have no doubts that she has put a plan into motion already. Has she been well lately?"

"Very well. Simply busy as of late," I say as I cross my legs. "With Manda and Orochimaru gone, things are changing rapidly in her kingdom. It's for the best that she spends as much time there as possible, in order to properly oversee everything."

Hiruzen chuckles. "Yes, yes. Of course. With the way she treats me, I sometimes forget the scope of her personal work. I have also received word that she's engaged, so I'll have to make an appearance at the wedding, whenever it might be. Perhaps I'll have installed the Fifth by then."

"We can hope. There's something else I mean to ask about, also sensitive in a way."

"By all means," he says as he reloads his pipe.

"It's regarding Sasuke, and his connection to the organization called ROOT."

"Hm...yes, of course. That is something you should also be sharply aware of." He takes a long drag on his pipe before exhaling. "ROOT is also known as the Foundation. I ordered it disbanded several years ago, after the massacre of the Uchiha Clan. Orochimaru was also a part of it at one or more points before his betrayal of the Leaf. The group took on...rather still takes on unsavory missions on behalf of the Leaf. Kidnappings, murders, suppression of suspected radical elements, missing-nin...things that not even the ANBU are given to take care of. Danzo Shimura heads the group, and he works from the shadows. He truly believe that it is all for the benefit of the village...and he is also my most effective advisor in terms of military intelligence."

"Someone you can't just cut loose, then."

"He was supposed to take care of the darkness while I stayed in the light to lead the village. It seemed like the best possible arrangement at the time...the unfortunate part now is that I do not have any proof of ROOT's operations or even of their current existence. None of its members report to me unless so ordered, and I do not know who is part of ROOT or how many members it currently has. I simply know that they are all loyal to Danzo, and him alone. The training that ROOT members go through is brutal and inhuman. Children are taught how to kill their emotions completely, in order to become the ultimate weapons. 'The unseen ones who support the great tree of the Leaf from the depths of the earth'. It's what he said to me ahead of ROOT's founding, many years ago."

"You know him personally, then. As more than just comrades of the Leaf."

"We both had Lord Tobirama as our sensei. At one point, yes...we were good friends who talked for long hours about the future of the village. But he soon became obsessed with protecting the village by any means necessary. It was after Lord Tobirama declared me the Third that those feelings started to overflow from him. Danzo was the one that set in motion the events of the Uchiha massacre."

"What did he do, exactly?"

"He acted without my permission and forced Itachi into a corner. It was risking a civil war between the Uchiha and the Leaf, in which case every member would be slaughtered...or silently destroying the clan on his own, in which case he could save the person he cared for the most."

"Sasuke," I mutter. "That man put Sasuke above everything. Not just his life, but that of the village." It's...twisted. But for some reason, that part of it is resonating with me. What could someone do when faced with that sort of choice? A contemporary of the Third Hokage wouldn't be so easy to threaten or erase, and as the immediate successor of the clan, Itachi would know things that most wouldn't.

It's another one of those things that would have me labeled a psychotic monster, I suppose...but I do grasp those conflicting feelings. I wonder what that sort of person is like. Someone who would snuff out so many candles to save thousands upon thousands more. A person who performed admirably for his village, only to be called traitor and monster until his dying breath.

"Itachi saw no other option. He took on the mission before I could stop him. When he returned to give his report, I agreed to protect Sasuke, especially from Danzo, and to fabricate a cover story so that the honour of the Uchiha Clan could be safely preserved. Sasuke...still has a chance to revive his clan if he so chooses."

"I see. So Itachi manipulated Sasuke, as a punishment for his sins against the clan. He wants Sasuke to come after him with the intent to kill. Sasuke is restless...Orochimaru's temptations were too much to handle in that case, then," I conclude. I realize I also triggered him more than once. It's not something I will blame myself for, but it puts many things into perspective. "And now your fear is that he will turn to Danzo and ROOT to achieve his goals."

"Yes. If that happens, I will have failed Itachi. There will be nothing to do if he chooses to take retribution."

"There should be a way to give Sasuke the strength he craves. I could provoke him further, but he may just run away again in response. That's undesirable, obviously. He needs a mentor of some sort," I say. "Hm. Kakashi would be the best choice, seeing as they're the same type and he did learn that interesting jutsu within a month. But he's always short on time, it seems."

"The only solution to that is to allow Kakashi to work with Sasuke full time. But that would mean..."

"The end of Team Seven," I finish. "I want to believe in Naruto. I still do, but...some aspects of the situation are out of his reach. Lord Hokage, you really must consider your options at this time. Suspending Sasuke's involvement with his team for a while, at least until he can get a proper evaluation and regimen in place. It sounds extreme, but it's becoming a drastic situation. We have some time remaining to work on a proper plan. Sasuke won't be in combat condition for a while."

"Tsunade can work on a slowed recovery schedule in addition to all of that," he says.

"Good. Either way...if you don't want him falling to ROOT and Danzo, you have to do something."

"Yes. But what would be best?"

This really is a massive decision, and not one I planned on making when I came here today. With all of the information filtering through, it's critical that we figure what happens to Sasuke Uchiha for the near future. If we screw this up, everything will go to waste. The mission to bring him back, the killings of the Uchiha meant to save the Leaf from oblivion, possibly peace across this world of ours. Troublesome, but I have to solve this.

Alright, my options.

Letting things fall where they may is out. Danzo Shimura will without a doubt sink his hooks into Sasuke and pull him into ROOT. He'll be made into a machine with no emotion, a tool that exists only to kill and destroy. And likely sent after Itachi on some secret mission, to close the dark loop between Uchiha and the Leaf once and for all. Even if I despise Sasuke, I cannot allow that to happen, ever.

Splitting up Team Seven and leaving the members to their own devices. Sakura is working with Tsunade. Sasuke can be taken care of in isolation. But Naruto will suffer as a result. Team Seven needs to be together. They need to interact properly and start that course of healing, so that Sasuke and Sakura will want to stay with the Leaf of their own accord. Naruto losing his comrades again, just after they've come back...that would be a devastating blow.

Another mentor. But I'm coming up blank on anyone aside from Kakashi who would be best to look after him.

And the last option...I don't want to think about it, but it has to be considered. My conversation with Kakashi comes to mind. Villains treated as heroes, and heroes treated like ghosts. A painful outcome, to be sure.

"..."

But...shinobi are those who endure. And so, I will make this heavy decision with the best of intentions. It's no longer about what's fair in the eyes of the world.

"Before I make my proposal, a question or two," I say.

"Yes, of course. What do you need to know?"

"There's been mention of a contingency plan regarding Sasuke. How will that work, exactly?"

"Ah, yes. If Sasuke should defect again, or perform a criminal act that endangers the village, I have left up to three members of the village to decide his ultimate fate. He will be informed of this contingency, but not of the exact details. Naruto, Erika, and yourself will be mobilized to track him down and stop whatever acts he is committing, depending on who is in the village at the time."

"All three of us?"

"It will be more like...a sort of roulette system. Very much a gamble on his part, literally speaking. If Naruto is present, he will be able to talk him down first before fighting him if necessary. This is the least lethal option. The second level will be left to you, as I envision you sparing him no words and taking him into custody after battle. This is potentially more lethal, but carries a good chance of him returning alive. And the last would be Erika."

"She would kill him."

"Yes, if not ordered otherwise. It would depend entirely upon the time between notice and engagement, but...there is a very high chance that she will engage him as a threat to be eliminated as quickly as possible."

"Hm. It was fortuitous that they didn't cross into Sound Country, then. Erika...she would have slaughtered both Sasuke and Sakura if she came upon them. It would have been justified, too," I say. "Enemy combatants in the thick of battle, all of that."

"Mm." Hiruzen puffs on his pipe in thought.

"I'm sure that we would have caught them before that point, but the thought is troubling enough. We should do our best to make sure that she's not put into such a position in the future. Even if she would be quick to act, she wouldn't revel in cutting down a comrade."

"That much is true."

"So. I know that it will be troublesome, but...I believe that it would be best if Sasuke continued his training under you, Lord Hokage."

"An intriguing thought. Hmm..." He shifts in his chair, puffing away on his pipe in the silence. This will be an important decision on his end as well. As the Hokage, he has enough work, assignments, papers to sign, village management...a lot of things that contribute to the health of the village. Fitting Sasuke into his schedule might not be possible, or even wise.

There's also the other obvious part that's burning a hole in me right now.

This is terrible considering all that's happened. Sakura gets to train with one of the Sannin, and Sasuke with the God of Shinobi...after willingly betraying the village, nearly getting several of us killed, and trying to run off to an enemy country. That would burn anyone up, yes, but it hits me especially hard, and why wouldn't it? I was the one who led a team out to bring them back. I was the one who had to watch my friends cry and beg to have them brought back alive. I was the one who had to shove down every violent feeling in my head and focus on returning them to their homes. But I consider the weight of the Hokage's promise to Itachi, who threw away his entire life just to protect his little brother, to give him a chance to live where nobody else could, even if it's tied to a ridiculous, and at this point, unworkable plot to make him a heroic avenger. And I consider Naruto's feelings. Someone he called brother...family. I don't have the right to decide those bonds for him. If this works...it will be a great solution. I want it to work.

"I suppose this is the best way to keep Sasuke safe."

I let out a sigh of relief and nod. Good. We're on our way.

"But..."

"..." Concessions. Right, it only makes sense. I'm ready for those, whatever they might be.

"I will need something to help with the work that I'm sure to miss out on, as a result of time spent training and mentoring Sasuke."

"What is it?" I ask eagerly.

"It will have to be an aide, or two." His eyes dart away from mine. "Preferably women..."

I relax again and snort at him. "Yes, of course. Don't let your old age stop you..."

He grunts and tries to hide a small blush. "You of all people, lecturing me...anyways. If you could find me help of any kind, it would be appreciated. At least that way I won't have to put off any sessions with Sasuke, except for emergencies of course."

"Understood. That's more than reasonable, my lord. I'll start a search within the next day or two. Men are alright, aren't they?"

"Yes, very much fine."

"Alright. But you've come to the right young lady. I'll do my best to meet your needs, Lord Hokage," I say with a wink.

"Appreciated."

"Then I'll be on my way. I think I've taken up enough of your time for the day, and I don't want to be scolded too badly by Luna," I say as I get up. "Thank you for hearing me out, my lord. We'll definitely make this work, together." I smile and give him a deep bow.

"We certainly will. Thank you, Lili. Please, take care."

"Yes, I will. Take care, Lord Hokage." I leave the room and then the building altogether.

The stage is set. Sasuke's safety will be secured at last. Now...it's been a long enough day as is, so I really will go straight home and eat something. Within the next few days, I'll start on my search for the Hokage's new assistants.

---

"Miss Lili, there's a call for you!"

"Mmph." I wipe my mouth free of crumbs and set the sandwich down. "Coming."

Luna holds the phone out and I take it from her gently. "Lili Kobayashi speaking."

"Lili? It's me. You have time to slip out a bit?" Kurenai asks from the other end.

"I should. What's going on?"

"He got it, finally! Our guy got his promotion, they just finalized it and had the Hokage sign off."

"Really? Where are we meeting up?" I ask anxiously.

"We're gonna surprise him at his place. I just called Miss Kiko, and Asuma grabbed the docs for me from his old man. Hinata's on her way already."

"Nothing more needs to be said. I just have to make a quick stop, and I'll meet you over there."

"Got it. See you in a few."

"Ah, I have to go back out again...what a day, what a day," I say to myself. I walk back to the table and devour the rest of my sandwich before running off to get into some proper clothing. Nothing that will take too much time...a loose silk shirt and jeans will be fine.

"Miss Lili?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Luna. Shino just got his promotion approved!"

"How wonderful. He's worked so hard, hasn't he?"

"It's about damn time. What with his performance on the retrieval mission, and in the exams themselves...that is among the least of things this village could do for him after all that he's gone through. I'll have to pick something up at Yamanaka Flowers, though it won't be as elaborate as usual because of the timing..."

"It should be more than alright."

"You're right. I can't worry too much. Shino wouldn't want that, either. I'm off," I say as I kiss Luna on the cheek. "Sorry about the mess."

"Perfectly fine, milady. I'll see you soon."

"Thank you." I head out and jump to the bottom of the stairs, then take off quickly towards the flower shop. A bouquet of iris flowers is procured, and then I'm off again towards the Aburame District. Shino's home comes into sight, and Kiko waves to us from outside the front door.

"This is exciting, you know? Thanks for coming, all of you. The rest of the clan will know formally tomorrow, but I thought the idea of Shino's closest friends congratulating him first sounded so beautiful..."

"I have flowers here," I say.

"And cake here," Hina follows.

"Got the papers here," Kurenai says.

"It sounds like we're all ready. Tea is brewing inside, so...let's be quiet as we head in. Shino doesn't know what's going on yet."

We all nod and silently walk inside, not making a sound as all kunoichi are taught. The four of us gather around the table, where Hina sets down her cake beside the plate with slices of winter melon. Kiko nods and we nod back, standing together in the relative darkness.

"Shino? Can you come down for a moment? I have something I need help with."

"Coming, Mother." We hear him cross the upstairs hall and start down the stairs. "What did you need help with?"

"Just come over and have a look, honey."

"Understood." He steps into view, and Kiko flicks the lights on.

"Congratulations!"

"Huh...what?"

Kurenai smiles and places the scroll into his hands. "Open it up, hotshot."

"..." Shino unrolls the scroll and stands in place for a few minutes, not moving.

"Um...Shino? Are you okay?" Hina asks quietly.

"..."

"Do we have to hit him a few times before he starts working again?" I ask.

"Shino, honestly." Kiko sighs. "Say something to your friends, they're worried."

"You...came here for this?"

"What kind of question is that?" I ask. "You're our teammate. Our friend for life. Why wouldn't we come to see you after learning you've been promoted? God, you're annoying."

"Here we go," Kurenai groans.

"You have your mother and three gorgeous, vibrant young women crowding your kitchen, with pure smiles and cake and flowers, all congratulating you on your grand accomplishment, and all you have to say is 'oh, you're here for this'? Of course we're here for this!"

"I'm...I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Don't be anything but happy, you difficult guy." I set my flowers on the table. "Come here. Come on!"

"Right. What is it, Boss?"

I kiss him on the forehead and hug him tightly.

"Shino...never forget how proud of you I am. How proud all of us are of you. You're amazing and helpful and courageous...and you are my friend. You are so much to me. You'll advance to even greater heights in time, but enjoy this moment."

I release myself and smile for him.

"Congratulations, Shino."

"Thank you, Lili."

"She's right, you know. You're stubborn, but we love you all the same." Hina smiles and hugs him, along with Kurenai.

"Oh...so beautiful..." Kiko is crying happily.

"Let's eat. I'm sure the wonder boy here is hungry," Kurenai says.

"I made Shino's favourite!" Kiko sets down a few bowls in front of us as we sit around the table. It's...wild salad? Well, it doesn't look half bad...

Kurenai mutters under her breath. "Between this and the whole winter melon thing..."

"..." Shino adjusts his glasses. "It seems you have some more tastes to discover, sensei."

"You could stand to not be such an ornery bitch sometimes," I say to her.

"Ah, shut up."

"I know that our guests might have some different tastes, so there's some fish here for you if you'd like it," Kiko says.

"Oh, that's good. Thank you. But this salad...it's not half bad, you know?"

"I really enjoy salad," Shino explains. "Why? Because of how refreshing and nourishing it is to the body."

"Can you feel your insides being cleansed, sensei?" I tease.

Kurenai gives Kiko an exasperated look. "You see what I have to deal with?"

"You bring it on yourself these days, sensei."

"You too, Hinata? Seriously..."

"This salad really is good," I say. "We should put it into our guidebook, as one of the team meals. Maybe add some wild nuts, a bit of meat if we can find it...if it's enough to fuel Shino, we should be alright, I think."

"Let's talk about you, Miss Super Elite."

"By all means, sensei. But wouldn't you want to focus more on Shino?"

"I need to know if those rumours are true," Kurenai says.

"I would like to know as well, Boss," Shino says in agreement.

"I feel the same," Hina says. Kiko is pretending not to listen in.

"That all depends on which rumours you're talking about," I say casually as I sip my tea.

"Okay. Let's start with this whole Hana thing-"

"I didn't do it."

"You don't know what it is I'm talking about."

"I know. I didn't do it."

"Yeah, okay...but Tsume keeps saying..."

 

[Bagrat]

It's nice that this updates so frequently, I've been really enjoying it.

 

[FortePlus]

It's nice that this updates so frequently, I've been really enjoying it.

Click to shrink...

Glad you like it. Sort of surprised I've been able to keep up this pace myself, so hopefully it can continue in one way or another.

 

[FortePlus]

Scarlet Justice - ep. 65
"Cool Breezes"
---

"Luna? Will you be needing me for anything presently?"

"No, I won't be."

"Thank you~" Ah, excellent. That means I have more than enough time to read through one of my new books. The one that I'm reaching for today is the unexpected spin-off title, Icha Icha Garden. The title doesn't give much away, and neither does the summary...'composed in a flash of inspiration by its prolific and talented author'. Hm. I wonder what got them going all of a sudden. The third book isn't out yet, so this really must have been a forceful sort of flash.

I lie back in my bed and get comfortable before turning to the first page.

"Hmm..."

Something is off from the start. I ignore the feeling and read on...but it comes back stronger than before. And then it continues, which only makes sense given the material that's in here. This...oh, my. It's something, alright. I can definitely see the author's usual inclinations, but there's a sort of trashiness to it that keeps drawing me in, further and further.

But the most important part of this is the basis for the material. The story has a woman as the main character, and she goes on to form a harem of beautiful girls. That woman...there's no mistaking it. That's me. The same hair, the same manner of speaking, the same attitude, imperfectly copied but copied all the same.

"I really can't believe this...though, it's possible that I'm biased here. Luna? Are you busy?"

"Not at all, Miss Lili. What do you need of me?" Luna appears and I slide into a sitting position on my bed. I pat the space beside me and she sits down.

"Have a look at the pages that I've marked. This is quite amusing."

"Icha Icha Garden...this is a new one, I suppose. Hm. You just need me to read these passages, then?"

"Yes."

"Alright." She reads silently and blinks a few times. "Oh. Oh my. That's certainly...Miss Lili, this is definitely you in this book. Are...you okay with this?"

I laugh softly. "There's nothing I can really do about it now. At this point...I might have to make the lies reality. You know that Ino and I were talking about this sort of thing the other day? Ah...I'm going to make sure I find the author and squeeze them dry for this," I say with a wry smile. "Whoever they might be..."

"Wait...this is me here."

"Yes."

"And...Midori, too."

"Mm-hm."

"These descriptions...certainly indulgent. Whoever this is knows a lot about a woman's body, at least on a surface level."

"The lover I have seems familiar in a few ways, too...she reminds me a bit of Naruto, but that's a reach, I think. Plenty of air-headed heroines in these book series to go around. They're usually blondes too, for whatever reason."

"Well...foreigners are seen as exotic, especially women."

"Mm. That much is true. I've noticed some of the attention I get around town, even at my age."

"An observation, Miss Lili. You have a way of carrying yourself like a more mature woman, so while it's not an excuse...in this sort of environment, you could pass for someone more mature, if on the petite side."

I think on that a moment. "That makes sense. I never really did think of it like that, even if I throw my weight around at times. I don't feel terribly different in those times that you mention, but it happens all the same. I'll keep it in mind for the future. Thank you, Luna."

"You're welcome, as always."

"It's a spicy read," I say as I take the book back from her. "Refreshingly trashy, tastefully lewd...and of course, having a female protagonist really does it for me."

"Of course," Luna says with a smile.

"I'll get you and Midori-nee copies the next time I head out."

"Thank you. It...did look like an interesting read."

"Something to get you in the mood, hm?"

Luna blushes. "Like I need any help with Midori around..."

"Oh, my."

"B-but...enough of that for the day. I'm sure that you would like to get back to your reading..."

"Goodbye, Luna. Try not to be too loud once you get back to your room."

"It would be nice if you could go one day, just one without...!"

I snicker and go back to my book.

---

"Hey, glad you could join us."

Asuma gently pats me on the shoulder as I reach him. I'm still officially off duty for now, but I wanted to go one of the jounin meetings and get up to speed. This is the first one since the invasion, and they're not called more than once a month in normal times. It's also not a requirement to go unless it's ordered by the Hokage, or there's an emergency situation in the village. This is because of overlapping mission times, required rest periods, and so on. But most people make an effort to come out anyways, both for social and logistical reasons.

I'm not very interested in drawing attention to my arm. Light sweaters help cover it a little, so I've chosen one for the day. Underneath it is a cute shirt that I picked up earlier. It's very glittery and spells out 'bad' in western cursive.

"Today's meeting should be good. They might be handing out medals or whatever, I dunno. The old man was light on details. Kurenai's inside already."

"Shall we, then?"

"Yeah." Asuma walks ahead of me and inside the building. It's not a terribly fancy place, but it looks less boring than the standby station. Who wants to sit there all day? There are too many things to do to sit around on a soft bench and look at plants for eight or ten hours a day. Though meditation does a body good, and it helps increase chakra levels...

The room we enter is fairly large, with soft carpet and plenty of cushions available for people to sit on. It's a pretty casual atmosphere, and the room is dressed up in reds and greens to evoke feelings of the village, and of the Land of Fire in general. We, after all, are among its most elite guardians.

"Hey, you guys finally made it in." Kurenai waves us over and we move a few cushions to sit near her. Kakashi is, as usual, by himself reading one of his favourite books. I wonder if he's read the spin-off book too.

"Yeah. Anything important coming up?" Asuma asks as he sits down. He lights up a cigarette, which is allowed here. Kurenai doesn't make too much of a fuss unless it's a special occasion, or they're going to be in the orbit of small children. Asuma apparently doesn't smoke while doing certain lessons or drills, and he doesn't do so when he's taking on a serious task. He seems laid back enough since I see him smoking all the time, then. Good for him.

"Nothing. There's a women's association meeting that they wanted Lili to be aware of."

"I wonder what they want with me all of a sudden."

"Are you really wondering?"

"Of course not," I say with a snort. "They can wait on me until the promised time. I'll have to speak with Luna and see what the situation there is..."

"She's not a part of it already?"

"Luna isn't a fan of the tension. Or the rigid sorts of routines they apparently have going on. The backbiting is a given, not the worst thing in the world, but a hassle she and I can easily live without. What about you, Kurenai?"

"Bunch of uptight princesses. Hard pass."

"I thought as much. There are things I have to deal with regarding Hyuuga as well..."

"You're not thinking about going after Hiashi, are you?"

"No, no. Nothing as foolish as that. I've learned a lot about him from outside sources...there are things that I would like to discuss, but I have control of the situation. I've acquired a cute little sister, you know."

"Little sister..." Kurenai thinks for a moment. "You mean Hanabi?"

"Yes. She's adorable, isn't she?"

"Really. I thought you'd want to murder her on sight."

"I thought the same at first, but...things have changed in the past while. She and Hina are closer than it seems. I plan to make use of my connection to her in the future. It won't just be that, since I do like her, but it's not right to waste an opportunity like that."

She shakes her head.

"Man. It's no wonder you got promoted so fast," Asuma says with a chuckle. "If you can change the Hyuuga, you'll be a legend no matter what you do. The ladies won't be able to keep their hands off you."

I smile at the thought. "Well. That sounds delightful enough."

"Good morning, good morning. I hope everyone is well today."

The Hokage walks in with Shikaku Nara trailing behind him. He sits on the elevated section near the back of the room, on top of a large and soft chair that has a back rest. Then he sets his hat down and cracks his neck. Shikaku sits to the right of him with a book in one of his hands. This feels like a much more relaxed type of meeting; the general meetings are more structured from what I remember, likely because we want to set a good example for the junior shinobi. This lot is trusted with enough important things that we can have more casual conversations.

Everyone moves from their small groups and forms into a bigger one with their cushions, sitting down and facing the Hokage as he looks through the scroll in his hands. He smokes from his pipe freely.

"First order of business should be...the commendations."

"Might as well do them with everyone else for solidarity's sake," a voice calls from behind me. Everyone sounds their agreement and the Hokage nods.

"Done, then. The ceremony will take place later in the month, so we will organize it to that end. We still have several of the point defence missions captained by chuunin. I mean to keep that in place for the next month or two. Any objections to that?"

Everyone indicates that they're okay with it, and the old man nods again while making notes.

"So noted. Next on the list is...national relations. Shikaku should have news regarding that."

"Yes, sir. We need to talk about what's happening with the Hidden Sand right now. They've offered some of their services to support us with the initiative against the Hidden Sound, and have been helping with the aftermath as much as they could so far. However, we do want to lock in new agreements and bring their spheres closer to our own. Not in the sense of a hostile takeover, but something that will make them more of a malleable ally in the future. We have a few areas of interest we want to look into, and naturally those will take the form of survey missions. So those will result in more secretive work and potentially higher threat levels..."

"Within Wind Country, yes?" I ask.

"We're thinking of many different places, especially when it comes to projects like gold extraction. Because of the Fourth Kazekage's influence in that sector, Sand has an interest in keeping themselves at or near the top of that list. There are also private influences we have to consider. I think you're aware of the Sugita Family, Lili?"

"I've heard those names before, yes. If they're contacting us, there must be an immediate problem they want fixed."

"That's very much it. We're looking into short term missions to help ease the current pressure on Sand, in exchange for certain resources and arrangements that we can use later. The details on those will be forthcoming, but I think we can start to discuss some of what is definitely going to happen right now, and over the course of the next few meetings," Shikaku says.

The discussion starts from there. There is some talk about trying to not trigger the other nations into reacting to these new developments, especially the Hidden Cloud which has been aggressively gathering arms for an age now. Channels are being closely monitored according to Shikaku and Inoichi. It's not going to prevent us from being aggressive as the Cloud's sabre-rattling has remained such. Their gamble to try and kidnap Hinata under cover of darkness is remembered as if it took place no more than a day ago, and contributes to some of the current political climate between the two villages. It seems that my upcoming mission to find the Hokage new aides will take on a new level of importance, then.

Decisions regarding the Hidden Sound are being made on the upper levels. Some security missions will need to be run in the next while, and jounin leading platoons of chuunin and genin will do. The situation also provides an opportunity for chuunin to cut their teeth in the field with the benefit of lower risk levels. There will be an opportunity for people to request missions first based on seniority, then the remaining spots will be filled by everyone else. In the case that there are open spots, people will be randomly selected to fill them. The distance away from home means that some of these will be lengthy tours; I expect only a few of the jounin to take them, with the remaining spots being filled by special jounin and senior chuunin.

There are smaller updates, like our trade route management, interactions with government officials, supply chains, and so on. Everything is stable for now, and it's thanks to our efforts against the invaders. Limiting the damage to important buildings, reducing casualties, and establishing dominance helped a lot. Most important was the fact that the old man ended up taking care of the problem himself, a boost to his reputation and that of the village's that will be felt for a long while. The God of Shinobi was still active enough in his age, and a potent force when it came to the balance between the Five Powers. General questions follow. Shikaku is making promises to improve the quality of life for jounin, including incremental pay raises and bonuses for certain mission types. Public reports are scanned, as well as complaints. We go over these and review proper conduct as well as the correct ways to handle these scenarios in the future, if they were mishandled.

"The frequency of these meetings may change, depending on what happens in the next few weeks," Hiruzen says. "We may have a longer gap until the next one. You will be informed in the usual manner, of course. Thank you for your time. A copy of the minutes will be sent by mail, and as always you can see Shikaku if you have any further questions. Please, enjoy the rest of your day."

Everyone stands and bows towards the Hokage before putting away their cushions and dispersing. There are a few of the clan heads here, but not all of them. I'm assuming the Hyuuga that were here will report the important information to Hiashi in person. Choza and Inoichi were present, though that's expected since Shikaku was here in his capacity as Jounin Commander. I make a mental note to call Emi about her dealings with the Sugita Family in Sand...and about what's happening to Kobayashi Rice in Sound Country. I don't expect anything dramatic to go on, but there has definitely been some sort of impact on the family business with the nearest hidden village gone.

"Good afternoon to you all."

I raise my head to see Erika approach our little group and bow politely. She's as calm and composed as ever. Her outfit is interesting, though. Today she wears a flat black choker around her neck, and a relatively normal looking outfit consisting of a shirt and jeans. Her hair is the same puffy consistency as before.

"Afternoon, Erika. Hope you've been resting up," Asuma says.

"I have been, Lord Asuma. Thank you for worrying about me."

"Hey, remember what I said. Just Asuma is fine, alright? My old man is the one who should be addressed all formal-like."

"Yeah, we don't want his ego to swell up too much," Kurenai says with a smile.

"Oi..."

"Miss Kurenai, it's nice to see you as well."

"Likewise. Did you need something from us, Erika?"

"If I'm not intruding...I would like to speak to Lilith for a while. It wouldn't be anything serious, or invasive with regards to privacy. If the three of you are busy, I can ask at another time."

Asuma and Kurenai look at each other for a moment, then at me.

"It's fine," I say. "I wanted to have a chat with Erika myself. This way, you two can enjoy some alcohol without worrying about minors."

"Thoughtful of you," Kurenai says. "We'll find some time to hang out later in the week, then. Sound good?"

"Very much so. We'll see you two later. And remember, don't get too frisky in public."

"You know, you've got a big mouth on you-"

"C'mon, Kurenai. Lili, Erika, we'll see you kids later." Asuma shakes his head and chuckles as he leads Kurenai by the shoulder. They start arguing in their usual manner before disappearing down the road.

"Thank you for accommodating me," Erika says.

"It's among the least of things I can do. Now, did you have somewhere you wanted to go?"

"There's a place nearby that sells western hamburgers. They were quite delicious the last time I went."

"Excellent. I am a bit hungry, and meat does sound nice today. Shall we?"

"Yes." We head a few blocks away from the meeting hall and towards a side street with a few restaurants spaced out evenly. Most serve local fare, except for the one that stands out immediately with its signage. I remember that these tubes are filled with gases that react to electricity, or something like that. In any case, it's a striking display; the lights bend and curve around the windows and above the entrance, making twisting shapes and forming into letters like the ones that say 'open' and the numbers that indicate the business hours. The inside isn't as flashy, but manages to be captivating with how clean, neat, and bright everything is. Leather seating and sparkling table tops.

Erika slides into one side of the booth that we've picked, and I sit across from her. A cute waitress in a hoop skirt comes to serve us, and I pick a soda and milkshake to drink. Erika gets the same and she thanks us before scooting off.

"So. Was there something specific you wanted to talk to me about?" I ask her.

"Nothing like that. I hope that it's not an issue."

"No, no. Not at all. I was simply wondering. Asuma mentioned something about you resting, have you been well since your last mission?"

"There was a bit of soreness. The opponents were somewhat difficult to approach, and some had to be taken out with lethal strikes. The mission was successful however, and a remote base was established after all threats were cleared from the area."

"Ah. We spoke about staffing for that section earlier at the meeting."

"Did the jounin meeting go well? I planned to attend, but had other work to take care of. Lord Hokage sends me the minutes from each meeting so that I can be properly prepared."

"It did go well. It was quite relaxing, actually. I could easily attend them at a rate of once per month. Just the usual updates on the village, and a push for mission aid to the Hidden Sand. They're in a precarious position these days."

"I have heard as much." The waitress comes back with our drinks and asks us for our meal orders. Erika orders for us both - a bacon cheeseburger and curly fries. That sounds quite good. I sip at my milkshake and sigh with satisfaction.

"Very good. I'll be sure to return to this place. The aesthetic is pleasing in many ways."

"I assume you're not referring to the decor alone," Erika says flatly.

"I would be remiss to see the beauty of the human element and pay it no mind. The dining experience is never hurt by a pretty face, you know."

"I agree with you."

"You've always seemed the agreeable sort." I give Erika my attention. "Shall we get to know each other better? I'm sure you have questions for me."

"I do. I...fear that they might be awkwardly formatted," she says evenly.

"I have no reason to judge you, darling. Ask away."

"Yes." She sips at her soda briefly. "These are related to current events."

"I see. Please, go on."

"The problem with Sasuke Uchiha...his ambitions and other related items. Have you come upon a solution to that as of yet?"

"Mm...more or less. There's work being done for Lord Hokage within the next few days that will take care of that."

"What kind of work?"

"Selecting special aides for him. I want to find women of exemplary talent and potential to be at his side. He does need to be pushed around from time to time, and both of us are too busy to do so regularly. Isn't that right?"

"It is. You are very perceptive, Lilith."

"Hm. I try," I say with a smile.

"I am pleased to hear these things...even as much as I am annoyed by his actions, I would rather not cut down that boy unless it was strictly necessary. Situations like that have many hidden complexities."

"Indeed."

"Has that contingency been discussed?"

"Yes, it has been. I can accept that much...I have my doubts that once he's told, he will try to test it without substantial help."

"Lord Shimura's elements?"

"I could only assume so."

"Hm. What if you and I..."

"Came to meet with Sasuke at the same time in one of these situations?"

"Yes."

"I would try to stop you, of course. I wouldn't consider fighting...but it would be worth trying to change your mind."

"I think you could be persuasive enough to stay my hand, Lilith."

"You think so? Very flattering, I must say."

"Oh. Thank you." She puts her head down and blushes for a moment before composing herself. "Sasuke...you strive to protect him for the sake of Naruto Uzumaki, isn't that correct?"

"It is."

"Do you...love him?"

"Very much."

"I see. Love...it can make people do extraordinary things. Even more extraordinary than thought possible. It would seem abstract to most people...the kind of love that makes you do things for others, and love people without wanting to take from them. The sort of relationship that is lovely and pure. I greatly admire something like that." She pauses a while before sipping at her milkshake. "Do you have siblings?"

"Well, not by blood. But I love them more than anything. I have four sisters now, and another sibling on the way."

"Four..."

"Yes. Ane-ue, Luna, Hina, and Hanabi."

"I see. You've created a family with your unwavering spirit, and those strong bonds forged with pure love and affection. It sounds beautiful."

"It is, very much so."

"I want to show you something. Is it okay?"

"Yes, but I should be asking you that."

"I simply didn't want to impose." Erika reaches into one of her pockets and takes out a small card. She traces a seal on it, and then in a small puff of smoke, a stack of photos appears. She spreads them out on the table in front of us. "These are my most treasured people. My mother and sister."

"Oh..." I pick up one of the photos. There's a woman with a slender figure, wearing a long and colourful dress. There are two snow white ears on top of her head, the same colour as her long hair, and she has cat-like brown eyes. Her long tail is wrapped around the girl sitting in her lap, a small and cute darling who has feathery hair like ivory, and is wearing a dress with all the colours of the rainbow. Her eyes are the same as Erika's. "Might you tell me their names?"

"My mother is named Tomoyo. My sister is named Frederica."

"Your little sister is adorable. And your mother is gorgeous. Little wonder you've turned out to be such a beauty."

"Your compliments are much appreciated," Erika says with a smile. "And I hoped you would say that about my mother."

"Mm. Even things like wishing I were born a few years earlier so that I could court her?"

"Things like those, yes. It's high praise coming from someone as refined as yourself."

"You do stroke my ego nicely," I say, laughing lightly. "I didn't expect you to be so charming, Erika. Life's surprises are lovely like that." I pick up another one of the photos and look at it. "They send you pictures often, then."

"Small packages, often with snacks and little trinkets. Sometimes there's clothing of various types, as my mother sews and my younger sister is learning quickly from her. My favourites are the little bracelets that lock together once you arrange them correctly. They've sent them the past few months..."

"That's so beautiful. I love seeing things like this. Family is important, and such a beautiful thing."

"It is."

Our meals arrive and we pause our conversation to receive them. The aromas are delightful, and I savour the first bite of my cheeseburger. Oh, it's so decadent. I can't get enough.

"Mm-hm...these are superb flavours. My sincere compliments to the chef, not many can cook this well. I will definitely find my way back here," I say as I wipe my mouth with a napkin. Taking a sip of soda afterwards, it just feels like these two things are meant to go together, as if it were the will of the universe. So refreshing. This really might become a habit.

"It really is good." Erika seems relaxed enough while she eats, though one can't tell immediately from looking at her face. We decide to finish off our burgers before continuing our conversation.

"Ah. That's good. So it looked like you had something else on your mind, before we started eating," I say as I take another sip of soda.

"You forged a new family while here in the Leaf. If it's not too much to ask...what became of your old one?" Erika asks me.

"Well...my father doesn't think much of my career choice, and was hardly present anyways even when I was spending time at home, within the mansion. His name is Leonidas. The type of man who marries into the wife's family and works his way into their good graces, somehow. That's how he got control of Kobayashi Rice."

"The CEO."

"Yes."

"And your mother...you're separated from her?"

"She passed away a few years ago. Five or so now."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Erika says quietly. "It's always hard to lose a parent...to overcome that kind of pain. My father died a long time ago as well. It was what triggered my initial move to Leaf. Frei...she couldn't handle the climate, or something here, and so Mom decided it was best to go back. But I was growing up well here. I wouldn't have minded if she took me with her...but she wanted the best for me. She still does, and always will. This is a place that accepts people like me, and it would have accepted someone like her if she could stay. If Frei gets healthy enough, they might re-settle after all. It would just take a letter to the Hokage to get everything started."

"I'm sure you're looking forward to that."

She nods. "Very much so. My father's name was unusual, even for the area. It was Griffin. Mom said everyone called him Griff instead. I suppose...you can get a sense of his personality from the sound of his name. Rough and masculine. He was a good shinobi. He worked hard, he was respected by others...for the most part, I mean to say."

"Your mother's heritage was a point of contention."

"Yes. He was fatally wounded on a certain mission that I don't have the details of. My mother hasn't been told much either, even after all of these years. The mission was completed, but we as a family saw none of the benefits of it. My father's presence had shielded us from discrimination and harm, and once it disappeared...it became very hard to live in the Hidden Cloud. Life became difficult. My mother did her best for us."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Things like that are so unfair, and yet..." I sigh.

"What about your mother? What was she like?"

"Her name was Caroline. Caroline Rothschild. This hair of mine that I'm so proud of now came directly from her. She was certainly a eccentric sort of woman, filled with energy and wisdom." I smile at the memory of her. "Even now, I remember her so vividly. Like...I can reach out and touch her if I try hard enough, even if it's far from the truth. My father gave me my name, but my mother was the one that named me."

Erika nods in understanding. "I see. She gave you many things in the short time that you were together."

"She did. I..." I pause a moment. "I was there when she passed. We were together in her bed, and I watched her leave this world. A month earlier, she had become very sick. Those memories are...fuzzy, I think. As if there's something I'm meant to remember within them. But she was strong and brave. She fought until she could fight no more."

"I...see. That sort of memory..."

"It's something that I will carry with me forever. But I can sense your concern, Erika. I'm very much fine."

"If you're sure. I...understand that I have a certain disposition. But if you have need of me, I am always available if you choose to call. It's the least that could be done for someone so heroic."

"Thank you, Erika. I extend the same offer to you. And so you know, I don't mind your disposition at all. I think it's interesting."

"Is that so?"

"'Tis so. Besides, there's lots of appeal there. A beautiful young woman with a cool, unhurried look to her. Like an exquisite painting, or an elaborately crafted sculpture. Works of art, undisturbed by the noise or elements around them."

"Hm."

"Plus...it's even more delightful when you do show off those rare flashes of emotion. Like precious treasures meant for one person alone."

"I had not considered that sort of thing. I wonder if it's...an acquired taste of sorts."

"Perhaps." I finish my soda. "Is there someone on your mind?"

"Someone...I would like to be friends with. I think that I'm interested in that sort of thing. I don't want to say who it is, exactly. But you know this person well."

I nod. "That person might have an interest in you as well. You do carry that mysterious aura about you, you know. A simple approach will work best. You can also bond over work within the village itself."

"I see. Thank you for your advice."

"Of course. Ask as many questions of me as you desire."

"I will try not to impose, but thank you for the offer." A pause. "If it's not too much trouble-"

"It's not, Erika. Please, don't worry about such things while we're here," I say with a smile. "You know of me already. If I found you a bother, then I would have made an excuse to leave, as a lady of my stature does."

"I see."

"Far from asking you to transform into a wild creature with no filter when we meet, I want you to feel comfortable."

"Yes. I find that I am...an awkward person of sorts in these times. When I thank you for accommodating me, I really do mean it. It's very nice to talk to someone like this, and not have it end up as a prelude to work-related discussion. It is simply something I'm not very used to."

"In your own time, and at your own pace. Rest assured, you are a wonderful companion, and will only become more so in time."

"Thank you." She smiles that cute, subdued little smile of hers. I can see why Ino is so interested, even if she's set on denying it at this stage. "I wanted to hear about the mission from you, Lilith. Hearing about your condition and that of Sasuke...I could only wonder about the battle that took place between you."

"Easily done." I bite into one of the curly fries and nod. Not bad at all. "Would you like to hear about everything from the beginning?"

"Yes, please."

"Very well. So, we started our discussion with the formation that we were going to use in pursuit," I say to her. "As you know, there were precautions that had to be taken, considering the breakdowns of the enemy's abilities, potential movement speed, so on and so forth."

"Yes, of course. In those cases there are two viable options when considering formation."

"That's right. Shikamaru and I came to that same conclusion. We chose the single line formation and optimized it using the information we had on hand. Fortunately for us, our group had such great flexibility that..."

 

[FortePlus]

So like this story is already pretty long I think? These things always get away from me and makes them harder to finish. There's actually a significant amount of content to get to so if you like that then great.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's been reading and commenting, challenging me at certain points and just being good people. This is a lot more liked than I expected it to be, given the sort of niche within a niche it occupies. That might be the low self confidence speaking. Meh.

Anyways I hope you all have fun following what's up next, as you've probably noticed our trajectory by now. Questions and comments are welcomed and encouraged. Blessings, y'all.

 

[nyktos]

These almost 300k words sneaked up on me, tbh. 300k is a lot but in your story it i haven't felt like it too much, i really like the pacing.

 

[FortePlus]

These almost 300k words sneaked up on me, tbh. 300k is a lot but in your story it i haven't felt like it too much, i really like the pacing.

Click to shrink...

That's the sort of feeling I've been trying to hit with each chapter. Like the average length at the beginning was smaller but it felt like enough, then I started getting into it and deciding at some point that it was enough at coincidentally 4,000 words a chapter or so. The rhythm is good and seeing the positive response to it is good too.

What helps is the earlier world crafting, like how people have noted that Lili does stuff off screen so you as the reader can get into the flow of things. It's really satisfying to watch fall into place.

 

[AgelessCharade]

I think I'll go ahead and return those thanks to you. Both because (I think I've said this before) this is one of my favourite stories, and because I'm not exactly an interactive person (because I always forget/am too lazy to log in, and because anxiety and people) but you've always been really nice and encouraging whenever I do say something.

Also holy fuck, have I really been following a 300k story from the start? I genuinely can't think of a single other time that's happened, I always find stories partway through or they get abandoned.

 

[FortePlus]

Also holy fuck, have I really been following a 300k story from the start? I genuinely can't think of a single other time that's happened, I always find stories partway through or they get abandoned.

Click to shrink...

Well your support has been pretty great so yeah. Glad I could make your day(s). I'm not the nicest guy in the world but I try, I guess.

And yeah, it's definitely something to follow it from the beginning. I thought I would have gone further in less words but there's always something to flesh out in the outlines. So it goes. Just a matter of getting to the end of it now (which won't be for a while yet - I expect the word count to at least double).

 

[Malcanthet]

Well your support has been pretty great so yeah. Glad I could make your day(s). I'm not the nicest guy in the world but I try, I guess.

And yeah, it's definitely something to follow it from the beginning. I thought I would have gone further in less words but there's always something to flesh out in the outlines. So it goes. Just a matter of getting to the end of it now (which won't be for a while yet - I expect the word count to at least double).

Click to shrink...

So we are going to be posting four chapters over the weekend yes? ::: P

 

[FortePlus]

So we are going to be posting four chapters over the weekend yes? ::: P

Click to shrink...

We just might
You're getting at least two once I finish my passes and post something finally.