[What's wrong?]-Matatabi
Veronica had dropped her mask for a while now. Her eyes were cold and calculating as they looked at the medic girl. Makino was her name.
'Her chakra... There's something wrong with it.'
No, perhaps it wasn't her chakra. Veronica activated her dojutsu solely based on instinct. It was a risky move as she was out in the open however, there was something wrong and she needed to know what. She blamed her ninja instincts for always telling her to look underneath the underneath for her curiosity.
Something happened which she hadn't planned.
Something was there which she didn't know of.
It was like a challenge to her, yet it also angered her. Perhaps it was because it was something she had no idea about. She couldn't believe that she had missed this particular person's chakra.
Taking in a breath to calm herself, she focused on the souls surrounding Makino.
'10. 6 are on the verge of moving on to the afterlife.'
There was nothing too odd about it. However, Makino's soul itself was a surprise to Veronica. It was almost like hers.
[What is going on Veronica?]-Matatabi
Veronica was reminded once again that Matatabi couldn't see the dead souls.
'She might be like me.'
Veronica could feel the different emotions Matatabi was radiating. This wasn't something they had completely forgotten. The possibility of someone else being like Veronica. However, with Veronica's kekkai genkai, there shouldn't be a 'maybe'.
Deciding to keep an eye on Makino, Veronica made a shadow clone and had it henge into a medic to try and befriend her while she observed from the shadows.
It was almost disappointing at how quickly Makino revealed the fact that she felt like she didn't feel like she belong in this world. But, what was more disappointing for Tobirama and Matatabi was the fact that Makino was the one behind her 'best friends' death. Apparently, Makino didn't know how to share her loved ones.
Veronica didn't know why but she almost felt killing Makino when she excitedly recited the story of how she made her best friend's father into an alcoholic, so that her best friend would come crying to her again.
So that Makino felt like she mattered.
So that Makino wasn't suffering alone.
Honestly, it was irritating. Veronica could only stare in disgust at how Makino's chakra vibrated from happiness as she recalled the incident.
In the end, after a week, she was able to confirm that although Makino's feelings and emotions from her past life had carried on with this one, her memories and such did not. She silently waved in goodbye to Makino.
[You're going to leave her as is?]-Matatabi
'No. I mean yes, for a while. I don't want her to go to waste.'
She put on a smile as she went back home to get some rest.
{If the plan doesn't succeed... They will die... How fun~}-???
She woke up with a scare. She didn't think she'd hear it again... So soon. Too soon.
Gulping, she tried to calm herself before getting up. It had been three weeks since she had met with Shisui. Since then, her team had been able to complete a few missions with Gai's team, sometimes Kurenai's team also joined. It was going fine. She didn't experience much improvement in herself but it was fine. She was still in a child's body which would take time to develop.
The missions with Gai's team/Kurenai's team were mostly escort missions, patrols in small areas of the village and sometimes they would play the role of messengers. Other than that, her team would usually only train and pick up a few D-ranks.
Now, it was time for her team to have an escort mission to complete on their own. This was when her preparations for the second part of the plan would start. She would need to secure information out of the village with this opportunity given to her.
Freshening up, she made breakfast and didn't wait for Kakashi to wake up. She had already informed him earlier and they had bought everything she needed.
If she bought a mask looking like Kakashi's, well, he didn't need to know.
It was a fairly peaceful day without a lot of noise around the village. It was rare for such a sight in the usually bustling place. She guessed that might have been because of the 'mourning day' coming soon. Although she only cared about the fact that, that was Naruto's birthday. She wondered what she could get him as a gift. She already did give him a lot of things on his previous birthdays so her list was shortening, and she wanted to give him something he could use.
For now, she needed this mission to be done before the day.
"Hey Veronica!"-Tanaka
He was confused for a second when none of their teammates had arrived. According to the time he'd received, they should've arrived by now.
"Did you call me earlier...?"-Tanaka
He had a small frown and his voice seemed a bit nervous. After he'd realized just who she was and where he'd known her from, he had been a bit scared of her. Maybe it was because she never tried to seem approachable as well.
Her face held some sort of childishness but her smile didn't reach her eyes. It never seemed to reach her eyes when she was with them.
He had an uneasy smile on his face at that. There had been a moment of doubt at his teammates in his heart but, he ho- he knew that they were all loyal ninja of the village. They wouldn't be doing anything bad. His hopeful eyes seemed like they were slowly tearing away.
She had crushed all of that hope.
"V-veronica... W-wha-t...?"
He couldn't form his words. He didn't know what to ask.
They'd spend months with them.
They had laughed together. They had been through fights together.
He'd trusted them to watch his back.
They wouldn- no, they couldn't do something that would harm him, or the village.
She could feel Shisui's chakra move towards the Danzo's residence. He didn't seem to be paying attention to whatever she and Tanaka were doing.
She showed absolutely no emotions and even her chakra was unmoving.
She didn't care.
He realized that maybe a bit too late.
No, perhaps, she just didn't care what happened to this team. He had seen how she would be able MAKE him watch how different her small smiles would be with this team and her family. It was as though she wanted him to know that his team was untrustworthy.
He should've known. No- He knew. He just didn't want to believe it.
He didn't want to believe that these people were monsters.
He wanted to have a normal team.
He wanted to dream.
"W-why... Are you telling me this...?"-Tanaka
Veronica could swear she felt Matatabi roll her eyes at that.
--- --- --- --- ---
[A/n: How do you all want Danzo to die?]
Minato didn't know how many times he'd fainted[?] now. He would find himself awake at times before his consciousness would slip again. He figured it had been months by now, he ignored the small whispering that he could've been years by now.
How had the village coped with the mess the Kyuubi left behind?
Had the third come out of retirement to take the hat and groom another candidate for the hokage?
Had Kakashi been able to piece himself together again after Kushina's death? Was he going to be the next Hokage?
How was his son, Naruto, doing?
He had many questions. He dreaded finding the answer to them yet also hoped that things would've been fine. He tried to console himself with small things.
He tried to tell himself that Kakashi would've adopted Naruto once he got his hands on Minato or Kushina's will. Even if he didn't for some reason, as his son was now a jinchuuriki and things could've been hidden from both of them to keep them safe, Jiraiya was there. He'd take care of him for Minato. Even Mikoto would be able to let her son play with Naruto with Jiraiya was there.
Right. Everything would be fine.
He ignored the small voice whispering that how could anything be fine if Kushina wasn't there.
Saki.
He wondered if she ever got a proper funeral. He ignored the voice in his head saying his wife never got the Uzumaki clan funeral she deserved. He wondered if someone had even bothered to place flowers on her grave. He reminded himself that Kakashi would, even if he barely knew her, but, he would.
He wondered if his son hated him for not being there for him.
But, he could feel himself holding onto his conscious for longer periods of time now. Maybe everything was going to be fine?