Date: May 3rd, 13 years following the Kyuubi's attack
Days since Teams 11 & 13 reached Mizumiyo Palace: 15
Time: 11:30 PM
With the departure of the Sunagakure ninja, Lord Mizuzaki the 27th had shortly thereafter called an early end to the evening, which had been far more eventful than anyone had expected it to be...
The newly elevated Daimyo Muso had announced that his sisters would be moving with him to the 3rd District Palace following the conclusion of the Convocation, which – due to all the unexpected changes in the Kuge – was ending far earlier than planned. Kanna and Kagura had always known their father viewed them as little more than future baby-makers to be bartered with once they were of legal age. At least with their brother, at least they were guaranteed a say in what happened to themselves.
The excited squealing of Kodansyo's sisters – whom had been escorted out of the ballroom before the revelation of Reiyuriko's choice – had echoed through the Imperial Family's suites for nearly an hour before tapering off from sheer exhaustion. The noise had been enough to wake Takahashi from his drug-induced slumber and the blonde young man was understandably surprised to learn that their mission had been at least partially successful.
Teams 11 and 13, without their Jonin - who had left them to report to Konoha and receive updated orders - were gathered in the quarters assigned to Keitaro Urashima as the female Hata caught everyone up on all the parts the others had missed. The storytelling duties fell on the swordsman as she was the only one who'd seen all the pieces and could put it together like the puzzles she so enjoyed.
Sho Inugami was watching the woman he loved keep the others enthralled with her storytelling efforts while in the process of removing the casts from her teammate's legs. At Hyuuga-sensei's order, only after Takahashi was released from a deception that was no longer necessary, was the medic to restore function to Haruno's arms.
The medic's eyes kept flicking over to Motoko, slowing the process of breaking the casts… He did so for two reasons: one was the look of increasing irritation on Haruno's face - which was doing minor wonders for his dim mood. The second was because, even without Hyuuga-sensei confirming it, Sho knew full well what the morning would bring. He wished he could be as clueless as the others were and pretend that what was coming wouldn't for a few more hours, at least, but such was the curse of the ultra-analytical mind he'd been born with.
The love of Inugami's life was finally answering the question that had been vexing Nakahito since her declaration that he'd solved the mystery of Reiyuriko-hime's disappearance…
"That's when Nakahito-san called Sho-s... -kun asking about the flowers that had been delivered to Reiyuriko-hime." You could practically see the hearts of excited romance in the eyes of both kunoichi. "They were Kodansyo's invitation to elope and be with him."
"Holy crap..." The young man who'd cracked their investigation wide open without realizing it breathed in shock. "No wonder you got all flustered when I asked!"
"But why send the arrangement three separate times?" Raiden asked his twin cluelessly. "I mean she went in the end, why make him ask three times?"
His sister rolled her eyes, as if the answer was obvious. "I happened to ask that when I met her at the fertilizer shed as we walked to the ballroom." She extended a finger. "The first time he'd sent the flowers was right after his exile was declared and she'd been hoping to appeal her father's decision. That appeal, we realize now, was blocked by her traitorous cousin who must have influenced the courts somehow... You can bet she and Fukamichu will be taking a closer look at that in the next few weeks." She added a second digit. "The second time was three months ago, right after Kodansyo returned to Kawa City with the Sand ninjas..." There was a slight growl of irritation in her voice at the thought of her nemesis from Sunagakure. "...And she feared that the guards would catch him."
"And by the third time, my cousin..." Kimiko chimed in - a slight squeal of excitement in her voice, "...Was fed up with Ojisan's deteriorating condition and had given up hope of exonerating him by following the rules."
[ You mean that the Princess's scent I picked up on the woman wearing that stinky fox pelt was the real thing?! This means..! ] A stunned Kyouran mewled excitedly.
"Apparently so, Kyouran; it means I fell for the old double fake-out trick." Takahashi said glumly.
[ Hmm? Well, yeah, I guess it means that, too, Pack Brother.] Kyouran looked at his partner in confusion. [ It means I am officially the best tracker in the village! There's no way Akamaru do better than that! ]
Inugami snorted as he freed the blonde ninja's other leg with a loud snap of plaster. "Your human clearly needs to learn that only one out of every ten thoughts in a cat's head are about anyone other than themselves."
[ I feel I should be offended by that, White Pelt, but you still scare me too much... ] The panther rumbled in annoyance before curling up into a ball.
"Oh, thank the Kami... Is it my turn now?" Nakahito Haruno asked, shaking his still useless arms plaintively.
Inugami shook his head wryly. "Haruno, the effects of Hyuuga-sensei's attack would have worn off before I finished removing the first of 'Hashi's casts… If you'd stopped feeling sorry for yourself for five minutes and tried to use your arms, you'd find they work."
"But I can't feel them!" The red clad young man complained.
"The numbness you're feeling is from your overstimulated chakra network; only time can heal that." Inugami said, sending a test thought to Motoko and getting a glint of mirth in return.
"Yeah, right. I still can't use my…" The red clad ninja protested. With a stealthy silence that would make Ryoushi prood, Motoko snuck up and poked Nakahito in the lower back unexpectedly, eliciting a... "Gaaaah!"
The sneak attack spooked Haruno enough that his arms reflexively jerked up until he nearly smacked himself in the face. Kimiko - who'd seen Hata coming without giving it away - giggled at the confused look on Haruno's face.
"The HELL, Motoko-chan..?" He demanded as he looked over his shoulder, feeling a little betrayed by the normally reserved young woman. "He grabs your butt, the two of you make out for fifteen minutes, and suddenly you've joined Inugami's crusade to drive me insane?!"
Both Motoko's and Sho's faces flushed deep red; neither had expected THOSE words to come from Nakahito's mouth! They certainly didn't expect anyone to know about THAT…
"Damn it, 'Hito!" Kimiko chided her friend. Haruno, at least, had the decency to look apologetic – he hadn't meant to spill the beans like that!
"M-m-m-make out?!" The flame-haired kunoichi stammered in her usual shy fashion. "We-we just… Just…"
That's when she noticed that both Kimiko and Nakahito were trying to resist the urge to break out into massive grins. Meanwhile, Raiden was doing his level best to not look at either his twin or the medic. The only ones that looked confused were Takahashi and Kyouran… But both of them were looking nervously between Inugami and the kunoichi.
"Does EVERYONE know?!" The female Hata squeaked, feeling a mixture of euphoria and horror. "HOW?!"
There was a long silence… Raiden, of course, wanted nothing more than to forget what he'd experienced through their bond. Neither of Sho's teammates could reveal how they knew without throwing Rai under the bus in the process. Lastly, Takahashi & Kyouran knew about the white haired teen's temper all too well and didn't want to antagonize Sho by admitting to Motoko what he knew they'd discovered the other day...
In the end, it was finally Inugami himself who spoke up.
"Motoko-sa," Kimiko's heart skipped a beat along with the swordsman's; tears of happiness for her two friends filling her eyes. ShoToko had not only sailed, but it was leading a god-damned armada! "…it honestly doesn't matter how they found out. They ALL know it's a private matter between the two of us." There was an unspoken menace in the tone of his voice that caused Kyouran's tail to fluff out like a bottle brush.
Itou nodded, recognizing Inugami's threat as being as protective of the flame-haired girl as Haruno was of her, giving the other kunoichi's hand a squeeze while smiling. "And we're ALL going to give you two the time and space to figure it out for yourselves. Right?!" The others nodded in agreement.
Before the group could think of a new topic of conversation, Miho Hyuuga and Okito Tanaka entered the suite.
"Oh, good, you're all still together and up. That will make this easier..." Okito said. "We just completed a conversation with Konoha. The Sandaime sends you all congratulations for making it through a complex mission."
Hyuuga spoke up next. "While the situation Team 13 finds itself in is unprecedented, Lord Hokage has ordered us to comply with the Land of Rivers legal system and to return once the matter is resolved."
"But the Exams!" Raiden protested.
Sho shot Motoko's twin a remarkably foul look before he sighed and silently turned to the nearby desk and began to write something on a piece of paper. Miho looked at the eldest Genin and then her eyes flickered over to the medic's crush, who looked as confused by Inugami's ire as the others did.
"Raiden…" Tanaka said firmly. "Only Team 13 is staying down here… Team 11 is returning home in the morning. It'll be tight, but we might get back before the enrollment window for the Exams closes." This elicited a cheer from the male Hata.
"W-w-what?!" Motoko Hata squeaked in dismay. Her green-eyed gaze saw Sho slump slightly forward; gripping the desk for support for a brief second before resuming what he was doing.
'Sho-sa… I'm leaving him here?!' The flame haired young woman thought in shock as Kimiko squeezed her hand again, this time comfortingly. 'And he knew already?'
"Someone needs to take the Rain Jonin's body to Inugami-sensei, Motoko-chan." Okito Tanaka said gently. "Our mission is done here, so of course we were going to be the ones tasked with that duty."
Miho Hyuuga had stepped over to Sho in the meantime. The raven haired woman placed a gentle hand on Inugami's shoulder, giving him a comforting pat as she addressed the others. She, of course, had seen the start of the tender moment between Hata and Inugami with her Byakugan and – although she didn't know what had triggered it or how long it has lasted as she'd averted her gaze – knew the two of them were in a vulnerable state at the moment.
"Even if we didn't have to deal with this legal quagmire, my Team has been disqualified from the Exams this time around." She said grimly as she looked at the rest of her team. Everyone in the room, save for Tanaka and Inugami, looked shocked by her announcement.
"What?!" Raiden complained; he'd been looking forward to squaring off again his sister's boyfriend in the tournament stage of the Exams! "Why?!"
"While Itou's action to trip the traitor in order to prevent him from escaping might have been justifiable, Haruno's excessive assault on Akechi wa Jubei and yourself was not." Okito explained to his exuberant Genin. "Since the first two stages of the Exams are a team exercise, the disciplinary review that he'll have when he gets home - made necessary by his actions - also eliminates the others from contention."
"Oh... Shit..! Sorry, Sho." Haruno said apologetically; horrified that his actions had affected the others. "My temper cost you the chance to go further... You too, Kimi."
Itou smiled at her friend. "It's fine, 'Hito."
"It's not that big a deal, Haruno." Inugami said flatly - his emotions focused elsewhere - as he finished what he'd been working on: a note to his father with the details of what he'd seen so Kurando would be ready for it. "The delay won't interfere with the continuation of my medical training program." He looked over at his teammate. "I'm exchange, you can make it up to me by visiting the therapist-nins when we get home to help you deal with your issues. Fair?"
Nakahito grimaced. "The therapy-nins? I had to deal with them after..." His voice cut off as he remembered the aftermath of losing his parents. Kimiko put her hand on his numb wrist and patted it until he looked at her and nodded. "Oh, fine, I suppose that's a fair exchange..."
Miho hid a slight smile. After what Haruno had done, a psychiatric evaluation would have been required to be recertified for action - something Sho, a medic who knew medical protocols inside & out, was well aware of - so by getting 'Hito to agree to it, albeit reluctantly, he at least wouldn't go into the session combatively...
"I'll go with you to see them, too, 'Hito." Kimiko said with a smile. Haruno looked at her; surprised shock evident on his face. Itou hated therapists even more than he did! "After what I've found out about my past, my family, down here, I've got some new baggage to unpack myself..."
A wan smile crossed Haruno's features. "Therapy buddies?" Itou giggled and nodded.
Sho smiled at his teammates as he rose to his feet and walked over to them. "And after you're both feeling better, we'll pull off becoming Chuunin during the Winter exams for sure!" Inugami said extending his hand to his team. Kimiko and Nakahito glanced at each other before nodding and clasping it in unison.
Team 13 looked to their Jonin.
"On my honor as a Hyuuga of the main family..." Miho-sensei, who was still in her slinky white dress with the purple accents, said as she walked over and put a gloved hand on top of her three Genins'. "I will do my best to get you ready for that." She glanced at Tanaka, remembering the words of Ryoushi that he'd shared with her. "And everything else that's coming your way."
As the team huddle broke hands, the medic-nin shot Motoko a dual-colored glance. He could see nervous anxiety in her features at the thought of having to leave him behind when they had FINALLY had a breakthrough in the emotional cold war that had kept them alone for so long...
Inugami's eyes flicked briefly in the direction of the security closet and then he raised one eyebrow. The kunoichi blushed slightly at his unspoken request, but smiled back with a miniscule nod. Okito Tanaka glanced back and forth between Inugami and his female Genin before smiling. While he was not yet aware of what was happening between the two Genin, he recognized the fact that the two were more relaxed than they had been up to this point.
"Team 11, you'd better go pack your bags; we leave for home at 8:30 tomorrow morning."
* * *
Time: 8:25 AM
A quartet of ninja close to Shao Fukamichu in age stood in the main plaza of Mizumiyo Palace, wearing the utterly forgettable but easily recognizable symbol for Tanigakure. Okito Tanaka, now dressed in his preferred attire, was discussing protocols and procedures for them to enter Konoha. It would take a fraction of the time to return home that it had to come down – two, maybe three days – since they wouldn't be escorting the slow royal carriage this time.
Takahashi was walking stiffly around the plaza, getting used to being able to flex his knees and ankles again after so many days trapped in those casts. Kyouran was keeping pace with his blonde human partner. Every now and then Rook and Knight's son would wince and stumble, but would then pick himself back up and resume. Inugami had repaired as much as he could, but he WAS still an apprentice, not a full doctor.
Raiden Hata stumbled down the Palace stairs. He had a haunted look to his features; as if he hadn't slept a wink. His right eye was swelling from the punch he'd taken from Nakahito Haruno the other day, but he could clearly still see out of it.
Okito finished his conversation with the Hidden Valleys team and turned to his Taijutsu specialist. "Jeez, Raiden. You look like hell..."
The normally rambunctious young man gave his instructor a sick to his stomach kind of smile. "Pretty sure I just lived through it, too, Sensei."
"Are you coming down with something? If you're sick we can stay one more day…maybe have Inugami take a look at..."
"NO!" Hata said with a manic fear that Tanaka had never witnessed from his student before. He then coughed, rubbing the left side of his neck self-consciously. "No, Sensei. If anything, I want to get as far away from here so I can have some peace in my own body for the next few weeks… Permission to wait at the bottom of the hill? Yeah, that should be far enough to be out of range…" The last part was spoken mostly to himself.
"Uh, sure..?" A confused Tanaka said; the look of relief on his Genin's face was peculiar to say the least. Raiden began to run as fast as his legs could go. "Raiden!"
The male Hata screeched to a stop. Figuratively and literally. "WHAT?!" The boy demanded, clearly in a bad mood.
Tanaka chuckled mentally. There HAD to be a story here that he was missing. He thumbed over his shoulder. "Home is that way."
Motoko Hata emerged from the Palace with Sho Inugami with just a few minutes to spare. A shudder rippled the whole length of Raiden's body when he saw them and he zipped between Tanaka and the Tanigakure ninja like a man on fire, leaping cleanly over the Blue Wall and disappearing from view.
Both Sho and Motoko looked emotional and bleary-eyed as they walked up to Tanaka. If they had seen Raiden and his odd reaction to them, they gave no sign of it. The Jonin noticed that both of them were flush and Motoko's collar was turned up to cover more of her neck than usual. Hata's mane of flaming red hair was tied back with a white ribbon and the otherwise unbound ponytail rested between her shoulder blades.
Inugami pulled out the black scroll holding the corpse of Akira Muto, handing it to Motoko's instructor along with the note he'd written last night. "Here, Tanaka-san; everything my father should need to know to safely perform the hand-off."
Tanaka glanced at the note. As expected, it was done in a cypher, but not one that the Jonin was familiar with. In fact, he didn't even recognize any of the symbols… It was like a completely different alphabet!
"It's the written form of my mother's native language." Inugami said simply at the Jonin's look of confusion. "My family members are probably some of the only people on this side of the continent that can read it."
"Ah." Okito said as a layer of diamonds wrapped themselves around the items to be delivered, ensuring that only Tanaka could access them.
Sho looked at Motoko, taking one of her delicate hands into his. "This is the job." He said, throat bobbing; fighting to stay strong through their goodbyes.
Hata responded by wrapping her arms around Inugami's neck and pulling him close. As she did so, her jacket shifted and Okito couldn't help but notice the hickey on the left side of his kunoichi's fair neck. "This is the job." She agreed reluctantly as tears dribbled down her cheeks.
After an eternal instant, Motoko released her hold and Sho gently, lovingly, wiped the tears from her face. "I'll see you in about a month. And I'll write."
"You'd better." She said sniffling. "And you'd BETTER be ready to pick this up where we're leaving it; no back-sliding on me, Sho Inugami!"
The medic-nin pressed his forehead to hers. "I will be… Motoko-sa." He promised before kissing her deeply for an eternal, perfect, moment. As their lips parted, Inugami disappeared with a pop of displaced air.
A few seconds later the kunoichi felt Sho's chakra surge as a narrow-funneled tornado erupted from near "Keitaro Urashima's" quarters; just barely visible from the entrance. The wind storm was fluctuating as wildly as Inugami's feelings at being separated colored his efforts. She could feel his irritation and grief and rage and love and hopes all being poured out in an effort to exhaust himself. It took a few minutes, but then the storm faded along with the medic-nin's chakra pulse.
"Oh, Sho-sa…" Motoko touched her lips with one hand, savoring the feel of Sho's touch for one last longing moment. She looked at her Jonin, fresh tears filling her eyes. "Tanaka-sensei? Please tell me it gets easier…"
Okito merely smiled sadly in response, pulling her into a warm hug. Hata buried her face in his chest, seeking - and finding! - comfort there. "I wish it did, Motoko-chan… I wish it did…"
* * *
Date: May 30th, 13 years following the Kyuubi's attack
Days since Teams 11 left Mizumiyo Palace: 26
Time: 10:30 PM
The worst traitor in the long history of the Land of Rivers, Akechi wa Jubei, sat in his cell, glumly contemplating a series of scratches that had taken him nearly a month of painstaking work to etch into the stone floor using a simple screw he had pried from the small bed that was the only feature of his cell.
Tomorrow was going to be the day of the trial. The traitor had swallowed what was left of his pride and met with the lawyer the white-haired bastard from Konoha had paid for just a few hours ago.
The lawyer had outlined the facts of the case, pointing out – as Akechi had known when he'd accused the two ninja of assault – that while he had a case, it was merely a delaying action. The court had already reviewed the footage from the Gala Ball and, even if they sided with Akechi – which was unlikely since the judges he'd bribed were in cells not far from his and the ones he'd blackmailed were on the prosecutor's witness list – both Mizuzaki the 27th and 28th were prepared with Imperial Pardons for the two ninja that had been guests of the royal family for nearly a month.
No, due process had already been performed and this trial was just intended to show the people that even the daimyo were subject to Imperial Justice.
Akechi was going to be the one left to face the music…
Unless…
"Come on, you damned snake!" The traitor cursed as he finished inscribing the reverse summoning sigil that he had prepared dozens of times over the last 30 years. "You got me into this fucking mess, now get me out of it!"
The glyphs flared and Akechi felt the world in freefall for a short eternity before being dumped on the rough rock ground of Ryuuchi Cave.
A massive blast of cigarette smoke washed over the traitor. "A damned snake, am I? Fu-fu-fu…"
Akechi wa Jubei took a deep breath of musty freedom. He looked up at the White Snake Sage's golden eyes, each orb nearly as big as he was, and scowled. "You LIED to me!"
"Oh, did I?" The Sage asked curiously. "And when did I do that?"
"You told me that the Rain would give me what I needed for my plan to succeed! But all they did was fuck everything up! You said that my destiny was unique, but what is unique about going to prison forever?"
"Fu-fu-fu… Silly man…" The Sage giggled, bringing her snout down to mere inches from the fallen daimyo's body. Her nasal slits were as big as his head. "If you think back to what I said, my EXACT words were 'for your plans to have the best outcome.'"
"Yes, the best outcome being my claiming what should have always been mine! You…" Akechi let out a shriek of pain as one of the Sage's sword-like fangs abruptly bit into his shoulder in a lightning-fast strike.
"Little man…" The Sage said sibilantly as Akechi wa Jubei's body began flooding with Senjutsu chakra that triggered a violent restructuring of the man's body. "At no point did I ever say you would SUCCEED in your goals! I merely needed to make sure that the Crimson Protector was delayed by his own rage long enough for the Diamond Turtle and Purple Stormruler to stop him…"
The semblance of a smile crossed the Sage's lipless face. "If not for my input, your wrathfully murdered corpse would have landed him in a Tanigakure prison... He needs to be in Konoha when my Best Disciple undermines the hopes of its next generation... He must betray the trust of the Older Survivor and the faith of the Man Cursed by the Masks; ensuring the backup plan is in place."
"But, my destiny..! Oh, Goddess!" The traitor shrieked in pain, doubling over as his form began to melt into that of a human-sized snake. There was a sickening PLOP as his arms fell to the ground.
"Oh, yes, Akechi wa Jubei, your destiny has been very unique… You are the only human in history to provide me and my people such delicious sacrifices merely in exchange for glimpses of the future; the least of my gifts. You are also the first human without the ability to mold chakra…" The Sage's coils wrapped around the snake with a human face, even as that began to distort into a proper serpentine appearance. "…To become my personal dinner!"
The massive snake struck, swallowing the beast that used to be Akechi wa Jubei whole.
"You really did all of that over thirty years for a mere snack?" A man with pale white skin and long black hair asked in amusement. "Although I must admit to enjoying being called your best disciple." He frowned. "But what is this about a backup plan? Surely Sarutobi won't be able to withstand my power backed with the Edo Tensei summoning of his former teachers and successor!"
"Ah, Orochimaru, there you are!" The White Snake Sage said as she felt her meal writhing pleasantly within her belly as her stomach acids began to dissolve him alive. "I wasn't fully sure you would get my message before you intercept the Yondaime Kazekage…"
"What's this about a backup plan?!" The Konoha traitor demanded.
"Relax, my Undying Snake… I was so focused on trying to fully divine the results of your plan that I almost missed something potentially useful, but it's nothing you need to concern yourself with… I have foreseen a state funeral as the result of your efforts, with Hiruzen Sarutobi's photo right in the middle of it, flanked by hundreds of others."
Orochimaru gave a cruel smile before scowling. "That there are enough survivors left alive to have a funeral is irritating…"
"Come now, Orochimaru… Even you know that when you stamp out a fire a few embers survive. Your plans will cause plenty of devastation… Mine will merely add to it. I can't resist striking at wounded prey, you know that…"
Orochimaru chuckled. "True enough. So long as Sarutobi dies suffering; that is the main goal as far as I'm concerned. Once he's dead the rest will follow soon enough…"
The White Snake Sage's eyes gleamed as she had flashes of the devastation to come, but said nothing further. This would be the first major trial of her future Best Disciple. She had a great many hopes riding on him for the sake of the future yet to be...
~•~ ~•~ ~•~
This concludes Naruto: Hidden Leaf Dragons, The Princess and the Shinobi.
Going forward, updates will come slower as we have passed the point where the original group disbanded, but fear not! Teams 11 and 13 both have a lot of story left to be told; we had storyboards into the start of the Fourth Great Ninja War and have since come up with ideas into the Boruto era!
The next Arc is The Chuunin Exams. We hope you'll come back for it when it's available!