Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ After the Dream ❯ Bless the Broken Road I ( Chapter 29 )

~b~ normal story

~B~ flashbacks

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Bless the Broken Road

Rin sighed and glanced back over as Naruto continued to pack. She was lying on his bed with her head hanging off the side as he walked around the room humming to himself. “You're going to be so bored while we're gone, aren't you?” Naruto asked, turning to look at her with a grin.

“Hush you and finish up. Sho and Takara will be here tomorrow morning and you have to be ready,” she told him, sitting up enough to look out the window. It was already past midnight and he had just started.

“I've got all night to pack,” Naruto assured her.

“Ah, so you intend to walk to all the way to Hifukidake after a night of no sleep?” Rin asked wryly.

“I've done stupider things,” Naruto replied. The sound of snickering floated in through the doorway.

“I know neither of you are asleep,” Rin called out. The snickering turned into all out laughter. “Hush or you'll wake Nakera up.”

“Nakera's down stairs; she won't be able to hear us,” Sakura called back, as the sound of feet in the hall way caught their ears. Naruto stopped packing and looked up to smile at Sakura as she walked into the room. A moment later, Sasuke joined them as well.

“Do I really need all of this?” Naruto asked, looking around the room. They had barely been in Kumoma a year and a half, but he already had nearly as much stuff as he had had in Konoha.

“You could be in Hifukidake up to two years. The least you'll be there is six months. Whatever happens you might as well take it all with you,” Rin told him.

“Seriously, what are you going to do while we're gone?” Naruto asked.

“I'll find out when Sho gets back. I was gonna go with you to speak with Lady Shijimi, but with Nakera sick I can't leave her with someone else. While I was in Konoha Lady Shijimi mentioned that they had a favor they needed me to do, so I'm sure that will take up some time,” Rin assured him.

“So it could be two years before we see you again?” Sakura asked pathetically, lying down next to Rin.

“Not likely. We'll at least come visit on your birthdays, probably a lot more often. Sho will be in and out of the city, so you'll see him frequently. Kakashi and Anko are “favorites” of the Daimyou, so they get sent on a lot of the missions that concern him and his family. Itachi is likely to be with one of them,” Rin told her. “With Takara around and with all the work you're going to be doing, the time will fly.”

“I still don't see why we can't just stay here with you,” Sakura mourned.

“Because the Daimyou and his wife want proof the three of you are actually alive, which in turn is proof that your teaching paid off, which is proof that Konoha has improved under Tsunade's care,” Rin stated.

“They know who we are?” Sasuke asked.

Rin laughed a bit nervously and admitted, “You guys are probably the worst kept secret the Nami family has. The Daimyou, his wife, and several staff members have been told who you are.”

“Why do they need proof that Konoha has improved under baa-chan's care?” Naruto asked, dropping several shirts into his bag.

“Fold those,” Rin ordered. “And they need proof because the Daimyou wasn't really on good terms with the Sandaime during his second term as Hokage.”

“Why not? I thought he was generally considered to be the best Hokage. What with bringing peace and all…” Sasuke said.

“Well that's because the shinobi see him as such, and they're right in doing so. However, diplomats like the Daimyou, and most of the nobles in Fire Country, tend to look at what he did during his reign to keep peace both within the village and with other shinobi villages. They generally don't like what they see during his second reign,” she told them.

“Like what?” Sakura asked, glancing nervously at Naruto. The currently light brown haired boy had tensed slightly but continued gathering his things.

“Well…” Rin glanced at Naruto as if asking his permission. Naruto only shrugged and turned back to packing. “When Naruto was born, Mitsutori was named his godmother. When Satumina told my sensei he could use Naruto as host; he agreed to make sure that Naruto was given into his godmother's care.”

“Then why was he raised in Konoha?” Sakura asked in alarm.

“The council felt it was too dangerous for Naruto to be allowed outside of Konoha. Sandaime agreed with them to an extent so in order to keep their support he gave in. They negotiated with the Nami family for sometime, but the council didn't like any of their suggestions and the negotiations failed completely.”

“You can't negotiate over a child,” Sasuke muttered.

“When you're the council of Konoha anything and everyone becomes a negotiable factor. To them their shinobi are just tools, and a few of those tools are expendable as long as they retain power. They hoped that as a host to one of the tailed demons Naruto would become a powerful asset.”

“We kind of guessed that when Naruto told us he was like four when he started at the academy,” Sasuke said.

“Yeah, well they actually started him at the academy early so that they could keep Kakashi away from him. It took up part of Naruto's day so the hours that Kakashi normally would have had free to see him Naruto was in school and the rest of the time he was gone on missions,” Rin told them.

“Then how did Kakashi become our sensei?” Sakura asked.

“Sandaime proved that he wasn't a total push over. He also told the council that if Kakashi didn't become Naruto's sensei than Anko would, and the threat of combining essentially the two most insane ninjas wasn't exactly appealing to the council.”

“I can understand how that wouldn't make him look great, but how did the Daimyou hear about it?” Sakura asked.

“Didn't Takara tell you about the Nami family?” Rin asked.

“She mentioned that they've been in Anraku for at least one hundred and fifty years. They own and operate a brewery there and their sake is considered some of the best stuff around. They've begun breeding horses, which is one of the reasons she's so interested in them and the reason she'll be studying under the stable master at the Daimyou's palace,” Sasuke told her.

“Right, well she left out the fact that when your family got started in Anraku one hundred and fifty years ago, it was because a boy named Nami Koji came to work for the noble family that was there at the time. Lord Horoyoi and his wife were both elderly and they liked the kid. He was apprenticed by their brewmaster who, like the Horoyoi family, didn't have an heir. The area around what is now Anraku had been the main producer of sake, but stuff coming out of what is now Rice Field Country cut down on their business a great deal and they had been in decline for over four decades. When the brewmaster died, Koji took over the brewery. He slowly began expanding their business again.

“He got married and as a present Lord Horoyoi gave him a fairly large plot of land that the Nami family still lives on today. Several years later, Lord Horoyoi and his wife passed away leaving Koji as their heir. He was actually offered Lord Horoyoi's title as well, but he turned it down because he didn't want to enter into politics. He did, however, continue to use those ties to expand the brewery's business.”

“So they got rich off of sake; baa-chan must love the family,” Naruto muttered.

Rin swallowed her laughter and continued, “They've maintained a close relationship with a lot of the nobles in Fire Country, including the Daimyou. Senma-sama and Sho are about as close as any non-noble will get to gaining nobility and they are treated as such by the nobles. When word of the custody battle reached the Daimyou's ears, he was angry that Konoha was disregarding their stature. It was seen as an insult, especially since Konoha technically had no right to claim custody over Naruto in the first place. The sealing of the Kyuubi meant nothing to them except for the fact that it was the end of the Kyuubi, something they were grateful for.”

“Are you telling us that for over a decade Konoha and Fire Country were actually at odds with each other, and inside Konoha we never heard about it?” Sakura asked.

“Basically,” Rin finished. “Things got worse when they heard about the Uchiha massacre, but a lot of that was cleared up when Itachi was revealed to be a spy. Then things got a lot worse when they realized how much the council messed up acting as Sasuke's guardian. So really they want to make sure the three of you are stable.”

“So we're going there for psych evaluations,” Sakura said.

“You're going there for the educational opportunity,” Rin replied, smiling at them. “You'll learn things most shinobi don't realize people are able to learn.”

“Not to mention that while we're there we'll be allowed to continue training because at least six people there know who and what we really are. We'll also be given more credibility not only in case of future meetings with Konoha, but also among civilians. And-”

“And you'll be safely hidden within the walls of Fire Country's capital while we let Konoha forget about the Chuuin siblings, while Sound becomes more active in shinobi politics again, and while we figure out what the Akatsuki have been up to,” Rin finished for Sakura.

“Sweet,” Naruto replied, throwing the last of his clothes in his bag and moving on.

“Hey Naruto, come here for a minute,” Rin said. She pulled out a picture and handed it to him. “Name everyone in that that you can,” she told him.

Naruto put down the pair of shoes he was holding and studied the picture. “You and Kakashi-sensei, well and me obviously,” he said.

“That's it?” Rin asked.

“Well, oh that group in the back has Anko and Genma in it. Wow they look really young in this,” he commented. “That's it,” he said, handing the picture back to him.

Rin took the picture back and handed it to Sakura who snatched it curiously. The red head cooed as she looked at the younger version of her teammate and the others. “Wow, Genma was hot when he was younger,” she commented.

Rin laughed lightly and turned to point at the young woman standing near Naruto and Kakashi. “That's Suzu, you'll meet her at Hifukidake,” she told Sakura, gaining a distracted nod. Rin turned back to Naruto curiously but he just finished packing. When he was done he stretched and looked at Rin lazily. She smiled at him and took the picture back from Sakura, sticking it in her pocket. “You should go to bed now,” she told him, making herself more comfortable and closing her eyes. She could feel Sakura doing the same next to her.

“You two are on my bed,” Naruto deadpanned.

“I'm sure the floor is comfortable,” Rin told him, sleepily.

Naruto blinked at Rin and Sakura as they settled in for the night and then looked over at Sasuke who was laughing at him. “They can be so mean sometimes,” he said.

Sakura chuckled slightly on his bed and Naruto sighed. He grinned lecherously and contemplated just jumping into bed with them, but Sasuke glared over at him like he knew what he was thinking. Naruto laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head, taking a step away from the bed.

He was getting ready to lie down and do as Rin had suggested when he heard Nakera crying downstairs. He glanced at Sasuke who returned his gaze and then both turned to Rin's sleeping form. Naruto sighed and walked out the door, deciding it was better not to wake Rin; apparently Sasuke agreed because Naruto could hear him following. Naruto slipped into the baby's room and he could hear Sasuke continuing on into the kitchen.

Sasuke returned a moment later, bottle in hand. Naruto was holding Nakera and making faces at her, hoping to calm her down while waiting for Sasuke. Half an hour and one bottle later, the girl was quiet but also obviously wide awake. Naruto sighed and looked at Sasuke for help. “What are we supposed to do?” he asked.

“How am I supposed to know?” Sasuke asked. “Normally she just goes back to sleep.”

“Well what does Sakura do when this happens to her?” Naruto asked.

“How would I know that?” Sasuke growled back.

Rin fought the urge to not to laugh as she listened to the two boys argue from just outside the doorway. “Sing her a lullaby or something,” Sasuke suggested, as Naruto sighed in frustration. Rin listened eagerly.

The silence began to worry her and she was about to step in when Naruto spoke again. “I don't know any, do you?” he asked.

Rin could practically hear Sasuke blinking as he tried to answer Naruto. “No,” he finally muttered. “I don't remember any of the ones my mother used to sing.”

“How can you not remember?” Naruto asked, appalled. Rin sighed and closed her eyes.

“Probably because any good memory I had of her had Itachi in it as well and I spent most of the years after the massacre abolishing all good memories of him,” Sasuke snapped back. Nakera seemed to sense the tension that descended upon the room as her cries grew louder.

Naruto attempted to hush her as he tried to rock her back to sleep. Sasuke sighed and Rin heard the sound of the chair creaking as he sat down in it. Ten minutes later, she heard the baby's cries quiet and her breathing evened out as she drifted off. She heard Naruto lay her down in the crib and decided to see if they needed any help.

“Is everything alright?” she asked, stepping into the room and faking a yawn.

“Yeah, she just fell asleep,” Naruto said quietly as he turned to leave.

Rin nodded and watched as the two boys walked past her. “Get some sleep,” she told them. “You'll need it for tomorrow.” They nodded and walked back to their rooms.

The next morning, a groggy Rin waved off three sleepy teenagers. She heard laughter, but she couldn't honestly figure out if Sho was laughing at her or them. “We'll stop by on the way back,” Mitsutori claimed as they left. Rin nodded and walked back into the house, glaring at it. If Naruto was right about one thing, she was definitely going to be bored without them, at least until she found out what Lady Shijimi wanted. And until that happened, her time was open for thinking. It seemed the only thing she could think about was her most recent patient.

XXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXX

Rin sighed and looked up from packing as she heard the door knock. “I'm sorry to disturb you Kakashi. Is Rin still here?” she heard someone ask. Rin silently prayed that he'd lie and tell whoever it was that she had left already.

“She is, but she's preparing to leave. What is it?” he asked.

“There's a patient that Tsunade-sama wants her to look at quickly. We can't identify what he has, but Tsunade thought that with Rin's experience with civilians outside of Konoha she might have seen something like it,” the woman explained.

Rin cursed and abandoned her packing. She walked out into the front entrance and recognized the Hokage's apprentice, Shizune, as the one that had been speaking with Kakashi. “What's wrong with the patient?” Rin asked.

“He was brought to the hospital last night. He doesn't have any particularly odd symptoms, just a high fever and pain throughout his stomach, but he isn't responding to any of our treatments,” Shizune told her.

Rin sighed for a second time and nodded. “I'll be back later,” she told Kakashi, following Shizune out and towards the hospital. The other medic sent her glances out of the corner of her eye throughout most of their walk there. “What?” Rin finally asked.

“Why won't you agree to return?” Shizune asked. “I can understand you being hesitant to just give in to Tsunade's requests, but… I don't understand why you've turned down every opportunity she's given you.”

“I don't hold any grudges against Tsunade; she and Jiraiya aren't the reasons I refuse to return,” Rin responded.

“So the reason lies solely with the council of elders?” Shizune asked, turning to her.

Rin sighed and returned the look. “Are you doing this for Tsunade?”

“Shikamaru relayed Kakashi's message to her and she's concerned. She already knew that you were having trouble with some of the elders, but …she just wants to make sure that she's doing all she can to convince you to return,” Shizune explained.

“There isn't anything she's doing that is stopping me from returning,” Rin said, as Shizune came to a stop in front of one of the rooms. Rin raised an eyebrow at Genma as he raised a hand in greeting. “Guards?” she asked.

“The patient's name is Sagan Daika. He's one of the Yozoku; Kakashi might have mentioned them…he was one of the shinobi that helped capture them.” When Rin nodded, Shizune continued while stepping in the room. “He's a missing nin from Iwa, so he was brought here when he was arrested.”

Rin looked down at the man in the bed and vaguely recognized him. She picked up his chart and examined it, going over the various treatments they had already tried to lower his fever. “It hasn't fallen at all since he was brought here?” she asked, turning towards Shizune and Genma.

“The fever started yesterday morning. He began complaining of severe pains in his stomach shortly before dusk; that's when he was brought here,” Genma told her.

“Who's had access to him over the past week?” Rin asked, leaning forward to inspect the man.

“Only five shinobi that act as his guards. There's no sign of poisoning, if that's what you're asking,” Genma said.

“You say he's one of the Yozoku,” she asked, turning to look at him. Genma nodded in response. She poked the sleeping man, her finger charged with just enough chakra to shock him awake. “Have you been near Karak in the past two years?” Rin asked, as he blearily opened his eyes. She already knew the answer; this was one of the men that had attacked them on the road to Monogoshi. He would have been to Karak while searching for Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke in the area.

“Briefly, almost two years ago,” Daika responded.

Shizune groaned. “At least everyone here's been immunized,” she muttered. “I thought the Yozoku were centered on the eastern coast.”

The man on the bed was completely ignoring her as he studied Rin. “You were the one that was traveling with them,” he stated, looking at her.

“Excuse me?” Rin asked.

“The Chuuin siblings, you were on the road to Monogoshi with them,” he restated.

“Who?” Rin asked.

“You know who. You were with them on the road from Utsuro. When they fought us, you fought with them,” he said.

Rin looked at him in confusion and shrugged turning to Shizune. “Now you know what he has; I assume you don't need me here to help treat it,” she said.

“Yeah, thank you,” Shizune said.

“I need to be going then,” Rin said, nodding as she walked to the door. Genma opened it and followed her through.

“I'll tell the Hokage you're starting a new treatment,” he said to Shizune as he turned to follow Rin down the hall. He watched as Rin walked out of the hospital and prepared to leave. He contemplated not asking, no matter what the answer was it would just cause more problems, just like it did when she was younger. No one had questioned her then when random people made remarks that didn't make sense, something told him that if no one asked her this time it wouldn't ever be solved. And if there was one thing the Hokage wanted solved aside from Naruto's past, Rin's past, Kakashi's past, the Uchiha Clan's past, what the Daimyou was keeping from her, what the council was keeping from her, and what the village had stupidly done while she had been gone, it was information about the Chuuin siblings. He couldn't even begin to guess why she thought three random kids were important, but whatever those stupid bandits had said about them had reached her ears and intrigued her. “Did you fight with the Yozoku alongside the Chuuin siblings?” he finally asked when she was several meters away.

Rin turned around to look at him in surprise. “What?” she asked.

“The Chuuin siblings. That man in there said you knew them and fought with them when they last encountered the Yozoku.”

“I didn't fight against the Yozoku alongside anybody named Chuuin,” Rin replied.

Genma watched suspiciously as she turned and continued on her way. Maybe the Hokage would understand what she was trying to tell them.

XXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXX

Rin just hoped that while they were in Hifukidake Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke wouldn't fall under suspicion. She snorted and fought the urge to laugh at the idea that those three could keep out of trouble. They were bound to be even more prone to trouble with Takara there. The former members of Team 7 were at least smart enough to not go looking for trouble. Takara was guaranteed to drag them into something if she thought it would make her day more interesting.

XXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXX

“Sasuke I'm bored.” Sasuke growled as he heard the brunette next to him whine. “You're as bad as Naruto,” he moaned, looking apathetically towards Takara as Sakura snickered at them.

“Where is my dear cousin?” Takara asked.

“Probably with Lian; I think he mentioned something about working with Naruto for a while this afternoon,” Sasuke responded.

“Where's Suzu?” Takara asked, turning to Sakura.

“Madame Shijimi's daughter has a check up. I'm supposed to go up in about an hour, but because she wants me there she delayed our lesson a bit,” Sakura told her.

“I thought this was going to be fun,” Takara whined, “but it's just like at home. All I ever do is work or sit around; it's the same for you guys isn't it?” she asked, getting nods in response.

“You've only been here two months and you three are already bored?” an amused female asked from the door. All three teens jumped to their feet as a brown haired woman walked in. She laughed at them and said, “If only the guards would give me this kind of attention.”

“I didn't think any of us had a session you today,” Takara said, sitting back down.

“You don't; however, I come bringing news. Lian will fill Kyokki in later, but make sure that one of you asks him about to make sure he didn't forget. Anyways, Rin has been in Yasumido for about two weeks looking into something for the Daimyou. In another month she'll be finished and she's going to stop by here to report before she heads back to Kumoma. When she does that, three of us will be accompanying her,” the woman told them.

“What for, Reiko-san?” Sasuke asked.

“A demonstration,” she responded, smiling. “Shortly after heading back to Kumoma we are going to be visited by several shinobi from Konoha. Some of these shinobi are just using the house as a halfway point on an actual mission. Some of them will actually be there to see us; because the Daimyou is agreeing to go to the Chuunin Exams for the first time in, well about fifteen years now, he has offered to bring some entertainment with him.”

“So by three of us you mean you, Sakura, and Takara,” Sasuke stated.

“Yep!” she informed him.

“Wait, does that mean the two of us get to go to the Chuunin Exams this spring?” Takara asked excitedly.

“Yep!” she was informed with equal enthusiasm.

“Are you sure I should be coming?” Sakura asked.

“Yep! Rin assured us that it would be alright; especially if you go in our company,” Reiko told her. “Before that though, Imoko and I want to fit in some extra training sessions with the two of you so whenever you're free make sure to find us,” she added, waving goodbye.

“If they keep piling more sessions on us I'm going to turn into Naruto before we ran away,” Sakura muttered, before clapping a hand over her mouth.

“Ooh, more information on cousin dearest. Spill,” Takara ordered.

Sakura grimaced as Sasuke turned to look at her in interest. “You know how I said things got bad,” Sakura began, gaining a nod. “Well he sort of completely isolated himself from everyone but Jiraiya and like four Jounin who were supposed to watch him. He did nothing, and I mean nothing, but train. I overheard Tsunade tell Jiraiya that they thought he might have basically stopped eating and sleeping for a while.”

“Idiot,” Sasuke muttered under his breath, standing to walk out of the room. Sakura watched in surprise as he left, wondering why he hadn't asked any more questions when the subject finally came up.

“I don't understand. Why did he keep getting driven to that point? You mentioned that people gave him a hard time but…it just doesn't make sense,” Takara said.

Sakura opened her mouth to explain, but shut it just as quickly when she realized that without telling the other girl about the Kyuubi. When Takara continued, she realized that she didn't need to. “It just doesn't make sense that they would have consented to something like this. I realize their plans included Naruto being raised elsewhere, but they had to at least have known there was a chance people wouldn't keep their word after Arashi's death. They weren't stupid enough to not know about what had happened to other jinchuriki,” she said, catching Sakura's attention.

“How did you..” she trailed off, looking at the other girl in shock.

“Mitsutori was there when Naruto was born, as well. She's the only reason the Nami family ever even found out about him. Before the sealing, Arashi sent Mitsutori away with the evacuees. He made sure she had been in on everything before that; we've kind of figured that he made her the safety net. Rin and Kakashi were sworn to secrecy immediately after the sealing,” Takara explained.

“They wouldn't have been able to tell your family even if they had wanted to,” Sakura whispered.

“We know. They did the next best thing and sent Mitsutori straight back to Anraku to get Sho. That way they didn't break any of the rules and our family still got involved.”

“You know, ever since that Sound Nin told me about the Kyuubi, I've assumed it was like the biggest secret Konoha had. But I keep being proven wrong after I find out more and more people knew about it,” Sakura commented.

“I didn't find out about it until after we thought he was dead. My dad sort of broke down and ranted for a good hour when the Daimyou and his wife came to see us. I got a couple of shocks during that time; I mean I had known that I had a cousin being raised outside of Anraku, but that was it really. I guess they wanted to keep most of the real story hidden because they were still hoping to at least regain contact with him,” Takara told her.

“When-”

“Kyokki!” an outraged voice sounded from outside, cutting Sakura off. A moment later, Naruto and Sasuke skidded into the quartet's common room and slammed the door, locking it behind them.

Naruto looked up and Sakura and Takara, a wide grin on his face. “We should probably hide,” he told them.

“You did it?” Takara asked excitedly, gaining a peal of laughter from Naruto.

“Did what?” Sakura asked warily, as someone began pounding on their door.

“We should probably go hide,” Sasuke repeated, heading out of the common room towards his own bedroom and pulling the others along.

“Why are we hiding?” Sakura asked, as Sasuke opened the window and checked to make sure no one was outside waiting for them. He nodded and brought his head back inside motioning for Naruto and Takara to go on through.

“Why are we hiding?” Sakura repeated, as Sasuke pulled her over to the window. She stood steadfast, waiting for an answer, but Sasuke wasn't about to give her one. She could hear the door to the common room slam open and the muffled shouts were understandable. Sasuke glanced back quickly before jumping out the window.

“Kyokki you little brat, when we get our hands on you you're-” Sakura didn't wait long enough to find out what the guards would do to Naruto. She jumped out of the window and sprinted after her friends' forms. “That's it! What did you do?” Sakura demanded, when she caught up with the other three who were now hiding in Lady Shijimi's garden.

Naruto grinned up at her and opened his mouth to answer, when he was interrupted. “Ah, I'm so glad I ran into you here; I was just on my way to get you Hana,” a young brown haired woman said walking up to them. “We should head in to meet with Ran.”

“Oh right,” Sakura said, smiling nervously.

“Yo, Suzu!” Naruto chirped happily.

“I heard Lian and several of his guards shouting earlier; you weren't causing trouble were you?” Suzu asked, trying to hide her own amusement.

“No trouble at all,” Naruto responded.

“Right, well, we should get going,” Suzu said, turning to Sakura. “I'll see the three of you tonight at dinner. Are you okay?” she asked, watching as Naruto began to furiously rub his eye.

“Yeah, just got dirt in it,” Naruto said, grinning at her. Suzu shrugged and turned back to walking away with Sakura.

“Are your contacts bothering you?” Takara asked, as Suzu and Sakura faded. She plopped down on the ground and looked up at Naruto curiously.

“Neh,” Naruto responded. “Hey, did they tell you about going to Konoha for the Chuunin exams?” he asked, changing the topic.

“Yup! Which means we'll get to see Rishito compete,” Takara crowed proudly.

“Shit, Rishito's already competing in the one this spring?” Naruto asked, turning to her abruptly.

“Yeah.”

Naruto turned to look at Sasuke. “We should really get working on that jutsu. Itachi wanted him to have it for the Chuunin exam and it'll take some time for him to learn it,” he said.

“There goes the rest of our free time,” Sasuke grumbled, slumping onto the ground.

“What jutsu?” Takara asked eagerly.

“A replacement for the chidori since Rishito can't use it,” Sasuke told her.

“What's it called?”

“We haven't named it yet. We'll probably let him name it after he's learned it,” Naruto said, sitting down by them.

“Let's see, three teenagers lying about in the garden. I think this constitutes as free time. Free time is bad, so I think I should give the three of you something to do,” Reiko said, walking up to them a very disgruntled blue haired guard in tow. The second guard stared at the three teens stoically, but didn't say anything as Reiko turned to glare at him. “Don't you have something to say to them?” she asked him.

“Madame Shijimi asked me to inform you that several shinobi from Konoha will be joining all of you for dinner tonight,” he grunted out.

“Fine,” Naruto said, grinning up at him.

“Thanks for telling us,” Takara said, smiling as she stood up and then helped hoist Naruto and Sasuke to their feet.

“We'll be going now,” Sasuke said.

“Bye!” Takara shouted, as the three took off running away from Reiko.

“Hey wait a minute!” Reiko shouted as her charges disappeared into the garden. “You're supposed to train during your free time! Get back here!” she added, taking off after them; the blue haired guard broke into peals of laughter as his superior ran after the three teenagers. It was becoming more and more difficult for him to hold a straight face while they were around.

While Reiko was running she reached up to her shoulder and began unwinding the chords she had wrapped from shoulder to elbow. The chain links hidden within the chords clinked merrily as she drew it into her hands. “Come out, come out little Nami children,” she called out sweetly. The bushes on her left rustled slightly and she whipped the chain towards it.

Takara squeaked as she felt Reiko's chain brush by her. She quickly moved to her left to avoid being hit when it was pulled back. She reached into her waistband and pulled out a small fan as she moved back out of the bushes and onto the next path. She felt the stone under her hand and took off running down the path away from Reiko.

Reiko cursed as she heard Takara run down the path on the other side of the hedge, “Damn that girl for teaching her how to run in heels.” She quickly rounded the next corner and took off after her younger charge. At least chasing them around the garden counted as training…sort of.

At the path's junction up ahead, she saw Naruto join Takara as they turned left. Reiko smirked and sped up, sprinting after the cousins. She spotted them running towards a dead end where the hedges came together with Madame Shijimi's prized roses. Without warning her chain shot out towards Takara's legs to trip the girl, but it met her fan with a clang as Takara dodged out of the way. She cursed as Naruto pulled a kunai out of nowhere and plunged it through one of the chain links and into the ground, stopping her from pulling it back.

The two took off under the hedges and away from her as Reiko had to stop long enough to unhook her chain and pocket the kunai with a curious look; she'd have to ask him about it later. “I'm gonna get you brats,” she shouted, taking off down another path and hoping to run into them.

“Damn brats and your stealth training,” she muttered, looking around. Normally Takara would at least be easy to find when she was running away, but today her cousin was with her and he would help her hide. Reiko stopped running and listened, hoping to hear the sound of Takara's shoes as she ran down the stone path. After a minute she gave up and started running in the direction she had last seen them go.

A flash of red at the end of the path caught her attention and she smirked, changing her direction and trying to remember which of the boys had been wearing a red shirt that morning. Reiko rounded the corner and nearly tripped when her shin ran into something hard. She jumped and managed to right herself, as Sasuke took off down the path stuffing his sheathed sword back into his belt. “Damn Lian, never should have trusted those kids to carry weapons around with them,” she muttered, taking off after him again.

XXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXX

“Welcome to Hifukidake,” a white haired man, greeted the five shinobi in front of him. “If you'll follow me, I'll take you to see the Daimyou.”

“Kakashi my rival, do you have relatives outside of Konoha that your many acquaintances in the village do not know about?” Gai asked, leaning over to the other Jounin who wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to him.

“The grounds are quite busy today so try to keep up,” the man said, glancing back at Gai and Kakashi. He took a moment to glare at Kakashi before turning back around to lead them away. Kakashi fought the urge not to laugh behind his book.

They finally entered the main building and followed the guard down the hall past several other white haired guards. When they stopped outside a set of double doors, guarded by two more of them, even Shizune and the two Inuzuka were looking oddly at Kakashi.

“Lian?” a questioning voice at the end of the hall stuttered.

“What do you want Hana?” the man asked, turning to look at the awestruck red head. Kakashi curiously followed his gaze as well, and smiled at Sakura's nervousness. She was standing next to a pretty, and very pregnant, young woman that he remembered as the Daimyou's daughter; she was oblivious to Sakura's nervousness and seemed to be trying not to laugh at the guards.

The other shinobi followed Kakashi's gaze and Gai vaguely recognized the girl as one of the ones that had come to fetch Mitsutori the summer before. If he had to guess, he'd say that she was about sixteen. Her hair was almost as red he remembered Gaara's being, and it was currently tied up out of the way in the same style that Rin's had been in during most of her previous visit. She was wearing a plain light blue kimono with green trim along the edges. She appeared nearly as tall as the woman next to her, but he attributed that to the extra inches she gained from her shoes.

Sakura hesitantly pointed at Lian's head and then at the other guards along the hall and asked, “That wouldn't have anything to do with you breaking down our door earlier this afternoon would it?”

Lian turned and grimaced. “I guess that means you weren't in on this one?” he asked, gaining a nervous shake of the head from Sakura. “That doesn't mean I'm not mad at you too,” he told her.

“But I,” the girl protested, beginning her defense when an older woman placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Now, now, it's not that bad. Though I am a bit curious as to how they managed to turn everyone's hair white,” Suzu stated from behind Sakura and Ran.

Lian snorted and turned away from the women, knocking on the double doors to the Daimyou's meeting hall. “Now what was this about breaking down their door?” Suzu continued. The man's eyes went slightly wide and he knocked on the door once again, slightly more urgently.

“Well, I guess you four will have to stay with us until it gets fixed,” Suzu told Sakura.

“They will not! It's their own fault the door's broken; they can live with it until it gets fixed in a day or two,” Lian retort, turning to them.

Suzu slowly raised an eyebrow at her husband and he relented slightly. “What's all the shouting for?” the blue haired guard asked, as he opened the doors for Lian.

“Nothing,” he answered, turning back to usher the five shinobi in when he got a good look at the young man in front of him. “Kano how many times do I have to tell you to stop dying your hair? If it isn't back to brown by tomorrow I'm having it shaved off,” he threatened.

“Can he dye it green instead? I liked it green,” Sakura piped up, giggling at Lian.

“What do you mean I can't dye my hair? What about your own?” Kano asked; he was beginning to understand why he and Reiko had found Eiki and the Nami cousins hiding in the garden.

“I didn't do this to myself,” Lian told him rather harshly.

The sound of muffled laughter drifted out towards them, reminding Lian where he was. “Do you intend to show our guests in?” the Daimyou asked. Kakashi glanced into the room and noticed several of the Daimyou's aids trying to hide their laughter. He should have known Naruto and the others would be causing problems.

The five shinobi were quickly shown into the room and Kakashi waved goodbye to Sakura and Suzu, who returned his wave. Shizune stepped forward pulling a scroll out to hand to the Daimyou as the doors were closed behind them. “Please take a seat,” he said, taking the scroll and snapping the seal.

They sat in silence as his white haired guards continued to glare at any other staff member who dared to laugh. The Daimyou quickly read through the scroll and looked over to Shizune nodding. “Everything looks in order. We understand that the Hokage has done everything she could to uphold the ban against Otogakure to its full extent. We would like her to know that we will be continuing the trade restrictions until next December when they were originally set to expire. At that time, trade with Rice Field Country may be reopened with higher tariffs in place; this is still being discussed and I will make sure to pass on word of our final decision.”

“We understand,” Shizune responded.

“May I ask-” whatever he was about to ask was cut off by a loud yelp outside.

“Kyokki I am going to kill you,” a woman shouted, followed by a loud splash and laughter. “You three had better run or you're dead,” she shouted again.

The Daimyou chuckled and sighed as laughter continued to drift in through the window. He glanced up at Kakashi, who had finally put his book away and was trying to keep the embarrassment off his face. “As I was saying, if you wouldn't mind my asking; how many participants will there be in the in the upcoming exam?” the Daimyou asked.

Shizune glanced at the two women to her left and nodded. “So far we know of forty teams participating. Kirigakure and Kumogakure haven't responded with the number of teams coming yet. Also there might not be any participants from Otogakure even though the restriction was lifted,” Inuzuka Tsume told him.

The Daimyou nodded pleasantly and stopped to think for a moment. “I wasn't able to come to the last Exam held, but do you expect as many from Konoha to make it into the final round?” he asked.

“Konoha has twelve teams registered to take the exam. This is more than were registered last time; however, only two of these teams have had previous experience with a Chuunin Exam before,” Inuzuka Hana said.

“I see. It should certainly be interesting watch. I hear the Sandaime's grandson is one of the possible competitors,” the Daimyou muttered.

Shizune looked up with a start and the Daimyou had the grace to look slightly guilty for revealing what he knew. “Sarutobi Konohamaru is on one of the rookie teams. Even with his skill it's unlikely that any rookies will make it through like they did in the last exam we held,” Tsume said.

The Daimyou once again opened his mouth to ask a question when a door to his left slammed open, allowing a very angry and wet white haired woman to storm in. Lian and the other white haired guards had to stifle their laughter as she walked straight forward until she was standing in front of Kakashi. “This is all you fault,” she told him, jabbing a finger into his face. “I tried to be nice by telling those kids that you'd be here today and this is what they do to show that they're getting homesick for you and Rin. Get your ass out there now and get them to tell you how I can get this shit out of my hair,” Reiko growled.

“How exactly is that my fault?” Kakashi asked, pointing to her hair and looking at her lazily.

Reiko gaped at him and growled louder. “Oh Kakashi, has your influence corrupted the children she currently speaks of? If so, you must correct this by setting them on the proper youthful path,” Gai interrupted, slapping Kakashi on the back. The other shinobi heard stifled laughter drift in from the doorway Reiko had used for her entrance.

“Yeah, go correct them,” Reiko growled, reaching up towards the chain and chords that were once again wound from her shoulder to elbow.

“I'm sure the Nami children would be more than happy to see you,” the Daimyou said, smiling at him.

Kakashi sighed and stood up. “They're through that door,” Reiko told him. “Apparently for once Hana didn't have anything to do with it; so you can just yell at her brother and the cousins.”

“Hana really didn't have anything to do with it?” Lian asked, as he watched Kakashi head back the way Reiko had come.

“Nope, I scared Takara into confessing. I just couldn't get them to tell me how to undo it,” Reiko answered him.

“I'm sorry, allow me to introduce Kazemi Lian, the head of my private guard, and Onshi Reiko, his second in command. Several of our charges got the best of them and several of the other guards this morning. They aren't normally this cranky,” the Daimyou told the four shinobi still in the room. He was no longer trying to conceal his chuckles.

“We made arrangements for you all to stay the night before having to continue on your way tomorrow,” the young man to his left said, standing up and nodding to them. “If you'll follow Lian, he'll take you to your quarters. We'll make sure to send Kakashi along in a bit,” he added smiling.

Gai, Shizune, Tsume, and Hana nodded and stood, preparing to follow Lian out the door. Shizune glanced back towards the room Kakashi was in; she could hear loud, exited chatter drifting out, but she couldn't tell what was being said or who was doing the talking. She trailed out after Gai and the others, wondering why any children from the Nami family would be homesick for Kakashi or Rin.

They exited and nearly ran straight into the same red head Lian had been yelling at earlier, although seeing as how she had changed and let her hair down they barely recognized her. “Your brother and the other two are getting yelled at by Kakashi. They're in the back room, but don't go through there to reach it,” Lian grunted, walking past her.

“I'll take that as an apology,” Sakura called after him. He turned around long enough to send a glare her way and urge the shinobi to continue following him.

The meeting with Sakura had done its damage and Shizune remembered the other woman that had been there. “The woman earlier who defended her; what was her name?” Shizune asked.

“That was my wife, Kazemi Suzu. You might have known her under her maiden name Iyasu,” Lian told her. “She's the head physician here. Hana, the red head back there, her brother Eiki, and two of the Nami's brats: Kyokki and Takara are studying at the university. While they're here, Hana's been apprenticed to Suzu during her free time.”

“There was a boy named Eiki that came into Konoha nearly a year ago for Nami Mitsutori. Is this the same one?” Gai asked.

Lian turned to him and grinned. “Yeah probably. You'll be able to see and judge for yourself later. Eiki and Hana are siblings from Settei. They ran into that brat Kyokki while he was playing hooky from Anraku. I think their adoptions were finalized about a week before they came here, so some time at the end of November,” he told them.

His tone gave Shizune the oddest sense of déjà vu. She couldn't help but be reminded of Tsunade's tone whenever she had talked about Naruto, which hadn't happened more than twice since the boy's death was confirmed. The Hokage had found interesting ways of getting around speaking about Naruto specifically unless she was talking to someone like Rin who probably would have ignored her if she didn't get straight to the issue.

Later that afternoon, while the shinobi were relaxing, Kakashi finally returned. He entered the room quietly and ignored the inquisitive looks the others sent him long enough to find his bag and dig through it. He pulled a scroll out of the bottom of it and turned back towards the door, just as someone knocked on it. Kakashi opened the door and allowed Suzu to enter with a smile. “Oh Kakashi, I thought you were with the kids,” she said.

“I'm heading back out to find them now. I needed to get the scroll Itachi sent for them; I think they might be blackmailing him,” he said with a shrug.

“They spent over a year with Rin; it wouldn't surprise me if they could find a way to blackmail Jiraiya-sama for being a pervert,” Suzu commented.

Kakashi chuckled and walked past her towards the door. “Oh, if you run into your husband and the other victims, tell him the kids say tomato juice should get rid of the dye,” he added, walking out.

Suzu shook her head and muttered, “He will never change, at least not more than he already did.”

“You know Kakashi?” Gai asked.

“She would have been friends with him when she was a Genin,” Shizune muttered.

“I wouldn't really say we were friends. Only Obito and Rin could make that claim before Obito's death. Even then it wasn't until Arashi-sensei's death that he opened up a bit more. Anyways, I just came to tell you that dinner starts in an hour. You can wander around the grounds if you get bored in here; someone will find you a bit ahead of time and take you to the dining room,” Suzu told them.

When the four shinobi arrived at dinner that night with Lian and Reiko, they found Kakashi already there. He was seated next to a dark haired boy that Gai immediately recognized as Eiki. He would have said something, but Lady Shijimi chose to greet them. “Lian what did you do to your hair?” she asked, looking at the now red haired captain of the guard.

Sakura snickered in her seat next to Takara, gaining bemused looks from the other three. “We were told tomato juice would get rid of whatever somebody put in our hair. Apparently somebody else decided to get in on the joke,” Lian bit out.

Reiko pouted at Sakura and sat down next Naruto. “Kyokki tell her she's mean and that I'm adding two extra training sessions onto her agenda this week,” Reiko said.

“She's two seats over; can't you tell her yourself?” Naruto asked, turning between Reiko on his left and his cousin and Sakura on his right.

“And the rest of you brats have four extra ones with me,” Lian said, sitting down in between Suzu and Kakashi.

“Four!” Takara whimpered, turning towards the other three in horror.

“Oi! Don't you think that's a bit much?” Naruto asked. He withered slightly under the combined glares of Lian, Reiko, and the three other guards stationed around the room.

Madame Shijimi laughed as the scene unfolded and she turned to Kakashi in amusement. “It really hasn't been this lively here since you, Rin, and Anko were here on that mission,” she told him.

“Was that the one where he accidentally copied a jutsu and the combined force of two of the same being performed ended up soaking the guests?” Sakura asked, gaining an amused nod from the Daimyou's wife.

Gai turned to Kakashi in amazement but he once again wasn't able to say anything as Suzu decided to introduce the four teenagers. “These four are Nami Takara, Hana, Kyokki, and Eiki,” she said.

“Was that when you met Rin?” Sasuke asked, turning back to the Daimyou's wife.

“No, I had met her when she was about nine. She had just become a Genin and her first mission was to find Ookami; he had gotten away from me while I was in Konoha. I remember talking to her sensei, Arashi; Satumina had come back to visit us briefly and hadn't been able to talk about anything but him,” she told them.

Naruto turned to her in interest as Sakura and Takara laughed. “I think his response was that she had been exaggerating about everything,” Kakashi stated. “Which was odd, because normally sensei's ego wouldn't let him admit something like that.”

Naruto cracked up as he looked back at Kakashi, but the four shinobi looked at him in shock before sitting down. “Why was Satumina back here?” Takara asked.

“Well, I'm not sure if you'd even know this. She came here to study when she just about seventeen, just a bit older than you four. She studied for two and half years and then stayed another year helping teach at the preparatory school. She still knew a number of the teachers there so she would come at least once a year to visit them and tell everyone about her family,” Madame Shijimi told them. The rest of dinner passed peacefully aside from the occasional barbs sent between Lian, Reiko, and the four teenagers - who generally responded by laughing at the two adults.

Tsume waited until after the Daimyou, his wife, and most of their staff had left before turning to Suzu curiously. Kakashi and the four teenagers were entertaining Hana and Gai with stories about their summer, so that Shizune and the two members of the Daimyou's personal guard were the only ones that would probably pay attention to her question. “Suzu,” she said, catching the younger woman - and the two guards' - attention. “I might be wrong, since this happened over ten years ago, but weren't you one of Uzumaki Naruto's caretakers?” Tsume asked.

“I was,” Suzu answered, trying to conceal her discomfort.

“You were one of Naruto's - ow!” Takara screeched, not finishing her statement. She turned to Naruto with wide eyes and brought her leg up, rubbing her shin.

“Uzumaki Naruto, isn't he the one you and Rin told us about?” Sakura asked Kakashi, trying to glaze over Takara's outburst.

Kakashi glanced over at Suzu and nodded to Sakura. “I stayed with him after I left active duty,” Suzu answered.

“How did you end up here after you left Konoha?” Tsume asked.

“I worked in Anraku for about a year; the Nami family had heard about me from Rin. After I had made sure that Mitsutori would be able to handle most of what she would face there, namely Senma-sama's health problems, they recommended me to the Daimyou. I came here; I became head physician a year ago,” Suzu answered tightly. The four teens looked at her in surprise; Shizune was reminded of Rin when she had been trying to find out why she wouldn't come home.

“I'm surprised your record in Konoha didn't follow you out,” Tsume stated.

Suzu took a moment to glare at Tsume, before glancing at Kakashi out of the corner of her eye. “Weren't you fired after Rin and Kakashi accused you of abuse?” Tsume asked bluntly. Lian glared in her direction, but Reiko turned to Suzu in surprise.

“They would-” Takara's second outburst was muffled, this time a bit more gently by Sakura's hand over her mouth.

“I was fired, but not for that reason. Shortly before I was relieved, Naruto's night nurse was accused of abuse and let go for that reason. I was initially told that Rin and Kakashi lodged the complaint, but after I learned that that wasn't true I was never given the real reason. Shortly after that I was asked to leave Konoha,” Suzu answered.

Tsume looked at her in confusion. “Asked to leave?” she repeated questioningly.

“Yes,” Suzu bit out, glancing cautiously at Kakashi. He shrugged and turned to watch Naruto as he fidgeted under the combined weight of Sakura, Sasuke, and Takara's eyes.

“We were told you asked to leave after your license was revoked,” Tsume said.

“My license wasn't revoked and I didn't have a choice in the matter,” Suzu informed her.

“The official records hold your signed request for departure,” Tsume informed, gaining a surprised look from Shizune.

“I didn't sign a single thing during the entire six months before I left. Whatever is there was forged,” Suzu stated, standing up and walking away.

Tsume watched her in interest before turning to Shizune, “Well?”

“Tsunade-sama's going to have to review everything from his second term; she was hoping to avoid that. I'll ask the Daimyou to bring Suzu with him for the Chuunin exams to see if some of it can be sorted out then. Since Rin will be in town at the same time she might be able to settle some of it,” Shizune responded, standing as well. She, Tsume and Gai walked out leaving behind two very angry guards, who left soon after saying they were going to check on Suzu.

Kakashi continued to watch Naruto stare at his feet while his friends and cousin stared at him. “What?” Naruto finally bit out.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but Kakashi silenced her. “Why don't the three of you head back to your rooms? I'll make sure I say goodbye tomorrow,” he said.

The three looked at him in defeat and got up to leave. “We'll see you when you get back to the room,” Sakura said, to Naruto.

He sighed and finally looked up as they walked out; he winced slightly as he noticed Takara limp a bit. “That's why I was supposed to remember Suzu, wasn't it?” Naruto asked.

“What do you mean?” Kakashi asked.

“Rin showed me a picture and asked me to name everyone in it. Suzu was in it, but I didn't recognize her,” Naruto explained.

“She mentioned that. She didn't actually expect you to recognize Suzu; you were only about one when she left,” Kakashi explained.

“Then what-”

Kakashi sighed and interrupted Naruto by pulling out the same photograph and handing it to him. “Look closely,” he said.

Naruto studied the photograph for several more minutes before handing it back to Kakashi and shaking his head. Kakashi sighed and pointed to the young woman standing to their left laughing at them. “That's Kara. She was Suzu's teammate. She was your first sensei at the academy,” Kakashi told him.

“I only had one sensei before Iruka, and it wasn't a woman” Naruto told him.

“Yeah it was. Kara died on a mission when you were about five; that's when Mizuki became your temporary sensei until Iruka took over the next year,” Kakashi said.

“I'd remember that,” Naruto countered.

“Yeah, you should. Technically you should also remember when you received those goggles you always wore. But unless you just weren't thinking when you answered him, you told Iruka you didn't know,” Kakashi explained.

“How would I know that? I just sort of always had them,” Naruto countered, less sure of himself.

“You got them on your forth birthday; I gave them to you. For the next year I didn't have more than five consecutive hours in the village because of missions, but Anko knew you started wearing them right away. I also know that by that point you knew both of our names; most of the time you refused to use them because you were a little brat, but you knew them none the less,” Kakashi informed him. “Two days after I left, Anko dropped by to say goodbye before her mission. When she returned a month later and saw you outside you didn't react to her; she didn't think about it because she was in a hurry and tired. She was gone for six months after that on another mission; she doesn't remember what happened when she returned from that one.”

“What do you mean?” Naruto asked.

“Do you remember what Sasuke told you when you asked why he didn't remember any lullabies?”

“How did you-”

“Rin was listening in. She was going to make fun of you for having horrible singing voices. Now answer the question.”

“He said after Itachi left he shoved a lot of his memories that included him out of his mind. Most of the better ones with his mother had Itachi in them as well, so he didn't remember them,” Naruto answered.

“Are you seeing a pattern here?” Kakashi asked, gaining a reluctant nod from Naruto.

“The only ways of finding out if someone actually manipulated your memories is to find out if it happened to Anko. There's no way of having you two tested, but if it happened to her, it probably happened to you two,” he explained.

“That's why I didn't remember any of you?” Naruto asked.

Kakashi nodded reluctantly. “To be honest, it might not have been as cruel as it seems in your case, at least not at first. They might have initially meant to block out some of the bad stuff to help you cope more as you grew up,” he explained.

“What am I supposed to tell them? I can't just go back and tell them that I don't remember what happened before I turned six, except for the fact that I was already hated by everyone and attending the academy,” Naruto said, glaring at the table in front of him.

“Why not?” Kakashi asked.

“They expect me to know this stuff. After what that stupid sound nin told Sakura, they expect me to remember this stuff. I look stupid when all I can do is shrug and say `I don't remember' every time someone asks how long something's been happening. I realize most of the stuff I did as a Genin didn't exactly lend proof to the fact that I have brains, but it isn't my fault if all that little shit just isn't up there. I don't remember when people started hating me, they just always did. I don't remember if anyone ever hit me, I don't remember when I started getting those stupid notes, or when I stopped having caretakers, when I moved into that apartment, when I learned to read or write, when I learned to talk or walk. Or when I supposedly met all of you, because it doesn't make sense that I did. And…” Naruto drifted off, rubbing at his eyes in a gesture Kakashi had grown more than familiar with.

“When did you stop wearing your contacts?” he asked, giving Naruto a bit of time gather himself. He took a moment to wonder how many more near breakdowns he would see from him, but shoved the thought away; it probably wouldn't happen again unless the kid had to go back to Konoha.

“A week ago,” Naruto muttered.

“If they start giving you trouble go talk to Suzu. Rin spoke with her before she left for Yasumido,” Kakashi told him, gaining a nod from Naruto. When he didn't start talking again Kakashi figured he had pushed him enough for one night. He stood up and heard Naruto do so as well after a minute.

“I'll see you tomorrow,” Naruto muttered, walking out of the room and away from Kakashi.

 

The next morning Naruto was quieter than usual as he stood by his friends while they said goodbye to Kakashi. “Just remember not to cause too much trouble,” Kakashi told them with a smile. “And say `hi' to Rin for me when you see her in about a month. Stop blackmailing Itachi, and behave,” he told them.

“We're not blackmailing anyone at the moment,” Sakura told him with the sweetest smile she could muster.

“Although I'm sure Rin would be interested in hearing you're still reading that,” Sasuke said, pointing at the book Kakashi was holding. His former sensei had the courtesy to look slightly embarrassed as he quickly pocketed the book.

“Right well whatever you and Itachi are up to better not end up causing trouble for me,” he told them, as the rest of his team walked up with Lian.

“They better not cause trouble for anyone,” a now brown haired Lian muttered. “Takara you're supposed to be meeting Imoko. Hana you've got work in the medical wing. You two go meet Reiko,” he added for Naruto and Sasuke.

The four teens grinned at him before waving goodbye to Kakashi; well Naruto and Sasuke waved, Sakura and Takara latched onto him for a hug that caused Gai's jaw to drop. Naruto and Sasuke began slowly backing away as his eyes teared up; they remembered his overly emotional greetings with Lee and they didn't want to see whatever he was about to do. The girls unlatched themselves and waved goodbye before separating and heading off towards opposite ends of the Daimyou's manner. Naruto and Sasuke took one last look at Kakashi before taking off. “Oh my illustrious rival, that farewell held beauty and emotion nearly on par with mine own farewells with my cute, but not so cute as much as handsome because he's older now, student Lee-kun. I knew that you did not like showing such emotion before, but those children have changed you and it is to be celebrated,” they heard Gai shout as they ran off.

“Did you say something?” Kakashi replied, once more holding his book.

“Let's just go,” Shizune muttered, glancing at Gai's fiery glare aimed at Kakashi. She'd have to find out what she did to piss off Tsunade when she got back, because she couldn't come up with any other reason for being paired with the two of them.