The Flames Above the Falling Leaves

[TheMightyMorgoth]

Chapter 1
Stewardship​

Dusk crept over Konoha as the sun began to set and the pale moon rose to take its place. The glint of the twilight sky reflected off the ceramic roof tiles, and the descending sun emblazoning the faces of past Hokages. There in the waning hours of the evening, an older gentleman impatiently walked through the paved streets of the village, a manila folder of documents kept in place between his armpit, only occasionally stopping to look at a pocket watch for the time. As he drew closer and closer to his destination, the ground became a bit more uneven as the paved cement was slowly replaced by untouched dirt roads.

When he turned the corner and moved onto a new block, he instinctively made his way to a pair of large oak doors that held firm in the middle of a stone wall. Two men stood quietly in front of the gate, as the cloth above them, marked with the Sarutobi Clan's crest, fluttered gently with the brisk October winds. Upon seeing the old man's approach, the younger of the two guardsmen wordlessly entered the clan compound, and a faint chatter could be heard beyond the wooden gates. Impatiently, the old man arhythmically tapped his foot and stared blankly as the hands on his pocket watch seemed to ever-so slowly lurch forward to the next minute. After some minutes of waiting, the young guardsman re-emerged from the gates with another old man in tow. Similarly, he held his own folder of documents.

"I apologize for the delay, Danzo."

"I would hope so, Hiruzen." Danzo crossed his arms as he replied, "You know how long I've been waiting for you out here?"

Hiruzen shrugged, "A few minutes?"

Mockingly waving his hands around, he retorted "Oh, a few minutes he says! You know, back in my day, a few minutes—"

Hiruzen held up his hand, his face also warped into a half-irritated, half-amused scowl. "First off, don't try to pull this 'back in my day' shit on me. It was 'our day' not just your day; I was there too dammit. Second, I don't know if you remember this, but I'm retired. If I want to stay in bed a few extra hours in the morning or spend my entire evening smoking in my yard, then I'll do as I damn well please."

Danzo clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth, "You were late because you were smoking weren't you?"

Hiruzen groaned exasperatedly, "Biwako says I should stop because it's 'bad for my health,' but dammit woman, do you know how rare this tobacco is? It's premium quality black-leaf from the Fire Daimyo's private collection! And since she's out of the house, I thought to myself, why shouldn't I treat myself a little bit?"

"Mhm, mhm." Danzo hummed an indifferent acknowledgement to his friend, "Your tobacco addiction is rather fascinating, but you also forgot the part where that was my problem. Now let's go, best not to keep the Hokage waiting."

As the two finally made their way through the streets, Danzo kept his eyes glued forward and always maintained a few steps ahead, Hiruzen opted instead to lag behind, as he leisurely enjoyed the sights and sounds of the evening. Eventually, they reached their destination, and approached the small booth adjacent to a pair of solid metal doors, where a bored-looking Hyuuga wearing a Chunin jacket quietly passed the time reading a small book. When he noticed the two approached, the Hyuga quickly set his book down and gave a short cordial bow to the two men.

"Good evening, sirs." He slid a pair of paper slips through a small gap in the protective glass barrier, each to be taken by the pair of village elders. "Would you mind verifying your identities?"

They both pressed their thumbs down onto the slips and after exerting an insignificant amount of chakra, the faint tracings of their fingerprints were left embedded on the squares. The tenketsu around the Hyuga's eyes bulged as he activated his Byakugan, and after a thorough cross-examination of the slips with some previously cataloged chakra signatures, he nodded in confirmation and unlocked the metal doors. Once more through the gap, he slid the two a pair of IDs, meant to be returned to the office on their way out for safe-keeping.

Several large steel bolts audibly hissed as they slid out of their strike plates, and the twenty-ish year old guard gave them another courteous bow before the two finally made their way into the building. On the ground floor, it was not dissimilar whatsoever in appearance to the building's exterior – that is to say, it was unassuming. A rather spartan centralized office space, with a semi-circular desk facing the entrance followed by a set of hallways that led to further parts of the building. Even the security detail appeared rather inconspicuous, with a dozen Chunin placed in key positions to keep an eye out for trouble. For all intents and purposes to the outside, this was just another shinobi administrative office.

Walking down towards the far end of the hallway, a lone purple-haired Chunin stood inside an elevator serving as its operator. "Good evening, sirs. What floor may I take you to this evening?"

"Good evening, 'Chunin' Uzuki." Hiruzen replied jokingly, flashing some air quotations for added effect. "Seventh floor please."

She nodded in reply and as she went to press the button, her finger pressed down on a seemingly empty section of the control panel, though the characteristic chime of a floor being selected was nonetheless heard. Responsively, the doors slid shut and they felt a short and sudden jolt as the elevator car began to descend. Contrary to outward appearances, the true extent of the building was not a meager two stories, and in fact the majority of its floors were below ground level.

The ride down the elevator was unremarkable, as the alleged Chunin silently carried out her task and the pair of elderly shinobi passed the time staring at the doors or skimming through their documents. As they passed by the fifth subterranean floor, Danzo had once again started to arhythmically tap his foot. Finally, the doors slid open and the two men gave a small thankful nod to the Chunin, who in turn politely bowed, allowing her long purple hair to droop down and obscure her features.

Compared to the ground floor, the subterranean floors were much sleeker – well lit, well maintained and made out of considerably more expensive materials. Though made of polished cement and stone, the ceiling lights' sheen off the walls fostered a similar atmosphere to the sterile white interior of a hospital or a laboratory. The two stopped at another pair of metal doors, this time guarded by a pair of ANBU whose dark wooden masks, one gnarled and twisted like thorns while the other immaculate and adorned with a fan of branches on either side of the face, seemed to absorb the hallway's light. After flashing their IDs, the two ANBU wordlessly opened the doors and allowed the two to enter before pulling them shut just as quietly.

There was a central rectangular table taking up two-thirds of the conference room, though only two other people had arrived before them. Homura and Koharu nodded and waved respectively for them to take their seats near the head of the table. Koharu playfully elbowed Danzo as he sat down, "Running a little late today are we?"

"He ran a little late – I'm the reason we're on time at all." He responded somewhat defensively.

Homura snorted, "Let me guess, something to do with smoking some kizami?"

"Premium kizami," Hiruzen harrumphed, "Which, I'll have you know, came right from the Fire Daimyo's personal collection."

"Late is late, Hiruzen. Try not to make the rest of Team Tobirama look bad when you decide to go on a smoking binge."

The patriarch of the Sarutobi clan leaned his head forward and mockingly narrowed his eyes at his sole female teammate. "Look bad, Koharu? Nobody's here besides Team Tobirama."

"It's about propriety! If we show up late, what kind of a message does that impart on our subordinates?"

"Are we seriously having this conversation over arriving a few minutes later than usual? The meeting hasn't even started yet."

"No, no, she's right, Hiruzen. You can't keep hiding behind your retired status when it comes to these meetings. We know you don't really do anything else at home besides read and smoke."

Their mock argument ended abruptly as the doors were opened, and finally the meeting's attendants began to slowly trickle in. After five minutes, all but two attendants were missing. There was a bit of idle chatter in the room, though most of the attendees sat quietly organizing their files and papers. Another minute later, and the doors swung open for the final time, giving way to the Fourth Hokage, his face concealed by the low brim and impenetrable veil of his ceremonial hat. Garbed in the traditional maroon and white robes of his station, he and his right-hand man – or rather woman – made their way to the far end towards the head of the table. The room was silent for their arrival – not necessarily out of awe, but more so out of a tactful respect for their superior.

The two flanked either side of the table, taking their time to slowly pass by and offer a brief but courteous greeting to each individual member, shaking hands and exchanging small bows. As the current village leader passed by Hiruzen, he gave the former Hokage a friendly squeeze on the shoulder. Finally at the end of the table, the Yondaime seemed to explode from within his robes, taking the extra effort to dramatize his sitting down and making it into an ordeal of its own.

"Roll call." When he spoke, his voice seemed to slither throughout the room.

First to speak was the former kage, "Sarutobi Hiruzen – Strategic Advisor to the Office of the Hokage, present."

Then the rest of Danzo's teammates, "Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura – General Advisors to the Office of the Hokage, present."

Then he spoke, "Shimura Danzo – ANBU Commander, present."

So too then did the rest of the room. "Nara Shikaku – Jonin Vice-Commander, present."

"Yamanaka Inoichi – Intelligence Division Commander, present."

"Hyuga Hizashi – Intelligence Division, Captain of the Counterintelligence Corps, present."

"Uchiha Fugaku – Commander of Interior, present."

Nodding his head in approval, a slender hand slinked out from the Hokage's sleeve and parted the opaque veil shrouding his face. Gold and reflective like shards of amber, his serpentine eyes were highlighted by the angular purple markings that bordered the bridge of his nose, and contrasted sharply with his alabaster skin. "Orochimaru – Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure, present. I suppose then we're set to begin our meeting, no?"

"Let's." Danzo spoke firmly in turn, "Item number one on tonight's meeting is the abrupt change to the government of Amegakure."

"Yes, I just finished reading over our intelligence reports the other night. Nono, my documents." Said assistant was already in the process of handing over a portfolio. "But refresh my memory anyways, what is the current status of Amegakure no Sato?"

It was Inoichi who responded this time, having been gestured by Danzo to read off a summary of the report.

"An insurgent group, the "Akatsuki," have successfully led a coup d'état against Hanzo of the Salamander, and have already begun to install a new government. Of note, the Akatsuki and Ame's new representative, going by the name Yahiko, has immediately extended a diplomatic channel between our two nations, and has claimed that he and two of his compatriots are former students of Jiraiya. This has subsequently been confirmed by Jiraiya himself, who is currently on his way to Ame with Nohara Rin for an official meeting."

"Will they be returning after the meeting is concluded?"

Inoichi shook his head, "Likely not. As far as I understand, her training is still not complete."

"I see, and what of Hanzo and his allies?" Orochimaru folded his hands, giving the Intelligence Commander an inquisitive look.

"His status is currently unknown. Our informants in Ame claim that he was swallowed by one of his summons, but as of now this is still unconfirmed. His allies on the other hand are actively being hunted by the new administration."

As Inoichi finished his report and sat back down, Orochimaru turned towards the ANBU Commander, "Can the ROOT look into his disappearance? If he can't be located, then we should make a priority out of establishing contact with his summons."

"We'll have our teams keep an eye out and investigate the surrounding countries. But if he has in fact retreated to the astral world, he may very well be out of our reach for the time being."

"If that's the case, I'll reach out to Manda and his clan to see if they may know anything." Though he said this aloud for the whole room, his statement was directed more towards Nono who began to jot down the information on a notepad. "Moving on, our second order of business is the progress of Nohara Rin. Would anyone here like to start?"

"I will." Homura spoke up, "Over the course of the last week, Jiraiya and I routinely checked up on her seals and reapplied any that we thought were beginning to fail. Otherwise, she seems to be adjusting slowly but surely to her tenant."

Before the village elder could continue, the room began to shake as a tremor rippled through the building. It was followed by a brief moment of respite before it returned, indefinitely repeating this pattern. "An earthquake?"

"No. It's not continuous-" This time the tremor interrupted Orochimaru mid-sentence, a not so distant crash accompanying it. "Evacuate the building and get all available shinobi to their battle stations!"

Like tightly-wound springs, everyone in the conference exploded into action, practically jumping out of their seats with their jobs in mind. Had the unknown situation aboveground not been so pressing, many would have gotten a chuckle at the sight of most of the conference attendees cramming themselves into the elevator cabin, with poor Yugao being shoved into the side of the wall as she attempted to make room. With no room left, the two – likely – oldest men in the room sprinted up the staircase, hoping to catch up.

Orochimaru and Nono were the last to exit, stopping just in front of the doors where the two ROOT guards still stood at attention.

"Yakushi-san, gather every document left behind in this room and take them to my office for safekeeping. You know where to put them." He turned away from her and towards the ANBU. "Escort her there."

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

---

"I understand, Hokage-sama, we'll have a new barrier raised immediately." Ooime Kakoi, the youngest member of Konoha's Barrier Team, stood at attention for a moment longer than he needed to.

Although there was a considerable distance between him and the Hokage, being on nearly opposite sides of the council chamber, the unmistakable glow of Orochimaru's eyes seemed to smolder from behind his veil. For Kakoi, and most of the Hokage's subordinates for that matter, it was more than a bit unsettling. He bowed once more before leaving the chambers, and the council meeting finally began in earnest.

Made from varnished cedar, there was a set of six massive tables, three on either side of the room and slowly elevated above the one before it, and the slight groove on the inward sides of the tables lended themselves to the elliptical shape of the room. Each side's rows were intersected by four sets of stairs, two interspersed in between the rows' length and a set at either side of the room, with the pair at the far end of the room forking so as to allow members of the inner council to reach their seats. The flat, inward face of the table was appropriately marked with the clan that sat at that particular position, the fresh coat of paint upon each kamon attempting to betray how long ago they were initially carved into the wood.

From the noble clans of Uchiha and Hyuuga, to the more humble and modestly-sized Kurama clan, every major and minor shinobi clan of the village was in attendance. However, in spite of the room being completely filled, it was deathly quiet.

"Commander of Interior."

"Sir." Fugaku stood up from his seat, his stoic composure betrayed by the vacant look in his eyes.

"Status report."

"In the last twelve hours, the Office of Interior's most conservative figures estimate that the village has lost point-three percent of its population, and its most liberal around point-nine. The overwhelming majority of casualties were shinobi. Property damage was limited primarily to the southwestern quarter of Konohagakure, fortunately, the efficiency of neither the commercial nor industrial districts should be too heavily interrupted." There was a small sigh as he looked up from his documents and gave a grim, mirthless smile. "A silver lining I suppose?"

"Break down the casualty rates," Orochimaru leaned forward in his chair, his slender hands clasping one another. "By rank, if you will."

"The rank that sustained the most casualties were Chunin, with the current casualties totaling at thirty-two dead, with an additional thirty wounded. Only half are likely to completely recover. The second most damaged group was the ANBU, at twenty-eight casualties, ten wounded. Then Jonin at twenty-two and eight, and only two genin wounded."

"This was, at best, the equivalent to a pyrrhic victory in a major pitched battle. At worst…" To Orochimaru's side, Homura set his glasses on the desk in front of him and cupped his face with the other hand. "We've suffered a major blow to our home division which may not recover for another generation."

There was a sort of quiet chaos that skittered across the room, and the silent ambience that had once permeated the chambers was slowly replaced by the low and hushed grumbling of the clans.

"For those of you unaware," Orochimaru spoke again, his voice silencing the room. "Jonin Commander Namikaze Minato, and our eldest Jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Kushina, were both killed in this incident. Which brings us to our next topic of great importance."

Receiving their signal, a masked ANBU emerged from the door opposite to the Hokage's semi-circle podium, at the base level of the council chamber. Cradled in his arms was a newborn infant, wrapped loosely in a blanket. For a child born in the last four hours without his mother, he was eerily quiet, though any worries regarding his health were placated by both the reports of doctors and the small cooing noises that emerged from his cloth-bound cocoon.

"This is their child, and the new container for half of the Kyuubi's chakra."

"And the other half?" Though he tried to speak softly, the presence of the infant influencing him so, Akimichi Chouza couldn't help but have the loudest voice in the room. Hushed as it was, it still seemed to reverberate through the chamber.

"Sealed into Minato before he killed himself with the Reaper Seal. He had requested that we make the child's status as a container known to the public, so that he might be celebrated as a hero. However, I will not be honoring this request of his. The last thing we need is for a target to be painted on the infant's back before he's even ready to defend himself. This information will be considered classified to any non-shinobi personnel, as well as anyone below the rank of Jonin. Anyone found distributing this information will be arrested and tried in a military court of law for sedition and treasonous behavior."

Most nodded their heads in acceptance, while others sat deep in contemplation, attempting to calculate what that would mean in terms of the new Jinchuuriki's strength.

"Does the little pup- I mean, kid, have a name yet?" Inuzuka Tsume leaned forward onto the desk, her claw-like nails beginning to brush into the underside of her chin. They said nothing aloud, at least not yet, but among her fellow clan heads who turned to face her, there was a quizzical look that graced their faces. A small handful were more suspicious than confused by her choice of wording, and their eyes seemed to pierce through her figure. She seemed entirely unperturbed by this as she spoke again, cutting off the Hokage before he could speak, "Cause if not… us Inuzukas wouldn't mind pickin' out one for him."

Fugaku and Hiashi both glowered at the matriarch from their respective seats, but before either of them could say a word, the Hokage quickly answered. "I believe they settled on Naruto."

"Naruto," Again, the Akimichi was seemingly disturbed from his silence when he heard the name, "Like the topping?"

Yeah, it's Kushina's kid.

Among those who personally knew just how unusual and – occasionally – scatterbrained Kushina, the choice in name was anything but a surprise. A few bit down or pursed their lips tightly, very much determined not to make a fool out of themselves at this meeting. Even Hiruzen and Danzo shared a look with one another, a cross between disappointed and amused.

Just as quickly as the child's name kindled amusement in the chamber, it flickered out. The weight of the boy's importance seemed to finally present itself to the occupants of the room, and most of the clan heads allowed their thoughts to be overcome with the unspoken subject of his fate. Suspicion and doubt shadowed over the clans as skeptical looks were cast back and forth across the rooms in a near-total silence.

Yet, no one dared to say a word – not yet at least.

Even among a coalition of militarized clans within a mercenary village that served as the sword of a feudal domain, there was still some sense of propriety that held back these pseudo-warlords from immediately trying to adopt their dead comrades' child.

"We'll take him."

It just wasn't a very strong sense of propriety.

"The Inuzuka clan would be more than happy to adopt the little one into our ranks." Tsume slouched back confidently in her seat, crossing her arms as she raised her chin and aimed her declaration solely at the Fourth Hokage. "Give us a decade, and he'll be making heads turn at the next Chunin Exams; give us two, and he'll be the greatest shinobi-hunter since Inuzuka Hachiko. I guarantee it!"

Again, it was Fugaku and Hiashi who seemed to glare through her form, as if in the hopes that their gaze could melt through stone. A moment of scowling later and the two had a sudden and placating realization that, surely, a Hokage as tempered and rational as Orochimaru would not be swayed by such baseless claims, no less from a clan as vulgar and boorish as these mongrel-lovers. However, these hopes, much like when a crow bashes a rock against a turtle's shell, were quickly bludgeoned to death when they saw him nod in potential consideration.

Whatever remained of any aforementioned propriety was swiftly executed. The proverbial floodgates did not open so much as they flew off their hinges as the Uchiha and Hyuuga patriarchs all but exploded from their seats.

"Gentlemen." Stern as stone, the ANBU Commander's sole eye froze them dead before they could so much as hurl an insult or let fly a sharp-tongued rebuke. "I'll have you remember the time and the place. This is a clan forum, yes, but this is also an official meeting held by the Office of the Hokage. Mind your words carefully."

"I am in absolute agreement," The former Hokage's authoritative yet grandfatherly voice added to their chastening. "After all, I'm sure we'd all prefer that no one rouse the sleeping child with any yelling, yes?"

For the briefest moment, there was a jolt of embarrassment that seemed to – almost unnaturally – convulse across the faces of the two clan heads. Hiashi was composed enough to maintain a straight face and not let the chastisement affect him too obviously, though his true feelings on the matter were all but betrayed by the dash of flush that graced his cheeks. Fugaku, on the other hand, cast his gaze low in shame as he held up his closed fist to hide his mouth. At the center of the room, the small infant's eyes – brimming with curiosity and innocence – met his own and further cemented his feelings of guilt.

So it was no surprise that Hiashi took advantage of the situation and spoke first. "Yondaime-sama, I apologize for any rudeness I may have shown in my… haste to respond to Inuzuka-dono. However, I must object to the consideration of the boy being adopted by their clan in particular."

Though Tsume's confident smirk remained splayed across her face, her dissatisfaction was made apparent when she clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth. "You want to maybe, oh I don't know, back that up with a good reason?"

"Gladly." He didn't smile, but there was an unshakable amount of smugness that seemed to resonate in his voice in response to the challenge. "The crude nature of their clan does a great disservice to the outward appearance of Konoha's military, making us look like little more than wild brigands in the image of barking dogs. No, a child with this much power and potential should be raised in a civilized household that can instruct him in all things proper and military."

"Oh please." Tsume barked back, "Proper like being one of your little pretentious sommeliers?"

"Proper, like knowing how to bathe." From most angles, his face would have appeared neutral, but to Tsume, who had a perfect view of his expression, she could see the thin smile that he cast back at her. He seemed pretty proud of that retort. "All of which are doubtlessly important qualities for a shinobi to have, especially in regards to respecting the elegance of the Daimyo and his Fire Court."

One of Orochimaru's hands unclasped itself and gestured for him to continue, "Go on."

"As Konoha's noblest and mightiest clan, his upbringing should fall to us. We have the resources, the equipment, and the manpower to properly guide him into his role. And the Hyuuga, not the Inuzukas, should be the Jinchuuriki's stewards."

"And pray tell," Fugaku spoke, shifting the occupants' attention to his side of the room. "What are the 'prim and proper' Hyuuga going to do if the tailed-beast breaks from his seal? Tell me, Hiashi, what good will those all-seeing eyes of yours be in the face of overwhelming power? No, don't tell me," He bit back a laugh as he covered his smile with an open hand. "You'll disconnect a few tenketsu in the beast's paws, or shoot a few volleys of your willow-leaf arrows at him? Please. Try to be a bit more rational here."

"Yeah, you tell him Fugaku." Tsume bared her teeth in a crude smile. "Nothin' some Inuzuka hounds can't bring down."

"You're next." He raised a pointed finger at her. "As I recall, your hounds didn't seem to do much to hurt, or even stagger the Kyuubi this evening, no? And besides, wouldn't your clan's savagery only serve to stoke its viciousness?"

At this point, Tsume had begun to ground her teeth together. "You know, I'm not really sure if you're one to call us out for being quote, 'savages,' unquote. Madara and the rest of your forefathers definitely had their reputations as trophy-hunters for a reason. Or need I remind you of your little monument in the middle of the Uchiha District?"

"Trophy-hunters or not, the Uchiha have the means to control the Kyuubi. Just as the great Uchiha Madara once helped Hashirama subjugate the nine tailed beasts, so too can we collar-and-leash the beast should it break from its seal."

"The barbarity of both of your clans will prove to be the child's undoing! Yondaime-sama, please, I beg of you, entrust us with his stewardship."

"These milksops definitely can't be trusted with guarding, much less raising the young'un. Let the Inuzuka clan rear him as our own."

"Hokage-sama, if you wish for the beast to be kept under proper lock and key, then leave him in our care. The boy will be raised alongside my Itachi, and the beast will be closely watched should it attempt to influence him."

All three bowed as low as they could, and had the table not been in their way, they may very well have prostrated themselves before the Hokage. In spite of their yelling, Naruto remained undisturbed from his slumber, broken only occasionally to peer around the room.

"Ahem." The voice was like shuffled gravel. "If I may, Hokage-sama?"

Orochimaru lackadaisical waved for him to continue.

"Instead of having a single clan act as Naruto's custodians, why not operate on a rotational basis? It would anchor him to the village and the shinobi community as a whole, without attaching him to any one particular clan, and thereby, avoid any accusations of favoritism."

"The Akimichi clan will support this proposition."

"As will the Yamanaka."

"Absolutely not." If Shikaku's voice was rough like gravel grinding against the pavement, then Aburame Shibi's voice came like the muffled drone of whirling cuticle wings in one's ears. Chou, his wife, quietly whispered something that went unheard by the rest of the council before he spoke again. "The potential risk of clan secrets being stolen, or even passed along by accident, could mean the destruction of an entire clan. The Aburame clan rejects Nara Shikaku's proposed plan."

"Something to hide, Aburame?"

"As much as everyone else here does, Uchiha-dono."

"Fair enough, I suppose. The Uchiha also reject the proposal."

"The Inuzuka do as well."

"As do the Hyuuga."

"The Kurama clan abstains from this vote." It was a hushed voice from the corner of the council chamber, but not as monotone as an Aburame. Rather, it was as though his voice was scuttling into their ears, dragging and stamping thousands of little chitinous legs into one's canal. Most, save for the Aburame representatives and the members of the upper council, flinched a bit at hearing Kurama Murakumo speak aloud.

Most hoped he would also abstain from talking again during the rest of the meeting.

All eyes seemed to turn to the Hokage and the rest of the upper council. With his face shrouded, Orochimaru's opinions on the matter were as ambiguous as what might lie in the center of a deep blanket of fog. He merely drummed his fingers against the flat side of the table, allowing the sound to bounce around the now silent room. The ANBU Commander and the rest of his advisors were no different, and even without veils to obscure their faces, their unyielding faces may as well have been carved into the side of the Hokage Rock.

"Firstly, I should state I'm very impressed with you all. You all spent a quarter of an hour debating with one another on a matter most imperative. You even organized your own vote on the subject. All of which was an excellent example of you all acting hastily. Especially you, Tsume."

Tsume, the root of it all, was more than a bit taken aback, embarrassed even. "I beg your pardon, sir?"

"I wish you would have earlier, begged my pardon, that is, since it was you and your impulsiveness that ultimately started this whole debate. Though, that's not to say you're the only one at fault here. All of you threw your fair share of fuel onto this proverbial fire, some more than others. All of you acted upon several proposals that were neither organized nor officiated by myself or anyone in the upper council."

"Then why allow the debate in the first place?"

Orochimaru merely shrugged. "Well, both Danzo and Hiruzen seemed fairly interested in at least hearing you all out, but as far as I can tell, neither seem particularly invested in any of the proposals. To be frank, I was also a bit offended that Tsume and the rest of you decided to waste my time with an illicit debate and an unsanctioned vote, so I decided that it would only be fair to waste yours as well."

"So, what of the boy's fate?"

"He'll be placed in the custody of Hatake Kakashi."

"He's a bit young isn't he?" Chouza asked, crossing his arms.

Inoichi nodded in agreement. "And still in the ANBU. Are you sure that he, of all people, will be able to take care of him?"

"He expressed an obligation in protecting his sensei's son. And just as Fugaku mentioned, his sharingan will prove useful in subduing the Kyuubi should it break free. Likewise, Kakashi has both the aptitude and competence to ensure the little one is well-trained and disciplined."

"But is Kakashi really all there?" Again it was Inoichi who expressed his doubts about the upper council's choice. "Mentally, I mean. Shouldn't we have Minato's son placed in the care of someone like Nohara Rin and Jiraiya?"

"That had been an idea, but that would require that we recall them back from Nohara's training. The risk of Naruto being whisked away while the two of them are off training is an entirely real possibility. Even with Jiraiya's protection, I'd rather not have two high value assets outside Konoha's walls, together no less, at any given time."

"Isn't Jiraiya the child's godfather?"

"Yes, though I do have my own reservations on whether Jiraiya could reasonably be expected to take care of the boy throughout this process. Frankly, with or without Rin to train, I think he may be a poor influence on the child."

Tsume snorted a bit, "Because he's a lech?"

"No, because he's absent-minded. Always had his head in the clouds, and never down to earth with the rest of us. His impulsivity around women and money could very well put them in an inconvenient, if not dangerous situation. One that inevitably, we'll have to clean up."

The Inuzuka couldn't help but nod in agreement. The council had received an excessive number of expense reports, all seemingly tied to either oirans or izakayas. "Aye, fair enough I suppose."

"Besides, it might do Kakashi some good to have someone to look after in his life. Might help him clean up his act a bit." Koharu said with a bit of optimism sneaking out through her tone.

"I second that." Homura added in affirmation as he readjusted his glasses. "With Nohara out of the village save for the occasional visit, and the rest of his team… indisposed, it'd be good to keep him occupied with someone."

"Excellent, I'm glad we all came to a unanimous group decision." The derision in Orochimaru's voice was hard to ignore as he snapped his fingers, an ANBU arriving almost immediately by his side. "Go and fetch me Hatake Kakashi."

There was a curt nod before he just as quickly disappeared from the chamber.

"Well," Hiruzen clapped his hands together, gathering the attention of the room. "If the Hokage would permit it, I propose that we take a short intermission while Kakashi comes to retrieve the boy."

"Very well. You are all free to do what you want for the time being. An ANBU will be sent out to notify you of the time."

---

 

[TheMightyMorgoth]

Chapter 2
Cigarettes on the Roof​

---

From the roof of the Hokage's office, thin streams of smoke seemed to drift up to the sky. Leaning over the railings, Fugaku could gaze out at the whole village, yet kept his eyes firmly fixed towards the southwest, the Shinobi Residential District. The last of the night's fires were being put out, and he could just barely make out distant shapes skittering through the debris. He hoped his men in the Keimu Butai were out there doing their job, helping who they could.

He didn't so much as blink, or even notice the taste or smell of his tobacco for that matter. There was some kind of noise behind him, but it was indiscernible at the moment, like static from a distant radio.

What looked like one of the taller barracks buildings in that district seemed to crumble a bit more, not collapsing yet, but he could hear the weight of the supports shifting even from here. Perhaps it was a hidden blessing that the Uchiha clan had been relocated towards the village outskirts by Tobirama. He let through that same mirthless smile from earlier in the meeting.

Again that noise erupted behind him, this time jolting him out of his stupor as he finally blinked and turned around.

"Hey asshole, I know we were arguing earlier, but that ain't a good reason to just ignore me." Tsume's voice was rough on his ears, not necessarily grating or annoying, just not something you'd like to hear after spending some time contemplating.

"Pardon?"

She held out her cigarette, "Light. You got a light?"

Not particularly keen on using any chakra, he drew a match from his coat pocket, struck it and lit the front end of her cigarette.

"Thanks." Tsume looked past his shoulder, glancing at what it was that he was looking at. "Mind if I join you?"

He extended his hand to the section of rail beside him. "Be my guest."

She hopped up onto the guard rail, pulling her legs through the bars and hooking them to keep herself in place. Seemed like something an academy student and not a clan matriarch might do. "So what's on your mind?"

"What isn't?"

"Ain't that the truth. I just hope the pups are doing all right back in our district."

"You keep them in the kennels right?"

"Well, not the human ones."

Fugaku couldn't help but scrunch his face up and look at her strangely as he took a rather large puff from his pipe. "You Inuzuka are still so strange to me."

"The word you're looking for is 'unorthodox'."

"Pssh." He snorted at her comment. "Surprised you even know words that big."

"Prick. I should just stick this cigarette into your cheek shouldn't I?" She crossed her arms and puffed up her chest. She continued on with an amused smile and some faux-bravado. "I'll have you know I won plenty of spelling competitions as a kid!"

"You, an academic? Sure, and I'm actually the most sought-after geisha in all of Hi no Kuni."

"Is this your way of subconsciously letting me know you like to crossdress? Aww, don't you worry, I'll be sure to let Mikoto know that her grumpy 'ol husband secretly wants to be a cute, little taikomochi for her!" Tsume burst out laughing at her own joke, much to his chagrin.

"I don't know why I bother associating with you." Even as he held his deadpan expression, she continued to laugh mockingly.

"Bet it's cause you couldn't keep your eyes off of me in the academy!"

His expression unchanged, Fugaku licked his index finger and thumb before he promptly extinguished her cigarette. "Don't flatter yourself. There definitely wasn't anyone looking at you back then, save for the instructors who were just trying to get you to shut up."

"I couldn't agree more." Someone new made their presence known to the duo. "I certainly can't imagine anyone else being interested in Tsume outside of maybe some runts from her own clan."

Unabated, Tsume spoke without paying either remark too much mind. "Hiashi, come join us."

"I don't smoke."

"I don't care. Join, or I'll be tempted to send some of my dogs to shit in your yard." She flicked her smothered cigarette behind her.

Shaking his head, Hiashi moved to join the pair, taking his place on Fugaku's left, opposite to Tsume. "You know, I'm more than a little surprised she even knows a word like tempted."

"See, Tsume? I'm not the only one who thinks you're stupid."

"Assholes, the both of you. Anyways, Fugaku, give me another light."

"As long as you don't try to tell my wife any of this horseshit that you're trying to make up."

"Oh come on, she'll think it's hilarious."

"Horseshit, you say?" Hiashi leaned forward, his interest piqued. "Do tell."

"Fugaku here is into crossdressing."

Said man withdrew his match back into his coat's inner pocket. "Suppose then that there'll be no need for a light."

Hiashi moved over to Tsume and held his hand out towards her unlit cigarette. He flicked his thumb against the side of his index in a similar fashion to how one might strike a match, a small flame hovering above its tip. "You were saying."

Fugaku could only pinch the bridge of his nose. "Why did I get put on a team with a bunch of gossipping hens?"

"You hush. Go on, Tsume. Tell me more about Fugaku's secret interest."

"He made a rather interesting comment about being, and I quote, 'the most sought after geisha in Hi no Kuni,' unquote."

"Mmm. I see, I see."

"Now, I was so bold as to assume this might have been him, subconsciously projecting his own secret fetishes to me, being his only female friend."

"Sure, 'female'." It was almost imperceptible, but both Fugaku and Tsume could have sworn they heard a bit of air wheeze out of Hiashi's nose in a pseudo laugh. "Oh sorry, do continue."

"Yeah, no, that was it."

"What so, no hard proof? No evidence of any of this?"

"Uh, no? I just pulled it out of my ass." With his blank, milky eyes, Hiashi stared at Tsume for a second, his earlier smile and interest having dissipated.

"Gods above, you're a boring woman." He quickly proceeded to do the same thing as Fugaku had earlier, wetting his fingers and snuffing out its short lived flame. He made sure to pinch a bit past the very front, twisting it and practically ruining the whole cigarette.

"For fuck's sake, this is two cigarettes in a row. One of you needs to pay me back for all this."

"Sure, tell you what," As the Uchiha took another long drag from his pipe, he started to chuckle a bit at a joke he just thought of. "How about I grab a few bones from my trophy monument? Would that be enough to pay you back?"

"Fugaku, you shouldn't joke about that." Hiashi and Tsume's faces were dead serious. "We shinobi have to know better than to act as inhumane as that."

"H-hiashi, you're not serious are you?" The Uchiha gulped as he tried to decipher his friends' true feelings. Fugaku stared at Hiashi with uncertainty, whose face had seemingly turned to stone.

"Of course not."

Fugaku's shoulders sank in relief, as the two sputtered into a fit of childish giggling. "You cheeky bastard."

"I had you there didn't I?"

"You just about did, but then I couldn't help and think about that thing, oh what was it again?"

"The Sightless Garden."

"That's it." Fugaku shook his head and tapped his index against the side of his pipe. "Still don't think I can ever forget that sight."

"That was when I invited our team to the compound wasn't it?"

"That's right, and wasn't Tsume trying to extort some pocket money from your – what was it again – eight and nine-year old cousins in the branch family?"

"Whoa whoa whoa." Said woman held her hands up defensively. "It wasn't extortion, I merely challenged them to a game of Daifugou, and when they refused to pay up, I wrestled them for a few sen. Absolutely nothin' extortionary about that."

"Of course, my bad. So, Tsume was mugging your cousins, Iinuma-sensei was getting berated by your clan elders, and you lured me to the back of the compound, didn't you?"

"'Lured you,' has some negative connotations. I prefer 'giving you a tour of the premises'."

"Hiashi, you led me to the back spot of the compound and proceeded to push me into the most nightmarish alcove I could have imagined."

The Hyuuga merely shrugged, "It isn't my fault that you're so frail and prissy."

"We were kids, of course I'd have been a bit disturbed by that. For the record, you pushed me into a thorn bush with a couple dozen preserved human eyes staring back at me."

"I, being the gracious host that I was and still am, thought that you, an Uchiha, would feel perfectly at home in a nest full of eyes, on account of your clan being equally obsessed with eyes."

Tsume snorted, "If you consider basically everyone at the compound being passive-aggressive as 'gracious,' then sure."

"Well, perhaps if all of you had been dressed more appropriately and behaved in a manner befitting of a noble household, then you wouldn't have been treated as such." Hiashi cupped his chin with one hand as he crossed the other underneath his arm pit. "Yes and if I recall, after one of the attendants let you into the gates, she described you all to me as a rabble of peasants, one of which in particular looked like a rabid mutt off its leash."

To their surprise, Tsume did not immediately react to Hiashi's proverbial jab.

"Makes you think though, doesn't it?"

Both men looked at her, a bit curious at her question.

"About preserved eyes?"

"About mugging small children?"

"No, retards. How long ago did we graduate?"

"Must've been, what, eighteen, maybe twenty years ago?"

All three of them stewed in their own thoughts.

Fugaku subconsciously ran a hand through his hair, uncertain of which strands had already begun to turn grey. "Gods, I feel old."

"Yeah, cause you are." Tsume snickered. "You're already starting to look grey from here!"

"Ahuh." Unamused, Fugaku took a few drags from his pipe and exhaled as much smoke as he could muster into her face. "Seems like I'm not the only one turning grey nowadays."

Before Tsume could respond, Hiashi cut her off. "On the subject of grey things, look who finally arrived."

The other two peered over the side of the railings and down at the entryway. Two masked ANBU were moving towards the entrance, though the one trailing behind was very clearly identifiable with his shock of silver hair. "Damn, how long ago was it that Hatake graduated? Seven years ago?"

"Nine." The Uchiha replied quickly.

"Nine! And now look at him, already in the ANBU. Might as well be more machine than man." Tsume turned around, resting her back against the guard railing as she toyed with her maimed cigarette bud. "Makes you wonder though, how's he gonna raise Minato's kid? I mean, half his team's dead, his only other teammate refuses to speak to him, and he has all of three other friends. At that, they're more his friends than he is theirs."

His former teammates' noses scrunched in response. The more outspoken of the two decided to voice their shared problem. "You're not even going to wait to bring it up are you?"

"Hm?" The Inuzuka hummed innocently enough.

"You're bringing up this whole Kakashi affair so casually and right after you completely ruined the chance of anyone having custody of the child! Most of all, us."

"You two think you even had a chance? Don't kid yourselves. Orochimaru was all but eating out of my hands until you two decided to butt in."

Hiashi couldn't help but raise one of his well-trimmed eyebrows, "Butt in? Tsume, we had just as much of a right to be his surrogates as you did. We were just as close to Minato as you were!"

"And what about Kushina, hmm? Thanks to my tomboyish charms, I was more than able to befriend both of them, unlike you two, who never seemed interested in expanding out of your little sausage fest with Minato."

The two men briefly glowered at her, before Hiashi's eyebrows raised ever so slightly and he leaned over to Fugaku, whispering something that was incomprehensible to Tsume. Their faces softened a bit as they nodded their heads in understanding. Hiashi stepped forward and placed a hand on shoulder, "Tsume. I'm so sorry."

"Huh?"

"Tsume," Fugaku shook his head, covering his eyes with his forearm as though he were about to cry. "We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but they weren't actually your friends."

Hiashi patted her shoulder, the way a father might console their crying child. "You, I am afraid, were their little charity case."

"I remember it like it was yesterday – Hiashi, Minato and I were all sitting at a bar, piss drunk rambling on about this and that. And I remember, clear as day, after he burped louder than I've ever heard anyone else before, he told us about how our weird teammate was trying to act all friendly around him and his girlfriend."

"That's right, that's right. We told him, 'Please, you have to understand, she's a bit of a special case. She's a little slow, but she always means well. It would mean a lot to us if you and Kushina at least humored her.' And the rest is history!"

Neither of her male teammates held it together for too long, nearly bursting out in laughter. Much like how one might flick a bug off their arm, she flicked her cigarette at Hiashi. "Fuck you guys, at least I got invited to her baby shower."

"Oh and I'm sure theyneverregretted that decision."

"I'm so sorry for her, you know!" Fugaku raised his pitch just a bit to imitate Kushina's, copying her verbal tic as he did a little faux-apologetic bow. "Yes, I promise, we'll be sure to pay for all the damages she caused to your place, you know!"

"Pieces of shit," She rolled up sleeves, revealing toned and scar-covered biceps and triceps. "I oughta fucking put you both into coffins."

As her – poor – choice in words finally settled among them, all three of them became a bit more dour. Tsume nervously scratched the back of her neck, realizing what she had said. "Uh, sorry, maybe that was a bit too soon to say."

"No, no. It's fine. It was an honest mistake."

"That's right." Fugaku smiled again, as mirthless as usual. "What would Tsume be without making some mistakes, right?"

They all chuckled, but there was understandably a bit of sadness in their tone.

"Pardon my intrusion." The three turned, where an ANBU stood upright with his hands clasped behind his back. He was a tall fellow, though not as tall as Fugaku. "We'll be returning to the chamber now."

"Hatake finally received the kid?"

"Yes ma'am." Just as quickly and silently as he appeared, the ANBU vanished from view, likely returning to one of their usual observation perches.

"Well, I guess that'll be that then." Fugaku exhaled the last puff of smoke for the night, the tobacco he had stuffed in all but burned away.

"Hey." Tsume ground her teeth together anxiously, still a bit guilty at how their conversation had ended but a few moments earlier. "What say we all go hit up a bar after this meeting's over?"

"Sure. I'mabsolutely certainthat a bar will be open past midnight, and right after a massive city-wide evacuation notice." Hiashi huffed tiredly.

Tsume stared down at the rooftop, kicking a displaced pebble of polished stone. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Forget I said anything."

The two looked back at her, before Fugaku lightly elbowed Hiashi. The Hyuuga held up his hands in placation. "Wait, Tsume. Let's go back to the Hyuuga District instead of drinking that overpriced piss-swill that the commoners call beer. I'm sure there's some fine bottles of umeshu with each of our names on it."

"Or… alternatively, we go to the Uchiha District, and I break out a few bottles of that premium Honjozoshu that I keep tucked away for special occasions?"

"What's wrong with the Hyuuga District?"

"Hiashi, we want to drink without being looked at like we're the dirt under someone's fingernails."

Tsume nodded in agreement. "So it's settled, then. We'll drink at Fugaku's place, and we'll have the little afterparty that Minato and Kushina would have wanted."

"Damn right."

"Indeed. A shot for each year we wish for Naruto's continued prosperity."

All three were now nodding in agreement.

"Now," Tsume clapped her hands together. "Let's hurry or we're gonna have the whole council yelling at us."

Lagging a few minutes behind everyone else, the former team were the last to make their way into the stairwell. Fugaku, who walked at the front of the trio, spoke up with some cheer having returned to his voice. "To Naruto?"

Hiashi and Tsume smiled sadly, each raising a hand as though they were holding a cup for a toast. "To Naruto."

"By the way, if the offer still stands, I'll take those bones you mentioned earlier, Fugaku."

---

Big thanks to my co-author, King Jucio for helping me develop this idea.

 

[TheMightyMorgoth]

Chapter 3
Red Beans and Plums​

A small boy, no older than five, yawned as he stretched his arm out of the warm sanctuary of his linen comforter. Through groggy eyes, he hastily attempted to flip the switch on his blaring alarm clock. Seven-thirty, it read. He lay flat in the bed for a moment as he stared up at the wooden grid formation of the ceiling. For a few minutes, he counted each square above him.

Eventually, once he finally got bored, he shuffled out of bed with another yawn and a long stretch. He left the room, only to find the austerely-decorated apartment to be empty. On the backside of the front door there was a small paper note pinned against the fabric message board.

Naruto,

Out on a mission. Might be home tonight. Breakfast and lunch for the next three days are in the fridge; reheat for 90 and 200 seconds, respectively. Spare rations in the pantry if you get hungry. Make sure you're eating enough protein each day, keep the house clean, go through your courses, and go over the chapters I marked. Guy will drop by the house in the evenings.

– Kakashi

"No Aniue today either." Naruto sighed before his stomach growled at him like an annoyed dog. Opening the fridge, he found his breakfast: tamagoyaki, a dozen broiled saury, several filets of simmered mackerel, a large pot of white rice that had lazily been stuck into the fridge, and a large pickled plum – as large as a pickled plum could be that is. It was the same food that Kakashi made since as far back as he could remember. Naruto quickly tore through the meal, letting his stomach command his hand forward.

"The eggs don't taste like anything, the fish are all overcooked, and the pickled plum is a pickled plum. The rice is fine, though." He ate everything nonetheless. His meal was finished without ceremony, and he cleaned everything as thoroughly as if Kakashi had been hovering just behind him. "Well, at least I know Aniue definitely made it."

He grabbed the key lying on the coffee table and was sure to lock up the apartment on his way out. In sharp contrast to his nicely air-conditioned home, it was warm outside, uncomfortably so, with the humidity clinging to his cold skin like freshly cooked rice to the sides of a pot. Naruto all but recoiled in disgust, nearly retreating back to the temperate confines of Kakashi's minimalist apartment. But after reminding himself that no one was there anyway, he made his way out the door. Like usual, he'd eventually get used to the humidity.

"Good morning, Naru-chan. Out for your usual run?" His neighbor was a kindly older woman, around her late sixties, who frequently enjoyed sipping her chilled green tea outside her front door.

"Good morning, Oba-san!" He gave a deep bow to his neighbor. "And yes, Aniue still wants me to run lots for the next few weeks."

"Well, I'll be sure to keep an eye on the house while you're gone. If you'd like, I'll make you some matcha when you get back?"

"Thank you, but Aniue says I can't." His head drooped down a bit and he couldn't meet her gaze, as if wracked with guilt. "I'm sorry. If he didn't say so, I definitely would love to have some!"

She brought the sleeve of her jinbei up to cover her mouth, stifling a giggle. "It's okay, Naru-chan. Now go on. If you don't leave soon, it's going to be too hot to run!"

Naruto couldn't help but give another small bow to excuse himself.

He made his way down from the second floor of the apartment and set off for his run. He was to run at least two kilometers out, and then another two kilometers back. He took his usual route up through the residential districts and near the market district. The people who recognized him waved or smiled, mostly adults or the elderly. None of the children his age recognized him, and mostly stuck to themselves or their parents.

However, there was one young woman Naruto didn't recognize, made all the more distinct by the strange markings on her cheeks. She stared at him rather intensely, as if she recognized him – but Naruto had never seen nor met her in his entire life. So he continued past her.

The sun had barely moved by the time he finished, and though drenched in sweat, his heart maintained a relatively steady beat. One lukewarm shower later, and Naruto found himself spinning in his desk chair, idly passing the time. He did this for five minutes until the time read eleven o'clock.

When the small hand of the clock finally came to rest over the eleven, without fail, Naruto opened up the first book lying on his desk. "The Basics of Chakra Control," he read aloud. "Same page as usual."

He flipped through the book, briefly glimpsing at the pages he had already gone through. The majority of the pages were covered in illustrations and diagrams, with words only sparsely written throughout to contextualize or add noteworthy points. The sketches were rough and hand-drawn, with people represented via basic anatomical silhouettes meant to convey only the necessary details.

Naruto stopped abruptly as he finally found what he was looking for. The page was marked with a diagram of the five basic nature transformations, with each character for the five elements accompanied by a sprawl of notes. In the center of the diagram, Kakashi had left a little note: "Affinities become obvious at a certain age; practice chakra control until then." He wasn't allowed to practice with fire, wind, or lightning unless Kakashi was there to supervise so that only left him with water or earth. Given that Naruto had just showered, he decided practicing with water might be the best – and cleanest – option. It would also be Naruto's first time – at least in a long time – practicing with water rather than earth.

"Okay, let's see." Naruto stood up from his chair as he scanned the instructions on the following page. "Fill a bucket or container with water, and place your hands at the bottom. Do not move them and maintain a consistent influx of chakra going in and out of them. Move the water only using your chakra." Below the little notes were a few underlined keywords that Kakashi had left him, providing visual inspiration.

"Only do this in the bathroom." That sentence in particular was circled vigorously.

So he did as the note instructed, filling a bucket with water, before very carefully shuffling over to the bathroom, where he rested the pail on the tiled floor. Ironically, the bathroom may have been the largest – and most accommodating – room in Kakashi's apartment.

Slumping down to his knees, Naruto rolled up his sleeves as his hands gently sunk into the water until his palms lay flat against the bottom. It was barely warm but was comfortable to him nonetheless. Slowly, he shut out the outside world until all that seemed to remain was the faint hum of the ceiling light and the steady pace of his breath. With one deep inhale, he felt the chakra in his body 'come to life,' pooling and gathering in his stomach like a peach's seed. Then, with the following exhale, he felt a momentary tingling sensation explode from his core to the palms of his hands as if they were horses galloping across a well-worn road.

When the water bubbled in response, Naruto couldn't help but giggle a little to himself. He concentrated on his task and felt the chakra return through his hands, traveling back up through his arms. The water seemed to suck in a little bit as his chakra withdrew into his body. Again, he expelled another pulse of chakra, but this time, meant to shorten the time between the exhale and inhale of energy.

It was slow at first, and he nearly blasted himself with a jet of water when his concentration slipped, and he let out a little too much chakra. But eventually, he set his mind to a rhythm, 'in-and-out, and in-and-out.' Although there was the occasional misstep – that is to say, a bit of spillage coming off the side of the pail – the water had nonetheless fallen into line with Naruto's rhythm. After some time had passed, there was a miniature – albeit slow – vortex of water converging around the boy's hands.

Months of constant chakra control practice culminated in some visible and decent results.

Though Kakashi may not find it adequate, this was the best Naruto had accomplished thus far. Unfortunately, there was a sudden knock at the front door. To Naruto, it was as if the apartment complex collapsed, and he found himself drenched with the contents of the now-empty bucket. Hastily grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his head and shoulders like a shawl, he rushed to the door, leaving a trail of water that dripped onto the floor in his wake.

Much to his surprise, a pair of familiar faces greeted him. "Sarutobi-sama, Oku-sama." Unfortunately, his towel slipped out from its hastily made knot and onto the ground as he bowed deeply to the former Hokage and his wife. "I'm so sorry for the wait and… this. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Don't worry Naruto, there's nothing to apologize for." Hiruzen squatted down and grabbed the towel, dusting it off a few times before he handed it back to the boy. "And we came here to speak with you and Kakashi. Is he home right now?"

Naruto shook his head as he folded the towel neatly into a thick square, its corners still damp and now caked with a bit of dust from the genkan. "He left a few days ago. But he might be back later tonight!"

He flashed the pair a small smile at that optimistic thought. Conversely, Hiruzen and Biwako allowed a frown to form as they shared a look. They quickly returned to their original dispositions, hoping Naruto hadn't noticed.

When he did, however, Naruto's optimism gave way to some concern, and he couldn't help but tense up a bit. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"Absolutely nothing is wrong." Biwako held out her hand and spoke reassuringly. "I promise."

His shoulders slumped a bit as he relaxed, and though he said nothing, he did give an audible sigh. "Oh, I'm sorry, please come in!"

"Ah, I should mention. I made these for you!" As her husband sealed out the summer heat behind them, Biwako stepped forward and peeled back the lid on a wooden container. As if sealed away by the lid, there was a pleasantly cool air that poured out into the room, revealing with it a dozen or more pale-white daifuku. Naruto could hardly contain himself in front of such delectables, but after a moment of thought, he held back from even reaching out to them.

But embarrassed as he was, he could barely maintain eye contact with the older woman. "I'm sorry, Oku-sama, but I'm not allowed to have anything sweet. Aniue says they're not very good for a growing shinobi."

Hiruzen couldn't help but deadpan at Naruto's reluctant answer – an answer that was not at all out of line for something Kakashi would say, or for that matter, make Naruto say whenever he was offered sweets. Biwako bit back her laughter as she pursed her lips in amusement, "Firstly, no need to call me Oku-sama; I'm not some bride fresh from her wedding, and we certainly shouldn't be strangers to you."

"Sorry," Naruto nodded, "From now on, I'll call you Biwako-sama."

She stared at him silently for a moment before giving a faint shrug as though to say, 'Good enough.' "Secondly, do you know how many soon-to-be shinobi your age are not allowed to have wagashi?"

"None?"

"None. That's right." The midwife placed a hand on her hip. "And as a medical professional who helps monitor shinobi children, I can assure you and Kakashi, the occasional sweet isn't going to hurt – especially not if I make it."

Naruto slumped down onto the edge of the genkan, letting his little legs dangle onto the genkan. "Yeah, I know. I said that to Aniue."

"And what did he say?"

The boy held a hand over his left eye and imitated Kakashi as best as he could, "Sure, Naruto. But how many kids that eat candy become Jonin at twelve?" He let out a huff as his head sank down into his hands.

"Ahem." Hiruzen cleared his throat. "Naruto, I thought you said your older brother was on a mission?"

"Huh?" Curious blue eyes looked up at the elderly man. Naruto replied a little too curtly than Kakashi would have allowed him to. "He is, though?"

"Clearly, the greatest shinobi of all time, Hatake Kakashi, is standing right before me!" He stretched his hand out towards Naruto as though he were a flashy merchant unveiling his latest product to a crowd of onlookers. Complete with a cheeky – if not jovial – smile.

Biwako set the container down on the top step of the genkan, before bending down to Naruto's height and wrapping an old but firm hand behind his back and onto his shoulder, opposite to her. She guided him up until he was on his feet.

The boy turned around and was greeted by one of the warmest smiles he could have imagined – perhaps even more than his neighborly Oba-san. She playfully nudged her head forward, drawing his attention to the former Hokage.

He couldn't help but smile along with her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I must have been mistaken." Hiruzen snapped his fingers in mock disappointment. "The real Hatake Kakashi only has one eye, not two."

Naruto, still confused, looked to Biwako for some elaboration. She merely smiled and covered her left eye with the adjacent hand. The boy lit up and turned to face Hiruzen as he did the same thing.

"There he is, the greatest shinobi Konoha has ever seen!"

Naruto couldn't help but smile along with everyone else, letting the energy and excitement of the couple whisk him away. He clicked the heels of his feet together, before saluting with his right hand, placing the flattened hand perpendicular to his brow. "Ani- I mean, Hatake Kakashi, reporting for duty!"

"At ease, Hatake-san." Perhaps a little too eagerly, Naruto shot his right hand down to his side, almost slamming it into his own waist. Hiding an emerging laugh with a fake cough, Hiruzen continued. "I have a special assignment for you, it's a triple S-ranked mission. But on second thought, I'm not sure if you're cut out for it."

"I'm cut for it!" His cerulean eyes were abuzz with excitement.

Biwako whispered behind him. "Cut out for it."

"I'm cut out for it, I mean!" He quickly amended his previous statement.

"Very well, know that the fate of Konoha, no, the fate of the entire world rests on you."

Naruto was absolutely beaming. "I'm ready for anything!"

"Okay, you'll have to close your eyes and turn around."

As he did as he was instructed, Biwako struggled to stifle a giggle as she covered her mouth. Quietly she leaned down and drew a daifuku from the container. "Hold your hands out."

It was sticky, yet incredibly soft like a steamed dumpling.

"Your mission is to eat this."

"Uhm…" There was still that hitch of reluctance as Naruto spoke, "But Aniue said-"

"Hatake-san, the fate of our country rests in your hands! We don't have time. You need to eat it now!"

The faux alarm in Hiruzen's voice was enough to spook the boy as he greedily scoffed down the wagashi. He only began to savor its taste halfway through the mochi once his teeth sunk into the roughly cut chunk of plum at its core. The sweetness of the semi-transparent adzuki filling melted in with the sourness and acidity of the plum, creating an altogether refreshing taste and exciting texture for Naruto's rather plain palette. Wagashi was a rare treat for Naruto, as were sweets in general, though perhaps with good reason. Barely a minute had passed before the daifuku mochi was gone.

"Congratulations on a mission well done!"

"Congratulations!"

After Naruto realized how voraciously he had eaten the daifuku, he shrunk back in embarrassment, his cheeks flushed red.

Biwako urged him towards the couch in the center of the living room. "Come now, why not sit down and have another one?"

Sheepishly, he nodded and shuffled over before taking a seat across from the older couple. Naruto retained a relatively formal posture even as he sat down as if attending an interview.

"Go on." Biwako pushed the wooden box full of plum wagashi closer with her middle and ring fingers. She smiled at him, "You'll have another, won't you?"

He nervously swallowed a glob of spit as he looked down, the sourness of the plums still fresh on his tongue. He wondered aloud, "Would Aniue be okay with this?"

"Ahem," Hiruzen cleared his throat. "I'm sure that Kakashi would, at least out of obligation, enjoy some sweets."

"That's right!" Biwako nodded her head in agreement, "And I'm quite sure he wouldn't mind having just a few, now would he?"

"I suppose not…" Naruto reached out his hand, the soft and malleable form of the rice dough squishing between his fingers. He carefully bit into it, but this time bit deeper and with more confidence than he had with the first daifuku. Having bitten deep enough into the mochi to get a combination of the plum and adzuki, he closed his eyes and savored the swirl of flavors. He found that the soft texture and sourness of the plum complemented the sweetness and grit from the ground-up red beans. It was a match made in heaven.

"So, Naruto," He opened his eyes only to see the Sarutobi couple giggling and speaking very quietly among themselves. "Tell us about your day."

He swallowed his bite slowly before he spoke. "Lots of training and exercise! I ran about four kilometers and then practiced my chakra control!"

"Did you make sure to stretch afterward?"

"Uhmm." He fidgeted with his fingers. "No… I forgot to."

"You better be sure to, or you'll end up as sore and achy as us at your age."

Naruto couldn't help but grimace at the thought and nodded his head.

The two elders waited quietly, expecting him to follow up his earlier statement with a list of what he had been up to. "Naruto?"

"Yes?"

"Is that… all you did today?"

He shrugged his shoulders and slumped back onto the couch. "It's only noon"

"Okay, let me put it this way. Did you do anything for fun?"

"Ah, no." Naruto raised a finger to interject. "Training is fun."

"Fun for you?"

The boy's eyes slowly drifted away and broke contact with the Sarutobis' before he whispered under his breath. "For Aniue, it is."

"Mhm. That sounds about right."

Biwako spoke up after Hiruzen made his comment. "Well, is there anything you'd like to do?

"Besides your training, that is." Hiruzen followed up.

"I don't know…" His voice trailed off. "Usually, when I ask Aniue if I can do something fun, he says no if it's not about training or being a shinobi."

"Hmmm. Maybe we could find something you might enjoy that Kakashi would see as practical? I'm sure we could come up with a little list of things."

"Like what?"

Hiruzen drummed his fingers along the arm of the chair. "How about an instrument? It would build patience and would require constant diligence."

Biwako clapped her hands together in delight. "Oh, that's a wonderful idea! Is there anything you'd like to play?"

"I always wanted to play the koto, actually!" His excitement softened as he glanced down towards his fidgeting hands. "But I already asked Aniue about that."

"And?"

"He said it would be 'harmful to my studies and training'."

"Hmmm. Well, how about something like shogi, then? It requires a certain level of tactical skill and planning that could be useful to any shinobi? Plus, many of the best shinobi in the village play shogi."

Seeming curious, Naruto perked up a bit. "So, who else in the village plays shogi?"

"Well, yours truly is a pretty distinguished player," Hiruzen said, with zero reservations about bragging in front of a five-year-old. "Most of the council plays it, often against one another on certain weekends of the month – that and mahjong. When I was the Hokage, I liked to challenge the senior ANBU who worked in my office when I was bored. The Jonin Commander plays shogi, and I'm also sure he'll be teaching his son how to play. And you know, even the Hokage himself plays a couple games of shogi every week.

"Really?" His voice dripped with excitement at that bit of information. "That's so cool! Is he a good player?"

"I would certainly think so." Smugly, he straightened his clothes in a most exaggerated manner. "He learned everything from me, after all. Probably why he's such a good player after all."

"You did not!" She lightly smacked her husband across the back of the head. "And, stop gloating."

"I'm not gloating, it's just the honest truth. I taught that boy all the fundamentals and most of my strategies when it comes to shogi. Nowadays, he likes to play two-on-one matches against Jiraiya and me. With shogi clocks, too!"

"Orochimaru's a smart boy. I'm certain he came up with most of his strategies."

"Well, he's only smart because of my tutelage…"

"No, he's smart because he studies hard and is gifted."

Naruto sat there quietly, staring back and forth between the bantering couple.

"Anyways," The Sarutobi patriarch leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and allowed a thoughtful but playful smirk to form on his features. "If you did happen to learn it, I could potentially arrange a few matches with some figures of renown in the village. Maybe even meet the Hokage if you behave yourself." He gave Naruto a sly wink and chuckled.

The boy's eyes lit up, and Hiruzen could see his legs, which dangled over the couch, swing back and forth like pendulums.

"Calligraphy would also be quite practical." Biwako chimed in. "Even at the most basic level, good calligraphy and a steady hand are necessary to create fuinjutsu. Well, functional fuinjutsu."

"Oh, most definitely." Hiruzen gave an exaggerated nod in affirmation of his wife. "Naruto, my boy, you know my student Jiraiya, don't you?"

"I know about him, but mostly from books."

"Well, let me tell you, he was a shinobi with nothing but lofty goals! Even as a genin, he'd always talk about how one day he would perfect my sensei's space-time ninjutsu or make his own formula. But for the longest time, he failed, even as his knowledge and understanding of fuinjutsu grew to the proper level he would have needed to make one."

"Why did he keep failing?"

"Simple. Jiraiya couldn't draw his lines straight."

Naruto said nothing, merely widening his eyes in shock. "He couldn't make a seal because of that?"

"That goof was always sloppy with his work, so the seal would never function correctly." Hiruzen's wife shook her head, remembering the hours of calligraphy lessons she offered to Jiraiya during his chunin days. "A word of advice: even the most basic seals like a storage or explosive tag require halfway decent calligraphy. So start early."

The couple shared a look of agreement as they nodded to one another before both turned to Naruto, who quietly sat there in thought. Hiruzen coughed into his hand to break the silence before continuing, "Do you think your brother would accept that reasoning?"

"I…," Naruto sat there, mulling over how Kakashi might react to this request. "I think that could work."

Hiruzen leaned forward and a bit off his chair. "And if he doesn't want to let you do either of these, just let me know. I'll have a word with him." He flashed him a smirk and sat back down before crossing one leg over the other.

"Thank you so much!" Suddenly feeling very watched, he again fidgeted in his seat, before quickly trying to shift the subject. "Uhm, Sarutobi-sama?"

"Hmm? Yes, Naruto?"

"Can I ask you some questions about Konoha's history?"

A fire suddenly lit itself in Hiruzen's eyes, and 'The Professor' was once again realized. "Why of course! Please, feel free to ask anything you'd like! Is there anything in particular you're interested in?"

"Well, you mentioned your sensei earlier," Naruto said, still unsure of what to say to keep the focus off his eating. "How about Lord Tobirama?"

Resting his elbows on the arms of the wooden chair, Hiruzen mulled over his thoughts with a low hum as he scratched. Meanwhile, Naruto subtly – or as best as one expected from a five-year-old – snuck in another bite of his daifuku.

"Ah yes, Tobirama-sensei. Interesting fellow him; a great teacher too!" He reached into the inner pocket of his robe, pulling out an ornate silver and red kiseru and a small capsule of quality smoking tobacco. Even sealed away, there was a very earthy smell emanating from it. Before he could stuff the tobacco into the bowl-shaped hizara, Biwako held her hand between the two items and gave him a firm look. Hiruzen rolled his eyes but said nothing, placing both away from where they seemingly appeared in his pockets. "Anyways, what was I saying…"

"He was a great teacher?"

"Ah, right, right. Tobirama-sensei was an amazing teacher and mentor. To all of us. His disciples now make up the upper crest of the government – including yours truly – at one point or another."

"You were the former Hokage, but who were the others?" Naruto asked, this time taking a mousy nibble from the side of his daifuku.

"Well, there's Shimura Danzo. Snarky and a bit too hostile at times, but always reliable. He's a good friend, at that. He's currently serving Lord Fourth as the ANBU Commander. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also serve Lord Fourth, though more as advisors and representatives of veterans affairs."

Hiruzen folded his hands into each other, letting his legs stretch out a bit until they were just hidden beneath the edge of the coffee table. "We were all trained by Tobirama-sensei, who instilled within us the Will of Fire. Because of him, the village has blossomed."

Naruto nodded his head in partial understanding before he swallowed what remained of his treat. "I see. Then, can you tell me more about Lord Tobirama?"

"Hmmmm." The older man looked up at the ceiling as he dug through the back of his memories, now withdrawing his legs from beneath the table and folding one leg atop the other. "Tobirama-sensei was a very... opinionated person."

"Opinionated?"

Biwako spoke up. "It means to have very strong beliefs, Naruto."

"Eh? Ah, I'm sorry, Biwako-sama. I didn't mean it like that." He gave an apologetic bow. "I meant how was Lord Tobirama an opinionated person?"

While Biwako merely giggled at the young child's deference, Hiruzen leaned back in his seat and hummed to himself.

"Well… when he met someone, he tended to stick to his gut instinct about them, which was usually negative. Changing his opinion, meaningfully at least, took a lot of time or was nearly impossible."

"Lord Madara." Biwako chimed in.

"Oh yes, definitely like Lord Madara." Hiruzen immediately agreed.

"Uchiha Madara?" Naruto raised his eyebrows a bit in surprise.

"Mhm, the very same." As Hiruzen continued to speak, his eyes became somewhat vacant. "Those two were like cats and dogs – could hardly stand each other, especially before my time. Sensei saw Madara as little more than a bloodthirsty brute and was afraid of him betraying the village for the longest time."

"How come?"

"Grudges held over from the Warring States period. Most of our founders spent their formative years killing each other, or at least trying to. Sensei lost two brothers and his father to the Uchiha clan, and Lord Madara himself lost his younger brother to Tobirama-sensei. Hashirama-sensei was a bit special in that he wasn't one to hold grudges. There was a lot of bloodshed that couldn't be easily washed away."

"Oh, hmm." Naruto's index finger curled in parallel to his lips as he looked down at the floor trying to formulate his question. "But it was washed away, right?"

"Eventually, yes." Hiruzen blinked out of his musings and looked at Naruto. "Though I'm sure he still had some reservations, he and Madara always managed to put their differences aside when it came to the interests of Konoha. I think that alone helped to mend their poor relationship."

"Hashirama was also there to mediate for a while."

"That too. But even after Hashirama-sensei passed away, Lord Madara retained his position as the Vice-Commander of the Konoha army for two wars, first under Tobirama-sensei and again under me. Even after he retired from active service as a shinobi, he remained on our war councils until the Third War."

"Until he died, right?"

"Mhm, right up until he died. Maybe Sensei just valued Lord Madara for his skills, and would rather have someone that powerful much closer to him than further away. Maybe." Hiruzen leaned back with a small sigh, "But I genuinely believe that those two managed to kindle something of a friendship, if only at the end of their lives."

Hiruzen seemed to lose himself in thought, idly staring out the window at the late morning sun. Biwako and Naruto briefly shared a look with one another before the former placed a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Dear, are you all right?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, yes. Just… thinking."

"Sarutobi-sama, what were you thinking about?"

"Those two nearly wasted their entire lives hating one another, only in their waning years to realize that they were a lot more alike than either of them realized – or perhaps were willing to acknowledge." The former Hokage leaned back in his chair, raking his fingers through his short beard. "We all develop rivalries in our lives, but it's important not to let those rivalries develop into something that hinders progress."

He turned his head out the window and continued. "Look at Danzo and I. We've been teammates since we were children, yet after the death of our sensei, we became rather bitter towards one another."

"How come? You said you two were good friends earlier."

"Hush, I'm getting there." Hiruzen coughed lightly into his hand. "Anyways. During my reign, we butted heads so frequently, that I was tempted to cut him out of the government entirely. But, thanks to some mediation from our other teammates, we all eventually came to a compromise. As it turns out, I had hastily judged some of his opinions which turned out to be quite right. When we agreed to put some of his ideas into action, many of them worked much better than I had anticipated."

"And now?"

"And now, we've remained good friends. We're both aides to the Hokage, and I find that we've both found a healthy balance between agreeing and disagreeing with each other. My advice is, don't hold a grudge for your entire life. If I had remained stubbornly opposed to Danzo, I fear the distance between us would have only grown wider, and we'd remain at each other's throats."

Having finished his snack, Naruto leaned forward in thought.

He couldn't really recall having many grudges at the moment.

"Thank you, Sarutobi-sama." There was a little hesitance in his voice. "I'll keep that in mind for later… I think?"

"Good lad. Be sure to remember what I tell you well. After all, they say my advice is worth more than all the gold and silver in the world combined."

Biwako coughed into her hand as she stifled a most unladylike snort, "They? And who would 'they' be exactly?"

"Practically everyone! As the Hokage's advisor, I'm at the forefront of every important meeting with Orochimaru – who I trained, mind you – and Danzo, and I think that alone speaks volumes of my wisdom."

---

Author's Note:

Below are a list of the Japanese terms and phrases used in the chapter:

Tamagayaki – Rolled omelettes.

Jinbei – Loose loungewear worn during the Japanese summer.

Oku-sama – An even more respectful version of "Oku-san," which is how to address someone's wife without using their actual given or family name.

Daifuku – Mochi, a glutinous rice cake often filled with red bean paste or fruit.

Genkan – The lowered entrance to a household, typically made of stone whereas the rest of the house's floors are made from wood. This is where you remove your outdoor footwear.

Adzuki – Sweet red beans.

Koto – Japanese harpsichord like the Chinese guqin that you play resting horizontally on your legs or on a stand in front of you.

Kiseru – A traditional Japanese tobacco pipe.

 

[TheMightyMorgoth]

Chapter 4
Cuckoo Birds​

"Ookami, report." The ANBU Commander ordered as he sat awkwardly on an otherwise comfortable couch. Intermittently, he shifted himself but seemingly could not find the desired position.

Perpendicular to him sat the Hokage himself, who peeked out from the wide sleeves of his white robes were his equally pale hands, which rested atop the cedar desk. Like little serpents, his fingers idly crept along the flat cedar. Opposite of Danzo and beside Orochimaru was the latter's former teammate and Konoha's current spymaster, leaning against the back wall with his hands resting behind the back of his head. Before them stood two figures clad in black cloaks and porcelain ANBU masks.

The taller of the two ANBU, a man, stepped forward. His mask was made in the simplistic visage of a wolf. "The mission was successfully completed. The primary target was safely and discreetly brought back to Konohagakure." He stressed that last part more than anything else.

"And where is he now?" Danzo followed up.

"Currently, he's with the Yamanaka specialists in the Interrogation and Torture Department."

"A little much, don't you think?" Jiraiya spoke up for the first time since the meeting began.

"Hardly. He should be glad we're even doing this much for him." Orochimaru responded, "This sort of mercy is ill-afforded to prisoners."

"But a memory wipe? Really?" When Jiraiya shook his head, his lustrous white mane swayed back and forth like a shimenawa dangling from the roof of a shrine on a windy day. "I just don't think that's entirely necessary… or ethical."

"None of this is ethical, Jiraiya. It never was, to begin with. Any pretense of it being such is pure delusion." He scoffed as he waved Jiraiya's concerns away. "Besides, I doubt the young Hyuga heiress would have been granted the same luxury upon her arrival to Kumo should their plans have come to fruition. If anything, we are doing him a kindness."

The spymaster merely crossed his arms in response but said nothing more.

Danzo clacked the tip of his cane against the floor, summoning the attention of his subordinates. "Mamushi, what is the status of the mission's secondary and tertiary objectives?"

"Carried out to the letter!" The shorter of the two ANBU, a woman, stepped forward alongside her partner, puffed out her chest, and held her head high. Her mask was made in the simplistic visage of a pit viper. "Eight targets, between the ages of two and five have been quietly marked with the prototype seal. Likewise, all marked enemy assets have been destroyed, with a fire sweeping through their primary granaries and the surrounding infrastructure."

"Excellent work." Danzo clacked the butt of his cane against the floor once more, this time in approval. "With that, Operation Ubume is complete and we can proceed into the initial stages of Operation Tsutsudori."

"Where does Operation Tsutsudori require us, sir?"

"Nowhere – at least not for now. Tsutsudori is a long-term operation and is being handled by more suitable operatives. Rest assured, you two have done your parts." He said nothing more, and a stillness descended over the office, with Orochimaru and Jiraiya mostly lost in thought while their operatives remained at attention.

"Ahem." The woman cleared her throat into the back of her hand. "Have we also done our parts for the rest of the night?"

Danzo sighed and rolled his good eye. "Yes, you have. Dismissed. I expect a report the day after tomorrow."

"By your leave then."

The pair of ANBU saluted their commander, bowed before the Hokage, and swiftly left the office, riding the elevator at the end of the hall down to the ANBU barracks beneath the Hokage Tower.

With the shrill beep of the chakra sensor going off followed by the sound of the elevator doors sealing shut, the three men resumed their discussion of the operation. "Jiraiya, what's the status of the Kumogakure army? Any signs of mobilization in the last few weeks?"

"None at all. It seemed like Kumo was pretty confident in getting away with their little stunt and didn't expect anything other than a political reprisal at best."

"Good. Track their movements and ensure their southern and eastern divisions stay posted in Uekawa and Kinkai. If Kumogakure sends even a single squad to reinforce one of these divisions, I want to hear about it."

"Understood. I'll have my boys keep an eye on them."

Danzo followed up with his own question. "Then, I assume the Lightning Court is in a similar state?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Yep, none of the Daimyo's vassals have so much as mobilized or seem to have any plans to mobilize. Doesn't seem like the Raikage's scheme was even known to the Daimyo, much less his court."

"If push comes to shove, we'll leverage that information against them and keep this entirely under wraps."

"Agreed."

"Makes sense."

With the three in agreement, Orochimaru pushed his chair back away from the desk. "Well, as we said earlier, Operation Ubume has been officially concluded. I propose we have a little celebration for pulling off such a risky play." He pulled open a sliding door on the interior of the desk, and his hand disappeared while he searched for something. There was a clatter of ceramic gently bumping into glass before he stepped back to reveal a tall muddy-red ceramic bottle of sake with a fabric covering sealed by a cork plug and a golden cord that was tied neatly into a bow around the bottle's neck.

"Ho ho, now we're talking!" Jiraiya couldn't help but grin upon seeing the rice wine and clapped his hands together. "I'll definitely take a cup if you're offering."

The Hokage pointed a slender pale finger over to the central desk's matching cedar cabinet, "Make yourself useful and grab my nice drinking set, would you?"

Even a solid two meters away, Jiraiya could easily see the drinking set in question through the small glass windows of the cabinet's doors. The spymaster lurched forward off the wall he was previously leaning on and made his way over to the cabinet. When he squatted down to get better access, the wood's scent wafted to his face, providing a very prickly but lightly citrusy smell. Behind the door, was – among several other pristine cups and containers – a white ceramic tokkuri adorned with green and gold hollyhocks, alongside four matching kutani cups with the same repeating flower motif etched into the interior.

Stacking the tokkuri and kutani onto a wooden tray, he brought them over to the central desk, mindful not to bump into the armor stand to his right. He'd never hear the end of it from Danzo or his teammate if he even so much as looked at the armor in question incorrectly. It was, after all, a relic of Konoha's founding fathers along with its rival piece on the opposite side of Orochimaru's position behind the desk.

In the meantime, Orochimaru carried over two chairs that had been pushed to the side for his prior meeting with his ANBU. The Hokage arranged them around his desk, forming a triangle of sorts between these chairs and his own.

Jiraiya set the tray down and immediately set to work prepping the alcohol. Undoing the golden cord, he looked to the eldest among them. Said elder was taking his time getting up from the couch, his back seeming to have not enjoyed the softness of its cushions as he stretched. "Danzo, how much are you wanting? A full cup?"

It was very brief, but Danzo let out a quiet 'hmph' as he sighed out through his nostrils in mild displeasure. "I'll have nothing, in fact neither of you should be having anything either. Or have you both forgotten that we have a ceremony to attend tomorrow morning, and for you, Hokage-sama, a speech to give to the public and to the Veteran's Society."

The Hokage dismissively waved his hand, "Firstly, no we did not forget. Rest assured, I will give nothing short of the finest speech since sensei commemorated that shrine's establishment after the First Great War. Secondly, I'm not Tsunade, and I don't intend to drink myself into a stupor the way she does."

Danzo raised his sole – visible – eyebrow. "A little presumptuous of you to say, don't you think?"

"I don't think so." Orochimaru shrugged, "I wouldn't doubt that she's still as much of a lush as she's always been. Maybe even more so nowadays."

"I can, in fact, confirm this." Jiraiya added in, pausing briefly at the cork's loud pop. He discreetly placed the third cup back on the tray to be shelved later.

"I meant about the speech."

"Yes." The Hokage nodded. "I'm well aware."

This time, Danzo did very little to hide his disappointment as he sighed much more openly. "I'll take my leave, then. See you both tomorrow – on time, and preferably sober, yes?"

"Of course, Shimura-san."

"See you tomorrow, Danzo."

With a final huff, Danzo slowly made his way out the office doors, passing beneath the crossed pair of sashimono bearing the crests of the Senju and Uzumaki clans that hung above the door frame. The intermittent 'clack' of his cane against the floor accompanied his exit, following him out until the doors of the elevator once more sealed shut.

"Right, shall we?"

"We shall." Orochimaru took his place and motioned for his teammate to begin pouring the sake.

After filling the Hokage's cup and then his own, Jiraiya unceremoniously dragged one of the extra chairs out of the previously arranged triangular formation and now sat directly parallel to Orochimaru. Leaning back in his seat, he couldn't help but notice how well positioned the armor of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama were at the Hokage's flanks. They certainly added a sense of hallowed lineage to the office and to his friend.

The spymaster eyed the pale yellow wine, noting the lack of any turbidity as he was clearly able to see the four-leaf hollyhock at the bottom of the kutani. In spite of its clarity, it was rather viscous for a sake, almost syrupy. He held it up to his face before giving it a preliminary sniff. "Hmm, rich, sweet and a bit astringent, is this kijoshu?"

"Ooh, very nice. Still have a good nose, do you?"

"As good as always." Jiraiya held up his cup. "A toast to Kumo!"

"To Kumo, for sending their worst abductor!" Orochimaru cackled as he held up his own cup, "May Tsutsudori be a most auspicious operation!"

Their kutani clinked together and they wasted no opportunity downing their drinks like shots.

---

"By your leave."

With a bow, the two ANBU swiftly left the room and passed beneath the sashimono as they made their way out of the office. Immediately upon leaving, the ANBU found themselves flanked at the entrance by a pair of the Hokage's guardsmen, one on each side of the door. They didn't move or react to their lessers leaving the office, instead wordlessly maintaining their post.

Foregoing the ANBU's typical heavy cloaks, the guards' modified uniforms – now having thicker padding and more armor plating – were only partly visible beneath the stark white capelets draped over their right arm and shoulder, the white cloth bearing a golden mon of the blazing sun. In the left hand, they held a cross spear no longer than two meters, with a tanto sheathed on the same side of their hip. Both wore their group's distinctive golden sun-shaped masks, with the porcelain rays extending out of the center on one resembling fiery serpents that twisted and coiled erratically, while the other's rays were entirely equidistant with one another with a more angular and sharp appearance like a ring of ceramic stalactites.

The two 'lesser' ANBU passed the guards until they reached the elevator, allowing the doors to seal completely before finally breaking the silence.

The female ANBU looked over to her colleague. "So, Kakashi, how was your part of the mission? Anything interesting happen?"

"No real names until these masks come off." His tone was flat even as he chided her. "But it was fine. As I told Hokage-sama and Commander Shimura, everything went smoothly."

She held her hands up in apology but said nothing about accidentally using his real name as she went on. "Yeah, mine went pretty well too. But some unfortunate guy came to check on the silos when the fires erupted. Saw me right there belting out a fire technique. So you know what I had to do to him?"

Kakashi, unamused, didn't deign to ask. He didn't even so much as turn to look at her as she spoke. He simply kept staring at the doors of the elevator. Nonetheless, she continued to speak.

"I killed him!" She cackled wildly, elbowing his arm. "Aww man, I wish you could've been there! You should've seen the look on his face as it literally melted into his hands!"

Still unamused, all he could do was sigh. "And you didn't think to report this to the Commander?"

"Nahhhh, it's no big deal. After I was finished with him, all that was left was ash, which of course, I scattered into the granary's fire. So he just doesn't exist anymore." She crossed her arms as she shook her head. "Shame really though. Wish I could've gotten to play with him for a bit longer, you know?"

There was a chime to signify they had reached their intended floor, the doors opening to reveal the concrete walls of the underground ANBU barracks. It was late in the evening, but a few personnel continued to mill about with their duties, mostly the handling of reports and documents – especially since the following day was a holiday, and no one wanted extra work piled up for the day after. Kakashi walked as quickly as he could to the locker rooms, his female colleague trailing shortly behind him.

Upon reaching his locker, Kakashi unfastened the straps on his porcelain mask before pulling it off and setting it aside. As he opened his locker and looked at the mirror framed into the door, he was greeted with the reflection of his tired face. Dark rings had begun to form around his eyes, the clear result of his lack of any sleep for the last day and a half and being kept conscious mostly through the liberal use of powdered ginseng, ginger, and cinnamon.

"Wow, you look like shit." The viper-masked ANBU arrived at her own locker on the wall opposite his, quickly following suit and unmasking herself.

"Yes, Anko. I'm very well aware. Though, you're not looking too good yourself."

"I'll be fine. Just need me a hot shower, some warm grub and I'll be good to go." They both finished undressing – save for Kakashi's mask – and after wrapping themselves in towels, made their way to the adjacent showers. "Speaking of grub, you want to join me for some dinner? I'm thinking soba for tonight."

"Can't."

"Can't or won't?"

"Both."

"C'mon~ Kakashi! Whoo that's cold." Anko shivered at the sting of the cold water hitting her bare skin as she stepped beneath the showerhead.

Meanwhile, Kakashi was entirely unaffected and had already started washing his hair. "Oh, sorry. Forgot to mention that they already turned off the hot water for the evening."

"Tch, don't lie, I know you remembered." She clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth in faux annoyance. "Anyways, join me for dinner tonight, won't you?"

"Like I said, I can't."

"C'mon, I don't wanna eat alone tonight." She whined. "You wouldn't leave a single woman alone at night would you?"

"I would absolutely leave you by yourself without a second thought."

His colleague pouted like a child half her age. "Kakashiiii, why won't you join me?"

"Naruto."

"Oh, Naru-chan?" Only now had Anko adjusted to the water's temperature as she finally began to wash herself.

"Mhm. Need to check up on him."

"Aww, look at you being a good big bro. Fine, you're off the hook this time. But I swear we're gonna go out together, just me and you."

"Maybe, maybe. We'll see."

"So how's the little guy doing?"

"Well. Very well, even. Naruto's been picking up the fundamentals rather quickly, but his chakra control still needs work."

Anko couldn't help but look at him funny. "Uhhh, Kakashi. I meant how he's doing in general, not with his training."

"In general? Hmmmm." He briefly stopped combing the remaining soap out of his hair, his hands idly scratching his scalp in thought. "He's fine, I suppose?"

"You suppose?"

"Sure. I mean, he's eating and sleeping well. So pretty fine, I suppose." Finished with his shower, Kakashi turned the valve and shut off his running water, reaching for a towel that he had draped on the nearby metal railing.

"So all you can tell me is that he's alive and that his training's going okay."

"No, not at all. His training isn't going 'okay,' it's going very well."

"Okay, Kakashi." Now it was Anko's turn to sigh.

"No, no." Anko turned around to see Kakashi wagging his index finger at her as he peeked around the bend of the lockers. "Very well."

"Just go already, before I change my mind and drag you to my usual soba stall."

Making sure no one could see, he deftly switched his soaking wet mask for a fresh one before putting the rest of his casual wardrobe on a simple and non-descript long-sleeved shirt, and black pants, along with his drab green flak vest. With that, he sealed his locker and left for the entrance, the sound of Anko humming to herself and the running water still ongoing. The clock read 21:36. He received a few brief salutes on his way out from some of the lower-ranking ANBU, but they otherwise remained busy with their tasks. After a much briefer elevator ride than the previous one, Kakashi made his way to the entrance of the Hokage tower, exiting out into the warm summer evening.

He withdrew a scroll from one of his many pockets, before using a small blade to slice the tip of his finger. He smeared a bit of blood across the page and performed the necessary hand signs before the jutsu's formulae spread itself out across the ground. A cloud of smoke erupted, and before him stood – or rather sat – Bull, his enormous bulldog ninken.

"Bull, sorry to bother you this evening, but would you mind checking on and waiting with Naruto? I'm going to go out for my walk."

"No problem, Kakashi." With that, the dog leaped up and bolted off to his apartment.

A mild breeze passed through Kakashi's wet hair as he looked around. To his right was the adjacent Konohagakure Shinobi Academy, though its normally bright-red entryway was now only dimly lit by distant streetlamps. Around it was the grassy playground and its accompanying swing set. Perhaps he just hadn't noticed it beforehand, but the swing set which had been there since he started school had finally been replaced with fresh new boards and rope.

It was nostalgic.

As Kakashi passed through the courtyard and beyond the high stone walls of the Hokage's tower, he took a sharp left around the corner and made his way down the street. The lights in many of the houses had already gone out, save for the apartments and houses with the occasional lit room on the third or fourth floor well above the street level.

Just before he rounded the next corner, he heard the distinct albeit faint clap of bamboo striking bamboo, followed shortly thereafter by the nasal cry of "Curfew at 22:00!" Turning the corner, Kakashi saw a night watchman in the distance making his rounds of the area, a lantern hooked onto his belt and holding a pair of thick bamboo blocks. He couldn't have been older than fifteen and wore his hitai-ate fastened to his right bicep.

The watchman bowed deeply as soon as he recognized the off-duty ANBU. "Hatake-san, nice to see you out this evening. Curfew is in effect, so please get home safely."

"Likewise." He nodded in return.

The chunin – or perhaps genin – watchman bowed again before hurrying off to continue his patrol. "Curfew at 22:00!" As he made his way down the corner that Kakashi had just come from, the glow of the lantern faded with him, and eventually both his shouts of curfew and the clatter of his bamboo batons eventually fell silent.

Hands in his pocket and continuing at a leisurely pace, Kakashi breathed in the night air and focused on the sound of his sandals crunching against the dirt-laden roads. As he made his way into a new set of streets, he noticed a small handful of restaurants still open even at this time, all catering to the shinobi returning from missions in the evening, far too tired to cook for themselves after days out of the village. Their storefronts were marked with a special certificate that denoted them as carrying out an 'act of public service' and thus were allowed to remain open at this time despite the curfew.

Coming up on the perpendicular road in a three-way intersection, Kakashi noted the sudden change to the architecture. The restaurants, whether closed or open, gave way to high stone walls similar in height to that surrounding the Hokage Tower. However, the many stones comprising the wall were chiseled into well-proportioned blocks by the skilled hands of stonemasons, likely of clan origins. The trimmed kirikomi-hagi walls stretched down at least two blocks in either direction, which he walked alongside until eventually, he came upon an entryway wedged into the wall.

Whatever else was at the gate, Kakashi hardly took the time to notice. A single thing drew the gaze of his lone eye: the red and white Uchiha fan crest that hung over the entrance, framed upon a solid black background and kept illuminated by a pair of vermillion paper lanterns on either side. It was neither a particularly attractive nor an overly intricate kamon, especially not compared to some of the samurai clans in service to the Fire Daimyo. Yet Kakashi could not seem to look away from it. Instead, he stood there in the middle of the empty street, hands in his pocket, staring up wordlessly at the crest.

"Oi." He was so enthralled that it took a man snapping his fingers almost a meter away from his face to break him from his stupor. "Hey! Oi! Kakashi, you all right?"

Said ANBU blinked his eye a few times, looked down from the kamon, and stood face-to-face with a pair of Uchiha clan guards, donning their clan's typical high-collared shirts in navy blue and charcoal gray. Though relaxed, they rested their left arms atop the uchigatana secured in their obi, their hands idly fiddling with the sword's pommel.

"Hn." He grunted back, still collecting his thoughts. He was silent for a few moments longer before speaking again. "I'm sorry. I'll take my leave now."

Kakashi quickly excused himself and left the scene, the faint glow of the crest lingering in his periphery. Hurriedly, he continued on his way.

Bathed in the darkness of the evening, Kakashi again let himself be taken by his thoughts, allowing his instincts to guide him to his destination. Brushing up against a large wooden post, he looked up and quickly recognized one of the buildings in front of him. It was seemingly very innocuous, just another building in the residential district that had been converted into an office space. The lights were off and the blinds on all windows were drawn shut, but he could just barely make out faint noises coming from the building. Not unlike the sublevels of the Hokage Tower, this building was another ANBU base in the village, though this one was more for the storage of prisoners and interrogation subjects than it was a barracks for personnel.

If he was being honest with himself, those sounds were probably someone having their teeth pulled out. Kakashi quickly blocked out the thought, not wanting nor particularly caring to entertain it any more than he had to.

Another two blocks down the road and he entered a crossroads intersection. He continued straight. The buildings on his right gave way to a great many trees that hung above the road and would have done well in the daytime to offer shade from the sun. Gradually, the ground he trod upon changed from the coarse dirt paths common throughout most of the village to polished speckled-white granite tiling, which showed clear signs of being recently cleaned.

There were exceedingly few places in Konoha where there would be such tiling.

Kakashi needed only to look up to know where he was. No matter how one entered Konohagakure, all roads would eventually lead them to Seien Daijinja, the Grand Shrine of the Purifying Flame. However, even if they all didn't lead to the shrine, Kakashi would have found himself here regardless. So like a moth to a flame, its haunting tunes drew him in no matter his intended destination.

Even in the dimness of the night, he could easily see the towering silhouette of the first great torii gate that marked the entrance to the village's central shrine. Continuing further on, he came upon the entrance to the shrine, with several granite kasuga-doro lanterns dotting the pathway, their latticed fireboxes aglow with small flames in preparation for tomorrow's ceremony and rites. Ahead of them, a pair of dark wooden komainu dutifully stood guard at the shrine's entry, their stone frames eternally vigilant for Konoha's enemies from within and without. But he didn't need to be standing in front of the shrine to know its layout.

He quickened his pace again and left, knowing he would inevitably have to return tomorrow. Kakashi did his best to look away from the shrine as if breaking eye contact with the torii or the komainu would somehow release its grip on him.

A few blocks later, he passed through another market street, finally drawing near his apartment. Just like near the Uchiha district, there were a few restaurants here that were still open. Their interior lights bled out into the street the way a bottle of ink spilled out onto calligraphy paper. From inside one of the stalls, he heard the chatter of the owner with his shinobi patrons, before the conversation suddenly stopped. In the distance, he could again hear the faint clack of another night watchman's bamboo batons.

"Oi, oi, oi." Kakashi slowly turned his head to face the voice, recognizing it immediately. "Kakashi, you bastard."

Anko sat in the dead center of the restaurant's stall, quite clearly upset. "Liar! You said you were going straight home to check on Naru-chan!"

"That's not true, I just said I wasn't going to eat with you because of Naruto. I never said anything about going straight home." The more Kakashi dissected the scene in front of him, the worse it became. Two completely empty bowls of soba were piled up next to her with a third she was still working on, from which the dark broth dripped off her chin and onto the floor. In her left hand, she haphazardly held a 720-milliliter bottle – two-thirds of which were already gone – of shochu like one might hold the neck of a goose or chicken after slitting its throat.

Some may consider this a bad sign of things to come.

"Liar, liar, liar!" Anko slurred through her words as she frowned at him through half-open eyes. "I can't believe you'd lie to me and Naru-chan like that!"

"I didn't lie to him."

"Poor Naru-chan, probably wondering where his Aniki is." She shook her head before slumping onto the table beside her half-eaten bowl of soba. She turned and looked up at the restaurant owner. "Nakayama-san, why won't Kakashi eat with meee?"

"Mitarashi-san, please don't be so loud." The rather timid owner pleaded with her, "Other customers are trying to enjoy their meal!"

"No, no, it's okay I promise! They all know me so it's okayyyy." She said, meanwhile, the other ANBU and chunin at the stall were more than a little annoyed with her behavior.

Kakashi took the opportunity to slip away, quickly walking towards his apartment.

Finally, his flat was in view, and even from here, he could see the living room's window on the second floor illuminated with light. Making his way up the staircase, he withdrew his key and opened the front door. After nearly forty minutes of walking, Kakashi had arrived at his home.

Immediately, he was struck by a pervasive fishy smell that flowed out from the door. It took him less than a second to identify the culprit as oyster sauce, one of Guy's specialties. After removing his sandals at the genkan, he entered the living room and found Naruto using a bulldog nearly as big as he was as his pillow on the couch, snuggling into the soft folds of the dog's sides. Bull, for his part, sat there panting quietly in rhythm with Naruto's breathing. Upon spotting Kakashi enter the apartment, Bull turned over and licked Naruto's face to rouse him from sleep.

"Naruto, your brother's home." Bull's voice was low and gravelly, though surprisingly, not as deep as Pakkun's. "I need to head back now."

The boy muttered something incoherent, and with his eyes still closed, reached out and wrapped his arms around his makeshift pillow's neck. "But you're warm."

"I know, kiddo, but I gotta go." The gigantic dog gave him one final lick, before exploding in a puff of smoke and returning to his ninken pack. Naruto's head plopped onto the cushion as he yawned and stretched his arms.

Kakashi made his way over to the couch and gently shook Naruto's shoulder. "I'm home."

"Welcome home, Aniue." Through half-lidded eyes, the blond groggily responded to his surrogate brother out of habit. It took him a moment longer to realize that his brother had finally returned from work, and suddenly he shot to life with excitement. "Aniue! You're home!"

"Yes, just like I said." Kakashi nodded the hint of a small smile outlined behind his mask.

Naruto practically jumped up and stood on the couch and all but shouted. "Can I tell you about what happened while you were gone?"

"Don't stand on the couch, and I'm right here." The elder of the two replied bluntly, putting his hand on Naruto's shoulder to get him to sit down. "But yes, how did your training go?"

"It was fun! We-" Kakashi raised his eyebrow at the boy's statement, and Naruto paused and held his tongue for just a moment, before revising his words. "Ahem, sorry. I mean, it was good. I practiced chakra control with the bucket today, but I kind of made a mess."

"I see." The ANBU began to put away his equipment, setting his flak jacket on a hanger. "And did you clean up after yourself?"

"Yes! The bathroom should be clean." Even on the couch, Naruto folded his legs under his butt and sat in the seiza position.

"Good. And do you feel like you're getting the hang of it?"

"I think so! It was a bit hard at first, but I did a pretty good job the second time!"

"Second time?"

"Ah, yeah. After Sarutobi-sama and Biwako-sama came, I tried it again."

"Biwako-sama? It's impolite to use an older woman's first name you know?" There was a dullness to Kakashi's gaze, but they were judging eyes that seemed intent on analyzing Naruto's words and body language.

"Of course, Aniue. But it was because Biwako-sama asked me to. She didn't like that I kept calling her Oku-sama."

"If she said so, then very well." Kakashi paused in thought before looking back at Naruto. "She didn't offer you any sweets, did she?"

Naruto's smile quickly disappeared as guilt overtook him. He did his best to look away, but that alone answered Kakashi's question.

"So you did, even though I told you not to."

"I'm sorry! I really did try to say no."

Too tired to scold him, Kakashi waved it away. "It's fine. You'll make up for it tomorrow after the commemoration services."

All that escaped from the boy was a whimper as tears began to dot the corners of his eyes. He could barely manage to look Kakashi in the eyes, who conversely, would not stop looking at him. "Sorry…"

"Like I said, it's fine." Kakashi lingered for a few moments without saying anything, still facing Naruto. Though perhaps for those few moments, Kakashi was looking through him rather than at him. He quickly readjusted, blinking and rolling his good eye up to reestablish eye contact with the waiting child. "All of that aside, I feel like you've become old enough, so tomorrow I'll be taking you somewhere important."

"Have…" Naruto wiped away the tears before any could fall. "Have we gone there before?"

"I have. Many times, in fact. But it'll be your first time."

"And you said it was important?"

"Mhm. To me it is. And bringing you there will be an incredibly important moment in your life as an aspiring shinobi."

There was a very distinct tone that Naruto picked up on in Kakashi's voice, but having never heard or noticed it before in the past he was unable to place it. Although dulled somewhat by his shame, the young boy couldn't help but light up – if only a little – at the prospect of going somewhere such that his elder brother described. "Where is it?"

"I'd rather wait until tomorrow to tell you. You can be patient for just a day, can't you?"

Eagerly, he nodded his head. "I can!"

Beneath his mask, Naruto could see Kakashi flash him another smile, though this one was different from earlier. It kind of reminded him of the smile, or rather the facial contractions, he made when he had been forced to eat natto for the first time – it was something involuntary that weighed on Kakashi's smile. "Good. I'll lend you my kimono for tomorrow."

"But uhm…" Naruto looked up and down at Kakashi's full height and size. "I think your clothes might be too big."

"From when I was your age."

"Ohhhh. Okay!" Confusion turned to acceptance as a bright smile overtook the young boy.

When Naruto smiled, Kakashi couldn't help but be the one to look away this time. "Why don't you head to bed?

"Sure! See you tomorrow Aniue!"

"Sleep well, Naruto."

Naruto retreated to the bathroom to wash the stink of oyster sauce and beef out of his mouth before finally entering his bedroom. The door closed, and after a few minutes of some rustling, the light that bled out from the cracks beneath the door dimmed completely.

Silence reigned over the Hatake household.

Kakashi cleaned up what was left of dinner: Guy's aforementioned classic dish and placed the leftovers in a glass container headed for the fridge. The wok that Guy had left behind, however, would need to be returned at a later date. Kakashi then microwaved an MRE pack of curry udon and ate, finding the meal rather tasteless despite the supposed "spiciness" warned on the label of the mess kit.

He brushed his own teeth, washed his face, switched out his hitai-ate for a night mask positioned over his Sharingan, and sat in his bed. A single lamp remained lit atop his nightstand, and a single thin pillow sat alone in his bed. For a long while, he stared out at the horizontal mirror that hung on the wall opposite his bed. He stared into his own normal eye for what felt like hours. Kakashi found himself fixated on the utter blackness of it as though he were plankwood adrift in a sea of ink.

He blinked and opened his eye before returning to his senses. He opened his nightstand searching for something, until finally he retrieved two items. They were a pair of flat wooden plaques about the width of Kakashi's palm and threaded through the top by thin orange string cords. Carved into them were the names "Uchiha Obito" and "Namikaze Minato." Kakashi stared at the kanji for an indeterminate amount of time before hanging them by their cords on the knob of his nightstand. They clattered together a single time before falling silent.

He switched off the light on the nightstand, went under the covers, and finally pulled the night mask over his other eye. Again, he found himself adrift, though now in the blackness of the night. Eventually, he too, fell silent, save for the quiet heave of his chest as he breathed.

---

Shimenawa – Hemp or straw ropes that are used at Shinto shrines, their size varies from shrine to shrine.

Ubume – Yokai of a pregnant woman who died in childbirth.

Tsutsudori – The oriental cuckoo (Cuculus saturatus).

Tokkuri – Pouring vessel used for sake.

Kutani – Ceramic cups for sake. Typically come as a set with the tokkuri.

Sashimono – Banners carried on the backs of samurai and ashigaru as heraldry for their clans and lords.

Kirikomi-hagi – Cut and chiseled stone walls.

Kamon – Crests and emblems of clans and families.

Kasuga-doro – Umbrella-shaped stone lanterns found at Kasuga-taisha.

Shochu – Japanese potato liquor, most often likened to vodka.

Seiza – The formal way of sitting by placing your legs underneath your rear end.