"I was hoping to do a bit of my own damage," Tsukiko said, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at Kakuzu. Naruto turned to look at her with a knowing look in his eyes. She noticed him and tilted her head slightly.
"There's something I want your help with, Tsukiko-Chan," Naruto said, motioning her to move her ear near and she leaned over to hear what he had to say.
Tsukiko nodded slowly as he explained to her his plan and then gave him a thumbs up. Kakashi stared at the two of them, unsure what they were planning on doing but knew to trust them.
"Alright, I think we can do that," Tsukiko said and Naruto nodded back at her. "You go for the Wind and I go for the Fire one, right?" Naruto nodded again. "Got it,"
"Are you two going to work together?" Kakashi asked. Tsukiko nodded as she pulled out a Kunai from her pouch. "Good, now, go, Naruto, Tsukiko,"
"Right," Naruto said. He tightened his forehead protector and walked ahead. Tsukiko swung her Kunai around on her finger, taking another look at the terrain.
Kakuzu seemed to have an idea of what they were going to do and started to switch into his long-range mechanism immediately, joining his two remaining masks, Fire and Wind, back into his body to go with his own heart that was left remaining.
"He's not just shape-shifting, he's drawing up a huge amount of Chakra," Yamato acknowledged.
"It must be to counter Naruto's Jutsu," Kakashi said. Naruto created his three clones and started working on his Rasen-Shuriken.
"It's ready!" Naruto and his clones went rushing towards Kakuzu, who jumped over him, leaving the clones shocked as they were destroyed.
"He's flying!" Chouji shouted.
Kakuzu went to attack 'real' Naruto, who was waiting with his Rasen-Shuriken, and Tsukiko who was still holding onto her Kunai in her right hand and constructing her own Water Style: Benzaiten in her left hand. She was waiting for the right moment...
"It's no good!" Ino shouted at the two Jinchuuriki. "He sees through it!"
"He knows to attack from a distance!" Kakashi said.
Kakuzu managed to attack the 'real' Naruto and Tsukiko pretended to be shocked, throwing her Kunai haphazardly at him – only to smirk and vanish as the 'real' Naruto poofed away to reveal it had just been a clone itself, leaving Kakuzu shocked and momentarily vulnerable.
On the other side, Tsukiko had appeared next to her Kunai with her Flying Thunder God Jutsu, the Kunai reconstructed itself to be reveal the actual Naruto, his Rasen-Shuriken at the ready as the two Jinchuuriki flew at Kakuzu on his back.
"Wind Style: Rasen-Shuriken!" Naruto shouted as he bounded for the Wind Mask and the heart that was hidden beyond it.
"Water Style: Benzaiten!" Tsukiko shouted, reaching her left hand ahead to slam against the Fire Mask and the heart beneath it.
As Tsukiko and Naruto slammed their Jutsus through the masks, the screeching sound of the Rasen-Shuriken dissolving into the rupture of the water from Benzaiten, surrounding Tsukiko, Naruto and Kakuzu in a gigantic vortex, revolving in the shape of a ball as it cloaked them. Tsukiko, knowing it would be dangerous for them to stay inside, grabbing Naruto.
"Crystal Style: Giant Jaded Moon!" Tsukiko exclaimed, constructing a thick and hollow sphere of crystal, encasing herself and her teammate inside to save them from their own attacks.
"The blast's coming!" Yamato shouted as he, Kakashi, Ino and Chouji all dispersing to avoid the onslaught of the attack.
Tsukiko released the Jutsu around them and landed on her knees next to Naruto, who wasn't able to hold up anymore and spread out on the ground. She continued to look at Kakuzu, whose body was being shredded apart from the force of the attack.
"There... I did it!" Naruto said, giving them thumbs up from the ground, trying to catch his breath after the Jutsu. Tsukiko reached to help him sit up.
"Hey, he's not getting up!" Ino said.
"Naruto!" Chouji shouted as he and Ino hurried over to where Tsukiko and Naruto were sitting. "Are you okay?"
"Okay, Chouji, hold him like this," Ino said, getting into healing him. Tsukiko stared at Naruto's condition, almost opening her Byakugan to have a look until –
"Don't," Usajii told her and Tsukiko halteTsukiko halted, letting out a sigh. She glanced at Kakashi and Yamato, who were looking at each other.
"I can only give him first aid for now," Ino said. "But you know, I never would have thought you two would work together like that – disguising him as a Kunai and then travelling with it behind Kakuzu,"
"It was Naruto's idea," Tsukiko muttered with a small smile as she leaned back. "Naruto has become pretty observant, too, you know, Usa?"
"You're not quite at Shikamaru's level, but you're pretty smart, too, Naruto," Chouji said, chuckling.
"You can't compare me to Shikamaru..." Naruto replied. Tsukiko smiled slightly at the blond, shaking her head at him as well.
"I'm amazed that he managed to use the new Jutsu three times," Yamato said. "He barely got to two during our last training session,"
"His quick thinking and strong self-confidence allow him to try again if he fails," Kakashi replied. "It seems like he has started to learn how to work with Tsukiko, too. She usually works better with guys like Sasuke,"
Tsukiko pushed herself onto her feet and walked over to the crater where Kakuzu's body was. She skidded down to where he was and stared down at him, her facial expression dissolving as she stared down at him – he was still alive, of course. There was something she needed to know.
Fuu...
"Where's Fuu?" Tsukiko asked coldly. She kicked his head over until his eyes were facing her.
"Who the hell is that?" Kakuzu retorted back. "I don't know any kid named Fuu," Tsukiko pressed her foot down on his face, closing her eyes in anger.
"The Seven-Tails," Tsukiko breathed. "Where is the Seven-Tails? I know that Nanabi was last in Takigakure, and I'm sure you made a little detour to your old village at some point,"
"So, that's what that kid's name was?" Kakuzu responded. Tsukiko swallowed and looked down at him in anger. "The kid's gone now, it's been about a year now,"
Tsukiko took another deep breath, trying to control her emotions as her hands curled up into fists. If Kakuzu is speaking the truth... There is no why Fuu was killed immediately after the Chunin Exams...
Not right after she finally made friends...
"I can't believe... I lost... to a bunch of children..." Kakuzu spat out, glaring up at the white-haired girl. "Looking at your forehead protector and that expression reminds me of the first Konoha Shinobi I fought... the First Hokage, that is,"
"It's only fitting that your end is in the hands of a Konoha Shinobi, too," Tsukiko said. "I have absolutely no doubt that I look like a kid to someone who has fought my Oji-Sama. But to me, you're not just any washed-up decrepit old man. That's why you're beneath my foot, grovelling as you're about to die. The next generation will always surpass the previous one and take their place,"
"Are you going to be the one to kill me?" Kakuzu said. "I don't think so. You're just a kid, your anger doesn't reach your eyes,"
"You don't know what I'm feeling!" Tsukiko replied, boiling with rage at his words. "You killed my friends and their loved ones – there's some things that aren't to be forgiven! It's time for you to go, you greedy old man!"
Tsukiko found herself not hesitating as her left hand reached for the Ame-no-Ohabari on her back, pulling out and swiftly running it through Kakuzu's last heart, stopping his movement once and for all.
Letting go of the sword, Tsukiko dropped down to her knees, feeling her whole body shaking and tremoring as she was filled with unrecognisable emotions – she didn't know if she was distraught over the knowledge that her friend had been killed all this time ago or that she killed a human being for the first time in her life.
All Tsukiko knew was that she wanted to cry and that's what she did, falling over onto her arms as she wept into the ground, smacking her fist against the rocky terrain as her heart broke apart.
Kakashi stared down at the white-haired girl as her sobs increased in noise and melancholy, putting an eerie silence to the light-hearted chatter that was going on between Naruto, Yamato, Chouji and Ino behind him. Kakashi pursed his lips as he stood on the edge of the crater.
"Tsukiko-Chan?" Naruto asked as he limped over in concern. Kakashi grabbed his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. "Kakashi Sensei, what's wrong with Tsukiko-Chan?"
"Let her be," Kakashi replied. "She has just discovered that she's lost a close friend,"
"What do you mean, Sensei?" Sakura asked as she, Shikamaru and Sai jogged over to the scene of the crime with Ino, Chouji and Yamato. "What's going on? Which friend?"
"I'm sure you all remember the Jinchuuriki you met in your Chunin exam," Kakashi muttered.
"Fuu?" Sakura asked. Kakashi nodded as the others realised what was going on. Naruto stared at the sobbing female and felt his heart tighten.
☾
By that evening, Team Seven and Team Ten had made their way back to Konohagakure. Tsukiko had been oblivious for most of the journey, her head off into another dimension as she tried to process the fact that Fuu had passed within days of their last meeting together. Her head was swirling with the unfinished promises.
"Come visit me in Takigakure, I'll show you all around the village!"
"I'll come visit you in Konohagakure so let's meet soon!"
"Let's write letters to each other!"
"I will miss you a lot!"
Tsukiko absent-mindedly listened to Shikamaru as he travelled next to her, telling her about the entire plan he had laid out for Hidan and how he was now buried deep in the Nara Forest, with the deer keeping their watch over him. Tsukiko was too emotionally and physically numb to respond.
"I will wear your keychain everywhere I go,
Tsukiko-Chan, then you'll recognise me,"
The rhinoceros beetle keychain was still hanging from Tsukiko's Obijime, but the person who was supposed to recognise it was no longer in this world. Tsukiko felt her another jab at her heart but she held in her tears. If she even had any left at this point.
"We'll be reporting to Hokage-Sama first," Yamato told them as the nine of them entered the village gates. Kakashi nodded in agreement, carrying Naruto on his back.
The sun was setting as they approached the Hokage Building and Tsukiko stared at the Hokage Monument behind it, staring at the face of the First Hokage, wondering if she had a mistake by killing someone. Or had this been a long-time coming?
Kakashi set Naruto down and they entered the Hokage's Office, where he began to inform Tsunade about their mission. Tsukiko stood next to Kakashi and Yamato, her arms folding behind her and her eyes dismissively looking outside the office windows.
The sky was such a strange shade of orange as it glowed meekly at them, yet at the same time, it was strong enough to shroud everything in its hue. The sky had dissolved the blueness into the same complexion and it took Tsukiko a moment to realise what it was reminding her of.
The sky is the colour of Fuu's eyes...
"Excellent job, everyone," Tsunade spoke up once Kakashi was finished briefing. "The threat has passed for the time being, but Akatsuki is still out there, so don't be complacent!"
Everyone nodded, including a light one from Tsukiko.
"Naruto, your injury..." Tsunade said as she turned to look at the said blond. Tsukiko retured her eyes back to the sky outside.
"It's like a badge of honour!" Naruto replied.
"He's been given emergency first aid," Sakura informed the Fifth Hokage. Tsunade stared at Naruto carefully for a few seconds.
"Go get examined at Konoha Hospital, just to be on the safe side," Tsunade ordered.
"No, I don't really..." Naruto trailed off before he was caught in a headlock by Sakura and punched over the head.
"Don't tell her no!" Sakura shouted as she punched him again. "Don't worry, master!" Another punch to the head. "I'll make sure he gets to the hospital!" Yet another punch.
"You're going to make it worse by giving him a concession, Sakura," Tsukiko muttered, though she was too tired to really care. Sakura stopped, blushing.
"Okay, Naruto?" Tsunade said. "Now, then, both of your teams have earned a break," She eyed Tsukiko and her strangely despondent behaviour. "Go and rest, dismissed!"
Tsukiko followed Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino and Sai out of the Hokage Office and the building itself, parting ways with Kakashi and Yamato before going further down the road where Team Seven and Team Ten changed their directions.
"See you guys later," Tsukiko muttered her goodbye to Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino along with Naruto, Sakura and Sai – the lattermost himself walking off in the direction of his house.
"Are you coming to the hospital, too, Tsukiko?" Sakura asked as the three of them made their way down to the medical centre together. Tsukiko nodded slowly.
Her eyes were still on the shade the sky was painted with. It was healing and hurting her heart at the same time as she reminded herself of Fuu's eyes. They lit up like fireworks whenever she got excited...
Oh, Fuu... I'm sorry I couldn't keep any of my promises to you...
☽
"You're always overdoing it!" Sakura complained as she looked at Naruto, who admitted into the hospital and was now in one of the beds. Tsukiko sat in a nearby watching absent-mindedly as her two teammates argued.
"You don't have to get so angry..." Naruto replied.
"No back-talking," Sakura responded and hit him over the head with the clipboard with his details. "Do you want to have a look at this, Tsukiko?"
"Hmm?" Tsukiko hummed as she looked up and saw Sakura holding out Naruto's clipboard to her. She reached out and took it, looking down at what was written on it.
Naruto had gotten an array of scratches and bruises. It was clear that most of his injuries were not a big deal at all and would improve soon with his ability to heal himself. But his right arm... Tsukiko glanced at Naruto's injured arm. She wasn't sure exactly how he had managed to fracture his bones in multiple places by using that Jutsu. She was sure she would want to figure that out.
"I'll be back," Tsukiko said as she stood up, placing down the clipboard onto Naruto's bed as Sakura began to try and heal Naruto's injured arm.
Tsukiko walked at a rapid pace down the hospital corridors, taking the stairs that would take her down to the basement where Tsunade and Shizune usually conducted their autopsies. She had been present in the recent few and knew she would find them all there. Or at least, Kakuzu's corpse.
"Tsukiko-San," the clerk at the counter acknowledged and Tsukiko pulled out her pass from her pouch, showing it to him before passing through.
Pushing open the door, Tsukiko found herself in the autopsy room with Kakuzu's body, surrounded by Kakashi, Tsunade and Yamato. They all turned to look at her but Tsukiko only crossed her arms over her chest as she looked back.
"I want to know what you have found out so far," Tsukiko told them.
"The autopsy isn't done yet," Tsunade informed Tsukiko, Kakashi and Yamato. "But we learned something important about Naruto's new Jutsu while studying the corpse,"
Tsukiko glanced at the body on the slab with slight distaste.
"What actually injured him wasn't related to any manner of blunt physical trauma," Tsunade told them.
"Meaning what...?" Kakashi asked.
"Every cell in his body has had its chakra vessels severed," Tsunade replied. Tsukiko looked over at her cousin, narrowing her eyes.
"His chakra vessels...?" Yamato asked, shocked.
"Yes, that's right," Tsunade said. "Something like this is completely unprecedented,"
"Wind Style Rasen-Shuriken..." Kakashi said. "Combined with the Benzaiten..."
"Who knew it would be so powerful..." Tsunade said. "The body actually looks like it's been poisoned, not physically struck. The attacks were so minuscule they damaged him on the cellular level. I assume he changed the Wind nature Chakra into countless microscopic blades through shape manipulation, which then sliced at each individual cell,"
"What a Jutsu..." Yamato breathed.
"Poison, huh..." Tsukiko muttered. "So, it's more appropriate to talk about the attacks precision rather than the number of times it hits. I'm sure you're discarding the damage what my Jutsu did to focus on Naruto, right?" Tsunade nodded.
"So, what about its user Naruto?" Yamato asked.
"That's the real issue," Tsunade said.
"Just as I thought," Yamato replied as he sighed.
"Kakashi, don't let Naruto use his new Jutsu, Wind Element Rasen-Shuriken, ever again!" Tsunade ordered. Kakashi and Yamato stared.
"It's that bad?" Yamato asked.
"Naruto's right arm suffered the same type of damage," Tsunade informed them. "Though not as badly as this guy, of course. If he keeps using this new Jutsu. Naruto will lose the ability to manipulate chakra,"
"Damage to the chakra circulatory system can't be repaired by any form of medical Ninjutsu," Tsukiko said.
"Including mine," Tsunade said sombrely. She looked over at Tsukiko and Kakashi. "Make sure Naruto understands that!"
Tsukiko continued to stare at the body in front of them. She let out a sigh and turned to leave again, now realising what was going on. But she was not in the mood to make Naruto understand anything. She could leave that with Kakashi, their Sensei.
"Tsukiko-Chan, you're back," Naruto said when the white-haired girl entered the hospital room again. Tsukiko looked over and saw that Sakura was bandaging his arm. "Where were you?"
"Just around and about," Tsukiko replied.
"There, all done!" Sakura said as she finished wrapping the bandage around his right arm. Tsukiko eyed it, now with the insight she got from Tsunade. "Now, take it easy, okay?"
"Thank you, Sakura-Chan," Naruto replied with a grin.
"Naruto..." Tsukiko muttered as she sat down and looked at the blond. "I don't think you should use that new Jutsu unless it's your last resort... Don't hurt yourself again and again by relying on it like it's a new toy,"
"I'll be fine!" Naruto answered jovially. "As long as I have Tsukiko-Chan and Sakura-Chan around to fix me up –!"
"No, you won't!" Sakura interjected. "Tsukiko's right – Besides Medical Ninjutsu can't just magically heal any injury!
"But..." Naruto said as he looked down at his bandaged arm. "This all makes me kinda happy... I feel like the three of us are getting closer to Sasuke,"
"Oh, jeez," Sakura responded and Naruto laughed.
Tsukiko tried to smile at them, too.
☾