"You've heard about all those rumors, haven't you?"
"Hm. Everyone knows about it. Even civilians."
Naruto and Sasuke stood before Sakura's grave with downcast eyes and a swelling hope in their hearts. Years they had to live with the fact that she'd gone off to who knows where to do who knows what only to be killed by an Akatsuki member. At that thought, Sasuke recalled his conversation with Hidan and that man. Hidan had no clue that they were the ones who killed Sakura, and didn't even show a hint of surprise when he learned about such a thing.
That wasn't exactly a normal reaction. Like he had something to do with it despite not knowing what happened. Naruto looked at his friend with thinned lips.
"I also heard that you met up with your brother."
Twitch.
"Shikamaru told me about it. You didn't even attack him. Why not? You've always jumped at the chance before, dattebayo," he said. Sasuke crossed his arms as he grit his teeth and let his eyes bleed to red.
"Trust me, I would have. I would have cut him down then and there and fought him until I was forced away. But..." He exhaled through his nose. "... It was because of this that Sakura is dead. It's my fault that she's gone and acting upon the reason would make matters worse."
Naruto's face scrunched up in anger. "What are you saying?" he bit out. "That she did this because of you?! The world doesn't revolve around your giant fucking ego, bastard!"
"If I never left, would this have happened? If I never came to hate Itachi and I never left Konoha for Orochimaru, don't you think that things wouldn't have turned out this way? Sakura never would have had to die and Asuma wouldn't have been killed by h—"
Sasuke shut his mouth, realizing that he said too much. Naruto took a step towards him and grabbed his collar. His eyes were blazing at the accusation. The case had never been formally determined and was left as inconclusive, Deidara and Sakura being the only suspects. It was only natural to lean towards Deidara's direction, but to push the blame on her like that wasn't acceptable. Not on his terms.
"I know Sakura-chan and she sure as hell isn't a criminal! Not even close! I don't know how you think of her, but she would never do something like that. Never!"
"The Akatsuki—"
"Screw the Akatsuki! The hell do you think you're doing, listening to scum like them? You talked to your brother, didn't you? Why would you believe a single thing he says?!" Naruto growled. Sasuke smacked his hand away and fixed his shirt.
"I'm not saying that I believe them. I'm saying that if they fully admitted to having killed Sakura, what reason would they have to lie about Asuma?"
::
Hidan yawned and stretched his arms over his head as he stepped out of the operating room. He'd just completed his third consecutive surgery and he was dying for some lunch. As he slipped off his coat and handed it over the desk, he heard the distinct snap of heels against the tile floor. He turned around to see Tsunade giving him a level stare and crossing her arms over her chest.
Huh. So that's where Sakura got her calves from.
"I observed the last surgery you performed. I hate to admit it, but I'm impressed," she said. "I wasn't aware the Akatsuki was in possession of such high-class medical skills.
He shrugged. "The Akatsuki doesn't necessarily exist anymore, so they don't have jack shit."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
"Plus, I only got into this once I was in Oto," he continued, scratching the back of his head. "The Otokage got me to try it. She's kinda... something else, y'know? She gets me interested and next thing you know, I can't find a reason to stop." Suddenly, his stomach grumbled. Hidan blinked and looked down. "I was gonna take my break. If there's nothing else, can I go?"
Tsunade was just about to let him leave when an idea surfaced. She gazed at him for a few moments—Hidan staring back at her with uninterested magenta eyes—before she cracked a smirk.
"How well do you do at bars?"
::
"All of them are accepting of this development," Kurenai informed as she read through the letters from the Kazekage, Raikage, Tsuchikage, and Mizukage. "Mei-sama and Kurotsuchi-sama seem ecstatic to finally have a gender balanced summit, and Gaara-sama and A-sama are curious to find out who was able to build a formidable shinobi nation up from dust. With these four approvals, all we need not is the Otokage's agreement, and if they do, their okay for attaining the proper Kage attire. Well the hat, in the very least."
Kakashi nodded, lacing his fingers together and propping his chin on them. Officially bringing in a sixth Kage was a huge deal. The shinobi villages were already buzzing with this new piece of information and possible identities were being thrown around, a common one being Orochimaru despite his deceased status.
There were a few knocks at the door.
"Enter."
Kabuto stepped into the room. "I have received a response from Otokage-sama," he said. "And she has agreed to attend the Kage Summit."
Kakashi expected a weight to be lifted off his shoulders, but the burden previously sat upon them only seemed to grow heavier. Something like a foreboding feeling. He quickly pushed it aside when Kabuto spoke again.
"Also, I'll be returning to Otogakure and will be one of the ones attending the summit alongside the Otokage. Tobi will handle all diplomatic issues from this day forward."
The Hokage bit the inside of his cheek at the mention of that name. Ever since the day at the memorial stone, he hadn't seen or made a move to talk to his old friend another time. Coming to terms with Obito being alive was one thing, but acting like everything was alright wasn't going to work out. Truthfully he was scared to see how much the years had changed them both. He smiled at Kabuto.
"I see. I don't think there's any problem with that."
There was every problem with that.
::
"The Exchange Program got extended an extra two weeks?" Hidan groaned. "Of course it did. But that's fine. Konoha has pretty good pork buns that I can live off of for a while longer."
They were at Yakiniku Q in the far corner booth, beef grilling in front of them as they sipped cups of sake. Hidan noted how sweet it tasted as he glanced at the brands of alcohol they offered at this establishment. Tsunade scoffed.
"Nothing would make me happier to get my staff back, but it's probably because of the upcoming Kage Summit. Less commotion, more things that run smoothly," she said. She took a bite of her BBQ. "Speaking of the Kage Summit, I heard that your leader is officially becoming the sixth Kage. Must be a great honor, hm?"
Hidan leaned back in his seat and drew in a long sip of his drink. "I guess. I wouldn't know, but I'd have to ask her about it later."
Her fingers twitched. "Well, what about what you think about this whole matter? I'm sure you have an opinion about it."
"I'm sure I do."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. What was going on? Why wasn't it working? Seeing this, Hidan's eyes flashed mischievously. He set his cup down to lean all the way forward and pitch his voice down to a low whisper.
"What? Upset that your truth serum didn't work?"
She raised her head. "I've underestimated you."
"Damn straight," he grinned, "I'm not a fucking idiot. Sweetening the sake to cover the bitterness of serum was a pretty smart idea, but I'd pay more attention to the brand's specific taste. Like this one, for example. The breweries would never sell the sake in this condition. And truth serum has an earthy aftertaste. Not really befitting of alcohol, ne?"
It was hard for her to get pissed as she was incredibly impressed with his skills. Only a seasoned shinobi would have found out about the serum this quickly, and he had an extensive knowledge that she would have never expected. Hidan reached into his pocket and pulled out enough money to cover the whole bill and a decent tip. He stood.
"My break time's up and I think I've got a couple more surgeries lined up for me today. See you back at the hospital or something."
::
"Uchiha-sensei, you have a visitor."
Itachi looked to the door of his temporary office. "Let them in, please. Thank you."
He wasn't surprised when Naruto stepped into the room wearing a grim line for a mouth and deeply unhappy eyes. He sat down in the chair in front of the desk, his frown sinking even further. Itachi took one long look at him before continuing with his paperwork. He had some idea what he was here to ask, assuming that he had already spoken with Sasuke.
"You know I really hate your guts, Uchiha."
Itachi inclined his head. "It's not something I haven't heard before."
"No, like I really, really hate you. Killing you would brighten my day, dattebayo. Seriously, I would love to shove my kunai through your heart right now," he said. Itachi closed the file he finished and put it aside as he took a new one.
"I'm quite aware. Naruto-kun, is there a reason to why you've... graced me with this particular visit? If you dislike me to such an extent, I find it odd that you've taken the time out of your day for a conversation with me."
Naruto's head dropped as he glanced around the office. It was a little disturbing to find one of the most powerful shinobi in the world in a room full of stuffed animals and children's posters. A pediatric counselor. Ridiculous.
"You guys killed Sakura-chan, right?" he mumbled.
"If you're referring to Haruno Sakura, then yes. We did."
Naruto flinched. "Then... you must've known about the entire case about Asuma-sensei. He was left in critical condition after this huge fight and... and there were only two people who could've done it. Sakura-chan or that Deidara. Is it—Do you know who was the one that did it?" he asked. Itachi stopped his work and set interlocked fingers atop his papers. His eyes looked blank and bland, showing that he had nothing to hide nor anything to lie about.
"Deidara was incapacitated at that moment. He was poisoned and was unable to move on his own free will," Itachi answered. "If he was unable to fend for himself, do you believe he had the capacity to fight against Asuma-san?"
The blonde abruptly jumped up from his seat and strode towards the door.
"Naruto-kun."
"What?!"
He spun around, blue eyes smoldering with hurt and unwanted disbelief. Itachi regarded him with an unreadable expression.
"There's always a reason behind every action. Understand the reason, then you will understand the action."
Naruto made a confused face before stepping out and pacing out of the hospital. As he passed the entrance, he spotted Sasuke leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
"I remember someone telling me 'The hell do you think you are, listening to scum like them?', or something along the lines of that," he commented. Naruto cast his eyes down and kept walking.
"Shut up, teme."
::
Sakura pressed her lips together to keep her laugh from spilling out. "Go home, Kisame. Seriously. If you stay here any longer I feel like you're going to puke all over the floor. And if was just cleaned yesterday."
Kisame was hunched over on the floor, holding onto the trash can for dear life. His skin had turned an unhealthy pale blue and drops of sweat were falling down his face. "I... I-I won't... lose..." he murmured before his cheeks puffed up and he hacked his guts out. She cringed, feeling a little bad for laughing at him earlier but still finding the situation pretty funny.
"You can't blame yourself for the oysters. How could you have known they'd gone bad?" Sakura said, "Go home, get some rest, and get better."
He slumped forward dejectedly. "Fine..."
She chuckled at his plight and rested her cheek in her palm to gaze at the hat on her desk. It was a rhombus shape, a duller purple than her village's hitai-ates, and the kanji for 'sound' poised on the front for everyone to see. Her smile slowly faded as she thought about the turnout of her near future. Surely, nothing in Otogakure would change. The village would probably become more known and acknowledged once she put herself and the ex-Akatsuki members back on the radar.
But... she was knew she'd have to meet with everyone else and had to explain what she'd done to them.
Ino.
Sai.
Kakashi.
Kurenai.
Naruto.
Sakura leaned back in her chair as she rubbed at her eyes. The Kage Summit was in five days in the politically neutral Iron Country. And in all honesty, she would readily admit that she wasn't even close to being ready to confront the past she abandoned eight years ago.
She couldn't imagine how disappointed they'd be in her.
::
"The Otokage's already here?"
Temari nodded, not being able to meet Shikamaru's gaze. "Gaara, Kankuro, and I were the first ones to arrive followed by her, Yakushi, and Kakuzu. When we greeted them... even Gaara couldn't help but be shocked," she said. "If I were you, I'd go up and see her now before the Summit tomorrow. I know you're level headed and all, but..." She sighed and patted his shoulder. "I can only wish you good luck on this one."
Shikamaru couldn't help but wonder what all this was about. Kakashi and Kurenai had already gone ahead to greet the Kazekage and Otokage personally. He hurried his steps towards the meeting area, snow crunching beneath his feet. If Gaara acted the way he did, then something massive must've come up. Thought, he couldn't think of a single occurrence that would root him to the spot.
When he arrived at the meeting spot, the first thing he saw were Kakashi's and Kurenai's horrified faces. Kakashi's, especially. Even with the mask covering half his face, one could see his dropped jaw. His hands were shaking and his eye couldn't have grown any larger. The two of them were standing outside the conference room looking in through the windows next to the door.
"Hokage-sama? Kurenai-sensei?"
They made no sign of hearing him.
Shikamaru walked up to the windows and peered through one himself. There was Gaara and he was talking to...
To...
T-To...
His breath caught in his throat. "...Sakura?"
::
EDITED 2.21.18