~The stories told, the truth unfolds, try to remember my darling souls, look deep into the eyes of the soul that sits across the room and start to recognize their face, they'll start to recognize yours too~
Kiyomi's POV
I stood there with Sasuke, neither of us saying anything. After I'd said that I wasn't here to stop him, Sasuke had relaxed considerably, and now we stood in a comfortable silence.
Well, Sakura was still laying unconscious on a nearby bench, but we ignored that.
"Well?" Sasuke finally asked, turning to stare at me. "Why are you here?"
I looked up at the dark sky above, noticing that there weren't any stars shining. How appropriate. I could feel Sasuke's stare turning into a glare when I neglected to answer him, so I sighed and faced my teammate.
"I guess I'm here to say goodbye," I finally admitted, smiling ruefully. Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise, so I took the chance to continue. "I may not have been there for some of the things this team did, but I did learn about you guys. And I can tell that you're the kind of guy who will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals."
"So what?" Sasuke sneered, his eyes broadcasting the confusion he felt at my words.
I chuckled. "I suppose I'm not actually here to say goodbye. It's more like... good luck." I smiled sincerely. As arrogant and cocky as Sasuke could sometimes be, he was still my teammate. And someone I considered a friend.
Sure, I had my opinions on this matter. After I'd learned what had transpired during the Forest of Death, and seen what that mark did to Sasuke, I was almost positive that Orochimaru was a bad man. Even though I'd never met him.
"Actually, you're going to Orochimaru, right?" I suddenly asked, my eyes wide as I began to fish around in my pouch for a certain little bag that I just now remembered. Sasuke nodded, and when I found what I was looking for, I pulled it out.
It was a small brown pouch that smelled sparkly. The bag of Kiriyoru Ryuuko had given me to pass on to Orochimaru, should I ever meet him. I guess it would be fine if Sasuke passed the bag on for me.
"Here," I said, offering the pouch to Sasuke, who took it hesitantly. "My sensei told me to give it to Orochimaru if I ever had the chance. But seeing as you're going that way, I want to you to give it to the snake. Just tell him it's from Ryuuko."
Sasuke studied me apathetically, weighing the pouch in his hand. "And why should I do this?" he finally asked, bringing the bag closer to his face to try and see what it was.
"Because," I replied seriously, a hint of sadness in my tone. "I'm your teammate, and hopefully your friend. Just... think of it as a last request of mine, before you're gone forever."
After a minute, Sasuke nodded and placed the pouch in the backpack over his shoulder. "I can do that." I sighed, and smiled slightly in relief.
Then a thought occurred to me. "Are you ever planning on returning?" I asked curiously, staring straight into the Uchiha's onyx eyes. "Because if you leave now, you'll be classed a missing-nin. It won't be easy to just come back and expect things to remain the same."
Sasuke exhaled lightly. "I know," he admitted. "But this is my dream. And like you said, I'll do anything to see it completed. I will sever my bonds, and nothing will hold me back. Not this village, not Team Seven, nothing. And when it's completed... I'll see where the world takes me."
"Deep," I teased. Then I grew more somber. "... What about Naruto?" This was said in little more than a whisper, considering I wasn't sure Sasuke wanted to hear this question.
Sasuke's eyes hardened. "Like I said, I will sever all my bonds." Then he looked at me. "Including the one with you."
My eyebrows raised in comic disbelief. "We have a bond?" I asked, faking surprise. But seeing as it received no response from the Uchiha, I dropped the facade. "Don't worry about it," I said dismissively, finally turning away from Sasuke. As I started to walk away, I turned my head and called one last thing over my shoulder. "The moment you walk out of the village gates, you are no longer a part of Team Seven. You are simply another missing-nin of Konoha."
Third POV
Sasuke stared after the retreating figure of his teammate, watching as her ponytail bounced against her back as she jumped onto a rooftop. He reached a hand back, and felt the small bump that was the pouch she'd given him.
Then the Uchiha sighed. Now was not the time to dwell on everything he was leaving behind. Now was the time to focus on the future. And his future was revenge.
======
Shikamaru was rushing around town with Naruto, an activity that had many civilians wondering what had gotten the usually-lazy genin to be in such a hurry. But like always, there was a reason for his actions.
The Nara had been tasked by Lady Tsunade to gather as many genins as he thought were necessary, and form a team designed to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto had already insisted on joining the team, and now Shikamaru just needed a few more people.
First stop: Choji Akimichi.
It didn't take long to convince the large boy to come, but it did take a few minutes to convince Naruto. Next they grabbed Kiba and Kouta, who were out early walking their respective partners. Kiba informed them that Shino was out doing something with his father, and was therefore unavailable.
Moving along, Shikamaru's next choice was Neji, who was out early training with Aoi. The one-eyed boy was still recovering from his match with Kiyomi, and his arms were a bit weak. So he was focusing mainly on using his legs, and the attacks were devastatingly strong. Shikamaru grabbed both boys. Lee was nearby, but was unable to come along due to his surgery that was scheduled for later that day.
Now with a team of seven, Shikamaru assumed that was more than enough people for this retrieval mission. But as they were all heading towards the gate, they came across Asami, who was already aware of her friend's situation. She agreed to come along, and now there were eight.
"Alright, time's up," Shikamaru said, yawning slightly as he surveyed his rag-tag team. "There's eight of us, meaning we've got a team of five and a back-up team of three. Asami, Aoi, and Kouta; you're the back-up team. Rest of you, we're the main team."
"Wait, wait!" Naruto suddenly yelled, bouncing on his feet. "What about Kiya-chan? Shouldn't she be a part of this team too? She's got as much of a right as I do!"
"Well-" Shikamaru began, but he was interrupted by the person they were speaking of.
"Sorry Naruto, but I'm not coming," the brown-haired girl said, speaking up from atop a nearby building. She'd noticed Shikamaru's gathering of people, and had inferred that they were going to track Sasuke. But it wasn't her place to join. She'd said she wasn't going to stop Sasuke, and she meant it. He may have severed their bond, but he was her friend. She would not force him to do something he didn't want to. And if that was returning to Konoha?
She still wouldn't force him.
Naruto, unknowing of her reasons, was befuddled. "What? Kiya-chan, why won't you come?" he asked, tilting his head to look up at his friend.
"She may have a prior engagement, like Shino," Shikamaru suggested. "It's not that unlikely."
But Kiyomi shook her head, and jumped down to land in front of Naruto. "No, it's nothing of the sort," she said in a soft voice. "It's the very nature of the mission itself that I don't agree with. And seeing as you have more than enough people, I think I'm allowed to refuse."
"Wait... Kiya-chan?" Naruto muttered, just loud enough to reach said girl's ears. His tone was taut with disbelief, not thinking that he'd heard what he did. There was also a tiny hint of what seemed like disappointment or anger in those words.
Kiyomi flinched slightly at Naruto's tone, but continued on. "I'm sorry, but unless Lady Tsunade herself orders me to join this mission, I will not."
"How could you?!" Aoi fumed loudly, the one-eyed boy glaring at Kiyomi with his yellow eye. "Sasuke is your teammate, and your friend! Why would you just abandon him to Orochimaru just like that?!" Then in a quieter, but still deadly tone, Aoi continued. "I thought you were loyal?!" This was hissed with as much venom as it was possible to imbue in a voice.
Kiyomi flinched against her will, hearing the person she called a rival sound so livid. But she managed to explain. "He is my teammate, and my friend," Kiyomi began. "But this is his dream. The one thing he's lived his life wishing for. Who am I to stop him from doing what he thinks is right?"
"What if he's wrong?" Asami stepped in, her tone neutral yet still very against the idea. "He will be killed by Orochimaru. And we can save him."
Kiyomi shook her head, purple eyes closed. "Right and wrong are simply matters of perspective," she murmured. "And above all else, I believe in free choice. If this is what Sasuke wants, I will not interfere."
"But-" Asami started to speak again, but was cut off by Naruto.
The blond's normally-blue eyes had begun to have a tint of red to them. "Kiyomi..." Naruto growled lowly, beginning to bare his teeth. That one word hurt Kiyomi more than anything else, because he didn't use the nickname she had grown accustomed to. "Traitor," he accused, staring straight at the purple-eyed girl. "You're no true Leaf shinobi. We take care of our comrades."
Kiyomi's eyes were squeezed shut at this point. She knew there would be negative reactions to her view on this situation, but she wasn't expecting this level of hate. She shuddered, and then leapt away, her head kept away from the other genin so they wouldn't see the small bits of water leaking out of her eyes and down her face.
All the genin watched her go, varying degrees of emotions on their faces. Their feelings ranged from sadness to anger to disappointment, but all were surprised at Naruto's words. As long as they'd known the blond, they'd never thought he had a mean bone in his body.
But it was Sasuke they were talking about. For Naruto, that boy trumped everything.
Shikamaru shook his head, and cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention back to him. "We have a mission to complete," he reminded the teams. "So, here's what going to happen..."
======
It was after Shikamaru's team had left to go retrieve Sasuke. Kiyomi had spent the better portion of an hour simply sitting on top of the Hokage heads meditating. She'd been thinking of her own choices, attempting to rationalize her beliefs while trying to convince herself that things would be okay.
But it just wasn't working.
For the first time in a while, Kiyomi had real friends. Team Seven had wormed their way into her little world, and she'd ended up opening up to them more than she'd planned on. So it really hurt, deep in her chest, to hear Naruto call her a traitor. And she had no doubts that if the mission failed, her remaining team members would blame her. Especially if they learned she'd seen Sasuke as he was leaving, and hadn't done anything.
And that she just couldn't take. She could bear being hated by strangers or enemies. It definitely wasn't a foreign feeling to the host of a chakra beast, who'd been bullied long before children should even know the meaning of the word. And for something that was out of her control.
But this was different. These people weren't strangers, or people she despised. These were people she was close to, people that knew the real Kiyomi. And that feeling of betrayal was the worst kind.
"I need a break..." Kiyomi muttered aloud, talking to the air around her. "I can't be here anymore. Not now."
'... What about Ryuuko?' Fenrir whispered into her mind, his voice a gentle lull. 'You could go and train with him. I'm sure Lady Tsunade would allow it. And in between you could travel. Search for your purpose.'
Kiyomi smiled lightly, but not enough to make her sadness lift. "That would work," she mumbled. "Because that's what Naruto and Sasuke have that I lack, right? A dream."
'Yes,' the brown wolf replied. 'In order to become strong, you must have something worth fighting for, right? Let's find that.'
Kiyomi nodded, standing up on top of the stone head. It was Hashirama Senju's monument, which seemed appropriate. The founder of the village, the man who began all this. The man with a great dream.
"Thanks, Fen," she whispered, then jumped off the monument. She started to run along the rooftops, heading for the Hokage's building not too far away. She would ask Lady Tsunade first, but she had no doubt the Hokage would allow it. Kiyomi would be with Ryuuko, and would be fine. It was time for Kiyomi to go her own way.
Team Seven was growing up, and it was Kiyomi's job to grow right alongside them.
======
Later, the brown-haired girl was alone in her room, packing up her belongings. More stuff was going in her bag than would be expected for a normal mission, but it wasn't like she was moving out of the house.
Downstairs, the girl's guardian sat at the kitchen table, staring at a solitary bowl of instant ramen. Kiyomi had just informed him that she was leaving, for a long time. And now Hachi was back to being alone in this apartment that used to be full of life, having a teenage boy and a young girl both running around.
But the passage of time was obvious. The boy was dead, and the girl had grown up. And now even she was leaving the nest.
"I guess everyone had to grow up at some point," Hachi mumbled, still observing the ramen in front of him. Upstairs, the sounds of Kiyomi packing were obvious, and Hachi sighed. "But I'm gonna miss that girl."
Now finished with her preparations, Kiyomi prepared to depart for the mountains once again. She had to leave as soon as possible, to prevent the other genin from learning of her destination. She wasn't sure what their reactions would be, but she really just didn't want to see them.
She was headed for the same place as before, but it would be for much longer now. Probably at least a year, maybe two.
Team Seven was gone. Sasuke wouldn't return to the Leaf, and without him there was no complete team. So it wouldn't matter if Kiyomi left as well.
The only downside was that she hadn't gotten to say goodbye to Kakashi. That would have been nice, but with the jonin on a mission it just wasn't possible.
Kiyomi silently walked through the dark streets of Konoha with her pack over her shoulder. Hachi had said his goodbyes already, and he didn't want to walk her to the gate. But as Kiyomi drew closer to the gate, and all that lay beyond, she noticed a single figure standing there.
Naruto and the rest weren't back from their mission yet, and Sakura wasn't aware of Kiyomi's plans. So the girl was wondering who was there.
As she walked closer, she began to make out the person's features. And their smell. Their distinctive smell of book pages, metal, and regret.
Kakashi.
The tangy, bitter smell of the emotion was much stronger than normal, and Kiyomi gritted her teeth as she drew closer. There was not a single doubt in her mind that the reason Kakashi smelled so much of regret was because of Sasuke's choice, and now, her own.
When Kiyomi reached the gate, Kakashi stood up from where he'd been leaning against a pole. "Kiyomi," he uttered blandly, taking a step towards his student.
"Kakashi-sensei," Kiyomi sighed, stopping in front of her sensei. There was a sad smile on her face as she waited for the older man to speak.
"Lady Tsunade told me what you're doing," Kakashi commented, shoving his hands into his pockets. That dreaded orange book of his was nowhere in sight, making Kiyomi see that Kakashi was serious.
"And?"
"I just wanted to say," Kakashi began, taking another step forward. Kiyomi was starting to feel a sense of deja vu, though she wasn't entirely sure why. "Good luck!" Kakashi finished, his signature closed-eye smile on his face. "Be safe, and make sure to come back sometime!"
Kiyomi was blank-faced as her sensei's words sunk in, but then she smiled, a true, happy smile. At least one other person still cared. "Of course," she replied, beaming. Her smile began to fade as Kiyomi turned and began to walk away again. "And Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi waited for her to speak. "Take care of Naruto and Sakura. If they ask, I've gone to receive more training."
"Right," Kakashi affirmed. "Take care." And then he walked off, heading back into the village. The orange porn book was back in his hands, and Kakashi seemed normal as he walked away. Obviously he wasn't, but most people wouldn't be able to tell.
Kiyomi smiled once at her sensei's back, then turned and walked out of the village. No looking back, no turning back.
No going back.
~Cause this is not the end, it's time now to transcend and start another journey. Or go back to amend the life you lived before. You know it's always been up to you, so now it's time for you to choose~