Waves rolled and tides roared. Yuto stood at the shoreline, gazing into the distance where the azure sea merged with the sky.
"So, who exactly did you hire as backup?" Kushina's voice echoed in his mind.
"Didn't you read the letter when I wrote it?" Yuto asked, puzzled.
"Nope!" Kushina took a deep breath. "I was asleep at the time!"
"Souls can sleep?"
"This Spirit Pearl of yours is weirdly magical. I can feel myself growing stronger, and every time I hit a milestone BAM! Instant nap time!"
"Huh. That is pretty magical," Yuto mused, nodding thoughtfully.
"Focus, kid!" Kushina's voice went full disapproving-mom-mode. "Who. Is. The. Backup?"
"Patience, oh impatient one," Yuto said, grinning. "It's more fun as a surprise."
"Ugh, you're worse than Minato hiding the last dango!" She huffed. "Is it someone from Konoha? Wait, don't tell me you dragged poor Kakashi into this?"
"Pfft, please," Yuto snorted. "I'd have better luck hiring a goldfish to fight Zabuza."
"Rude. Kakashi's trying his best."
"His best involves being fashionably late to his own funeral."
Kushina gasped dramatically. "You monster! He's just a socially awkward bean who reads smut to cope!"
His words died in his throat as Kushina's spectral form suddenly materialized in front of him, arms flailing. She lunged at his head, mouth wide open like a rabid ghost.
"DEADLY SPIRIT SNACK ATTACK!"
Though her teeth harmlessly phased through him, the psychological damage was immense
"Hmph!"
Noticing his stunned gaze lingering on her very solid looking body, Kushina's cheeks pinked. She quickly retreated into the Spirit Pearl with a haughty sniff.
"Well, brat? Learned your lesson?" she huffed, trying to mask her embarrassment with anger.
"Y-yes…" Yuto replied robotically, still mentally replaying the very distracting scene. His heart pounded wildly.
Thanks to their "Soul Symbiosis," Kushina could feel his emotional turmoil and right now, that meant she was also experiencing a weird, fluttery sensation.
Just then, a shadow passed overhead. "Uh. Incoming," Kushina said, blinking up at the sky.
Yuto followed her gaze. "Oh. Huh. Didn't expect her to show up in person."
WHOOSH.
The figure landed with a gust of wind and a dramatic dust cloud. Yuto's hair and clothes flapped wildly.
As the dust settled, a woman wrapped in paper wings slowly stood, her wings dissolving to reveal her true form.
She was striking, purple eyeshadow, a lip piercing, black and red cloak, and nails painted in eerie blue-violet. Her golden eyes scanned the area before locking onto Yuto.
"You're the client?" Her voice was ice-cold, like an angel who'd never tasted ramen.
"Yeah. Hayashi Yuto" he nodded.
"Akatsuki. Codename: White Tiger," she said bluntly. "Target location?"
"That biulding." Yuto pointed at Gato's towering HQ. "Enemies include four elite rogue ninja: Demon of the Mist Zabuza, former Seven Swordsmen Black Lightning Raiga, ex Iwa prodigy Maruyama..."
"Mm." She barely reacted. "Your associate already paid 10 million ryō. If those three are all, I'll refund 2 million post-mission."
"Not worried about the money," Yuto scratched his head.
"Mm." She didn't even blink. "Alive or dead?"
"Ideally, alive. I'm running a redemption arc for them."
"…A what"
"You know! Therapy, community service, maybe some light farming"
"No. I don't know"
"or we could just knock them out and call it therapy?" White tiger's eyebrow twitched.
'This kid's got ideas, shame they're all terrible.'
Rogue ninja, 'redeemed?' If they could be redeemed, they wouldn't be rogue ninja!
But hey, not her problem. She wasn't that idealistic girl anymore.
Paid to kill? Kill. Paid to capture? Capture.
"Also," Yuto added, "mind if I tag along?"
"That'd make it a bodyguard mission," she said tonelessly. "No refund."
"Yeah, yeah, I wasn't counting on it anyway," he muttered.
Without another word, she grabbed his waist, paper wings sprouting as they shot into the sky.
"WOOO! WE'RE FLYING!" Kushina cheered. "Since when does anyone have flight jutsu? Who is this woman? Where'd you find her?!"
"Wait, you don't recognize her?" Yuto blinked.
"Should I?"
"She's one of Jiraiya's students from Rain Village. Though I did expect someone else from Akatsuki."
"Jiraiya sensei's ?! Oh! RIGHT!" Kushina gasped. "He mentioned them once at dinner! But I thought they died?"
"One did. Two lives."
"...That's so sad."
"Sad?" Yuto snorted. "Sure! What's sadder than fundraising while collecting all nine Tailed Beasts? Truly tragic!"
"WHAT?!" Kushina's soul nearly popped out of the pearl. "TAILED BEASTS?!"
"Mhm." Yuto dropped the bomb: "Oh, and that guy your husband thought was Madara? Yeah, he's in Akatsuki too."
"WHAT"
"Relax," Yuto said breezily. "We're the ones in the shadows now. Plus, 'Madara' and Jiraiya's students hate each other."
"Madara's a what now?" Kushina latched onto his phrasing.
"Ah, the woes of a lovesick man," Yuto sighed.
"Yuto Explain." Kushina's tone promised violence.
"Fine, fine! 'Uchiha Madara' is actually" He paused for effect. "Obito."
Silence.
Kushina's soul short-circuited.