Chapter 38
SHIKAKU NARA
The war, if one could even call it that, was over, and Konoha had emerged as the victor, despite facing unfair odds. They had faced and triumphed against the combined might of Sunagakure, Otogakure, and the mysterious Akatsuki all at once.
But the victory had come at a great cost. Hundreds were dead, and a dozen still lost in the chaos of the battle, yet the greatest loss was one which they all mourned together.
Even during Konoha's most testing times, most people within the village had felt some peace because of one singular person. They felt safe, for they knew that as long as he sat the helm, their opponents would dare not attack them, for he was the man who had inherited the title of God of Shinobi from the Shodaime himself.
They called him the Professor, and while Kakashi may have copied a thousand jutsus, the Professor had mastered them to absolute perfection. He was a legend whose name still made Konoha's enemies shake in their boots, and yet he wouldn't do that anymore.
He couldn't help but admire the man who had sacrificed his life just to give their village a chance. He had given his life so that Konoha would live, and the worst thing was that they couldn't even mourn him properly.
He stood along with a hundred others in front of his grace, determined to carry forward his will of fire, and he did not need to glance back at his son and his comrades to tell that they all felt the same as well.
The Sandaime-sama had tried to shield the new generation from the horrors of this world, yet the man was now gone, and with him, the next generation had been exposed to the cruel realities of this world in full. In the shinobi world, death and treachery were the norm, and allies could turn into enemies in the blink of an eye.
Sunagakure and Konoha had been allies for over two decades, yet the Suna had betrayed them without any cause. And yet, despite that, the two villages were allies once more, for they had both lost their kages, even though Suna's loss was much greater, for they had also lost their jinchuriki, leaving them with no defence against the might of Iwa and Kumo.
The Wind Daimyo had been quick to negotiate a truce and a new alliance, and Konoha could hardly afford to turn them away, especially when it had been one of their own rogue ninjas at the centre of the entire plot.
And so, with the battles over, it was time to rebuild and rearm. But first, they needed a new leader to lead them in these troubling times, and right now, the two being considered for this honor stood in front of him.
One of them was a former teammate of the Sandaime-sama himself. A war hawk, who had found allies in the more orthodox people in the village. He was a strong shinobi, with age and experience at his back.
The other person was no slouch either, for he doubted there was anyone on the entire continent who had not heard the name of Jiraiya of the Sanin. He was the Sandaime's student and the mentor of the Yondaime, and had the endorsement of the Daimyo himself, yet rumor had it that the man had turned down the offer, pushing the odds in favor of Shimura Danzo.
And as the people began to leave, Shikaku stood there at the back of the white-haired shinobi, refusing to move until it was just him and the Sanin in that graveyard. Once he was sure that they were truly alone, he stepped forward and stood beside the fabled Sanin as he took out and lit a cigarette.
"I have heard that you turned down the hat," he asked, and the Sanin simply nodded, confirming the rumor.
"I did," and if those eyes were anything to go by, it was not because of grief or pain. He had seldom seen such determination in that gaze, so he wondered just why he had done so.
"You and I both know that we cannot let Danzo become the Hokage," and as a Jounin Commander, it was somewhat unbecoming of him to have such an opinion. Still, the man's loyalty and actions were questionable.
He could not let a man such as that become the Hokage during such troubling times.
"He won't," Jiraiya-sama answered, much to his surprise, and Shikaku was not privy to his meeting with the daimyo.
"Then who will become the Godaime Hokage?" he asked if it was neither him nor Danzo.
"Someone far more suited to the position than both of us," and as he raked his mind, his eyes widened as he understood the implication of those words.
"Tsunade-sama," and already efforts were being made to contact her, though not for this. Sasori of the Red Sand was an extremely skilled puppet master, but his real menace lay in his poisons, and despite the efforts of their best healers, they had yet to create an antidote for it.
"They had managed to slow it down," but still, without her help, hundreds would die, including Sasuke Uchiha and Team Gai itself.
"Will she come back?" he asked, for the reasons behind her exodus were far more complicated than people realised.
"I will make her," answered the Sanin as he turned away from the grave and began to walk out of the cemetery.
"So, hold down the fort while I am gone," and then he stopped and glanced back at him.
"And I will be taking Naruto with me...."
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HIASHI HYUGA
Hiashi's life had been marred by failures. He had failed to protect his brother from the curse of his clan. He had failed his nephew, who was forced into exile just to have some semblance of freedom, and now he had failed them all as his entire family was devastated infront of him, while he could do nothing.
The betrayal of Suna had taken the entire village by surprise. The battle had lasted half a day, but in the end, Konoha had emerged victorious, but at a great cost. The Sandaime-sama had lost his life, and now their enemies began to stir as they thought them weak and vulnerable.
Yet the attack had caused great tragedy for him as well, as it had robbed him of nearly everything he held dear. Hiashi had never felt himself more of a failure, as he stood there beside the slumbering form of his nephew while his own daughter still remained missing.
Both Neji and Hikari had suffered grave injuries during the attack and were both fighting for their lives. Neji had been poisoned by the Sasori of the Red Sand, and while the iryo-nin had managed to slow the poison down, his condition was still very critical, for no shinobi had yet to find an antidote for the fabled Missing-nin's poisons.
Hikari, though, was faced with his own troubles. He had been found near the border, half dead with his chakra rampaging all around him, and had shown little improvement ever since.
The iryo-nin were helpless with him, for none could diagnose what was wrong with him, as he slumbered away, waddling between life and death, all the while his greatest treasure remained missing.
Hinata was amongst the several dozen still lost in the carnage, and yet they had found no body for her. Many in the clan had already begun to console him over her loss, yet Hiashi knew in his heart that his daughter was alive.
That Hinata was alive.
Neji. Hikari. Hinata.
He had failed them all. He had failed his own kin.
It pained him to admit his own helplessness, but Hiashi could do little but come here and pray, for if there was anyone who could do the impossible, it was him.
He did not even have the heart to come here, yet his youngest daughter had refused to budge, and so Hiashi found himself here in his nephew's room as Hanabi cried while holding his hand.
"You have to save her. You have to," she pleaded, and it broke his heart to see his youngest like that.
"You promised that you would protect us. You promised," she said, as tears slid down her face, unbecoming of a daughter of the Hyuga clan, yet he did not have the heart to stop her.
"Please, bring her home," she added, and he saw the iryo-nin walk into the room, shaking his head, and he nodded.
"Hanabi," he called out softly as he placed a soothing hand on her shoulder.
"It is time to go," he said, and she bit her as her shoulders shook before she whispered.
"You caused this. All of this," she snarled as she ran out of the room, leaving his hand in place, and Hiashi could not even argue against that as he gave his nephew a last glance.
"I know that I have no way of proving it, but I know that my daughter still lives," he whispered into the air.
"And that she is waiting for you," and with that, he turned away and walked out of the door, as he walked back to his clan compound. Already, his entire clan was searching for Hinata, yet most of them had already begun considering her lost in their minds, but she was alive.
He knew that she was alive, yet he had no inkling about where she might be.
It was pathetic of him to put his hopes on a child like Hikari, but his nephew was no ordinary child. He never had been. He had faced and defeated a bijuu on his own and had survived a possible confrontation against the Snake Sanin himself.
If there was anyone who could do the impossible it was him.
"Save her, Hikari..."
.
.
.
And soon enough, the night turned into day, and as the Sun rose, a bandaged Ino Yamanaka strode through the bustling Halls of the Konoha Hospital and made her way through the emptying corridors with a bouquet of flowers in her hand.
Despite their circumstances, she had been amongst the luckier ones and had managed to avoid getting poisoned by the red-haired menace named Sasori of the Red Sand, and with the hospital overflowing with poisoned individuals in need of critical care, she was sent back home along with Shikamaru, who had yet to wake.
Yet unlike them, their friend and teammate had not been so lucky, for none of the healers could diagnose his ailment as he lay in his bed all by himself. So, despite her injuries, Ino had chosen to come here so that she could sit by him in his most troubling times, as he had done so for her.
Yet as she turned the door handle and pushed it open, her eyes widened, as her heart sank as she saw the bed empty, while the bouquet fell out of her hands.
"Hikari!"
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