It was sunset by the time Naruto reached the village of Yugakure, where he was supposed to rendezvous with Jiraiya. He hesitated before he stepped past the entrance gates—and then pushed his legs forward.
Had it really been five years since he'd last visited this place? It looked almost exactly the same as it had back then. While there were a few new resort hotels, the hot springs and the crowd of tourists had remained the same. It was as though the incident with Hidan had never happened at all.
Colorful lights bobbed in the distance, and as Naruto made his way toward it, he realized a summer festival was going on in the center of the village. Glowing lanterns dangled in the darkening sky. Smoke rose from the food stalls, filling his nose with the smells of fried dough and grilled meats. Some of the attendants wore masks as they strolled between the attractions.
There was a stall with a pool full of glimmering goldfish. Three children were huddled around it and just as he passed by, one of them shouted out, "Look at that fat one!"
Something about the wording brought Naruto to a sudden halt. Everything was spinning, and for a moment, it was as though he'd been transported back in time. If he just looked, it almost felt as though he'd see two shadows walking in step behind him.
He didn't look. Instead, he stood there, rooted to the spot. The crowd's chatter surrounding him seemed to rise in volume, filling his ears.
"Naruto?"
He stiffened—but it was a young boy staring uncertainly up at Naruto's hitai-ate. There was one around his neck as well; it wasn't the first hitai-ate Naruto had seen in the village. It seemed that for all its increasing tourism, Yugakure still had a population of aspiring ninja.
"Yes?" he said.
Recognition flooded the other boy's face, and he pointed at himself. "Do you remember me? I'm Taki! You saved me!"
Naruto did a double take. In his memories, the child he'd saved in the midst of Hidan's slaughter had been barely older than a toddler—and yet the boy in front of him was already starting to lose his baby fat. While he was still shorter than Naruto, coming up to his shoulders, Naruto had a sinking feeling that he would soon be outstripped.
It seemed not everything had stayed the same after all.
"I remember you," he said. The corners of his lips spasmed up in a shot at a smile, but from the other boy's faltering expression, it wasn't one of his better attempts.
"Where's the rest of your team?" asked Taki, looking around.
Naruto felt his throat constrict. "They're not here. It's just me."
"Oh." Taki stopped. "It would've been nice to see everyone." His face brightened. "Still, I'm really glad you're here. Hey, why don't you let me show you around?"
He hesitated. If it was anyone else, he would have declined. However, for this one vestige of nostalgia, he let the younger boy lead him around the village.
As Taki prattled on about his life over the past five years, Naruto found himself becoming swept away in the account of the family noodle business which had failed, causing them to seek a better life in Rice country. After another abject failure there, the family had recently returned to the village to start again.
"But I told my parents not to worry." Taki tapped the hitai-ate resting around his neck. "I'm going to become a top-notch ninja and take care of them."
There was a quieter section of the festival, separated from the colorful stalls and the crowd's chatter by billows of warm steam that rose up from holes in the ground. A small shrine stood there, dimly lit by candles.
"What's this?" asked Naruto. He didn't remember seeing such a place before.
Taki's face was solemn. "This is where we remember everyone who died that night. My parents and I come here often to burn incense."
In a flash, Naruto remembered that the boy hadn't escaped the incident unscathed; he had lost his sibling.
Feeling the need to say something, he said, "I'm sorry I couldn't save your sister." It had never before occurred to Naruto to be apologetic, but even as he spoke, he suddenly realized that he did feel sorry to the young boy standing before him.
Taki shook his head. "To be honest with you, I don't really remember her much anymore." He touched his hair—a long thin braid trailed down from the side—and smiled. "The one thing I remember is that Mother used to braid her hair. That's why I grew this out... So I don't forget."
Naruto paused, debating whether he should say it. "If it's any consolation, Hidan is dead. Rai killed him in battle."
According to the reports, with his unique brand of immortality, Hidan wasn't strictly dead—however, the ANBU ops had gathered the separate pieces and sealed them away, so he was as close to dead as possible.
Taki's eyebrows shot up. Far from the expression of approval Naruto had been expecting, he looked troubled. "Oh. I see... So, he's dead already."
Something about his tone seemed off, and Naruto asked, "Did you want to kill him yourself?"
"I...think I did, at one point. But..." Taki inhaled. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful he's dead. It's just, it doesn't really change anything. My sister is still gone. There's nothing you could've done about it, and there's nothing anyone can do about it now."
Naruto didn't know how to respond to that.
They spent a few more moments in silence in front of the shrine, and soon afterwards they went their separate ways.
"Bring the rest of your team next time!" said the younger boy with a wave.
...
The festival was still ongoing, and Naruto returned to the hubbub of the crowd. As he walked aimlessly between the stalls, he couldn't stop thinking about his conversation with Taki.
Even though he had lost his sister five years ago, he had none of the bitterness Naruto would have expected. On the contrary, despite the hardships of his circumstances, the other boy seemed to have moved on with his life. It was such a alien concept to Naruto, he found it difficult to wrap his mind around: How could you smile while thinking of someone you had lost?
There had also been Taki's response when Naruto had questioned whether revenge was his goal: "It doesn't really change anything." On that, Naruto silently agreed. When he had transformed into the Nine-tails, he had flattened Hidan and sent the rest scattering. And yet, it hadn't changed anything.
It was possible he had already understood this back at Gatō's hideout, when Naruto had spared the hunter-nin despite his role in Mayu's capture. At the time, he had questioned what had moved him to do so. But perhaps, he realized now, it was because he didn't blame him entirely for his teammates' deaths.
The truth was that if Naruto had done his job as leader and ordered his team members back to Konoha, even if Mayu had hated him for it, they would all at least still be alive. However, he had caved in and stayed because he had feared their rejection.
While many things had happened, in the end, what had cost him their lives was none other than his own weakness.
Suddenly, Naruto realized something warm was running down his wrists. Looking down, he jerked as he saw blood: His fingers had dug into his palms so hard, they'd pierced the skin. As he watched the blood drip to the ground, he felt a heated surge of shame.
Wiping his hands clean on the front of his pants, he thought to himself: Keep it together.
The abrupt sound of barking drew him out of his thoughts. It was an ugly, angry sound that shattered the cheer of the festival. Naruto quickly spotted the source—near a food stall, a large black dog growled at a young girl, baring its teeth in a show of aggression.
"Down, boy!" The dog's owner threw himself on the dog's back to try and stop it.
Her face hidden under a mask, the girl backed away, her slight frame shaking. And then Naruto saw it: A tail appeared, poking out from the back of her robes. The dog's owner must have spotted it at the same time for in a remarkable transition, his concerned face transformed into one of revulsion. He fell back and released the dog, which lunged for the girl—but the only thing left of her was a pile of clothes. Naruto glimpsed the back of a red animal scampering away, before it disappeared into the dark of the forest.
Cupping his hands around his mouth, the owner shouted out, "And you stay away!"
A murmuring audience had gathered to watch the spectacle. Naruto took in their reactions, which ranged from confusion to utter disgust, before approaching the owner.
"Is something the matter?" he asked.
The owner, a heavy-set man, squinted suspiciously at Naruto's features. "You one of them foxes too?"
"I'm a ninja," said Naruto, tapping his Leaf hitai-ate meaningfully.