“Look I will trust your judgement in Kakashi, I will not change his memory or interfere with him, but you must be more careful using your wood technique. No one else should know. Though I must say, using it to absorb the life of the living dead was a great idea. By the passing day you are becoming more and more like a Sage. The way you move and think is already at jounin level.” Sage Moriko gets up from her seat, finally leaving the whole ordeal behind us.
I was glad to hear that even though I have been busy, I am improving here as well as my goal. I could hit two birds with one stone. She waits for me to follow her, I sigh and push myself out of my chair, and follow her. Tomoko finally lands on my shoulder, she couldn’t have said anything moments ago. Tomoko bits my ear, I look up to her, a smile on her face, she did that as my punishment.
“Have you been writing in your journal?” Sage Moriko says as she leads us to the outside, I knew I was going to be training, as long as I got back for the releasing of the lanterns.
“No, I haven’t had the time to do so. Not with missions and with training, its impossible to get a free day,” I look at her. I don’t have any free time because I am here instead.
“Buy you have enough free time for Kakashi,” Tomoko teases me. I shush her off of my shoulder, she cackles and flies above us.
“We’ll get you two master your current wood techniques, and then we can learn new ones. Wood can be used in so many ways, even you Kiyoko can make a jutsu if you would like. Just try not to call it something ridiculous,” Sage Moriko stops in front of a very odd looking tree, it was deformed and gross looking tree. It wasn’t a very healthy look tree.
“Why did you bring me to a rotting tree?” I plugged my nose to keep me from smelling the horrible smell. It shouldn’t smell like this, its just wood not rotting flesh.
“I’m not rotting away,” someone exclaimed. I see eyes and a mouth appear on the trunk. It was the tree that just said it.
“What the hell is this?” I looked at it closer. How could this tree be talking to me? No it must be the fumes of the rotting smell that is making me see hallucinations. I give myself a good pinch and slap myself to get my head to respond correctly.
“Are you done there? You look like an idiot, by just staring at me. Yes I am a talking tree, not the most shocking thing you will ever see,” the tree says again. He sounded bored, but he looked a bit excited to see me. He must not see too many people, its not like he can move anywhere, he’s rooted to the ground.
“What am I supposed to do with him?” I ask, Sage Moriko who just looked at us. Tomoko stood on a branch of the rotting tree. He wasn’t so rude to her, but to me he was very hostile. I could feel it.
“His name is Yuudai, and he is the only person that decided to merge with the life force, he gave his life to the tree and the tree is giving him life. Other than my home tree, he is the oldest living thing here. He managed to follow his instincts for true harmony and enlightenment and it ended up here. He become one with nature, you may learn a few things from him before we get you to become a Sage,” Sage Moriko says before she vanishes into her forest. She too moved like she was connected to the forest.
“So you gave up your life, and became one with this tree? What made you pick this tree in particular?” I ask him. It looked hideous, why did he pick this tree out of every other one? I mean the tree next to him was beautiful, that green leaves, and smooth bark. But Yuudai picked flakey brown bark, and small brown droopy leaves.
“You are not looking into the life of this tree. You see I did not pick this tree, the tree led me here.”
Sage Moriko is crazy, she sent me to learn from someone who talks to trees. I’ll play along for now.
“Such an ugly tree wouldn’t be chosen to do many things, it does not attract the attention that so many other organisms like humans need. I left my needs behind, I no longer needed them, I just needed my life, and my wisdom of my journey. I’ll tell you a story about the the era I left behind.” The man begins. Ya, he didn’t have his screw tightened in that brain of his. If he still had his brain.
“Or do you not want to hear it? The only person who has ever seen me was Hashirama Senju, and he was too busy fighting wars to learn the way to understand the earth. It took him longer than just one year. You Kiyoko only have half a year to master wood technique and one year to master Sage art, so I suggest you take this old geezer’s words and knowledge seriously,” He says to me with good intentions. Its not everyday that he gets to share his journey, and its not every day that I get to learn from an old talking tree/man.
“Please, go on, and help me become a Sage worthy of protecting the world,” I say in a bit of exaggeration, Yuudai squints, and begins his story.
“I was born into a word that only knew destruction. Kids were raised to kill and honor their parents, and if they survived into adulthood then that was a bonus. My mother was a powerful shaman, believing that the soul is only connected by a string of good. My mother was always against the constant fighting, she prohibited my sibling and myself from participating in the wars. My father on the other hand was a man with chakra and leadership. He led our clan to war, he trained us in secret. One night I woke to see my mother covered in blood. She killed my older brother and two younger sisters, because their souls have been torn away from their bodies by blood and betrayal. They were no longer who they were. I left that house that night, and searched for answers to questions I did not even have in mind. I passed two years roaming around the land, trying to find questions that I wanted to ask.”
Yuudai was trying hard to remember all that happened that night, I could see it in his eyes that it must have been a painful experience.
“How old were you?” I asked.
“Just ten years old. The same age that you ran away from your own home. Sage Moriko has informed me. I finally found the questions I asked when I came across to the body of my dead father. He was drenched in sage oils, it was my mother who had killed him and tried to cleanse his evil spirit from the land. Why couldn’t humans find the true harmony that everyone fights for? Why was it a cycle of hate and more hate? Why was my mother so determined to end the lives of ‘evil’ bodies that souls have deemed unworthy? Those were a few questions that I found at the body of my father. Its human nature to do bad things, and so I searched for the human nature that wants to do good things. My mother failed to do one thing, she failed to cleanse the evil from their bodies, their free souls were tainted with mal intentions. Those souls roamed from generations to generations, that is why there are so many grudges. There is no forgiveness in humans.” He speaks. I find myself indulge into his story. Those were questions that I asked myself a few times, but I didn’t find the answers, hopefully Yuudai has the answers.
“I had to find the answer in myself, by ridding myself of all emotions that tied me to my family. I severed my bonds,” Yuudai did not look sad at his sentence.
“But severing ties could lead to many different pathways. There is evil and good, how did you guide yourself without help of others?” I asked him. My bonds kept me from going off the railing, how on earth did he manage to stay to earth.
“I rid myself of my own evil. Kiyoko, you know more than anyone else just what I am talking about. Your hatred for Kabuto, for your father, for that beast inside you, that is keeping you from connecting to the true you. Only then will you find the answer to my questions,” Yuudai moves one of his branches to point at my chest. My heart is where my grudges are, but I don’t know if I will be able to let them go.
“How will I be able to forgive everything they have done to me? Why do I suffer and they get to go without punishment?” I exclaim, it wasn’t fair. They couldn’t get away from their crimes.
“That is the reason of many wars. You must end it on your own, forget and forgive. End those feelings, fill them with love and friendship. Do that and give yourself to the true harmony of humans. There is good in everyone, but it is surrounded with evil. Your cage is thicker and worse than others, but your strong soul will be able to break through.”
It was hard to imagine me forgiving Kabuto, and my father. Kabuto hurt Suzu, he is dangerous. My father has given me so much pain, that I am still healing from what he has done to me. The beast was in me by force. He chose to control me, I don’t know anything about him. His hatred towards me made me hate him. I think about it now, he tried to control me, but was it really the only reason I have ill feelings towards it. Someday I will ask him about his hatred to humans.
“It still does not explain why you gave yourself to this tree?”
Yuudai chuckles.
“Right, right. Well I’ll skip you the boring details. I decided that to find the true nature of humans that I find the center of true nature itself. I searched for it until I came across this forest, which was a hassle. It led me to this tree, and I knew that to find the peace and my answers that I would have to experience true nature itself, but I was already tainted with evil. I gave my body and soul to this tree, and it has cleansed me of my impurities. I owe this tree my happiness, and serenity. I feel everything it has been through, something like what you will go through in time do,” Yuudai was falling back into his weird tree/man spiritual words.
“Righttt, well thanks for the advice, I just need to get rid of my grudges and my own evil inside me. I’ll try to do it,” I get up from the ground where I sat.
“But really, do you mind if I wash you down, you smell,” I say. Yuudai uses one of his branches to whack me behind the head.
“Its my human flesh regenerating itself with the tree, and yes I do mind. I don’t smell the rotting smell anymore. Now get out of here and get training for your own journey.”
I walk back to the area where I could train on my wood technique.
“Do come and ask for guidance if you need it,” I hear Yuudai say from behind. He must be lonely. I’ll come by sometime to ask about his boring details that he left out.
I practice the three wood jutsus I know for most of the day, Tomoko is gone, which I find odd. She is always supervising my training to tell me what I can do to make it better. Sage Moriko is not around either, but she doesn’t accompany my as much as Tomoko does. My wrist hurts from practicing the cutting technique for hours. I needed to get home somehow, and Tomoko nor Sage Moriko were around.
I walk over to the home tree, looking for Tomoko or Sage Moriko. Its harder to concentrate on their chakra with so many other animals scurrying here and there. Forest critters could be found here, but they didn’t talk like the owls I can summon. They understood me though, I asked a busy caterpillar about their whereabouts. It nods its head down toward a hall to the right. A hall that I haven’t been to, I thank the green caterpillar and go in that direction. The wooden hallways lead me to no certain place, but there were many doors. Too many for just a single me to search in.
“Kiyoko, what are you doing over here?” I hear Tomoko say from behind me. I was just about to make shadow clones to help me with the search.
“I’ll just send you back home. I’ll call you back here tomorrow around the same time,” Tomoko rushes to say and before I can ask her why she is secretive around me I am dropped into the Leaf. I land in front of my doorstep, it was just past sunset, Kakashi was home when I enter. He had an apron around him, he sighed when he saw me come into the kitchen. I could get used to having him home when I arrive back from a long day.
“I was beginning to worry just where you headed off to. You went to the Shikkotsu Forest?” Kakashi guesses. I nod, and pull the smaller apron Kakashi bought the other day. I help him cut the carrots for the stir fry he was cooking.
“Ya, they were pretty upset with me, but they understood why I had to do it. It was self defense, nothing could have been done to avoid it. Today has just been bizarre,” I say. He gathers my carrots and puts them into the pan.
“Why is that? Did something happen?”
“For one I am still in my pajamas. I didn’t have time to change when they summoned me. And another thing is that I just had a very fulfilling lesson with a human who merged with a tree. Needless to say he was a bit loose with his mind, but very wise,” I say. Yuudai did have some points that really stuck to me.
Kakashi listened as I told him about Yuudai, and his journey. Asking questions when it was necessary. It felt nice to talk to him so openly, and without secrets. It was refreshing.
“He wants me to forgive and forget, but I don’t think I will be able to do that. I won’t be able to become a Sage with so many grudges. Its hard to believe that in half a year I must master wood technique, its all coming onto me with no stopping it. I’m going to have to be a lot more careful where I use my jutsus,” I tell Kakashi. He serves me my bowl, setting it in front of me. He puts his hand on my head, and smiles at me.
“But you can do it. I know that it will be hard for you to do so many things at once, but tell me if there is anything I can do to help you ease the burden. Remember I’m sharing it now. Grudges and responsibilities, all of it. Those are going to obstacles you’re just going to have to overcome,” He says, and goes over to sit in his own seat. Kakashi did promise that he will stay by my side, and he hasn’t broken a promise to me. I’m lucky to have him by my side.
Kakashi tells me about his uneventful day while we eat dinner and get ready for the lantern festival. Tonight I will release my lantern for Rin, and then tomorrow Suzu’s and then Obito’s. Ladies first, right.
“Sakura came over just a while before you got home. I had to give her, her pay for what she did for me yesterday,” Kakashi laughs a bit, before he begins to put on his sandals. It was getting late and my body wanted to rest from today’s workout. I showered and changed out of my dirty clothes before Kakashi and I locked the apartment and began to make our way to the Hokage faces.
“Kakashi!” Someone yells his name, as we walk down the stairs. It was Yamato and he was quickly walking over to us. I could tell it was something serious. Yamato quickly greets me and pulls Kakashi to the side. I couldn’t hear what they were saying over the sound of the crowd. Kakashi nods and Yamato leaves over the roof. Kakashi’s face confirmed my suspicions, something wasn’t right.
“Is everything alright?” I ask him ask he comes over to me. He sighs, and gives me his lantern.
“There has been a sighting of the Akatsuki in a village not too far away. Yamato, a few others and I were sent to go check it out. I don’t think I’ll be back for the releasing of the lanterns. Its for Rin,” He says. My heart raced as he told me the name of the organization that is looking for trouble. They are a group of S rank ninja.
“Come back in one piece,” I tell him. I was more nervous about him going off than the possibility of them coming here. Kakashi gives my shoulders a squeeze and leans in to give my forehead a kiss before he jumps over the roof that Yamato has gone over. I feel the sadness come into play, is this what it feels to worry about someone? I was supposed to be by his side but with me having a powerful being in me, we couldn’t risk it, not when the akatsuki are so versatile and strong.
“Hey, I saw that,” Eri interrupts my worrying mind. She finally looks like she is very pregnant. Rokuro was by her side, a arm around her to help her walk a bit easier.
Eri winks at me, making me smile. Its been such a long time since Eri and I have talked.
“So you and Kakashi finally told each other that you guys love each other,” Eri nudges my arm. My heart leaps at the word love.
“I, well, we aren’t there just yet,” I tell her. I don’t know how else to answer her. She likes to make me feel uncomfortable.
“So where did Kakashi go off to?” Rokuro finally says.
“Oh he had an emergency to attend to. He didn’t plan to be sent on a mission, especially not during the lantern festival,” I say.
“Ya, I’m sure he wasn’t planning it,” Rokuro looks around. He was trying to not get so upset.
“Rokuro, we talked about this,” Eri warned him. I smile the tension away. I hold up the lanterns in my hand.
“So how about we go get ready to release the lanterns?” I change the subject. Eri agrees and we begin to walk to the center of town. I didn’t tell them about the spot I released them yesterday, I wanted that place to be just Kakashi and I’s. We bump into Guy not too long after, this time Sakura isn’t around to keep him busy, but I didn’t mind. Guy introduced himself to Eri, but he said that Rokuro and him have been on a few missions before.
“Yesterday was just so chaotic, Lee wanted to me to help him with this jutsu. I totally lost sight of you and Kakashi. Where is Kakashi anyway?” Guy asks. I tell him what I told Eri and Rokuro. I don’t know if their mission was appropriate to be spoken out loud so publicly. Guy smiles, and agrees that it couldn’t have been helped.
“Say, why don’t we go get a drink really quickly?” Guy asks me. I don’t have time to reply, because Eri says it for me.
“We’ll love to. The four of us should go get some warm tea before the releasing of the lanterns,” Eri takes my arm and pulls me down the streets, leaving Rokuro and Guy in the dust. She was acting very protective, it must be because she is pregnant.
“Are you doing okay?” I ask her as she pushes me into the booth and sits besides me.
“Yes, I’m perfectly fine. Just making sure certain things don’t happen while Kakashi is away,” Eri leans into my ear. Rokuro and Guy slide into the seats in front of us before I ask her what things could happen. We order, and Rokuro and Guy talk among themselves about missions that have been on. Eri told me about her mornings and how horrible they are not that she struggles to get up from bed. Yasuko is going to be a fat baby, Eri says. Her feet swell periodically. Then she warns me to not get pregnant anytime soon, that I should take things slow and enjoy my time as a ninja because life gets routine after you quit.
We drink out tea slowly to kill the time, and being here with Eri eased my mind worrying about Kakashi.
“Lets get going. Kiyoko I’ll pay for your drink,” Guy says as we get up from the table.
“Oh, that-” I begin to say.
“Rokuro you pay for all of us. We invited them along its the right thing to do,” Eri quickly says. She smiles a very peculiar smile at him.
“I didn’t invite them along, you did,” Rokuro says as he takes his wallet out. He mumbles something about pregnant women, making Eri give him a menacing look. Rokuro pays for the four of us and then we begin to walk to the center of town to release our lanterns. Eri stayed by my side once again.
I look up at the sky to see bright lights already illuminating the sky.
“That is odd, its not midnight yet, why are the lanterns being released?” Eri says. I look closer, those weren’t lanterns, they were balls of fire, and they were coming in closer. Why hadn’t the barrier already detected the intruding jutsus. If it was still up then Lady Tsunade would have called all of the shinobi to assemble in their squads and wait for instructions, but there were none. The barrier must be down, and that only happens if there is someone from the inside that put it down. My instincts jump in before I know it. I jump the top of the tree near by, the fireballs were growing bigger and they were coming in fast. I can cancel them with my water jutsu, but it’s going to be difficult to cover all of the Leaf Village.
I’m just going to have to make a water dome big enough to cover the entire village. I’m sure other shinobi with water jutsu, will help me out. The fireballs were coming in from all direction, there was no way where the enemies were coming from, I feared that we were surrounded. I concentrated making my chakra in my mouth, storing a massive amount, a lot more than I have ever used. I could hear the yells of people beneath me, Eri was telling me to get down, while Rokuro pulled her away from the battlefield. Guy was making his way to the Hokage’s office to inform of the attack. He yelled that he would come back as soon as he can.
I adjust my head so that it is looking up to the sky. I let my jutsu go and the water goes flying off, adjusting to my will. I secretly make the tree I stand on grow taller so I can touch my water dome to keep it stable. Hopefully everyone else is too preoccupied to notice the sudden tree growth. My hands touch my chakra enhanced water, I evenly spread my chakra over the dome. I turn my head to see that I have successfully covered the village. I sighed in relief, lets just hope that my wall will stop the incoming attack. I watched from my position the fireballs just feets away. I put more chakra into the water, letting out a yell of strength, my body wanted to give in by the sudden surge of fatigue, but I refused to let go of my wall. The fire jutsus came into contact with my jutsu, I clenched my teeth as they landed ferociously from what seemed everywhere.
Sweat ran down my arms and face. I suddenly feel someone behind me, I turn my head and see a kunai thrown my way. I try to dodge it, but I lands on my hand, I bite my lips and keep my right hand where it was. No way I was going to let the Leaf be destroyed by these fire balls. Until the ninja find the people who were creating these fireballs, I will protect everyone in the village. Another kunai is headed my way, I bend down, and let the kunai hit my wall and fall. I see who the attacker is, a man with blue hair, he was young, and he was from the Leaf. Why is someone attacking a comrade?
“There is no saving this village, it will burn, and you will not get in my way,” the man says. My blood boiled.
“Traitor,” I hiss, and let go of the wall with one hand, I could feel the wall waver from the right side, and I created shadow clones to help me stabilize the wall and fight the traitor. Anger coursed through me, I didn’t care for his reasons, he will not harm people of the Leaf.
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Chapter notes: Here is another chapter! I hope you love it! Last one was short, so this one is longer.
Chapter end notes: Thanks for reading. Let me know what you guys think.
Until next chapter