Chapter 61

"It's hard to tell what's right and wrong anymore. At this point the only measure I have is, 'Will I regret this?' And even then, that's more of a suggestion than an actual guideline."

"You swear not to tell?"

"I promise. I mean, who would even believe me, right?"

A thoughtful silence hung in the air as Masaru walked down the forest path, hands in his pockets and mind a thousand miles away. As the day wore on an early autumn chill had begun to nip at the wind, not too cold but just chilly enough to have him ducking his chin into the upturned collar of his jacket. It did little to protect the back of his neck from the breeze though, a shudder coursing through him as his now-shorter hair tickled his skin.

Maybe I should grow it out again, he mused distantly, reaching up to brush a lock away from his eyes. Not much time had passed for it to really grow since his impromptu haircut during the invasion, but he hadn't put much thought into whether he should keep it short or not. Part of him had mourned it at first, but—

"Indra's hair," Ryoko mused aloud as she sat before an easel, painting thick strokes on the canvas to form a tangle of unruly locks to frame his face. "You have Indra's hair, Masa-kun."

"Mother has been quite interested in you," Gaara declared blandly as he stood over Masaru in a forest full of corpses. "She says you look like Indra."

...No, maybe it was for the best he kept it short.

He didn't linger on the thought long, his hand falling and returning to his pocket as the trees gave way to the familiar sight of the Uchiha clan cemetery. The rows of stones exuded a quiet air of serenity as always, a sense of contentment settling inside him as he walked down the lines of graves until he reached a very familiar one. He stilled as he stood in front of it, a sense of peace washing over him.

"Hey Uncle Obito," he greeted, a faint smile playing across his lips. "It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry I don't have anything to clean your grave today, this trip was kind of sudden. I can't really stay long. A lot of stuff's happened since the last time I came here." The last time Masaru had visited had been the day before the Chuunin Exams—the day before the invasion. So much had happened in the month since then, his entire world had been turned upside down so many times.

"I actually meant to come yesterday," he mused aloud. "I even went to buy a bouquet, and you know how much Ino intimidates me. But some stuff happened, and, well... I kinda had to change plans. I have so much to tell you, and I will, but... I'm not actually here for you this time." His smile grew sheepish, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. For half a second he thought of the seal there, as if he could feel the ink with his fingertips, but he quickly dismissed that thought. "Sorry about that. It felt wrong to come here without saying hi to you though, so..."

He trailed off, huffing a small snort that wasn't quite a laugh but close to it. "I'll be sure to make it up to you next time, okay?"

With a final nod to the grave he turned and continued to another row, this one far less familiar than the one with Obito's grave but still more than the rest of the cemetery. He knew he probably shouldn't do this right now, that everyone was probably waiting for him back at Sakura's place. But at the same time he'd already delayed this by a day, and after talking to Kiba he felt like waiting any longer would just be... wrong.

He walked past the two stones bearing his sister and mother's names without glancing at them, finally stopping at the one next to his mother's. For a moment he just stood there, gazing at the engraved kanji:

Uchiha Ryuusuke.

Standing at his father's grave felt strange. Masaru couldn't help but think of the fact that his ashes rested several feet beneath the soil at this very moment, one of the few graves in the cemetery that wasn't empty. Exhaling softly, he pushed away the discomfort the thought brought and dipped his head in acknowledgment.

"Hi dad," he said, even more softly than when he spoke to Obito. "I met your teacher recently. I didn't know you were a medical ninja, but I guess it makes sense with the stories mom told us. She said you used to take care of her like a little sister when you were kids, and always had a first aid kit ready whenever she got hurt."

His lips quirked upwards as he recalled those yearly visits to their father's grave on his birthday, the one time their mother opened up and shared stories of her lost love. Just as soon as it appeared the smile faded though, and he knelt down on the soil, brushing his thumb over the characters of his father's name and closing his eyes. "I'm sorry I don't visit you more," he murmured quietly, pressing his forehead to the cool stone. "And I'm sorry I never got to know you, either."

Masaru felt the world fade around him, only the cool stone beneath his forehead keeping him connected to reality. In his thirteen years of living, he had never thought of his father much, of the ramifications of his absence. The fact was, his lack of a father seemed inconsequential in the wake of losing everything else during the massacre. His father was a stranger, and he would never be anything more. Maybe if that day never happened, maybe if his mom was still alive, maybe if Akari was still here, and not miles and miles away...

A shuddery breath escaped him, his fingers curling atop his father's name. "...Dad, I told Kiba the truth," he whispered. "About... about everything. Everything I could." There was still so much Masaru didn't know, so many questions he couldn't answer on his own. He didn't even know if he was supposed to know Akari had survived, or if knowing had been part of the plan all along.

"You can't tell anyone," Masaru emphasized coolly. "Not Shino, not Kurenai-sensei, not your mom or sister—nobody. You can't even try to look into it on this own. This isn't just about Akari's safety anymore. This is bigger than we can handle."

Across from him Kiba's expression became even more sober, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes. Even so his mouth set in a firm line, his fists clenching at his sides as he nodded. "I got it."

"I'm worried," Masaru admitted quietly in the present, his voice wavering ever so slightly. "I don't know if I made the right choice, telling him. I don't know if it will really be alright." His shoulders shook slightly as he squeezed his eyes shut tighter, pulling his hands away from the grave to dig his palms against his face. Stars and colors soon painted the backs of his eyelids, the familiar swirling motions soothing to his frayed nerves.

'I don't know if Kiba can really keep it secret. I don't know if the Hokage might find out. I don't know if the threat might find out. I don't know what the threat is.'

"Dad," he whispered, barely louder than a breath, "please watch over us."

Konoha had never been a quiet city, but today the noise felt strangely oppressive as Kiba walked down the street. The civilians paid him and Akamaru no mind, just writing him off as another random Inuzuka, but now and then he noticed some of the shinobi pause and watch them more discreetly. He paid their lingering gazes little mind though, his thoughts too caught up in the past few hours. He hadn't expected the confrontation with Masaru to go that way, but then, nothing had gone according to expectations since today. Not since he woke up and found out Hinata was gone.

Now, that was the least of his worries.

"Why does it have to be such a big secret in the first place?" Kiba was more frustrated than anything, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he pressed, "I mean, isn't it a good thing she's alive? Why isn't she in Konoha? Why does everyone have to think she's dead?"

Rather than respond right away Masaru smiled thinly, his gaze almost pitying. "You're smart, aren't you?" he asked. The question took Kiba by surprise, his mouth pulling into a frown.

"The hell? Is that a question or an insult?"

"Neither, really. Just pointing out you're not as big of an idiot as everyone thinks." At that point Kiba's mood started to slant more towards offense than confusion, irritation rearing its ugly head, but before he could say anything Masaru pushed on. "So think for a second: why would two people who have done absolutely nothing criminal feel like they need to hide their deaths from everyone in Konoha—even the Hokage?"

His words threw Kiba for a loop, his expression going slack with shock once more as he processed the implications that Masaru had obviously long since realized:

There was a threat in Konoha.

He stopped in the middle of the street, sucking in a sharp breath as he clenched his fists at his sides. Even now the thought left Kiba feeling numb and sick to his stomach, swallowing harshly as his head ducked down further. He couldn't understand what could possibly constitute such a situation where telling even the Hokage would put Akari in danger, and frankly, he wasn't certain he wanted to know. Kiba was an Inuzuka. He had been raised his entire life to place loyalty above all else, and the idea that his village might have someone he couldn't trust in high places—he didn't like to think about it.

But even so, he couldn't just write it off. Not after he saw the look in Masaru's eyes, so grim and scared.

Atop his head Akamaru let out a small whimper, dragging Kiba's attention back to the present. He forced himself to exhale and lightly shook his head, keeping the movement minimal to avoid jostling the puppy too much. "Sorry, buddy," he muttered lowly for only the canine's ears. "Just stressed, you know?"

Akamaru gave a sympathetic whine in response, causing Kiba to crack a feeble, barely-present smile, a mere shadow of the cocky grin he usually sported. At least he wasn't alone in this. Kiba had given Masaru his word to keep silent about it all, to not tell a soul, but he didn't need to tell Akamaru. Akamaru had been there too, had heard all of it alongside him and reached the same conclusions he did. That was the nice thing about being an Inuzuka. As long as their ninken partners still breathed, an Inuzuka would never be truly alone.

In that regard, Kiba figured he could relate to Masaru when it came to Akari. If anything were to threaten Akamaru, he'd be more than willing to murder someone to keep him safe. Especially with stakes like Masaru suspected.

Besides, at least Kiba got what he wanted to know from that.

"Kiba." He tensed at the familiar voice, his stomach sinking briefly as he turned to see Shino standing not too far behind them. A heavy atmosphere draped over them as they faced each other, the crowds around them seeming to vanish until only the three of them remained.

Kiba's mouth felt dry as he looked at his friend and teammate—his only teammate now. Reading Shino's mood had never been easy with most of his face covered by his sunglasses and collar, but after half a year of working together Kiba could now read him fairly well. Shino was just as sad and anxious as he'd been in Kiba's bedroom that morning, when he'd hovered in the doorway while his mom woke him up to deliver the news.

No, Kiba realized with a sinking stomach. Shino's mood had gotten worse since he'd stormed out of the Inuzuka compound later that morning, his mind stuck in a whirlwind of mingling citrus and lavender. Heavy regret and guilt settled in his stomach as he realized he'd all but abandoned Shino, too caught up in his own thoughts and desperate need for confirmation to pay his friend mind. He felt like he should say something, apologize or—or something—but the words just wouldn't come.

In the end Akamaru broke the silence, offering a small whine. Shino relaxed very slightly at that, nodding at the puppy. "Hello, Akamaru. I suppose I should thank you for keeping Kiba company." The puppy gave a soft yip of affirmation and Kiba's fists briefly clenched, having to force himself not to show his internal frustration at himself on his face. It was so hard when Shino looked so tired and sad. Smelled tired and sad, the constant buzz beneath his skin sounding sluggish and weirdly half-hearted compared to usual.

Shino turned his attention back to him, and Kiba knew he needed to speak now. "Sorry for running out on you," he muttered. "I just..." He trailed off, not sure what to say. He hadn't even been thinking when he ran off, really. The decision to track down Masaru came after that; he'd just felt like he needed to do something after sitting around waiting for an hour for news.

"You don't have to apologize," Shino said after several seconds passed without Kiba elaborating any further. "Today is very... stressful." He seemed to choose his words carefully, pausing to think before hesitantly adding, "I'd thought you might run off anyway, to... search for her. I did the same."

A heavy silence fell over them after that, Shino's words hitting Kiba like a dull kunai lodged in his stomach. Fuck, he thought, swallowing harshly as his eyes darted to the side.

He couldn't do this. He couldn't face Shino when he was feeling this bad, this worried, because why wouldn't he be worried? Kiba had spent his entire morning in a panic-fueled haze, constantly wondering about Hinata and whether she was safe or even alive. Shino, meanwhile, found out about Hinata going missing way before that. He woke up to ANBU searching Hinata's room at the Aburame compound, and after that he spent an entire hour talking to an ANBU interrogator about Hinata's behavior.

At least Kiba's mom waited for Shino's interrogation to finish before waking up Kiba to break the news. She'd already been out searching, having been summoned in the middle of the night when Hinata's disappearance was first reported, but she'd returned specifically with Shino in tow just so neither of them would have to be alone. Tsume wasn't gentle by any means, but she tried to lessen the blow in her own way before leaving to rejoin the tracking efforts.

That just made the whole situation even more worse, Kiba feeling a fresh pang of self-loathing. Shino had been just as worried as him—hell, he was probably even more worried, Hinata had been staying with his family after all. The entire Aburame clan probably felt guilty for not noticing she was planning to run away, they weren't nearly as cold and standoffish as they seemed. And as her teammate, Shino probably felt it the worst.

It made Kiba want to scream, to grab Shino's shoulders and tell him it was okay, Hinata's fine.

But he couldn't. Not without breaking his promise.

But he also couldn't be silent.

"We'll see her again," he said, forcing himself to meet Shino's eyes. "This isn't goodbye. We'll find her and bring her home, someday." His words resonated powerfully through his body, speaking not a desire, but a promise. He couldn't offer Shino any concrete reassurances, but he could offer him at least this much.

Shino inclined his head, his mood still sad and concerned, but the buzzing of his kikaichu just a little stronger. "We will," he agreed quietly, the promise just as powerful. Kiba felt some of the weight lift from his chest, his burden just a little lighter.

There was no question of if they would see Hinata again, but when. As long as they stayed alive, as long as they kept looking and growing stronger, that day would come where she'd be able to return.

Hinata and Akari both.

"Two," Kiba said softly, slowly raising his gaze to look at Masaru. "You said two people just now. Two people hiding their deaths. Akari's not the only one?"

For a moment Masaru didn't respond, just looked at him evenly as if to measure his thoughts. "She's not alone," he finally confirmed with a nod. "I can't tell you who it is, because he was supposed to be dead even before the massacre." Kiba's mouth thinned, seeming to hesitate.

"And... he won't hurt Hinata?"

This time it was Masaru's turn to look at Kiba in surprise, blinking once and just staring at him. Even Akamaru hadn't seemed to expect that, the canine releasing a small yelp-like noise clearly voicing his confusion. Kiba's expression remained steady as he awaited the response, his eyes steely with determination as he gazed at Masaru expectantly. After several long moments of wide-eyed staring Masaru finally exhaled, his shoulders losing their tension.

For the first time since he'd seen the glimmer of knowledge in Kiba's face Masaru relaxed, a kind, gentle smile playing across his lips as his red eyes darkened to their usual black. "He won't," he confirmed with a nod. "He's not a bad guy, and he already told me he won't hurt Akari. And besides," he added, a hint of amusement in his voice, "I don't think Akari would let him do anything anyway. She likes Hinata too, you know."

A good deal of the tension in Kiba's frame dissipated as he sighed, his whole body sagging with relief. "So she really did go with her," he muttered, dragging a hand over his face. "Thank kami. Just... freaking hell, I was starting to think I'd go crazy."

"How'd you figure it out?" Masaru asked curiously, tilting his head. "I mean, Akari was only here during the invasion..."

"Yeah, and Hinata followed her all the way from the stadium to the woods," Kiba responded bluntly. "They must've talked about something out there. I figured maybe she invited Hinata to go with her or something, I dunno." His expression darkened as he muttered, "It's better than her running away or getting kidnapped."

Masaru cracked a small smile at that, but it soon faded, his face serious once more. "You understand this means the stakes are even higher, right? Whatever's going on, Hinata's been pulled into it too, so if anyone finds out where she went the Hyuuga clan is probably the least of her problems. You can't tell anyone," he emphasized coolly. "Not Shino, not Kurenai-sensei, not your mom or sister—nobody. You can't even try to look into it on this own. This isn't just about Akari's safety anymore. This is bigger than we can handle."

Across from him Kiba's expression became even more sober, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes. Even so his mouth set in a firm line, his fists clenching at his sides as he nodded. "I got it," he replied just as coolly. "I... I don't like hiding that Hinata's safe from Shino, too, but—I won't tell anyone." His voice held a firm conviction, ringing with resolve to keep his word.

Neither noticed the man listening from the hallway just outside the door, vanishing without so much as a sound as their conversation ended.

A tired sigh escaped his lips as he reappeared inside another empty house not too far from the original one, lifting his red mask to rub and pinch his eyes. "That was too close," he muttered under his breath, already feeling tired and exasperated. Between the death threat, re-confirmation Masaru knew at least part of the truth, and now another person being looped in on the secret, that whole conversation had been a disaster. At least Masaru hadn't shared his identity, but the brat definitely knew who he was.

And somehow, he wasn't even sure that was the most worrying part.

"Congratulations, you managed to figure out the secret not even the Hokage knows. And now you need to convince me it will stay that way, or I'll have to kill you."

The words had been so nonchalant, so casual, they couldn't be taken as anything but completely and utterly sincere. Dead silence followed the proclamation, the talkative and brash Inuzuka for once at a loss for words. Even Akamaru had gone silent, the constant low rumble of his growling suddenly replaced by silence.

"You're... You're not joking, are you?" Kiba asked slowly, eyes still wide with shock. "Are you actually willing to kill me over this?"

"I've killed for less," Masaru responded simply.

His hand slammed against the wall next to him, no where near hard enough to leave a dent but still enough to resonate with a loud thump. "Dammit, Tan-Ryoko, why do your kids have to be so screwed up?" he hissed under his breath, rubbing at his eyes. He'd only intended stop by long enough to pick up something from Akari's room; he hadn't expected to overhear Masaru insinuate he'd have no qualms killing one of his friends.

At least he'd gotten what he came for. He'd barely had time to snag it when he heard the front door open and he'd been forced to hide. It was lucky he'd long gotten into the habit of drawing scent-blocking seals on himself, or he'd have been detected instantly by the Inuzuka pair.

"This better be worth it," he muttered, returning his mask back to position before subconsciously pulling on a seal.

Almost instantly the empty house was exchanged for a hotel room, the window's blinds drawn shut but an engraving of the Land of Hot Springs' emblem hinting at the location. He felt the drain of the massive jump on his chakra reserves almost absently, silently noting he probably shouldn't use any chakra-intensive techniques for the rest of the day as he tossed his mask on the table next to the kunai with the Hiraishin tag he'd used to return.

Good thing shinobi don't usually visit resorts, he thought as he heard a frantic pounding on the door connecting to the next room. "It's unlocked, you know," he called lazily, and the door flung open as a red-haired girl stumbled in, nearly tripping over the threshold. He arched an eyebrow at the clumsy entrance, folding his arms as he playfully commented, "Ya know, Karin-chan, I know Kusa did a piss-poor job teaching you anything, but I figured you'd at least know how to properly enter a room."

The redhead ignored the jab as she scrambled upright, smoothing out her pale blue yukata. "Please tell me you got it," she pleaded breathlessly. "They're getting insufferable." He cracked a wry smile, shrugging his shoulders lazily.

"I don't know, you tell me," he drawled playfully, shifting his arms to reveal a braided bracelet wound around his fingers. A loud squeal sounded from the neighboring room, and Karin barely jumped out of the way in time for a blue and brown blur to rocket past her. The bracelet was snagged from his hand by an exuberant teenage girl, squealing and jumping up and down.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" she chanted, her onyx eyes shining with delight. She didn't give him a chance to respond as she spun and darted back to the door, waving the bracelet excitedly. "Look, Nata! He got it! See? It's still just like yours! Agh, I can't believe I didn't think to grab it before!"

"Ah, th-that's..." Hinata's soft voice was barely audible from the other room, and he chuckled as Akari's excited rambling and squealing drowned it out. Karin looked at the open door with a small pout, prompting the man to smile and pat her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Akari-chan's just excited because she hasn't seen Hinata in a while. I'm sure she'll insist on making new ones for all three of you." Karin's eyes glided towards him briefly at the reassurance, still looking a bit put-upon but he could see the corners of her mouth quirk into a small smile.

As if on cue the excited Uchiha girl appeared in the door, snagging Karin's wrist. "You, we need to talk colors, now," she declared firmly, and gave Karin no chance to protest before dragging her into the room, leaving their supervisor to quietly laugh. He closed the door behind them before heading to the closet to grab his own complimentary yukata. Might as well hit the hot springs, he'd earned a little rest and relaxation.

He just wished peaceful moments like these could last forever.

At long last, Chapter 61.

I apologize for the delay. Between a HORRIFIC case of writer's block and the busiest semester of my school career, this chapter just refused to be written. Just. I have written at LEAST three versions of this chapter. I completed it multiple times and just did not feel satisfied. Then finally, one day I scrapped 90% of it and just hashed out this. All that remains of the original versions are some of the flashback quotes, and even those got a LOT of cutting and editing (and total rewrites in some cases). I hope it's still clear what happened.

Just. Thank goodness I finally got this finished. I did not intend for this to go six MONTHS without an update, I am so sorry.

On the bright side, we have the first official full appearance of teenage Akari! I have been waiting so long to finally bring her back in the story, you have no idea. It wasn't very long and she probably won't be making any major appearances in the immediate future, but she's totally alive and safe, as you can see.

On that note: at this point I cannot tell you when the next chapter will be released. I am now in my last semester of college, so I will be focusing all my efforts on that. Last semester I actually failed a class because I got burnt out by a different class and missed a big deadline, and this semester I only have two classes so I really can't afford that again. Especially since one is an independent study that involves me creating an entire story-driven game by myself (by my own choice, mind you), which will be the culmination of my entire college career.

Just. Yeah. Fan fiction will be a low priority this semester. I apologize now. ...That said, I'm REALLY getting into the My Hero Academia fandom, so if you have any fan fic recs from that fandom (or this one!), please share them. I need something to avoid burnout, and I am consuming fan fiction from MHA at probably unhealthy levels. Gen preferred over romance or extreme AUs (as in, fantasy or modern). I do love canon divergence though.

That's all for now. I am still alive, just very busy. I hope today's chapter was worth the wait!