The Cloud Over The Leaf

Hii and Sakura followed Tsunami into Kaiza's room upstairs. Tsunami came to the door and knocked lightly before entering.

"Kaiza. We have guests."

"....Okay."

The two entered into the room and saw a sight that made Hii frown and Sakura gasp.

Kaiza laid on the bed covered in bandages, unable to move at all. His face, however, had a natural smile like nothing was wrong.

"Sorry that I can't greet you properly like this. I'm Kaiza. Thank you for protecting Tazuna-san."

"It's fine, Kaiza-san. We came to fulfill the mission, but we also wanted to see if we could fix your wounds with our abilities if possible."

"Go right ahead. Don't feel bad if it doesn't work. A nearby doctor already told me the worst."

Tsunami bows her head towards Hii and Sakura in gratitude and left the room quietly. Sakura looked sad as she saw Kaiza's wounds. Hii cleared his mind and looked over to Sakura.

"Okay, Sakura-chan. Let's check his body first for all the wounds we can heal now before we check the more severe areas."

"R-Right!"

Hii took the lead and headed over to Kaiza's side. He reached his hand out to his chest and slowly began to spread chakra inside his body.

[Make sure you do it slowly. You don't want to jolt any organs or broken bones as you scan it.]

{This reminds me of one of my old shows! I wonder how they ended?}

[Probably in tragedy. You always did like drama.]

{Shut up! You always watched those detective shows and I never said anything!}

Hii decided to ignore the two as he focused on what his chakra could feel. His face slowly became grim as he assesed the damage.

'I see. His arms are broken in several places. So are his legs. The biggest problem though is his spine. It seemed to be fractured near the middle of his back. This is why he can't move. Other than the cuts and bruises, that seems to be it. He's lucky to be alive.'

Hii pulled his hand away and backed off of Kaiza.

"Sakura. Heal any small wounds you can feel on his body."

"Yes!"

Sakura weaved her Jutsu and placed her hands on Kaiza's body slowly. 

Hii watched her circulate her Chakra and saw that Kaiza's complexion was improving over time.

Sakura was soon becoming haggard as sweat started to pour from her body. She continued the treatment for 15 minutes before Hii slowly pulled her off.

"That's enough. We'll continue to heal him up more tomorrow. It's my turn now, so go downstairs and get some rest."

Sakura slowly stopped her Jutsu and nodded her head. She teetered her way towards the door while Hii opened it for her.

"Sasuke! Come get Sakura-chan so she can lie down!"

Hii yelled down the stairs and waited for a response.

"Tch!!"

"Thanks!"

Hii patted Sakura's shoulder and winked before he closed the door.

He swore he heard "thank you" come from behind him, but he paid it no mine.

Hii approached Kaiza and looked over his wounds once more.

Kaiza's eyes could catch a glimpse of his grim face and smiled.

"You don't have to help me. Just make sure Inari and the people are all treated better. I know I might not be able to move ever again. I can come to grips with that, so don't beat yourself up so much."

Kaiza looked at Hii with a resolute gaze while Hii ignored him.

Hii reached into his pouch, pulled out a hair tie, and started to gather his long hair together behind his head.

"Your wounds are severe, but I will make sure you are able to move again. It will just take time....and a lot of pain on my part."

Hii tied his hair into a ponytail and looked into Kaiza's eyes.

"I'm going to start now. You might feel a bit uncomfortable, but I assure you will feel much better afterwards. Your spine is injured, so we will start with that today. For the next treatment, what part would you like healed the most?"

Kaiza stared at Hii for a long while, but Hii didn't move his gaze. Kaiza could see the determination in his eyes and looked back at the ceiling.

"...My right arm. I want to be able to rub Inari's head once more."

Hii nodded his head and weaved a seal.

'Fuyuki. I need you to get out for a while.'

{Okay. Don't do too much. You can't pass out on a mission.}

Fuyuki slowly appeared out of Hii under the bed, raising the room temperature a bit.

Akumu also appeared from Hii's shadow, and quickly fired a ball of his chakra into his body. Hii shivered slightly as he absorbed it and breathed in.

'Let's get this done.'

[Alright. Start when you're ready.]

Medical Palm Jutsu!

Hii's hands began to glow green with Chakra and placed them on Kaiza's chest.

'Begin.'

The green light slowly changed into a black light as Hii quickly felt the pain.

Gritting his teeth, Hii continued to pour Chakra into Kaiza's body.

"Uh?!"

Kaiza felt the strange sensation as Chakra much stronger than the girl before swarm through his body, focusing on his spine.

"Ugh!"

He grunted from slight pain, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter. He realized he started to feel his limbs again!

"Gggghhh!!"

Hii's body was covered in cold sweat as the first treatment was nearly done.

[Almost there! Hold on a bit longer!]

Hii continued the treatment for as long as he could, enduring the severe pain!

After a few more moments, the black light disappeared entirely as Hii dropped to his knees.

"Haaa, Haaa, Haaa."

[Good job! He should be able to feel his body completely now. It probably hurts, but that's better than being numb.]

Fuyuki jumped back into Hii's body from under the bed. The warm sensation made him feel a bit better.

{Are you okay?! You're sweating up a storm right now!}

'Yeah. I'm fine. Healing a spine was a lot more painful than I thought! I just need a breather now.'

Hii wiped the sweat off his brow as a smile formed on his face.

'If I get better at enduring the pain, I'll be able to use Akumu's power as well. I have to take this chance.'

[....]

{I, really don't want you to use Akumu's chakra again. You should just stick to mine.}

Hii ignored them as he slowly stood up and looked at Kaiza.

"How are you feeling, Kaiza-san?"

"Horrible. My arms and legs hurt like hell and these bandages are getting itchy."

Kaiza bluntly informed Hii, but Hii still smiled as Kaiza's face was flooded with tears.

"I,I can feel all my limbs again."

Kaiza slowly turned his head towards Hii. Despite the pain of moving, Kaiza's expression was ecstatic as he couldn't move at all before.

"Thank you so much."

Hii caught his breath and nodded his head.

"No need for that. You can thank me once you can get out of bed. I'll let your wife take care of your bandages since you said they itched."

Hii made his way over to the door and slowly went downstairs.

[You should take your time with the healing process. Haste makes waste, you know.]

'You know I can't do that. I have to be able to take the pain. You never know when it will be necessary to use either of your power.'

[You don't have to rush it! We don't want what happened to you last time to happen again.]

{Right! You couldn't do anything to fight that!}

Hii remembered his attempt to use Akumu's chakra just like he did with Fuyuki. They tried it in the middle of the day.

Fuyuki's drawback was burning of the body, while Akumu's drawback was just as bad. 

Hii couldn't move his body for nearly 10 minutes the first time he tried to use it for only a few seconds. His teeth chattered as he laid on the ground. His muscles clenching and releasing in a neverending spiral of pain, yet his body showed no signs of injury.

He couldn't heal himself. He could only grit his teeth and endure.

'I didn't forget how bad it was, but I have to do it. If Fuyuki can only be used safely at night, I have to get used to using Akumu during the day.'

{I understand the idea, but the pain you were in-!]

'The pain is only temporary, but the power could save someone's life, or even my own! I can't let that possibility exist without being able to use it.'

[...Haaa. Let's just see how well you do with healing Kaiza. If your endurance increases while you heal him, we can try again.]

{Takashi!! You're gonna let him do that to himself?!}

Akumu was silent for a moment as Hii got to the bottom of the stairs.

[He has to grow stronger so he can use us. The road ahead is only going to have stronger and stronger opponents. Even that Aeon guy I saw felt like he was out of my league. We need each other to bring out our full potential. It wasn't going to be easy in the first place.]

'Thank you!'

{But still....}

[Don't thank me yet. I might be giving you permission now, but understand something. We are a secret to the world for only a few at this time. Once we become known, who knows how the world will react. This is especially bad for you, since you are not an ordinary Jinchuuriki, but one we chose to reside in from their point of view.]

'.....'

[The other villages will respond in different ways to your existence. It may be a deterrent for some, or a reason to attack for others. Just know if you use us and still can't get out of danger, we  will be letting our presence known. Got it?]

'...I understand.'

Hii could feel the weight of Akumu's trust bearing on his mind.

'I have to be able to endure it. I have to!'

"Hey, Hii-Nii! You okay?"

"Huh? Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine."

Hii shook his head as Naruto greeted him in the living room. He could see Sakura laying down on the couch with a grumpy Sasuke watching over her.

"I'm just a bit tired from the treatment."

Shizuka leaned against the wall and snorted.

"Hmph! Yeah right! You look like if you dropped on the floor, you  wouldn't be able to get up again."

"You should go lay down too. You look worse than Sakura-chan."

Maka came up to him with a tinge of worry as she dragged him over to a nearby chair.

"Maka, I'm fine. Just a bit winded."

"Just sit down and rest a bit, okay? You won't be of help if you're tired."

Maka stared at Hii with concern, causing him to sigh and sit down.

Kakashi watched the interactions with a smile and looked at Yamato.

He motioned to the side with his head and Yamato came towards the corner with him.

"What is it, Senpai?"

Kakashi looked over at Hii and sighed.

"That kid is really special."

Yamato smiled with a toothy grin.

"Sakura-chan is pretty good as well. I heard she picked up a lot from him during their time at the academy."

Kakashi nodded his head and looked up towards Kaiza's room.

"He shouldn't have been able to help him, but he came down with a satisfied expression. The power of those two is extraordinary to say the least."

Yamato nodded his head in agreement.

"The drawback, however, is intense. The price to pay for power."

Kakashi nodded his head as well and looked back at Yamato.

"We need to start gathering information. We should get some locations ready and bring them out tomorrow to keep our cover."

"Roger, Senpai! I already have a few locations marked for the photos."

Yamato pulled out a marked map and showed Kakashi.

Kakashi looked at the map for a moment, then back at Yamato.

"You...are getting really into this idea."

"I think I can really make it happen, Senpai!"

Kakashi sighed and shook his head.

"As long as it doesn't get in the way of the mission."

Yamato nodded his head with a smile as Kakashi turned to see Maka watching Hii like a hawk. Hii seemed to be more tired than he thought as he immediately went to sleep after sitting down.

He then turned to see Sasuke doing the same for Sakura, although he didn't show it. 

Shizuka and Naruto both smiled and whispered to each other as they poked fun at the two.

Kakashi chuckled and cracked his neck. 

"Well. We should go and check out the areas for the shoot then."

"Roger!"

*******

Naruto slowly walked up the stairs to Kaiza's room.

He hadn't seen the kid or his sister for a while after he took a quick nap. He decided to check if they were upstairs. His mind went towards Kaiza as well, wondering if he would be okay.

'I wonder if they could really heal him. It's sad that he got hurt.'

Naruto looked down at the stairs he stood on, deep in thought.

'I wonder if he can go back to how he used to be. He tried to protect his town, but no one thanked him...'

Naruto started to get feel down as he thought of the haggard face Minato usually had after coming home.

'Ah! Don't think about that. Let's find Nee-san first!'

Naruto nodded his head and tightened his resolve.

He continued up the stairs towards Kaiza's room when he saw Shizuka standing near the door.

"Ne-!"

Naruto almost yelled out, but Shizuka quickly closed the gap and held his mouth shut with her hand. 

"Shhhh..."

She shushed him and pointed towards the door with her head.

Naruto noticed the door was cracked and looked back at Shizuka.

She silently dragged him over to the side while he brought his face close to peek in. 

"Why did you do it?!"

Naruto could see Inari back while he was talking to Kaiza, bottling some strong emotions.

"Why did you fight them on your own?! If you would've waited, we could've helped you!"

Inari's voice nearly cracked as he asked Kaiza.

Kaiza could only chuckle softly, then grunt from the pain.

"I wouldn't allow them any chance to hurt the town, Tsunami, or you. I had to act."

"...."

Kaiza slowly turned his head to Inari, shocking him as he couldn't do that before!

"I wasn't going to let them just hurt my new family while I did nothing. I wouldn't stand for it."

"...Why?! Couldn't we just run away?"

Inari couldn't understand him, but Kaiza just chuckled more.

"You remind me a bit of myself. I can tell you're going to be the stubborn type."

"...."

"I didn't want to lead a bad example for you. This was a problem you can't run from."

Kaiza gazed back at the ceiling with a smile.

"Even if I died, I would never go back on my word."

"!!"

"I wanted to make sure you saw that a real man has to go against the odds sometimes. Even if I had a second chance, I'd do it again if it meant you two and everyone were safe."

Kaiza began to laugh a bit before coughing and grunting from his wounds.

"It didn't end well for me, but I don't regret it. Fate made a way for me to stay with you after all."

Inari could see relief on Kaiza's face, despite how he looked. He didn't even realize his own tears were falling down.

"Above all, I'm glad you wanted to stand up to them. I don't want you to grow up too fast now, but you're on your way to being a fine man."

Inari started to sniffle and could barely see Kaiza beyond his tears.

"T-Thank y-you, Dad!"

"You're welcome, son. If all goes well, I should be able to pat your head again soon."

Inari continued to cry as Naruto and Shizuka watched from the hallway.

"...To never go back on your word..."

Shizuka heard Naruto mumbling to himself in deep thought and smiled.

She patted her little brother's head, making him look at her.

"It's a fine way to live."

Naruto stared at her for a moment and slowly nodded.

He turned and headed back down the stairs to think about what he just heard.

'Naruto is growing up more and more each day.'

Shizuka had a bright smile on her face, remembering the mature look he had while deep in his thoughts.

'He reminds me of Dad when he thinks about reports at home. I guess he just might have the right stuff to be Hokage.'

Shizuka's smile started to disappear as she remembered her own way of life.

'My life can truly begin when he dies.'

Her gaze grew cold as she remembered it all.

The blood.

The screams.

The madness.

All of it will be behind her once his corpse was in front of her.

"Orochimaru..."

Shizuka's knuckles popped from the pressure of her clenched fist in cold anger.

She turned to look back at the father and son moment behind her, relaxing her fists.

She took a deep breath, and slowly let it out.

'Now isn't the time. I will find him soon enough. I just have to be ready when I do.'

Shizuka shook her head lightly and continued to watch Inari as he fell asleep next to his father's bed.

*********

*Crash*

A bottle of sake burst against a wall as a short man rampaged in his office.

"Damn it! Where the hell did that bandage freak and his crew come from?! They're ruining everything!!"

The man continued to fling other objects around the room in a rage. His goons didn't dare say anything as they only dodged any objects coming their way.

"Yeah. This is getting on my nerves more and more."

The raging man stopped abruptly as a calm voice echoed in his ears.

He quickly turned around to find a tall man looming over him with a large blade the same height as him.

"J-Juzo-sama! Did you manage to find out who dared to stop us?!"

Juzo sighed and passed Gato as he headed towards a couch nearby. Gato followed behind him like a little duckling followed behind its mother.

"Haaah~! I know exactly who it is that's coming for me. I just didn't think time passed by so quickly."

Juzo put his blade next to the couch and laid back.

"The little demon grew up into a big one, eh?"

"L-Little demon?! He must be strong! Are you confident in-"

Juzo gazed over at Gato and shut him up with a glance.

Gato felt as if he was held under freezing water as his body shivered intensely.

"I have no problem killing him. A good number of older Mist ninjas are under me now. His group won't be able to take us all on."

"Ooh! I knew you would be able to handle him, Juzo-sama!"

Gato rubbed his hands as he smiled at Juzo.

'Hmph. I'm glad you're happy. You won't live long anyway.'

Juzo rolled his shoulders as he relaxed on the couch.

'The recruits we found on the way here have been captured by someone.'

Juzo thought of the recruits he managed to find on the way to this town. They were just poor men who wanted to get their hands on power. Juzo decided he might as well show them a thing or two, but the result was disappointing to say the least. It did, however, give him some clues.

'Well, it's not all bad. They didn't die, so I can already take it that little Zabuza wasn't the one who found them. He didn't leave any of the others alive.'

Juzo looked over at the sweating Gato with a smile. It only made Gato sweat even more.

"Did anyone interesting come into the town recently?"

"Y-Yes! Two men and three girls made their way in today with that old bridge builder! He said something about making new calendars. I guess whoever he went to find couldn't assist him!"

"Hahaha! That's interesting."

'So 5 people besides a resident. Very likely to be ninjas. There may even be more that we aren't aware of.'

Juzo nodded his head and looked down at the table.

"Get me something to drink."

"Yes!"

Gato quickly ran for a beverage as Juzo continued to think.

'That old man wouldn't be able to afford getting outside help for me specifically. He probably only wants to make that bridge. I honestly couldn't care less since I reached the quota of cash Boss wanted me to bring in.'

"H-Here you are!"

Gato slowly placed a cup and a bottle of sake on the table.

He gingerly poured the drink for Juzo and stood nearby.

Juzo picked up the cup, looking at his reflection silently.

'Doesn't matter who they are as long as they don't come trying to capture me. The problem, however, is Zabuza. He definitely won't let them just sit around. He's likely to find some way to get them to help.'

Juzo drank the cup in one go and placed it down on the table in front of him.

'If that's the case, I'll have to call in a favor.'

Juzo looked at the ring on his finger and started to pour chakra into it.

He continued this for a while until he felt the connection was answered.

"I have a favor to ask of you. You mind being my partner for a bit?"

"......."

The other side was silent as Juzo waited for a response. 

His eyes flashed as he remembered something the other side might be interested in.

"There is also a boy here that has an Ice Kekkei Genkai. You can capture him  since he's on my opponent's side."

Juzo could finally hear chuckles coming from the ring as a smile came on his face.

"Looks like I got your attention. How long will it take you to get here?"