AIC ch 43 new version

AN I apologize for the delay. I realized I was cutting too many corners and went back to the drawing board with significant revisions. I really wasn’t feeling it before and was trying to be vague and re write my way around the canon Drabble to what I actually wanted to write, and I realized I wasnt proud to post it. So if you read the previous chapter 43 post, the last half of this is significantly different to what I posted two days ago. If you’ve read all the drabbles, this should be familiar to you. There is going to be one more chapter before the tonal change after all.

Sunlight was painful. Kakashi grimaced. He ignored the shakiness in his arms and hefted himself up to a seated position. He surveyed the room.

“Well, well.” His voice was raspy and low with disuse. “I appear to be in a medical treatment facility.”

“You remember what they look like, then.” Tsunade, the long-gone heroine of his childhood, looked at him over folded arms. “I hear you don’t spend as much time here as you should.” Her lips were pursed.

Kakashi felt danger in the air. He blinked slowly, trying to look stupid and inoffensive. “Is that so…”

Her eyes narrowed. Then she scoffed and looked away.

He relaxed immensely.

Going limp was probably the right reaction, because she didn’t do anything scary, besides exist in his vicinity.

That was unsettling enough on its own.

“Ah, Tsunade-sama,” he drawled, “are you visiting?”

Her lips twisted bitterly, and he knew he’d said the wrong thing. She let out a huff. “Something like that.” Her eyes darted to the hospital door and back away, as if she was checking they were alone.

A very quiet alarm rose at the back of his neck. He didn’t let it show on his face.

“Is there something that you need?” He asked, tone level. He was as certain as reasonably possible that they were alone and unobserved.

She fixed him with an intense look. He tried not to fidget under the catlike glint of her amber eyes. “I need to become the Hokage, and I need allies.”

Kakashi took a moment to digest that. It didn’t seem quite possible that he’d heard those words. “Ah, Tsunade-sama,” he said uncertainly. “I think the city would welcome you back with open arms.”

“Of course,” she scoffed. But she looked relieved. “I need allies to move against a traitor.”

Those words hung in the air. He ran over the very short list of people who Tsunade would need help to dislodge. He thought about who in Konoha might be considered a traitor.

He cocked his head. “...Councilor Danzo?”

Tsunade smiled bitterly. She turned her head to the side and let out a nearly silent laugh. “That’s not damning,” she said quietly. “That’s not damning at all.” She straightened her back. “Yes. I need you to be ready for a mission in a week. Can you do it?”

He threw off the covers and swiveled his feet off the bed. “I could do it now.”

“You’re stupid,” Tsunade scoffed.

He winked at her and put his feet on the floor. He stood, triumphantly. And then his legs gave out. He clutched the edge of the bed, wide -eyed. “...tomorrow,” he amended. “I can be mission-ready tomorrow.”

His future Hokage sighed. She waved goodbye over her shoulder as she left the room.

It took longer than Kakashi hoped to get mission-ready. It was 4 long days before he had decent coordination back, by which time he had accepted a lot of carefully peeled fruit from his genin.

On some level, he suspected that Tsunade was involved in the mission scroll that found its way to him. He accepted it, noting he would be with Gai. “Accompanying the Hokage to a summit,” he read quietly. He scratched at the back of his head. “Why does Tsunade want me there…?”

Her angle could be protecting the Hokage. It could be something to do with the Mizukage.

He shrugged and rolled up the scroll again. Whatever it was, she knew what she was doing.

________

Aiko arrived at the temple grounds, knowing well and good it was after the other group had arrived.

There was a muffled quality to the air. She found herself looking around for people and sounds that never materialized. It felt like someone was talking just out of earshot. It should have put the hair up on the back of her neck, but she felt relaxed enough.

The priests greeted her. She exchanged pleasantries without thinking about them at all. She got some time to herself to unwind and set her belongings in a room set aside for her to sleep in for the night.

“Emissary.”

She turned around, eyes wide open. The voice had come from outside of her window. ‘That is not a good and polite way to get a guest’s attention.’ Aiko pulled open the sliding door to look around. She saw only a steep mountainside, green and lush but unfriendly. Movement caught her eye.

“A bird,” she murmured to herself.

It seemed to look at her, adjusting its wings.

‘A summon?’ Sanbi asked. ‘It could be observing and reporting on you.’

She looked at it, looking for anything that seemed unusual. By what she could tell of chakra, it was a normal animal. Its eyes, though. They met her gaze clearly and steadily.

Aiko frowned. She nodded to it, and then slowly closed the door. “It’s intelligent,” she said quietly. “Whatever it is, it’s smart. I think you’re right that it’s observing me.”

...would a bunch of priests have a spy bird? Surely not. And she didn’t know of anyone in Konoha with a contract like that. Summons were rare. She probably would have known, as long as they were in ANBU or something.

“A foreign country, then.” She bit her lip and turned to check her clothes to settle her mind. She looked fine. She ran a comb through her bangs and slid on some lip balm, eyes glazing over and not truly seeing her reflection.

‘Who might be interested in this little meeting?’

She shrugged in response. “It could be anyone,” Aiko murmured. She capped her lip balm. “Whether to sabotage or to observe, almost anyone might have an interest in directing or understanding the relationship between Kiri and Konoha.”

When she went into the main building again, there was an old man sitting on a blue mat. He smiled idly as he watched her pass, but he didn’t greet her.

Aiko offered him a slightly lower bow than she normally would have. It was a temple, it seemed smart to be polite. The man was obviously not a priest, however. He was wearing old fashioned robes. Beside him on the tatami laid a walking stick and a large scroll.

‘That is not how humans look,’ Sanbi hissed, discomfited. ‘Why is his head so large?’

He had the single longest head she had ever seen in her life. Aiko had to admit that. It seemed to have twice the height the average head had. But she threw her shoulders up in a metaphorical shrug. “Seems like his business,” she thought back. “I’m not going to ask him about his head.”

Behind her, the old man let out a single bark of a laugh. THAT put a chill up her spine. She did not alter her stride, but she felt somehow relieved to put some distance between them.

She was a little relieved to sense people that she knew. She probably should have waited for an escort, but she slid open the door and crossed a garden to meet the Konoha delegation and an assistant priest.

They could have looked a little more impressive, to be honest. Gai was standing at such stiff attention that it looked like he’d get a muscle cramp. Kakashi was slouching so severely she wasn’t entirely sure he was conscious.

”Is the intent to snub you by bringing some of Konoha’s most ridiculous humans?” Sanbi wondered.

Nah.

‘Kakashi and Gai are a good choice for a team,’ Aiko admitted internally. ‘As long as you can stomach the squabbling.'

None of them looked in the least but surprised to see her, although the Sandaime’s all-seeing gaze snapped behind her, as if he expected to see an escort.

‘...was there a plus two on the invitation?’ Aiko wondered. She made herself comfortable in the outbuilding, and took a moment to admire the koi in the pond. ‘Surely Nishikawa would have told me.’

Sanbi hummed. “The last time that he did, you brought two jinchuuriki specifically to provoke your host.”

...point taken.

The Hokage smiled at her.  It rang false. “Mizukage-sama, thank you for making the trip to the country of Sound to meet with me.”

“The pleasure was mine,” she said. She glanced at Kakashi and Gai, and then back up the mountain. It felt like she was being watched. “Traveling through a place like this is not a burden.”

‘This place… this is significant.’

There was a pause, awkward and slightly too long. The Hokage had an artfully polite facial expression, but he was clearly scanning the area for the escorts she didn’t have.

“Hokage-sama, I look forward to fruitful discussions that improve our working relationship.”

He bowed. She mirrored him on reflex, giving him the same level of deference that he gave her.

“Honored guests.” The head priest shuffled out. “Before we begin any worldly matters, we should seek guidance and blessing.”

Perfect. That would probably help give the right impression. “Of course.” Aiko did her best to radiate warmth. Now that she was painfully aware that gods were real and dangerous, she was invested in following the protocols she had been studying. And one of the recommendations was to effusively praise, so...

“If Amaterasu will hear us, we’ll be victorious.”

Everyone just looked at her. She pretended not to notice the pleased surprise on the priests’ faces.

“Amaterasu guides through all challenges,” the priest said, completing the ritual phrase.

She instantly knew it had been the correct action.

“And so.” The voice rang out in her head again, overlapping with a bird call.

There was a gasp. The head priest did not flinch, but his subordinate turned to look up into the mountains.

‘Do they hear it too?’ Aiko wondered. ‘Do they sense someone is watching?’

“Is everything alright?”

The priest took a moment to answer. “Perhaps that’s the Yosuzume. It’s unusual to hear it call when we are safely ensconced in the temple, however.”

‘They didn’t hear the voice,’ Aiko realized. ‘But that’s one of the species the priest mentioned as representatives of Gods. I remember…’

“They’re usually associated with traveling through the mountains,” Aiko remembered out loud. “Could portend danger, or signal that protection is close.” She smiled. “Or it could be a sign for our meeting.”

The Hokage looked baffled in a way that warmed her black little heart. She immediately determined that this would be a good way to unsettle him.

“I see,” Hiruzen said. “Does the Yosuzume herald good luck?”

She resisted the urge to snort. ‘It’s pretty much never good luck to hear or see a God’s representative.’

Aiko waited a moment, but the priest didn’t seem to want to talk. “Usually, it means you’re being followed by hungry wolves and a spectral dog,” she answered. Her tone was amused. “If you are polite, Okuri inu will protect you from the wolves behind. If not, he eats you first.”

It was hard to get out that superstition with a straight face. She heroically resisted the urge to look at Kakashi, who certainly knew what she did.

‘That’s just how wolves hunt. They enclose you. The wolf in front is not your friend. And the bird probably just calls because the wolf startled it and it’s warning other animals about the predator.’

The Hokage didn’t seem particularly interested. He curled his fingers around his walking stick. “A reminder to be respectful, then.”

She gave him a polite, bland smile. “Something like that.”

The priest folded his arms over his stomach. “Perhaps this could be considered a journey.” He looked between the two leaders speculatively.

“Hmm.” She gave Kakashi a pointed look. “Or maybe a dog got into your temple.”

The priest had a laugh that came from the chest, rumbling and full. “I certainly hope not. Dogs belong outside. Come, let’s sit down to a meal together.”

Kakashi drooped.

They went past an opulent room of gold leaf and religious motifs to a dimly lit area. There was a simple wooden table, with rather bare cushions for seating and slightly lumpy cups waiting to be filled.

They all took their places. The Konoha party took one side of the table. The head priest sat in the center, and Aiko primly folded into seiza at his right. The other priest bowed and left the room.

There was a moment of silence.

“Shinpu-sama.”

The head priest turned and gave her his full attention.

She picked up the tea before he could. “Do you believe there’s one type of okuri inu that can be kind or cruel, depending on the behavior of the people they follow, or that there are both benevolent and malevolent okuri inu?” She poured for both the priest and the Hokage while she talked, trying to replicate the elegant mannerisms of her kunoichi teachers from so long ago.

The priest hummed.

She waited patiently, taking pains to set the tea down without a sound. Gai was the next to move. He poured her cup, and then Kakashi’s.

“That is an interesting question, with mythology to support either interpretation,” the priest answered. He was audibly pleased as he picked up his teacup.

“In the stories I know, the okuri inu are sometimes unseen followers. They can also startle travelers by leaping about or appearing ahead on the path.”

‘Herding people. Testing to see if they’re too dangerous to hunt or not. That’s something I’d do.’

Kakashi clearly hated this topic. He was glaring out the window. She stifled the urge to snort. ‘He really wants to correct us. He just knows he’d get in trouble for being that rude.’

The Mizukage took a sip of her tea and continued. “Showing weakness such as cowering ensures that the inu will devour the traveler. Is that correct?”

“They are also merciful,” the priest said, a gentle correction. “If you beg them for your life, they will spare you.”

That was so ludicrous it took real effort not to laugh out loud. She managed a polite hmm, at the same time as Kakashi.

She instantly knew she’d fucked up there. She could feel Kakashi burning a suspicious gaze into the side of her head. “Thank you for explaining,” she said cheerily.

‘I should be more careful. Of course I’ve adopted some of his mannerisms, but I should master that.’

For the third time, she heard the bird’s voice. This time, it sounded very close. “Let me in.”

The priest’s smile slipped. He twisted a bit to look out towards the dark garden.

“Do you think that you should?” Sanbi worried. “This could be a trap.”

‘It’s the time to be bold,’ she thought back. ‘Too late now. Offending him could be as bad as going along.’ Aiko stood. She crossed the room and opened the sliding door. In the same instant, the bird burst in. She tried not to look impressed at the dramatic timing.

The priest cried out and extended his hand to the ceiling where the bird was flapping.

The feeling on the back of her neck didn’t lift. ‘‘...someone is still watching,‘ she realized. She didn’t move a muscle, scanning the darkness for movement.

”This meeting is blessed!” She heard the priest call out from behind her. “An omen from the gods.”

There. She spotted movement.

“Oh, hello.”

It was a very familiar silhouette. Aiko could draw a dog from any angle. The shadow on the mountain tilted his face up. She was ready for the long, cruel howl that followed.

“You intrude? This is not Death’s domain.”

Ah, fuck. She clenched a fist inside her sleeve, anxious. “I’m just visiting. No offense is intended, no debt is called.”

After a moment, there was a bark. It overlapped with the word, “Acceptable.”

Thank god. She bowed carefully.

“We will meet.”

That was ominous, but it also seemed like a problem for another time. Aiko gladly closed the door and went back to her seat.

“Uzumaki-san,” the head priest ventured. “Are we... Do we need to add another place setting?”

“No, no,” she demurred. She picked up her tea. “Just an emissary. Amaterasu watches her holy grounds well.”

That reminded her to look for the bird. It was on a rafter.

It moved when she made eye contact. Yosuzume fluttered down from the rafters and landed on Gai’s shoulder. The bird stretched and peered at the watching humans. Then it began grooming its glossy black feathers.

“Excuse me,” someone said, and slid open the door. The assistant priest entered the room with another man and began laying out dishes from three trays.

The bird made a quiet chirrup as miso soup was placed in front of Gai. It overlapped with his reflexive “thank you so very much!” Gai blinked and went back to staring at the bird. She pitied him for a moment.

‘At least I am not a bird perch. My life could be worse.’

“Excuse me,” the assistant priest said again. He bowed and left the room without giving any indication that he noticed the 10kg bird.

The Hokage looked displeased and uncomfortable.

“Interesting,” he said stiffly. “Mizukage-sama, about your country recent’s activities in Wave...”

Finally. This was the whole point of the meeting.

“Oh, we’re still workshopping that,” she bullshitted brightly. She picked up her glossy chopsticks. “They’re a protectorate, not being subsumed, so obviously I can’t simply style myself as the 5th Mizukage. I’m now also the 1st...” she waved her free hand. “Something else. I’m leaning towards Namikage, but my advisers tell me it’s a bit too on the nose.”

”You already  have a special stamp with your title,” Sanbi complained. 

‘and we know that. But do they know that?’

Everyone else in the room looked incredibly unamused and the Hokage seemed uncomfortable that she pretended not to understand the issue at hand. She felt a hysterical cackle trying to escape.