Return to the Village

Konoha's gates were still two stone doors.

But crossing through them felt different. Lighter. The gates were still the same two gates, but Ringo knew he was no longer the person he had been five days ago.

Kakashi walked at the front. Naruto supported Sasuke. Sasuke's wounds had been bandaged—but he still walked slowly. Ringo brought up the rear, his left shoulder wrapped in bandages. The Demon Brothers' chains. Their first battle. Five days ago.

"First, the Hokage's office," Kakashi said, looking back. "We report. Then, dismissed."

Naruto opened his mouth as if to say something. But he looked at Sasuke, then at Ringo, and said nothing.

...They were tired. Their hearts held too much. The Land of Waves. Haku. Zabuza. One night could not hold it all.

The Hokage's office.

The Third sat behind his desk, a pipe between his fingers. Smoke slowly rose. He had been waiting.

Kakashi stood in front. Team 7 stood behind him. Naruto. Sasuke. Ringo. All three were wounded. But—they were all standing. They carried themselves like people who had finished something.

"C-rank mission: escort Tazuna safely back to the Land of Waves. But—" Kakashi paused. "The actual encounter involved Momochi Zabuza, an S-rank rogue ninja of the Hidden Mist. As well as Haku, possessor of the Ice Release bloodline limit."

The Third did not interrupt. His pipe turned once between his fingers. He was listening.

"During the battle, Team 7—Naruto's Nine-Tails chakra awakened for the first time. Sasuke's Sharingan advanced. Ringo—"

Kakashi paused. He was considering how to put it.

"Ringo displayed an ability that does not belong to any known ninjutsu system. It is uniquely his. On the battlefield, he used that ability to save Naruto, help repel Zabuza, and—"

"Enough."

The Third raised a hand. It meant enough; he had already heard what he wanted to hear. He stood and walked to the window, turning his back to Team 7. The smoke from his pipe turned blue in the afternoon light.

"Team 7's C-rank mission had an actual difficulty of A-rank. Overall evaluation for all personnel: excellent."

Naruto drew in a breath. Finally, finally, someone had said it. You did well.

"Naruto. Sasuke. Ringo."

The Third turned around and looked at the three of them.

"You all came back alive. You came back together. That is good."

Naruto rubbed his nose and smiled. He had finally relaxed. Sasuke said nothing.

...But his eyes were listening. Ringo stood there without expression. But—the Third's words were like a stone thrown into water. They sank deep.

"Dismissed. Go to the infirmary. Tomorrow, take the day off."

As they were leaving, the Third said one more thing.

"Ringo, stay behind."

Naruto turned back. Ringo nodded at him. You go ahead. Naruto hesitated for half a second, then helped Sasuke out. The door closed. Only the Third and Ringo remained in the office. And the smoke, slowly rising.

"Kakashi said you have an ability."

The Third did not beat around the bush. He asked as though he were asking a junior, "How was training today?"

"It is something that belongs to you alone, correct?"

Ringo looked at the Third. He was judging him. Before the Land of Waves, he would have chosen to hide it. But—after the Land of Waves, he understood. Some things could not be hidden. He, too, needed to be understood.

"I have an ability. I can combine chakra of different attributes and create new techniques."

The Third did not answer immediately. His pipe turned once more. He was thinking.

"Combining. Creating. It is manufacture."

"Yes."

The Third smiled. The corners of his eyes, the wrinkles, his mouth—all relaxed slightly. Interesting.

"Konoha has all kinds of strange ninja. Having one like you is not bad, either."

He stood and walked over to Ringo. They were eye to eye. The Third was not tall, but—his eyes were confirming something.

"Do not force yourself. If you need anything, tell me."

Ringo nodded. All right. Just two words. But—before the Land of Waves, he would not have said them. He had not believed. Now, he did. He believed in himself. In this village, he was not alone.

The infirmary.

Ringo sat on the edge of a bed, the bandages on his left shoulder removed. The nurse said two days of rest would be enough. It was true. Not one of his injuries from the Land of Waves had been fatal. It was Kakashi. Naruto. And—Sasuke. And—they had returned alive together.

He opened the system. Organize the card slots?

What he had gained in the Land of Waves. White ×7. Purple ×3. Gold ×2. Taijutsu Enhancement. Wind Cutter. Water Blade Shuriken. Ice Release Fragment. Hidden Mist Assassination Technique Fragment.

They were not numbers. Every card had a name. The Demon Brothers. Zabuza. Haku. They were people. Not every gold card brought happiness. But—every single one deserved to be remembered.

He placed the Ice Release Fragment and the Hidden Mist Assassination Technique Fragment together. Two gold cards. Two cards, warm to the touch. These two people were still in the card slots. They were—remembered.

"I won't synthesize them yet," he said.

First, he would remember.

The door opened.

It was not the nurse—it was Hinata.

She stood in the doorway, clutching a small bottle in her hand. Ointment. From the Hyuga clan. The bottle was white. She stood there—not knowing whether she should come in.

"Y-you're injured."

"Just a little."

Hinata walked in. One step. Then another. Tiny steps. But—she came in. She set the ointment beside the bed. Set it down, then pulled her hand back. That's enough.

"I—I brought you some ointment. From the Hyuga clan. It's—really effective."

Ringo looked at her. Really looked at her. Hinata. Not the Hyuga clan's young lady—Hinata. Standing beside the bed, her face red all the way to her ears. But—she did not run. She did not want to run.

"Th-thank you—"

Hinata did not let him finish. She turned and ran. Fled. The door shut, and her footsteps in the hallway grew farther and farther away.

Ringo looked at the ointment beside the bed. The bottle was white. Like jade. Warm. It was warm from her grip. How long had she held it? From the Hyuga clan to the infirmary, clutching it all the way, too afraid to let go. Afraid it would grow cold.

He opened the cap. The ointment smelled faintly of herbs. Light, like her. She had been there. Always there. From Training Ground Three, to the Land of Waves, to the infirmary. She—had always been there.

He applied the ointment to his shoulder. It was warm. The warmth of her hand around the bottle remained. Warmer than synthesis. Not the system—someone.

He opened the system and looked at the Ice Release Fragment in his card slot. Gold. Warm. Haku had said that being needed required no reason. But now, Ringo understood. Wanting to protect someone required no reason, either.

"Haku, I'll use your ice well. Not to kill people. To protect her."

The card slot dimmed. The herbal scent of the ointment remained. She was here.