Interlude: Aftermaths

Before today, Daisuke had only one real smile. Sure, he had obnoxiously fake 'camera' smile that everyone had, he had one where he tried to show that he was happy that looked like he had an out of place smile stickered onto his face by someone defacing a statue.

The real smile? The only genuine one he had before today?

Hisako had only seen it once.

It looked as if his lips had parted to reveal what seemed to be a mouth full of fangs. His eyes gleamed with the promise of power and blood. If she hadn't known better, she'd have almost said that this smile would've been visible through the dark as if a monster hiding in the shadows had found its prey.

But she had never had to see if this suspicion was true; Daisuke did not hide in the dark. He was the type to turn the lights on just so everyone could see the coming battle. He had a penchant for fair play that she thought was adorable, if not a little dangerous.

But this new Daisuke?

He almost seemed to be a different person.

His smiles no longer looked painted on, he seemed to be paying attention through the entire conversation instead of zoning out the second he lost interest and contributed just enough to get the other person talking again. His eyes no longer flitted from almost lifeless to alert almost at the drop of a needle, they ran the gamut emotion like a normal person's. Almost more than a normal person's, in fact.

It was disconcerting, bordering on disturbing. How could someone whose habits and personality were so set in stone change so drastically over a tiny period of two weeks?

The effect his 'bloodline' had on him and how drastic his power spikes could be had never been clearer to her. In fact, she could honestly say this was the first time it was clear to her. It had always seemed ethereal, the way he seemed to grow. Intellectually, she knew his growth was abrupt, that it came in spurts. But this was the first time she ever truly saw it for what it was.

Hisako shook her head.

"If you really care for him, accept his best efforts," Her father had told her before she left for the exams. "He cannot do more and it does not make sense to hold a shinobi to a higher standard than they are capable of achieving. But do not accept anything less, either; he's better than that and so are you."

She had done her best to do so. But now what did she do?

Can she say anything to him now?

His memory was perfect, if only limited to the times he was paying attention. He'd remember every slight, every unkind word, every hurtful thing she had done to him and she doubted he'd remember the times he hurt her and the team with the same severity. It was a biological handicap that was behind his troubles, after all.

Hisako watched as he gracefully exited a conversation with two Jounin Sensei's and walked up to his room. He didn't teleport, didn't Shunshin, didn't make it apparent that he wanted away from everyone everywhere as fast as possible, he simply walked.

Kakashi was watching Daisuke from his spot, leaning on the corner. Hisako walked over to him. "Sensei."

"Hisako-chan," Kakashi gave her a nod. "You feeling confident about your promotion?"

"I do," She nodded. "I destroyed everyone I fought. If we don't get promoted, I'm going to be shocked."

"You did well," Kakashi eye-smiled. "Everyone did well. I'm so proud."

"Thanks, Sensei," Nichiren said, also walking up. "So…about Daisuke…"

Hisako shook her head and brushed one of her loose tresses of hair out of her face. "I don't know what we're going to say."

"What do we say?" Nichiren asked, taking his glasses off and cleaning them. Not because they needed cleaning, but because he played with his glasses when they were nervous. "Hey, Daisuke. Sorry for literally every bad thing we've done to you that we don't remember. You did plenty of bad things yourself, but your brain was messed up so it's okay. Even though that's your fault too."

"Nichiren," Hisako growled at him.

"Hey, hey. Both of you calm down," Kakashi said, placing his hands on both of their shoulders. "We should go talk to him, at the least. See what he's actually thinking instead of trying to guess."

"Right," Nichiren agreed, replacing his glasses. "Because we can do that now. That's going to take some getting used to."

"I really just want to know if he's going to retire," Hisako explained, pulling her red jacket to a closer fit. "I don't want him being a transient doing nothing for anyone. That'd be so sad."

"Well, let's go talk to him and you can ask," Kakashi pressed.

The three moved up the stairs. Kakashi motioned for Hisako to knock on the door and she did so.

"Yes?" Daisuke asked from the other side.

"Daisuke," Hisako replied. "It's us. Your team…can we come in."

No response for a minute.

"I mean, it's okay if you-"

"Come in," Daisuke interrupted.

Hisako opened the door right on time to see Daisuke turning on the light. "Hey, come on in. You wanted to talk, yes?"

"Yeah," Hisako replied, nodding rapidly. "We did, yeah. What've you been doing?"

"Just now?" Daisuke asked with a melancholic expression. "Thinking. That's all. So, what's up?"

At the thought of her crush simply sitting alone, in the dark, thinking when he could be up and about doing something made Hisako frown. "Just, well. Wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm as well as could be expected," Daisuke answered with a frown of his own. "You? I think you're going to get promoted."

"Thanks, Daisuke," Hisako replied. "I tried really hard to at least make things entertaining for our clients."

"It was hilarious," Daisuke agreed. "Throwing a Genjutsu on your opponent for the sole purpose of making him look like a fool? Great. Nichiren, I thought that spider-web of yours was really clever."

"I thought it was too, until you turned it into an electrical death trap," Nichiren replied with a frown.

"Eh, if I were a normal shinobi, I would've run out of chakra trying that strategy long before you did," Daisuke explained with a shrug. "So, don't sell yourself short, I was just using my strengths to my advantage."

Nichiren blinked. "Thanks."

"Sensei," Daisuke took a breath. "Thanks. For everything. For teaching us as much as you did. I know it was hard, but you came through. For all of us."

"I don't think I was able to teach you much," Kakashi replied with a hand on Daisuke's shoulder. "But I appreciate the sentiment. And in spite of everything, you did grow. Outside of this…power spike you've received. You really did and I don't think I gave you enough credit for it. So, let me fix that; I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Sensei," Daisuke replied with a sheepish grin.

"So are you still going to retire?" Hisako asked.

"Unless something changes my entire world-view around, again, about my involvement with the Shinobi corps," Daisuke took a breath frowned. "I am retiring after the trial run is over. It's not like the Hokage can disagree or anything."

"He really can't," Kakashi replied with a sigh. "You've helped expose traitors in Konoha, ensured the safety and security of Konoha's most treasured Kekkei Genkai and saved every clan's heirs. You've done more in your brief time as a Genin than most shinobi do in their whole lives…that goes for all of you."

"Are you going to at least stay in Konoha?" Hisako asked with a sad look on her eyes.

"No, I'm afraid I'm going travelling," Daisuke shook his head.

Hisako put on a smile to hide the crushing disappointment. "Well, we'll miss you."

"I'm not going yet," Daisuke said sheepishly.

"So…Daisuke," Nichiren began. "Can I ask a question?"

"Go ahead," Daisuke nodded.

"So, your retirement," Nichiren began. "Are you…well. Are you retiring because of, uh…"

"Because of all of you?" Daisuke finished, his mouth in a flat line.

"Yeah," Nichiren nodded.

Daisuke cupped his chin in thought, as if judging between two outcomes he wanted. "Partially yes."

"Oh," Hisako felt like she had been punched in the gut.

"Let me qualify that statement, first," Daisuke cleared his throat. "My insensitivity has caused everyone here some degree of heartache and pain. I understand that and I remember every instance. And I'm sorry. While I could not help my insensitivity, that does not change the fact that it had consequences. Consequences that I could've avoided had I been wiser when I first allotted my stats. I caused you pain, repeatedly, as a result of this one decision and I am sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, Daisuke," Kakashi said kindly.

"I do. But I am not done," Daisuke took in a breath. "I also want to talk about how every single one of you, at one point or another, failed to account for and understand my handicap and for one of you, actively prevented me from obtaining a temporary solution."

"You told us you were messing with your mind," Kakashi said quietly. "Given your obvious lack of mental health, what were we supposed to do?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure you were able to figure out before now that I was lying in an attempt to preserve some semblance of normalcy," Daisuke replied icily. "R&D should've figured out that I was lying about putting a seal on the amulet."

Kakashi took in a small, almost imperceptible breath. "Then what's the truth?"

"The truth is that my physical and mental capabilities can change depending on what I'm wearing," Daisuke explained.

"That's ridiculous," Nichiren blurted out.

Hisako wanted to hurt him again. Almost as much as she wanted to hit Daisuke for lying to her for so long.

"That's why I lied," Daisuke replied irritably. "I never would've had a chance of putting my temporary solution in place with that as my explanation, no matter the truth. I knew that before."

Everyone was quiet.

"Are you really telling the truth this time?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, I am," Daisuke answered with an iron-clad stare, one that could've pierced through paper like the sharpest Kunai if left fixed in one place for two long. "Look, I'm not human. I might've been one a while ago, but not anymore. I don't know what I am, but I know this; I cared. I cared about all of you. I still do. But none of you could see it now matter how hard I tried and when I actually get serious about finding a solution, it gets blocked by people who don't understand me. I cared, okay?"

Everyone sat in silence as Daisuke started to look at his hands, speaking quietly. "I cared."

"So, do we," Hisako replied.

"Daisuke, I know you cared," Kakashi said gently. "We all did. But we also thought that you were somewhat suicidal until the Yamanaka gave you the all clear."

He took a breath and looked up at his Sensei with a faraway look in his eye. "I wasn't actively looking for ways to kill myself."

Hisako tilted her head slightly, as she could tell there was more to this. He took a breath.

"I had built and raised myself for combat," Daisuke said after a moment's silence. "The only place I truly belonged was tearing through an enemy stronghold. Most of my life was spent in a position of safety, where instead of crossing blades and blowing the enemy across the battlefield, I was required to speak with and socialize in an environment where people acted in ways that I had no hope of understanding. I had no place there. Yet there I was. In a way, I might not have cared if I died."

Daisuke went back to looking at his hands, compulsively flexing his fingers.

Hisako rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. It's over now, Daisuke. It's over. You understand everything now. Now you can start to heal.

"This is worse than anything I could've imagined," A said, looking out the window of the office provided him by the Kazekage. "A shinobi that casually negates a Jinchūriki attacks and performs repair work on a seal that he'd never seen before?"

Standing by and waiting to be called on, Darui held his hands behind his back with an expressionless face. It would not do to trouble his leader with pointless questions like 'what do we do' and 'how did Konoha sneak this by everyone'.

"Darui," A, span around to face him. "Are our agents in the Land of Fire in place to infiltrate the village?"

"No, Raikage-sama," Darui replied. "We would need to relocate them from the Capital city and after today, Konoha will have doubled their security to catch anyone trying to get in."

A grumbled in annoyance. "Make preparations to move our agents when we return to the village. I want people inside Konoha's walls before the end of June."

"It will be done, Raikage-sama," Darui replied. Infiltrating another Hidden Village was nearly impossible to do, especially one with the Byakugan at it's beck and call but as recent events have shown, the impossible was all but required.

"I also want a brief prepared for B on Shimoda Daisuke," A ordered. "I want everything we have on him, solid, hypotheticals, the works. If Konoha moves against the village, B and I will be the ones that need to destroy Shimoda and we'll need to be ready."

"Yes, Raikage," Darui nodded.

The office was quiet as the Raikage began mulling over his next order.

"We'll also need to begin preparing for war," A finally said. "Prepare offensive and defensive lines. Make sure the borders are secure."

"Yes, Raikage-sama," Darui nodded again. "Are we to make the first move?"

"Not until we have more information," A explained. "And they won't start anything either. The Yellow Flash might've been foolhardy enough to begin hostilities with Iwagakure without proper intelligence but Sarutobi is not. We have time, but I don't know how much."

"For all their talk of peace, it didn't take long for them to start a war with a new leader in charge," Darui mused.

"It's a load of garbage," A replied with a snarl. "It's always been garbage. I think the Yellow Flash understood that more than Sarutobi. He had that going for him, at least."

"Yes, Raikage-sama," Darui nodded. "Have you decided who becomes Chunin?"

A grunted, picking up one of the files

"It's tempting to deny Cell 9 promotion simply because they had to get rescued by a foreign power," A began with a glare. "But their showings during phase three were adequate reparations for that embarrassment. Ayako especially. They've earned a promotion, but just barely."

"I think I know why Shimoda saved them, Raikage-sama," Darui began.

"Explain," A began.

"He buys the garbage about peace," Darui explained. "Hook, line and sinker. Think about it, it's why he'd go out of his way to save a foreign Genin team and why he'd help repair another village's greatest weapon."

"It would explain a lot," A replied with a thoughtful look. "But we cannot afford the consequences if that's incorrect."

"You are right, Raikage-sama," Darui bowed his head. "But if it's right…maybe we can use it?"

"It's possible," A admitted with a nod. "But we'll need to learn more for sure."

"How's he doing?" Kankuro asked, looking at his sister with a look that was a mix of hopeful and terrified.

"Still sleeping," Temari replied, sounding utterly amazed as she shut the bedroom door. "Like a baby."

"No sand demon, no destruction of the village, no us being splattered to red on the sand," Kakuro almost sounded giddy. "Just him sleeping. That's amazing."

"No kidding," Temari said, sharing the same tone of voice. "He actually sleeps now. No more worrying about getting strangled by sand in my sleep…at least, as long as we make sure he goes to sleep first."

"I think I'd like it if he slept the entire week," Kankuro said, his voice coming into its giddiness like a child who received an expensive present. "A whole week without the thought of Gaara wanting to kill me. It's going to be the greatest vacation ever."

"Could you keep it down?"

Temari and Kankuro both jumped into the air as their brother's voice sounded. Gaara was looking at them with a glare.

"Gaara! We're so sorry," Kankuro gulped and put on a smile that was more nervous than a bull in a slaughterhouse. "We weren't trying to wake you, we were just, uh…well, you see…"

Gaara blinked unamused. "Just keep it down."

Then he shut the door, the sound of it seeming to echo through the entire house.

Both siblings shunshin'd out of that hall as fast as their legs and their chakra could carry them. They got lucky once with their brother being annoyed, they did not want to try their luck a second time.

"So, it's a game?" Naruto looked at the sheet in his hands, his eyebrow raised and his eye wide as he examined it with the inquisitive fury he normally reserved for a new ramen recipe.

"That's the explanation I came up with," Shikamaru replied, leaning forward with his fingers steepled. "It's not the type of game that I've ever seen before, likely one meant to be played over multiple sessions like a war game, but yeah. It's a game."

The sheet that Shikamaru had passed around for everyone contained example stats based on things that Daisuke had told them. Strength, Perception, Endurance, it was all there. A bar for 'damage points' as Shikamaru had called them and Chakra levels.

"I don't get it," Sakura said, resting her clasped hands in her lap ontop of her own sheet. "Why would Daisuke's bloodline make him a…game piece?"

"I don't know," Shikamaru shrugged. "But the rules he operates under seemed designed to approximate reality. In the environment of a game, whatever type of game this is, it makes sense. But when thrown into actual reality, it makes no sense whatsoever."

"It makes sense though, right?" Ino asked, tapping her sheet with the back of her finger. "It puts everything Daisuke does into context."

The group had congregated to a small park built inside the village walls. The sun shined high, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and all the kids were out messing around with their leisure time. The rookie nine were all gathered in a corner away from everyone, talking about the weather for all everyone else knew.

"A context," Shikamaru replied.

"It explains the how," Sasuke replied from his seat on a rock, his fingers steepled in front of him. "But not the why. And I'm curious about the why."

"I have the feeling that only Daisuke himself can explain that," Shino offered, walking up to the group from his spot under a tree. "The question is whether he's willing to tell us."

"Yeah, how do we go about asking that?" Kiba grumbled out loud, Akamaru barking in his lap and pawing the sheet. "Hey, Daisuke-kun, we've kind of figured out that your bloodline just turns things into a giant game for you, can you tell us why? Thanks, you're awesome."

"Daisuke doesn't like talking about his abilities," Naruto frowned, folding his arms.

"I was able to put this together because he explained how he obtains skills," Shikamaru replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, okay. He doesn't like talking about new things," Naruto answered sheepishly. "If someone can weasel something out of him, he kind of just assumes it's an open secret and that there's no point in trying to hide it."

"…that's not untrue," Ino said with a wave of her hand. "Blab it to the wrong person, it reaches the grapevine and suddenly anyone that wants to know about it can."

"He probably can't tell who's who," Hinata said with a frown.

"But the point is, asking him why he is the way he is won't get us anywhere," Naruto explained with a nod. "He might not even know. I mean, he knows a lot, but where his bloodline comes from? That's a bit of a stretch. We don't know where the Byakugan or Sharingan come from."

"We've already been over this," Sakura stated with a frown. "The eyes come from clans with a long lineage. Daisuke's just appeared one day. That's what we're curious about."

"Chouji, you want to tell them what you told me?" Shikamaru asked.

"Sure," Chouji said, placing a potato chip in his mouth, chewing it up and swallowing it before continuing. "A few days ago, I went to the orphanage that Daisuke and Naruto grew up in."

"Oh you did, huh?" Naruto frowned at that.

"There a problem?" Chouji asked with his own frown.

"I'd just like to forget that place exists," Naruto shook his head. "Anyway continue."

"A lot of bad memories?" Sakura asked with a sad look.

"Yeah," Naruto replied, looking at his crossed legs. "Anyway, you were saying, Chouji?"

"So I went there, spent some time with the orphans, brought some snacks," Chouji continued. "Once everyone was busy playing with the wood kunai I brought, I started talking with the Matron. She ended up blurting out a story about how Daisuke wasn't always a statue."

"Eh?" Naruto blinked.

"Really?" Ino leaned forward in interest.

"Yeah, he used to look like a normal guy," Chouji explained. "Well, baby. Then one day, this statue baby shows up out of nowhere and the baby they knew as Daisuke had disappeared. It took them a few hours to figure out that it was Daisuke and that he changed. He got put on a short-list to get into the academy and the rest is history."

"Did you know about this?" Ino asked Naruto.

"No," Naruto shook his head. "When I met him, he was already the way he was. Which is fine."

"Yeah it is," Ino nodded. "It doesn't matter if he stays that way his whole life, he's fine the way he is."

"Wow," Kiba started laughing, the puppy on his lap joining in. "You've got it bad."

"I'm just saying," Ino said, folding her arms and glaring at him.

"It's just a little weird is all," Kiba said, flicking something from his eye.

"What's weird?" Ino asked, her frown getting sharper.

"You went from insulting Sakura constantly and fawning over Sasuke because he was 'hot'," Naruto started, holding his hands up and using them to illustrate 'point a' and 'point b'. "To being nice to Sakura and, well, everyone else."

"I wasn't exactly a nice person before," Ino said, bowing her head in shame. "I'm sorry."

"Well, okay, but that includes me," Naruto replied with a frown. "Me. You guys might all be willing to talk to me, but I'm still not well liked by the village and you're chasing after a guy who even I have to agree makes a better gargoyle than most."

"That's really mean of you," Ino narrowed her eyes.

"Hey, Daisuke's awesome, no one smart is denying that," Naruto said, raising his hands defensively. "But he's never shied away from what he looks like and you've never seen him without the henge. But that's not the point."

"So, what is the point?" Shikamaru asked.

"I want to know why," Naruto replied. "You don't just change your entire personality over night and I don't feel like being a pawn-"

"He's the only reason I'm alive right now!" Ino thundered, hands clenched into fists. "Okay?"

The group had fallen into silence. The other people in the park, beyond a slight disturbance by her outburst, simply continued doing what they were doing with a shrug, without a care in the world.

"Look, you're right," Ino began, glaring and tears starting to form. "I wasn't a nice person before. At all. But if Daisuke hadn't found us when he did and cleaned the cut on my arm, I would've died from the infection. That's what the doctors said."

Naruto leaned forward, listening intently.

"I looked at myself and I didn't like who I was. Who I've been for the past few years. So, I'm trying to change. And the boy who saved my life?" Ino scoffed. "People don't talk to him unless they want something. Ever. That's horrible and-"

"He deserves better than that," She took a breath. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you Naruto and I'm sorry that I made you think I was just one of those parasites looking for his affections."

Naruto slowly sat up, nodding. "Alright, I believe you. But don't you dare hurt him. Alright?"

Ino simply nodded.

"You guys are really close friends, eh?" Kiba said with a raised eyebrow.

"Someone's got to look out for him," Naruto frowned.