chapter 97

"I see," Hiruzen said simply, leaning back against his chair and taking a drag from his pipe. Eiji stood straight, in front of the man with his team behind him. They remained silent throughout the report, which he knew must have been hard for Tayuya.

"Is something the matter, Hiruzen?" Eiji asked, calling the man for his name for the first time since he arrived. The silence had gone on for just a little too long. There was something going on with the old man.

"We've been trying to get more information on Akatsuki," Hiruzen started. Not really replying to his question, Eiji noticed, but maybe he'd get there. "With what Orochimaru gave us before you left and what little we already had. We'll add what we get from Sasori now," He added, his eyes fleeting to the puppet master.

That had been a fun introduction. Eiji was sure he noticed the Anbu guards around the room moving when he said that. It was a split second thing though, so he might just have imagined it. Regardless, the Hokage had yet to express his opinion on that besides a raised eyebrow.

"Regardless… We've picked up on something," Hiruzen continued and things clicked in Eiji's mind.

"You want to send me on another mission," He hazarded a guess, a frustrated smile on his face. "Can't say that was what I expected to be told when I came back."

"I'm truly sorry, Eiji, but Akatsuki is moving and we have to react," Hiruzen said, looking like it pained him to do so as his face twisted into a grimace. "I've been trying to deal with it. Get more information, mobilize our ninja but…"

"But…" Eiji prompted, more than a little annoyed. Maybe he was taking too many liberties here, but he'd thought he'd get some resting time in between missions. A break to use to get stronger, relax with his friends, check on his family and maybe try and forget about the looming threat. No such luck, it seemed.

"But," Hiruzen nodded, giving him a sympathetic look. "We've been spread too thin as of late too. I've been coordinating with Kiri, who are still nowhere near recovered enough to deal with this group, and Suna, who are in the same situation, really. Most of my forces are used between those two."

"And here, with Naruto," Eiji realized with a grim expression that grew even more strained as the Hokage nodded. Of course.

"You are no normal child, Eiji. I'm sure you know that," Hiruzen told him, not knowing just how right he was. "I…" The old man started before pausing, closing his eyes and sighing. "I never thought I'd have to send children to fight in battlefields like this again," The Hokage said, looking about as old as a person could get. "But here I am."

"So… Do we get to know how much time we have?" Eiji asked then, looking at his leader, resigned. What point was there to question Hiruzen? He knew the old man. If he thought this was the best course of action, chances were that it was, even if he didn't like it. "And what our next mission is about?"

"I've gotten reports about suspicious sightings near Takigakure," Hiruzen informed him and Eiji nodded. 'Fu then, huh?... Also not from a big village, so that makes sense. Everyone else is on guard, they might just wait and see if anyone lets their guard down… Or until Pain decides to pay someone a visit…'

"As for time, we are still trying to get confirmation on this intel," Hiruzen told him then. "It might even be a false alarm, for all we know."

It wasn't. Both of them knew it wasn't, but it was a nice thought, at least. It was a shame that it seemed like the most probable course of action that Akatsuki would take. They might not like it, but life rarely worked like that.

"Permission to speak," Sasori said mechanically behind Eiji, who closed his eyes. He knew what was coming already. He knew what the puppet master would say. He just…

He sighed.

"Go ahead," He said, after sharing a look with Hiruzen.

"It does sound like something Akatsuki would do," The man informed them, making the two of them grimace. "It also fits some of the potential plans that had been shared beforehand."

Because of course it did.

"I see," Hiruzen muttered with a stiff nod. "We'll need you to share all that you know about them with us."

"I gave a report to Satou already," The puppet master replied, his voice devoid of emotion. Still, the words themselves carried a certain tone behind them.

"Sasori, you'll go with the Intelligence Division and tell them everything you know," Eiji ordered without turning around. "They are better equipped to get that than I am and they might find something that Onoki's people didn't get."

"Of course, Satou," Sasori agreed immediately as Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.

"Onoki, huh?" The Hokage asked, sounding almost amused, which was a nice change from the seriousness of the conversation. If only they could keep that levity though, but-

"Permission to speak," Tayuya requested, almost mimicking Sasori's tone. She didn't manage to hide the underlying joking tone though. For a moment, Eiji considered telling her to keep her mouth shut. He didn't know what she wanted to say, but he knew it would be useless to the conversation already.

"Go ahead," He repeated instead.

"With all due respect, Old Man," Tayuya started, showing instantly that there was no such thing as respect in what she was about to say. No surprises there. "If there's anyone that can make Eiji call them anything but what he wants, then I've yet to meet them."

Hiruzen burst out laughing.

"Is that so?" He asked, looking at the boy amusedly. "Because I remember people having to force Eiji not to call them in an overly respectful manner."

"Oh, do tell," The redhead prompted and Eiji just massaged the bridge of his nose while hearing the rest of the team sigh exasperatedly. Even Yuki.

[}-o-{]

Eiji blinked, looking ahead. Next to him, Naruto glanced excitedly between him and the person he was introducing him to. Meanwhile, the girl in front of him fidgeted nervously. This was certainly not what he'd been expecting, that was for sure.

"Can you believe it?" Naruto asked, apparently unable to deal with a silence of a few seconds. "I'm not alone. I have a clan and a family," The boy said excitedly.

"I'm happy for you, Naruto," Eiji said in the end, giving him a smile before turning back to the girl. "And it's nice to meet you, Karin, welcome to the family… With that said," He started, looking at the blonde next to him and narrowing his eyes. "What's this about being alone? I come back from a long mission and you immediately dismiss our friendship? Our brotherhood? That hurts, right here," He said, placing a hand over his chest.

"Eijiiiii, you know what I meant!" The blonde complained, making him chuckle.

"Let's go in, yeah? I gotta see if we need more food for tonight. There'll be a lot to prepare. God, I've missed this place," Eiji told them as he walked towards the kitchen. "Do you have any preferences, Karin? Any allergies? Anything you really like?"

"Um, ramen?" The girl said hesitantly behind him and Eiji groaned loudly.

"Please, tell me I don't have two Narutos now," He pleaded to the skies.

"Oi! What's that supposed to mean?" The blonde in question protested.

"Do you… need any help?" The redheaded girl asked, following Eiji to the kitchen as he started checking their stock. There were a lot of things missing, but that was to be expected. He was more surprised that there was anything at all. He'd half expected Naruto to just empty the place and then go from there.

"That would be appreciated," Eiji accepted easily with a smile. Although, his eye twitched when he saw the girl's cheeks pinken. "Lots of things to buy… How have the villagers treated you, Karin? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"It… hasn't been too bad," The girl said hesitantly, which he took to be that it had been worse than it should. People were idiots, indeed.

"Doesn't matter. I'll do the shopping and you can help me prepare stuff, how does that sound?" He asked her before turning to Naruto who was grinning from ear to ear at the kitchen's door. "Hey you, stop smiling like an idiot and take note of what I have to buy, yeah? Only thing he can do without burning down the house… most of the time, at least," Eiji said, that last part muttered for Karin.

"Eiji! It was one time!" The blonde protested, even as he went to do as told.

"One time too many if you ask me," He mumbled as he rolled his eyes.

"Thank you," Karin said, her voice filled with emotion. Eiji turned to regard her for a moment. She seemed moved, in a word. A watery smile on her face as her eyes welled, shining in the light.

"Don't mention it," He replied softly. "Any family of Naruto's is my family, simple as that," He explained with a grin. "Now I don't have to suffer alone, at least. Seriously, that guy's a nightmare sometimes."

"Eiji!" Said blonde protested once more.

Karin and Eiji, meanwhile, shared an understanding smile.

There was silence then, before Eiji's grin vanished. Turning his head slightly, he saw Naruto still standing at the door. The blonde looked at him, a sad expression on his face that was quite the rare sight, considering his personality. Eiji got it though, because his eyes were on his hair. Then he looked at him.

"That's not a change in style, is it?" His brother asked softly.

"... No, it isn't," Eiji admitted, turning back to what he was doing "I'll tell everyone tonight, if we can get them all here."

"Ok," The blonde replied simply. "So, what do we need?" Naruto asked, some of his cheer coming back.

[}-o-{]

"Hello there," Eiji waved casually as he walked into the Hyuuga compound. The guards had very different reactions, he noticed instantly even if he wasn't even looking at them. One of them sighed and deflated while the other moved towards him.

"Don't bother," the first one told the second.

"What? Why?" The guard asked incredulously. "Does he think he can just-?"

"That's Eiji Satou," The first guy said, as if that explained anything at all. "You don't wanna know what the main branch will do if you hold him up."

'Huh, didn't even know that was a thing,' Eiji thought to himself. He'd just walked in because he honestly couldn't bother with the waiting. He wanted to see his friends and he wanted to do it as soon as possible. Hinata and Hanabi were sure to be in the Hyuuga compound, so that was the first place he'd gone to. He'd see where the rest of his band of brats were at later, since he'd probably actually have to look for them.

"I'd be more surprised if they didn't have something set up for you," Hachi commented, amused. "You've basically trained both their heiresses as much as the system has. You are also already a very influential figure."

"And you could probably kick their collective asses," Kage added.

"And that," Hachi agreed, even as she sighed.

'I guess that's true enough,' Eiji acknowledged as he made his way to the girls' house. Naruto and Shikamaru seemed to be about the same as he remembered them, he wondered if Hinata and Hanabi were too.

"Eiji, you were away for a few months, not years," Kage said, and the boy could almost see him rolling his eyes.

"You… are being a bit dramatic," Hachi reluctantly agreed.

'Ok, fair, I just…' Eiji sighed. 'I'm like that, I guess,' He grumbled to himself. A smile formed on his face, however, when he felt a wave of comfort coming from Tsuchigumo, together with an encouraging bark. 'I knew you were my favorite for a reason, Tsuchi.'

"Wow, don't you know you aren't meant to have favorites, Eiji?" Kage asked, sounding unimpressed but Eiji would bet he was having fun.

'I mean, I'm sure we can make an exception for you,' Eiji shot back with a slight smirk.

"True," Hachi agreed, making her 'sibling' sputter indignantly. "But what about me, dad?" She asked then. They were definitely having fun. They never called him that unless it was to joke around after all. He just rolled his eyes.

'Why don't you give your siblings some love, eh, Tsuchi?' He asked, receiving an agreeing bark and then his mind filled with protests. He just tuned them out as he continued on his way.

Eventually, he found himself outside the girls' house. After knocking, Eiji just waited for a servant to open. He was already planning on what he would teach Hanabi next, if she was progressing well with her threads. Maybe check with Hinata for her medical training? That would be best left for when Kabuto was around though, he supposed.

"Satou-sama," The person that opened the door greeted him. "Please, do come in," She added and Eiji blinked. That… was different from the ways he'd been received on previous visits. For one, that was a much more respectful way to refer to him. For another, they'd always gone to check with Hiashi before letting him in.

Hesitantly following the woman in, he was led to the small training field that Hinata and Hanabi trained at. As expected, that is exactly what was going on when he arrived. He blinked, however, when he saw both of them going through the katas mixed with wire control that he'd taught Hanabi.

"Well, this is unexpected," He voiced then, making both of them tense up.

In the blink of an eye, he was being tackled to the ground by a small, black haired missile.

"Eiji! You are back!"

"No, I'm still at Iwa," He said flatly, even as he wore a smile on his face. "Just asked someone to henge as me, obviously."

"Idiot," She told him, giving him a poke with her fingers on his abdomen. Which, considering she was a Hyuga, hurt like hell. "I missed you."

"Everyone's missed you a lot, Eiji," Hinata said as she approached him, much more calmly than her sister. Although, she looked very much amused by Hanabi's actions, if the look on her face was anything to go by.

"Welcome back, Eiji," He heard then from Hiashi, who apparently had been sitting off to the side. "It's good to see you well," The man added, giving him a nod. Which was a little surprising, both because of how warm a welcome that was, coming from Hiashi himself and because the man didn't comment on his daughter's behavior.

However, both of said girls frowned then, looking at him up and down and then intently at his hair. 'What's up with that? Is it so weird? There's no scars or anything, just a haircut!'

"Eiji, you've been in this world for around three years and not once did you change your hair style. I think they can be excused for having suspicions, especially considering how this mission was described to them," Hachi explained patiently and Eiji reluctantly agreed that she had a point there. "Of course I do," She added smugly.

"I take it the mission went well?" The Hyuuga Clan Head asked then, as if asking about the weather.

"It did," Eiji decided to summarize. No need to speak about his near death experience just yet. "So, how have things been going around here?" He asked, smiling stiffly under the narrowed gaze of the two Hyuuga heiresses.

"They've been going well," Hiashi continued, surprisingly. Eiji had half expected him to be done with the small talk and just leave. "Tell me, Eiji. You are aware of how my clan operates regarding the branches, aren't you?" He asked then, out of nowhere.

Surprisingly, the boy didn't see any of the two girls tense up or react in any way. They'd always done so whenever the topic of their family's seal came up. Now though, there was barely any reaction at all. 'What the fuck did I miss?'

"Maybe a few months is a long time," He heard Kage mumble, just as confused as he felt.

"I am," Eiji replied, looking around at the three of them, unsure. "Did something happen?"

"You could say that," Hiashi commented, almost smiling, which in turn almost worried Eiji more. "I'm in the process of convincing the elders of the family to change how the clan operates."

That single sentence made his eyes widen. 'Does that mean what I think it means?'

"Pretty sure it does," Hachi confirmed.

"I… How?" Eiji asked, incredulously. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy, ecstatic, but still…"

"It's not a sudden change," Hiashi said, sitting where the wooden floor ended and the ground of the training field started. Looking at Hinata and Hanabi, Eiji sat next to the man, while they sat on the other side. "I've been working on this ever since… I've been working on this for a while," The man explained.

'Ever since Hizashi? I… don't remember anything about that,' Eiji thought to himself.

"There's nothing about that on your notes, I can tell you that," Kage informed him, which only made him frown.

"Things had been… complicated for a while though," Hiashi continued and Hinata's lowered head told Eiji all that he needed to know on that front. The girl's troubles to improve had impacted the Clan Head's efforts, he supposed. "That changed through the last few years. I've been making progress, lots of it."

"I'm glad to hear that, Hiashi," Eiji replied with a smile, before he looked towards the training field, just like the man was doing. "But this isn't just to tell me that, is it?" He realized instantly, letting his face clear of any emotion.

"It isn't," Hiashi confirmed, but remained silent for a while before speaking again. "What I'm trying to say is that it's all thanks to you. You brought out the best in Hinata and Hanabi," The Clan Head told him. "You may not get it, but that strengthened my position a lot. You also showed me what alliances can achieve, even in the most unlikely of situations."

Eiji was sure that with alliances the man meant 'friendships' but sure, that worked too. In the back of his mind, Hachi and Kage chuckled at that. So did Tsuchigumo, but he didn't know if she got the joke or was just laughing with them.

"Thanks to you, I've almost completed what has been a life goal for me," Hiashi said, taking a deep breath in before letting it out in a drawn out sigh. "I owe you, Eiji Satou, and I repay my debts. I've been informed that it's likely you'll have to leave for another mission soon. Before then, I'll teach you to the best of my abilities."

[}-o-{]

"That… I don't even…" Ino struggled to come up with the words to express herself. All around, his friends seemed to have a similar struggle… Except his team, of course. Those were either politely ignoring his conversation with the rest of his group from Konoha or, in Tayuya's case, unashamedly stuffing their faces.

His group from Konoha though, was quite another thing altogether. Some seemed horrified, some wore pained expressions and others looked resigned. In the end, the one to break the silence and Ino's babbling was Shikamaru, who sighed and massaged his eyes.

"And you said there's another mission you'll have to go on?" The Nara asked with an odd angry and resigned tone.

"Probably will have to go on," Eiji corrected, but judging by everyone else's expression, he knew they were of the same mind as him on that. It was a technicality, practically. That didn't mean he appreciated Tayuya barking out a laugh at that.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, palming his face. The rest of the group sighed, apparently sharing the sentiment.

"It is what it is," Eiji told them with a sad smile. "We knew things would be like this when we signed for this career."

"Yes," Naruto agreed, but he didn't need to be a genius to know there was a 'but' coming. "But we thought we would all be in the same position. Not that you would be sent into dangerous missions and we would… watch."

"Well… for what it's worth, I'm sorry that I worry you, guys," Eiji apologized.

"Doesn't mean you'll stop, does it?" Ino asked, sighing again at him when he shook his head. "Guess we'll just have to deal with it."

"I'm guessing we can't accompany you on these missions?" Shino asked, intently looking at his team members.

"You can't," Eiji denied instantly before he could even consider it. He knew it wasn't a possibility. "You are all people that this village needs for the future," He explained looking at them all. "Konoha can't lose any of you, it'd be devastating. I'm not like that though. I'm strong and I'm capable, but if I die, the village won't suffer as if one of you did."

His friends looked outraged at that. Well, most of them did. There was one that looked like he'd stabbed them in the chest. It was what it was though. Better they got used to how it worked.

"I hate that you are right," Shikamaru all but hissed. "You aren't going to die though. Because I swear I'll find a way to bring you back and kick your ass if you do," He threatened and Eiji got the distinct impression that he was a hundred percent serious. And considering it was possible…

"I have no plans of dying," He reassured them all. "I'm just explaining why you can't come with us."

"And you were very smooth about it, Fearless Leader," Tayuya praised. "Very smooth indeed.," She added with a snicker. He just rolled his eyes at her.

"On a different note," Eiji started then, his face turning from grim to grin in a second flat. He had lots of practice masking emotions, after all. "I noticed something curious just now," He started, turning his head slightly. That was when two of his friends started squirming as all eyes turned in their direction. "That seating arrangement is new, isn't it?" He asked.

"..." Both Naruto and Hinata, who were sitting very close to each other in comparison to the rest of the rather big group of people, turned red in the face. The latter much more than the former, but they both did. "No?" Naruto tried, to which Eiji just gave a half smile and a raised eyebrow. "We were talking about you, right? Right, guys?" He asked, quickly turning to the rest of the group. Judging by their expressions though, they looked ready to throw him to the wolves though.

"Oh, it's been great," Ino exclaimed, making Naruto and Hinata turn from embarrassed to horrified. "You wouldn't believe how much we had to push them so that they finally stopped dancing around each other. We even had to have Shikamaru make a plan in the end, because they just kept being stubborn."

"Ino, I-I don't think it's-"

"How'd you manage that though?" Eiji asked, interrupting Hinata before she could finish. His eyes found the Nara Heir, who looked about ready to just drop and pass out with how done with the situation he seemed to be. Apparently, that hadn't been a fun time for him.

"Well, lot's of threats and bribery, of course," The blond girl explained cheerfully.

"Of course," He agreed with a chuckle.

"So, how about you? Found a girlfriend while you were out almost dying? Maybe one of your team members?" She asked then, looking at the three women in his team appraisingly. Eiji just laughed at that. He'd almost seen that coming, honestly. Almost.

"He wishes," Tayuya shot back with a cackle. Temari, for her part, groaned, the smallest of blushes on her face, probably out of embarrassment. Yugito simply raised an eyebrow at Ino. "But let me tell you, Bimbo Number Three,-"

"Excuse me!"

"-there was this rather amusing thing with the Tsuchikage's granddaughter, you see," Tayuya continued undeterred.

"Oh, do tell?" Ino prodded with stars in her eyes, previous outrage already forgotten.

Eiji was just happy that his friends were being distracted from the rather grim conversation from before. Maybe it was even on purpose on the Yamanaka's part, but he wouldn't know about that. Regardless, he'd just have to do his best and enjoy the peace while it lasted.