The sensation of floating was the first thing that I became aware of, though that was about it. I could not see or hear anything, and for a while, I wondered if I had died again. The past eighteen years in this world had changed me so much that I hardly recognized my past shy and timid self, but countless murders could do that to a person. If I had not adapted, I would have been eaten alive by this world, though there were times that I wondered if I could have chosen a different path; I probably would not be in this half dead state if I had.
Eventually, my eyes opened to darkness, but not emptiness. Moonlight made the silver leaves far above me shimmer, and there were mushrooms that gave off a faint, bioluminescent glow. I was floating in a hot spring of sorts with some kind of energy seeping into my body, but if the message window in front of my eyes was right, it was Nature energy.
[Unlocked: Senjustu – Rank F-]
[Senjustu: Advanced to F]
[Senjustu: Advanced to F+]
"I guess that means I'm alive," I commented weakly as I mentally dismissed the messages in front of my eyes.
There was a sudden splash beside me, and I was hoisted out of the water by my shoulders. Before I could see her face, I was smothered by a large pair of breasts as I was pulled into a back-breaking hug. Thankfully, Yang was still somehow fused with my body, so I was not crushed, but I still had to tap on her arm for her to release me and be able to breathe.
"It's a good thing that you're single, sensei, or you'd kill your lover with those giant things," I remarked.
A vein on Tsunade's forehead throbbed noticeably, and she dropped me back into the spring. Even as I sunk down in the water, her annoyed face made me laugh. There were dark circles under her bloodshot eyes, so combine that with her being here, I knew that she had been terrified that I was going to die on her.
Standing up in the waist high spring, I looked up at her and said, "Thank you for saving me, Tsunade."
The anger and annoyance in her face faded, and she picked me up by the collar then placed me on solid ground. "Honestly, I wasn't able to do too much... I don't really know how you survived, but your body's healing rate fluctuated between above normal and on par with my Byakugou Seal."
Since I was topless, I looked down at my stomach and found a new scar that was red and raw, but that was the extent of my wounds. Even my acid burns had healed without scarring, which was shocking to me. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, focusing on the new energy I felt within my body. The Yang chakra surged in my body as it combined with Natural energy, and subconsciously, it focused on healing my stomach.
"You lucky brat... you really learned Sage Mode while unconscious," Tsunade remarked.
"I don't think I would be alive if I hadn't," I sighed. "Can I borrow a shirt?"
"What happened to you?" she asked as she pulled out a storage scroll.
"I had a really bad day," I chuckled and sat down on a small boulder. "The Cloud struck two outposts while the Mist struck three and released the Six-Tails on the main camp. Choza and I scared it off, but obviously, I took some heavy damage since I fought it directly with my clones spread out across the outposts."
She handed me a shirt as she walked over and sat on another stone with a bottle of sake in her hand. "To think you've reached the level to take on a Tailed Beast."
I pulled on the shirt which was bagging on me and continued, "After waking up in the recovery ward, I found out that one of Minato's students had been kidnapped by the Mist, and all of mine were chasing after them. It turned out that the Mist got the bright idea to seal the Three-Tails inside of Rin, so I assisted my students with the rescue then properly sealed the beast inside of her since we were too late to stop the ritual. Of course, the Three-Tails didn't take kindly to being sealed away and launched a few desperate attacks, including the one I'm still carrying... but it was worth it. I saved Kurenai."
Tsunade stared at me expressionlessly for a moment before she uncorked her bottle and took a drink. "You're an idiot... and I'm proud you're my student."
I chuckled, "That's probably fair." One of Katsuyu's smaller bodies crawled up the stone next to me, so I turned to her and said, "Thank you, Lady Katsuyu. Without your assistance, I would not have survived."
"If you had learned Sage Mode when I first requested it, you would not have been so badly injured," Katsuyu replied with a bob of her head.
"She was five when you first asked me to bring her here," Tsunade complained then took another drink.
"Imagine how strong her Senjutsu would be if she had begun then... She might be able to rival Hashirama in the future."
Tsunade rolled her eyes and did not respond, taking another swig.
"How long have I been here?" I asked.
"Eight days," Katsuyu replied.
I rubbed my face to hide the fact that I pulled up my system to see which of my clones were still active. Phantom, Space, and Yang were still active which was mildly concerning to me as the buildup of memories would likely knock me out for another day. On the bright side, the clones that burned themselves out had enough time to recover, so Chrono could ferry me back to camp when I left here.
"I'm in for one terrible headache," I groaned.
"I've warned you about using those clones constantly."
"Yes, sensei," I replied half-heartedly with a smirk on my face.
"Brat," she grumbled then stood up. "Now that you're awake, I should get back to my own front. I returned once, after you stabilized, and things were quiet, but that could have changed by now."
I stood up and gave her a hug before saying, "Thank you, Tsunade. I really appreciate you being here for me."
She hugged me back as she said, "Me too, brat. Thank you for not dying on me."
"I'll do my best to keep it up," I chuckled.
"You better," Tsunade replied with a smirk then vanished in a poof of smoke.
"Lady Katsuyu, can you reverse summon one of my clones?"
"No, only you," she replied.
"Then I'll need to return to camp," I said then felt Sage Mode deactivate, so I dismissed my Yang clone as well.
A burning, searing pain radiated from my gut without circulating healing chakra through it, but it was manageable after everything else I had dealt with. Although I was sure that there were people worrying about me, I did not rush to leave Shikkotsu Forest and summoned my Yin clone. If Yang-infused Sage Mode could keep me from dying, maybe the Yin-infused form could keep my mind in one piece when I dismissed Space and Phantom. Without trying, Yin shifted immediately into Sage Mode as Natural energy resonated with her form.
"Damn... why do I figure out my cheats years later?" I complained. "All of these years... if I had just accepted the contract, I could have used this place for my personal training."
"It won't last long without meditating, but as your affinity rises, perhaps it will last longer," Yin commented as she sat down on the rock that I had been.
Looking at her, I could see the curved black lines under her eyes and a black circle line and center dot which were trademarks for Sage Mode. It seemed my hair had regrown, though I needed to trim a few patches to even it all out. My burns had fully healed, so I mostly looked like myself aside from Tsunade's shirt.
"I'll be back shortly, so store as much energy as you can," I instructed.
"You should check on your students before you return. Your injury was likely traumatic to them as well," Yin reminded.
I sighed, rubbing my short hair with frustration. I knew that she was right; I had all but died in front of them. Asuma's and Guy's invincible image of me was likely shattered while Shisui may have awakened his third tomoe, but Kurenai blaming herself is what troubled me most.
"God, I suck at this," I complained then used my chakra to disrupt breaking Katsuyu's anchor and said before I vanished, "Thank you again, Lady Katsuyu."
I was pulled through space as I was teleported back to the cavern where we had fought to rescue Rin. The stench of death had filled the cavern, making me realize that the Mist had completely abandoned this site which seemed strange, but I did not question it for now. I summoned Chrono, who placed a Flying Thunder God seal on the ground before teleporting us away.
We did not head directly to the command center, but rather, to my personal bunker underneath. Space and Phantom would have sensed Chrono adding a marker to the FTG network, so I was not surprised when Phantom and Shikaku were already waiting for me. He looked me over then gave me a tired smile when he found nothing wrong with me.
"It's good to see you, Akari," Shikaku said.
"Thanks, it's good to see you too," I replied. "How are things here?"
"It's been quiet. We rooted out most of the Mist that fled during the Six-Tails attack and reestablished Southern Outpost One."
"They really overcommitted with this assault, but who am I to complain about some good news... How's Rin?"
"Aside from being a little shaken, she seems to be adjusting well. That seal you placed on her seems powerful."
"I'm just glad it worked. It's something Minato has been working on, but obviously, he never had the chance to test it out properly," I explained. "Since things are fine here, I need to dispel Space and Phantom, but that could knock me out for a bit, and I should check on my students first."
"Yes... it's been difficult to keep your condition quiet, so I had Asuma and Guy isolated in a private room in the medical building since they are still recovering. Shisui has returned to his normal position in camp and should be sleeping currently while Kurenai has been working in the medical building. Do you want me to have them brought here?"
"No, I should go personally," I replied with a sigh. "...once I clean myself up. Chrono, take him back up."
Shikaku nodded his head as Chrono approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. After they teleported away, I pulled off Tsunade's shirt and my torn, bloody pants then tossed them aside while I walked over to the shelves where I had extra clothes tucked away.
"Shisui awakened his Mangekyo, and it isn't the Kotoamatsukami," Phantom said.
"Oh? I'm touched; I guess I mean a lot to the kid now... And Kurenai?" I asked with some hesitation as I picked out a set of clothes.
"She's been drowning herself in work at the medical building. Space said that she was really shaken after Katsuyu took you away."
"That's what I was worried about. Can you send Yuri a note and have her send Kurenai to the storage room in a few minutes? I don't want to surprise her in public."
"Yuri isn't happy with you either," Phantom noted.
"Yeah, well, I didn't almost die trying to save her, so she can wait to yell at me," I retorted, walking over to my makeshift shower.
I did not bother to heat up the water in the tank and let the cool water wash off the bits of debris from the hot spring in Shikkotsu Forest. I evened out my hair using a mirror so that I looked presentable then dressed in my usual casual attire around camp. Phantom sent the note and I teleported myself to an old seal placed in the medical storage room.
The sounds of the recovery ward drift into my ears before my eyes adjust to the dim surrounds. I turned on one of the portable lamps then leaned against the back wall as I waited. Even though I knew I was being stupid, part of me was worried about seeing her again after nearly dying in front of her. It was a lot to drop on her shoulders when it had been over a month since we last seen each other, and our promise before coming to the Mist front.
Kurenai walked in nearly ten minutes after I had arrived, staring down at a clipboard. She did not even notice me as she started checking the shelves. Much like Tsunade, exhaustion was evident on her face, and I could tell that she was running on pure stubbornness.
"Hey," I said softly.
Kurenai froze for a moment, hearing my voice, before she turned around slowly. She just stared at me, unmoving, as if she was scared that I was some hallucination.
I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. "I'm sorry about leaving you like that, but... I just wanted to protect you."
She walked towards me, placing the clipboard on a box of supplies, and stopped in front of me. She looked up at me with her ruby red eyes then leaned in and kissed me without warning. It was my turn to be frozen for a moment before I returned her kiss, cupping her cheek, as she wrapped her arms around my waist. Tears rolled down her cheeks, so I pulled back and wiped them as I rested my forehead against hers.
"I thought I lost you," she whispered. "I thought it was all my fault... that you died saving me."
"I'm sorry for scaring you," I said, stroking her cheek gently.
Kurenai seemed to realize what she had just done as a heavy blush spread across cheeks before she buried her face in my shoulder.
Chuckling, I stroked her hair as I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "This isn't really how I imagined our first kiss would be."
She groaned with embarrassment into my shoulder, but her arms squeezed me tighter.
"I thought it would be during our first date... I planned on taking you to a secluded spot in the woods where we would watch the sunset and cook dinner over a campfire. Maybe we'd lay out and look up at the stars... then, when the moment seemed right, I would kiss you softly."
Kurenai lifted her head, still blushing, but there was a smile on her face. I cupped her cheek and pulled her into another kiss. She returned it without hesitation as she pressed her body against mine, holding me close.
"I'm not officially back, but I wanted to let you know that I was okay," I said when we broke our kiss.
"Thank you, Akari... for everything."
Running my fingers along the side of her face, I replied, "I would do it all again."
She smiled at me then let me go and stepped back.
"You can let Asuma and Guy know that I'm fine, but I still need another day or two to recover before I plan on showing myself around camp. I'm going to talk to Shisui next, so you don't need to worry about him. I'll be busy for a while, catching up with everything that's happened recently, but maybe when you have some downtime, I can slip away, and we can share a meal or just spend some time together."
"I'd like that," Kurenai agreed.
I smiled as I picked up her hand and held it. "Get some rest; I've heard how hard you've been working. I'll let you know when I'm officially back."
"Okay," she replied.
I kissed her knuckles before I let her go and teleported myself away. I had hoped to have a few moments to collect myself, but I had foolishly teleported directly to Shisui's tent. Despite being asleep, he still managed to sense my arrival and was jolted awake, grabbing a kunai that was under his pillow.
"It seems your sensitivity to Space-Time has increased," I remarked.
"Sensei?"
"Hey, kiddo," I said then tousled his hair like normal.
Shisui was not an affectionate person, and he did not like it when I messed with his hair, even if he had begrudgingly learned to deal with it. This time, there was no hint of annoyance, and he even gave a small smile. I looked him over and noticed a few new scars on his hands, but otherwise, he looked completely fine.
"You look flush. Are you okay?" Shisui asked.
"Damnit," I thought to myself while I said aloud with a simple excuse, "I still need a few days to fully recover, but I wanted to let you know that I was okay. My clone told me about your Sharingan… I guess congratulations; you've got the potential to be an elite jonin once your chakra reserves catch up."
"Thank you, sensei," he replied with a neutral expression, which made me sigh.
When he awakened his second tomoe, it had troubled him for weeks because he had been too slow to save another Uchiha in the field. I could only imagine how much harder he had taken it when he thought I died. Doing my best future Itachi impression, I poked him between his brows with two fingers and clicked my tongue.
"'Thank you, sensei.' That's all you're going to say? I may not be an Uchiha, but I know how major it is to awaken the Mangekyo... and what it means."
Shisui looked down at the ground for a few moments, looking far older than his eleven years of age, then said softly, "I doubted you... I thought you had died."
I sighed and squatted down in front of him, saying, "I fully expected to die Shisui; I even thought I had for a while."
His dark eyes looked up at my face with surprise and alarm.
"If not for Lady Katsuyu, Tsunade, and my unique clones, I would not have survived; I got really lucky."
He stared at me for a few moments, and I almost thought I saw tears trying to form before he lowered his head. "When Kurenai screamed... I froze when I saw you. Thinking you had died... that there was nothing that I could have done... that I was going to be alone again."
I pulled Shisui into a hug whether he liked it or not and, after an initial freeze from the surprise, he hugged me back. "I'm sorry, Shisui," I said when we separated, "but you aren't alone, even if you had lost me. I can't speak for the Uchiha clan, but you have Rin and Kakashi, as well as Kurenai, Asuma, Guy, and Duy. Being a part of the Village means that there are a lot of people that we can rely on when we're not strong enough alone."
A lone tear had escaped and rolled down his cheek, but he wiped it away quickly like it had never been there. After a few moments, he asked, "Were you scared?"
"I didn't really have the time to be scared. I just acted on instinct when I saw Kurenai in danger," I replied with a weak chuckle.
"But... you're too important. Without you... the front falls apart."
I tousled his hair, earning a hint of annoyance from him, and stood up. "Maybe... but logic and reason are hard to remember when the people you care about are in danger. That mission was way too dangerous at your level of strength, so it was my duty to protect you all since I was the one that put you all in that situation by sending you."
"How did you know that Rin would be targeted?" Shisui asked with a look that told me he had been wondering about it for a while.
"For now..." I sighed, glancing around the empty tent but not trusting it, "let's just say it was a very strong hunch. When the war is over and we return to the Village, I'll explain more."
He furrowed his brows for a moment then nodded his head and replied, "I understand, sensei."
"Good," I said with a light smile and reached out to mess with his hair again, but he dodged this time, making me chuckle. "I'll be back officially tomorrow or the day after, but you, Shikaku, and Kurenai know that I'm okay. Listen to Shikaku while I'm resting... and be careful with those eyes of yours. No power comes without a price."
"Yes, sensei," he replied with a serious nod.