Reborn in the Mist

It wasn’t at all what I wanted but I had to leave a clone behind with Utakata. Better to have the conversation now than wait amongst all the other things I had to invest my time and attention on. I’d never get to him otherwise.

Its memories will fill me in but for now.

For now I walked beside a rather bipolar Uncle Aoto, I couldn’t guess for certain what this was about but I began to make an attempt anyway.

“Sounds like Harusame’s done something to make you happy.” He said just as my lips parted to speak.

I nodded instead, certainly pleased with Harusame’s accomplishment and while I’d love to chatter about the ingenuity of Fuuinjutsu it took with Uncle, I was far more eager to get to what was on his mind instead.

“That was quite a way to reach me there. Could’ve just—”

“Sent a Genin? Chuunin? ANBU? No, no, you’d only postpone or try to compromise during council after hours.” He gave me a pointed stare as he said this, “And you know those never work.”

I scratched my head sheepishly as the guilt ate at me. It wasn’t entirely my fault our council discussions had gotten so heavy as of late. No one was ever truly in the mood to small talk or catch up after arguing about Kumogakure, the resources I’m investing in pursuing the Masked Uchiha and the nil results it's getting, or even the numerous, yet to be addressed issues plaguing our caste system.

It soured moods as much as it did appetites and that was just scratching the surface.

Lord Funato and Lady Megumi would also rant on and on about progress, delays and other obstacles they’re facing establishing Kirigakure’s new bases on Midoriwara and Yureisen. And the energy in mediating or even just navigating the conversation around their subtle squabbles was just as draining as the valid concerns Lord Funato brought up about the Lady Hanako, the Daimyo’s sister and so-called Envoy and politically appointed Baron of the isle he was tasked with developing.

The layers of complicated discussion piled and piled among other administrative and military concerns we faced right here. But Uncle was reaching me so publicly and openly here to avoid getting through to the otherside of our tiresome council reviews then it had to be…

“Is this about—”

“Your anniversary, yes.” He cut me off once more, a frown marring my face as his pace quickened. He took me on a long, fast walk through the central district and it wasn’t long before I began to perceive and witness the signs of a setup.

The village was vibrant, colourful as the sun’s rays bathed it for what could be the longest period in its history. All around me, in ever street and on every corner were people hauling boxes of fireworks, food carts rolling in, shinobi and civilians alike throwing up flyers and posters announcing the cause for celebration.

Me. My first year as the Fourth Mizukage comes to a close. Looking back, even trying to made my head burst with memories. How far I’d come was a shock to me and surely would be a shock to the person I started this journey as. And yet…

“You’ve accomplished much more than you think, Yagura-kun.” Uncle said, his voice low and soft as he nodded at familiar faces, faces I also recognized loosely but had grown apart from in my duties. “This year…you’ve come so far as a shinobi and you have stepped into your role as a leader magnificently.” He said a bit wistfully.

I waved at the people he waved at, the ones I recognized and those I didn’t. All the same they bowed, muttered my title in some variation or the other and I returned a polite smile. They were all denizens, subjects of my authority but it didn’t take long for me to piece together the set up Uncle had sprung around me.

These are all Karatachi clansmen and women. The children too, all stepped out, flooding the Central District en masse to erect honours and praises to the upcoming celebration. I squinted at a poster with an official picture of me, Kage regalia and all drowned in the colours, glitters and promises of excitement. Among all that was a date.

Less than a week from now. A handful of days really, too soon to be true, too soon for me to process.

“I don’t need any of this, you know that right? The clan…I appreciate the gesture but—”

“But nothing.” Uncle scolded, I could hear the phantom ‘boy’ linger at the end of his bite, excluded out of a grown respect but there was no mistaking his annoyance with me. He sighed, releasing the pent up frustration my attitude and distance had surely caused, “Listen, this will be the best party, the best, largest celebration in this village and it's worth it.”

I made a doubtful sound and his large palm seized my shoulders. We stopped in the middle of the busy street, our clansmen parting around us with their busywork. Uncle Aoto held my gaze, “It will. You may be concerned with all that continues to plague us but I am worried with you. There are many developments, many things happening parallel to each other but you cannot let it overwhelm you, those Clones, they didn’t make things better did they? They couldn’t spare you the tiresome of leadership, could they?”

Obediently listening I shook my head, he was right after all. Even with the [Shadow Clone] I barely had time to address all that mattered, there was always something.

As if reading my mind, Uncle continued. “There will always be something to worry about, some ‘emergency’ or important envoy or alliance or threat or whatever!” He shook my shoulders before gesturing around, to our clansmen, to the village, “But we, we will also always be here and you can’t be selfish about your attention. This celebration isn’t just for you, it is for the village. Think what it has been through, what you have been through. Do you not both deserve this?”

My shoulders slackened and I nodded some more. I held his arm and let him feel my resignation, “I understand, Uncle, thank you. I will…make more of an effort to not be so…distracted by problems.”

His mood lightened considerably, “Good. And don’t forget, you have a promise to live up to, one I’m not letting you squirm out of keeping.”

My face contorted through a series of emotions before landing on an ajar surprise and hilarity, “You—”

“Young men…” a soft, aged voice beckoned to us.

“Nana-chan, please.” a beautiful young lady yelled, quickly handling her aged and back bent grandmother.

“Hahah, young man? Me?” Uncle laughed, dusting his robes as he straightened up, “You’re quite the looker yourself, Nana-chan.”

The old lady wore a dress embezzled with the Karatachi insignia and so did her rather pretty granddaughter, her’s was a fine, flowered yellow kimono. She avoided my eyes but not successfully, I squinted at her and Uncle suspiciously before she broke and said, “I’m sorry, Mizukage-sama, she just wanted to—”

Nana-chan snatched my hand with speeds I could hardly follow and pressed a pair of caramel candies in them, “For you, pretty boy.” She smacked my cheek, affectionately pinching them before wobbling away.

Her daughter bowed about five times, profusely spilling apologies before running to catch her wandering grandma. Uncle and I stared at the two and then shared a bewildered look, both of us had a pair of candies stuffed in our hands.

We burst out laughing.

***

Uncle and I carried on our walk well into the evening. At a civilian pace it took an hour or so before we began to approach the Mizukage Estate— my home. The caramel candies lasted all of ten minutes each before we wished for more, and Uncle promised he’d find the ‘beautiful young lady’ and her silly child.

“Grand child.” I corrected, a bit uselessly. “I thought you were trying to set me up again, you know, with the granddaughter.”

Uncle was silent for a moment, his hands behind his back and a look of deep thought crossed his face before he spoke, “No.”

I couldn’t help but raise a brow at the simple denial, suspicion grew all the more at the back of my mind. What else are you up to?

He distracted himself with the hedges of flowers grown around the estate walls as we approached the entrance. He muttered softly, “You haven’t been sleeping much, have you?”

I winced. That was not what I was expecting. “I sleep in the Tower, there are more than enough comfortable rooms to choose from and sometimes I decide to sleep in a different one. I sleep.” I said, a bit too defensively.

He snorted, “Your ANBU guards aren’t as tight lipped as you think, Yagura-kun.” I scowled, the promise to switch them out for more loyal shinobi on my lips. “They care about you.” he continued simply, killing the thought just as it formed.

“I’ll be honest, I have thought of…setting you up with one or two trustworthy girls. No, no one raunchy, only the best virgins for you.” I tried not to gag as that even sounded worse, “But…I’ve decided against it time and time because…because…”

He stopped, just as the gates came into view and set a look on me. The kind that afforded no lies or half-truths, “Have you been avoiding sleeping at the Estate because of Junichi?”

Again, that was not what I expected to come out of his mouth. My lips pursed with a resurrected anguish and loss I thought I’d since worked through but no…I’d merely buried it underneath sleepless nights, compounding memories of clones and the anxiety of a war.

“Maybe. He was always there when I woke up and…waking up there without him…” I snorted, kicked a pebbled down the street. “It’s already difficult enough not calling Mangetsu by his name.”

He nodded, “I understand and…while I can’t be the one to help you overcome this new grief, I trust that you will, just as you have others.”

Uncle didn’t need to say it, his eyes spoke it all— the 3rd Shinobi War, my Academy graduation, those first missions as a Chuunin and nearly every month as an ANBU operative.

I exhaled them away and he nodded approvingly before snatching me in a bear hug. I felt my muscles resist but then his enveloping warmth, the permission he gave me to be so…weak.

“Thank you, Uncle.” I said as we pulled apart.

His measured smile began to blossom into a grin as we walked towards the Estate entrance, the ceremonial guards already tensed and ready to greet. “Don’t thank me yet, Yagura-kun, there’s one last thing.”

I blinked. “Huh? Wha—”

As though on practiced cue, out came the redhead woman I’d worried and more or less avoided speaking to. She wore plain civilian clothes, her fingers tangled nervously in front of her as her red lips parted, “Yagura, hey.”

“Mei, what are you…”

Uncle leaned over, “She’s the other reason I haven’t set you up yet, Yagura-kun, I’ve been paying close attention.” He gave my shoulder two strong, encouraging squeezes, “Get over whatever this is and seal the deal or give it up. No more dilly dallying. Goodluck.”

Before I could respond or even look away from Mei, Uncle Aoto vanished in a [ShunShin] a puff of mist all that was left in his wake.

Mei smiled awkwardly at me, “I think we should talk, right?”

Right…we should.