Regret. It burned in the pit of his stomach when he saw her. One of the young Subterra agents that he had been in charge of had just stumbled through his door and collapsed. Tomoko had come in, panting from shock, her fringe matted against her face, she had clutched the wound in her gut while blood coursed freely from the wound. Now she lay helpless before him, out cold in a pool of her own warm red life essence. It felt like the air had been sucked out of Fukai's lungs. This was his fault, she was his responsibility. He had to do something.

Fukai plucked her little body from the floor and ran out the door. Where would he go? He couldn't just take her to the hospital, but she needed immediate medical attention all the same. His mind was a mess, he had not been prepared for the shock of finding one of his young charges in such a miserable state. He scooted to a stop, head twitching from side to side frantically trying to come up with something. Then he remembered an old friend. Harichimo's family ran a clinic, there was a chance that they could help him out discretely. Fukai flowed chakra through his scarf, animating it. The long ribbon coiled gently around the girl's body and lifted her into the air above him. The red scarf bandaged her wound and pressured it, slowing the flow of blood. Next he opened his pores and called some fuuton chakra to surround himself and lift himself off the ground, levitating. Then he called upon the chakra to form a veil around him, diffracting the light so as to hide himself from onlookers. lastly, he willed himself forward, taking off and accelerating through the streets. He flew past people and structures, weaving through the maze of streets towards the other side of town. His own body could withstand the g-forces at each turn, and the scarf suspension acted to protect the wounded agent. 

This had happened because of a task that he had issued. Fukai had asked Tomoko to spy on a particular ANBU agent that he was currently investigating. Fukai was starting to draw attention and it was getting difficult to make moves without others taking notice. He had hoped that the girl could tail the target and report back to him unnoticed. He could see now that it had been a foolish move. The Subterra agents had been trained in stealth by Gi himself and they were a talented bunch. Fukai had grown confident in their abilities and had continually raised the level of responsibility that they each held. Regardless, they were still nowhere near ready to take on a seasoned Crimson Elite member, lacking the experience and finesse required to out-spy a spy. Of course they had never refused his wishes, they would never speak against him. She had trusted Fukai and he had let her down. Thankfully for her sake, she had been able to make it to him in time. Maybe the injury she had been inflicted with had been a warning, maybe she had escaped and attack with her life. It didn't matter now. He should have never involved her in his own affairs.

Fukai had arrived in front of the clinic and he released his fuuton jutsus. He would enter the clinic and call for help, the girl still wrapped up in his scarf, now lay suspended in it. She looked like she had taken a nap in a red hammock, but really she was close to death.

[604]

The Kazako clinic was enjoying a quiet day with very few high priority patients needing any assistance. Harichimo had been tucked away in his new room getting everything set up. Now that he was the highest ranking Kazako of the village and a member of the Six Monoliths, the elders had decided he was ready to take over his own room to do with as he pleased. Normally the clinic would only assist with minor injuries and common illnesses, normal things that would not require intensive medical care. But now they had a shinobi in Harichimo that could heal more serious injuries. The pristine wooden walls matched the rest of the rooms but they had given him a huge bed in the middle of it so he could perform the necessary procedures. Harichimo was now organizing and putting away all the supplies he had ordered up. Making sure everything would be within arms reach if he needed certain tools. But he had confidence in his abilities that he would not need them. He really liked how the bed faced out into the central garden. It had a perfect view of the koi pond and felt it would be a perfect place for the recovering patients.

He had finished putting away the last of hi tools when he heard shouting from down the halls. He thought he knew who was making the racket and would quickly open the door of his room and head towards the main area. He saw a crowd begin to form around someone with his mother and and elder at the front of the group. He tried to see above the group and made out the distinct white color of hair. His heart jumped a bit as he thought Fukai was running in himself with some sort of major injury or something had happened to Karumo. He was able to push through the crowd and joined his mother's side to see Fukai standing there with a girl wrapped in his scarf. She looked as if she had been in a very bad exchange and was clinging for life. Without even a greeting Harichimo turned back to the crowd and motioned for them to open a path. "Everyone move aside I know these two let them follow me. Mother go and grab some towels and I will help someone clean this up later. Fukai please come along to my operating room I don't know how much time we have." Harichimo would motion and lead the way for Fukai and the girl. He didn't have the time for pleasantries and greetings when someone is brought to his door step in these conditions.

They would head down the hall and reach the open door as Harichimo would motion for Fukai to enter first and he would close the door behind them. "Set her down on the bed. What can you tell me Fukai? Harichimo would ask as he would start to wash his hands and prepare for what was his first major operation. As Fukai would speak Harichimo would make sure to walk over and close the blinds looking out to the garden as to keep out wandering eyes.

538/538

There was not much time, every second was precious. Each heart beat would be pushing more blood out of her body. It was the ebbing of life that came from a mortal wound. Tomoko had gone into shock a while ago, her little body making small shivers. Fukai had rounded the corner into Hari's neighbourhood, carrying the small girl with his scarf jutsu. As he had approached the clinic, a small herd of people had gathered by his side, sticking their noses into the situation. It was an annoying obstruction, the way that they crowded around him and started asking him things. All he wanted to do was find Harichimo as quickly as possible. He had started asking where he was just before his friend had appeared.


"Everyone move aside I know these two let them follow me. Mother go and grab some towels and I will help someone clean this up later. Fukai please come along to my operating room I don't know how much time we have."
Relief. His heart settled down a little when his friend had come into view. His words had rung out through the crowd of people, taking command of the situation. They listened to him, the men and women dispersed from Fukai. Hari had taken control of the situation in a surprisingly effective manner. Even though Hari was still a young man, he seemed to have a large sway amongst his own people. Fukai didn’t know why he had been surprised, after all Harichimo was a special jounin now, a rank achieved by very few. One that assumed the responsibilities of elite shinobi when they are needed. And even more impressive, he had been accepted into the Monoliths, Iwagakures’ most prestigious ANBU division. To join the monoliths was almost like becoming an instant hero, the status and recognition received were of the highest order. Even in distant lands, the name and the record of the Monoliths were well known as being one of the strongest, if not the strongest taijutsu group in the land. For an old clan like the Kazako, having one of their own in the Monoliths would be a great honour. It made sense that Harichimos’ words now had a lot of weight. Fukai had heard the news of his friend’s success but with all that had been going on in his own life, he had not bothered to take the time out to congratulate him. He regretted that now. Hopefully Hari would understand that Fukai had a lot on his plate.


Fukai followed Hari down the hall, feeling a little better now that someone else could take control of the situation. He did as he was told and lowered Tomoko onto the bed. The long snakey animated scarf uncoiled from her. He still left the wound pressurised with one strand, and Fukai would lift it when he was told to. Harichimo walked over to the window and close the blinds. Fukai was thankful for the discretion. "Set her down on the bed. What can you tell me Fukai?” Hearing his friend, he would step away to allow access to her. He stared at her while he talked.
“I wasn’t there. But it looks like a deep wound in the gut. Some sort of piercing. It.. was not an accident but an attack.” When Harichimo would go in to look at the wound, Fukai would peer over his shoulder. “Will you be able to help her?”

[588] /1112
1112/1000 med ninjutsu learned off of Harichimo
112 remaining

After he had closed the blinds he would get in between the girl and Fukai as he looked to inspect the wound. He would gently place a hand over it and he would already see what Fukai was talking about. it was deep and seemed to hit some vital organs so he would need to start and act fast. He heard Fukai ask if he was going to be able to do anything and could feel the presence of him tower over him even though he was only a couple inches taller. "Yeah but it is going to be dicey. When I say so I want you to move your scarf and I am going to be put her under before I get to work. Once i put her under her body will begin to heal but if she has lost a lot of blood then I will need to jump start the healing.

This was going to need some higher level techniques to pull off but Harichimo felt he could handle it as he held his hands together and focused to bring forth the green glow of his medical chakra. His hands would glow bright green and he would place one hand on the chest of the girl and one on the wound across her abdomen. With focus he would activate the peaceful stasis palm technique that he had learned from the ANBU. Harichimo would look over to Fukai and nod. "Okay you can let go the wound will still bleed a little but the technique will close the exterior of the wound. But now I have to go deeper and fix her on the inside." Her breathing would become noticeably slower as she entered the deep state of sleep and since he had activated his medical chakra he would lift his hand from the wound and the green chakra was already hard at work except for the fact that it would not reach deep enough to fix the wound. he would bring his hands together once again ans the same bright green chakra would come forth. He would place both hands on top of the wound and start to focus. He would have to make sure and keep concentrated for the whole duration of the jutsu to guarantee the technique would not miss a vessel or organ. As he started to work at the wound he would look over to Fukai with a small grin to try and keep him calm and keep confidence that everything was going to be fine. "You brought her to the right place Fukai. Just in time to. With how deep this wound seems everything could have been much worse if the attacker had any sort of aim. It is going to take a bit so keep talking with me for a bit. So why bring her here Fukai? Doesn't the ANBU division have some medical staff on hand?" Harichimo would ask in good sport understanding if Fukai needed to hold back details. Small talk was a doctor's best tool to keep patients and their loved ones clam during rough patches. This was no different even with Harichimo having the active techniques at work.

542/1080

Activated techniques

Chakra 210/250:

So this is what it was like to be in charge of people. To be the leader. To have humans that looked to you to guide their actions. It was something that Fukai was not used to in the slightest. He had always been self centered, rarely ever putting any real energy into something that did not concern himself, unless it was a mission set by the state. But here he was, fretting over someones safety like he hadn't ever done before. Fukai had wanted the sort of power that he was beginning to gain, the sort of authority that could actually make a difference and affect a bigger picture. But was this the real face of responsibility? He had been looking for the ability to extend his reach, but this was something that had already begun to hamper him. Look at him, running around after a little girl, trying to get her patched up after a mishap. Was this really what he had bought into when he had taken on the top job at Subterra? In many other situations he had faced, Fukai had come to terms with the strength that his position had offered him, but now he was starting to see another side of it. Just as good decisions would offer great outcomes, if he should mess up, the mess would be on a larger scale. A scale that would affect everyone involved. He would have to learn from the mistake that he had made here, or there would be many more that would end up hurt. And maybe next time he would not have Harichimo to bail him out.

Hari took control of the situation, tending to the wounded little body. He had put the peaceful stasis palm technique into use, one of the jutsu that ANBU field operatives put into use when needed. This jutsu was about putting someone into a state where their condition could not deteriorate. It allowed someone who was mortally injured to live on past the time where they would have died. This made them able to be transported or operated on from there. In a world of danger such as this one, having this particular string on your bow was a great tool for your comrades. Fukai would allow Harichimo access, unravelling the scarf from her body and releasing the compression. He watched on in awe as the technique had been applied perfectly, Hari's refined medical chakra flowing over the wounds and not just holding them in place, but beginning to stitch them together slowly. He was reminded again of how far his friend had come as well. It hadn't been that long since Hari had joined the ANBU, and yet he had mastered the jutsu to this extent. He then said that he would 'go deeper and fix her on the inside'. Harichimo brought his hands together and leaned over the body. He looked like he was focussing hard, putting his whole focus onto the task in front of him.

After a small time of tension, Harichimo looked up at Fukai. He had a small smile and was reassuring him. Fukai's heart settled a little, as he recognised that his friend had it all under control. Phew. It was a weight off of his shoulders. It looked like the life and death situation had been averted. "...So why bring her here Fukai? Doesn't the ANBU division have some medical staff on hand?" Fukai would slowly turn away from the doctor and patient. The second priority of Fukai's was to cover up and keep people from knowing what he was doing. This was to protect not only himself and his mission, but to also protect all the people that worked underneath him. This was of such importance that he had not gone to the hospital, instead coming to Harichimo. Fukai wasn't sure if he could tell his friend. But then again, could he really deny telling him after what he had done to help him?

"I... am working on a confidential mission within the village. It is extremely important that any information about it does not leak out. This girl works for me. We couldn't go to the hospital as it would prove that her actions are linked back to me." He had already put that info into great risk as there was a good chance that she had been followed back to Fukai or that he had been seen on the way to Harichimo's. "Thank you for your help.." He was on the verge of talking but he was unsure of what to say. "Is there anything I can do to assist?"

[782] /1894

Harichimo would continue to focus and work away at the wound as his question made Fukai turn away and seem to think about how he wanted to approach the situation. His small talk was hopefully getting his mind away from the task at hand. While he continued the treatment Fukai would go on to explain to the intricate details he felt that he could share. His relation to the girl and the reasons at hand. It was a good idea to come to the clinic since the Kazako were known for keeping their noses clean from the village affairs. Hopefully that would be enough to throw suspicion off of their trail. And Fukai wouldn't have to worry about any of this leaving the clinic since it was mostly small amounts of staff here, reducing the risks. After his explanation Fukai would ask if he could assist in any way.

Harichimo would look up to Fukai before speaking. "Unfortunately not Fukai. You have already done well enough for her by getting her here just in the nick of time. The jutsus are doing their work and she is starting to stabilize. Once the wound is fully healed the stasis palm will begin to wear off and some color should return to her. I would say a couple more minutes and the wound should be all healed. Then I recommend letting her body wake up on its own." Harichimo would duck his head and rub way some of his sweat that was starting to form on his forehead on his arm bandages. The only downside of the room was the heat building up when the window to the central garden was closed and prevented circulation. But it was a much better upgrade compared to the other rooms of the clinic. After he got the accumulated sweat off of his brow he would look back up he would continue to speak. "If you would like Fukai you can take a seat and try to relax now that You have some knowledge she is going to make a full recovery. You derserve a chance to sit down and breathe. Otherwise if you want a more peaceful scene you can look out into the central garden and enjoy the fish pond or flower patches. She is much more stable and I am sure you looking out would prevent curious eyes from looking in." Harichimo would give a small chuckle to his own remark as he returned to the work at hand. It was a nicer alternative to offer with an open central garden that patients seem to enjoy to look at when they are recovering or it gives the family of patients something to look at rather then the dull clinic walls.

Harichimo would continue to focus as Fukai made a choice. It would only take a few minutes for Harichimo to finish up and take his hands off of the fresh wound. The two jutsu had done their jobs and fixed all the tissue and organ damage the girl had sustained. He let out a deep breath as he let the green auras fade away. His first real life threatening scenario had been averted and he felt a great deal of reassurance wash over him. He would go over to wash his hands of the blood that had accumulated on his palms. "Alright we are all done here. How about we actually head outside and let her finish her recovery at her body's own pace?"

583/1663

Fukai seemed content with the idea of heading out into the central garden. So Harichimo would let the silver haired man out first before locking the door behind him and leading the way back through the hallway they had come from. It had been almost thirty minutes and Harichimo would just shake his head at the amount of time that had flown by in the heat of the moments. They would reach the main lobby where Harichimo would see his mother and brother were already done cleaning up the small pool of blood that had once been there. " While I appreciate you two doing that I thought I said I was going to get that. Anyway we are done in there, the patient should be waking up within the hour so just escort her out to the garden or come get us, thank you both." The pair would walk down a smaller hallway with a screen door that would lead to the garden. Harichimo would let Fukai through first before taking him over to a larger tree that marked the center of the garden and would put them out of ear shot from prying ones. Harichimo would put one hand up against the decent sized tree that would bloom with cherry blossoms during the seasons and had always been there for as long as he could remember. It was a chore to clean out the garden of the fallen pink leaves but it made the place look so much better and remind him of the clinic's mission and importance to the village.

As they stood there Fukai would ask his question about the clan treaty. Something Harichimo had not even thought about since him and Fukai had last spoke. Hrichimo had told the elders almost immediatly after speaking with Fukai but that seemed to start a spiral of events that sent him on a ride and all he could do was sit and wait for it to end. It seemed like the best time to express his displeasures with what was at hand with his clan to Fukai. Harichimo would breath in the air and let out a sigh of doubt before he would speak. " It is a long list of events so please bear with as I might start to babble about unimportant things. Not to late after I last spoke with you I reported what I knew to the elders. And to this day I have yet to hear from them and if we are taking any action or just waiting for the day where something will arise that concerns the elders. So I am taking it as they don't see the Fantomusado as an issue or that they haven't even asked for an audience to discuss a full treaty." Harichimo would grab a pebble off the ground and walk over to the coy fish pond. He would throw the stone across and watch it skip to the other side before he would continue to speak. "If I may be honest Fukai. I really believe they gave me that operating room and more pull around here to keep me quiet and happy to forget. Why not? Now that my branch has an actual shinobi and one of high rank. Why not just give him stuff to make him feel special and not question the inner workings of the elder courts? I still haven't even received information about Akira-sensei and his relation to them either." He looked to grab another pebble and launched it clear with only one skip in the middle. He had to make sure to breathe again as he felt a little bit of scorn towards the elders. Even the garden was not helping as he began to feel as thought the elders had their own agenda and scorn against him.

"I feel like I should do a lot more. But I have always been told that the elders will take care of this and they will take care of that. But ever since I returned from the Sunagakure desert they seemed to just cast me aside. Then here I am becoming a special jounin and now I get that new room so I can be more of a help. All these political and power games. I am beginning to tire of them. You understand how I feel don't you Fukai?" Harichimo would turn back around and lean against the central tree as he would let Fukai give his thoughts on the situation at hand.

755/2418

Harichimo offered the doorway to Fukai, which he took, waiting on the other side for his friend to follow through so that he would take the lead. They were going to leave the girl resting on the bed, let her drift in her sleep until her body adjusted to the healing jutsu. As they left, Fukai’s eyes darted this way and that while his head stayed still. He couldn’t see or hear anything out of the usual. He was hoping that he hadn’t been followed by anyone. Not that it would be easy enough to pick them out if they were concealed, but Fukai’s paranoia wouldn’t let the idea that they were getting spied on go to rest.


He followed Hari out to the entrance room where they met a woman and a boy, mopping up the blood that had been spilled on their floor. Harichimo conversed with them shortly before walking past. Fukai quickly whispered a thank you to them and followed through. Down a corridor and out into a garden. There Hari responded to his previous question.


“...So I am taking it as they don't see the Fantomusado as an issue...”
This was a good sign. Maybe there wouldn’t be too much of a problem if there hadn’t been any noise and fuss. It sounded like Harichimo would know whether any significant problem had arisen or not. Maybe it would be best for all of them if Fukai didn’t make a scene and instead just let things be. Or maybe that’s just what he wanted to hear. After what had transpired today, he would be careful not to shirk any further responsibilities that had been entrusted to him. As he had learned the hard way, there were people that relied on him to make the right decisions and act upon them appropriately. Fukai continued to listen, watching the disc shape stone fly from splash to splash until it clattered onto the stone on the opposite side of the pond.


“...I really believe they gave me that operating room and more pull around here to keep me quiet and happy to forget…”
Keep him quiet? Did Harichimo have some sort of problem with the leaders of his clan? He had even mentioned the previous kage. Fukai didn’t know anything about what was going on here but it sounded like it was really important to his friend.


“I feel like I should do a lot more…”
Fukai nodded, his eyes flicking back over to the young man beside him. What he said next resonated with him. The weight of responsibility, the heaviest burden one could bear was the self expectation to contribute and achieve. The worst kind of feeling was the self doubt that accompanied it, the feeling that no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to make a big enough impact. It's not a great feeling, nor is it helpful in the slightest.


"All these political and power games. I am beginning to tire of them."
Ahh yes, the self preservational action of the autocracy. The ever vigilant scurrying of the people on top to stay on top. Maybe it wasn't like that, but to Fukai's cynical mind, that's exactly what it sounded like. Upon hearing Harichimo say those words, he began to really see how far Hari's problem may go. Like an inpenetrable glass ceiling, he wasn't able to break into the governing group, and he felt helpless. It sounded a lot like Fukai's own problems. It was like playing a sick game, where you were made to run through a rat race, only to find you were right where you started at the end. Of course, those with the power made the track, and made sure they were standing over the maze, manipulating it as they saw fit so that they were untouchable.


"I do understand, all too well." Looked at Harichimo sideways, who was now leaning against the tree's trunk. He thought for a second to make sure that he was using the right phrasing. "It's a tricky situation. You want to do your part, but you can't participate with things how they are. You don't want to rock the boat, but there may not be any other way to get things how you want them." Fukai took in a deep inhale of crisp air and shifted his weight, now looking out over the pond again. "I guess, at some point, you will have to make a decision. Are you going to be passive and let your elders run the show? Or are you going to do something about it? And if you are, what are you going to do?" He didn't know how Harichimo planned to deal with this situation, but from his own experience, the choice seemed pretty clear to Fukai. "Whichever you choose, you'll have my support."


[832] /3343

As he stood there leaning against the tree he would listen to Fukai as he spoke the woods. He understood what he was going through all to well. Harichimo had no real idea of what he would have to or what he really thought he needed to do. But it was nice to know if the push ever came to shove, that he would have probably the strongest shinobi across from Karumo behind him if the time came. He would let his arm drop before looking back to see Fukai's dark purple eyes which seemed to dull in sympathy as much as his white hair had seemed to. Harichimo would walk up to Fukai and put a hand on his shoulder with a grin. "Thank you friend. It does mean a lot to know I will have the allies when times come. But for now I have no intentions of making waves or disrupting the natural balance. I need much more experience and training in order to reach the level I feel would be right for the job." In his mind, Harichimo needed to to be the strongest he possibly could before even thinking to under take any grand schemes of his own. He wasn't the power player that Fukai or Karumo could be. And he wasn't the political mastermind like his sensei. He would hate to make life harder for his family in the Kazako hierarchy without being able to carry them through it.  All of this he knew and he had to make sure to create more of a presence for himself before he makes the first move in his own game of power chess.

Harichimo would take his arm away from Fukai and walk over to a close flower patch that was blooming with lilies. His mother had become adept at planting the beautiful plants around the inner gardens, and on days like this they showed Harichimo just the kind of sights patients notice from their beds whenever they look outside. He would take a deep breath and bring himself back down to earth and squat down. He would look back to his room's window where the blinds were still shut and he would speak again. "If I had to guess by now she will start to stir as her body's systems all turn back on from being in stasis. Then the waking up in a strange room with a fully healed wound. So what is next for you Fukai. I haven't heard news of you around the place which is probably for the better isn't it?" Harichimo would chuckle to himself as he stood back upright and would wait to see what Fukai would have to say. He knew if it was that sensitive of information then Fukai would either pass the question or give a false answer to satisfy his questioning. Harichimo himself still had yet to receive or undertake any sort of Anbu tasks but was happy to fill the Monoliths roles as a niche Anbu squad that the people of the village could look up to instead of admire from the shadows.

526//2944

Harichimo would thank him for his intention of support. But from what he said next, it seemed like he would not need it. Not yet, anyways. Harichimo did not want to make any moves, and instead he wanted to make sure he was fully confident and prepared for what those actions would bring. It was wisdom if Fukai had ever heard it, but it was a line of thinking that also opposed Fukai's current path. Fukai at times felt extremely out of his depth, having no doubt that he was in over his head and under prepared. He was intentionally gambling with risky decisions in risky situations time after time. He had been lucky so far, he had to admit.

Thinking about this difference, it really emphasised just how different Fukai's and Hari's situations were. Harichimo felt the responsibility of his family and clan. A mess up for him would probably not only affect himself, but also ripple through on all of those that relied on him. Taking the safe path was no doubt about protecting them just as much as it was about not getting himself into trouble. Fukai on the other hand, didn't have anyone close that really relied on him. There was Karumo, but he was a big boy and could look after himself.. most of the time. There was the Fantomusodo clan, but he had detatched himself from that already. There were the many citizens of Iwagakure, but their names and faces blended together, their needs not personal enough for Fukai to make a meaningful connection. There wasn't anything stopping Fukai from playing his hand how he wanted, after all, he was only risking his own health.

No. That wasn't right. That wasn't right at all. Maybe a year ago that would have been the case. But now... Things had changed so much. The little girl lying in the room back there was evidence of that. That sort of self serving and egotistical thinking is what had lead to her being hurt in the first place. The mantle that he was assuming had a whole new meaning to it. He couldn't afford to think like that any more. He couldn't afford to keep acting the way he did.

"If I had to guess by now she will start to stir as her body's systems all turn back on from being in stasis. Then the waking up in a strange room with a fully healed wound. So what is next for you Fukai. I haven't heard news of you around the place which is probably for the better isn't it?"

Fukai looked back in the direction of the operating room. According to Hari, she would be all better soon. What indeed was next on the agenda? Fukai hummed in agreement with Hari's last question. "Mmm. Well, what is next for me, I'm not sure exactly where to go, after today's event I will need to reconsider my approach. I can't afford  to be this reckless anymore. You should know that right now in this village, Karumo has not been well received by some of the village. My work right now is all to try to secure our place. I'll be making enemies. That means you may be implicated by association with us." Fukai began to back away from the garden, smiling at Hari. "Keep safe, and goodluck for the future. Oh and I still owe you one." Fukai would not forget the kindness that the young monolith had shown him. He hoped that for all of their sakes that this mess would work out in the end.

After saying goodbye to Harichimo, he would go back to the room to find Tomoko waking up in a daze. Fukai would bend down close to her and see her eyes light up in recognition of her leader. She was safe and healthy. At the end of the day, that is what mattered most.

[671] /4014
~exit~

Harichimo would stand and nod as Fukai told him what he could. Talks of a new approach to whatever work he was up to. He made the comment towards the few who didn't approve of Karumo's sudden rise to the title of Tsuchikage. He had heard some whispers around from elders commenting about their loss of importance even with the false Kazako in charge. Fukai would continue on and warn Harichimo of the possible outcomes from helping him, but none of that mattered as he was never one to turn away people who needed him. What kind of medical shinobi would he be if threats stopped him from accomplishing even the riskiest of procedures? Fukai would then take his leave and wish the best. Harichimo would wave goodbye as his friend left the central gardens and think to himself. You to Fukai. And you shouldn't need to worry about me. I feel as strong as ever and I will become as strong as you and Karumo one day. Then once this mess with the unapproving are over then the new mess of the elders and the council can get under way.

Harichimo would look away one more time at the flowers as they seemed to almost perk up at his deeds this day. He would admire then for a bit before walking back into the main lobby and catching his mother as she had just finished cleaning up. "So what was all that about Hari?" Harichimo would just smile and shake his head before he spoke. "Nothing to important mother. Just catching up with a friend and helping a friend of his. Can't have to many friends in a time like this right?" His mother would smile and give him a pat on the shoulder as she would take the towels to be washed. As she walked away he caught the glimpse of an elder member giving him a weird look. Now what would he have to be all worked up about? Harichimo would pay no more mind to it as he walked back to the operating room.

The pair seemed to have disappeared quickly as when he entered no one was in their. He would grab the linen that the girl had been laying on and fold it for it to be cleaned later. He would open the blinds back up to let the light from outside flood back into the room. Harichimo looked out to the garden as he began to run through the conversation he had with Fukai over and over again in his mind as he soon began to question himself. Am I really going to be ready when the time comes? Will I be able to get as strong as I think I need to be in order to protect my family and the village? How far will this new conflict have to go before it will be resolved?

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