Chapter 06, Of Farewells and Distrusts.

Year 56 since Konoha founding. Third Shinobi War, two month after Uzugakure’s destruction. Konoha-no-Kuni. Third part of Konoha’s Chunin exams.

Junko was in the arena’s public bleachers, looking at the finalists of the Konoha’s Chunin exams. A redhead was beaming with pride on the far left. Kushina Uzumaki, Uzu’s princess. Junko remembered when she left the village. Her older brother was part of her guards, as she went to Konoha. Junko was one of the few to know about the honorable Mito-ba-sama being the Kuybi-no-Yuko Jinchurikii. She knew that Kushina was destined to be the demon fox new host.

Thinking about it made her heart hurt with loss, a pain that would never go down. She really missed her brother. Jun’ichiro was one of the fifteen Uzu’s M.I.A and K.I.A messenger-nin, that tried to reach Konoha. His was a full five jonin team. All Anbus of Uzu. Right before he departed the village on this crucial mission for it’s survival, Jun’ichiro talked to his sister. She was to stay with one of his friend. Anbu too. Who would know if the mission went well or not. And help her escape if necessary.

A diversion by a group a chunin was made. Serving as bait. Jun’ichiro and his teammates survived four days outside before their demise. None of the chunins came home.

As she was brooding over that, the referee had started the first match. Kushina’s opponent, a Konoha’s kunoichi, began by throwing some kunais, as a diversion, before switching to ninjutsu. As her shadow grew on the ground, Kushina countered with her own kunais, before using a smoke bomb, obscuring the arena. She apparently made a mistake by running to her new position, her opponent being abble to listen to her footsteps. The Nara girl kept chasing the Uzumaki with her shadow, Kushina jumping around two or three times to evade, before retreating on the arena’s wall. Four kunais planted themselves around the Nara girl, less than a meter than her, each tied with an explosive fuinjutsu paper.

- Give up. Said the redhead, ready to detonate them.

The referee quickly anonced the redhead victory.

If the Nara kunoichi was pissed at herself for missing Kushina’s attack, seeing Kushina pick up some paper-tags covered by the arena’s sand grounded her mood to dust.

The smoke bomb from earlier was obviously to hide the moment she launched this kunais. But if that wasn’t enough, the rest of the fuinjutsu’s paper would have been waiting in ambush. With this Kushina was able to advence to her next match. Junko saw a shinobi standing next to the Sandaime Hokage, whispering something to him. His long black hair falling in front of his face, almost hiding his stoic face and his white eyes.

Could they have seen what happened in the smoke cloud ?

Junko wasn’t really interested in the following matches. After Kushina’s elimination in the second round, she exited the arena trying to catch her.

It took Junko a while to finally met Kushina. The young kunoichi was even suspicious of her when she tried to talk to her and Nagato. Luckily, Jiraiya was there and swiftly took everyone to his apartment. Sasori sensing his presence wasn’t needed made himself scarce, and went back home to work on a new puppet concept he though about. Kushina had shown him a fuinjutsu that could allow him to see through his puppets eyes, opening some new doors for his art.

At Jiraiya’s apartment, the sanin was siting on a chair next to his table. Some notes about his research spreads disorderly on it. Kushina and Nagato were on the big couch, facing the single place one were Junko was seated.

The mood was heavy, Junko having the most difficulties to tell what she knew. It took her almost an hour to finally talk about Uzu’s fall. Her hands holding a wooden medallion tied to a cheap string around her neck.

How she was an Uzumaki, how her brother sacrificed his life for nothing. How she lost everything and everyone of importance for her.

The sanin’s offer to help her live here was instantly shutdown by her mistrust. Konoha holding the blame for not sending reinforcements to it’s oldest allied.

Kushina and Nagato didn’t want to trust her at first. A fresh new arrival, spreading informations of distrust. Their ninja training kicked in, making them question every single one of her words. It took Jiraiya’s convincing to make them accept their long lost cousin. He had seen her dye her hair black when she went to the bath-house. 

Catching the fast-flying-gift that targeted his face sent by Kushina, as Junko stared at him with a deadpan face, the sanin didn’t let this stop his speech. He explained that he knew her brother, from a trip to Uzu. The details she told them proved who she was related to, included how she was saved by Jun’ichiro’s best friend.

Jiraiya had a dead serious face as he explained how the deaths of Uzu’s messengers pointed to a nefarious third party. In front of Nagato’s and Kushina’s furious faces, he then went along an explanation about Uzu’s strength and how skirmishes around the fire country occupied the Leaf’s attention, while it’s ally was isolated and destroyed.

Kushina was all for a witch hunt, wanting nothing more than to avenge her lost country. But her sensei advise was to lay low for now, as none of his team members was strong enough to do anything. He swore to them that he would look into it with the Hokage’s help. But that they had to act as they knew nothing of this plot.

Junko was crying by this point, her tears flowing endlessly as she looked at her brother’s picture in the medallion. This cheap memorandum was the only legacy she had of him.

Kushina’s arm went around her shoulders as she made the civilian sit between her male cousin and her, providing the only comfort she could, while Nagato was holding Junko’s hand. As they looked at Jun’ichiro’s picture, a blow a wind went from the window, making it fly aimlessly after lifting it. Junko jumped after it, afraid of loosing it, her hands trying to follow the small piece of paper. Kushina was the one to catch it, an easy task for a ninja, while Nagato picked the locket that fell on the carpet. Looking at the space previously occupied by the picture, he was surprised by what he found.

- Hime, look at that. He called Kushina.

The Uzu princess then saw a tiny fuinjutsu seal in the locket. The kind that would only need a drop of blood to unseal.

Kushina : “That’s a sealing fuinjutsu”.

Junko didn’t hear her description as her mind was all on holding her late brother precious picture that the young kunoichi gave back.

Kushina : “Junko, do you want to see what’s inside?”

Junko : “I. I’m not sure”. Her hands were shaking.

Jiraiya : “Let this matter aside for the moment. For now, what do you want to do ? Stay in the village ?” He tried again, wanting her to stay.

Junko, jumping on her feet : “NO ! … I. I mean, no.”

Jiraiya : “Where do you want to go then ? With the current war, not many places can be considered safes”.

Kushina put her arm around the young civilian to calm her down, making her sit next to her. Nagato vacating the place.

Junko : “I would like to go to the Waves country, as it’s not far from the late Uzu, and near the sea”.

Jiraiya : “I know a merchant that could help you. He’s a friend of mine and trustworthy.”

Junko : “Thank you. I, I don’t know how I could ever repay you for this favor.”

Jiraiya : “You’re my students’ family, that’s enough for me. Stay here with them tonight, they do that often that nobody would think about it. I’m going to talk to my friend and arrange for some things about what you told us”.

The sanin then left them, going straight to the bath-house, not to peep for once.

Some days later, a wooden cart was shaking slowly, pulled by an old beef, leaving by the merchant gate. As Junko left the village, holding her wood medallion preciously, her heart was tightening, thinking about the redhead kunoichi and ninja she was leaving behind. They had to say their goodbyes at the sanin apartment for fear of being seen. She really was thankful to her cousins, as she would never have known about her brother’s inheritance. Maybe in a few weeks, she would feel strong enough emotionally to unseal what he left her. A simple drop of blood would suffice.

The merchant Jiraiya-sama found for her would let her ride with him to the Wave country. Far from the war and the troubles brewing in the rest of the countries. There, she would be able to heal, slowly. And maybe, start a new life. She wanted to start anew.

As Junko bought a small house near the sea, with the money from her brother, she would one day meet a young man, refugee like her. He had left Mizu-no-kuni two years ago. The situation there wasn’t nice for civilian without a clan or noble backing. Their lives being like of slaves or cattle.

Masao was a black-smith who tried his luck here. He was well liked by the townsfolk, as his prices were fair and his work flawless.

As they kept talking as neighbors, the two progressively grew closer. Six years later, their love was blessed by their daughter's birth. A little bundle of love they named Karin.

After the rebellion succeeded in Kiri-no-kuni, and troubles started growing in Wave with a shady businessman named Gato, Junko and Masao went back to his country. There Masao kept his black-smith work, protected by the new Mizukage’s clan. Karin grew close to the Mizukage’s nephew, viewing as her role to keep him out of trouble, and make sure he obeyed his aunt and grand-aunt. As she started to train to become a ninja, her parents gave her her late uncle inheritance. The Uzumaki’s mole-invocation-contract.

But that’s a story best left for the future.