Two years have changed a lot of things.
The Hokage's office felt smaller than I remembered. Maybe it was because there were more of us standing inside it now. Maybe it was because the world outside the window felt bigger.
Kakashi stood near the desk, arms folded, looking over the room.
Han stood beside me. He wore a Leaf jonin vest now, the metal plates shaped to fit around the vents in his armor. Steam drifted from him in slow, calm breaths. He could release two of Kokuo's tails without losing himself. He had earned his place here.
Shisui leaned casually against the wall with his usual half-smile. His headband sat tilted over his missing eye. I had marked him with Flying Raijin months ago, but seeing the cloth covering the place where his eye used to be still made something twist in my chest.
Itachi stood beside him, quiet and unreadable. He looked healthier than he had in years. Tsunade had caught the illness early. He never said it out loud, but I knew he was grateful
Guy stood with his arms crossed, radiating energy even when he wasn't moving. Asuma rested near the window, cigarette between his fingers. Shikamaru looked like he had already decided this meeting was a drag.
I leaned against the wall beside the window.
I was fifteen now. A jonin. Monkey Sage Mode had become second nature. I could use Flying Raijin without thinking. Chidori, Kirin, and my water-lightning dragon technique, Ryu, were all stable.
Kakashi cleared his throat.
He looked at all of us. "Thank you for coming."
Shikamaru sighed. "We were already here."
Guy clapped him on the back. "Youth should not complain."
Shikamaru nearly fell forward. "I am too tired for this."
I hid a smirk.
Kakashi tapped a map spread across the desk. Red markers dotted the borders of every major nation.
"The Akatsuki have been quiet," he said. "Too quiet."
Itachi stepped forward. "Their movements have decreased, but not stopped. They are watching. Waiting."
Shisui nodded. "Every village has increased security. Some are cooperating. Most are not."
Asuma exhaled smoke through his nose. "Everyone thinks they can handle the threat alone."
Kakashi's eye narrowed. "And that arrogance is exactly what the Akatsuki want."
Han spoke for the first time. "Have they captured anyone else?"
Kakashi shook his head. "No. Not in two years. They have attempted, but every village has been on high alert since the Six and Seven Tails were taken."
Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck.
"So basically they're still out there," he said. "Just quieter."
"Yes."
Han's voice was low.
"They will come again."
Kakashi spread several reports across the desk.
"We've had confirmed sightings of most of their members within the last few months," he said.
"Kisame. Zabuza. Konan. Deidara. Sasori. Kakuzu. Hidan."
Asuma glanced down at the reports.
"And Pain?"
"Still unseen," Kakashi said.
That didn't surprise me.
Nagato liked working through shadows.
Shikamaru looked over the papers.
"You said most," he said.
Kakashi nodded slightly.
"One member hasn't been confirmed anywhere."
The room went quiet.
"Orochimaru has not been sighted once in two years," Kakashi said.
Guy frowned. "Not even once? Did he abandon the organization?"
"That's the rumor," Kakashi said.
Shisui's expression sharpened slightly.
"Rumors usually come from somewhere."
"True," Kakashi replied. "But we have no confirmed sightings in two years."
Shikamaru sighed.
"So either he's hiding, or he's dead."
Asuma took a slow drag from his cigarette.
"Orochimaru doesn't die that easily."
Kakashi continued. "Every other member has been seen at least once. Even if only briefly, even Pain. But Orochimaru has vanished."
Itachi's eyes narrowed. "That is concerning."
Shisui nodded. "He does not disappear without purpose."
Kakashi continued. "We cannot assume he is inactive. We prepare for the worst."
Across the room, Han shifted slightly.
"Kakuzu and his partner Hidan have been active," he said.
I glanced at Kakashi.
"Sightings?"
"Several."
Shikamaru frowned. "Strange."
"Why?" Kakashi asked.
"Reports say he's been quieter than before."
Asuma smirked faintly.
"Maybe someone finally told him to shut up."
The room relaxed slightly.
Quiet. That didn't sound like the Hidan I remembered. Hidan didn't do quiet. Something about that bothered me more than it should have.
Kakashi rolled out a second map, this one showing the eastern coastline.
"There is another issue," he said. "The Three Tails has reformed."
The room shifted. Everyone focused.
He moved one of the markers toward the coastline between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.
Kakashi said. "After the death of the Fourth Mizukage, the Three Tails dispersed."
Han crossed his arms.
"And now it is reforming."
Kakashi nodded.
"Reports confirm Isobu has begun manifesting again in the waters between our territory and the Hidden Mist."
Guy leaned forward, eyes lighting up.
"A tailed beast without a host."
"If the Akatsuki reaches it first," Kakashi said, "they will capture it."
I wouldn't let that happen.
He looked at three of us.
"Menma. Shisui. Guy."
I stepped forward. "I will try to reason with Isobu first. If he is coherent, he may come willingly."
Han looked at me.
"You believe it will listen?"
"I don't know," I said honestly. "But it deserves the chance."
"And if he is not?" Itachi asked quietly.
"Then we subdue him quickly," I said. "Shisui can stabilize his mind with genjutsu. Guy and I are fast enough to avoid his attacks."
Shisui smirked. "I can handle a turtle."
Guy pumped his fist. "Youthful teamwork!"
I touched the Flying Raijin seal on my wrist. I had placed marks on Shisui, Han, Shikamaru, Hinata, Lee, and every member of Team Taka.
I told myself it was for emergencies. But seeing Shisui's headband again reminded me why I had started doing it. The familiar twist of guilt hit my chest before I could stop it. Two years later, and it still hadn't faded.
Kakashi continued. "You leave within the hour."
"I'll mark you before we leave."
Guy raised an eyebrow. "Flying Raijin?"
"Exactly."
He laughed loudly. "Instant teamwork!"
Shisui already carried one of my Flying Raijin marks.
I stepped forward and pressed the tag against Guy's vest. Chakra pulsed softly as the mark took hold.
"If anything goes wrong," I said, "I can teleport all of us back to the village instantly."
Shikamaru rubbed his temples.
"So you're just teleporting tailed beasts now."
"More or less."
He sighed.
"That's terrifying."
Kakashi nodded, then turned to the others. "Meanwhile, the Hidden Sand is undergoing a leadership transition. Gaara has been named Kazekage."
Shikamaru whistled quietly.
"Not bad."
I stepped away from the wall.
"That's good for them."
Kakashi looked at Asuma.
"You'll be leading an envoy to the Sand."
Asuma nodded.
"Understood."
"Shikamaru will accompany you."
Shikamaru groaned. "Diplomacy. What a drag."
Asuma smirked. "You will live."
Kakashi looked at Han.
"And Han will go as well."
Han nodded once.
"The Sand respects strength," Kakashi said. "Your presence will help."
Han nodded. "I will represent the Leaf with honor."
I reached into my vest and pulled out a folded letter. "Shikamaru."
He raised an eyebrow. "What is this?"
"A letter for Gaara."
He took it. "What does it say?"
"Nothing important," I said. "Just give it to him."
Shikamaru studied me for a moment, then tucked the letter into his vest. "Alright."
Kakashi clapped his hands once. "You all leave within the hour. Pack light. Move fast. Stay alert."
We all nodded. The meeting ended soon after.
Shisui stretched.
"Hidden Mist, huh."
Guy grinned.
"A new land of youthful adventure."
Itachi walked past me as the room cleared.
"Be careful," he said quietly.
"I will."
The room emptied. The world outside the window felt like it was shifting again. The Akatsuki were still moving. Still hunting.
I took a breath and headed toward Training Ground Seven. If we were leaving within the hour, there was something I needed to do first.
Team Taka was waiting for me under the shade of the old trees. They looked different. Older. Stronger. More themselves.
Suigetsu sat on a rock with a sword across his knees, lazily tossing a pebble into the air and catching it again. He had grown taller, his hair a little longer, his posture a little more relaxed. Still Suigetsu, but calmer. More grounded.
Jugo stood beside him, halberd resting against his shoulder. He carried it like it was part of him now. His eyes were steady. Peaceful. He smiled more these days. Real smiles, not the forced ones he used to give.
Karin sat on the grass with a medical scroll open in her lap. Her hair was longer, tied back neatly. She wore a medic vest now, the Uzumaki symbol stitched on the back. She had grown into her clan's legacy.
I leaned against the fence.
"You're all slacking."
Suigetsu glanced over.
"Took you long enough."
He was still annoying.
Suigetsu stretched. "So. Big meeting. Big mission. You going somewhere interesting?"
"Hidden Mist," I said.
He whistled. "Sounds fun. When you get back, we should go after one of the swords. I want something better than this training blade. Maybe Zabuza's. Or Kisame's."
I raised an eyebrow. "You want to fight Kisame?"
Suigetsu shrugged. "Not today. Maybe next week."
Karin smacked him lightly with her scroll. "You are an idiot."
He grinned. "A confident idiot, I'm serious. Zabuza and Kisame are both out there."
He tapped the blade.
"Why not take one?"
I shrugged.
"Maybe when I get back."
His grin widened.
"Now that sounds like a mission."
"I would enjoy that," Jugo said calmly.
"Lee and Neji still keeping up with you?" I asked.
Jugo nodded. "They have improved greatly. They have been helping me with footwork. They said I am improving."
He said it with pride. Real pride.
That didn't surprise me.
Hinata had grown stronger in the last two years, and the Hyuga clan had started changing because of it.
The branch family seal had been altered. The pain trigger was gone now.
The destruction seal remained after death, but the cruelty behind it had begun to fade.
Progress was slow.
But it was progress.
"You are," I said. "Your control is better than ever."
Jugo nodded, eyes bright. "I can feel it. The anger is quieter. I can breathe."
Karin stood and dusted off her vest. "And I will be at the hospital. Tsunade has been pushing us hard. Hinata, Ino, Sakura, and I have been working on chakra precision drills. My chains can heal now. Not fully, but enough to stabilize someone."
"That is impressive," I said.
She looked away, but she was smiling.
Suigetsu snorted.
"She's been hanging around Sakura, Ino, and Hinata too much."
Karin kicked him.
"You're just jealous."
"Of what?"
"My talent."
I looked at Suigetsu. "And you?"
Across the clearing, a swarm of kikaichu drifted past slowly.
Suigetsu pointed lazily.
"Speaking of weird training partners."
Shino stepped out from behind a tree, calm as always.
I raised an eyebrow.
"You two training together?"
Suigetsu shrugged.
"His bugs are interesting."
Shino nodded slightly.
"His body composition allows unique interactions with certain insect species."
That sounded exactly like Shino. I remembered Shino being quiet, precise, and surprisingly dangerous.
Suigetsu tapped the flat of his blade.
"They can ride water constructs. Makes my attacks harder to dodge."
That was… actually clever.
I nodded.
"Shino was always a solid shinobi."
Shino adjusted his glasses slightly.
"Your recognition is appreciated."
I studied Suigetsu for a moment.
"That is good. But you should work on your physical strength too, both of you."
Suigetsu groaned. "Why does everyone say that?"
"Because it is true."
He muttered something under his breath, but he did not argue. Shino inclined his head slightly. For him, that was practically a bow.
They were not the same people I had met two years ago. They were shinobi now. Real ones. With purpose. With choice.
Karin stepped closer, adjusting her glasses. "Don't die before I get to test my medical techniques."
"Encouraging."
Jugo bowed his head. "Return safely."
Suigetsu waved lazily. "Do not die. It would be annoying. And remember the sword thing."
I smirked. "Maybe when I get back."
I turned to leave, but paused.
"You three have grown a lot. I am proud of you."
They froze. Karin's face turned red. Jugo smiled softly. Suigetsu blinked like he had not expected that at all.
Then I turned and headed toward the gate.
Shisui and Guy were already waiting.
——————
The wind blew softly through the Kazekage's office. Gaara sat behind his desk, papers stacked neatly in front of him. Temari and Kankuro argued in the hallway about something trivial.
Shikamaru entered and handed him a sealed letter. "From Menma."
Gaara opened it. The handwriting was clean. Direct.
Keep your siblings close. They care about you more than you think.
Leadership is heavy. You don't need to carry it alone.
Let them stand beside you.
It helps with the loneliness.
Gaara stared at the words for a long time.
Temari knocked on the door. "Gaara? Are you alright?"
He folded the letter carefully.
"Yes," he said. "I think I am."
For the first time in a while, he allowed himself a small smile.