Age Fifteen (continued)
The next morning, I met with the Hokage and his council.
The room was large and formal, with a long table and high windows that let in shafts of sunlight. Hiruzen sat at the head of the table, flanked by his advisors—Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, two old shinobi who had been his teammates decades ago.
"Thank you for coming," Hiruzen said. "Please, sit."
I sat. My formal robes felt stiff and uncomfortable.
"Uzushio has been a valued ally of Konoha for generations," Hiruzen continued. "Your sealing techniques have protected us from the tailed beasts. Your shinobi have fought alongside ours. We do not forget such things."
"But?" I said.
Hiruzen's eyes crinkled. "But Konoha is also fighting a war. Our resources are stretched thin. We cannot send an army to defend Uzushio without leaving our own borders vulnerable."
"I'm not asking for an army. I'm asking for support. Supplies. Medic-nin. Engineers to repair our barriers."
Homura leaned forward. "And what does Konoha get in return?"
"Access to Uzumaki sealing techniques. Trade agreements. A permanent alliance."
"We already have an alliance."
"Then we're asking for nothing new."
Koharu frowned. "The boy has a point."
"The boy," I said, "has a name."
Hiruzen held up a hand. "Peace. We are all allies here." He looked at me. "Ren, I will be honest with you. Konoha cannot commit to a full-scale defense of Uzushio. But we can send supplies. We can send medic-nin. We can send engineers to help repair your barriers."
"That's all I'm asking."
"Then we have an agreement."
I exhaled. "Thank you, Lord Hokage."
"Don't thank me yet. The supplies will take time to gather. The medic-nin and engineers will need to be convinced. This is not a simple matter."
"I understand."
He nodded. "In the meantime, you are welcome to stay in Konoha. Rest. Recover. You look like you haven't slept in weeks."
"I haven't."
"Then sleep." He stood up. "The council is adjourned."
---
I walked back to the guest house in a daze. The negotiations had gone better than I expected. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Tsunade was waiting for me on the porch.
"How did it go?" she asked.
"Better than I thought. The Hokage agreed to send supplies and medic-nin."
"That's good."
"Yeah." I sat down beside her. "But I don't trust him."
"Trust is overrated."
"Maybe."
She leaned her head on my shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know. Something feels off. The way he looked at me. The way his advisors looked at each other. They're hiding something."
"Everyone's hiding something."
"I'm not."
She looked at me. "You're hiding your blindness."
I winced. "That's different."
"Is it?"
"Tsunade—"
"I'm not judging you. I'm just saying that everyone has secrets. Even you. Even me."
"What are you hiding?"
She was silent for a long time. Then: "I'm terrified. Every day. Of losing someone else. Of failing. Of not being good enough."
"You're the best medic-nin of your generation."
"That doesn't mean I'm not scared."
I put my arm around her. "Then we'll be scared together."
"That's a stupid plan."
"It's the only one I have."
She laughed—a real laugh, the first I had heard from her in months. "Okay. We'll be scared together."