Clash 2: The Wolf and the Desertstorm - a collab with Amaterasu

Chapter 20

"You said you would give me the truth, and I want that truth given now." Hisayo demanded with a small tremor in her voice. She swallowed with difficulty as she made her demand once more. "Tell me everything, Akio."

Her adoptive father let out a breath of air, preparing himself mentally. His face was stern when he spoke, giving her the full details. Nothing was sugar coated at all for her. He promised her the truth. She had every right to know. The only one who had been hesitant to want to give it - who had disagreed completely - was still Ken, but Akio didn't breathe a word of that. He and the others were still under oath to the boy not to reveal what he had suffered from her in the past. It would have truly crushed Hisayo to learn how close Ken had really come to death—and he surly would have died had it not been for Suzume and her clan.

"That's all of it?" Hisayo's question, after nearly twenty minutes of Akio explaining what happened upon discovering where she and Taryn were, didn't sound like a question. It sounded more of a statement than anything else.

"Yes, that everything I have to reply with. Things would have turned out far differently and probably with a lot more bloodshed, had Taryn and her students not been there as well. It was even luckier that there were no settlements nearby as well."

"It was worse than Konoha?"

Akio hesitated a moment before closing his eyes and giving a grim nod. "Far worse I'm afraid. The battle field was cratered at least a mile in diameter. A great portion of the cave system you were being held in was destroyed as well."

Hisayo took in a shaken breath. "Can...Can you leave me alone a few moments to digest all this?"

"Are you sure you want to be alone, Hisayo?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I am. Please...go."

Akio frowned in concern before moving. He paused at the door. "I'm just outside the door if you need me. Kakashi too."

Hisayo swallowed, fighting back her tears as she quietly nodded.

For now, she was sitting straight up in bed of her recovery room. Her eyes held no emotion as they stared down at her hands in her lap. More specifically the cuffs around her wrists. A chill ran down her spine that made her afraid. She had wanted the truth, received it, and was hating herself once more.

'I did it again...' She drew her knees up towards her chest and buried her face away as the tears won. 'I hurt them again. I nearly killed them...'

***

"You have to go home at one point, Kumiko," Kuro said kindly to his young teammate. They had just finished reporting to the Kazekage, with only a few minor details left out of their report, and were now walking down the road towards the town center.

Kumiko sighed. "I know," she said softly. It was silly really. She went on dangerous missions all the time, but going home was something she dreaded. Especially this time. She took a deep breath. What could possibly happen? Her uncle would yell at her. That was nothing new. What was new however was the fact that his anger had been directed towards his own son as well this time. What had happened after she left Daisuke with Ichiya? It had become obvious that Daisuke held Ichiya in high regard.

"Hey," Kuro said, "it will be alright. Just let him shout for a while. Remember, you're a ninja. You stood up against S-rank criminals. You can handle one angry civilian." He grinned at her.

Kumiko offered a careful smile. "Yeah, you're right." She sighed. "I'll be fine." They had reached her front door and stood outside it for a moment longer.