You are my Star

Chapter 29 - The Land of Iron

A large man who looked not much different from the eight-tailed jinchuuriki spoke up. "That would be me," he said, his voice deep and gravelly. 

"Naruto looked up at him, and blurted out, "You can't kill Sasuke. Please. I-It would mean war between nations, you can't-"

"Sasuke is a part of the Akatsuki now, and you two know what they have done and are trying to do. You should want to kill him."

Naruto set his hands in the white snow, his knees digging into the icy ground. "Please, Raikage. Don't kill my friend."

The Raikage looked at him, then said, "True shinobi don't bow their head or beg." He turned to go, but a low voice stopped him. 

"You say shinobi don't bow their head and beg," Hoshiko said, looking up. "Would you change your mind if I said: Don't kill my friend?"Her voice was chilly, an icicle on the awning of a house, refusing to budge.  

A narrowed his eyes at her, sizing her up. "I like you better, but Sasuke is still a part of the Akatsuki. A little confidence isn't going to excuse the crimes they've committed."

"Sasuke Uchiha is no longer a part of the Akatsuki."

Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, Yamato, and the Kumo shinobi looked up at her, aghast.

"What?"

"It's true," Hoshiko said. "The other day, I was doing some training with my Katchogan, and since they see everything in real-time, I can see people as well. I caught a glimpse of him. He-he wasn't in Akatsuki robes. He and his team were wearing solid black cloaks."

Naruto stared at her. "Why didn't you tell us, or at least me?"

"Knowing you, you were going to try and follow him. And the fewer people know, the better, which is why I didn't tell anyone else. The only person who knows is Shikamaru."

"What? Why would you tell Shikamaru over me?" Naruto asked, shocked. 

"Because unlike you, he's cool-headed and won't go storming into danger because I know Sasuke Uchiha's location. And Kakashi-sensei has a habit of reporting everything to the hokage, even if that hokage is a tricky bastard who wants to kill our teammate."

"But-"

"That's just my thought process, Naruto. Can't change the past."

Naruto sighed, then looked back up at the Raikage. "He's not a part of the Akatsuki anymore. Don't kill him."

The Raikage, no longer so sure of himself, steeled himself and replied, "It doesn't matter if he is or isn't a part of the Akatsuki. He still took my brother, and that was his fatal mistake." And he turned on his heel and left with his entourage, Hoshiko and Naruto's last chance leaving with them. 

Hoshiko spun around as well, heading the other way. "If the man wants to die, it'll be his problem."

"Wha-"

Hoshiko stopped and turned her head slightly. "Sasuke Uchiha is a powerful guy, Naruto. In fact, we shouldn't be worrying about him, we should be worrying about the person who dares to try and kill him." She shrugged and kept walking. 

Naruto chuckled quietly and got up, following her. "You always manage to turn a bad situation upside down, don't you?"

Hoshiko grinned. "I guess so."

                                                                        * * *

Hoshiko and Naruto slipped around the clothes and sleeping bags strewn around the large tent Hoshiko shared with Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, Neji, and Tenten. They had just returned from the Land of Iron, and were searching for their missing roommates.