Rabbit Princess [Gaara] [2]

☾ 50 ☽

Following their conversation with the Raikage, Kakashi and Yamato took Tsukiko and Naruto along. However, rather than heading straight for Konohagakure, they decided to make a stop at an inn in the Land of Iron. Tsukiko was glad to get out of the snow that was only making her mood even more despondent. She couldn't form two sentences together anymore.

Naruto himself was quiet and dejected, bypassing the offer of warm tea and heading upstairs to rest in the room they had gotten themselves. Tsukiko knew that he was particularly impacted after not being able to convince the Raikage when he had managed to do with Pein.

"Was it true?" Tsukiko asked as she looked at Kakashi and Yamato. "That this was the same Raikage who tried to have me... killed because of what I have inside of me?"

"Yes," Kakashi replied truthfully and straightforwardly. "In fact, both the current Raikage and Tsuchikage were hoping to acquire the Reibi,"

"They probably don't think the same anymore," Yamato added in quickly. "So, you must not worry very much about it. Although we can understand if you hold a grudge –"

"I can't hold a grudge," Tsukiko muttered. "I'm... exhausted," She looked down at her tea. "There have been far too many people who want and wanted me dead... I'm too tired about focusing on them... I think... I haven't made my mind but I would like to be the person I have always been. I don't like revenge, and I hate bloodshed. I wish to stay that way...."

It was hard to stay that way, Tsukiko thought, her hands curled into fists as concern for Tsunade, Naruto, Sasuke... and so many others pulled at her heart. The condition of her village and with a leader that was actively against everything she stood for...

"... holding these feelings sounds foolish to me," Tsukiko continued distractedly. "It would be stupid when one of those men who wanted me dead is now leading my village. How can I deal... with that anymore...? Everything is so exhausting..."

When Tsukiko looked up, Kakashi's expression was the same as always but Yamato was looking at her with concern. She didn't want to hoard any concern for herself.

"I'm going to go and get Naruto to drink some tea," Tsukiko said as she stood up. "And give him some medicine. We can't have him too sick to return home,"

Tsukiko picked up some fresh and warm tea before making her way up to the room that Naruto had taken up. She fumbled with her pouch with a hand and pulled out the key to open it, knocking on it to make sure Naruto was decent before pushing it open.

"Why don't we have a little chat, Uzumaki Naruto?

Look, we've even got Otsutsuki Tsukiko here,"

Without waiting for another word, and before the tea cup could even hit the ground, both Tsukiko and Naruto had attacked the orange-masked man sitting in the window, cloaked in his Akatsuki garb. There was a loud blast as the Rasengan and Benzaiten destroyed the roof of the inn, and Tsukiko knew that he had escaped their attack yet again.

"Your favourite moves off the bat, huh?" asked the man in a deeper voice as he stood atop the off as snow began to fall into the room. "You know it won't work, right? Maybe you should've thought twice about letting go of your Sharingan so easily,"

Before Tsukiko could make another move, the ground beneath her rumbled and Yamato's Wood structure manifested outside, separating her and Naruto from the man. Yamato had also managed to restrain the man while Kakashi appeared next to him, his Chirdori at the ready.

"Naruto, Tsukiko," Yamato spoke. "You two just stay put back there. Tsukiko, keep your guard up,"

"Yes," Tsukiko replied, moving closer to Naruto and covering the ground beneath with her Crystal.