The Way Into Mist Village (Naruto)

37: Uneventful and Eventful Days

[OP: "New River"--The Oh Hellos]

"What happened to you guys?" Naruto cried when they reached the kage house.

The shinobi of mist had been giving the strange group very odd looks as they walked up the hill, making a lot of them shrink back.

Naruto's enthusiasm was a sharp contrast to it and startled them.

"Who are these people?" Kankuro asked.

"What did you do?!" Sakura cried loudly.

"Did you stop the guy?" Tenten asked.

"Guys, please," Wally said, "one thing at a time."

* * *

Well, it took hours to explain everything, in stages. Finding a place to put the new people was difficult; they ended up at the inns Mei had said were likely too damp for the visitors...but after all, the dampness wouldn't have been any difficulty to the people of the island.

Mei explained away their presence to her guards and officials the best she could, trying to omit anything damning about it. She said they rescued them from the hold of a demented rogue shinobi...which was kind of the truth.

Chojuro didn't tell anyone more than that, and the others who'd been with her knew better than to say anything.

Gaara's team finally went back to their lodgings to sleep.

Neji was a little reluctant to part with his new friends, since they seemed overwhelmed, but he assured them he would check in with them tomorrow...or later today, as it might be.

Day 8-9:

They saved most of the story for after they'd rested, but once they had, Naruto and the others wanted to hear the whole thing.

Sakura found it pretty hard to believe but couldn't deny it, not with all of them confirming it.

She didn't understand the part where Shoto's ice had acted as a cleansing agent, and no one's explanation of it satisfied her. She said she wanted to test it herself.

Shine warned her it wouldn't work like that and she'd better leave it alone, but she didn't want to listen.

At some point during that day, Dabi finally sent them word that he seemed to be in the clear with his supervisors. So far they hadn't told him of any suspicions they had. It would be nighttime now, so he would go into his closet and block the bottom of it so no light would show.

Shine brought him back.

He was very sore that he'd missed so much, especially when they told him what they'd learned.

"Dang it, I didn't get to roast any of those creeps," he said. "I couldn't have had to go home at a lull?"

"Maybe next time it'll be a lull," Wally offered cheerfully.

"Honestly, bro, you should be grateful," Camie said "It was not fun at all."

"You seem back to normal," Dabi noted.

"Eh," Camie waved. "It's tough s---, but at least we made it through it, and Bakugo and I will be closer than ever, right?"

Bakugo just shrugged. He seemed to be tired still. Or he was still reeling from what happened.

"You should come meet our new friends," Hinata told Dabi. "You would like them...I think... Do you like anyone?"

"I tolerate people," Dabi said.

"Niji turned out to be pretty neat," Ino said. "Not that I really talk to her, but, getting all of them to support us, that's pretty cool."

"I've been wondering something," Sai spoke, not noticing if he was changing the subject. "Shoto-san has his gift, and Momo-senpai has hers, and Camie has hers, but what are Bakugo's and Dabi's?"