Kakashi's Teammate, the Lightning Goddess

A Not-So-Friendly Reunion

**edited**

Chapter 2: A Not-So-Friendly Reunion

                I sat up, gasping. How could all of this have really happened?

                “I see that your memories have returned,” said Imatsu, who had given me my memories back. After Iwagakure had rescued me, they couldn’t have risked letting me remember my past; it would’ve been too dangerous during the war, and even the slight disturbances for years afterward. But now it had been so many years, and they’d finally decided that it was safe.

                “Yes, thank you.” I bowed to him, swinging myself off of the bed I’d been lying on.  

                “Lord Tsuchikage is waiting for you at the front gates. Here’s your bag.”

                I took my backpack and headed for the front gates of Iwagakure, blinking as I stepped out into the bright sunlight. As Imatsu had said, Lord Tsuchikage was waiting for me by the front gates, a small smile on his face.

                “Good afternoon, Kira. All ready to go?” he asked, rubbing his back as always.

                “Yes, sir.”

                “Well, then, give the scroll to the Hokage when you get there. It will tell him everything he needs to know. I’ve explained your situation for the most part, and I trust that you won’t leak any information from either side.”

                “Thank you, and of course I won’t. You can trust me.”

                “Then you may go.” He stepped aside. “Good luck, Kira.”

                “Thank you so much, for everything.” I gave him one last bow, before setting off at a full sprint, heading for the village of Konohagakure, my former – and new – home.

                It took me around three days to reach the village, but I was rewarded by the sight of my old home. With this, however, came fears. Would Kakashi and Rin still be there? I knew that Minato-sensei had died protecting the village as the Fourth Hokage, but what did the village even look like now?

                I couldn’t wait to see Rin again. I wanted to know how she had grown after over a decade, and how pretty she was now. I wanted to know all the details of when I’d been gone, and perhaps we could chat over some dinner. Barbeque, perhaps.

                But with the thought of Rin came the dread of Kakashi. I didn’t know everything about what had happened, but I had been informed that during the war, Kakashi had convinced Rin to abandon the hope of me being alive. Back in Iwagakure, they had told me stories about how I should never betray my comrades and in doing so, they told me the story of a team from Konoha – Kakashi Hatake and his group. With my memories still missing at the time, I hadn’t recognized the name or anything, but now it was more than obvious what Kakashi had done.

                I approached the village gates, tugging nervously at my traveling cloak. Pulling out the scroll the Tsuchikage had given me, I waved at the two Chunin guarding the gates. I recognized the one who stepped up to me; he hadn’t changed all that much apart from clearly having aged.

                “Iruka Umino,” I said, smiling. “It’s nice to see you.”

                “What’s an Iwagakure ninja doing here, and how do you know my name?”