Hoshigaki

Allegiances

Jashin was a religion for those who had no reason to kill. Hidan knew this and he didn't care, preaching otherwise anyway. Who was going to stop him? Who was going to tell him what he was doing was wrong? Utter death and destruction lay in the path of the shinobi regardless, so there was no use for him to try and convince himself the opposite.

He disrespected when he could because now was the time to do so. His mouth bled obscenities because there was no use in being polite when he'd never know anyone forever. 

But because the only eternity was death, it was the one thing he wouldn't hold contempt for. The dead did nothing to deserve his misgivings, so in return, he gave them none.

A lone body traversed the graveyard, burning incense in one hand and holding prayer beads in the other. 

"Pray for what you'll never have," Hidan murmured to himself. It was so early in the morning that the skies still exploded with darkness, not a single soul around. Not even Kisame, who frequented the graveyard more than he did. The only difference between them was that everyone new Kisame came here, but no one knew Hidan did. "Pray for the dead, pray for death. Pray for weakness, pray for a last breath."

There was no rain on Sundays. It was the only time he could let the smell of yew fill the air.

"Pray for suffering, pray for pain. Pray for the withering of the humane."

He went down another line of gravestones, not paying much mind to the names. They're the names of people he'll never meet and never know; their names would do them no justice. He was only there to pray.

What would knowing their names achieve?

"Pray for those you will never love, pray for those you have never lost."

He happened upon a grave he'd never taken notice of before. It was rather old, maybe ten years older or more. Hidan narrowed his eyes and crouched. "Pray for the fools who thought they should."

Hoshigaki Saki, it read. A kind nurse, a loving wife, and a mother who could have been.

An amused grin tilted his lips. "Pray for the fools who learned the cost."

::

Nothing happened on the way to Wave, and while that was a comforting sentiment, it didn't sit well in Kurenai's stomach. After witnessing the Hokage's strange behavior and her team's secrecy, it wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination for some 'unfortunate happenstance' to occur during their time away from the village.

Accidents were a staple in the shinobi lifestyle. Be it poison, an ambush, or an illness, anything could happen at any time. 'Ambush' seemed like the more likely candidate in the situation. The Wave mission was already supposed to be taken care of. With the country successfully linked to the mainland and Gato eradicated, there wasn't supposed to be a 'cleanup' portion of the mission.

The Hokage was starting to become startlingly transparent. Being out of the village meant her team having less free time, not being able to be promoted meant less access to the village's resources, and being disturbingly vague and defensive about everything made Kurenai wonder how a man hailed as the "God of Shinobi" could grow so paranoid of three genin who had yet to even learn their elemental types.

"Hooooly shit," Kiba whistled. Kurenai blinked out of her thoughts and looked up as a shadow casted over her head. At the forefront of the bridge to the island was an arching gateway, the sign painted stylistically in large black font.

The Great Naruto Bridge

"He gets a bridge named after him and I had to spend half of yesterday stuck in the ground? What the hell?!" he exclaimed. A scowl touched his lips, but there was no real malice. And if Kurenai had to say anything about it, she'd note there was a shimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. "Sensei! Can I get that obstacle course back home named after me?"