RED • MITSUKI

liv. RESPONSIBILITY

***

The two teams sat around the the table, bitterly staring at the map in front of them. Their senseis were arranging everyone's positions and also the "what ifs" that the teams asked. The tension in the room was extreme, too extreme for the senseis to even think in peace, especially with Haruko and she was the only person in the room who didn't visibly look upset.

"Alright, so everyone knows their roles, right?"

Aki nodded, snobbishly laying on his chair and crossing his legs on the table. "Yeah, and I'm in charge of backup! That's a very important role!"

Haruko nodded, "and you better not mess up. If we're in danger, then our lives will be in your hands."

"I don't need that from someone you made chunin but got beat up by your poorly strategic planning," Aki retorted, smirking as if she did something. Haruko simply turned the other cheek, nonchalant.

Haruko's mind was all over the place by now, yet she somehow manage to keep that all inside her. At the moment, she was just trying to focus on completing the mission so she can go back to the Hidden Leaf and get this whole Mitsuki thing all straight in her head.

For the most part, she has accepted the fact Mitsuki betrayed the Hidden Leaf. As much as her inner thoughts argued back and forth, she was a firm believer that Mitsuki was playing along to the games they played and the missions they did and the activities they've excitedly accomplished. Everything he did was a lie. Everything he said was a lie. Everything he felt was a lie.

And Haruko was one, ignorant, gullible fool.

That guilt was tattoo onto her forehead like a tramp stamp. She looked like a stupid fool since she was Mitsuki's lover. She knew that the moment she got home the police unit will be asking her questions, and she was ready.

She was, long story short, over it.

As much as her heart ached and her tears fell down her face at the most random times, she had to accept this fact. She wrapped her headband around her forehead, put her chunin vest on, and held her head up high.

"Alright, we'll be leaving at 0800. Don't be late or we'll leave you behind. This could be our major breakthrough. We could put an end to this whole thing."

"Yes sir!"

The teams filed out, each with different topics on their mind. Team Triple-A battery was thinking of every possible away they could outshine Team 1. Team 1, on the other hand, had more serious matters.

The text messages kept piling on in the group chat. It was so overwhelming that Haruko had to mute the chat. All she knows at the moment is that Boruto and Sarada went missing and they most likely ran to find Mitsuki.

At this point, Haruko could careless about Mitsuki. Of course, she loved him and all, but he was like a bee that keeps buzzing in someone's ear. She wants it to stop. She doesn't want to hear anything about Mitsuki anymore. She was already in a tight spot with her working with a team who hates her with every single fiber of their being and she's now in charge of leading the squad in case the senseis are nowhere near. She had to concentrate on the mission, or things can get ugly.

In their time resting, Eiji and Ichiro went off to the side to text the group chat. They had to watch out for Kaito, who was beginning to get real strict with his "no phones during missions" rule ever since he found out Mitsuki fled the village.  Haruko was off in her bed, getting ready for tomorrow.

"Hey..." she called, making Ichiro peep out of the closet they were hiding in, "any updates?"

Ichiro raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't want to know anything else? You said it was too stressful."

"I need one last update so I can clear my head for the mission," she sighed, placing her weapon pouch down. "I won't be able to get a goodnight's rest without it."

Ichiro scrolled through the messages. "Well, there hasn't been much texting now. Shikadai, Inojin, and Cho-Cho went off to find Boruto and Sarada. Wasabi, Denki, and the others are doing missions and other things and don't know much either. This is all turning into a big mess and we're not there to stop it."

There was a moment of silence before Haruko spoke. "We're not needed to clean up everyone's problems, just like I'm not entirely responsible for Mitsuki's actions. They must learn on their own what's the right thing to do and what's the wrong thing to do. Boruto irrational self most likely started the whole search and Sarada had go just to make sure he doesn't die. Then, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio went to go make sure they're okay and most likely, they're going to end up helping them, making sure they don't end up them. It's just an endless loop of everyone trying to clean up Boruto's mess."

Ichiro sweatdropped, having no idea what to say at the girl. She was right, in a way. In every situation with Boruto, them and others had to clean up his mess and take the punishment alongside with him for no reason. "Yeah..."

Eiji peeped out of the closet as well. "Haruko, are you okay?"

She turned around and smiled. "Of course!"

The twins knew she was lying.

–•–

'Alright, let's get into positions. Team 1, you get left wing. Team A, you get right wing. Kaito and I will go forward. Remember, don't go unless we say something or we're in danger. Understood?"

"Yes sir!"

The teams got into positions, watching and listening carefully to the conversation Kaito and Mori were disguised as the two prisoners that they interrogated and there was a special meeting taking place between the group of rogue civilians. If everything goes well, they'll get information, sabotage the meeting and punish the ring leader kf the whole thing.

A small group of four masked civilians came forward. The one who stepped out wore a mask more detailed than the others. It was assumed he was the leader. "Intel squad, what do you have?"

"They have two squads, one is from the Hidden Leaf and the other is from the Hidden Rain. I've heard from many villages that the Hidden Rain has some of the weakest shinobi, so we should try and get them first."

"Thank you-"

"There's more," the villager interrupted. "In the Hidden Leaf squad, the infamous Haruko Saitou is in the squad. You've heard about the fight she had with those Mist shinobi all those years back. She's ruthless. We have to be wary of her."

Haruko felt something hard on her chest. She didn't think people still saw her as the Hidden Rain girl who defeated the missing-nin of the Hidden Mist. It was sad to see people think of her as another violent Saitou. She thought she could destroy that reputation when she became a Hidden Leaf shinobi.

"I guess some things never go away, huh."

***

[ author's note: after 50 years, spacetrees has returned from the dead.

y'all omg theres one of those long legged weird ass mosquitoes in my room idk where it flew pero omg that lil shi scared me

its 2:30 am n im too scared to shleep cus i think that winged demon is going attacc me or sum

anyways, sorry for this really shitty n rushed chapter. im trying to get to when mitsuki comes home so i write out this scene.

adios ! ]