Wandering Heathens

Epilogue

They sat in front of a gravestone, raising steaming cups of tea to sip. "...and that's how I killed him." Shinjo finished, looking down at the small boy beside him. The child looked up at him with his onyx eyes and an impish grin on his face. His raven black hair caught the sunlight making the patch of red hair in his bangs glow like fire.

"Would you stop telling my kid how I died?" Ryuu asked with exasperation as he walked over to them. "Why are you sitting in front of a grave?" He asked. "It fit the mood" Shinjo replied, shrugging his shoulders and sipping his tea. "Uncle Shinjo tells the best stories!" The boy said happily as he stood to embrace his father. "You like hearing that stuff? You're sadistic, like your mother" Ryuu laughed.

"Dad! Dad!" A small tanned girl with purple hair ran towards Shinjo, something in her hand catching the sunlight. Shinjo opened his arms and she climbed onto his lap, showing him Hida's Jashin necklace. "We can get some money for this!" She exclaimed brightly. Chuckling, Shinjo took the necklace from her and placed a kiss on her head, saying "you know anything from Hida is worthless, sweetie."

"Give me back my necklace you crotch dropping!" Hida yelled crashing through the underbrush with Kakuza following at a leisurely pace. The girl laughed and clambered off Shinjo's lap to hide from Hida. "I'm gonna fucking find you brat!" She yelled as she chased after the child.

Kakuza knelt down and embraced Shinjo from behind. "How was the hunt?" He asked her. "The same" she replied tiredly.

"SOMEONE TOOK MY BABY!" Tobi screeched, running around, looking under rocks and lifting logs. "He's right here Tobi" Ryuu sighed, showing the masked woman her son. Squealing happily, Tobi snatched the boy into her arms and began covering his face in kisses. He squirmed, trying to get away. Ryuu took the child and put him down on the ground while he looked at Tobi. "Can I talk to Obita?" He asked. Tobi nodded and removed her mask.

Ryuu looked into Obita's eye and smiled, "hey." She smiled back and hugged him, burying her face into his neck.

"Wait. If Dad died, then how come he's still here?" The boy asked. "Sage Art, kiddo" Ryuu replied, ruffling his son's hair. The boy scowled and tried to right his hair, "that's not an answer!" Shinjo smiled, "We," he said, indicating to himself and Obita, "reversed his Sage Art abilities from offensive to defensive which allowed us to pour nature chakra into him. Seeing as he wasn't 100% dead, it worked."

"The downside is is that I've lost the ability to use Sage Jutsu so I'm just a regular fire user now." "Not true," Shinjo lectured, "you can still use the kinjutsu's and have the Triad, just like me."

The boy looked confused by this conversation and Obita smiled at him. "Don't worry my love. He's here and will he for a long time." The boy looked satisfied with this. The sound of Hida coming back caught their attention. She had the girl on her shoulder, shrieking to be put down. She dropped the child onto Kakuza's lap. "Let's fucking go! We've a Village that isn't cooperating!"

Sighing, Ryuu and Shinjo checked their weapons and maps and began walking, the others following them. "I wonder what Deidara and Sasori are up to? And Itachi and Kisame?" Obita said. "Dei and Sassy are doing their own thing and Itachi and Kisame are running Konoha and Kiri, respectively. "Are we gonna live in a Village?" The girl asked, clutching Kakuza's hand. "Not if we can help it" Shinjo said to his daughter, smiling.

The small party of rouge-nins entered Iwa territory, ready to fight for the highest bidder. The Akatsuki was no more but it's principles of peace would be passed on to the children who were the future of the Shinobi World.