บท 12: Nawaki's Birthday

Yone entered the living room where his father was waiting for him as Yone says, "I'm back."

"I can see that. How long did you know that you were adopted?" asks Horirama as Yone sighs.

"On the birthday of Nawaki, I asked grandfather and he told me about it. But I didn't leave because I was adopted but because I needed some distance," says Yone as Horirama nods understanding him.

"Because of Tsunade right," says Horirama as Yone opened his eyes in surprise when Horirama sighs seeing his son.

"You were never good at hiding those feelings. You showed Tsunade and Nawaki different types of affection. Your mother and I knew about it for a long time. So what are you going to do?" asks Horirama as Yone sighs in defeat.

"I will be moving out of the house for now," says Yone as Horirama agreed to it.

"That would be the best if you start dating," says Horirama as Yone shakes his head.

"I'm not going to start dating Tsunade," says Yone as he was serious about it.

"At least not until this war is over," says Yone as Horirama sighs.

"You heard that war began," says Horirama as Yone shakes his head.

"No, but with this many skirmishes at the border makes it feel that a new World War is about to begin that's why I returned before it begins," says Yone as Horirama sighs.

"The war has already begun in the dark even if not everyone knows about it. I returned to active duty again since you all are already old enough to take care of yourself. Your mother is the same she will be joining me and my old team," says Horirama as Yone had a bad feeling about it.

"If we fall take care of your sister and brother do you understand," says Horirama as he put his hand on Yone's shoulder.

"I will do my best but please return alive," says Yone as Horirama smiles.

"I can't promise that," says Horirama as he takes his hand back and says, "You should meet your grandmother and let her know that you returned."

"I will," says Yone as he left the room while Horirama looked at the door.

"You can come out behind the four Tsunade," says Horirama as Tsunade came out.

"How could you allow him to move out," says Tsunade angry.

"Because it was the right thing to do. You will also move out one day," says Horirama as Tsunade was angrier at herself than with her father.

"You heard him. He won't date until the war that is going on is finished. You either move on or live with that decision," says Horirama as Tsunade leaves the room again to go back to bed.

Nawaki was with Yone when he asks, "Yone, what is your dream?"

"My dream?" asks Yone back as Nawaki nods.

"My dream is to become Hokage like grandfather was and protect this village that he has built," says Nawaki telling Yone his dream.

"Then our dreams aren't that different," says Yone as Nawaki looked at him worried.

"Do you want to become Hokage as well?" asks Nawaki as Yone shakes his head.

"No, I would rather protect the village from the shadows. I want to be more of a guardian of the village than the Hokage since I could do far more and take the blame by leaving the village to protect it," says Yone as they arrived at Mito's house.

"Grandma, I brought you a surprise," says Nawaki as they entered the house.

Mito was cooking her dinner as she heard Nawaki when she comes out and sees Yone standing beside Nawaki.

"Yone," says Mito as she hugs her grandson.

"I'm back grandma," says Yone as he returned the hug.

"It's nice that you are back everyone was worried because you left with only informing me," says Mito as she looked at her grandson that was now a young man.

"Did you go to Uzushiogakure as I told you?" asks Mito as Yone nods.

"Igari sends his regards. He was quite happy that I appeared out of nowhere in front of him. I stayed only for two weeks there before I began to move again," says Yone as Mito smiles when she smells something burning.

"My food," says Mito as she runs back into the kitchen while saying, "You two should return home. Your mother must have finished with dinner as well."

"Good night grandma," say both her grandsons as they leave the house again.

The week passes fast as Yone found a small house that was enough for a small family to live in. He bought it with the money he made as a rogue under a different name.

It was only one week away from Nawaki's birthday and his parents weren't at home because they were at the western border. Nawaki was either with Tsunade to keep her company while training with Yone.

On the day of Nawaki's birthday, the three were together with Mito, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya as well as some of Nawaki's friends and teammates.

Yone felt a bit jealous that his little brother could become so easily friends with others when he sits down after putting a scroll on the gift table when suddenly Tsunade gave Nawaki the necklace she inherited from Hashirama.

"Are you doing this on purpose?" asks Yone as Tsunade smiles.

"I don't know what you mean Yone," says Tsunade still angry about the fact that Yone moved out of the house.

"Now now, no fighting it's a happy today," says Mito wanting to stop the arguing between both.

"She is right," says Yone as he looked at how happy Nawaki was when he says, "I hoped both were here to see Nawaki this happy."

"The war merely began. I heard that Nawaki will be moving out on a mission tomorrow with Orochimaru," says Mito as she looked at the former team member of Tsunade.

"That's right but I heard someone else will be joining us as well," says Orochimaru looking at Yone.

"You are going with them?" asks Jiraiya as Yone nods.

"I asked for permission from Hiruzen to join the team since I couldn't go with mom and dad I will look out for Nawaki while being out there," says Yone as he looked at Nawaki.

"They all are too innocent for what is coming for them," says Yone as he looked sad that they put the younger ones through those hardships.

"We were as old as him when we did those missions," says Jiraiya as Yone sighs hearing that.

"But we weren't at war like right now," says Yone as he took one piece of the cake and began to eat it when he says, "This cake is good, who made it?"

"I did," says Tsunade as she ignored the compliment.

They stayed together for the night when Yone was laying on the roof looking at the sky as the stars were bright tonight with the moon being full when he stretches his hand towards the moon remembering something that happened a year ago.

Flashback to a year ago, Yone was walking around aimlessly when he found a man with long black hair that was tied in a ponytail his had was all shaved except for the top. He had a tattoo under his left eye that Yone couldn't recognize.

"Are you Yone Senju?" asks the man as Yone was confused about the person asking for his name.

"And who are you?" asks Yone as the man smirks at Yone giving him a bad feeling.

"Someone you don't need to know," says the man as he rushed at Yone when Yone suddenly took Crownsblade and rushed at the man.

Both clash as the man suddenly tried to grab his hand making Yone see something on the man's palm when he used the force of the man for his advantage and retreats by being pushed back.

'He is dangerous and what was that black thing in his palm,' thinks Yone as he was nervous when the man smiles like a madman at him.

He rushes at Yone again as he suddenly pointed his Gunblade at the man and shot at the right moment making suddenly half of the face of the man disappear.

Yone sighs in relief when suddenly the man turned to smoke and a hand grabbed him from behind by the next and the man says, "You are the best body for my master."

Then Yone's body turned to smoke as Yone looked now seriously at the man and says, "Sorry but this body isn't for rent."

His coat begins to catch fire as it turned blue while he says, "Gear 2"

Blue flames were surrendering Yone as he rushed at the man when suddenly the man rushed at him as well when the man realized too late that he made a mistake.

The heat around Yone was so hot that even the plants around him began to dry out or even catch fire if they came in contact with him.

The man couldn't return any longer since he was already too near when he just fazed through Yone and his whole body was burned black while his body was split in two.

Yone turned around and suddenly sees that the black thing that was on the man's palm suddenly detached from the man.

He looks at it as it began to move, making Yone take a scroll out and he stored it away in a vial so he could study it later on. Then he placed it back in his scroll before putting the scroll beside the others.

Then he burns the corpse leaving nothing behind before moving again while thinking, 'Whoever his master might be I will kill him if he thinks he can have my body.'

Flashback ends

Yone was looking at the sky while thinking, 'I haven't heard anything from such a strange thing happening again but I should be looking out for Nawaki since he is too young and can be targeted by them to get to me.'

He sighs as he closes his eyes and begins to sleep because he had to leave tomorrow again.