Age Fifteen (continued)
The journey back to Uzushio took three days.
Tsunade traveled with me, along with a small contingent of Konoha medic-nin and engineers. The Hokage had agreed to send them ahead of the main supplies—a gesture of goodwill, he said. I didn't trust it, but I didn't argue.
The sea was rough. The winds howled. The ship pitched and rolled, and Tsunade spent most of the first day leaning over the railing, green around the gills.
"I thought you were a medic," I said, handing her a cup of water.
"I am. That doesn't mean I have a good stomach."
"You're a Senju. Aren't you supposed to be tough?"
"I'm tough on land. On water, I'm a mess." She drank the water and closed her eyes. "Don't tell anyone."
"Your secret is safe with me."
She leaned her head on my shoulder. "How much longer?"
"A day. Maybe two."
"That's too long."
"I know."
We stood at the railing, watching the waves. The horizon was gray and empty. No ships. No birds. Just water and sky.
"Ren," Tsunade said.
"Yeah?"
"Do you ever think about running away? Just leaving everything behind? The war, the villages, the prophecies. Just... going somewhere quiet and never coming back."
"Every day."
"Why don't you?"
"Because Kushina needs me. Uzushio needs me. You need me."
"I don't need you. I want you. There's a difference."
"Is there?"
She looked at me. "Needing someone means you can't survive without them. Wanting someone means you choose to be with them. I choose you, Ren. Every day."
I didn't know what to say. So I kissed her.
It was longer than the first kiss. Slower. Deeper. When we finally pulled apart, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright.
"Okay," she said. "That was worth the seasickness."
I laughed. "You're impossible."
"So I've been told."
---
Uzushio appeared on the horizon on the third day.
I stood at the bow of the ship, my heart pounding. The whirlpools were still there. The barriers were still intact. The village was still standing.
But something was wrong. The seals were flickering. The chakra in the air was thin, strained. And there were no fishing boats in the water.
"Something happened," I said.
"Maybe they're just being careful," Tsunade said.
"No. Something happened."
The ship docked. I jumped onto the pier before the gangplank was fully lowered.
The village was quiet. Too quiet. The streets were empty. The shops were closed. The only sound was the wind and the waves.
"Kushina!" I shouted. "Kushina!"
No answer.
I ran to the compound. The doors were open. The hallway was dark.
"Kushina!"
I found her in the dojo.
She was sitting in the corner, her knees drawn up to her chest, her red hair a tangled mess. Her face was pale. Her eyes were red from crying.
"Kushina." I knelt beside her. "What happened?"
"Father," she whispered. "He's gone."
"Gone where?"
"Kiri. He went to negotiate a truce. Three days ago. He hasn't come back."
I felt the world tilt.
"The elders tried to stop him," she continued. "But he wouldn't listen. He said it was the only way. He said he had to protect us."
My father. The man who had threatened Kushina. The man who had broken my ribs. The man who had held me in the rubble and said he was sorry.
He had gone to Kiri alone. To negotiate a truce. To protect us.
"Ren," Tsunade said from the doorway. "What do we do?"
I looked at my sister. I looked at the woman I loved. I looked at the village that was dying.
"We wait," I said. "And we prepare."
"For what?"
"For the worst."