Naruto - Azure Awakening

'God, my head hurts so much.'

As usual, after overusing the Suijingan, Kaoru woke up to a throbbing headache. He didn't want to move. He wanted to just lay there, to not move and stay perfectly still, especially since his head was resting on something so soft.

'Wait… what's under me?'

Kaoru realized that there simply could not be a pillow. They were in the wild, in a tent. He slowly lifted his head to check what was under his head, only to see Mizuki staring down at him.

Her purple eyes were sharp and beautiful despite the dark circles beneath them. Her lips were dry and cracked, her clothes just as dusty and tattered as before. And yet… there was something different. Her expression softened as quite relief settles on her face.

The moment their eyes met, she looked away. Then, after a brief hesitation, she bowed her head slightly.

"I'm sorry you had to overexert yourself to save me," she murmured.

Something about her tone felt conflicted, there seemed to be a mix of emotions - anger, regret, relief, and… happiness?

Kaoru let out a low chuckle, but that sent a sharp jolt of pain through his skull. He winced, gripping his head like it would somehow ease the pressure. A few seconds passed before the pain dulled into something bearable.

"You did nothing wrong," he muttered as he kept squeezing his head, then smirked slightly. "Besides, I've never slept this comfortably."

Mizuki's face immediately reddened. She sprang to her feet as she avoided Kaoru's gaze.

"You're clearly better now. I'll leave. Again, sorry!" she blurted before rushing out of the tent.

Kaoru watched her back as she exited the tent, he was grinning despite the dull pounding in his head. 'She's cute.' He had never seen Mizuki look like that before, and for once… he actually liked it.

'Anyway, I need to also go out, I'm starving.'

Slowly, he pushed himself up, dusting off his clothes before stepping outside. Even though he had not suffered any injuries, his whole body still ached. It was a price of overusing Suijingan. The pain wasn't sharp, but it was deep. It made it really difficult for Kaoru to move freely.

The camp was quiet. Too quiet. Akane and Mei were nowhere to be seen.

Kaoru narrowed his eyes, not because of confusion but because of the light. Sunlight was intensifying his headache. Still, he turned toward the only other tent and made his way over.

Inside, Mizuki was already there, sitting beside Mei, who was kneeling. Her attention was locked on Akane, who lay unconscious on the ground.

Kaorus eyes widened in shock, "What happened to her?" He asked. There was a clear hint of worry as his voice trembled slightly.

Mizuki didn't look up. "After I finished fighting, I went to her first. The chakra waves coming from her battle were intense, so I figured she'd need help." Her voice was as composed as always, but it was weaker than usual giving away her exhaustion. "When I found her, she was already unconscious and bleeding. I used the healing kit Lady Tsunade gave us. It drained most of my chakra, but it stopped the bleeding. Mei arrived soon after and told me to go help you."

Even now, Mizuki was as precise as ever. No unnecessary details. Just the facts.

At the mention of her name, Mei finally lifted her head. Her eyes were swollen, her expression was dark.

'She's been crying.'

Kaoru's chest tightened. He still didn't fully grasp the severity of Akane's condition, but the look in Mei's eyes made his stomach churn.

Mei must have sensed his growing anxiety as he tried to calm him down.

"She'll recover. The seal Lady Tsunade gave us is powerful, and I've been pouring my chakra into it all night. She should wake up soon." She bit her lip as her gaze lingered on Akane's pale face.

'If she's going to be fine… then why does Mei look like that?'

Something was off. Kaoru could feel it. But he couldn't figure out what.

"I'll go rest for a while to recover. Kaoru, wake me up in a few hours."

Mizuki stood up and left without another word, leaving Kaoru and Mei alone with the unconscious Akane.

For a while, neither of them spoke, however, the silence was not making things uncomfortable as both of them were lost in their own thoughts.

"What would Maki have done?" Mei murmured suddenly, catching Kaoru's attention.

"What?" He turned to her, thinking he had misheard.

"What would Maki have done if she were leading this team? Would she have attacked, even knowing there were stronger opponents than expected? Or would she have ordered a retreat?" Mei's voice was quiet, but her thoughts spilled out without restraint. "There weren't supposed to be any special jonins and just one elite chunin. That was the intel we had. Otherwise, Takimura wouldn't have sent a team of three chunin…"

She trailed off, it was clear that Mei was doubting her decision making skills.

"Maki would have attacked as well," Kaoru said firmly, cutting through her downward spiral.

"Don't blame yourself. Akane wouldn't want that," he continued. "We all knew the risks. You couldn't have just canceled the mission because it turned out harder than expected, especially when we had enough strength to complete it."

That last part was a lie, and Kaoru knew it.

If the Aburame shinobi hadn't let his guard down at the start, Kaoru wouldn't have been able to destroy his hand so easily. Who knew how that fight would have gone otherwise? Mizuki had also gotten lucky - the chunin she fought were far weaker than what most great villages would consider chunin-level. Luck had played a significant role in their success. Sure, Mei's strength alone guaranteed their victory, and Kaoru probably could have held their opponents off, but the outcome had been far smoother than it should have been.

Still, Mei didn't need brutal honesty right now. She needed reassurance.

Once she made her report, someone from the council would definitely scold her. He didn't need to be the one to pile on.

"Thank you, Kaoru," Mei muttered, though her voice was laced with doubt. "But I'm starting to think I'm terrible at decision-making."

Her head dropped, regret and doubt were weighing down on her shoulders.

Kaoru narrowed his eyes. "Mei. Look at me."

She flinched slightly as she was caught off guard by the sudden authority in his voice

"When I made a decision in Konoha that Maki didn't agree with, do you know what she told me?" He didn't wait for an answer. "She said - If you make a decision, own up to it. Otherwise, you're nothing but an irresponsible loser with a weak spine."

Mei's eyes widened.

For a moment, she was silent. Then, a faint smile pulled at her lips.

'That's right. If I want to be Kage, I need to be stronger. Not just physically, but mentally too.'

Her expression hardened as the determination replaced the doubt in her eyes. She stood up and straightened. Despite the exhaustion still visible on her face, she now carried herself with the strength and confidence he recognized.

'This is the Mei Terumi I know.'

Kaoru nodded in approval, then turned to leave. Mei needed time to process everything and hovering over unconscious Akane wouldn't help her one bit.

As Kaoru stepped out of the tent, his gaze landed on an unconscious Kiri shinobi tied to a tree. He had several chakra supression seals covering his body.

'Yko Uzumaki's been making great progress lately.' Thanks to Yko, Takimura was well-covered in terms of fuinjutsu. He had even taken on a few disciples, teaching them the basics of sealing techniques.

Kaoru's stomach twisted with hunger. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a ration bar.

'A proper meal would have been ideal, but I neither have the energy nor the mood for it.' Thought Kaoru as he took the bite

After finishing the ration bar, Kaoru turned to climb the nearest tree as he was going to stand guard while the others recovered. The pain from the Suijingan's backlash had dulled to something manageable.

But then he remembered something.

'No one had the time or the energy to check the bodies of those shinobi, their valuables are definitely still there.'

Kaoru quickly formed a set of hand seals, and a shadow clone materialized beside him. Without a word, the clone flickered away, heading toward last night's battlefield.

As the clone disappeared, Kaoru felt three curious gazes on him. He turned only to meet the wide, expectant eyes of the three kids his clone had saved during his fight with the Aburame shinobi.

'God, I forgot about them…'

Thought Kaoru as he scratched the back of his head. He felt guilty for forgetting them, especially since the kids stared up at him with trust and admiration. In their eyes, he was their hero and savior. The one who had fought for their sake and nearly died in the process. His unconscious body had only cemented their awe. Without meaning to, Kaoru had gained three loyal followers and potential future shinobi of Takimura.

"Are you guys hungry?" he asked as he walked toward them with a warm, bright smile.

"Yes, Aniki!" they chirped in unison as their faces lit up even brighter.

They hadn't been hostages for long and their innocence hadn't been completely destroyed yet.

'Looks like I'll have to cook… I can't just hand these kids ration bars.'

Kaoru sighed internally. He was hoping that someone had already fed them, but Mei had been entirely focused on saving Akane and Mizuki hadn't left his side for a second. That meant the kids had likely gone unfed since last night.

"Alright then, let's cook together," Kaoru said with a bright laugh.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized something - he needed to make a fire.

Pulling a flint stone from his satchel, he started working. Unlike most shinobi, he hadn't bothered to learn even the most basic fire techniques.

By the time the meal was ready, his clone had returned and handed him a storage seal. Kaoru didn't need to ask what it contained. The moment the clone dispelled, the information flooded his mind.

The clone had collected sixteen million ryo and twelve million of it had belonged to the Root shinobi.

'Looks like he was planning to pay four million for each kid…'

Kaoru's gaze flickered to the children, who were happily devouring the barely edible meal he had prepared. To them, taste didn't matter. It was the fact that Kaoru had made it what matter. That, and the fact that they hadn't eaten in days. Anything remotely edible was the best meal they'd ever had.

The clone had also found several sealing tags, mostly explosive, along with around a hundred kunai and shuriken. But the most important discovery was a set of strange red pills, the same ones Akane's opponent had taken. Kaoru had no way of knowing their effects as the only witness was still unconscious. So he was not interested at all.

"Aniki, will you take us with you?" the boy asked as he licked his makeshift plate, which Kaoru made with high density water, clean with enthusiasm.

"We will," Kaoru assured him. "But once things settle down, we'll try to return you to your homes. By the way, where do you live?"

He knew it could be a sensitive subject, but the kids were in high spirits, so he assumed their village was still intact.

The girl, who had just finished her meal, spoke up first. "We lived on a small island. They kidnapped us when we were out looking for herbs and wild fruits. We're orphans."

She glanced toward the pot, clearly hoping for more food.

"Feel free to eat as much as you want," Kaoru said with a smile, he was glad he could change the uncomfortable subject.

As the kids eagerly helped themselves, he kept observing them with knowing look.

'Looks like these three will be living in Takimura from now on.'

Kaoru was glad they had saved them. But on top of that, he was pleased that they had rescued kids Root had taken an interest in. Because that likely meant one thing - these kids had the potential to awaken a kekkei genkai.

**

A/N -

I honestly considered letting Akane die, but I realized her character hadn't been developed to the extent I had planned. That doesn't mean she will eventually die, though. Its just that the happy times in Azure Awakening are officially over. xD

Small Request – If you're enjoying the story, consider gifting Power Stones to help it reach more people, it would help me a lot!

To mark this important occasion, I'll be sharing a picture of my kitten as promised ^_^

Character Notes:

Mizuki - Flustered- "Why did I blush?"

Kaoru - Pillager - "Its raining moneyyy…"

**