No One Stands Alone

Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

  "Hokage-sama," a man greeted, bowing. 

  Hiroshi's hitai-ate was loosely tied around his waist, and he refrained from fiddling with the piece of cloth as he straightened. The weight was unfamiliar, and almost an annoyance. He hadn't worn one in years, but the Hokage recently advised him to start—some people in the village were growing tired of the Tsukishima Clan not swearing complete loyalty to Konoha, so Hiruzen thought a visible symbol like wearing a hitai-ate would quiet the dissent.

  "Hiroshi," the old man acknowledged the jonin, but his brown eyes were trained on the papers on his desk. A few moments passed in silence until he glanced up from his work, and his voice held a hint of hesitation when he spoke. "I have some news..."

  The jonin's spine stiffened, but his voice didn't betray his worry. "Yes?"

  "There's been another report of an awakened being by the northern border."

  A knot formed in Hiroshi's stomach, and he failed to school his face. While Hiruzen didn't support the Tsukishima Clan's emotionless protocol, he understood it. And because of that, he didn't mind their slips from time to time. The clan head was very grateful for that at the moment.

  "Is it the same one from before?"

  "We aren't sure what the creature looked like," the Hokage admitted, shifting through the papers on his desk. He found what he wanted, and passed it to the brown haired man. "There were no survivors, and Kasumi's scouts got there too late. This is all she was able to figure out."

  Hiroshi went silent, scanning over the report written in the chunin's neat handwriting. He couldn't help but feel the weight of the clan's responsibility to Konoha grow heavier on his shoulders as he continued down the report.

  But he knew it wasn't the right time to feel regret or guilt. He had to focus and rationalize.

  He already went on two unofficial missions this month, and Junko had passed her first genin team. Neither of them had the time to spend the minimum of a week hunting the monster down by themselves, and the clan didn't have many others that could face an awakened being to begin with. The few that had any chance were all out on missions for at least another week or so.

  And according to Kasumi, the monster had been very strong. It had experience that only came with age and a massive hunger that had developed over many years. And if it was the same one that slipped through his fingers before, he had every right to be cautious.

  The sound of someone knocking on the office door dragged Hiroshi's attention back to the present. He quickly folded up the report, and placed his hands behind his back, paper in hand. The Hokage called for the person to enter, and an unfamiliar shinobi stood in the doorway. A boy with blond hair was standing to his right, his silver eyes downcast in a submissive manner.

  "Haruto Tsukishima," the unnamed ninja announced, a hint of disgust in his voice, as he shoved the said blond forward. Hiruzen thanked the man before he left the office.

  Hiroshi watched as the boy caught his balance, and stood straight to face them. His eyes stayed trained on the floor, not even flickering up when he greeted the two men.

  The jonin was curious if the Hokage summoned him to discuss the awakened being, or to help with issue of the boy. Maybe both.

  "Would you care to explain your actions?" the old man asked, not beating around the bush. He was staring straight at the boy in a way Hiroshi could only describe as intimidating.

  Haruto was quiet, slightly shifting under his gaze. "... I lost control of my kekkei genkai."

  "And?" A pause. The room was silent save for the noise floating through the window coming from the kids playing in town. "Explain what happened."