Senju, The Failure

[hobnob]

The Journey here was long and painful. It took time for the negotiations to take place, it took time for the leaders to figure everything out. What mattered was that he was back home, sort of. The Senju was led in a hospital bed after he had many tests carried out on him to ensure his body was healthy, and his mind was intact. The truth was, he could not remember anything after the battle had finished. There must have been some tampering with his memory, he was sure of it. It infuriated him that an ANBU operative, a Senju had failed so tragically. If the tests carried out on his mind came back fine, he knew the tests were flawed because he felt terrible. His body was not in pain, it was his mind that was broken. And it would take time and effort to rebuild it.

This bed, this place, was not making anything easy for him. He felt he had to be out there, regaining his bearings, regaining his strength. But the doctors were determined he had to remain in hospital for observation. What they did not account for was that laying there not doing anything was preventing him from regaining his mindset and beginning to feel good again. A healthy body meant a healthy spirit, and a healthy spirit meant a healthy body. The cycle was true, but doctors did not believe in spirituality of nay sorts, at least not these ones. So all he could to was simply lay there and await his doctor to let him know that he could get up and leave. A sigh escaped his mouth, there was so little he could do. A broken mind, a broken man.

He wanted return to his home compound, to see his family. He wanted to go visit ANBU headquarters, to regain so motivation and feel enthusiastic about life. That is what mattered to him, that is what brought him joy. And its joy that allows people to recover. Without that they are just breathing corpses. Tears welled up in his eyes as he continued to stare at the ceiling. The failure he had committed was truly getting to him, he could not even begin to think about redeeming himself, not until he was out of here living the life he is suppose to live. Not being stuck in that bed like some sort of a prisoner, a casualty of unfortunate events. If only he could spend some time with his family, to speak to them and explain what happened. Maybe then he could regain some composure.

[King of Cats]

The news of Noeru returning to Konoha had been mostly quiet. It seemed there was cause for a lot of secrecy and most of the villagers didn't know what had happened to the ANBU agent. Despite the ninja being close to his family not even they knew what was going on with the health of one of the brightest Senju in Konoha. When he got in the village hospital it was all hush hush, but as time passed on word got out that he returned to the village.

When Akari heard about brother Noeru's return to safety in Konoha she nearly fainted. Growing up the young Senju girl always looked up to Noeru. He was a strong, handsome young man who worked hard to get far. Next to Fanho, the Hokage, Noeru was Akari's most in reach hero. She didn't know much about Noeru's personal life in recent years but Akari had heard he was doing good for himself and she was in his corner. When she found out Noeru was injured in combat and healing in the hospital she couldn't believe her ears. Akari's heart fell apart and the little blonde girl bowed her head and let loose a steady stream of tears.

For a few weeks Akari kept her ear close to the grapevine that was the Senju clan waiting to hear some news of Noeru Senju. At first she mostly just heard rumors but once Akari got her momma to reel in the information she heard some news of the ANBU Black Ops recovery. It seemed Noeru was grievously injured but it wasn't specified where or what happened. Akari didn't know if he had fought an enemy, or a bear had mauled him, or if Noeru fell off a building and broke his back. She was clueless and the girl lost sleep over it for a few weeks.

One day after a hard day at work in the village rounding up chickens on a farm Akari was sitting in her room reading a magazine. She was chewing bubble gum that she had created with Sugar Release. It was purple and tasted like grape, her favorite flavor. This gum was much better than typical candy and her whole mouth was stained purple. Akari was blowing bubbles when her mom came in. It seemed Noeru's condition was improving and he would soon be accepting visitors. Akari swallowed her gum excitedly and immediately made plans to visit her favorite cousin. It had been years since she had seen the legend in the flesh. The sugar prodigy hoped he still remembered her!

After reserving an hour of visitation with her cousin Akari made her way to the ninja hospital. It was a bit different than a typical hospital and the rules were much more strict. After going through a background check, a screening and a search she was permitted entry. Akari made her way straight to the floor where Noeru was posted up and once she found the nurses office she got herself directions to Noeru's room. He was in room B21.

Akari stepped in the room her cousin was recovering in and and was smiling from ear to ear. She was happy to see Noeru; she had no idea the amount of suffering the ANBU member was enduring. "Hey Noeru! Good to see ya.." Akari held out a bouquet of bright yellow flowers for her cousin. They smelled nice and she was hopeful Noeru was feeling up to some company.

[hobnob]

The dead quiet was broken by the door opening. Noeru did not even bother to see who it was. So far the only people who have come in here were nurses and doctors. He had just assumed that this was a similar situation, until he heard the individual speak. He recognised her voice. A voice he had not heard in a long time, it was his cousin Akari. Noeru shifted his head and looked over at the girl. She looked completely different since the last time he had seen her. The sight of a family member had brought a smile to his face, and the bouquet of flowers made him chuckle a little. Flowers were not his thing but he appreciated the gesture. He sat up in his bed, being careful not to break any stitches and took the flowers from Akari, placing them on the bedside table.

'Wow... You've changed so much since the last time I've seen you.' It was true. Its been a few years since they had been in each others company and apparently those were some important years in her development. 'What's been going on?' he continued trying to make conversation.

[King of Cats]

Grinning from ear to ear Akari walked over to Noeru's bed and sat down. The young girl handed her beloved cousin the flowers she made for him and if Noeru looked closely he would notice her eyes were welling up with tears. Seeing her cousin so broken down was hard for the girl. Despite her ninja training Akari wasn't prepared to see her family broken down like this. She sat there for a moment and tried to gather her composure. From her chest a few gasps were let out as she tried to speak, an attempt to catch her breath and hold back tears.

Once Akari had choked back the tears long enough they were sifled back by her excitement to catch up with Noeru. The last time she had seen him the ANBU ember was still a up and coming ninja. He looked so much older and stronger now. He had muscles. He wasn't the string bean Senju that Akari remembered. In fact Noeru looked cool and that helped Akari bring forth the courage to start a conversation with Noeru. "I'm not a little girl anymore.. heh. And oh nothing really... training. I recently met the Hokage. That was fun. Fanho, he told me to call him that, is a real pistol. Hehe." Calling people "pistols" was a phrase that the two Senju remembered from their grandpa's dialect.

"I heard you got hurt and I kept my ears out for you Noeru. If you need anything let me know.. What's wrong? Aunt Tee didn't know what happened, everything was real hushed. You must be quite the ninja now huh big bro.. I hope I can make a name for myself like you have. You know i'm the only one in our family that can use Satoton. Sugar Release is special Fanho said." Akari paused for moment. "So what are you gonna do when you get out big bro Noeru?" Akari's eyes were big and doe like. She looked right at Noeru with her beautiful brown eyes.

[hobnob]

The situation was already dire for Noeru. But the mention of the Hokage had brought back the thought of failure. The previous Hokage, Takeo had died in battle. This was not something Noeru had a direct impact on but it made everything that much worse. Knowing that someone as powerful as Takeo had been outclassed by the enemy. And that he was just led there not doing anything about it. Not improving to become more resourceful for the next time a situation like this arises, and inevitably it will. That is just how life works. That is just how the shinobi cycle operates, for all eternity. 'Hey listen... I need to get out of here. Right now. You have to help me.' His mind was going through numerous things. Different ideas he could bring forth into life on how to escape this hospital. The easiest would be just to leap out the window. He was not sure how much strain his body could take, Akari would need to help him carry some of his weight.

'Sugar release huh? Sounds sweet, I'd love to see it in action. And don't worry about me, I'm fine.' Noeru said as he began lifting his covers off of himself and unplugging all the equipment he was wired to. It was time to go, it would only be a matter of minutes before the nurses would make their way into the room to make sure he was alright. With any luck, Akari, they would both be gone by then. The teen sat on the side of his bed and gently placed his feet on the floor and began to place his weight on them. To his surprise he stood up fine, his body had the strength to support him. But the drugs he was pumped with were making it difficult to remain upright. He extended his arm as he began to fall, hoping Akari would catch him, and not let him just face plant the floor.

The ruckus the medical equipment was making was intense, by now the nurses would be on their way to the room. They had to go, now. 'Akari... The window...' he said.

[King of Cats]

The young girl did not know what to expect when Noeru told her that he had to get out of there. She stammered a bit and gently placed her hand on Noeru's. "You n-need to-" Akari was cut off by Noeru unplugging himself from the medical devices and pulling out his iv. The young girl didn't know what to think but her training as a ninja was like an instinct to her. Noeru was hurt and he needed help, but he didn't want it in the hospital. Akari's mind flashed with places to take him, but she didn't have time to come to a conlcusion. The Senju boy had managed to stand up. He looked a little shaky but his weight was held and he was up for a minute. Akari started to smile but he quickly started falling to the ground.

Swiftly Akari got up from the bed and caught her cousin. "Slow down champ.." Akari said to Noeru and then started walking him to the window. She knew it was serious for him, and despite her disbelief in his desire to leave the hospital she wanted to help Noeru. Akari helped him over to the window of the hospital room and pushed it open. They were pretty high up. She leaned her cousin up onto the seal and hung his feet over the window sill then climbed up with him. Akari grabbed her cousin and dived straight down to the ground. As she fell Akari put together handseals and shot a river of caramel from her mouth. The sugary fluid acts as a buffer for their descent and the two hit the ground softly for how far they had fallen. Noeru had hit the ground pretty hard but Akari wasn't wasting any time. She got up and grabbed her cousin by the collar. "Let's go, fool." Akari giggled.

[hobnob]

A Chuckle escaped his lips as Akari called him a champ, when he was the complete opposite. Not being able to carry his own weight was the result of his lack of ability. 'Heh... I am aren't I?' He said as his feet dangled over the ledge of the hospital window. Looking down he had no fear, he knew that Akari would take good care of him. And when they began to fall he remained as calm as he could. His wounds were bleeding a little, the wounds he created when he unplugged himself from the medical equipment. Nothing serious, he could still mould chakra. When they stopped, tending to his wounds would be the first thing he would do. But for now they had to put as much distance between themselves and the hospital as they could. The landing was as smooth for him as it could have been. The jutsu produced by Akari caught his attention, so when a little bit of it landed on the palm of his hand he could not help but to tase it. 'Caramel...? Interesting...' he thought as his gaze shifted to Akari as they began moving once again.

'That's a cool technique... I know this isn't the best time to talk about something like this but, how did you come up with it?' his gaze then shifter to the road before them, they were going down streets, main streets, alleys, all to keep themselves out of sight. The Senju compound was not far from where they were, so it was only a matter of time until they were back home, hopefully without running any into sort of trouble. But with the streets how they were, it was almost impossible to stay out of sight, and his hospital gown was obvious to spot. With his home not far, he hoped that it would not take them long to get there.

[King of Cats]

Walkign with Noeru the two made their way away from the hospital. As they fled the scene there were probably all sorts of officials making their way to check on Noeru. They would definitely be being followed but Akari didn't care. She was devoted to her cousin and wanted to makesure he got the sort of treatment he thought he needed. She planned on taking him to her parents home but it was quite a distance from the hospital. At the pace Noeru was moving Akari was pretty sure they would never make it. Just thinking about getting hunted down by the ANBU for helping Noeru escape made the girl sick to her stomach and she began regretting her actions. She just wanted to save her precious cousin, what was so wrong about that? Surely the Hokage would understand, or at least that's what Akari thought. "I know him after all. You wouldn't let me down Fanho.. would you?" Akari started feeling a pit of anxiety weighing her down.

As she was getting lost in her own thoughts Akari realized that Noeru had been talking to her. She stiffened her back up. She had been helping Noeru limp along the whole time and was slouching from the exhaustion. "Oh. Uh. Well I was trying to make flaming Mokuton. I saw someone light their trees on fire at the compound and it looked useful. They used the scent of burning wood to put the whole compound in a genjutsu! I tried to make Mokuton on fire and I got a pile of sugar crystals instead. I guess I just have an aptitude for it." Akari was smiling, talking about herself always cheered her up. "Say Noeru, what's your plan when we get to my house?" Akari was looking her cousin directly in the eye.

[hobnob]

'That is a pretty useful technique... And to have created it by accident. Love it...' Noeru thought as he listened to his cousin. There was nothing specific that he had planned for when he go back to the compound. He simply wanted to get away from the hospital so he could recover in his own way. 'Sleep... Rest... Recover. Nothing special I just can't lay in bed not doing anything. I can't afford to waste time when there will be trouble in the future.' He probably sounded very intense when he had no solid proof that there would be any kind of conflict any time soon. What he was sure of was that if a situation such as the one he was recently in arises once more, he will be ready. The Senju was determined to work on himself so he would be ready when the situation arose.

'Say Akari... What are your plans?' Noeru understood how vague his questions was, but he wanted to see what the girl would answer. What the first thing would be that would come to her mind. She was a Senju, she had responsibilities. Noeru wanted to see how important they were to her.

[King of Cats]

The young genin was taken back by Noeru's bluntness. He seemed so certain that there was danger on the horizon, but Akari didn't know of what he was talking about. She didn't make any comments on it but instead she nodded her head. Noeru was stressed out, she figured he was just venting. Akari could only imagine what kind of horrors he had endured before he was locked up in the hospital. "Be careful Noeru.." Akari said to her cousin as he stumbled through the village.

Noeru asked the young girl what her plans were. Akari was taken back, Noeru had grown to be so vague but it was sort of endearing to the girl. She liked knowing her family was looking out for her, wondering where she would be in the future. Akari gave her cousin a smile and stuck his little thumb up in the air. "I'm gonna help you heal up. And take care of my ninja duties. I gotta tend to the Momiji tree's at the compound. That's my duty." Akari started rambling. "Ever since Konoegi left the compound to tend to a farm in Fire Country i'm the only one who can keep the tree's manicured. No one has an eye for it like me. Of course I'm not as good as Konoegi.. oh! Sorry, i'm babbling." Akari giggled and subconsciously picked her pace up. The two were still a long way from the compound but they would make it there in less than an hour if they didn't take any breaks.

[hobnob]

Noeru let out a sigh as he heard his cousin speaking about wanting to look after trees. There were more important things to be worried about than the survival of trees in the compound. If they were not ready for the upcoming threat, there would be no compound left, and with no compound there would be no trees. "Akari... You must understand... There is a threat coming and we have to be ready for it. These trees you are looking after may no longer exist.... along with the compound and the village if we are not ready. We have to be ready." Noeru said, hopefully it was enough to convey the seriousness of the threat. He hoped it would be enough to change Akaris mind so that she would put herself to training, so that she would be another Kunoichi that could participate in the upcoming war. After just returning, Noeru had no idea about the strength Konoha had left, and he had to make sure the village had every soldier it could have to defend it.