Kunai the 18th: [Video/Action Vermillion]

[itsjustdust]

[The feed clicked on, and for the first time in months everyone got a view of an orange and dark blue clad shinobi. His goggles were off his face, and his headband was nowhere on his head, likely because he was trying to scrub something off of the metal plate and had it in his lap, but otherwise he looked well enough, a bit bigger, lankier, but otherwise, fine.

Some people would be able to note he looked much more at peace too, under his irritation.]

Okay, enough is enough!

I mean it.

I fall out of contact for a few weeks, and what happens? Everyone up and decides to go home! Let me tell you something. I am so not thrilled by this.

So I don't care if we fought last we talked, or haven't spoken in months for no good reason, or anything like that. If you recognize me, come say hello to me because I would like to know who is left around here.

Okay?

This is stupid, and I apologize right now in a blanket 'yeah I get it, it's my fault too' for any and everything that might've kept us from talking.

But, seriously.

Hello and I want to talk to everyone, okay?

Comments

[Video/Private]

[ghostpepper]

[She's struck dumb for a few minutes. How dare he call her out on her hypocrisy when she was trying to give him a pep talk... that was probably doomed to failure anyway. But when she finally replies, she looks kinda peeved.]

You were the first to tell me anything about you being directly involved, y'know! Not Naruto, not Tsunade-hime, not even Minato. That was a whole lot of information to swallow all at once! In case you forgot, I had only been in this place for a month at the time. I had the Kyuubi ripped from me and I died right before I got here. I remembered you as you were when I got here. I remembered a great kid with a dream to become Hokage that I knew was possible! And then you were telling me you as good as killed me?! That you attacked our home and everyone in it?! That you started a war?! What would you have done in my place?! Tell me!

[The bright purple of her eyes may as well have been fire, the way they were blazing. And maybe they shone a little brighter, almost as if they were wet. Which... may or may not have been related to the way her voice cracked on "Tell me!"]

I'm trying to come to terms with it, but it's not easy, ya know! Maybe it looked like I gave up on you, but sometimes I thought about talking to you again. So I didn't do it, but for the entire time that we've been traveling in different places, not a single day went by that you didn't suddenly appear in my thoughts!

[Video/Private]

[itsjustdust]

[He went silent for a beat, rubbing at his eyes, then gave his head a hard shake.]

I found out at Sasuke's birthday party. The one right after you got here. I was told by someone who that person I supposedly become in the future had personally killed Kushina-nee.

Before that I thought I'd died and I'd been more than happy knowing I'd died a good death, a worthy death for people I love. I didn't tell you when you asked right after that. I wanted to, but I was afraid you'd do exactly what you did, only I didn't think it would be as bad, because I didn't believe I'd ever hurt you.

But then you said I would, and threw a possibility in my face, and I don't want to understand it, okay. It's stupid and that plan is stupid and the whole thing is terrible. [He sank down to the grass, pressing his back against a tree, leaning over the gear and staring down into it, taking off his goggles and dropping them to the side.]

I don't want to be that person, and I tried to keep it to myself, but I thought even if it was terrible it would still be okay to tell you.