Third-Person POV

The only thing that matters in this world is strength.

To be the greatest, you have to be the strongest. That's what our lousy father taught us anyway.

Kazue Katsumi was in the Embassy, standing in line and waiting impatiently to receive the visa he had applied for months ago. At that time, he was left with nothing to do but dwell on his thoughts, and this resulted in him inadvertently thinking about the way the Chunin Exams had ended, much as he hated to.

The same memory of when everyone had looked at him like he was a pariah after he had admittedly taken things too far with Asami kept playing itself.

He should have been able to move on from it, as he did with everything else, but when it came down to it, the gazes he always struggled to disassociate from the most were that of his teammates. That look of anger, pity, and disappointment from them grated him so much. It felt like he and Iroko had switched places, and the very thought of that made him grunt.

The stranger in front looked back at him with concern.

"What? You got somethin' to say?"

They walked away quickly, and it was finally his turn to speak to the clerk. A moment later he was walking out of the Embassy with his visa.

I've only ever looked up to two people in my life. There's you, and there's Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto... When he saved me and mom from bandits and stood triumphantly over them, it was the first time I ever thought to myself: "That's what a real hero looks like."

Today, Kazue was going to visit his mother. The visa he had obtained was what he needed to leave the Leaf Village without needing permission from officials, something that would only have been possible if he had left as a ninja, but that was not the case today.

On his way back home, he walked through the streets of the village with an air of despondency about him. His shoulders were slumped, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, and his eyes were almost always glued to the ground.

He was strong, strong enough to look after himself and others, and he didn't need anyone's help to do it. I envied that kind of strength. Even now, I still do.

At length, as he passed by the Edo, the long shadow of someone emerged on the pavement before him, one that ended in a mass of wavy, spiky hair, and started from a pair of legs dressed in familiar blue pants. Kazue looked up to see who it was.

I guess that's why I hate him so much, too. You'd remember him as that one kid I befriended when I was 5; Iroko.

The blue-streaked ninja waved awkwardly at him. "Yo, it's been a minute."

Kazue kept walking, fully intent on ignoring him.

Iroko sighed. "Not even a 'Hell, do you want, Jiko?' from ya, huh?" He imitated Kazue.

He stopped walking when his back was turned to Iroko. "The hell do you want, Jiko?"

"There it is! Well, not that it's any of my business, but no one's really heard from or seen you outside of school in the last couple of months. Not since the day the Chunin Exams were suspended."

"So what? Get to the point."

"It's just a good thing I ran into you because I've been meaning to ask: Is there ... something you want to talk about?"

"Huh?" Kazue looked back at him.

"Between our fight in the Forest of Death and the Single-Elimination Rounds, I think it's safe to say everyone's noticed something's been bothering you... or someone." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I know the two of us aren't friends anymore, but we used to be at one point, right? If you do need someone to talk to, I can lend an ear."

If Naruto is the pinnacle of strength, then he's the opposite: Weakness. A mirror of everything I hated about myself and wanted to separate from, and it all started from the moment he declared he wanted to surpass Naruto, too.

Kazue scoffed.

"Did I say a joke?" Iroko asked.

"Yeah, you did actually. It's the fact that you thought we were ever friends, to begin with."

People like him would only slow me down.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't get me wrong, it's not just you. I don't consider anyone to be my friend, and it's always been that way, but I've least considered you one, so you trying to be all buddy-buddy now is gross, weird, and doesn't mean anything."

"Nah, I don't believe that," Iroko said defiantly. "What about the dream that we shared as little kids, or when we worked together to master the basics of ninjutsu, or when we hung out at the arcade or played football together every other day? Wasn't all that what friends do? How could you say we never were, to begin with?"

"Wow, you're even stupider than I thought. Do you know me, Jiko?"

"What?"

"And I'm not asking in a literal sense. I mean, do you actually know who I am, and have been in my personal life?"

"I..." Iroko fell silent.

"Yeah, thought so. You can't call someone a friend if you don't know them. That's why the two of us were never friends from the start, and not once did I ever want us to be. I could say the same about that snowflake on your team. You may hang out with and work together with her, but I bet you don't even know the first thing about where she's been or what her life was like before she met you. And if she hasn't told you about it, then it's because she doesn't want you to know. Understand? I don't need your damn ear, either fight me or just leave me the f#$% alone."

Iroko looked disheartened, telling Kazue he had gotten his point across, so he left Iroko without waiting to hear his response.

No, I don't need friends who purposefully delude themselves like him, who think they can become stronger by never giving up, believing in themselves, or relying on the power of false friendship. Outside of you, Naruto, Dad, and the elders, no one else understands what it takes to be the greatest.

No one else does, but I still ended up meeting someone who wouldn't stop yapping at me about it. Someone even more annoying than the loser. And I ended up listening to her.

He had finally arrived at his house, minutes later. As he passed through the gate, he stopped for a moment to look at the building in which he had been raised.

It was far bigger and more impressively decked than most other houses in the village. Its traditional-looking exterior belied the fact that it was complete with every kind of modern feature a house could have, and it still had a massive tatami room that overlooked the deck, a room that Kazuki had reserved as his space for training.

Though others might turn their heads in the house's direction and call Kazue lucky for living such a high-end life, only he and his family were aware of the dark secrets that lurked within that residence, secrets he would rather die for than tell to another living soul.

After taking off his shoes and passing through the entryway, he was received by the family's butler, Daizen.

"Welcome back, young master," he said. "Were able to secure the visa?"

Kazue waved it in front of him without answering. "Where're my bags?"

"I had them moved to the living room for your convenience."

"And the old man, is he here?"

"Kazuki-dono is currently away. I believe he mentioned wanting to speak with Shikamaru Nara. For what reason I cannot say."

"Perfect."

He grabbed his bags and made his way to the front door. Daizen was alarmed to see this.

"Uh- Young master, were you intent on leaving now?!"

"Uh-huh." He slipped on his shoes.

"Wouldn't you rather wait until tomorrow? It's already getting late and I'm sure your father would like a word with you before you leave since he'll be away on a mission by the time you return."

"That's why I'm leaving now (take a hint, Daizen). The sooner I'm out of here, the better."

Daizen looked sympathetic. "If I may, young master, I know your relationship with your father has been tumultuous at best and I know it is a sour subject for you, but sooner or later you must communicate your thoughts and feelings to someone, or it will lead to the detriment of your other relationships. I say this with nothing but your best interest in mind, young master."

Kazue flashed his feline teeth in anger, but he turned it into a condescending smile.

"Is that so? Thanks for letting me know," he said sarcastically and slammed the door behind him.

Her name is Tensho, and against my judgment, I started caring about her and the rest of my team. But it's the fact that I care that's causing me problems right now.

He left the village soon after and went straight to the Konoha Shinshigai Station where the last stop for Tanzaku Town was leaving.

The Konoha Rail was a very new mode of transport that was developed by the Kaminarimon Company shortly after the end of the 4th Great Ninja War. Then, it was a new project that was still in its testing phase, and on top of that, tickets to board its trains were so expensive that it was limited to only wealthy ninja and non-ninja families. Kazue rode on the train now, while still thinking about his current predicament.

When the train arrived at Tanzaku Station, Kazue got off and, instead of walking into the hub of the town, turned to its residential neighborhood.

Kazue's mother, Haneen Katsumi, lived with Kazuki's niece, her fiance, and their mother. The niece's name was Shiori and she and her fiance worked as ANBU operatives for Tanzaku Town and its surrounding region. Although, more recently her fiance had been Kazue's trainer for the Chunin Exams.

On his way to the house, he caught sight of them down the street from him, walking back from the market with bags of groceries in their hands.

Kazue's mother was a woman of average height with long blonde hair and a variation of magenta-colored eyes similar to Sayo's since these traits were typically seen among members of the Atsuhiro clan. The one characteristic that made her stand out was the beauty mark on her right cheek.

Mayuri, Shiori's mother, resembled a member of the Katō clan as she was. Pale blue hair, gentle blue eyes, and a look of compassion on her face, though age was starting to catch up with her appearance.

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Shiori, in turn, looked more like a Katsumi. Though she had pale blue hair like her mother, hers was spiky and it arched forward in one direction which she held together in a headband. Her eyes were sharp and red with slit pupils, and her neutral facial expression naturally looked like a scowl, just like Kazue and Kazuki. There also ran a scar over her face, from her forehead to just over her right eyelid.

They were talking gingerly about something, but when Haneen saw her son, she dropped everything she was doing and ran to hug him. Kazue was caught off guard by the sudden show of affection and awkwardly patted her on the back while his mother embraced him tightly.

"Good to see you, too, Mom..."

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"You know, you don't come by often enough," said Shiori to Kazue. "Are you so busy that you can't make more time to visit your cousin?"

"Whatever, I'm here now, ain't I?" he said.

"For your mother, that is. But it's fine, I'll take what I can get."

The two of them were in the kitchen. While Shiori chopped up vegetables to make udon, Kazue stood beside her, helping himself to a bowl of takoyaki. In the background, Mayuri had the news on. In it, the reporters were mentioning something about rogue ninjas having been spotted in the north of the Land of Fire.

"Ah, but it's been way too long," said Shiori. "I remember when you were barely above my waist. Now look at you. How old are you now? 10?"

Kazue shot a glare at her.

"Kidding, kidding," she smiled. Then her expression turned serious. "I know it probably hasn't been easy, living all by yourself with ojisan. I hope having Shun there while he trained you for your Exams helped..."

Kazue smirked. "You all still think of me as some weak little kid, don't you?"

"What? No--"

"I'm not mad that Mom left the house," said Kazue calmly, "hell, I'm glad. She's had to put up with enough bulls#$% caused by him, you both have. No one else needs to deal with him but me. Maybe I'm not strong enough now, but someday I will be. And when I am, when I become the greatest, I'll make him answer for what he's done."

Shiori looked at him somberly, to which Kazue noticed.

"What?"

"Nothing." She went back to cutting the vegetables. "I'm just surprised by how much you've changed."

He was about to ask her what she meant by that but they were interrupted by Haneen.

"Kazue," she gestured for him to come to her. "Come, let's talk. You don't mind if I steal my son for a moment, do you, Shiori?"

"Of course not, obachan."

Kazue followed Haneen into her bedroom where she sat on her bed and gestured for him to sit on the chair in front of her.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting your conversation. It's just been some time since we had a chance to talk, just the two of us."

"Yeah, it has."

Haneen smiled. "Tell me everything. How's school been? How're your ninja studies going?"

"Fine and fine," he deadpanned.

She made a pouty face. "Those are one-word answers and I'm not going to accept them. Use full sentences, mister."

He sighed. So Kazue told her about everything that had happened to him since his last visit. First, he summed up how he was doing academically, and poignantly made sure to tell her he was doing well in Science, which he knew she would have asked about it.

Then he started talking about the Chunin Exams, and it was there he had let his enthusiasm show, something Haneen had picked up on. He talked about how preparations went for them with Hachiman, the challenges he and his team had faced during the Written Test and the Forest Death, and how the Single-Elimination Rounds had transpired. However, he made sure to avoid talking about his teammates and allies too much.

"Despite how dangerous it all sounds, you sound like you're enjoying yourself," said Haneen. "I knew what I signed up for when I decided to have kids within a ninja family, so I'm not worried."

"And you shouldn't be," he replied. "Once I become a jonin, I'll be the one to look after you, not Dad, not anymore."

"My little boy, growing up right before my eyes. But don't let your whole life revolve around your father. Make some time out for your friends and keep building those relationships. I don't hear enough about those girls on your team."

Kazue's expression turned sour. He had been trying to avoid this topic the entire time but it ended up leading right back to it.

"That's 'cos there isn't anything to talk about."

"You mean you aren't getting along?"

"No-- I mean, yes, but..." He heaved a heavy sigh of defeat. S#$t...

"Kazue, what happened...?"

He turned away from his mother. "I may have done something stupid at the end of the Exams, and now things are weird with one of them."

"Oh, sweetie. Well, have you tried talking to her about it?"

"It doesn't matter anymore. And what would be the point anyway? I've made up my mind. Trying to be f-f-friends with them was a dumb idea in the first place. They'd just get in my way, and it's not like they ever cared about us, so why care about them?"

Haneen looked at her son. "Kazue..." She reached out from her bed to gently grasp ahold of his face then made him look directly at her with a sudden display of force. "Listen to me. You shouldn't think that way, not for a single moment."

"Huh?" He was caught off guard. His mother had never behaved like this before.

"I know what kinds of thoughts you're having and... I don't mean to say this to scare you... but I've seen where they take you."

Kazue was alarmed. He jumped out of his chair and away from her arms. "Wh-what are you talking about?!"

"Your friends are not a burden, sweetie, nor should they be denigrated on account of what happened to us... but you knew that already, didn't you?"

He clenched his fists in a show of frustration, refusing to meet her eyes. She was right. He knew all of this already, but it still conflicted with his values, with everything he had ever known and had been taught, but now that was being questioned, too. However, worse than any of that was the possibility...

"So in other words, you're saying I'm just like Dad...?" he asked.

"No, you aren't, and you'll never, nor should you have to be," Haneen got up from her bed. "Your father's method of becoming the greatest is one way, but there's another way, my son. There's your way. And because you've already acknowledged the flaws in his method, that makes you different from him. I should know..." She turned his face to look at her once more but with the same gentleness as from afore. "You have my eyes, after all. Whatever you decide to do from here, remember you always have a choice. You get to decide what kind of a shinobi you want to be."

And that's why I'm talking to you right now.

You left us for a reason, right?

Kazue went back to his bedroom afterwards, and sat on his bed, mulling over his mother's words very carefully. "What kind of a shinobi..."

I know part of it had something to do with the old man, and I think that's what I'm going through right now. Before, if I failed to meet his expectations I could take it in stride and would strive to just work harder, be even greater, like you. But now...

He thought about the moment he had made Tensho cry, all the times Kazuki berated and beat him, and the moment when he was alienated by everyone outside of the stadium. Everything clashed against each other, agitating and angering him even more. He clasped his head, feeling as if it was about to blow.

I don't know... I don't know what to do anymore!!

His body relaxed for a moment, during which he went to his bedside table and opened the drawer, pulling out a Polaroid.

If you were here, you'd know what to do.

It depicted two boys, one much more older than the other, holding the younger boy in a headlock as they laughed and smiled, while covered in dirt and grime. The younger boy, who had a mop of spiky orange hair, was Kazue when he was 5 or 6 years old, and the older boy with smooth blond hair and a beauty mark beneath his right eye was...

But maybe it's just as well you aren't, Kazuya. "'Cos none of this means I've forgiven you either."

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Kazue came back to the Leaf Village three days later. The rest of his time with his mom and extended relatives had gone by so quickly he didn't have enough time to cherish the moments.

The Thunder Rail had brought him back to the village while it was still bright out, however, he didn't have the heart to return home yet. So he stayed sat on a bench somewhere outside, with his head bowed low.

Strangely enough, he was approached by someone a minute later.

"Yikes, you look terrible," came an impertinent voice.

"Whoever you are, fu--" Kazue was about to tell them to go away, using less than pleasant words, but was stunned upon seeing Tensho.

She had grown much taller since he last saw her, and she looked older, too. Right now, she was looking down at him with an expression of utmost cringe.

"Red..."

"I can just come back later if you're dealing with some stuff," she said, slowly backing away.

At first, he felt some semblance of happiness at seeing her again, but then the memories came flooding back once more. He bowed his head low again. "Do whatever you want..."

"Hm. Okay, I will." She went and sat beside him.

Kazue was about to retort. "Wh--"

"Nope, me first! I'm gonna be honest right now: You weren't the only one who's been avoiding the rest of us. The truth is I've been avoiding you, too."

Immediately, he thought back to all the times he had seen Tensho at school after the Exams, and in retrospect, he realized she was right. Whenever they saw each other in the hallways, she would quickly turn and walk down another corridor, or if he sat near her, at some point she would quickly excuse herself from the room. Those were all the same things he had done to try and avoid her but he had been so self-concerned he never noticed she did the same.

"So what? Why'd you come he--"

"Ah-bu-bu-bup! I'm still talking."

He clamped his mouth shut and growled quietly instead, knowing that if he angrily retorted it would just lead to another argument.

"After the Exams, I was so pissed off at you. I kept on asking myself what the hell was wrong with him, didn't he care about me and Jin, how could he do those things to her after everything we'd been through? I thought there was no different side to this guy. He was always gonna be this egotistic douche who only cares about winning and nothing else. But then I remembered when you told me: 'You didn't ask for this.'

"And I realized you were right. You'd never asked to fight Jin, just like I'd never asked to fight Fumichan. Those were the circumstances we had been placed in and we had no choice but to go along with it. It got me thinking, I was so stuck in my world, viewing the things you did from my point of view, that I never thought to ask... No, I never thought to consider ... your world, your point of view. So I've decided to give you the chance to explain yourself. There're two sides to every story, right?"

"What do you want me to say, Red? You want me to tell you a sob story to make you feel bad for me?"

"For starters, you can explain what that fiasco at the muster point outside the stadium was all about."

"Oh yeah? Well, what if you were right, huh?" he smiled devilishly. "What if what I did back then was just a reflection of who I am, who I've always been? An egotistic douche who only cares about winning and nothing else. What if I never did care about you or Pipsqueak, or anyone else at school? What if there are no two sides to the story and you're just barking up the wrong tree, lookin' for somethin' that doesn't exist? What would you say to that?"

He was shooting himself in the foot. He knew that. He was already painfully aware. When was he not? Now she would go back to hating him again and he wouldn't blame her. That was how it was supposed to be, how he wanted it to be. Or did he? He didn't know. He would never know now--

"There it is again," she said with a tone that implied understanding.

"Ha?!"

"Every time somebody gets a little too close to knowing the real you, you lash out and deflect, almost as if you're trying to prevent yourself from having to confront it."

Kazue's eyes widened in fear. His heart rate tripled, and his vision narrowed. He was stumbling over his words as he spoke.

"Sh- shut up, just shut up!! You have no idea what you're talking about!! Confront what?! I know who I am, and what I'm about! Maybe you should try looking in a mirror, 'cos you're nothing but a mess, your whole family is!!"

Tensho looked deflated. He lowered his voice in response until he was inaudible, and sat staring at her with a hint of guilt. Had he finally taken things too far?

"Yeah, you're right," she said nonchalantly. "My dad's family is a mess, and I was born into that problem, whether I want to admit it or not. But that's why I want to become the next head of the branch, so I can do something about it, so I don't have to live my life under their standards, so I can become my own kind of shinobi."

"Nothin' but a pipe dream," he said. "How do you, as a kid with no clout or leverage, fight a system that's all you've ever known?"

"No idea," she suddenly gave him a cheeky smile, "but I know it's something I can't do alone, and maybe that's why I want to invest so much of my time with you guys because I know you're like me. Having the weight of your family on your hands, and refusing to disappoint them, because then it'll mean you don't belong, and that's scary because ... what other option is there? But that doesn't mean any of us have to go through it alone. What's the point of having friends or teammates if we can't lean on them when we've been beaten down? No one ever became the strongest on their own, you know."

Kazue realized she had been indirectly talking about him all along. Unbelievable. His mom was right.

She came back to settle things with him after he had been the one to ruin it, and not only did she not leave even after all the times he had blown up on her, but now it seemed like she knew what he was going through, despite him not having told her or anyone about his family's situation.

For a moment, he wondered if it would be all right to tell her. He wondered if he really could, for just a brief instant... allow himself to be vulnerable again...

"You don't have to tell me now if you don't want to or you aren't ready," she said. "I just wanted to let you know that I'll be ready and willing to listen when you're ready and willing to talk."

For some reason, although it was the same words, damn near verbatim, they sounded a lot better coming from her than they did Iroko. And he knew why. He finally knew why although she was more annoying than him, she was also more tolerable.

Kazue suddenly stood up from the bench which startled Tensho.

"I did go overboard that day," he said. "I was harboring some intense feelings and ended up taking it out on you guys which you didn't deserve. So I'm sorry about that."

Tensho beamed. "Hmmmmmm, what's this? Did you just apologize?"

"I ain't repeating myself."

"No need, I got it on record."

"wHAt?!" He looked back at her with a look of fear and embarrassment. Tensho burst out laughing.

"Oh my gosh, I'm kidding! Jeez, you should've seen the look on your face! That was poster-worthy!"

Kazue was fuming, but even he couldn't help himself but crack a smirk. For now, it seemed the relationship between him and his teammate had been repaired. But only time would tell when and if he would screw things over again for himself.

Not that he wanted it to happen. If he were to separate himself from his father's path like his mom said, it was probably going to take a lot of trial and error, but he would still try anyway. He was done denying the fact that at the very least, he wouldn't mind if those two girls were still around when he became the greatest ninja.

"Apology accepted," Tensho managed to say as she stifled her laughter. "Although it's not me you have to tell that to, but Asami."

"Yeah, whatever, I'll get around to it."

The two of them smiled fondly at each other.

"Oh, and by the way, I also came to pass on a message to you. It's Kosetsu-sensei, she says she has a mission for us."

Finally. That'll be a good distraction.

"A mission, huh?" Kazue grinned. "Bring it on!!"

The next day, Team 4 convened with Kosetsu.

.

.

.

And before Kazue knew it, he found himself in naught but swim trunks, carrying a cooler of refreshments, while standing on the sandy shores of a holiday resort.

"Our next mission is to enjoy ourselves at the beach!!" said Kosetsu.

"The hell?"