Chapter 32: Checking In

(A/N: I noticed how much traction the supplemental post was getting, so here's a bonus chapter.)

With the deadline for his return to Konoha fast approaching, Wu found himself at a crossroads. He believed he had made considerable progress infiltrating Otogakure, but he had yet to obtain any valuable information, excluding the recently acquired medical files. If he suddenly disappeared, all of his 'hard work' would go out the window, undone instantly.

Though he could easily make arrangements for a 'proxy' of sorts to hold down the fort until his return, Wu didn't immediately decide to do so. After all, while he felt compelled to stick around and learn more, gathering info on Otogakure wasn't his original 'reason' for leaving the village. His actual targets were Kumogakure and Sunagakure, two of the Five Great Shinobi Nations.

Despite his conflicted thoughts, Wu had a relaxed smile on his face as he softly mused, "Seems I'll need to put more thought into my actions before committing to anything long-term in the future..."

Having made his decision, Wu rolled forward, took out a piece of paper, and began writing a letter. He had enough foresight to understand that he would probably be enemies to Otogakure the moment they initiated their plan, so there was no reason to 'cling' to the identity he had forged under their roof. He did, however, want to leave things up in the air, so he wrote a simple 'going sightseeing' before setting the letter on his bed table and promptly 'disappearing.' In reality, he had shrunken down to the size of an ant, slipping under the door and making his way out of the underground compound a few minutes later...

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Arriving outside the gates of Konoha a little less than three hours later, a faint smile developed across Wu's face. He had always been a creature of comfort, so as much as he enjoyed his newfound freedom, he preferred familiarity. After all, he had spent four years cultivating an identity within Konoha. He had no intention of undermining his hard work.

After slipping through an underground passage that Hiruzen had shown him before his departure, Wu took a moment to consider whether or not he should return to the Sarutobi Estate or stop by to see how his 'friends' were doing. Most newly established Genin Teams were forced to do two months of menial missions within the village, so there was no reason they should be outside.

Deciding to think it over during or after filling his belly, Wu made his way over to one of the more famous eateries of the Akamichi Clan, Yakiniku Q. It was a place where customers were given tiny hotplates or pots of hot umami to grill or boil strips of premium cut meat. The prices were through the roof, but that was actually a good thing as it meant most of the guests were well-off or successful Shinobi. In other words, if you were looking to randomly encounter people from Konoha's various clans, enjoying a meal at Yakiniku Q drastically increased your chances.

Upon entering the nostalgic venue, Wu was immediately greeted by an extended member of the Akamichi Clan, remarking, "Oh, if it isn't Wu-kun! It's been some time since your last visit. Would you like a private booth, or are you meeting up with someone...?"

Before answering the young waitress's question, Wu passed his gaze over the dining area, zeroing in on a familiar silhouette, his brows rising ever so slightly as he replied, "I'm going to join an existing table. My order will be the same as usual but substitute the green tea for ginseng."

As Wu was a regular within the establishment, the young woman nodded before making a quick note and informing him that his meal would be out within ten minutes, a Yakinuku guarantee. Wu just nodded his response to this before meandering his way over to the private booth nearest the back of the restaurant, remarking, "It's unusual to see you eating alone. Did you get in a fight?"

Not expecting Wu to be the one to surprise her, even though he was fairly famous for doing so, the young girl hanging her at the table nearly leaped out of her skin, involuntarily exclaiming, "Wu-kun!?" before looking around in embarrassment.

Adopting one of his more charismatic and amused smile, Wu replied, "It's good to see you as well, Hinata. Mind if I join you...?"

Though a part of her wanted to continue eating alone, Wu's long absence compelled Hinata to exhale a faint sigh through her nose, responding, "Of course, you can." in a kind yet noticeably dispirited tone.

Sitting across from the inky-haired girl, Wu footed around the subject he was actually interested in, asking, "You're growing your hair out...?" with slightly raised brows.

Exhaling another sigh, Hinata lowered her head slightly and explained, "I know you always told us that long hair is a detriment during combat, but I wanted to try growing it out. Naruto...Naruto-kun prefers girls with longer hair..."

Not expecting Hinata to immediately transition the conversation toward Naruto, Wu feigned obliviousness as he asked, "Speaking of which, how is our resident wastrel? Is he still using his ridiculous Chakra reserves as an excuse to slack off in his training...?"

Instead of responding to Wu's questions, Hinata exhaled a third, markedly more exasperated sigh. Things hadn't been going especially well between her and Naruto in the past month. Being forced to complete 'pointless' D-Rank missions had Naruto in an understandably lousy mood, but that was only the tip of the iceberg...

Catching Wu a little off guard, Hinata reverted to her formerly meek self as she softly inquired, "Do you think it's normal for boys and girls to have sex before marriage? Naruto-kun has been a little...insistent the past few weeks. I keep telling him it's too soon and that we should wait until our wedding night, but he..."

Realizing that she might be forcing Wu into an awkward position, Hinata's words gradually trailed into silence. She and the other girls had confided in Wu a lot over the past four years, but he had made it clear during the final weeks leading up to their graduation that their training with him had ended. Shinobi were legally considered adults, so while Wu had said he didn't mind meeting up now and then to trade pointers, he wasn't going to keep 'pampering' them as he had been...

Surprising the young heiress, Wu quickly replied, "While it 'is' normal for some couples to enter a physical relationship before marriage, everyone has their own circumstances. Neither you nor Naruto can be considered normal, so comparing your situation to 'ordinary' people is just dumb. The most important thing is to do what 'you' believe is right. I told you before but a relationship is a compromise. You may have to make concessions to make things work, but that goes both ways. If you're the only one making compromises, you're being taken advantage of."

Though he had nothing against Naruto, Wu's appreciation for his former friend had waned considerably. Naruto had 'inserted' himself into their training shortly after he and Hinata became a couple. His presence had caused a number of issues at the time, not simply because he didn't work hard but because his growth, backed by his nonsensical Chakra reserves, was borderline monstrous.

Despite his minimal efforts, Naruto had managed to supplant himself as the third stronger person in their graduating class. For a time, he had even secured the second position, but his abrupt growth had spurred Sasuke to petition Wu's personal guidance. They didn't train together often, but Wu would periodically visit the Uchiha Compound to see what the broody boy was up to before beating some sense into him and offering some 'friendly' advice. Shortly after that, Sasuke destroyed Naruto in a spar, upsetting the latter so much that he had accused Wu of 'betraying' their friendship. They had eventually made up, primarily due to Hinata's mediation, but, as Wu had once told Hiruzen, trust, once broken, could never be restored to the way it was...

As Wu's words settled in her heart and mind, Hinata's melancholy became increasingly apparent. She 'knew' Wu was right, he rarely wasn't, but she still wanted to make things work between her and Naruto. They had their ups and downs, sure, but she believed Naruto would eventually return to the earnest and hardworking boy he once was...

With his food arriving during Hinata's depressive silence, Wu allowed her to mellow for a bit as he consumed a veritable mountain of meat. One of the things he genuinely relished about Konoha was their food culture. His stay in Otogakure hadn't been 'intolerable,' but their cafeteria needed a lot of improvements.

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Seeing Wu engorge himself with a contented look on his face, a feeling of relief washed over Hinata. Compared to most aspects of her life, Wu was like a constant, unchanging fixture. He had matured considerably over the past four years, but everything from his personality to his heartfelt desire for improvement remained the same. He could be a little 'dense' at times, but Hinata believed that, if she needed him, Wu wouldn't hesitate to offer his assistance and advice. It was just the kind of person he was...abrasive yet incomparably reliable...

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After parting ways with the embattled Hyuga heiress, Wu attempted to return to the Sarutobi Estate but soon found his path blocked by a man with a beige cloak and a white mask bearing a red crescent.

"Genin Wu. Report to the Hokage's Office at once."

Instead of responding in the affirmative, Wu raised his hand and said, "Good to see you, Raidou-san. I see the old man still has you running around for him."

Losing some of the 'edge' radiating off of him, the masked man exhaled a sigh and said, "Wu-kun...you know you aren't supposed to use our names when we're in uniform. If someone were to hear you, it could compromise us..."

Shrugging his shoulders, Wu offered a lazy, "Yeah, yeah. Tell Nanao I said hi." before changing his destination to the red compound near the base of Hokage Mountain. He hadn't exactly been trying to remain low-key, so he wasn't too surprised the old man had sent someone to fetch him...

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Staring out over the village from the vantage point of his office, a circular room with very little decoration, Hiruzen mused, "I wonder how he'll try to surprise me this time..."

Having already dismissed his guards and activated a sound-suppressing seal, Hiruzen was fully expecting Wu to try and prank him. It was a little game they had started playing just over a year ago. If Wu could sneak up on him undetected, Hiruzen would increase the boy's allowance or permit him a single, minor request. Inversely, if he managed to catch Wu before the young boy could place a hand on his shoulder, Hiruzen could request his help in reviewing the mountain of paperwork cluttering his desk...

Fortunately, Hiruzen had a slight advantage in their little game as he could track Wu's presence with his crystal ball. He knew exactly when his young protege was supposed to show up. The only challenging part was timing his words when Wu was in the room. He wasn't a Sensor, so there were several instances where he had spoken confidently to a completely empty room...

Straining his senses to their absolute limit, Hiruzen waited for around six and a half minutes before musing, "It looks like I win our little game this time. You can come on out, Wu-kun..."

*silence*

Turning around, Hiruzen narrowed his eyes ever so slightly as he added, "It isn't like you to feign ignorance, Wu-kun. I might not be able to sense your exact location, but I know you're present..."

*silence*

"..."

Feeling a little embarrassed, Hiruzen returned to his seat and decided to pretend he had invited Wu over to discuss something 'serious.' Before he could get into the proper mentality, however, a hand came to rest on his shoulder, followed by a teasing voice remarking, "You're lucky I choose to play by 'your' rules. I know damn well you couldn't sense me..."

Instead of refuting Wu's words, Hiruzen exhaled a chuckle, nodding as he mused, "Your affinity with Natural Energy truly is a marvel...." Then, with a grandfatherly smile, he looked up at Wu and inquired, "Did you enjoy your foray outside the village?"

Returning a nod of his own, Wu gave Hiruzen a light pat on the shoulder before making his way around the front of the desk and taking a seat atop empty air. The ambiance within the room became noticeably warmer, but that changed rather drastically when Wu casually revealed, "There is a reasonably high possibility that Konoha will be invaded in the next three to four months..."

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