Spear & Shield

Spear & Shield
Chapter 38

Yasu huffed in frustration, yanking up the skirts of her yukata as she ascended to the Hokage Tower balcony. 

"Hurry up, Yasu," her father chided from several steps above. He had been walking along at a leisurely pace, yet managed to amble past his spry progeny rather easily. "They'll start without us."

"So?" she grumbled, tangling her sleeve by accident. She fumbled with the garment, practically hopping up the stairs on her traditional geta sandals. "The sooner this is over, the better."

Yasuchika turned to his daughter with a firm frown. "Yasu, this ceremony is important. Now more than ever, the Village needs a reason to celebrate. What better way than participating in a tradition as old as Konoha itself?"

Yasu couldn’t argue with his point, but still complained, "But why do I have to be dressed like this?" 

Her yukata today was probably the best she's ever owned, although she didn’t find herself liking it that much. It was made of rich purples and lilac, with embordered details hidden within the plum-blossom pattern. The obi was a dark green, tied artfully in the shape of a flower. It was all topped with a kanzashi pin made to look like lotus petals nestled into her carefully styled hair. Her outfit was traditional, insisting on a type of classic beauty that didn't quite fit Yasu.  

“I feel ridiculous,” she moaned, practically hauling herself up the railing. “My shinobi uniform would be more appropriate.”

Yasuchika rolled his eyes, “Yare-yare… It was an excuse for your mother to dress you up, what did you expect?” he sighed. 

Her family haori looked out of place in comparison, but it was the only part of the outfit she felt comfortable in. 

Her mother, who had chosen the yukata and even tailored it, had helped dress Yasu. She initially tried to convince Yasu to go without the haori, but Yasu refused. This ensued in another one of their mother-daughter spats that happen more often than not when Yasu steps into her family home. Their compromise had been that Yasu wore the yukata, with styled hair and no hitai-ate, but she could wear the haori. Like most of their arguments, it ended with them both not quite happy, but not quite angry, either.

"What’s the point? It's just a ribbon-cutting ceremony. It's not like anyone's gonna be there."

Yasuchika hid a wince of agreement. “Don't be so negative, Yasu. After all, how often is it that we get thanked for the work we do? Shouldn’t we enjoy it?”

Yasu thought back to the other night and the words Gai had handed her so easily. ‘You've done an amazing job. You should be proud...You work so hard. I want to make sure you're rewarded for your efforts… You deserve a good rest…'

"I get thanked plenty," she shrugged.

Her father huffed, "Because you're a beautiful young woman," he complained. "No one spares kind words to old men like me."

"They would if you stopped complaining so much," a sharp voice interrupted. 

Two pairs of brown eyes snapped to the top of the stairs where Tsunade stood, imposing and intimidating in her white Kage robes. 

“Mah, mah… Tsunade-sama! You look radiant.”

“Good morning, Hokage-sama,” Yasu bowed politely.

Tsunade leveled the younger girl with a stony glare, “Yasu-san. I’m looking forward to the unveiling. I’m certain everything will go well today... Do you agree?”

Suddenly Yasu’s outfit wasn’t so concerning anymore. ‘She can’t possibly know… could she?’ Yasu was suddenly thankful for the long sleeves as they hid her shaking hands.

“Of course, Hokage-sama!” she chirped, a nervous grin pulling at her cheeks, “I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Yasuchika coughed nervously, “Rest assured! We guarantee our expert craftsmanship, Tsunade-sama!”

The blonde eyed the two with a raised brow. It had taken her all morning to stave away the headache caused by seeing her face cracked in two. 

She still wasn’t sure what to make of seeing her own face carved into the mountainside, alongside her grandfather and sensei. It was all a bit surreal, honestly. She trusted the Ushi’s to complete the project in a timely manner, but wariness still clawed at the back of her mind. 

"We've done our best to capture your radiance and beauty!"

She snorted at the man's harried compliment. Her cloak flared as she turned sharply to lead them the rest of the way, "So long as my face is in one piece," she grumbled with finality.

Yasu and her father shared a helpless look, ‘She knows.’

The Hokage's escorts ushered them through the archway that led to the veranda that overlooked the center of Konoha.

Yasu's mouth dropped open in shock as a sea of people came into sight. All the breath left her lungs as she stepped out beside her father.

The crowd erupted at the sight of their Hokage. Loud cheers and applause exploded into the afternoon air. Yasu distractedly noted it was an even bigger turn-out than Tsunade's initial inauguration. She gazed down at a legion of familiar faces. It appeared as though the entire village had come to show their support and unity. They were villagers she saw everyday, but had never given her more than a passing glance. Yet here they were, staring up at her with varying expressions of awe and appreciation. The gathering was a sign of strength and solidarity after the devastating hit of the invasion. 

And they were all here to see her work.

‘Oh no,’ she thought to herself as realization struck her. She was actively living out one of her life goals, and she wasn't sure how to process it.

Her mind caught up to the present and reality set in that she had achieved one of her dreams. It was so surreal, she wasn't sure what to think. Her heart palpated as tears pricked the back of her eyes. She hid a sniffle behind the edge of her sleeve. 

Her father stepped up beside her with a smile of understanding, his eyes just as red as hers. They shared a quick, watery laugh as he patted her shoulder in an affectionate way.

The Hokage paused to address her assistant, Shizune.  Yasu and her father took their place to the side of the podium, baring themselves to their anxious audience. 

The Hokage began to speak. But for the life of her, Yasu couldn't absorb a single word. ' Healing… rebuilding… Will of Fire!' They were just background noise, barely audible over the audience. The excitement eventually caught up to her as her heart continued to race wildly. Overwhelmed, Yasu's nerves began to slither beneath her skin, so she searched for familiar faces to distract herself.

Yamato stood not too far off with his back to her, clearly on security detail. He caught her staring out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to offer her a good-natured half-smile. She returned it.

A scar and a ponytail drew her attention away from him, as she was met with a pair of warm brown eyes. A familiar face she hadn’t seen in months beamed up at her. They shared a quick, excited wave before she re-composed herself.

She let Godaime’s words wash over her as she continued to skim the crowd. 

Finally, she saw them. 

Neji caught her eye first, as if sensing her searching for them. He gave her a polite nod from the crowd, nudging Lee with his elbow. The other boy snapped his head towards her with a gleaming grin and a frantic wave. Gai and Tenten were standing behind the two, and quickly joined in with eager cheers that were muted by the bustling crowd. 

Like most of the other shinobi, they wore their normal clothes. Again, a wave of self-consciousness crashed over her as she adjusted the sleeves of her yukata. Lee and Gai kept waving and cheering, Tenten started to scold their antics, and Neji slowly began to inch away from them. 

'Where do they find the energy…?' she thought to herself with fondness. 

Her father next to her glanced between his Yasu and the strange group calling out to her. He honed in on the tallest of the bunch, a strange-looking jounin with a head of jet black hair and full eyebrows. Yasuchika felt the lines in his face deepen when he saw the way that man was looking at his daughter. There was admiration and pride… a happiness reflected in his expressive face that seemed out of place for a ninja. But were the tears really necessary? A strange feeling pulled in his chest. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about a man looking his only daughter that way.

Well... until his eyes drifted back to his daughter beside him. He saw the dimples on her cheeks that were fighting back a face-splitting grin. He saw the light in her eyes and the blush that was spreading over the bridge of her nose. Yasuchika was struck by the youthfulness he saw in her face. It was like she was a seven-year-old again, standing beside the rickety dollhouse she had built all by herself.

"I believe this will be a new era for Konoha…" the Hokage's booming voice returned into focus once more. "I vow upon my life and the lives of my ancestors… The lives of our founders… that I will do my best to protect this Village. I am relying on your support, and I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to earn it."

Upon the last word, the large tarp fell from the mountainside with hurricane force. It whipped and fluttered through the air before vanishing altogether by some sort of chakra seal.

Tsunade's face looked as though it had been there all along, standing strong and proud among her predecessors. 

The Village crescendo-ed into a thunderous cheer, their joy ringing for all to hear.

This was a sign of recovery, a sign of growth, a sign of resilience. 

She found herself clutching her father's hand as she grinned up at the mountainside. She let the cheers fade into the background, allowing herself one long moment of pride.

The cheers continued as they were ushered off the platform. Years of shinobi training allowed her to force away the tears in her eyes, bottling the joy somewhere in her chest alongside her heart. Her father’s nose was red as he squeezed her hand. 

“I think we did good,” he whispered wetly.

“Yeah,” she answered back. “Me too.”