The Cloud Over The Leaf

The sun was shining brightly as the clouds were nowhere to be seen. Waves crashed into the nearby cliff side, showing off nature's power and beauty.

"That's it! Give me a graceful pose!"

*Ka-chik*

A small flash brightened the area as Hiyo and Naruko posed for the camera.

"Excellent! Let's take a short break! Rest up and we'll take a few more photos while the sun's out!"

Naruko sighed as they went over to a nearby bench to rest that Yamato created. 

"Ugh! This is soooo hard~! I didn't think there would be so many pictures to take!"

Hiyo smiled at Naruko and patted her back.

"It's not too bad.  At least our moms aren't here. Could you imagine what they would say?"

Naruko shuddered at the thought as she rubbed her shoulders.

"M-Mom can never know about this."

Hiyo looked at Naruto with a knowing expression.

"Naruko. Do you really think Shizuka will let this go so easily?"

"....."

Naruko's head dropped in her hands as she realized the darkness had already encroached on her.

"Tsk! Stop complaining! You made this stupid Jutsu so deal with it."

Sasuki stood against a nearby tree as she watched Yamato and Kakashi go over the photos, marking the good ones.

"Ugh! You don't understand, Sasuki! Mom is never gonna let this go!"

"No. I think he gets it. I can't imagine what Fugaku, or even worse, Itachi would say if they saw this."

Sasuki felt a strong shiver come up her spine as she thought about it.

Hiyo looked over to Sasuki with worry as she brought over a jacket.

"You might catch a cold, Sasuki. You should wear this."

"If you aren't cold, I'm not either!"

All three of the girls had bikinis on as they stood near the water. 

Sasuki wore a black and red bikini while Hiyo wore a white and blue one. Naruko, on the other hand, had a yellow and orange bikini on.

"Don't be so stubborn. We don't know how long we'll be here. We might as well be ready for the long haul, just in case."

"...."

Sasuki looked at the jacket and silently took it.

Putting on the jacket gave Sasuki a bad girl look, provoking Yamato's art senses as he swiftly turned around!

"Ooooh! I like this style! Let's get some more pictures of you by the sand!"

"Tch!!"

Sasuki clicked her tongue and slowly stomped over. 

Hiyo smiled wryly as he sat down on the bench again. 

"Hey, Hiyo. How is Kaiza's treatment going?"

Hiyo smiled brightly at the mention of the treatment.

"Really good! I'm sure he should be fully healed when we head back today."

Naruko looked up to the clear sky and smiled.

"Good. I bet Inari will be super happy."

Hiyo watched Naruto's new expressions with interest.

'It feels like Naruto has become a more mature recently.'

[Makes sense. Kaiza had a lifestyle pretty similar to Naruto's original way of life.]

{I guess he can't get away from it, huh?}

Hiyo thought about it and also looked into the sky.

'A way of life, huh?'

{It's good to think about it now. After all the troubling stuff is over, what would you want to do?}

'...I never really thought of that. I just believed I would go with the flow of things. What do I want to do?'

Hiyo reflected on that idea as she tapped her fingers on the bench.

"Hiyo! Naruko! Come help take some pictures together with Sasuki!"

""Okay!""

'I'll think more about it later.'

The two headed over to Sasuki and posed all together, bringing Yamato's creative passion to the next level.

Kakashi only watched and nodded his head.

'This prank...will probably become something crazy soon enough.'

Yamato continued to take photos, unaware of Kakashi's vision of where this could go.

********

"Haa, Haa, Haa."

Hii took in deep breaths as the black light slowly dissipated from his hands. Kaiza could finally flex both his hands and his right foot with little to no difficulty. 

The only injury remaining was his left foot.

"How are you feeling, Kaiza-san? Any discomfort?"

Kaiza rolled his shoulders and laughed.

"Not at all! I feel great! Almost too great in fact! I wanna go catch some fish now! Hahaha!!"

Hii smiled at Kaiza's energy as he sat down in a nearby chair.

[Good. One more session and he'll be back to normal.]

{How are you feeling?}

'Better than the first session. I feel like I can heal him fully if I push through it!'

[No. Take a break and relax. You're getting tougher, but don't get reckless. Building strength takes time.]

'...Fine.'

Hii took in deep breaths before shaking some his tiredness away with his hands.

"Phew~! Looks like you should be able to move completely tomorrow. I'll have to take a rest for today. I'm going to go back downstairs. Do you want me to call Inari for you?"

"Gahaha! Yeah! Tell him and Tsunami to come up! I can finally hug my family again."

Hii nodded his head and exited the room.

"Whew."

"Good work."

Shizuka stood beside the door, leaning against the wall.

She had a bright smile on her face as she came off the wall towards Hii.

"Does our miracle worker need assistance down the stairs?"

Hii snorts and plays along.

"Yes, It would be gratefully appreciated. Working miracles is surprisingly taxing on the body."

"Haha! As you wish!"

Shizuka leant Hii her shoulder and helped him down the stairs.

"Hey."

"Hmm?"

"How do you do that? Isn't it nearly impossible for someone as young as you to be that good at fixing someone up?"

"....."

"I understand if you want to keep it a secret. I was just curious."

Hii kept his face forward and slightly nodded. 

"I'll tell you and Maka about it soon enough."

Shizuka continues to look forward with a slight frown, but Hii didn't notice it.

"So Sensei knows already, huh?"

"....."

"Whatever. Just let us know when you're ready. We are a team after all."

The two reach the living room where Shizuka drops Hii on the nearest couch.

"Hope you feel better. I'm gonna go let Tsunami and Inari know about Kaiza wanting to see them. No need to thank me."

Shizuka walks off while Hii watches her with a wry smile.

{You plan to tell them about us finally?}

'Yeah. I'm sure they won't be scared of you two.'

[You can trust your teammates. You guys have been friends for a long time. I doubt they'll treat you any different after they learn about us.]

Hii leans back against the couch and looks at the ceiling.

'I'm sure it'll be fine. It's just... I'm kinda nervous about it.'

[We'll wait until you're ready. Well, at least try to.]

{No promises!}

Hii smiled as he took a quick nap on the couch.

********

Hiyo and Naruko both headed out towards the forest nearby with Yamato for more pictures.

Naruko walked while extending her legs fully one after the other with her hands behind her head. She had an orange robe top today with a pair of black spats and sandals.

Hiyo walked to his side, hands in front of her hips with a short, but purposeful gait. She wore a dark blue kimono today, covered in stars along with her geta. Her hair was pinned up with an ornament with the help of Maka and Sakura. 

Hiyo remembered how excited they were to play with his hair and sighed.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Naruko turned and asked Hiyo.

"I just hope they don't put my hair like this when I'm a boy again."

Naruko turned to Hiyo and put both of her palms together in prayer.

Hiyo rolled her eyes and continued on.

"You're no help."

"Hehehe~!"

"We're almost there. I heard from a local that there is even a nice flower patch near here. We have to take some pictures there to give you all some variety."

Yamato told them with excitement as he looked around happily. Kakashi silently followed with the camera setup shaking his head.

'I can't tell if he's acting anymore.'

The four continued through the forest and finally found the flower area after some searching.

They also realized they weren't the only ones in the area.

They could see a figure in a distant circle of flowers crouched down, picking what looks like herbs. They had long black hair that shimmered with the dots of sunlights peeking through the trees. They wore a pink kimono with red trim and a black choker around their neck.

The person turned around, showing the four of them the deep brown eyes watching them cautiously.

"Ah! Sorry to disturb you! We heard this was a good sight to take pictures in. We didn't mean to make you anxious."

Kakashi quickly filled into his role as assistant as he tried to coax the other party for the group.

Yamato only nodded his head and surveyed the other party together with the flowers.

"Wow~! Nee-san is really pretty!"

Naruko was shocked to see someone naturally as pretty as his Jutsu while Hiyo could only nod her head in agreement.

"Oh. It's fine. I was just surprised to see someone out here so early."

The beautiful person giggled at Naruko's innocent gaze of admiration and also responded to her.

"By the way, you would have to refer to me as Nii-san instead of Nee-san."

""Ehhhhh!!??""

The two girls were shocked while even Kakashi was caught off guard. 

The only one who was not shocked at all was Yamato, who had a fiery glint shine in his eyes as he heard the revelation.

"Perfect! Then if you don't mind, can you please assist us in our photo shoot?!"

""Ehhh?!""

This time, everyone was caught off guard!

********

"That's perfect! Just pick up the herb like you normally would, Haku-san!"

Yamato fiery passion burned as Haku picked them up with a soft smile.

Hiyo and Naruko watched beside Kakashi while sitting down on the grass nearby.

"Hey, why did Yamato pick up this...guy for the shoot? Shouldn't we have used one of the real girls instead?"

Hiyo shrugged her shoulders and watched Haku get smothered by the camera.

"We came in as three girls. There's no way a new girl appearing from out of nowhere would work. Haku has probably been seen around before, so they would just think we picked up a neighborhood talent. It was perfect he showed up too. We now have four seasons as models."

"Huh? Four seasons? What do you mean?"

Hiyo turned to Naruko and pointed at her.

"Based on personality and months on the calendar, I can safely guess you are going to be on the summer months of the calendar."

Hiyo pointed to herself and continued.

"I think I would probably be in the fall season photos."

Naruko nodded her head after some thought and looked over at Haku.

"Then Haku-san would be?"

" Most likely Spring. Yamato must've had a hard time figuring out who to put there since none of us really exhibits that style."

"Ah! Then Sasuki would be winter, right?!"

Hiyo nodded her head with a smile.

"Exactly. No one tops that frosty demeanor."

"Hehehe! So, if Haku-san is now taking the photos for today's shoot, does that mean we can relax today?"

Hiyo tilted her head in thought.

"I'm not too sure. I think so, but be prepared. Yamato could have a crazy idea he wants to do in an instant."

"Hehehe~! Right!?"

[Be careful around that one, Hii.]

Hiyo's face suddenly grew serious as he watched Haku.

'Why?'

[That kid...was a sort of opponent for Naruto originally. I don't know how he will react now, but I do know you should keep your distance.]

{Eh?! A pretty boy like that is actually a ninja?!}

[Don't let his looks fool you. He is definitely strong, even more powerful than Hii right now.]

This really put Hii on edge as he heard it, but he quickly calmed himself down.

'He doesn't feel like it though...'

[He naturally isn't a killer. He's a gentle kind of guy. The only problem is his guardian. That man is a cold-blooded killer.]

Hii started to watch Haku more closely as the photo shoot came to an end.

"Fantastic! I really appreciate your cooperation!"

Yamato was ecstatic as he looked over the pictures. Haku smiled as he continued to pick up the herbs he needed. He suddenly saw someone behind him put a herb inside his basket.

"I'll help you collect them since our producer dragged you into our shoot. I hope you aren't mad we took some of your time."

Hiyo said with a smile as she kneeled down close to Haku.

"Me too!"

Naruko also came over to help as well.

"Thank you very much. It wasn't too much trouble at all."

"What do you need these for?"

Naruko asked as she pulled up a herb.

"They are used to heal wounds. I felt my supply was running low, so I thought I should pick some more just in case."

Hiyo picked up another herb and tossed it into the basket. 

"I see. Are you someone in the medical field?"

Haku shook his head as he picked.

"Not really. I was just taught a thing or two about it. I'm doing this just to help some of my friends. They got injured around this area."

"I see. I hope they feel better soon."

"I'm sure they will."

Hiyo said nothing more and went to pick up more herbs.

"You girls are quite brave to come out here at this time."

"Hehehe! We can take care of ourselves pretty well! Plus, the producer gets pretty crazy about his art. He's tougher than he looks."

Haku looked over at Yamato and saw him looking through the pictures with a dangerous aura around him.

"I can tell he definitely has a strong passion."

"Tell us about it!"

"Hehe."

The two quickly filled up the basket with Haku and got up while stretching their legs.

"Thank you very much for the assistance."

"Sure! Glad we could help!"

"Thank you for helping us calm our producer down."

Naruko and Hiyo smiled brightly while Haku closed up his basket.

"Ah! Haku-san! You should come over to where we stay so we can thank you properly for your help. Please stop by so we can return the favor!"

Haku looked back at Yamato and gave a nod.

"I will. I'm sure we will see each other soon."

Yamato told Haku where he could find him if he wanted to continue taking photos with the group. Haku gave a gentle smile and walked into the forest, disappearing from view.

Yamato waved at Haku as he left, but soon slowly stopped and turned to Hiyo and Naruko.

"That boy is definitely a ninja."

"Eh?! Really?!"

Naruko was shocked as she didn't realize it at all.

Kakashi walked behind her and nodded his head.

"Yep. From his demeanor, I can say that he is likely with the other force against Gato."

Yamato nodded his head as Hiyo and Naruko regrouped around them.

"Should we really bring them to Tazuna's place? Wouldn't that put him in danger?"

Hiyo asked Yamato and saw him nod his head.

"We need to ascertain if the group against Gato is also against the bridge being built. If so, then they both will be considered enemies. If not, then we can have at least one less group to worry about. It's better to have a home advantage just in case as well."

Naruko and Hiyo accepted his idea as he turned back to the camera.

"I'm also going to need him for the spring section! He's perfect for it!"

"".....""

The three looked at each other and sighed. With each passing day, the idea of this being an act was becoming more and more distant for Yamato.

********

Haku made his way towards a shack close to the river's edge near the outskirts of the town. 

He knocked on the door of the shack two times before a delayed third knock.

The door unlocked and he quickly made his way inside.

"How was it?"

A gruff voice greeted him inside the shack as two shadows appeared on each side of the door. They were the Demon brothers, Gozu and Meizu. The two were distinct by the one horn on Gozu's headband while Meizu had two horns on his. They both had a few cuts and scratches between them from recent battles.

"It went well, Zabuza-sama. I managed to bring in a lot of herbs. The people we suspected to be other ninjas also helped me out. They were quite friendly despite being cautious."

Zabuza sat on a chair near the window, looking out at the water.

"Did you figure out their objective?"

"No. They actually came to the area I was in to take photos. Even I was brought into it as a model."

"Haku-san took photos?"

"I wanna see them."

"Shut up!"

Gozu and Meizu immediately went silent as Zabuza rubbed his forehead.

"They were taking pictures? What the hell are these ninjas up to?"

"They also invited me over to repay me for my assistance today. It could possibly be a dinner of sorts."

Zabuza looked over at Haku who had a mischevious smile.

"I actually had a lot of fun posing. I think I would like to do it again, if that's okay..."

"...."

Zabuza felt a headache coming on as breathed in deeply and exhaled.

"Whatever. Get Gozu and Meizu bandaged up. We can expect to run into those bastards again in a few days. We won't be able to hold out here if this continues for too long."

"Understood, Zabuza-sama. I'll get right to it."

"As for the weird group..."

Zabuza thought deeply for a moment with his eyes closed. He opened them a short moment after with a grin over his bandaged face.

"We should go greet them. I'll head with you tomorrow to go see them."

"Understood."

Zabuza turned to look at Gozu and Meizu.

"Make sure you two heal up properly. I don't want you two holding me and Haku back."

""Yes, Zabuza-sama!"'

Zabuza looked over at the river and reviewed his last battle with Juzo. He clenched his fists against the chair, making the wood creak as his gaze grew sinister.

"I will have that sword and the title! It's only a matter of time!"

*********

Hii looked over at Kaiza hugging Tsunami and Inari. The three all had tears in their eyes as they held each other near the bed.

Tsunami was especially happy seeing Kaiza stand on his own!

"I'm so glad you're back to normal! Don't do something like that again, Kaiza!"

Inari was bawling his eyes out as he held a death grip on Kaiza's waist. Kaiza merely laughed as he gripped his family members with all of his might.

Hii smiled brightly as he closed the door behind him to let them enjoy their family time alone. He began to head downstairs with slow, but firm steps.

[You can get down by yourself this time. That's some good improvement.]

{Great! Now that Kaiza's healed, we can do other stuff like meditate!}

[You just want to play games in the dreamscape again, huh?]

{....Yes! I demand another Jetris game!}

[You know you're more of a DuyoDuyo kind of girl, right? You were much better at that game...]

{I refuse to believe you're better at any puzzle game I play! I will have you bow down to my skills!}

[Hmph! Then I'll just shut you down once again.]

'I wanna play card games again.'

{We'll play that after!}

The three made plans as Hii headed down the stairs. 

Sakura, Maka, and Shizuka were all talking among themselves about outfits the guys could transform into while Naruto and Sasuke both learned about Jutsus with Kakashi. 

Yamato was, of course, checking the photos to see which ones were the best quality to use for the project.

Hii made his way over to Kakashi to join the conversation when he felt a slight shiver.

"...."

Hii stopped abruptly and carefully looked around the room.

"What's wrong?"

Shizuka and Maka quickly noticed his behavior and stood up.

*Knock Knock*

A knock was heard at the door, alerting everyone in the room. Hii made eye contact with Yamato and Kakashi. Yamato raised his eyebrow as he looked over at his Senpai. Kakashi nodded his head and looked over at Shizuka and Maka.

They nodded their heads as well and dragged Sakura into a nearby room to hide.

*Poof Poof Poof*

Everyone else all quickly transformed into their disguises and prepared themselves.

Hiyo made her way to the door and checked to see if the team was ready.

As everyone nodded their heads, Hiyo came in front of the door with her senses as sharp as she could make them.

"Who's there?"

A short silence came before a gentle voice was heard.

"Hello. I was looking for Yamato-san. He told me to come by to talk about the photoshoots."

"Oh! One moment~!"

Hiyo slowly opened the door to see Haku looking at her with a smile while she looked at his guardian in shock. A short old man hobbled behind Haku with a stick and a wobbly disposition. It looked like he wouldn't be able to stay on his feet much longer.

"Ah! Good to see you again, Hiyo-san!"

"Good to see you as well! You should come inside. Your guardian doesn't look like he can stand much longer."

Hiyo rubbed her head bashfully as she let them in. Haku helped the old man make their way inside as Hiyo lead them to a nearby couch.

Sasuki was surprised to see Haku as he didn't go out on their last outing for photos.

"Naruko, who is that with the old man?"

"That's Haku. He's a friend we made when we went to take photos without you. He's pretty nice!"

Naruko made her way to the couch Hiyo sat on as Sasuki looked at her in shock.

'He?!'

Sasuki looked over at Haku and saw him smile gently at her.

The old man slowly sat himself down on the couch and breathed a sigh of relief. Yamato and Kakashi both came from inside the kitchen with refreshments.

"I'm glad you could make it over! I've been going over the photos and they came out really well!"

Yamato quickly made his way over to the two while Kakashi placed cups of tea in front of them. 

"Thank you very much, Yamato-san. I really enjoyed myself while helping you."

"I'm glad you did! We could use you for a few more pictures. How do you feel about taking a few more photos in the forest area?"

"Ahem!!"

Yamato started to tell Haku about his planned photoshoots for him when everyone heard his guardian clear his throat.

"Seeing how you're both getting carried away, I guess I don't need to play around anymore."

The old man quickly weaved a hand sign in front of him!

"Release!"

*Poof*

As the smoke disappeared, in the old man's place was a tall, muscular man with a bandaged mouth. Everyone, except Yamato and Kakashi, froze as a terrifying killing intent came out from the man.

He raised both of his hands in the air and sighed. His bloody aura quickly retracted as he looked at Yamato and Kakashi.

"I didn't come to cause any harm. I just wanna talk to whichever ninja is in charge here. I have a proposition for you that can benefit both of our groups. How about we team up?"