The next day, the entire team focused on identifying the corrupt individuals in the Land of Hot Springs. Fortunately, Kumogakure had been discreet, targeting only those closest to the base. The village had a construction company, corrupt officials, and many skilled workers. Why risk exposure by involving the main village when they could exploit a remote village full of civilians? It worked out better for them, actually.
They closely monitored the base's progress, realizing that Eiji had been correct in estimating that it would take at least seven more days to finish. The structure was made entirely of wood and stone, with no electricity but water powered by a mill and a stream nearby. If it were a more complex building, it would have taken the 46 elderly workers months to complete.
By the third day, there was little left to do but wait, so they took turns spying on the workers and passed the time playing cards. With their summoning creatures, it was easy to remain undetected from the sky. Genma and Raido spent as much time as possible outside, enjoying carefree flights.
"Without you, we'd probably be gearing up for a fight with a Kumo squad," Raido admitted. "Not something I find exciting."
"Oh, you're not thrilled by the thought of dying?" Genma asked with dark humor. "And here I thought adrenaline was adrenaline."
Raido rolled his eyes at his friend. Kakashi was lounging nearby on the couch, engrossed in a novel. Seina sprawled out, placing her legs on his lap, prompting raised eyebrows from the other jonin. However, they said nothing as she closed her eyes, hoping to make time pass faster.
By the fourth day, Seina locked herself in her room at Kakashi's tent to work on gifts for the other genin. She was so bored she didn't even create clones to speed up the process. That's how Kakashi found her at midday.
"What are you doing? Bottomless backpacks?"
"Yeah. I'm going to give them to the other genin as a promotion gift."
"Smart idea. That reminds me—I still owe you your gift," her teacher said. "It's back in Konoha."
"What is it?"
"You'll see," Kakashi chuckled. "It's a surprise."
Seina pouted playfully. She could wait a few days for a gift. The jonin sat in the armchair under her fake window, silently watching her work.
"What's on your mind?" she asked curiously.
"A bit of everything. I'm glad we're working together on missions again. Sasuke and Naruto are just ten days away from starting the exam to move up in rank. Can you imagine us running missions as a new Team 7?" He smiled wryly. "I almost forgot the chaos you three used to bring."
"I haven't forgotten that Sasuke owes us reports," she said, eliciting a laugh from him. "Laugh all you want, but a deal is a deal."
"Only you would want the team back together just to avoid doing paperwork."
"We're back!" Genma sang out from a distance. "We've got new information!"
"Let's go. We should hear what's happened."
They walked to the dining area, where the team usually gathered just to use the table, and found Raido and Genma murmuring together.
"So, what's the news?"
"A couple of workers got injured today," Raido informed them. "To keep the pace, two Kumo ninjas started helping with the construction."
"At this rate, they'll finish the project this afternoon—several days ahead of schedule."
"Interesting…" mused Kakashi, staring into space as his mind raced. "We'll need to stay alert as the construction wraps up. Seina, tonight we'll start securing the civilians and putting our plan into motion. You two keep watch over them from the sky, just in case."
Everyone nodded. They waited until the workers returned to their homes before seeking them out. Seina's role was simple: she enchanted them with a modified Confundo barrier, tricking the Kumo ninjas into believing the workers had been killed. However, she left the corrupt officials who had signed the agreements unprotected. After all, they were just as guilty as Kumo. If the enemy eliminated them, it would be better for Konoha—ensuring they wouldn't dare to undermine the Fire Nation's alliances again.
"Do you think all this is really necessary?" she asked after finishing with the last elderly builder.
"I'm afraid so. It's what we'd do during wartime to protect our secret bases."
"But we're not at war."
"For now… Most of a ninja's skills are meant for combat. What purpose do we serve in a world without war?" he asked rhetorically. "Kumogakure has more ninja operatives than any other nation. That's why they benefit from constant conflict to deploy their forces—their most profitable asset—unlike Konoha. Especially since they're the most isolated of the great nations."
"You mean they're trying to expand their territory illegally to stay in the thick of things with the major nations?"
"Exactly. If they succeeded, they'd have a base on our border, which translates to having the Land of Lightning as our neighbour. Good for them, bad for us. Right now, two countries separate us from our biggest threat. We need to keep it that way."
"We could propose to Tsunade-sama that we go after more secret bases from other nations. If we replicate what we're about to do here, we'd have plenty of safe houses for Konoha and eliminate strategic points for our enemies."
"You're right. With your skills, we could turn the tables on other nations in Konoha's favour. I'll include it in my report."
When they returned to the tent, Genma and Raido were still out, which meant the construction wasn't finished yet. They activated their invisibility bracelets and discreetly moved through the forest to locate their teammates.
"What's left?" a Kumo ninja growled, barely containing his frustration as he spoke to a worker.
"Just the last section of the flooring, sir," the old man replied, staring at the ground submissively.
"Then finish it already. Z, C, help them. I want to leave before sundown."
The chunin—one dark-skinned and the other pale as snow—quickly obeyed. Seina wasn't surprised; the man giving orders was over two meters tall, with an arm the size of her 12-year-old body. He sat on a rock, distractedly watching as one group of civilians rushed around collecting leftover materials, machinery, and tools while another group of elderly workers entered the single-story base, carrying wooden planks.
Kakashi and Seina observed silently from their hiding spot in the tree canopy. Nearby, other ninjas patrolled the perimeter but failed to notice them. For forty minutes, they watched as the final section of the base was completed. Once finished, everyone began heading back to the village.
"You all know what to do," the commanding ninja murmured to his team of lookouts.
Seina followed them with a hint of malice. She watched as one of the teams of four ninjas tried to pounce on the elderly workers hundreds of meters away, only to freeze and look around in confusion. She quickly cast a compulsion spell on the civilians to make them move as fast as possible back to their homes while the ninjas were still disoriented.
Once the civilians disappeared into the forest, she observed how the ninjas shook their heads, convinced they had killed them all. Another compulsion spell sent them back to the base to report that they had eliminated the workers.
"Not even time to scream," one of them said to the jonin in charge.
"Good. Go after the villagers. Shi's team will stay at the base. My team will wait for you to the east near the waterfall we saw the other day."
Genma and Raido, perched on their dragon, didn't resist when she led them back to the village under Kakashi's orders. Meanwhile, they watched as Shi's team began setting traps around the base, unaware that she had already infiltrated several of her summoned creatures into it, and the other team of four headed east.
"Send another of your summons to monitor them," her master silently motioned toward the departing group.
Seina complied, following them with one of her birds to keep them within her sight. Between the dragon, the spider in the base, and the bird, she started feeling a headache from trying to monitor everything at once. She stopped paying attention to Genma and Raido, trusting that they were fine and knew what was happening, and focused on the team heading toward Kumo.
They waited nearly an hour for the Kumo ninjas sent to the village to deal with the corrupt officials and destroy the documentation. By the time they returned to the eastern team, they got a stern reprimand for "being so useless." She watched them sprint away from their new base, chastised by their superior for taking so long to eliminate four defenceless civilians.
"Let's wait for Genma and Raido."
"I'll bring them back."
Using her mental connection with her dragon, she summoned the rest of the team. A few minutes later, the four of them were watching as the Kumo ninjas casually set traps and grumbled about their jonin. Her master gestured for her to teleport them inside the base, and she complied.
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"I don't know. It sounded like a thud."
"Well, go check it out."
Seina cast a quick spell on Genma and Raido. They stayed still, using the ceiling as cover, watching as another Kumo ninja opened the wooden door to peek inside. He gave a quick glance around, but even he seemed to think it was impossible for anyone to have infiltrated. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her master perform a genjutsu to mask their chakra. The chunin didn't see it coming. One moment he stood there with a bored expression, and the next, his head rolled across the floor, leaving a bloodstained trail. The body fell heavily, quite literally. Seina closed the door with a wave of her hand.
"Z?" another voice called, with noticeably less boredom. "What the hell are you doing? Z!"
Seina waited on the doorframe for him to cross. As soon as he opened the door and looked inside, she hit him point-blank with a killing curse. His body hit the floor, eyes wide with horror, the last expression etched on his face as he saw his fallen comrade.
"Are you two okay in there or what?" a voice asked from outside. "If you're so bored, why don't you come out here and help us?"
"Shi? Z?"
"..."
It was at that moment they realized something was terribly wrong. She had to admit, unlike their two comrades, the ones left outside setting traps took the new situation seriously from the start. Unfortunately for them, it was two against four. They let them enter the base to avoid the perimeter traps.
What she didn't anticipate was them launching a lightning jutsu through the window. Was it luck, or had they really detected them? Seina vanished just before a black bolt struck her position. The sound of breaking glass gave away her team's location as they dove through the windows to avoid being electrocuted. Luckily, the attackers couldn't see them due to their spells and the active invisibility bracelet she and her master wore.
She used her magic to transform several logs and stones into animals, distracting the ninjas without directly engaging them. She watched as her creations attacked ferociously, ignoring kunai wounds, kicks, and lightning jutsus. She didn't have to intervene further, as Genma strategically launched senbon that paralyzed them. Raido and Kakashi finished them off with little trouble.
"Good job, team," Kakashi praised as he deactivated his bracelet. "We've secured their base. Let's disarm the traps and let Seina use her powers to hide it."
"What about the bodies?"
Kakashi didn't answer. He incinerated the bodies until they were reduced to ash, doing the same with the others. Once everything was ready, Seina placed the base under a Fidelius charm. She handed the address to her master, who pocketed it for the Hokage.
"We need to head to the village to modify the civilians' memories, and we're done."
"Then let's go."
It took a couple of hours to locate everyone and get them to separate briefly from their families without raising suspicion so she could alter their memories. When she finished, they all believed they had built a vacation home for a wealthy businessman connected to corrupt officials. They remembered it was illegal to hire them and use the construction company for personal gain, but none recalled that Kumo was their actual client. Everyone had their promised payment and would never need to work again.
"Can we use the hiraishin to go back?" she pleaded, exhausted from the mission.
"We can use the hiraishin to go back," Kakashi replied with a smile.
"Thank god…" Genma muttered to Raido.
Letting them take her arm, they disappeared from the area. Feeling the warm, dry air of Konoha, she nearly wept with relief. The thought of life without hiraishin or her teleportation spells...
"Ah, home sweet home."
"Who'd have thought we'd finish so quickly?" Raido asked aloud. "When we set out, I thought it'd take a couple of weeks."
"Luckily, everything went perfectly, really."
They headed to the registry and then to the Hokage's office. Genma and Raido left, knowing they weren't the mission leaders, but Seina stayed with her master, having nothing better to do. It wasn't as though she was in a hurry. By the time they arrived, dusk was setting in. Tsunade-sama seemed ready to leave when her secretary ushered them in.
"I was just about to head out," she said, sitting back down. "Good to see you. Mission status?"
"It was a complete success."
"Good. I'll expect your full report tomorrow, but for now, give me a summary."
Seina listened as Kakashi recounted everything that had happened, from the seized documents to the implicated parties, the construction company, the Kumo teams, the base's construction, and how they completed the mission. When Tsunade-sama realized they had not only avoided direct and indirect confrontation with Kumo but had stolen their base right under their noses, she started grinning like a maniac.
"You're telling me that Konoha now has a secret base that no one knows about, impossible to locate, and it was all free at Kumo's expense?"
"In summary, yes."
"I'll give you all a bonus for this."
"It was actually Seina's idea."
"I should have guessed," the Hokage said, smiling brightly at her with approval. "Oh, damn! I'd love to see A's face when his ninjas tell him they can't remember where they built the base."
They left the Hokage laughing hysterically, clearly imagining the Raikage's reaction, and went to collect their mission payment. With every step Seina took toward home, the nagging sensation that she was forgetting something grew stronger. She thought about Sasuke and Naruto but couldn't pinpoint anything. She thought of her friends, but still, nothing came to mind. The feeling hovered at the edge of her awareness, like a word on the tip of her tongue. The thought of the bottomless backpacks she had made lingered.
"What are you thinking about?" Kakashi asked, cutting through her thoughts.
"I'm forgetting something. Something about the backpacks."
"The backpacks you're giving to your friends?" She nodded. "Maybe it's Naruto and Sasuke's gift? After all, they already have one of your pouches."
"Of course!" she exclaimed, as if struck by lightning. "The birthday!"
"Whose birthday?"
Seina fixed her gaze on his eye and momentarily connected their minds, sending him an image of Itachi.
"Today's his birthday? I didn't know that," Kakashi said, realizing June 9th was Itachi's birthday.
She nodded. Sasuke would probably want to send Itachi a letter to wish him a happy birthday. It would be the first one since Sasuke was six years old—seven years ago now. By the time they reached home, night had fully fallen. Her brothers were arguing while making dinner, likely because, although Naruto could cook decently, Sasuke was a disaster in the kitchen.
"I'm telling you, Seina never does it that way."
"Shut up! Someone who cooks like an aberration has no right to an opinion!"
"Are you seriously telling me to shut up, dobe?" Sasuke growled. "You? The guy who can't even open a can of tomatoes?"
Kakashi and Seina exchanged glances, listening to their bickering through the open windows.
"Is it too late to go back to the Land of Waterfalls?" her teacher sighed as he opened the door.
Seina stifled a laugh at his remark. Upon hearing the door, Sasuke and Naruto turned.
"Nee-chan!"
"Hn. Thank goodness you're here. I can't stand another day alone with Naruto."
"HEY!"
"Quiet, dobe. Stick to your can."
Naruto glared daggers at Sasuke. Leaving the pair to their argument, Kakashi and Seina went to shower. Would those two ever manage to cook a meal without fighting? She sighed in relief as she sank into the bath, and much later, she almost had to drag herself out. Wearing her pyjamas, she descended the stairs to see what her brothers were up to. Thankfully, they seemed to have stopped fighting and were finishing the meal.
"It's Itachi's birthday today, right?" she asked.
Sasuke froze for a moment while setting the glasses on the table. Then he nodded.
"I was thinking of sending him another letter. I didn't know when you'd come back, but I already wrote it."
"Great. I can send it right now if you want."
He handed her the letter. While they were busy, Seina quickly wrote a simple note for Itachi: Happy birthday. She hoped it would remind him they hadn't forgotten about him. She sent it along with her dove, trusting it to find him wherever he might be.
The next day, shortly after waking up, Seina sensed something unexpected. Itachi had put on the pendant she had gifted him. Surprised, she realized he was somewhere far to the southwest.
"How are you feeling about your final week of exams?" Kakashi asked her brothers over breakfast.
"Good," said Sasuke.
"Just want to get it over with," Naruto added.
"You haven't even started yet," she teased. "How's it going with Matsuri?"
"Hn."
"What the teme means is that she's not a bad ninja. It's not the same as being with you, but I'm sure we'll pass with her," Naruto said with a shrug. "Her main goal is to become a chunin so she can teach at the academy, so she's as motivated as we are to succeed."
Matsuri… If Seina remembered correctly, she was one of the few people who neither spoke against nor supported her or Naruto in the academy. For that, Seina neither liked nor disliked her. As long as Matsuri didn't abandon Naruto and Sasuke during the exam or put them in danger, she didn't care about her past actions.
While brushing her teeth, a knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. It was Kakashi, holding something wrapped in paper. Suddenly, she remembered the gift he had promised her.
"Is that the gift you mentioned?"
"That's right. Here you go, though it's a bit late. Happy birthday, Seina."
When she unwrapped it, she saw it was a photo album. Blinking in surprise, she realized what it had to be. Opening it, she found the first photograph: her father and her pregnant mother smiling as they posed by one of the village's red railings. Her mother wore a pastel sky-blue sundress with white sandals, her hair in a high ponytail with a few strands framing her face. Her father, by contrast, wore black cropped pants and a short-sleeved white shirt with his ninja sandals. Both were smiling, clearly enjoying a leisurely day in the village.
"Where did you get these?"
"I had to ask around, but I found more photos than I expected. Your parents would be proud of everything you've accomplished—and proud of Naruto too," Kakashi said, pulling her into a hug as they looked through the images. "Did you know Kushina was Mikoto's best friend?"
He pointed to a pale-skinned woman with black hair and eyes who was also pregnant—perhaps even further along than her mother. Mikoto, Sasuke's mother, was a spitting image of her son. And of Itachi too.
They spent a while longer talking about the photographs, the people in them, and the moments they captured. Seina carefully stored the gift in her pouch for safekeeping, vowing to show it to Naruto and Sasuke after their training. She was sure they'd love to see their mothers happy together, from a time before everything had gone to hell.