[OP: "Lay Me Down"--The Oh Hellos]

After that talk, Shine woke the others up.

They were tired and sore and not very ready for another adventure, especially of the unpleasant variety.

But they were ninjas (or heroes), so they didn't complain and got ready.

This time, however, Shine was done with allowing Hanabi and Eichi to go with them.

"Once was bad enough," she said. "Too close. We're blessed that nothing worse happened to you than it did. Or to us, but still."

Eichi was actually more than willing to sit this one out. Shine had commended his logical way of handling the situation before, after they'd heard the story. Wally and Gaara had agreed too.

Hanabi was mad though. She had been scared by it, but she thought they were looking down on her again.

"But how can we trust them in Cloud?" Hinata worried.

"Either we send them to Leaf for now, or we find some way to make sure they'll be okay," Shine mused.

Of course she applied to Mabui for ideas.

Mabui didn't know if she could honestly guarantee anything and said so--what was the point of hiding it now?

"Unless Lord Ay himself..." she said.

"Now there's an idea," Shine said.

"What? No, you can't ask him," Mabui said.

"Watch me," Shine declared.

* * *

But Ay had some other thoughts:

"I'm no longer sure we should even pursue this," he told the team when they showed up at his office. "It might be best to send an update to the feudal lord, and then wait for a reply."

"And how long will that take?" Wally asked suspiciously.

"Up to two weeks, sometimes," Mabui said, standing next to Ay's desk.

She was hard to read, but she didn't look happy with this development.

"Uh...Mr. Raikage," Wally said.

"It's Lord Raikage," Ay interrupted.

"Lord Raikage," Wally amended, "by the end of 2 weeks, those people will be long gone, and their hostages will be either dead or sold."

"That is unfortunate, but it's not our problem," Ay said. "Clearly this is bigger than one small team can handle."

"We are not a small team," Gaara said.

"Yes, but clearly not being Land of Lightning shinobi puts you at a disadvantage," Ay said, which was complete balderdash. "After the genjutsu was cast on you, from what I hear, all of you had no idea where you were. Without Mabui and Karui there, you'd have been lost permanently."

Mabui cast him a sideways glance.

"Is that how you see it?" Dabi was mad. "Because that's not how I remember it."

He was still a bit sick, but thankfully most of it was gone after the IVs Tsunade had given him and a good night's rest.

"I'm not interested in how you remember it, given what happened," Ay said.

This bit of impudence was nearly too much for Temari. They saw her turn red with anger.

Sasuke scowled also.

Ay was humiliating them by putting down their efforts and by saying they had done worse than the Cloud.

Even Karui, who was there also, knew that was nonsense. If anything, Team Zoe had helped far more than the Cloud had. They were more used to being out of their element than she or Mabui were.

And they had been the ones to solve the drug's mystery, not the Cloud, who'd been stumped.

But they couldn't exactly argue with their Kage in front of them--and Darui and Shi, who were there also.

And Tsunade, who was there apparently because Ay had wanted to consult a Leaf Leader, or at least a former one, as well as Sand.

Tsunade knew it was nonsense too but didn't know if it was her place to say so--yet.

Shine and Wally exchanged a look.

"So you want us to give up?" Gaara was hoping Ay wasn't serious and this was just one of his stupid tests. "But we only saved 4 people, thanks the quick thinking of our two younger members."

Hanabi had her arms folded defiantly, and Eichi was staring at Ay with something like horror and something like disgust.

"By mere chance, it sounds like," Ay said. "I can't risk more Cloud on this. We're stretched too thin."

"We'd take just the ones you offered before then," Shine said. "We have enough."

"No, both of them were nearly captured. Clearly these vagabonds have a use for Cloud shinobi." Ay was adamant. "And if all of you go missing in our land, it won't look good to the other Villages, so we can't send you out alone. Therefore, I must call off the mission for the time being. Your information on them will still be helpful." The last was grudging, as if he knew he should give them something.

Gaara frowned, then he looked at Shine and Wally again.

They nodded at him firmly.

"I'm sorry, Lord Ay--" Gaara turned back to him. "--but we can't do that."

To say that the Cloud were stunned would be an understatement.

Darui and Shi didn't even try to hide their astonishment. Karui blinked at Gaara.

Mabui raised her eyebrows--but by now, she was the least surprised at their ways.

Ay glowered at Gaara like he'd been a puppy that just nipped at his heels. "What?"

"Whether or not this started as a concern of the Land of Lightning," Gaara said carefully, "there is no doubt in my mind after meeting these scoundrels that they are an international concern to us all, and soon enough the Daimyos of the other lands will hear of it and want us to take action. But by then the trail will be colder. We should find them now, while we can. As Kazekage, I consider this a threat to my Village too. If they can kidnap your civilians, they can kidnap anyone's. So, even if you are not ordering the mission, I'm afraid I must. I have authority to do this, even if it's in your territory, if it's a concern to more than just one Village."

"But there is no evidence that it is," Darui spoke.

"They made it sound as if they were a real network," Shine spoke up. "I know that was in Mabui's report."

Mabui nodded at him. "It was."

"So I doubt they'll stop at your people," Shine said. "Spreading it out more so that no one will notice too much is smarter for them. And getting jutsu and DNA samples from every land is classically what people like this seem to want to do. You know what Orochimaru was doing was very like this, and we have personally taken him down. So, who better than us to stop those guys? Why, we even have his former prisoners with us who can tell us how this kind of ring works."

Karin winced, then realized it was her turn to speak up.

"Yeah." She adjusted her glasses. "I was in charge of keeping inventory of things like that. I know how these perverts think."

"Isn't that nice to know?" Ay glared at her.

Karin tried not to flinch. "I'm not proud of it, but it's useful now, isn't it?"

Ay turned away from her. "You want to directly go against my wishes on a peace mission, Lord Gaara?"

"Peace is important, but so is security," Gaara said. "And the lives of those people, which may be destroyed if we do not help them. Wally-sensei already saved several, thankfully, but there were dozens, if not hundreds, more, just based on what we learned. And they could all be no more than slaves to these monsters. I think this problem will threaten Cloud in the long run, just as much as us."

"And if I say 'no, not while you're enjoying our hospitality'?" Ay said.

Gaara hesitated. He didn't want this to become a real problem with Cloud.

Shine tapped his shoulder, and then she spoke:

"If you're worried about us undermining your work, then why not just send a few of your people with us?" she said. "You still get the credit then...but let me be clear: One thing Team Zoe does not do is leave people to die, or suffer, when we could have helped them. And we don't care about your approval enough to let that stop us. Frankly, I think if you don't care about those innocent lives, then a peace alliance with these Villages would be short-lived. People must share priorities to work together. And if you do not have the basic priority of protecting the people in your territory, then what kind of Kage can you be?"

"Watch your tongue, girl!" Ay said.

"Why should I?" Shine said. "I must say, I never pegged you for a coward, whatever else you were. To think you'd back out after a small scare like what we had."

"Small?" Shi said. "You all nearly lost your memory of who you even were."

"And so we'll know now," Wally said. "We're good--we'll prepare for it. Sakura's on that, right, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded.

"And it doesn't frighten you?" Darui was not a sympathetic person, but he thought it would have disturbed anyone.

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," [Franklin D. Roosevelt] Shine quoted. "Don't you believe that, Darui-san?"

Pause.

Ay didn't like being called a coward. He glanced at Tsunade and saw she was looking at him with a pretty peeved expression.

He couldn't back down now...

"We will discuss it," he said tightly. "You may all wait outside."

"Sure," Wally said.

They went outside.

"Baller move," Camie said. "But, uh...what if they say no?"

"Then we go anyway," Shine said. "This is what we do. My loyalty to any Village is never going to be more than my loyalty to the highest thing, which this is. And if no one else will do it, even more we need to."

"I expect this from you," Shikamaru said, "but, Gaara, is this worth the peace mission being jeopardized?"

"Shikamaru-san..." Gaara sounded weary--and fed up also. "...the rate we're going, every small disagreement with Cloud has been pointed to as endangering the peace mission. I grow tired of them holding that over our heads so we can do nothing. Shine-kasa is right--if they won't care about things like this, we can't be at peace with them. I hate to lose an ally, but we have 3 more...and...partially Stone. We can afford it. Cloud cannot."

"So...you're calling their bluff?" Temari said.

"I guess." Gaara frowned. "I didn't want to go on another rescue quest while we were here, since I worried we'd spread ourselves too thin, but clearly someone has to step in. And if they won't, we must. And if it's going to be a problem for them, might as well know now."

"You're done playing nice," Dabi said. "Great...so how soon will they kick us out?"

"It's more likely they'll bend over," Temari said. "They're stubborn, but refusing to help us do this and then letting us take the credit, it's too much. The other Villages would laugh them to scorn for it. The high and mighty Cloud being afraid of some kidnapping ring?"

"How would they find out?" Choji asked.

"I'd tell them, obviously," Temari said.

Pause.

"That is sneaky," Suigetsu said. "I love it...but, uh, why don't we just do that anyway? Stick it to Cloud finally and get the heck out of this ungrateful, murder-happy Village."

"Hush," Shine scolded him. "Don't say such things. They may hear you. We still want to work things out with them if at all possible. We didn't come this far to give up."

"But they'll try to control it," Karin said, "if they send someone with us after all."

"I hope it's Mabui again if they do," Momo said. "She's been helpful, and she didn't try to control things too much, nor Karui, really. But if it's Darui or Shi or one of the others like them, they'll make sure we fall in line. And I don't feel comfortable listening to them."

"Me neither," Naruto said. "But if it was Lord Bee, I'd be fine with it."

"It should be Lord Bee. That would require him to do anything useful in this Village," Shine muttered. "However, considering how our powers conflict with the 8-Tails, it's best if it's not him."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," Naruto said. "Even if it's not evil, you still can't?"

"Evil or not, it's an unholy bond with the Jinchuriki. It wouldn't matter, even if the 8-Tails is not a true demon, as we've said, but the way they're tied together, our powers will always chafe against the blood and dark arts you all use to bind them," Shine explained.

* * *

"Can you believe the nerve of those people?" Ay was still steaming.

Tsunade was amused. "They called your bluff."

"You stay out of this," Ay said.

"I can't do that. You made it my business," Tsunade said. She didn't care about his blustering.

"Sir," Mabui said, more patiently, "just send us with them again. It's the only thing to do. Outside this room, no one needs to know we even considered anything else."

Shi gave her a derogatory look.

She ignored him.

"Well, Karui might do all right," Ay said. "If she had backup, but it sounds as if you're too well known. You should stay here."

Mabui certainly had no wish to face the rogues again, but...

She shook her head. "I think I should go."

Shi gave her a look of surprise.

Darui even raised an eyebrow.

Tsunade thought this was getting interesting now.

Karui had never seen Mabui disagree with Ay outright like that.

Ay himself was shocked. "What? Why?"

At least he asked why instead of saying no immediately.

"I observed far more than Karui did about them," Mabui said candidly. "And I have more experience in Intelligence. They'll need someone like that if they're going to do more than just fight. We want to strike a worse blow to this ring than that. And I saw more of them in the wilderness, so I can watch out for them more. Karui and I are the only ones who know what to expect... Also any immunity to their toxin that comes with already surviving it once is only going to apply to us."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't necessarily outweigh the problems," Ay said. "You're not much of a fighter."

He didn't mean that to be criticism. It was just a fact.

"I can handle thugs like those," Mabui insisted. "Besides, Team Zoe, as you know, already favors me being there."

Sure, it was risky to say this in front of Shi...but nothing would change his mind anyway, and Mabui figured his spreading it around would likely amount to more of the same as his other rumors. What more could really go wrong for her now?

Ay hadn't thought she'd say it outright either.

"I'm sure they do," Shi said, unwisely. "But do we?"

Ay glared at him, and he shut up.

"I don't know if I like it," Ay spoke again. "What if you don't come back?"

"Sir, they can send anyone anywhere in less time than it takes to even say the word," Mabui said. "And am I really safer here?"

Silence.

Well...there really was no argument for that.

"Why do you really want to do this?" Ay narrowed his eyes. "Just to prove yourself?"

"No," Mabui said. "I think it's too late to worry about that." She cast Shi a frigid look. "But they need help. And they'd do the same for us...and have, even. I wouldn't be outdone by them."

Pause.

Ay couldn't argue that sentiment.

"If you insist," he said reluctantly. "Karui, do you agree?"

"Uh...well, I'm not that eager," Karui said. "But, they did...sort of save our rear ends out there. If I back out now, it looks kinda weak. Anyway, like she said, we might be more immune now."

"Genjutsu don't always work that way," Tsunade said. "You can build up resistance over time, yes, but some only get stronger the more times they're used on you. It depends on the type and how it's activated. We can hope this is the first type, but we haven't had enough tests yet to know. However, Sakura and I did make an antidote to it that you could take beforehand to ward it off. It might not fully prevent it from working, but it should increase the physical resistance part. If they can resist genjutsu mentally also, as most of them can, I think, hopefully it'll be enough."

"Better than nothing," Darui said. "But, Lord Ay, if you allow them to go, I suggest we at least send the rest of Bee's team with them. They're finished with their other tasks. And Karui needs backup."

He wasn't sure if he should say Mabui did. Where did she fall here? She was a Jonin, but she wasn't known for being incredibly independent in a fight.

"Very well." Ay listened to Darui more than the others, as usual. "I suppose if they must go...they had better come back."

He called the others back in and told Shine that he was holding her personally responsible if they didn't return.

"And us," Wally said.

"I'm sure it was her idea," Ay said.

"It was all of our idea," Gaara said. "And we'll all take responsibility for your people...and if they will also take it for us, we work as a unit."

Karui glanced at him oddly.

Ay just straightened. "If that's all, you'd better get on your way."

"It's not all," Shine said.

The others hadn't thought she'd press the issue, but she did.

"Since you're giving us two more people anyway, this works out," she said. "Hanabi and Eichi need to remain here. These psychos especially target children, and I'm not into using live bait."

"Live bait," Ay repeated. "And you want them to stay here? If they must. But who will keep them in line if Mabui is going with you?"

Mabui looked annoyed at that, Dabi noticed, but she didn't let Ay see it, as usual.

"Why not Shi?" Camie joked.

"What? No, sir, I'm much too busy aiding Lady Tsunade," Shi said.

"And don't you even think about saying me," Tsunade said. "I'm no babysitter."

 "Why don't you take responsibility for them?" Shine asked Ay directly.

Hanabi turned and gave her a look of horror.

"ME?" Ay said, almost too shocked to sound angry.

"Well, think about it." Shine gestured at Gaara. "The Kage is guaranteeing taking care of your people for this assignment, and, in exchange, you should take care of ours. That's fair, and then both sides know that we'll do our utmost to keep each other safe. You like trades, right?"

That jab was not lost on Mabui, but Ay probably didn't get it.

However, the way she put it made it sound like she was saying they couldn't guarantee Cloud's safety if Ay didn't guarantee the Leaf's...

Wally almost laughed. Shine was just so clever about making people writhe inwardly because of cruel irony.

But it felt deserved, to him. Cloud needed to start understanding just what their part in upholding peace really was.

Ay glanced at his advisors, who didn't have an out for him.

"Don't you think that Lord Ay is too busy with more important matters to watch a few children?" Shi tried.

But it backfired.

"Oh, so you're saying that there are matters more important than ensuring the safety of our members, who are not just children but important member of our team who've already had trouble from your own Village, when this is it the least you could do in return?" Shine shot back killingly.

Shi blanched.

"Shi, you shame yourself," Darui rushed to make it worse for him--though he was trying to appease Shine's anger more than make Shi look bad. "Of course it's important...but surely one of us would make more sense."

"Afraid Ay would have his hand full?" Dabi said meanly.

They looked at him, and it slowly sank in that he was making a jab at Ay's one-handed state.

They looked like they'd murder him right then and there.

Mabui looked at the ceiling like she wished she could sink through the floor.

"But I don't really want Lord Ay to--" Hanabi began, and Hinata nudged her.

Ay didn't like that.

"Are you questioning my ability as a Kage?" he said.

"No," Hanabi began again. "It's just--"

"If you want to leave them here at the Kage house, they'll be safe enough," Ay said, tersely. "No one would dare harm them here."

"Great, and you won't leave them unattended here at all today?" Shine pressed. "We should be back by night, I'd say. How long can busting this ring really take?"

"I'd say it could take days," Darui said.

"Only for pushovers," Bakugo said. [Love him.]

"I'd bet on that," Tsunade said. "I bet that you'll all need more time than that."

"And what do you want to bet?" Shine asked.

"If I win, you have to try sake with me." Tsunade would have paid money to see Shine do this.

Shine raised an eyebrow. "Fine. And what do I get if we win?"

"You'd have to try sake," Tsunade said.

"That's nothing we can't do any day," Wally said lightly. "If we win, Sakura doesn't have to keep helping you at the hospital all the time unless she wants to."

Sakura looked at him weirdly.

"Why wouldn't Sakura want to?" Tsunade said.

"She is on our mission," Shine reminded Tsunade primly. "It's not asking much. You act as if she should always be helping you."

"I didn't ask you to say that," Sakura said.

"Yes, but perhaps she's right," Gaara said. "While I don't care if you help Tsunade, I don't think it should be your priority while we're on this. Too many different things to focus on."

"Not much of a bet still," Tsunade said. "But if it's what you want, fine. I usually lose anyway, but it's a little cruel to make your winning cost me my star pupil."

"More time to focus on the Cloud medics' training," Wally said cheerfully.

Shi glared at him now.

"You aren't really going to leave us here, with him," Hanabi began to apply to Shine, Wally, and Gaara in a low voice and with a nervous look at Ay.

"We must make him act as if any of this involves him at all if we want this to help our situation," Shine said. "In a way this is an important assignment for you. Perhaps Ay will begin to feel more responsible if he has no choice but to be."

"But he's scary," Eichi said.

"He won't harm you. He knows the consequences of it," Gaara said.

"I can't stay with him!" Hanabi said, more shrilly and sounding much more desperate than they expected.

There was a pause.

"Let's talk about it outside," Shine said.

Luckily, Ay had not heard. He was too busy grilling Darui and Shi on what they could do to occupy the two "young nuisances", and they were busy trying to make suggestions so they wouldn't have to watch them.

Also Ay told Karui to get her teammates and tell them to get ready, so she left to do so.

Mabui said she needed to pick up some things herself. She hadn't expected them to leave so soon.

"I could grab a few more scrolls," Tenten said. "If you want to walk back to our house."

Mabui nodded.

But before she even got out the door to one of the bridges, Shi had followed.

"What did you mean by casting your lot in with them deliberately now?" he said.

"Enough." Mabui gave him a scathing glance that Karui would have found enough to shut her up.

Shi was a bit daunted. But he frowned. "Well, even so, watch out for them. This could be a trap."

"Sing a different tune, Shi." Karui was tired of him too. "Not everyone is always trying to betray everyone else."

As soon as she said it, she couldn't believe the words had left her mouth.

Shi couldn't either. He stared and then turned and huffily headed back inside--he ran into Dabi though.

Dabi hadn't meant to follow the girls, but he wasn't standing around inside with the Cloud clerks around who always gave them dirty looks.

He bumped into Shi, probably on purpose.

"Out of my way," Shi said.

Dabi turned to him, and his eyes glimmered.

"Uh oh." Karui was looking--Mabui wasn't, but she tapped her.

Mabui turned, now concerned.

Dabi grabbed Shi firmly by his shoulders--and he was a bit stronger than Shi expected for such a lanky guy.

"I guess Likstar, West, and Gaara have a reason for leaving those two juniors here," Dabi said, in a chilling tone. "But if you neglect them at any point and someone does something to them, either of them, well, I'll have an excuse."

He looked pretty scary.

Dabi still knew how to turn on the villain vibes, as Camie would have put it.

Shi was not the boldest of people against that kind of intimidation--and after seeing Sasuke do the same thing and then burn someone's arm off.

He gulped.

Dabi let go. "Just so we're clear on that. We're clear, right?"

Shi nodded, then cleared his throat. "I understand you... Life for a life, right? Just so long as all of ours come back."

"I know you'd be real choked up about one of them," Dabi said. "But we have more honor than you do. Heck, those two kids have more honor than you. Don't forget that we'll be back." He smirked oddly. "Have a nice day."

The sarcasm was killing.

"Holy s--t." Karui hadn't seen Dabi like this before, and she was freaked out.

Dabi noticed them now, since he turned toward the bridge.

But he wouldn't have given Karui the satisfaction of acting like it bothered him.

He just glanced at them coolly.

Shi looked at them too, as if to ask for help.

Mabui pressed her lips together in a line, and then she turned away, as if she didn't care.

Karui was surprised...but she was afraid to say anything now.

Dabi sauntered off over the bridge.

https://youtu.be/gli4f8f9quc

["Feel It Still"--Portugal. The Man]

"You're not gonna say anything to him?" Karui asked Mabui when he was out of earshot--she hoped.

Mabui glanced downward and saw Tenten was already waiting.

"I think Shi can handle it," she said to Karui.

"But...that was clearly a threat," Karui said.

"I thought it was more like a warning, if we neglect our duties," Mabui said. She nodded and walked away.

Karui gaped.

"Something is different," Shi noted, peering out the door nervously. "She never took their side like that before, not so openly."

Karui glance at him. "Maybe you drove her to it."

"What did I do?" Shi said.

"You're not that subtle," Karui said. "Everyone knows what you've been saying. Maybe she figured she might as well just own it. I don't know. Are you gonna start spreading rumors about me now too? Or Omoi and Samui?"

"Less reason to," Shi said. "But, something about all this is still off."

"I don't think it's what you think it is." Karui glanced away in frustration. "I should go."

She had to fetch her team fast now. She'd wasted enough time.

* * *

"I hate this Village!" Hanabi was nearly in tears, talking to the DJs. "And I can't stand Ay... I keep thinking about what happened to my clan. You can't leave me here..."

"He wouldn't hurt you," Wally said.

"That's not the point," Hanabi said. "Whenever we see him, it makes me want to be sick!"

"Hanabi..." Hinata began.

"No, Hinata, I don't care! I know, you can just let it go and forgive and forget, but it's just not that way for me. Maybe that makes me a bad person or at least not a good Christian or whatever you call it, but I just can't!" Hanabi clenched a fist.

While the rest of the team was trying not to listen to this out of respect, Sasuke caught some of it, and he was stunned by how much she sounded like him.

So he wasn't the only one who could carry a grudge about this around, even if he no longer liked it.

"I never said it was easy!" Hinata almost sounded sharp with her sister. "Just that it's not wise to talk about it."

"Sure, we always have to swallow our pride. When will they swallow theirs?" Hanabi said.

Wally glanced at Shine and shook his head.

"Is it too cruel to do this?" Gaara said. "But how else can we be sure the Village would not mess with them if we entrust our teammates to them?"

"No one but Ay is safe from it, or maybe Bee, but he is not here," Shine said. She rubbed her chin. "It's always hardest to begin, Hanabi. But after that, it gets a little easier."

"Your clever sayings aren't going to help," Hanabi huffed. "This is not okay."

"But I am not okay with risking your safety again, in this particular way," Shine said. "Not if I can help it. Whether I tell you to just deal with it or I try to coax you into it, this ends the same way. So what'll it be?"

Pause.

Put like that, Hanabi didn't have much hope of changing her mind. And Wally and Gaara didn't argue, though they sympathized with her. They would rather have the two kids be safe than worry about how they were uncomfortable with Ay.

Though he certainly was enough to worry anyone.

"Maybe it won't be so bad," Eichi said. "He might be better than we think."

"I don't really care," Hanabi said. "How can I get past it...? The jerk isn't even sorry. You all just pretend it never happened."

"But that is what we do," Gaara began, sounding like he might start one of his speeches. "We are all guilty, so we cannot judge each other--"

Shine put a hand on his shoulder. "Gaara, son, that's not her problem."

"It's not?" Gaara was confused.

"It's not?" Hanabi echoed, puzzled.

"I think Hanabi knows in her head why we need to forgive," Shine said simply. "She's been with us from the beginning, just as you have. She's smart enough to remember all the reasons...but, knowing in your head and being able to do it in your heart, are two different things. And, when you're young, especially, forgiving people is harder when it's not fair. Even at my age, I find it a lot easier to forgive things I couldn't when I was your age, and we're not that far apart... A lot changes with time...but yeah, when you're new to it, it's rough."

"Why is it always about age?" Hanabi said.

"Well, like it or not, kid, it does matter," Wally said, patting her head. "Experience does change how you see stuff. It's not your fault, and we're not saying you're not capable, but it's rougher when you're new and haven't had practice. Should have seen me when I was your age trying to use my super speed."

Hanabi didn't laugh.

"I know you find is patronizing at times how we talk to you," Shine said, simply. "And I used to also, when people talked to me like that... It still happens--you heard Ay do it back there...but I can't live my life just to worry about what they think. Yes, you are in certain dangers more because of your age, but you have certain advantages we don't have, too. Innocence can be powerful. And your anger over what happened, because it's based on how unjust it was, isn't all wrong. But you must learn how to control it and not let it make you hate someone. Age does help with that. But you have to learn how. If you want us to treat you as a full member of the team, then you have the same responsibilities as all of us to work things out without resorting to revenge."

Hanabi pursed her lips. That was only fair, but it wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"And that means facing it," Shine added, just to make it clear. "Sasuke and Team Taka walked into this Village knowing it wanted to kill them. And we brought them, knowing they did something bad to them. We walked back into Stone, we walked into Poison Mist Island, and we've done more than that... If you back away from this trial just because it's personal, then you're shirking. Perhaps you were not ready for this after all."

"Oh, don't say that," Eichi said. "I'm sure Hanabi is as ready as you all for a challenge...but it's pretty personal."

"And it wasn't for us?" Shine said. "Gaara runs a Village that's tried to kill him, like...100 times. I know it's hard, Hanabi, but life is not fair. Others have lost more than you have and are still here, fighting for the people who took it from them... If all you can do now is at least face Ay, then that's a step. Feeling the anger go may take time. I'm not expecting that. But you must show some self control and some resolve, or this Village is just too dangerous for you to be in."

Pause again.

Hanabi clenched her fists, but then she unclenched them. "I'll stay with him, but don't expect me to be happy about it, or nice."

"Tsunade will make sure they don't harm them," Gaara said. "Though I think Ay will know better...but it doesn't hurt to have insurance."

"Glad we all learned something from Stone," Wally said. "I'm proud of you, Hanabi, for what it's worth."

"We'll talk more about it later," Shine said.  "Maybe--who knows?--it'll lead to a learning experience."

"Sure...everything's always a learning experience with you," Hanabi muttered sullenly. She sounded just like Dabi.

But, at least she'd accepted it.