Kaguya's Legacy

(There is a NSFW version of this chapter, it hold little difference from this, expect some extra spicy content during the bathing scene, I will upload it as the next chapter, and you can go to that if you want it, or stay here if you aren't interested, but be warned, the scene will feature very minor YukiXKuro)

I had us go all the way back to our little basecamp. Just the central hideout we had built was the safest one without going back to the Konoha camp on the border of the Land of Fire. And after these two weeks, I just wanted to be able to relax, and that was the best place.

So we spent the next two days just moving, pretty much going from one end of Rivers to the other, keeping it slow to avoid traps, and just because we were all tied.

Thankfully, we could finally use chakra more freely to keep ourselves warm, so we could at least feel our toes and fingers again, and no more shaking of our limbs.

To our luck, we didn't run into more rain, just fog and thick mists. It was still bad to run around in, and I really didn't envy the Uchiha clan who fought against Mist, because yeah, mist really gets under your clothes.

"Alright, we are almost there, I'm gonna say we have something to eat, real food, so we light a fire, and cook something, but first, we all need a shower, I know I stink, never mind Koji and Kuro, I can't imagine how bad it is for you." I apologized to those two.

Their sharp noses were no doubt suffering over the past two weeks. They had to sniff out traps and patrols, all while we were pretty much covered in urine and barely able to bury our other filth.

 "First one who tries to nap before bathing gets kicked into the stream."

Kuro made a sound halfway between a sneeze and a bark, as if agreeing with me entirely. Koji just slumped down on a flat rock, peeled off one of his gloves, and stared at it like it personally betrayed him.

"Oh yeah," he muttered, voice gravelly. "That's definitely gonna grow legs and walk away soon."

Arata groaned, already tugging at the buckles on his pack. "You know, I think I can actually smell myself for the first time. That can't be good."

Haruto dropped down beside a log with a thud. "My back's made of knives, my feet are pulp, and I think something bit me three days ago and never left."

I let out a huff of amusement and started unrolling the tarp we'd left at the base last time. "Then move. The faster we wash, the faster we eat. Koji, go check if the water is safe."

As Koji reluctantly rose, muttering darkly about river spirits and fungus, I couldn't help watching him go. Two weeks hunched over in silence, barely daring to breathe, and now… well, I was expecting everyone to talk a whole lot more.

Kuro padded after him, tail high, and I swear he looked back at me with a strange look in his eyes.

The group began to bustle—packs opening, spare clothes unsealed, a fire already going nearby, already making this camp feel a hundred times more livable.

Koji returned about ten minutes later, wet to the waist, hair dripping, shirt half off.

"Water's fine," he grunted. "No curses. Just cold. Like, soul-freezing cold."

I smirked. "Good. I want to freeze to death while clean."

"You first," he said, motioning for Kuro to keep me company.

-----

I didn't plan on saving my clothes; nothing short of fire could cleanse this outfit. Thankfully, I had plenty more to replace it.

So, a few lines drawn across my body with a kunai and my clothes could be peeled off, yeah, peeled off. It was sticking to me in a horrible, disgusting way. And the once clean, fair skin underneath was caked with mud and worse.

Such was the life of a shinobi, far from glorious. And I wished I were back in the clan, I would rather go back to the days of babysitting with Sayo, or visiting nobles who are friendly with the clan, together with Kazour-Sensei.

Once out of my filthy clothes, I walked into the river.

The water was freezing.

I hissed and shivered, biting down a groan. My toes went numb instantly.

Kuro didn't seem to mind, wading in until the water lapped at his belly, then shaking violently, splattering cold droplets across my legs. I gave him a dry look.

"Thanks."

He huffed and looked smug about it.

Still, I couldn't complain. The cold was better than stink. I dunked my head under the surface, holding my breath as the chill surged over me. When I surfaced, Kuro was watching me with ears perked and his tail flicking lazily behind him.

"You need this too," I muttered, running my fingers through his soaked fur. "You've been a good boy these past weeks. No complaints, no hesitation. Just doing your job."

He gave a low chuff and leaned into the touch slightly, almost like a dog seeking praise—but there was more behind his eyes. Intelligence. Loyalty. Patience.

I reached for a cloth and began gently scrubbing along his neck and shoulders, fingers working the knots and dirt out of the dense fur. It took effort, and I had to pause to warm my fingers every few strokes, but I didn't stop.

"You know," I said softly, "Koji really doesn't appreciate you enough. Or maybe he does. But he sure doesn't say it."

Kuro glanced at me sidelong.

"What?" My voice lowered with a faint frown. "Even I wanted to scream after the first week, and look at you? Took it like a champ, no complaining at all, if that isn't worthy of respect, I don't know what is."

Kuro made a low rumble in his throat—not quite a growl, not quite a purr. Something satisfied. Content.

"Yeah, yeah, I know you don't need my approval," I muttered, lips curling in a half-smile. "But you've earned it anyway."

I dipped the cloth back into the river and moved along his spine, working methodically. The water made everything harder, numbing my fingers and turning fur to brambles.

"You've always got your eye on him, huh?" I asked quietly. "You know what he's thinking before he does. Like a shadow that breathes."

Kuro's tail gave a single flick.

I sighed, glancing up through the mist curling off the water's surface. "He's been putting in the work, doing better than I had expected. The two of you are a real team."

Kuro didn't answer in words, of course. But he didn't have to. His head dipped, just slightly, until it rested against my knee, water rippling out from the gesture.

We didn't speak for a while, well, I was the one doing all the speaking. But I shut up for a bit as I cleaned Kuro up first, and then myself.

The water was cold, but getting clean was worth it. I had almost forgotten how good it felt to be clean. To not be covered head to toe in a layer of filth and mud.

"I guess we both suffer from having a lot of hair to clean," I finally spoke again, as I started washing my hair in the freezing water, the long, white hair almost felt like sharp wire against my frozen fingers.

Kuro huffed again, a low gust of air through his nose, and nudged my leg with his snout.

I blinked water from my lashes. "What? You don't think it's comparable?"

He tilted his head slightly, then looked upriver, where the others were probably taking turns scrubbing behind rocks or complaining about how cold their toes were.

"Yeah, yeah. I know mine's longer. Doesn't mean it's easier to deal with," I muttered, running my fingers along my scalp with care. "I bet Koji's already done. Doesn't have to wrestle with this kind of mess."

I knew the others were further downstream, just around a bend and some large stones, blocking the view. "First to start, last to finish, I guess." I mumbled as I continued.

The silence stretched again. Mist drifted lazily across the water, curling around my arms. It should've felt lonely out here, exposed and freezing with only Kuro as company. But it didn't.

I dipped lower in the water, letting it rush around my chest, and said, almost absently, "He's grown a lot. Since the start."

Kuro's tail thumped once against the current.

"Don't look so smug about it," I muttered, but there was no bite to it.

Another pause. "He is pretty interesting, isn't he?" I said more to the water than to Kuro. "Much more so than the others. Those I can understand. Their tells, their rhythms. But Koji?"

I sank down to my shoulders, arms floating at my sides as I stared across the mist-veiled river.

"He's been acting weird lately. Fidgety. Hesitant around me. Keeps looking, then pretending he didn't. It's like he's got something to say, but the words just… won't come."

Kuro's ears perked slightly at that.

I glanced down at him. "You've noticed it too, huh?"

He didn't move, but the look he gave me was far too knowing.

"I don't get it," I murmured. "He's not subtle. He can't keep his thoughts to himself, or at least I didn't think so."

My fingers idly combed through a stubborn tangle in my hair.

"I can't stop thinking about it. Not in a bad way. More like…" I paused, unsure how to finish that thought. "More like a puzzle I want to solve."

I sighed again. "Alright, let's get dressed before we freeze to death."

He barked.

"Well, I guess I will get dressed, you are always naked."

He just barked again.

I don't know why I spoke so much with him, I guess I had just been quiet for so long, I wanted to speak, to move. Fucking I wanted to live!

-----

We returned to camp with hair dripping and fingers red from the cold. Haruto had managed to coax the fire into a proper blaze, and the smell of rice and smoked fish hit me like a jutsu to the face.

I wasted no time in sitting down next to the fire, though Kuro was a step ahead of me, and that damned dog took up most of the space free, forcing me to sit right next to Koji, almost in his lap.

"Here I was just praising him, and this is the thanks I get?" I said to Koji as I sat down, holding my fingers towards the fire.

Koji glanced sideways at me, blinking once, clearly caught between an apology and a grin. "He probably just wanted to make sure you stayed warm," he said, not quite meeting my eyes.

Kuro let out a low, smug huff and stretched out across the tarp like he owned it. His fur was still damp but already fluffing up again near the fire.

I rolled my eyes and leaned in slightly, pressing my side against Koji's out of necessity, though I didn't bother moving when he stiffened.

Haruto handed me a bowl without comment, but the corner of his mouth twitched like he'd seen something worth teasing about later.

The food was basic—steamed rice, dried vegetables, and some smoked fish they must have just caught. It was simple, but it was hot, and it was a heck of a lot better than the rations we had over the past two weeks.

Across from me, Arata was already halfway through his bowl. "So," he said between bites, "are we going to pretend we didn't all spend the last two weeks fantasizing about a hot bath and real food, or…?"

Haruto grunted. "I fantasized about socks that didn't smell like death."

"I fantasized about clean underpants," Koji added, completely deadpan.

I choked on a bite of rice, nearly spraying the fire. "Koji!"

"What? You said be honest!" he defended, throwing up a hand. "I feel like I've been wearing a biohazard."

"When did I say that? We all, right now, agree to never talk about what we had to do the past two weeks, it's forbidden." I said, looking around, and finally poked Koji in the chest.

"Agreed," Arata said with solemnity.

Haruto nodded, and even Kuro barked in agreement.

Koji held up his hands in mock surrender, grinning. "Alright, alright. No more 'filth flashbacks,' got it. Just trying to lighten the mood."

"Stick to jokes that don't involve underwear," I muttered, wishing I could Kotoamatsukami myself into forgetting those two weeks.

"You'd be surprised how few of those I have," Koji said, earning a snort from Haruto.

"We got it, kid, you got a dirty mind, that's fine, just keep your body clean." Arata joked.

Arata finished his bowl and flopped backward on the tarp. "I think I'm gonna sleep for ten hours straight."

"You say that like we won't wake you up at four to take first watch," Haruto replied.

"Don't," Arata groaned. "Let me have this dream for ten more minutes."

I smiled. This wasn't bad. "Alright, I don't care who got the first watch, but tonight, I'm using my privilege as leader to decide I get a full night's worth of sleep."

(End of chapter)