Sooo things didn't go to well back there (P)

Denkiteki had chosen not to talk about recent events in front of the Queensguard. After hearing the conversation between Akihana and those who had been sent to Kumogakure to check on her well being Den had come to the conclusion that some discussions were likely best kept between the two Sages. As much as Den didn't enjoy the idea it seemed the only solution for the moment.

That was why Denkiteki chose to meet with Akihana in private. He waited until about midday in the real world before he checked for her in the Sanctuary pond, finding her in the library office within the Palace. Hoping she wasn't to busy Den quickly teleported himself outside the door of the office. He knew Aki would be able to sense his chakra as soon as he arrived but he knocked on the door anyway to be polite.

These days, it was the paperwork that dictated Akihana's time. There were never enough hours in the day to get all the work done and even lesser time to reflect on her own life. What few moments the kunoichi would have otherwise given to sleep were spent kneeling at the foot of her bed in prayer. She prayed for Arata, for Youka, for Arashi, for everyone and anyone she could think of in the hours her mind was too exhausted to function but refused to succumb to sleep.

Dark circles had begun to appear under her eyes, circles she carefully treated every morning back to healthy skin so no one would notice. There was a lot medical jutsu could do, More than heal, it could hide the signs of illness, and Akihana carried a constant, cloying one inside her these days. The illness reminded of two things very clearly each time she drew breath.

That Arata was gone.

And that Youka thought she had betrayed his trust.

The kunoichi had done all she'd promised to the Raikage. Given his funds to the village vaults, introduced the notion of an alliance with a similar shinobi power, even hinted at what Kumo could bring to the table in terms of experienced shinobi and more land. And yet she continued to feel as though she was coming short, because all her actions rang hollow when her son was out there.

When her son was almost a murderer, probably a full fledged murderer by now.

So she did paperwork. She held meetings, she looked over the progress of shinobi, she offered her own insights on village affairs and made sure the citizens were heard as much as possible. And every morning, the circles grew that little bit darker, her pale skin kissed by bruises that no one would ever see because she took care to hide them. her pain was hers and hers alone.

And yet sometimes her body refused to listen, it refused to function optimally when it sensed support nearby, ready for the reprieve it would offer. His chakra reached her before the sound of his knocking did, making her glance up from a latest file about the previous chunin battle. Princess Tehniyat had left very specific notes. The familiar chakra was enough to make her feel a small amount of weight lift from her shoulder.

"C-come in," she called out, knowing the Hogokage wouldn't be accompanied by guards as her guests usually were when escorted into the office. Folding the file away for later perusal, the kunoichi simply hoped she had done a good enough job that morning of hiding all signs of fatigue. More than being a skilled medical ninja, Den knew her better than almost anyone else and she didn't want him to have to worry about her on top of everything else he had to deal with.

Should Den enter, the medic would invite him to take a seat, attempting a small, perfunctory smile. "Good timing, I was just about to come see you," she managed, trying to keep her tone as light as she could given the circumstances. Truth be told, Den and Akihana were both not very prone to considerations, so it wasn't out of the ordinary that they would usually put it off until circumstances absolutely demanded verbal communication.

As he entered it became apparent to Den that recent events were taking their toll on his friend. Her golden eyes didn't seem to glow as bright, her smile looked almost forced. He couldn't blame her, there wasn't much to be cheerful about these days. The Hogokage hoped he could change that though, with some information he had for Akihana. There were a lot they needed to discuss but before any of that Den wanted to give her good news. Den's pond wasn't showing unreal images anymore, so they could find Arata.

After using it to watch some many people lately it seemed for the past few days that Den had somehow over-used the powers of the pond. It had shown him strange things like Maku actually moving about the world rather than sitting in his dimension, and for some reason he'd even been able to see Naoki briefly as well. Neither of those visions had made sense so Den hadn't bothered to try and find Aki's son. However he had attempted to use it on Akihana today and it seemed to be working properly now, so perhaps it could be used to find the boy.

As he sat down the Hogokage's chakra senses checked the nearby area for anyone who might be listening, he didn't want anyone else to hear what he was about to say. If the wrong person heard him right now a few complications could arise. If the nobility knew about this they'd demand Den bring Arata in so that he could be put on trial, however Den decided it would be better to let the boy's mother decide what to do with him.

"So I have some news. I thought I had overused the Pond of Sanctuary but I think I've got it working properly again." Even though he didn't detect anyone to close by Den still whispered. "We can use it to find your son now, or at least get an idea of where he is."

At the mention of Arata, Akihana's face fell for a moment, all traces of the forced congeniality gone to reveal the sadness etched deep in her features. Of course she hadn't spoken to Den about her son. She had spoken to a number of people, trying to verify the story she had heard. All sources reported the same. Arashi, Kazuhiro, the princess, Tsuji, even Hikari Namikaze. And yet it was probably Den's word that would have meant more than anyone else's because he wouldn't lie to her.

Perhaps that's why she didn't have the scourge to ask. Because as long as it remained unspoken between them, there was a sliver of hope. It had been a foolish notion but one she'd clung on to regardless. Akihana had to face reality now. her son was gone and he was indeed a criminal.

"I.." she began, wanting to give an explanation of some sort, wanting to explain, to even ask the young doctor where he had gone wrong and if Denkiteki had any idea why her son would do something like that. But non of that came out, all that happened was the blonde opening one of her desk drawers and retrieving an official entry for submission in the bingo book.

Everyone had been entirely too kind to the kunoichi, letting her decide to deal with a criminal instead of processing him normally through the justice system. A bounty on his head should have been out a long time ago but they had waited out of respect. Now Akihana had to prove she was worthy of all the kindness.

The document contained a brief description of the boy, and an even briefer mention of his crimes, simply "an assault on the royal family of Haven". No mentions of connection to anyone. The bounty on his head was slightly above minimum. "I drafted this earlier... But I don't think I can submit this myself. Would you please do it on my behalf?" The request was a lot mreo than that but the Hogokage would know that. He always did. "Please."

Once Den had responded, she would proceed to clear her desk, putting away Princess Tehniyat's notes on the chunin battle and the EGF user the princess had made extensive notes about away. "How did you fix the pond?' she asked, unsure how a Sanctuary construct could be broken but she was the first to admit she knew little about space time techniques. "How did you even know it was broken?" she asked, waiting for Den to transport them to Sanctuary.