Tainted Blood of a Ninja

The nurses left and Mitsukai was finally left alone with an unconscious Sasuke. She stared at him for what seemed like hours, trying to put together the pieces of his memories to figure out what would drive his own brother to kill everyone in their family…except his little brother. She sat down in the chair that was placed next to his bed especially for her and closed her eyes.

Dead bodies…blood everywhere…

Her eyes shot open. Ever since seeing Sasuke’s memories due to Itachi’s genjutsu, Mitsukai hadn’t been able to close her eyes. As if that weren’t enough, she could hear Sasuke’s screams of terror ringing in her ears. She wanted it to stop. She wanted it to go away. Yet…she was curious. How did she manage to insert herself into the genjutsu in the first place? Somehow, her mind had automatically known that to release a genjutsu one had to send their chakra into the victim. That had been her intention when she grabbed Sasuke’s hand.

“Then what happened?” She wondered out loud. Those gold eyes appeared faintly in her mind’s eye then faded away. “What does that mean?”

“What does what mean?” A timid voice asked. She looked over her shoulder to see Sakura peeking into the room, worry in her eyes. “What happened to Sasuke?”

Mitsukai looked down at Sasuke and wondered how he would feel if Mitsukai were to tell anyone what had truly happened... “Nothing too bad. He’s just really exhausted from all of that running.”

“Oh.” Sakura frowned, already aware that Mitsukai wasn’t telling the truth. “Are you okay?”

Mitsukai paused then replied, “I’ve been worse.” She stared at Sasuke. She needed to try the insertion again. Something told her that there was more information hidden in Sasuke’s memories that could possibly help her figure out what was going on. She pulled her chair even closer to Sasuke’s bed and leaned forward. “Sakura, close the door.”

Sakura paused, carefully considering Mitsukai’s command, and then did as she was told. “What’s going on?”

“I want to try something. I’ll need you to watch out for any nurses or medical ninjas, okay? If you see anyone coming, tap me.” Mitsukai instructed as she lightly touched Sasuke’s left forearm. Sakura bristled when she saw this but promptly turned away, refusing to allow her jealousy show. Mitsukai noticed this and gave Sakura a cold look. “Look, I’m not interested in your little knight in shining armor so cool it.”

Sakura studied Mitsukai for a moment then nodded after she determined that the girl was telling the truth. “Hurry up.”

Mitsukai turned back to Sasuke and closed her eyes. She remembered how she felt at the time when it happened. She remembered what she had been thinking. ‘I won’t let anyone harm my family…’

Mitsukai felt her skin tingle as chakra gathered under her skin. Suddenly it was quiet and Mitsukai opened her eyes. She was still in the hospital…but things were different. Sakura was gone. Eight year old Sasuke laid in the hospital bed looking up at the ceiling, finally coming around after passing out the night before.

‘A dream?’ A child’s voice whispered into her head. She recognized the voice instantly.

“Sasuke…” She looked at him. He tried to sit up and winced as pain shot through his shoulder. He looked down and was horrified to see that his shoulder was wrapped up. An image of a Chinese star being thrown and slicing that very spot crossed her mind. It was then that she was sure she had succeeded in getting into Sasuke’s head. She stood back and watched as the young Sasuke slipped out of his bed and tiptoed out the door; she followed along. The voices of two nurses reached her ears.

“Yes, it’s true. He was the only one who was rescued.”

Sasuke leaned against the wall and listened to their conversation from around the corner.

“He had an older brother, didn’t he?” The other asked.

“But they don’t know where he is.” Sasuke gritted his teeth angrily. Mitsukai could feel hatred make her blood boil. Sasuke snuck out of the hospital with Mitsukai on his heels. Rain had begun to fall in slow big drops when he reached a fence that was sectioned off with police “Crime Scene” tape. Sasuke ignored this and continued forward. Mitsukai reached out to see if she had to actually move the tape as well or just walk through. She was shocked when the wet plastic touched her fingertips. She moved it and followed Sasuke. He finally stopped to catch his breath, giving her time to look at their surroundings. Dried blood stained the outside of houses and the ground that they walked on. Things like lanterns were sliced open and left dangling from their posts.

“Hello, Sasuke.” She turned to see a woman and her husband standing outside of their home waving at Sasuke…then they promptly faded away. Pain and the sudden sense of loneliness made her chest heavy. She put a hand over her heart and rubbed the spot, willing the tears in her eyes to go away. It was so much more than she could bear… She looked over and saw a gray stone wall that had a line of red and white fans like the one that was usually on the back of Sasuke’s outfit painted on it. Her eyes skimmed the wall and stopped when they landed on one particular painting that had cracks through it. She walked over to it and touched the wall, rain now wetting her hair. The stone was cold and felt rough to the touch. More images flashed in her head as Itachi threw a shuriken at the wall and created cracks through that single fan. Itachi’s speech played in her head and she became confused.

‘What did he mean?’ Mitsukai ran her hands over her hair, pushing her bangs back then letting them fall back over her face. She heard a noise from within the house in front of the cracked painting and ran inside. She found Sasuke in the family room on his knees, silent tears of grief drenching his face as he realized that he was truly all alone. Mitsukai recognized the room at once and her eyes fell on the chalk outline where his parents’ bodies had once been. She forced herself to move and kneel beside Sasuke, slowly wrapping her arms around his shoulders. ‘I know what it feels like to have no one to call family…to be alone…’

The second her head rested on his shoulder, that whole tragic night replayed itself in her head. Mitsukai shut her eyes tightly and willed the images to go away; she didn’t need to see it anymore. Once had been more than enough. When she opened them, she saw Sasuke standing in front of a scroll in a basement somewhere. A few candles were lit to able him to see and move in the dark. She walked up beside him and looked down at the words written on the paper that had turned yellow from the years. Just like Itachi had four years ago, she read about the Uchihas’ bloodline formed from a demon named Sojobo and the forbidden doujutsu that they were capable of unlocking.

Yet, something caught her eye. There was another page underneath the one that Sasuke was looking at. She reached out and attempted to turn it but the paper slipped through her fingertips. She watched as Sasuke simply turned away from the scroll and walked off.

‘He didn’t read the second page…’ Mitsukai thought to herself. She felt a hand grab hers and suddenly she was back in the hospital room with present-day Sasuke and a worried Sakura.

“Someone’s coming!” Sakura whispered urgently. Mitsukai nodded and sat back in her seat, closing her eyes while committing everything she’d just seen to memory. A nurse entered the room.

“I’m sorry but you two will have to leave. You can come back tomorrow if you’d like.” She smiled warmly. Sakura began to ask the nurse questions allowing Mitsukai to slip out undetected.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mitsukai was amazed that she’d been able to learn the way to the Nakano shrine from Sasuke’s memory and actually find it. The inside was literally covered with cobweb but she ignored them, taking extra care not to disturb the homes of the innocent spiders. She located the seventh mat and moved it aside and lowered herself into the darkness. When she landed, the smell of humid musk met her sensitive noise and she gagged. She lit the candle that she had brought with her and moved forward.

On the walls on either side of the table between them, a portrait of a tengu had been painted. Something about the portraits was unnerving and made her anxious to leave. Every step became harder to take than the previous one but she didn’t stop until she stood in the same exact spot as Sasuke and looked down. She gasped. There were ashes on top of the table and common sense told her that it had used to be the scroll. Someone had come back to burn it. ‘But why?’

She reached and picked up a handful of the ashes and a yellow demonic eye flashed in her head as a deep evil laugh filled her head. She dropped the ashes immediately and held her head. ‘…Sojobo?’

Now more than ever she was curious as to what had been on that second page. She also wondered why Sasuke hadn’t looked at it himself. Itachi had sent him there to see. Why stop at the first page? She recalled the look on Sasuke’s face when he was reading the scroll. Second glance made her realize that there had been a thin mist in front of his eyes. Itachi had cast a genjutsu on him that apparently made him only see one page.

Something about all of it didn’t seem right. It made sense but too many details were missing; too many questions were going unanswered. After several minutes, Mitsukai turned and headed back for the village.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Might Gai stood before two Chuunin and four Jounin that he’d managed to gather up and took a deep breath. “I can’t say too much without endangering your lives but Master Jiraya has informed me that two S-ranked ninja could possibly come after a Genin from our village.”

The group didn’t even twitch.

“He has ordered me to make sure that a two-man squad is with her at all times. I agree with him and will do in this manner: Every four hours the squads will switch. This will continue until he comes back with Lady Tsunade.” He looked at them. “Any questions?”

One of the Chuunin raised his hand. “Why are S-Ranked ninjas after this Genin?”

Gai frowned. “That I cannot tell you.”

“If we are to guard and protect this person, it is best we know exactly what is at stake here.” A Jounin added.

At that moment, the door to the room that they were in opened slightly and Mitsukai slipped in silently. She stood next to Gai, staring at the floor. The group looked at her, awed by her physical appearance. Gai rested his hand lightly on her shoulder.

“This is the Genin in question. As I’ve said before, I cannot tell you exactly why they might come for her. All I know is that Master Jiraya deemed it very important and said it should take precedence over anything else until his return. I wouldn’t ask you to do this if her sensei, Kakashi, were able to do it himself. As you may have heard, one of the S-ranked ninjas in question has him hospitalized at the moment. Same said ninja also attacked her teammate, Sasuke Uchiha, and he is in the same condition as Kakashi. They both were only attacked with genjutsu.” Gai decided that he would leave out the fact that this same ninja was also a missing Nin from their village, related to Sasuke, and actually did lay hands on the younger Uchiha. He didn’t want to panic more than they already seemed to be. “This is very important. Do not take this mission lightly…or you’ll have to deal with me.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mitsukai sat on her bed and looked out the window. A few stars dotted the sky but the moon was nowhere to be seen. She drew her knees up closer and hugger them tighter. Things just didn’t feel the same. Her sense of security seemed to vanish when she realized that she was in danger just like Naruto. She only wished she knew why…

‘What is so special about Naruto and me that they would willingly attack those around us?’ She sat in that same spot for hours, trying to come up with a reasonable answer. If Kakashi-sensei were there, things would be okay. But with both Kakashi and Sasuke in the hospital unconscious and Naruto and Jiraya out of town, that only left her with Sakura… She might as well have been alone.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Shikamaru and Neji approached the two Jounin that had been stationed by Mitsukai’s apartment and showed them a note that had been written by Asuma relieving the men of their duties until the next squad came. Since it would be only two hours until the next squad came and it was only eleven o’clock, no one believed that this was a problem. Shikamaru chose to sit while Neji leaned up against the building.

“So have you even met this girl?” Shikamaru kept his eyes closed.

“No. Have you?” Neji scanned the area with his normal eyes. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Since she came to Konoha, all the time. She has silver hair. You can’t miss her. And she wears a mask just like Kakashi. I heard Asuma-sensei and Gai-sensei commenting on how she looks like she could be his daughter. I agree. He certainly treats her as if she is. I never see him without her somewhere by his side.” He shifted uncomfortably. “Man, this is such a drag. I’ve never known the ground to be so uncomfortable. I’d rather be in bed.”

Neji smirked yet kept scanning for any potential threats. “She sounds interesting. I’d like to meet her.”

“Then go knock on her door. No one’s stopping you.”

“She might be asleep.”

Shikamaru looked up at him. “You actually considered doing it?”

“Well, yes. We should know what she looks like in case something happens. How can you protect someone if you don’t know what they look like?” Neji looked at Shikamaru, slightly annoyed. Something in the distance gave him goose bumps as he stared out into the darkness.

“You say that as if—“ Neji cut him off by holding up his hand.

“I think…they’re here.” Neji whispered. “Byakugan!” He scanned their surroundings. He paused when his eyes settled on two human figures, one of them pulsing with an enormous amount of chakra.

“What is it?” Shikamaru jumped to his feet.

“Two figures about 350 yards northwest of us…and judging by the chakra amount the tallest one has, I highly doubt they’re friends.” Neji’s tone was serious.

“Let’s get her and go to Asuma and Gai-sensei.” Shikamaru turned and ran inside the building followed by Neji.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mitsukai missed her team. With each glimpse of a forgotten memory, her self-confidence dropped considerably. With them around, she felt safe. However, being scattered like this made her feel like the target she was. She remembered that before coming to the village, she knew nothing about her past but was physically and mentally strong enough to take care of herself. After having seen her unconscious teacher and teammate and after having witness first-hand the power of her pursuers, she questioned if she could protect herself against the two men.

With the memories came emotions, emotions that allowed doubt to seep into her mind…

There was a quiet yet firm knock on her door. She opened it slowly and two boys stood in front of her.

“We’re the squad that’s supposed to watch over you until the next Jounin squad comes.” The one with long hair and pale lavender eyes explained. “Let us come in.”

They didn’t give her the opportunity to speak instead choosing to push their way past her. The other one with the spiky ponytail shut the door behind them and locked it. “Where are they now?”

“Wha—“ The long haired one quickly put a hand over her mouth and whispered into her ear.

“Not you. He’s speaking to me. Don’t talk and do everything we say. Okay?” She nodded and he removed his hand then looked at the other one. “They’re downstairs now.”

“Oh, crud. This is getting troublesome.” The spiky ponytail guy scanned the room and his eyes settled on the window. “Out the window. Now.”

Mitsukai froze. ‘They’re here? They actually came for me?’ She couldn’t explain why but part of her was already afraid. Part of her knew what would happen should they succeed in getting their hands on her. ‘I don’t want to go back.’ Her mind screamed. She didn’t know why she didn’t want to go back or even where “back” was. She just knew that she didn’t want to go.

“Wait. First let’s create clones so they’ll be distracted while we get away.” The other suggested. He made a hand sign and one promptly appeared next to him. His friend did they same and they looked at her expectantly. “Hurry up!”

Mitsukai snapped out of her frightened daze and created a clone as well. One of them opened the window and the other helped her out. One of their clones closed the window behind them and the ponytailed one grabbed her by her wrist forcing her to run with them.

“By the way, my name’s Shikamaru.” The guy tossed over his shoulder.

“Neji.” The one behind her stated without looking at her.

“I’m Mitsukai.” She whispered but doubted they heard her over the rush of wind.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Itachi and Kisame stood outside the door. Itachi could sense three different levels of chakra behind the door, one of them way higher than the other two. Itachi stepped back, silently signaling Kisame to proceed. With one good kick, the door fell and the three clones looked up at them in surprise.

Itachi immediately saw them for what they were and threw Chinese stars at their throats, causing them to disappear.

“This is already beginning to annoy me.” Kisame muttered.
Itachi turned and walked back out of the room. “They’re on the roof. Let’s go.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

‘Only a little bit further to Asuma-sensei’s house—‘ Shikamaru was forced to stop when two figures in a black cloaks with red clouds and conical straw hats jumped in front of him.

“She’s coming with us.” Itachi narrowed his eyes at her, noting the fear in her eyes. He could never recall seeing fear in her, even when he was torturing his brother the day before and she had stood up to him. He wondered what was going on with her.

Because they had been running so fast, Neji was unable to stop himself and ended up running into Mitsukai who in turn bumped into Shikamaru and they all fell down into the alley below. Kisame stepped forward and watched them fall.

“Oh, that is priceless.” He chuckled. He turned to Itachi and saw that his partner was not amused at all. “You’re no fun; you know that right?”

Itachi ignored him and jumped down after them. Kisame sighed and followed. Due to the weight of the other two, Shikamaru was unable to right himself in order to land on his feet and they all landed in a heap.

“Ugh…get off!” Shikamaru groaned and Neji got up and pulled Mitsukai up with him. Shikamaru jumped up. “Let’s go.”
He froze when he saw that Itachi and Kisame were once again standing in front of him.

Kisame looked at the three. “Itachi, can’t I just kill the other two and you grab her? If we keep this up, they’ll wake the whole village.”

Itachi assessed the situation. ‘She’s too afraid to even think straight. But if she manages to collect herself that means more trouble for us…’

Shikamaru noticed that even in the dark alley, there was still enough light from the stars to cast shadows on the ground. “Neji.”

Neji turned his attention to him.

“On my signal, grab her and go.” He whispered under his breath. He moved quickly and made the hand sign causing his own shadow to whip out and zoom towards the Akatsuki members. Neji grabbed Mitsukai’s wrist and took off running in the opposite direction. She tried to look over her shoulder to see what was going on but Neji yanked her.

“We need to signal for help. Any ideas?” Neji didn’t look at her. She thought about it.

“I know a jutsu that’s impossible not to notice. It should attract people’s attention.” She spoke up. He stopped and turned to her.

“Do it now!”

She shook off her fear and turned to the open space in front of them. She performed the hands signs quickly. “Ring of Fire!” She took a deep breath, gathering chakra in her mouth and blew it out in the form of fire, creating a ring of fire on the ground.

“That’s it?!” Neji asked.

“Shut up! I’m not done!” She yelled back then did a few more hand signs then pressed her hands to the ground and suddenly a strong wind came and blew very hard. “Flaming Cyclone!”

Neji watched in awe as the small ring of fire expanded and grew, taking the shape of a humongous tornado. “You can’t miss that.”

Mitsukai sent even more chakra into the cyclone causing it to become miles high, towering over Konoha.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“What in the world--?” Gai stood up causing Asuma and Kurenai to do the same. They followed his line of sight as the sky was lit up with a huge fiery tornado spinning violently yet staying in one spot.

“What is that?” Asuma asked taking his cigarette out of his mouth.

Gai turned and ran for the door. “I don’t know but we can’t sit here and wait to find out!”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mitsukai stood and let the inferno blaze on its own. It would die down in a few minutes but not before someone came for them. She turned and Kisame appeared suddenly, swinging his sword sapping the rest of her chakra and causing the tornado to disappear. She suddenly felt very weak and tired.

“You shouldn’t have done that. Now Itachi’s mad at your little friends for getting in the way and at you for being so stubborn.” He grinned wickedly. Itachi appeared next to Kisame, Sharingan blazing.

“Let’s go.” His tone was even and lethal, and his body language suggested that he was no longer in the mood to be “nice”.

Neji stood in front of Mitsukai. “Mitsukai, run. I’ll distract them long enough for you to try to get away.”

She only shook her head. “I-I can’t. He took all of my chakra.”

Shikamaru appeared next to Neji. “Just go. We’ll handle them.”

“You don’t understand…I can’t move.” She whispered. “And even if I could, I wouldn’t leave you two behind.”

They both briefly looked back at her with appreciation being concerned about their welfare then back at Itachi and Kisame.

Itachi looked at her. “The reason you can’t move…is because you’re afraid to. You know that Kisame alone can kill them so that would allow me to come after you.” He narrowed his eyes and his lips curled slightly an evil, cold smirk. “And you don’t want to face me alone…do you?”

Mitsukai’s eyes shot open. She realized that he was trying to get inside of her head with a genjutsu and promptly shut her eyes. Then she opened them again, opting to stare at the ground. ‘I can’t just close my eyes. Then that will put Neji and Shikamaru in even more danger.’

Itachi was annoyed that she had once again prevented him from using his sleep inducing genjutsu on her.

“It was over here!” A voice shouted and the sound of rustling leaves followed.

Itachi didn’t have to look up to know that Jounin and even some ANBU members had seen the jutsu and had come to investigate. Once again, they would have to wait. “Kisame, let’s go.”

“What?!” Kisame turned to him. “We’re running? Again? Oh, no. Not before I take someone’s head off. I’m not leaving without properly dismembering someone. I-I just can’t take—“

Itachi gave Kisame a death glare which promptly shut him up and they vanished.

Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai appeared around the three tired Genin.

“Are you guys okay?” Gai asked. Shikamaru and Neji nodded and looked back at Mitsukai. She wavered a bit and fell down on one knee.

‘The Flaming Cyclone jutsu absorbs enough of my chakra as it is. But then he took even more of what chakra I had left…’ She panted slightly. She felt someone lift her up and put her on their back so she closed her eyes and let herself fall asleep.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Everyone took Jiraya seriously after the Akatsuki’s attempt to kidnap Mitsukai. The original list of ninjas assigned to take shifts in watching Mitsukai were relieved of their duties and a single ANBU member was assigned to accompany her day and night, even if she was in Gai’s company, until Jiraya returned.

“What’s your name?” She looked at the man walking beside her as she made her way to the hospital. No one had told her that her new bodyguard was from ANBU so she assumed he was just another Jounin.

He raised an eyebrow at her. The village elders had given him a codename but he didn’t expect that she would care to know it. “Miko.”

Her eyes squinted as if she were scrunching up her whole face. “Oh.” She didn’t ask any more questions after that and chose to keep conversation between them to a minimal seeing as they really had nothing to talk about in the first place. She entered Kakashi’s hospital room and he stood silently in the corner with his arms crossed, seemingly asleep. Mitsukai stared at Kakashi. It had been nearly four days since Naruto and Jiraya had left in search of Lady Tsunade. It had been three days since Itachi and Kisame had made their last appearance. With Miko with her at all times, everyone went back to their regular routines, leaving her to be alone again.

‘If you were okay, I’d be able to at least watch you read your dumb book and wonder what the heck it’s about. If you were okay, I could listen to you go on and on about the journey of life or whatever you’re always lecturing us about when I climb up in a tree and go to sleep. If you were okay…I wouldn’t feel so alone, Kakashi-sensei.’ Mitsukai thought, folding her arms across her chest with a quiet sigh. After her experience with going through Sasuke’s mind, she didn’t dare try to go into Kakashi’s or even attempt to heal his mind a bit. She didn’t want to take a chance of harming him. She could barely stand Sakura as it was so trying to spend more time with her just to try to make herself feel like she wasn’t alone was way out of the question. The only thing she could really do was sit and wait for Naruto to return.

‘I…miss them. I miss being with the team as a whole. I actually miss training with them…arguing with them…laughing with them…It’s like we’ve broken apart…’ She stood up. She noticed that the flowers in the vase that Sakura had put on the window sill were beginning to wilt. She smirked sadly. Sakura would be coming their way soon. She left the room and Miko followed silently.

In Sasuke’s room, the curtains hadn’t been opened yet so she took it upon herself to open them. Sunlight filled the room and shone on Sasuke’s pale face.

“You need more sunshine.” Mitsukai joked to herself as she sat in the chair next to him. “People will think you’re some sort of madman if you spend all of your time sitting in the dark.”

Sasuke didn’t even twitch. She found it comforting to know that she could say whatever she wanted to him and he would most likely not be able to recall any of her words. However, it was so much more fun when he reacted to her. She reached forward and brushed his hair away from his face. Five days and he was still a vegetable. And there was nothing she could do to help.

She sat there for nearly thirty minutes like she did every day, first simply regretting not having done something earlier to prevent it. Then she would remember that Sasuke would have been peeved if she proved her definition of teamwork based on their team’s actions correct by stepping in. Finally she would think about Itachi and Sasuke’s past…and the scroll.

At last she stood and looked at Miko.

He sensed her gazing at him. “Yes?”

“You don’t have to follow me everywhere every single day, do you?”

“Yes. You know that by now.”

“I know. I’m just wondering what you would rather be doing right about now.” She shrugged and walked out of the room. Miko knew that she was trying to bait him into making small talk yet willingly took the bait anyway.

“I’ve wanted to get some ramen at Ichiraku for a while now. Eating in your apartment has gotten a bit boring, I’m afraid.” He rubbed the back of his head with an apologetic smile.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Well, I’m sorry if I can’t entertain you properly.” She looked ahead of them. “Then to Ichiraku we go. I’m sure Naruto would have a fit if he knew I haven’t been checking in on the owner like he asked me to.”

Miko only nodded. There was a loud crash and an explosion shortly followed by screams. Miko stiffened then rested his hand on her shoulder. “Stay here.” He was gone before she could say a word. She was about to look in the direction that commotion had come from when a girl landed in front of her.

She had long black hair and emerald green eyes that almost seemed blank, like Neji’s lavender eyes. The girl stood, revealing that she was only a few inches taller than Mitsukai.

“Who are you?” The girl asked. “I’ve seen you around Sasuke and his team but no one will tell me who you are.”

“It depends on who you are.” Mitsukai answered tilting her head to the side. The girl mocked Mitsukai’s movement then sighed.

“I don’t have time to play with you, little girl. I heard some Akatsuki members were after you not too long ago. What do they want with you?”

Mitsukai shrugged. “If I knew I still wouldn’t tell you.”

The girl frowned. “And if I had the time…I would kill you. But I have to go.” She looked over her shoulder then back at Mitsukai. “You seem like you can hold your own so I’ll tell you something. Leave this pathetic village while you can before they try to control you as well.”

Mitsukai just stared blankly.

“I’m tired of it here. I’m leaving. It’s a small world; I’m sure I’ll see you again.”

Mitsukai snapped out of her confused daze. “You can’t just leave. Then you’ll become a missing nin.”

The girl scoffed and waved Mitsukai off. “Like I give a damn.” Then she disappeared.

Mitsukai stood there wondering if the whole thing had really happened. Miko reappeared.

“Are you okay?” He looked at the lost expression on her face.

“I think so.” She shook her head. “Let’s go eat. I think I’ve gotten so hungry that I’m starting to hallucinate.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The next nine days seemed to crawl along at a snail’s pace, making Mitsukai briefly wonder if Naruto was even going to come back. She and Miko discovered that sitting on the roof of her apartment building and watching the villagers move about their daily routines was the most effective way to pass time since they usually both would fall asleep.

Mitsukai had chosen to watch clouds float by in the sky when Miko noticed a kid in an orange jumpsuit dash down the street and smiled. If she didn’t notice this then he wasn’t going to point it out to her. She’d find out sooner or later.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lady Tsunade healed both Kakashi and Sasuke. It took them a while to get their bodies moving around but they were back to normal in no time. Naruto and Sakura beamed up at them but both Kakashi and Sasuke noticed that it seemed like someone was missing.

“Where’s Mitsukai?” Kakashi looked around. Before Sakura could open her mouth, Naruto cut her off.

“Hey! You’re right! She was so worried about you two that she actually chose to stay here with you guys instead of going with me and the Pervey Sage to go find Granny Tsunade!” He looked around.

“Uh…Naruto, I don’t that you can call our future Hokage that.” Sakura sighed.

“Really?” Kakashi seemed surprised by this. Sasuke only stared at the wall in front of him.

“Whatever. She’ll always be Granny Tsunade to me. Believe it!” Naruto chuckled. “I’ll go find Mitsukai and we can all meet at Ichiraku for ramen to celebrate.”

For the first time in a while, no one protested or argued with him; they all nodded in agreement. Naruto turned and headed for Mitsukai’s apartment.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It was well into the afternoon when Miko heard someone shouting for Mitsukai. He looked over at her, waiting for her to wake up on her own.

“No…Naruto, just five more minutes…” She mumbled in her sleep. It seemed as if she realized what she’d said and instantly sat up, eyes slightly closed.

“Hey, Mitsukai! Where the heck are ya anyway?” Naruto yelled. Mitsukai shook off her sleepiness and looked over at Miko.

“Naruto’s been back for a few hours now. I would believe that your team has reunited and may be waiting for you.” He looked back at the landscape of Konoha. Before Mitsukai could comment, her window opened and Naruto jumped out onto the roof with them.

“Mitsy, I’ve been looking all over for you. Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke are awake. We’re supposed to meet them at Ichiraku for ramen!” Naruto smiled. It finally dawned on Mitsukai that she was actually looking at Naruto and that what he was saying was true. She felt the emptiness that had been with her for the past two weeks finally fill as joy made her smile broadly underneath her mask. She was even happy to hear him call her Mitsy, a nickname that she had yet to officially accept and adopt. “Well, what are you waiting for?! I WANT RAMEN!!!!”

She stood and Miko did the same. Naruto looked at him. “Who the heck are you?”

“Miko. It’s nice to finally meet you, Naruto.” Miko nodded in Naruto’s direction.

“Are you coming, Miko?” Mitsukai looked at him. He nodded. “Then let’s go. I think I missed lunch while napping.”
As planned, the other three members of their team were standing outside of Ichiraku waiting. When Mitsukai’s eyes landed on Kakashi and Sasuke, she had to fight back tears. She had waited so long for this moment and now she didn’t even know what to do. ‘I’m not alone anymore…I have my team back…’

Kakashi nodded towards Miko in recognition and Miko returned the nod. He placed a hand on Mitsukai’s shoulder. “This is where I leave you.”

She turned to him. “What?”

“My assignment is over. Master Jiraya has returned and your sensei is well. You’ll be safe now with them around. I’m not needed anymore.” Miko explained.

Mitsukai nodded. “Will I see you around the village?”

Miko shook his head. “I highly doubt you’ll ever see me again, however I will see you. I’ll always be around, Mitsukai.”

Mitsukai took a minute to process what he was saying then finally nodded. He promptly disappeared and she turned back to her team.

Naruto scratched his head and Sasuke also looked intrigued.

Naruto looked between her and Sakura. “What the heck happened while I was gone? Why did you need him around? Who was he again?”

“Naruto, I thought you wanted ramen?” Kakashi guided the boy towards the restaurant.

“Huh? Oh, I do!!!!” He rushed to a stool.

“Naruto! It’s good to see that you’re back.” The owner smiled while drying a bowl with a towel. “And you brought your friends with you…and your sensei! Is this a reunion?”

“Yep!”

“Well this is a special occasion. Everyone eats at 75% discount." The man smiled broadly.

“ALL RIGHT!!!!”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It was dark and the moon hung in the sky. Naruto and Mitsukai sat on the roof outside of her apartment window. He listened intently as she explained everything that had happened once he and Jiraya had left. He had gotten angry that no one took the “Pervey Sage” seriously but at the same time was relieved to know that they had acted accordingly afterwards.

“You know, I missed you guys.” Naruto admitted to her. She looked at him. He continued to look at the sky. “I worried about Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke. I worried about how Sakura was doing…but I was worried about you the most. Knowing that those guys actually did come back for you…part of me wishes I could have been here to protect you. I mean, you didn’t even know what was going on but when Sasuke said that I was in danger, you made sure I was safe. If you hadn’t found the Pervey Sage in time…who knows, huh?”

Mitsukai hugged her knees tighter. Just knowing that things would be okay restored her self-confidence and some of her personal sense of security. “You have a lot of people that care about you. I wish I had people to care about me like that.”

“You do.” Naruto looked at her. “I would never allow anything to happen to you, Mitsy. You’re family.”

She held her breath. ‘That’s what I’ve been saying this whole time…’ “Family?”

Naruto put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. Jiraya had explained to him Mitsukai’s past and her relation to the Akatsuki. Naruto now knew that three people understood what it was like to grow up all alone. “Yeah. You’re the sister I’ve always wanted. Just like Sasuke is the brother I’ve always wanted. Although we’re constantly arguing, we would never let someone hurt the others. We’re constantly competing to become stronger and more skilled than the others also. Iruka-sensei is like my dad; he’s always been there for me. Kakashi-sensei is like my lazy uncle; he’s always late and reading his book.” Mitsukai relaxed and rested her head on Naruto’s shoulder, looking up at him to watch him while he spoke. “Granny Tsunade is my saggy old granny and the Pervey Sage is my perverted old granddad. Konohamuru is my hyper little brother.”

“What about Sakura?”

“Sakura?” He began to blush. “She’s my future wife.”

At this, Mitsukai tried her hardest not to laugh. “Oh, okay.”

“Mitsy?”

“Yeah?”

“…Can I see your face?” Naruto looked down at her. “I promise not to tell anyone else.”

She sat up and looked at him. No one had ever seen her face before. She thought about what he had just told her. He would never want to hurt her…so she could trust him enough to allow him to see the real her. She reached up and gently tugged the mask down. The material fell around her neck and she looked at him. He studied her for a moment then reached out and touched her cheek.

He withdrew his hand after a moment and smirked. “I knew you were pretty.” Her eyes widened then she blushed. “You shouldn’t hide your face. I understand that it makes you look all mysterious and whatnot—“

“That’s not why I wear—“

“—but you’re a nice person once you get to know someone. Leave the being cold and distant thing to Sasuke; he enjoys being like that.”

They sat in silence for a moment. “Maybe one day I’ll stop wearing it completely.”

“And on that day I want us to take a new picture of the team with you included. Deal?”

Mitsukai looked at him. A smile formed and she nodded. “Deal.”