Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

PROLOGUE:

Susumu's POV:

It was like everything happened in slow motion. That was the problem with having an eidetic memory. You saw everything, and you couldn't forget it. There were flames reaching to the heavens, smoke and ash staining everything within reach. It was all vividly bright against the darkness. The smell made me double over coughing. It was the smell of smoke mixed with burning flesh.

My eyes flashed open immediately, and I immediately adjusted my weight so I wouldn't fall out of the tree I was in. My kitsune companion, Takara, lay comfortingly on my chest, her breathing steady. After a few seconds, she blinked her amber eyes open and stared calmly at me.

'Another memory?' she asked in my mind, her tone concerned as she watched me.

I nodded. 'I'm fine, though.'

She nodded, reassured, before getting up and stretching, leaping lightly off my chest and onto the tree branch so I could get up as well. I yawned until I heard my jaw crack, rubbing my sore neck before I jumped soundlessly from the tree. My muscles were stiff, and my eyelids were heavy. I blinked several times. The sun was just rising.

'Where are we headed this time?' Takara asked me, walking around and between my legs as I checked to make sure all my weapons were in place. 'Or are we continuing to wander aimlessly?'

I wore a long black trench coat over a tight fitting dark gray tank top and loose black cargo pants that were held against my legs with stiletto black heels that were at least three inches high and went all the way up to the middle of my calves. On the outside, I didn't look threatening at all. But with all the concealed weapons I had on me, I probably could fill an entire weapons room.

As I checked, I couldn't help but monitor the area around me for any blood signatures. Any living thing always had a different kind of blood, no matter what type it was. Tracking through blood was always more reliable than trying to track through chakra, as no shinobi could hide it. It was one of the benefits of being a bloodline limit.

I shrugged, beginning to walk. 'Maybe Konohagakure,' I thought absently. 'We're close enough, and I'm tired of sleeping in trees. Oh, and the old man said he wanted me to come back soon for a favor or something last time.'

I offered my arm, and Takara slinked up my body until she was draped around my neck. She closed her eyes lazily, humming softly as she did. 'Will they let you in?'

I smirked. Even though I was barely eleven, all the Kage knew better than to try and refuse me. I had loads of blackmail on practically all of them, not to mention my status as the last remaining member of the Susumu Clan made me one of the most powerful wandering nin alive. That, and Takara could be pretty scary if she wanted to be.

Takara laughed softly in my head a second later. 'I forgot about that,' she smiled, tightening her coil around my neck. 'I suppose I can be pretty convincing when I want to be.'

I grinned. Konoha it was, then.
_

"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN!"

I was literally shaking in fury, and I felt, rather than heard, Takara snarl on my shoulder. Pure red chakra was beginning to cover her entire body, and I could feel her muscles tense. Usually, I'd tell her to relax, but I was seriously considering going on a rampage myself. I turned my gaze away from the offending shinobi, looking inside the village, and spotted an old friend of mine.

"MINATO-SAN!" I called. The man turned in surprise, seeing me wave to him. He was walking with two others who looked a few years older than me. "MAKE THEM LET ME IN!"

He grinned when he realized what I meant and walked over, the two following with their eyes wide. "You know this girl?" the shinobi at the desk asked with wide eyes.

I huffed in annoyance, crossing my arms. No, duh, I thought. I mean, really. I thought shinobi were supposed to be smart.

Minato nodded, giving them permission to let me enter. Takara settled down a little, and I knelt down so she could walk beside me. Her eyes narrowed at the shinobi at the desk, hissing softly, before walking confidently into the village, her tail twitching. I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks, Minato-san," I said. I knew Takara would be back before long. "Who're they?"

He smiled. "This is Kakashi," he said, gesturing to the boy with white hair, the only thing visible on his face his left eye, "And Rin." This time, he gestured to the girl with the red tattoos and kind eyes. "They're former students of mine."

I raised an eyebrow. "What idiot did that?" I asked seconds before I skillfully dodged his punch. "I'm surprised they're not dead yet." He just rolled his eyes at me, matching my smile with one of his own.

I straightened, giving a small wave, my hand covered in fingerless black fishnet gloves. "I'm Minori," I smiled.

"She's a wandering nin that happens to gave all the Kage wrapped around her finger," Minato explained. "She's also probably the most frightening person I know."

I grinned. "Aw, thanks. I feel so warm and fuzzy inside."

"She's also the most sarcastic one, too."

I was about to say something rude when I caught sight of Takara running back. She leaped through the air, and I caught her easily. 'What is it?' I asked, my eyes narrowing in concern when I felt her body trembling slightly against mine.

'I don't know,' Takara said calmly. 'Something just doesn't feel right. We should leave now.'

'We can't. We're here as a favor for the old man, remember?'

She sighed. 'I know. But I don't want you getting hurt, just in case.'

I let out a small sigh, my brow creased with worry as I felt her mind connect with mine. Her feeling of foreboding flowed into mine, and it almost felt like it was right before it began to rain. You could feel that it would. However, this feeling had a hint of danger in it. It was definitely something important. I blinked, then realized that the three were staring at me. "You alright?" Minato asked me, looking concerned.

I shook my head. "I'm fine, Minato-san," I said, giving him a fake smile. "Aw, you worried about me?"

"Yes."

I blinked in surprise, putting down Takara so she could run off. He hadn't changed a bit. For some reason, he seemed to think that it was his duty or something to look after me since no one else did. It annoyed me to no end. I wasn't used to having other people care about me. It made me feel...vulnerable.

"You're an idiot," I said, rolling my eyes. I then proceeded to spin around, my arms outstretched. "Look, I'm perfectly fine!"

"You mean perfectly thin," he corrected. "C'mon. We were just going to lunch."

I immediately perked up. "Seriously?" I exclaimed. He nodded, and I grinned widely, though I didn't accept his offer to take his hand. I didn't like human contact that much. "Great!"

"Who exactly is she?" I heard Kakashi whisper to him as we began walking.

"She's an old friend of mine. I met her a while ago on a mission."

I smirked. "That's one way to say I saved his scrawny ass," I grinned, making him roll his eyes.

Rin stared at me in amazement. "Are you really that good, then?"

I just shrugged. "I'll always have the advantage, no matter what."
_

Three bowls of ramen later, I sighed contentedly. "That was delicious," I said, my eyes halfway closed as I basked in the pleasure of having a full stomach. Kakashi and Rin stared at me in amazement, probably not expecting a small girl like me to eat so much. Takara hummed happily as I stroked her in my lap. Her fur was so soft.

Then, I suddenly remembered why I was here in the first place. "I need to see the old man," I said, turning to look at Minato. "Do you know where he is?"

Minato nodded. "He should be in his office. Kakashi, Rin, could you take her there? I need to check up on Kushina."

The two nodded. "Of course." He smiled, then vanished.

I was left staring at the two shinobi. Kakashi and Rin stared back, obviously trying to figure me out. I finally smirked at them. "You gonna take me to the old man, or just gape at me for the remainder of the day?"
_

"Hey, old man," I said and I walked into the Hokage's office. "How's it hanging?"

Kakashi and Rin stared at me in shock. They obviously hadn't expected me to say anything like that to him. He looked up, his eyes widening slightly when he recognized me.

"You're back."

I rolled me eyes. "No, duh."

He gave a wry smile. "You also haven't changed a bit."

"Not quite. I became a cannibal a few weeks back. Don't worry, though. You look too disgusting to eat."

He sighed. "Where have you been?"

"Here, there, everywhere. I'm a wandering nin, old man. Emphasis on the wandering part. Or are you growing senile as well as old?"

There was a pause, where Kakashi and Rin were obviously trying to think about what to do, too shocked to move yet, though. I grinned at them all. "Just came to tell you that Takara felt like something bad would happen. Also, you said the last time you needed a favor."

He nodded seriously. He knew me well enough to know when I was telling the truth. "Thank you." He handed me a thick scroll that I took with wide eyes. What was this? It weighed a ton! "This is the favor I need you to do for me," he explained, seeing my expression.

I gaped at him. "You owe me big," I said. "This isn't a favor. This is...this is...I don't know what the hell this is, but it's definitely more than a favor!"

Kakashi's POV:

Who was that strange girl? She was younger than me by at least three years, and she had the nerve to talk like that to both Hokages? I watched as she grimaced in front of the Third, trying to wiggle out of the favor he'd asked her to do. Also, was she really powerful enough that the Third Hokage himself wanted a favor from her? And what did the Fourth mean when he said she had all the Kage wrapped around her finger?

To be honest, she didn't look like much. She had long black hair she kept in a sharp ponytail that went all the way down to her middle, tied in several places. Her skin was strangely pale, though, like she suffered from blood loss or something, and there were deep circles under her eyes. She looked really fragile, to be honest, and I didn't see any weapons on her at all. Was she really a wandering nin?

I could see Rin was thinking the exact same thing as she stared at the young girl, Minori, her eyes wide. Whoever Minori was, she was definitely someone to keep an eyes on.

"No," she said stubbornly, her hands on her hips. "I'm leaving tonight. I don't want to be a part of anything that might happen. I'm a wandering nin, not a shinobi. I don't owe jack."

The Third sighed. "What I'm offering might help you with your goal."

Her eyes immediately brightened as she perked up, making me wonder what kind of goal she had in mind. "You sure?" she asked, leaning forward. He nodded, and she grinned. "Fine then, old man, I'll stay the night; but I'm expecting payment."

"Blood again?" the Third asked, making my eyes widen along with Rin's. She got paid in blood? What kind of person was she?

Minori nodded. "You got some good ones?"

He nodded, and her smile widened. "How much?"

"Several vials. Will that be enough for you to absorb their powers?"

Absorb their powers? What did that mean? I had never heard of an ability like that before. I turned to look at Rin, but she looked just as confused as I was. Clearly, she hadn't heard of any ability like that either, and she was a medical ninja.

She practically beamed at him, something that made her look more like a person than a blood sucking vampire. "That's more than enough! You got a deal, then!" She put the scroll inside a pocket of her trench coat, and my eyes narrowed when I realized it looked like there wasn't anything to even hint at the fact she was carrying it. It was like she had never had it in the first place.

Yeah, she was definitely one to watch.

She just smiled at the Hokage, though. "I'll be back in a few weeks, then!" she chirped, waving as she ran off, crumbling into dust as she did before finally disappearing.

Susumu's POV:

I closed my eyes, feeling a headache coming on as I broke into Minato's home. It had been a pain getting around those ANBU guards. I snuck into the house, feeling a little guilty as I did. Breaking and entering was never something I felt very good about.

"Minato-san? Kushina-chan?" I said, turning to where the kitchen was. I entered the room to see them staring at me, their eyes huge. Suddenly, I felt self-conscious. "What?" I asked defensively. "Have I got something in my teeth? Because I totally don't remember eating any spinach this morning."

"How on earth did you get in here?" Kushina asked, her eyes wide.

I shrugged. "ANBU's never really a threat to me," I said. "Being a wandering nin means you go up against missing nins all the time. Going undetected is something you have to learn sooner or later."

"You need a place to stay, don't you," Minato said, already knowing the answer.

I smiled. "You're so smart, Minato-san! Yeah, I do, but just for tonight. I should be leaving tomorrow."

He nodded. "Alright. You're always welcome under our roof."

I smirked. "Of course! Who wouldn't want a freeloader like me barging in whenever she feels like it?"
_

It was a total surprise when I opened the door a few hours later to see Kakashi there with an ANBU escort. It took several minutes of explanation to convince the ANBU that I wasn't a threat to Minato or Kushina, and was just an old friend that was staying the night.

I could feel Kakashi's suspicious gaze on me the entire time. Talk about paranoid!

I left him and Minato to talk. It had gotten too late for him to head back, so he was staying the night as well. Also, I was bone dead tired. After a refreshing shower that made all my muscles relax and my head go into a deep fog, I found myself sinking into the softest bed ever. Soon, I was asleep.
_

"Mother! Father! No, stop!" I pleaded, tears making tracks on my stained cheeks. "No, leave them alone!" But no matter how much I struggled against the chains that held me there, I couldn't free myself. It didn't matter that I was considered a prodigy or a genius of my clan. I was completely helpless as I watched him kill my parents. I couldn't even move, due to my injuries.

I'd smelled blood before. It was something that granted more than life to the people in my clan. But as I saw it gushing out of their limp forms, I realized just how deadly it was to us as well as others.

"Mother! Father!" I screamed again and again, even though I knew I wouldn't get any response from them. "Please! Mother! Father!"

I was the last one left. I had watched as he'd killed all the others, his face twisted in sickening glee. I struggled even harder against my chains as he advanced, ignoring the burning pain that made me gasp until I was panting. But it wasn't because I was afraid to die. It was because I had never felt so enraged in my entire life. "Bastard!" I screamed, feeling myself cry until tears blurred my vision. "I'll kill you!"

That was when I blacked out. When I finally opened my eyes again, Takara was there, gently nuzzling my face with her wet nose. 'We have to move,' she said, just as I smelled smoke. I pulled myself up, and she broke the chains that had contained me. I could have broken free myself, but both my arms were useless by my sides. One was broken, and the other had torn muscles.

Takara helped me up, and I followed her blindly. 'Are they - ' I managed to ask.

She nodded, her tail wrapping around my leg as she forced me to continue walking. I winced despite the light touch. I didn't even know how damaged my legs were.

It was burning. It was like everything happened in slow motion. There were flames reaching to the heavens, smoke and ash staining everything within reach. It was all vividly bright against the darkness. The smell made me double over coughing. It was the smell of smoke mixed with burning flesh.

Kakashi's POV:

I still didn't trust that strange girl, no matter her relationship with the Hokages. "Just who exactly is she?" I asked Minato, and he laughed when he saw the distrust in my visible eye.

All of a sudden, we were both distracted hearing a scream. Kushina, who had been in the kitchen, rushed in, her eyes wide. Minato was instantly on his feet, heading to Minori's room.

The room was dark, and she was collapsed far away from the bed, shuddering all over, her fingers curled into claws. Minato was immediately beside her, trying desperately to calm her down as she cried softly into his chest, clutching him like he was the only thing keeping her alive. Kushina and I watched the two. She looked concerned, her hand on her stomach. I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself.

It took almost half an hour for Minato to calm her. It was strange, seeing her like that. She seemed so weak...so vulnerable...like she could shatter into a thousand pieces in any second. It was completely different from what she had seemed like earlier.

"Is she alright?" Kushina asked when Minato finally emerged from the room, his clothes soaked through from her tears. He nodded, then left to change. I waited in the living room for him to return. I wanted answers.

He entered a few minutes later, giving a wry smile when he saw me staring at him. "I suppose you want an answer, don't you," he said with a sigh, plopping down. "Well, I guess you deserve one."

He paused, as if trying to figure out how to tell me what had happened.

"Minori isn't her real name," he finally said. "I'm not sure what it really is. But almost four years ago, she appeared bloody and wounded in the village, seeking help from the Third Hokage. She said she was the last remaining member of her clan, and that it had just been slaughtered. He sent several ANBU to the area where she had lived, who verified what she had said, and asked me and Kushina to take care of her."

He took a deep breath. I silently thought about what he said, my eyes wide. An experience like that had to be traumatic.

"Minori watched her entire clan slaughtered right before her eyes in some sort of ritual when she was seven. She was a member of the Susumu Clan, one with an incredible bloodline limit that was only passed down every few generations. She was the first to have it for the last hundred years. She is supposed to have the ability to absorb powers through blood contact, though no one really knows what the true extent of her ability really is, or what it actually does."

He sighed. "She's been plagued by nightmares for some time, from what I know. She left suddenly three years ago, only returning for brief visits, and was classified as a wandering nin. I'm not entirely sure what will happen to her."

He seemed frustrated as he lapsed into silence, and I leaned back to take this all in. No wonder she was so strange. Her sarcasm was probably her way of defending herself from others, trying to create distance between herself and everyone else. It was obvious that she still didn't trust others yet. No doubt the pain of such an experience was still fresh in her mind.

We didn't talk about her again that night.

Susumu's POV:

When I woke up, I couldn't remember anything besides the fact I had fallen asleep. It felt like only a moment had passed, even though I knew it was way longer than that. I immediately rose and grabbed my coat, which I had taken off to sleep, and dashed out of the room. I was eager to leave. I hated being tied down.

"Hey, Kushina-chan!" I said cheerfully when I entered the room. "Hello to you, too, Naruto-kun!"

Kushina smiled, looking up from her cooking. "Are you leaving so early?"

I blinked, turning to look out the window and realized that it was still dark outside. How strange. I shrugged, turning back to her and grabbing an apple from the bowl in the center of the dining room table. "Don't worry," I smirked, taking a bite. "I'll wait until I've said my good-byes like a good little girl."

Kushina rolled her eyes, smiling. We then continued to talk about whatever came to our minds when she suddenly winced. I was beside her in an instant, helping support her with one of my arms as my other hand grabbed the pan she'd been holding. I immediately paid attention to the way her blood flowed, and realized the baby inside her had just moved. I helped her to the seat I'd just vacated, ignoring her protests.

"Oh, shut up," I growled. "Do you want me to explain to your husband why you and the baby are dead this early in the morning?"

"But I'm - "

I suddenly began to hum very loudly, drowning out her voice. To be honest, she was one of the few people I cared about, even though I knew emotions like that were just a liability. I cared about her, Minato, and I'd probably care about their son, Naruto, as soon as he was born as well. I just wanted to be selfish a little longer before I finally left them for good...

There was a groan, and we stopped our continued bickering to see Minato and Kakashi both standing in the doorway. "What are you guys doing?" Minato blinked.

"Nothing!" the two of us chorused before turning, looking at each other, and bursting out into childish giggles. One of the things that united girls was babies, and we both knew Minato would freak if we said anything about it.

He just raised an eyebrow and decided not to ask. I could feel both him and Kakashi watching me carefully as I whistled cheerfully, cooking breakfast. I didn't want Kushina to strain herself. A little later, I served them breakfast, though I made myself no such plate. "I know you prefer Kushina-chan's," I said to Minato, "but think of this as a present."

"Are you leaving, then?" he asked.

I smirked. "You already know the answer to that question, baka," I said fondly. "Just waited long enough to bid you all adieu like the good little girl I am," I said as I winked at Kushina, who smirked in reply.

"You'll take care of yourself, right?" Minato continued, looking concerned.

"She'll be fine," Kushina cut in. She turned to look at me. "Right?"

I felt myself holding back laughter as I stared at the unconcealed threat. "I guess I'll have to be," I smirked. "I'm too afraid of you to do anything different!" I then reached into my coat, pulling out some packets of salt ramen and handing them to Kushina with a wink. She beamed back at me, taking them. I knew they were her favorite.

"Wait." I turned and saw Kakashi had spoken. I raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Can I speak with you in private?"

Puzzled, I nodded, leading him back to my room and closing the door quietly behind us both. "What's up?" I chirped, jumping onto the bed and staring up at him.

He seemed uncomfortable before finally saying, "Minato told me about what happened to you."

I blinked, shocked for a second before gazing at him curiously. "Minato-san must trust you," I said.

He didn't seem to notice what I'd said. "Are you plotting for revenge against the people who did that to you?"

I was immediately guarded. "Why do you ask?" I said sharply, suddenly on the defensive. "Why should it matter to you?"

"Because Minato cares for you, and he doesn't want you hurt."

I froze. The answer shocked me. Then, I suddenly found myself growing angry. What right did he have to say such things. "Shove off," I snarled viciously, feeling my hands curl into claws in the bedding. "You don't know a thing."

"Minori - "

"You don't know a damn thing!" All of a sudden, I felt like I wanted to cry. I turned away, getting up and heading for the door. "Shut the hell up, or I'll castrate you," I threatened, making his visible eye go wide in shock.

I entered the dining room, forcing myself to wear a smile. "All right children, be good while I'm gone," I chirped. "Ja ne!" And with a wave good-bye, I felt myself crumble quickly into ashes that reformed seconds later.

I smiled up at the Third Hokage. "Hey, old man," I smirked. "This mission...When do we start?"

Takara had vanished yesterday, but she knew her guardian would turn up sooner or later. Her vanishings sometimes lasted up to months as she reported back to the dimension that she took her orders from.

3rd person POV:

One month later, a young girl found herself staring up at the weary eyes of the Third Hokage. She had heard about the Nine-Tails attack, and had immediately headed back.

"Where are the rest of them?" the Hokage asked. He had sent her off with a team that had been personally handpicked out of the best shinobi by all the Kage.

"They're dead," the girl said tonelessly. "Just like the others."

The Hokage's eyes immediately softened. "Minori - " he said, reaching towards her, but she immediately drew away from him. Her eyes were dead.

"Don't bother," she whispered, disappearing. She'd already lost everything else. It only made sense that she'd lose the only two that were left, the two friends she had ever made in the past four years.

It served her right. She knew she shouldn't have made friends like that in the first place.