Nami watched with a sad smile as all three of Kakashi's former genin yelled at him for being late. Again. Even Sasuke was yelling. She looked back at her brother Obito. Jeez, and she thought his punctuality was bad…
"Y'know, watchin' ain't gonna help, sis…"
"Then why don't we go down there? Huh, Mister I only have one sharingan eye and I refuse to let my sister who is a medic Nin regrow the darn thing!"
"We can't go down there because we would cause trouble, and you can't regrow the eye because we don't know how the Sharingan part will affect your beloved Ka. Ka. Shi. Who just so happens to have my other eye!" He growled, punctuating each syllable.
"At least your childhood crush is still alive…" he added as he tended to taking down his tent. He thought about Rin…
"If you are done, my munchkins…" Said a slightly aggravated voice from beside Nami. The rich black and blue striped tiger glared at the siblings with stunning ice blue eyes.
"Gomenasai, Rii. Didn't mean to wake you up…" Nami muttered, stealing a glance at her older brother. He kept his back turned and mumbled a sorry that, had Rii not been given superior youkai tiger hearing, she may not have heard him. Nami barely heard a whisper.
Obito sighed as he pulled his scratched, dented, old orange-tint goggles around his neck.
"We'd better head off, Suna's our next stop. I hear the Kazekage's good friends with the Ninetails-kid."
"You mean Naruto." Nami pressed. She hated when people addressed jinchuuriki's like that. Particularly when being addressed herself. People used to call her… so many horrible names…
"……Yes. I mean Naruto……" Obito replied, noting the angry glint in his little sister's eye. He had learned to FEAR that glint. The hard way. Nami nodded and picked up her pack, put away the tents and things, and followed along with Obito on the forest floor. They did this because most Ninja preferred the trees, and they wanted to avoid them. Best place? The ground. The other reason they did this, was because Nami was deathly afraid of heights.
"There's another reason we're going to Suna, isn't there, Obito?" Nami asked when they were a good day away from Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves.
"Hai. We have a friend there."
"We have FRIENDS in Konoha!!!!" Nami seethed. Obito laughed.
"Friends that would've taken you straight to the Hokage for questions and trouble. We're gonna stay with Sakka-chan for a while. She's not so troublesome."
"You sound like Nara. All he ever used to say was "troublesome…"" Obito nodded and chuckled at the reference as Nami idly wondered what Kakashi would think of them now.
Obito was not that scrawny little loud mouth any more, but he still retained his humor. His hair was a little longer, laid flatter on his head now. His voice was much deeper and he could control his tongue when he was around others. However he still felt it necessary to taunt her for some reason. But of all the things about Obito that would probably throw Kakashi the most, was Obito's fighting. He no longer rushed head first into a battle, (mostly because it had almost gotten them both killed…Several…times…), and evaluated his opponent. Used words to enrage, not retort. Heck! He'd even ditched the orange and blue jumpsuit!!!! Long story short, Obito had changed.
Nami's semi-constant companion, Rii, chuckled as Nami went into what her brother called: "Kakashi-Trance-Mode". Nami glared at the huge tiger and used a water jutsu to get her to shut up.
"SUITON: MIZU-TAMA NO JUTSU!!" she yelled as she jumped up to aim. In English, that meant Water style: Water bullet jutsu! The tiger dodged and they glared at each other for a moment before breaking a quick smile. They did this all the time to keep their skills sharp. Obito shook his head and grinned, but kept running along, tree trunks a blur.
Nami's smile left as she thought some more, keeping pace with her brother. His loose black shirt and standard Jonin pants made small rippling movements as he ran. Her tight blue tank top and open old Jonin vest however, made no such movements and her faded jean shorts clung to her legs. She wondered what Kakashi would think of her now. She hadn't straightened her curly brown hair in ages, and it hadn't been cut in even longer. As of right now, in a braid, it reached her waist. Her attitude, along with her looks, had changed as well. She wasn't so quick to anger anymore, but that meant it was worse for the person who made her angry because she would really let loose. She wasn't so shy about her body, wearing half tops and the like now. But as her brother would dutifully point out, she was still very short compared to most people her age. As Obito put it, "Kakashi's not bigger than me, but you're at least about ten inches shorter than I am! Kakashi'd think you SHRANK!" Nami sighed and shook her head, laughing silently.
"Mou, Nami, we're in River country now. We'll stop in Kawagakure."
"Hai!" Nami said, not looking at Obito. She looked up at the night sky that reminded her so much of the ocean… and of the times she and Kakashi would share, just staring at the stars. She sighed. When they got into Wind country, the greenery would turn to desert sands and the sky would be her only reminder of home. How she despised going into that Kami-forsaken desert! Idly, she took out her canteen, and, using a kekkei genkai that Uchiha were not supposed to have, formed a small dragon out of some of the water. She closed the canteen and sent the hovering water dragon to scout ahead for Kawa-nin. She had heard something earlier and it had followed them. For a moment, her thoughts strayed to her eldest brother. Not Obito, but Umiru. She shuddered inwardly. Umiru despised her and Obito; would stop at nothing to kill them if he knew they were alive.
Someone screamed and a large dog barked. The little water dragon brought back a Konoha headband. Obito stopped.
"Good ears, little sister." He praised as an Inuzuka with wild hair stepped out of the brush with a large wolf-like canine. She had dark hair and red triangles on her cheeks, and the dog was coal black with cream fur on his belly and insides of his legs. Both of them were growling. Nami and Obito's eyes lit up with recognition.
"Inuzuka-san!" Obito said with a smile.
"TSUME-CHAN!!!" Nami yelled. She and Hana, whose mother Nami was speaking to, had been best friends at the academy. The woman cocked her head to the side and wrinkled her nose before the familiar scents hit her nostrils. The dog stopped growling when it hit him.
"Nami! Obito-kun! YOU'RE ALIVE!!!" yelled the Tsume, who ran to hug the two. The dog bounded along beside her, and ended up knocking them all over into a heap of laughing, barking, and (let's not forget Rii here,) mewling bodies.
"Kakashi will be so glad to know you're alive and well!" Tsume said after she convinced them to stop for the night.
"Actually, Tsume-chan, we weren't gonna let him know…" 'Not yet, at least.' Obito thought.
"Wh- Why?"
"That's what I said." Nami muttered.
"Because I have a plan. Orochimaru is Coming Back. I know he is because I saw him gathering an Army in Kusagakure."
"You never told me about this! Obito, why did you"- Nami stuttered. Obito shook his head.
"I didn't want to worry you. That's why we're going to Sakka's. Too see what and If, we can do anything to help. I'm thinking lot's of Sabotage missions. Since no one seems to realize we're still alive, it'll be as if Ghosts were sabotaging Orochi-teme. He won't know what hit him! And if we're captured, he won't find anything useful since we really don't know anything about Konoha anymore, we haven't been in the city so long.
"And now that Tsume knows, we have a messenger to tell them what we want Konoha to do. I'm sure the local genius will know how to fit us into the master plan."
Tsume and Nami nodded.
"So if we go to Sakka's first, we can figure out the weakest points in Orochimaru's battle plans and his base. That way, we can report through Tsume and give Konoha the best vantage possible." Nami concluded.
"Excellent plan, but I'm not one of the higher ups anymore. What do I tell Naruto-kun?"
Nami looked blankly at Tsume then at Obito, who seemed deep in thought.
"You don't tell Naruto anything. You Tell Kakashi, that Nami and Obito sent you."
"He won't believe that. He saw you "Die" with his own eyes."
"Did he check the pocket of air underneath the boulder that crushed me? Or find the underground passage that saved my sister?" Obito asked. Tsume stared at the tall grass to her right.
"Didn't think so. If he doesn't believe you, tell him to go check the rock pile that crushed me. He'll notice that they were pushed aside by a very…very… very large feline. Obito said, looking at the half asleep tiger with a knowing smirk. Tsume nodded and stood.
"Better get back to patrol duty then."
"NANI?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US YOU WERE ON PATROL! OROCHIMARU COULDA SLIPPED RIGHT PAST YA!!!!!!!!!!!" Obito yelled, with Nami desperately trying to calm him down. After Kuromaru, Tsume's dog, growled at him to his face, Obito calmed down enough to wave at Tsume as she left.
He started packing up and putting things away.
"Let's get going. All of River-country must've heard me." He chuckled. Nami sighed with a smile and packed up her things.
"Yeah. Probably."
Hatake Kakashi was known for many things. His book, his aloof demeanor, his loyalty, his tardiness, the list goes on. One thing he was not known for was his being a complete romantic sap. Every November twenty first, he would buy flowers for the one girl he really loved, and leave a small drawing, story, or a sheet of hand written music on her grave marker. After the Kyuubi attack, her body had never been found.
Today happened to be that day. Her birthday had never really been celebrated by anyone other than their team, so he made sure, since, respectively, he was the only one left, always to honor it and laminate whatever piece he brought her so it wouldn't be damaged by elements. No matter what.
"Kakashi." Said someone behind him. He turned to see Kiba Inuzuka. Tsume's youngest son.
"Ah. Yo, Kiba-kun."
"Ohayo, sensei. Mum wants to see ya." He said.
"Tsume-chan?"
"Hai. She's at the house." Said Kiba, who was now leaning on Akamaru, his huge white dog with brown spots on his ears.
"Okay then. Ja, Kiba."
"Sayonara sens- cough!" Kiba choked, not getting to finish his sentence because of the cloud of smoke his shishou left when he used that teleportation jutsu.
"Jeez, a million jutsu on earth and ya can't make one that doesn't leave a giant cloud of smoke behind!" Kiba coughed. Akamaru sneezed and barked his agreement. Then he spotted the rose and piece of paper left on the low grave marker.
"Huh, maybe he dropped this…" Kiba said as he picked up the paper. It was a laminated painting of a young woman with waist long curly brown hair, green eyes, and a soft round face. The woman looked to be about 16.
On the back, it read, "I miss you, Waves. And I guess you've realized I was and still am in love with you. You… I can't believe you died at sixteen… You were so strong, so very beautiful…Your brother would probably roll over in his grave if he heard that from me, ne? If you grow or age where you are, I bet you're much older than in this picture, probably a lot prettier too. I can't paint or draw very well."
Kiba snorted. The young woman in the painting was hot to him, and Kakashi sensei did a darn good job on the piece. He kept reading in silence.
"Any way, I wish I had never been that arrogant little brat I was when you were around… I… If I had learned what Obito, Rin, Sensei, and You had been trying to pound into my head from the beginning, most of you would still be alive… I'm so sorry…I miss you all dearly, but…Mostly I just miss you. You are a Tamora, no matter what anyone says. You don't need any Uchiha except Obito, and he would rather have been a Tamora anyway, so... See you when I get there. I love you Nami."
Kiba was silent, and more than a little sobered by the revelation. He idly wondered what he would've been like if he'd lost Hanabi at that age. He would never have been the same. He guessed it was one of the things that made Kakashi so adamant about seeing his teammates safely home. He looked at Akamaru and showed the dog the picture. Akamaru whined and pawed at the grave marker. Nami Tamora Uchiha.
"Yeah, that's hers Akamaru." He said quietly. Apparently his generation wasn't the only one with Uchiha problems. He quickly made sure that no one was looking before turning his hand into a paw, and neatly slashed a chunk off of the marker, throwing it to the large Uchiha portion of the cemetery. He heard it crack against another headstone.
Now it read: Nami Tamora.
"That's better." Kiba sighed, finding a small stone to way down the paper and the rose. Then he got up and left to see if Kakashi had left his mother's house yet.
"YOU'RE SAYING THAT THEY'RE ALIVE?!?!?!?!" Kakashi exclaimed; his visible eye was wide in shock.
"Wh- Then why aren't they Here?! Where it's SAFE?!" he shouted. Tsume and Kuromaru cringed.
"Kakashi, Nami wanted to, but Obito said no. Not only would it cause disorder, but Obito found out that Orochimaru is gathering men in Kusa. Orochi-teme is gearing up for an all out war. They're going to do a series of sabotage missions. Destroying caravans, depleting supplies, destroying bridges-" She said. Kakashi's mind halted at the last part. His thoughts drifted to the Kannabi Bridge in Kusa. It was years ago... He thought …He thought Obito had died there.
"Obito said to tell you so that the Hokage would know it came from a trustworthy source. From what he said, Orochi-teme is back for vengeance, blood, and destruction. Your team is likely to be a high priority target." Kakashi nodded.
"I understand, and I'll take it up with Naruto immediately… I just… Nami… I can't believe that she and her brother… They're still alive!" Kakashi was so shocked and, for some reason, concentrated on a particular fiber in the floor mat, he didn't notice Kiba on the other side of the door, listening to the conversation. He decided to knock before Kuromaru found him out.
"Oi, Okaasan?" he called.
"Come in Kiba-kun." Tsume called. Kiba walked into the room where his mother and Kakashi were seated by a low table. Kakashi quietly excused himself as Kiba sat. As he left, Kakashi seemed dazed for lack of a better term. Tsume sighed.
"How much did you hear, Kiba-kun." His mother asked, more a statement than a question, letting out a sigh as she took a sip of tea from the cup in front of her.
"I caught the "I understand, and I'll take it up with Naruto immediately…I can't believe that she and her brother are still alive!" part." Kiba said, sarcastically mimicking Kakashi's obvious shock.
"Something tells me you know a little more than you should about the subject, pup." Kuromaru said quietly. Kiba looked at the dog laying in the corner, then his mother.
"You taught him to speak?" He asked. Tsume nodded. And stared at Kiba.
"Exactly what do you know, Sochi?" She asked. Kiba gulped. Sochi meant son, and she only used the word "Sochi" when she was seriously expecting a good answer.
"When you sent me to get Kakashi-shishou, he left a piece of paper on one of the grave markers. I thought he dropped it and read the back of it. On the front, there was a painting of this girl. On the back, Kakashi wrote about how he loved and missed her. How she was Nami Tamora and the only Uchiha she'd ever need was her brother Obito, who apparently would rather have been a Tamora anyway. After I read it, I found a rock to weigh the painting down and left." He left out how he had nearly cut the stone in half, getting rid of the Uchiha part of her name. His mother smiled.
"You cut the Uchiha part of her name off the stone, huh, pup. Cause there's rock under your nails." Kuromaru laughed. Kiba laughed nervously.
"Nami'd be proud, and relieved. She despised the Uchiha save for her half-brother, Obito."
"Why?"
"Same reason as her brother. Her dad was an ungrateful little retard who got on everyone's nerves; especially when he didn't get what he wanted. He was oppressive, and he thought women were only good for two things, Makin' babies and housework."
"Sounds like he made you mad a lot." Kiba said, taking in his mother's posture. Her nose was wrinkled in disgust, her arms were folded over her green Tokubetsu Jonin vest, and her head was turned to the side. Even Kuromaru was growling.
"I despised the man, and felt sorry for the poor woman who was forced to marry him as a family peace offering! Poor Taikai-chan…" Tsume said, as Hana opened the sliding door.
"Yo, Okaasan. Ototo-kun. I just saw Kakashi-san leave. He looked kinda out of it." Hana said, doing the universal sign for "crazy" by twirling her pointer finger by her head.
"That's because he just found out that someone he was close to isn't dead like he thought." Kiba said lightly.
"Oh? And who would that be?"
"You knew them, Hana." Tsume said with a smile.
"Nami and Obito."
The next few minutes were spent trying to wake up the unconscious Hana Inuzuka.
"So, Kakashi-sensei, you're telling me, that these two," Naruto said, pointing at the files on his desk, "are still alive, and are telling us when and where to strike Orochimaru? Who is BACK?" The Shichidaime Hokage asked.
You don't think it's a trap?" Minora, Naruto's elder sister, said skeptically. Kakashi shook his head.
"Tsume spoke with them personally, and there was no trace of a genjutsu in her chakra, nor did she say there was a trap. Well, unless you count the Mizu Hebi."
"The what?!"
"It's a chakra serpent filled with water. Nami used it to win sparring matches against me in particular when we were kids. The little thing was clear and I could never see it when she used the jutsu to find me." Minora and Naruto stared at Kakashi.
"…Okay… When did she use it on Tsume, and who knows about this jutsu?"
"Tsume was on patrol and followed them beyond the Kawa borders. Nami used it to snatch her headband and see who was following them. No one besides me, Tsume, Hana, Obito, and now you know two about this jutsu. She made a point of not showing it to anyone else.
As she put it, "I am SO Not showing it to Stuck up, Stick up his backside, Lying, Orochi-teme! And that goes for the rest of those power hungry Uchiha mongrels too!""
Minora and Naruto started laughing. Kakashi sobered down first.
"I want to find them and help with the sabotage missions. Obito's smart, he'll fit me into the plan."
"Sorry sensei, but I see Obito's strategy. Chances are, what little Orochimaru knows about Obito and his tanechigai (half-sister), is probably useless in coming up with a battle plan. Throw you into the mix; it's like the Pythagorean Theorem. Know one, figure out the rest. He knows about your sharingan and your promise to your comrades. He'd use that as an advantage. It's better if you and Tsume play messenger. For now." Naruto said, as Sasuke and Sakura came into the room.
"Oh, good. You're here. We have a very important mission. Orochimaru IS NOT DEAD." Naruto said with a deadly serious voice.
"Our mission is in Kusa. Infiltrate, find out what snake teme's up to, and report back ASAP. Got it? Good. Kakashi sensei, you'll be leading a four man cell"
"Four?" Kakashi asked, 'but there's only me Sasuke and Sakura… Who's- Oh.' Kakashi thought as he noticed the grin on Naruto's face.
"Ino's in charge of paperwork while I'm gone, and Shikamaru's already hashing out battle strategies! Team Kakashi leaves in one hour!"
Three loud "HAIs" rang out as the Jonin in the room disappeared, along with Minora, leaving Naruto and his nonexistent stack of paperwork alone. He sighed and laid his head on the large oak desk.
"……Orochimaru's Back…" he groaned.
"Obito-kun! Nami-chan! You're late." Scolded a young woman with short brown hair that was exactly like Nami's. Her reddish purple glasses and warm brown eyes welcomed them, but her demeanor suggested worry and anger.
"Gomenasai, Sakka chan, but there was this lady from Konoha and- OW!" Nami looked up from scraping the dreadful sand out from under her nails with a kunai when Sakka had punched Obito over the head.
"ENOUGH WITH YOUR PATHETIC EXCUSES!!!!!"
'Wow…Sakka-chan grew some serious backbone to hit Obito like that.' Nami thought, helping Obito up with a quick pull.
"Mou, Sakka-chan… He was actually telling the truth for once. Tsume from Konohagakure was following us."
"Eh? GOMENASAI OBITO-KUN!!!!" Sakka yelled, blush covering her face.
'Eh… Maybe not as much backbone as I thought…' Nami thought, picking up her strawberry smoothie from the ground by her feet, then dispelling Rii. She took a long draught of the drink as Sakka led them inside her home.
"Sakka-senpai!" said a young woman running down the street just as Sakka was about to close the door behind them.
"Faia-chan?" Sakka said as she reached them. The Kumo Nin looked around Sakka at her guests and proceeded to spaz out when she saw them, saying things not suitable for young readers, and fainted.
When the redhead rebel from Lightning country woke up, Obito was snacking on ramen with Nami, who had just gotten out of the shower and had trimmed the edges of her hair.
(And girls, if you got long hair, that is a must. You get split ends if you don't trim it.)
Sakka was just returning from the kitchen with a wet rag to put on Faia's forehead.
"Oh. You're awake!"
"Oi, Naruto-kun! Hold up a sec!" Kiba said as he tore down the hallway to get to Naruto before he used that thrice cursed Hiraishin.
"Kiba-kun?" Naruto asked, eyeing the young man suspiciously.
"You…Goin'… on…Mission… without me? ...." Kiba panted, catching his breath.
"Um, yeah."
"You little dip! Kakashi's gonna shoot off as soon as it's over! He wants to find those two missing nin bad!" Kiba said, insulting Naruto because he wanted to get away from his hormonal elder sister, and giving Naruto fair warning at the same time.
"And you would know this… How?" Naruto asked. Kiba held up a laminated painting with a full paragraph of writing on the back. Naruto took it and read the back, smiling lightly.
"Think she really knows?" Naruto asked.
"Depends. Be sure to ask Kakashi-shishou all about her!" Kiba said, standing straight so that he was just a little taller than the blonde with the standard Jonin uniform and sky blue eyes.
"Will do, Kiba! " Naruto said in salute, before dashing off in the trademark yellow flash.
Kiba was left with a giant cloud of dust in his face.
"NARUTOOOO!!!!!"
Obito had taken point and was leading the group as they hashed out a solid plan on Sakka's floor. He clapped his hands together with a grin that was so Minato-like it was eerie to Nami.
"So we start here. In Kusagakure. Nami, Sakka-chan, Faia-chan? We're gonna re-destroy the Kannabi bridge!"
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For those readers who haven't read or watched Kakashi gaiden, The Kannabi bridge in Kusagakure was the bridge Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were sent to destroy. Rin was captured leading to a disagreement about whether or not to rescue her or get through with the mission first. Obito went to rescue Rin, giving Kakashi a firm talking to with a few well aimed words as kakashi went to continue the mission. Eventually Kakashi followed Obito and saved rin, but a rockslide ensued and Kakashi was hit in the back of his head. Obito pushed him out of the way at the cost of his on life.
Supposedly.
Obito: Yo! Please rate and reveiw! Yay! I'm not dead!
Kakashi: ... *Faint*...
Nami: You have got to be kidding....
Obito: What are you helping him for?! Leave him!
Sakka: .... Please r-rate and r-review everyone! *Blush*
* fight between Obito and now conscious Kakashi breaks loose.*
Naruto: Were they always like that?
Nami, Faia, Minora, Sakka, Akari (yet to be introduced), Arashi (yet to be introduced), Joru (yet to be introduced), Umiru (mentioned) : Worse...
Naruto: Yeesh... Pleaze rate and review while Nami and I get Ramen, and they break up the fight. Ja, ne!