Summary: Eyes glistened with a golden hinge, blood dripping out of her nose. She would save them, even if it killed her. Slight SI. Third War Era. OC

….

Chapter 1: Light

"All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king." ~J.R.R. Tolkien, 'The Fellowship of the Ring'

….

She could feel the blood dripping down her nose pooling in her open mouth like rain water. Her eyes held a strange golden glow to them, but mostly they looked tired. A mask laid broken underneath the landslide that only she could see; only she knew it's place their beneath the collapsed earth. One arm feel bloodied and broken at her side, shoulder properly crushed the other arm was around the waist of the boy she had just barely saved.

He feel to the ground clutching at his heart, because he had seen his life nearly pass before his eyes. Eyes closed as they tried to place the location of the other teens. She squatted down next to him, arm still limp as she moved. "Uchiha-kun we need to make sure the others are okay." Her voice was gentle but her tone urgent. The boy nodded his head slowly, reality finally settling in that he was alive.

Eyes opened now he looked at her now. Wispy blonde hair flying with the unsettled wind, blue eyes with a tinge of gold giving him a concerned glance. But what was the most startling was the blood, her nose broken, shoulder covered in scrapes and blood the arm the appeared unmoving. "Namikaze-san are you okay?" She nodded her head slowly as if her injuries meant nothing to her.

"I will be. Come on let's find your teammates." She stood from the squat slowly scowling down at her arm momentarily before extending the uninjured appendage to him. He took her hand carefully and allowed her to help him to his feet. The girl closed her eyes briefly, before narrowing in one direction on the other end of the cavern.

"This way Uchiha-kun." With his newly activated sharringan he could sense the chakra of two others, hidden behind the mountain of rocks. He could tell her chakra was flagging as the jumped up the pile of rubble, but he dared not say anything because of the look of determination in her eyes.

Only once they were over the rocks and out of the cavern and back on the forests unforgiving floor did she steady her pace until finally she stopped. Suddenly he found himself the victim of a tearful embrace. Two arms wrapped around his neck with a face buried deep in his shoulder, he knew those arms and the chocolate brown strands of hair that tickled at his nose. "You're okay." The person sobbed, only one noticed as the blonde girl collapse to the ground.

She sat with one leg extended, the one she'd sprained possibly broke during a scrimmage with the enemy. Her other leg was up bent at the knee she hand her good arm across it and her face resting on the arm. Footsteps approached her but she didn't look up, she knew who it was. Gray eye finally met her half open blue orbs. "Mitsuko-san?" There were many silent questions asked with just the one word, her name.

The female teammate of the two boys finally let go of the comrade they thought had been lost to the rockslide. "Namikaze-san what happened?" She was in front of the other girl almost instantly, a hand with a green glow right at her forehead; however the blonde shook her head and swatted away the hand.

"Save you energy Noharu-chan, my squad will be here soon enough." She was not wrong at that moment four of the Anbu agents dropped down before them.

A man whose face was covered by a hawk like mask then took control of the situation. "Namikaze-san injury report." His tone sharp he ordered the young kunoichi. She nodded her head slowly, never moving from her spot on the ground.

"Hai Hawk-tachio. We all have severe chakra exhaustion, Noharu-chan's injuries are the least concerning she appears to have minor cuts, bruises, and perhaps a concussion. Hatake-kun's are a little more daunting, along with chakra exhaustion, his wrist was sprained in an earlier altercation and the fingernails on his right hand have been forcefully removed. Uchiha-kun has a concussion along with a broken nose and collar bone from when we were almost crushed by a manmade landslide." The brunette raised her brow at the blonde, how had she been able to tell all that just by looking at them.

"And yourself Namikaze-san?" The anbu captain prompted while motioning for another agent to check over the two boys. She sighed.

"Broken nose, arm, and I managed to shatter my shoulder, I also sprained or pulled something in my leg. I'm disoriented and suffering from major blood lose. So I'll give myself another minute before I pass out." The masked man nodded his head then motioned for the only female agent among them to look over the blonde girl.

The woman in a raccoon mask offered the girl what appeared to be a blood pill before setting fast work to close her open wounds. "It would appear that you were also run clean through." Her tone emotionless and dry as she closed the seeping cut on her arm. She scowled at her squad mate, her eyes then glazed over and she promptly blacked out.

"Thirty seconds off." Raccoon mask commented dryly as she carefully placed the girl on Hawks back. She then turned her masked face towards team Minato.

"Are you three good to walk?" They nodded their heads in response versus actually speaking.

"Good." She huffed out following closely to Hawk, making sure their squad mate's life wasn't in immediate danger. The other two agents motioned for the three kids to follow.

…..

She blinked several times before her eyes adjusted to the light inside the hospital room. How did she… never mind she remembered what occurred that brought her here. His presence was felt before she saw him, he was sitting at the edge of the bed possibly hunched over going by the sound of his breathing and potentially asleep. "How are you feeling?" A soft distantly feminine voice called out to her. Her eyes then sought out the caller. The beautiful face of her brother love was contorted with worry, she tried to offer a comforting smile but searing pain in her cheeks and nose prevented it. Instead she croaked out.

"Sore as hell. Is he sleeping?" Her voice just as quiet as the question asked. Uzumaki Kushina nodded her head slowly as she looked back over to the finally asleep blonde.

"Yeah, you had us really worried there. Hawk-san said your injuries were more serious than you thought. You're lucky to be alive Mitsuko-chan." She hadn't realized they were that serious. A frown formed at her lips, it was surprisingly the only expression that didn't hurt.

"How long have I been out of it? Are the others all right?" The red headed woman gave the teen a curious look before sighing.

"Several days, the others are fine. The medics got to Kakashi-kun in enough time to fix his damaged eye and everyone's injuries are healing nicely. Obito-kun is on crutches for the moment but will be fine." Mitsuko sank into the pillow and let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. Her brother chose that moment to stir in his upright sleeping position.

He blinked several times before focusing on the alert eyes of his little sister. Kushina had to stifle a laugh at how similar the siblings looked once focused. "Glad to see your awake imouto." His tone was stiff, just like his neck had to be from that position.

Minato readjusted himself so he was sitting up in the hospital chair. Her eyes followed every movement watching him curiously. "You look terrible, why didn't you go home to sleep?" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly allowing her to lecture him this once. Eyes then softened towards him moments after she spoke. She knew why.

"Thank you." She muttered softly, eyes itched in the familiar feeling that signified tears. Her brother knew she didn't like waking up in a hospital alone. He noticed the signs of the coming waters works and moved to sit on the bed next to her. The reality of the situation finally hit her, she had almost died and had managed to hurt herself real good in the process as well.

Careful of the healing injuries she leaned into his side before burring her face in his flak jacket. He ran his hand through her sleep induced tangled locks. Kushina rubbed small circled on the girls back, she too was sitting on the bed having moved when the teen was focused on her brother.

"Hey, it's alright Mitsuko-chan. You're home now." The woman's words of comfort soothed the bedridden teens uncontrollable sobbing. They both knew the real reason for this onset of emotions came from memories of a mission gone horribly wrong and not that of the venture she had just survived.

"It's going to be okay imouto." He rested his chin on top of her head, his sister cried herself back to sleep only to be plagued by nightmares long since passed. The couple shared a worried look over her head, neither moving from their spot.

….

Her bed was crowded. That was the first thing she noticed upon inspection. The sixteen almost seventeen year old was leaned back into the pillow it was now day three of being confined to the bed and she was thoroughly annoyed. Uchiha Obito who owed her his life was laid out across the foot of the bed crutches forgotten on the floor, she needed to ask about those. Noharu Rin, the sole female and medic of team seven was sitting closest to her and was doing her a kind favor of brushing out the long tangled strands seeing as her arm was still useless and she had been given strict orders to not move the other one much.

A dislocated and shattered shoulders wasn't a pleasant experience. There was a small dog laying across her lap as the offered comfort from the mini Jonin and her brother's first student. Her hand rubbed his head softly, it was minimal movement after all. He was sitting towards the end of the bed by his teammates legs, a bandaged covered his eye. She hadn't asked why, Mitsuko hadn't wanted to know why.

"Jiriaya-sama has been sent out to find the Lady Tsunade." Rin told her while she braided the long blonde hair in the older teens preferred style. A brow raised at that. Lady Tsunade was coming home?

"Why?" Mitsuko found herself wondering out loud. Her fellow Jonin answered that question.

"The Third has called her home. With the betrayal of Oorochimaru, and the war ending he thinks it best for her to return. At least that was the official reasoning." She gave him a look. If he had expected that to pass for an explanation than he didn't know her very well.

"And the unofficial?" The three shared a look but were however saved from responding by a surge of chakra and an fwish in the air.

Minato was standing in the doorway he offered a small smile before his look turned serious and he was staring at his sister intently. "Whatever you did to remove yourself and Obito from the path of the rocks shot your chakra system. Lady Tsunade is the only one skilled enough to repair the damage." He was giving her a look, one that meant serious business. She offered him a blank defiant look in response.

"I've done it once before on that scale, I didn't think it would do that kind of damage." Her tone was defensive, Minato's eyes widened in shock he quickly smothered the look before his students noticed.

"Mitsuko…" Mitsuko wanted shrug but decided that movement probably wasn't good for her. It's not like it really mattered, Team Seven was alive because of what she did. She would do it again even now knowing what it would cost her.

"Does whatever you did have anything to do with your eyes glowing gold?" Obito sat up propping himself up on his elbows. He gave her a questioning look. The Uchiha had been the only one to witness her eyes change hues, it was an unnerving experience.

"Yeah, it's hard to explain though." Minato gave her one last glance before vanishing. Rin gave her a concerned look. She didn't know her sensei to act so cold towards the blonde konouchi.

"Is Minato-sensei mad at you? I don't think I've ever seen him like that before." Mitsuko shook her head. She stopped rubbing the dog's head letting her arm fall to her side. Her brother kami bless his soul didn't have it in him to ever be truly mad at her, disappointed or concerned sure but never mad.

"No he's just worried. What I did, the only other time I've used it left me in a coma for three weeks. He's worried, because we don't understand how it works and what it does to me when I use it." She explained lightly excusing her brother's strange behavior.

"What is it?" Kakashi was the one to ask the hard question. She let out a sigh before slowly adjusting her sitting position. Rin added another pillow behind her back. Mitsuko leaned her head back into the top of the flat hospital pillow thinking of the best response to that question.

"It basically bends reality and or time around me. I did a little bit of both to prevent the rocks from crushing Obito-kun." At their blank expression she closed her eyes, maybe she could demonstrate. It was after all very difficult to explain.

"Don't even think about it imouto." Eyes snapped open, her mouth gaped a bit looking at her brother and then towards his former teacher standing behind the soon to be Forth Hokage. She offered him a slight smirk before speaking.

"Oh, hello Jiriaya-sama." He raised a brow at her before looking at the other three teens curiously. The white haired sannin couldn't remember a time she was that formal. Jiriaya cast a glance towards his former student, who very discreetly shrugged his tense shoulders to say he didn't know either. His eyes then drifted over the current members of team seven before they landed on the confined blonde.

"Hello Mitsuko-chan and other assorted teens." Minato gave his teacher an almost put out look this was supposed to be semiserious. Jiriaya cleared his throat before waltzing over to the bedside. Rin was the only polite member of team seven it seemed and got up to allow the Sannin to get closer to Mitsuko.

"My annoyingly concerned former student tells me you used that trick again." He arched a brow with an enthralling look on his face. She nodded her head slowly before speaking.

"Yes… Am I in trouble?" Her eyes shifted between the sannin and her brother. Minato shook his head because of course her thought process would go there. She couldn't very well be in trouble for saving the lives of fellow comrades.

"No but until your chakra network is fully recovered and Lady Tsunade gives you the all clear you aren't allowed to do any strenuous activity and absolutely no jutsu." His tone stern, it was no wonder why he had been chosen for next Hokage. He managed to get his point across very effectively and sure there were probably other reasons too. She nodded her head almost absently a small pain building behind her eyes.

"Minato is right. I'll talk to the toads to see if they've ever heard of anything like this before. Now I must be off. I have a hime to bring home." Jiriaya's body vanished in a puff of smoke, Minato pinched the bridge of his nose before sighing.

"Alright I have to get back to the Hokage tower, Hiruzen-sama has a few more things to go over with me before its official." And then he was gone too in a bout of air. Stupid Flying Thunder God seals plastered everywhere. However useful they may be.

Rin handed Obito his crutches as Kakashi stood from the bed. "Sorry Mitsuko-chan we have to run, but you get some rest okay?" The blonde dully nodded her head before falling into the pillow. Maybe rest would be good for the growing pain in her temple.

"Yah, will you tell the nurse I have a slight headache?" Rin nodded her head.

"Sure thing Mitsuko-chan." Team seven left after that leaving her to her solitude.

She eventually drifted into fitful sleep.

….

Someone was shaking her but she felt as if she couldn't move. Slowly feeling returned, eyes opened everything was still bleary her throat felt unusually sore. "Namikaze-san are you okay?" The question came from a nurse who was standing over her, but she had not been the one shaking her. Mitsuko looked over at the hand still holding her arm and followed the arm up. Golden eyes were staring down at her as if she was the most concerning and fascinating thing.

"Lady Tsunade?" That was… fast. It seemed like that settled something for the legendary sannin and she accepted the clipboard with what could only be her medical information from the nurse and asked the nurse to leave.

"You've been in a coma for almost two weeks. Jiriaya made me rush to get back here to fix you. So the question is what did you do?" Tsunade didn't have what you called excellent bed side manner. Her mouth gaped open.

"A coma?!" She almost demanded, the woman raised a brow at her. Minato surely would kill her. This had to be like the third one since she became a jonin.

"Yes, according to your file you fell into one the night my idiotic teammate left to fetch me." Mitsuko closed her mouth her lips forming a thin line. Well that wasn't good.

"Minato must be going crazy with worry." She mutter slightly to herself.

"Yes your older brother was quite adamant that I see to you first. I must say this is the most interesting case I've seen in a long time. And here I thought I told you to be careful the last time we met." Mitsuko looked down embarrassed.

She wasn't sure the sannin remembered their first encounter. It had been right before the woman left. Mitsuko was sure her grief would have clouded the meeting. Besides it had been many years since than time.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." The woman's smirk softened.

"I can fix the damage done to your coils, you'll have a hundred percent recovery. But we'll need to take a good look at what your special ability does to your chakra network before you can ever use it to that scale again in battle." Mitsuko went to nod her head in response but a familiar pain in her temple and the sound of banging would have brought her to her knees. She clutched her head, a bit back a scream.

Tsunade forced her to lay back, a hand on the girl's forehead and a frown clear across her lips. "How long have you had the headaches?" She asked once the pain had settled for the girl and she was sure the teen would survive it.

"I got a few not near as bad the first time I woke up. Kushina-nee told one of the nurses and I guess one right before the coma. Shouldn't it be in the file?" A look of agitation swept over the sannin's expression. The woman stood angrily from the bed.

"I swear, I leave this village for only a few years and this hospital goes to the dumps. No Mitsuko-san it's not in your file." She watched with wide eyes and the woman stormed out of the hospital room slamming the door closed behind her. Moments later the door was pushed open slowly and in stepped a worried looking Rin.

"What happened to Lady Tsunade?" Mitsuko could only shrug, the brunette sighed she closed the door softly behind her and then gave her sensei's sister a teasing but also concerned look.

"When I said get some rest I didn't mean fall into a coma Mitsuko-chan." She could see the concern set in Rin's eyes cleverly disguised as sarcasm. However her response was cut short by the door creaking open.

Obito's head peaked through the door he looked around before his eyes landed on the two girls. He pushed the door open further before hurrying into the room. Mitsuko noticed then that he was down to one crutch, even though for the life of her she couldn't remember him injuring his legs at all. She must have been giving the crutch a funny look before Rin spoke. "Torn ligaments in his knee. It's mostly healed but he has to keep pressure off on his leg for a few more days." Oh.

"When did that happen?" Obito shrugged as he plopped down onto the bed discarding the crutch to the cold embrace of the hospital floor. Looks like she wasn't getting the answer to that question. Rin let out a long suffering sigh then shook her head.

"So what has Lady Tsunade so angry? She didn't look too happy as I passed her in the hall." Obito questioned scratching the back of his head.

"I'm not sure, I got one of my headaches again and it wasn't in my file that I had been experiencing head pain period. She left out of here rather angry after that." Rin's eyes were wide at that statement.

"You mean the head pains that both Kushina-san and I told the nurses about?" Mitsuko nodded her head. She felt a sudden shift in the air. Her eyes glanced to the side and she saw Kakashi sitting in the chair next to her bed. The next thing she felt was the weight of a small dog, she looked down and saw Pakkun smiling she scratched behind his ear. Her face looked up she offered the smile to the silver haired jonin.

"So nice of you to join us Hatake-kun." She teased as the dog got comfortable. He made a noncommittal noise. Obito ignored the appearance of their teammate he turned to look at Rin who was sitting on the opposite side of the blonde girl.

"Rin-chan when is your suspension up?" The brunette girl looked down into her hands, Mitsuko raised a brow. Rin had been suspended?

"I'm not sure. Hopefully soon, especially if what Mitsuko says is true and the nurses aren't putting all the patients' information in the charts." The two boys nodded their heads in understanding, while the blonde girl still looked thoroughly confused. They honestly didn't expect she'd let their comments go, what the hell was going on?

"Wait just a minute. You got suspended?" Rin nodded her head, her cheeks warmed up a bit. But it seemed more from agitation than embarrassment.

"I yelled at two of your nurses, they gave you the wrong treatment that's part of the reason you were in a coma. They both got suspended for endangering a patient's life and probably will have to retrain. My suspension is for unorderly conduct and apparent mistreatment of fellow staff members." Her tone made Mitsuko raise her brow. Rin shook her head, she wasn't retelling that one. Mitsuko pouted slightly it seemed to make an interesting story.

The door flung wide open with the blonde sannin standing in its frame. She searched their faces until her golden eyes narrowed and landed on Rin. "You are Noharu-san correct?" Rin nodded her head after a momentarily pause. Lady Tsunade was still had a very angry aura but there was a sudden determination in her eyes.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Tsunade nodded her head, eyed the girl up and down then replied.

"Good, come with me." Rin gathered herself quickly scrambling up in hurry before saying a small goodbye and heading after the Sannin who had already turned her heel and walked away.

Mitsuko looked between the two boys shrugged and then spoke. "Well I guess there's the answer to your question Uchiha-kun." He shook his head looking at where his teammate had disappeared too. Kakashi shook his head at the two.

"Nice of you to state the obvious Mitsuko-san." His tone dripped with sarcasm and Mitsuko stuck her tongue out at him. The Hatake heir was always had some pithy rebuttal to her own sarcasm.

"No one asked you Hatake-kun." She teased lightly. Glad to have his company for once. Mitsuko could however do without his snarky commentary. He raised a single brow at her, the rest of his face mostly covered.

…..

After three months of being in the hospital Namikaze Mitsuko was finally free to go home. The teen couldn't have been more excited. She leaned her head on her brother arm as he walked her out of the hospital. "Are you sure you're ready to come home?" He was giving her an overly concerned look.

"Yep, you're stuck with me now… Actually no I think it's time I move back into my Jonin apartment." He raised a brow at her. That seemed rather random for her to bring it up now.

"Wait, why?" She gave a look as if to question his sanity.

"Because you are having a kid in five or so months, and that's supposed to be yours and Kushina's time before baby. So I think it's time for me to move back into my jonin apartment." The one she only ever used to sleep at after long mission when she didn't want to be disturbed by her brother or his girlfriend.

Minato scratched the back of his head, she did have a point. "But you'll still come over for dinner every now and then right?" She smiled at him and lightly patted his hand.

"Of course. It's not the end of the world Nii-san. Honestly I thought you'd be happy, your little sister finally out of your hair." He lightly chuckled at that, a sad smile crossed his face.

"Sure, yah that's fine. I guess I have to let you go at some point. Though I would have thought after spending so much time in the hospital you'd want to spend some time at home with us." Minato gave her a soft look because maybe it was finally time to let her go.

Mitsuko then smiled at him, her odd eyes shone brightly. "If it's alright I'll probably wait a month before moving fully into my apartment." Minato smiled down at her, content with that choice. He gave her an assuring look but didn't respond as she was tackled by an overly energetic pregnant jinchuriki.

"As celebration for your recovery we are getting ramen!" She declared enthusiastically. Both Namikaze's gave her an affectionate smile, they both knew they were better because of this woman. Kushina was giving the girl an affronted look as if to say she expected her question answered out loud and that answer had better be yes.

"Of course Shina-nee, we loved too. Can ani's team come too?" Kushina gave off a triumphant look, her smile contagious.

"Taken care of." Mitsuko laughed then, the look on the red head's face was great.

"Alright, well then let's go home first so I can freshen up." Neither her brother nor the woman he loved argued with her there. Mitsuko knew she couldn't have had a better brother and that was why she'd do everything in her power to ensure he lived to see his child grow up.

When Mitsuko was a child she had convinced herself of two things. One was that under no circumstances were the people around her ever going to find out the truth of what she had seen and what she had been. The other was that she could change this place, the she would change this place so that the people she loved could have their best life. Because long before she was Namikaze Mitsuko, she had been someone else. Even though now she could barely remember that person she still held close the memories that they had shared and the nightmares that plague her about this place and its people. Nightmares she'd give her life to make sure never came true.

….

I don't even know any more. I just couldn't help myself. Plus this story idea has been floating around in my head forever. So I figured I'd roll with it for now and see where I got. And yeah things are kind of all over the place here but it's a work in progress and I'm not perfect.

However Mitsuko isn't technically an SI. Because she doesn't remember the person she was before and she's not based off me at all. If anything she's more based off my Doctor Who OC Alexandra Scott, but I can assure you she is not her either. It's rather hard to explain, but my brain kind of went like this 'So what if Minato had a younger sister who had the ability to manipulate time and reality in a manner that wasn't actually anything like time travel or the stipulations that go with it.' So it's more like the Flying Thunder God seal except with more complication a glitter gold light tricks.

Anyway, let me know what you guys think!

Sincerely, La'Rae

Music inspiration for this chapter and story

My Chemical Romance- The Light Behind Your Eyes

Lollia-The Slightly Chipped Full Moon(cover)

Game of Thrones (not sure the artist)- The Light of the Seven

Thank you for reading!

Correction her name is Mitsuko. I had it misspelled in several places:/ edit made 8/12/16

Edit made for attentional lines 8/30/16