Kai quietly gathered a few of her belongings as the candle in her room flickered at the presence of someone at the door. Kai knew who it was, so she didn't look up, or stop packing.
"Where are you going now?" Sasuke asked, standing at the doorway. Kai slung her bag over her shoulder, smiling.
"Camping. I told you I like to get away now and then." She walked into the hallway, making him step to the side. "I'll be safe, I'm taking Curse."
"You never liked camping before." Sasuke said, crossing his arms.
"That was until we started living in literal caves." Kai said, giggling. Sasuke rolled his eyes as she poked him in the chest. "Besides, we've both changed." She said, almost sadly.
"Be careful." Sasuke called as she trotted down the hallway. She waved her hand and he walked away, letting out a sigh.
As she stepped out into the night air, she breathed in, filling her lungs with fresh air and releasing the stagnant air from before. Smiling, she cupped her hands and made an owl call. The crickets around her silenced as she listened for the familiar pounding off hoofbeats. She ran out, greeting the black beast as it came too her and swinging on it's back without stopping.
She leaned forward, wind blowing in their faces as they got farther away. She glanced back, before whispering to her best friend, Curse. "You know where to go." She said, wrapping his mane tighter around her hands. He winnied and stretched out as Kai let him travel at whatever pace he wanted.
This is what she loved the most. Galloping through the woods with her partner in crime, letting go of her worries, her training, everything that bothered her. The dull ache in her shoulder subsided the farther they got from the hideout. Kai made sure to leave in the early evening, making their arrival to their destination around midnight.
"I'm so glad we're at a hideout that's closer to the Village." Kai said to Curse, even though he wouldn't answer. She knew he was glad, too. It meant he wouldn't have to be loaded into the box she managed to attach to Daichi, her summon owl.
Kai wasn't supposed to be going to the Leaf Village. She went rogue with Sasuke a year ago, leaving everything behind. Yet, here she was. She had visited twice before. Kakashi caught her once, warned her and made sure she left before anyone else found out. She knew he ended up reporting it once she was gone, but she missed being there.
The mountains shone in the distance as a spotlight focused on a face next to the fourths. Kai grinned. In the time it had been since they were last here, they'd made progress on adding Tsunade-sama's face. Kai turned Curse toward the left, away from the main gate and up to the left side of the mountain. With the Hyuuga clan nearby, Kai had to be as quiet as possible in getting back in. There was no gate over here, and Kai was able to be under the cover of the trees without being spotted by the night guards above.
"Found it." Kai said as she pushed on the wall in front of her. A piece of it let go, and she quietly pushed it until she could set it against the wall with a hole big enough for her. Curse snorted and she quickly turned to give him the quiet face. He tossed his head. She pushed away more of the rocks, letting Curse get on his knees and crawl through. It was tight and it was scary but he trusted her and she was able to patch the wall back up.
As she turned around, she was greeted with degraded houses and litter. She took ahold of Curse, holding his mane as they walked through the streets. The Uchiha Compound was still standing, but Kai saw what was happening to it. As they walked, she made sure to avoid the house she grew up in. Just being in this side of town was bringing back memories. The house was out of the way anyway.
Exiting the compound was harder, as Kai put her hood up and wrapped a cloak around her so no one would see her hair or her crest. Curse was quiet next to her, and Kai took streets that were empty, with parents and their children sleeping at this hour.
"You know, I miss being here." Kai said quietly, observing the different houses. She made her way over to the main gate, but avoided the main street. The only bad thing about being on this side of the village was that she couldn't get to the house she finished growing up in. That house was not cleaned out.
"If I took to the roofs…" She said quietly, before turning around holding a kunai in her hand. "Shit."
ANBU surrounded her. When did they get here? She didn't even feel their chakras because she was too busy looking at everything. She did a head count. Four of them. She looked up to spot a fifth on the roof. They all held kunai's in their hands, except for one who had a sword. Kai reached for her own. "Curse, run." Curse snorted and took off. The ANBU charged her and Kai started deflecting their attacks, her sharingan ablaze.
Each Kunai that hit her distracted her from the sword as she barely managed to block it from slicing her legs. She pushed electric chakra into her sword as best as she could and pushed them away. She breathed heavy. I need to avoid using things I don't know how to do." She muttered, jumping up and heading into the same direction as Curse.
She heard an awful cry, and she recognized it immediately. Her heart pounded harder as she tossed a paper bomb on the ground to try and distract the other ANBU. She got closer to an alleyway where two more ANBU had Curse cornered, ropes tightened around his neck as he reared and tried desperately to break away. He bucked and one of the ANBU tossed another rope, putting his back feet together and putting him on the ground.
"Get the HELL away from my horse!" Kai yelled, jumping down on top of the ANBU, which caused the one with two ropes to let go, but leaving them tight around him. The other ANBU didn't move as Kai went forward, but she dodged as one above her came down.
There were four ANBU's and now there were six. Kai muttered as they surrounded her, separating her from her horse. Kai held her ground, letting the sword sit in position. As they attacked her, she took to the defense once more. The one ANBU with a sword had a lighter sword, which gave him the advantage as Kai canceled out another's kunai, only to be unable to block the attack from the sword. It grazed her side and she hissed in pain.
She charged him, their swords meeting and their faces close. "You're going to lose, just give up now." The ANBU said.
"In your dreams." Kai growled, pushing off of him and throwing a Kunai with her other hand. The ANBU glanced at each other before turning back to face Kai. She welcomed them with open arms.
The sun rose slowly around them as Kai's sword clattered to the ground. She was sweating and her body was exhausted. She could feel blood coming from different wounds and her one eye was almost swollen shut. Breathing hard and feeling the pulsating Cursemark on her shoulder, she fell to her knees as the ANBU quickly tied her hands together.
"Well, what do we have here." A man said. Kai squinted, looking up to the street. The man stepped closer and her blurry vision subsided. He walked with a cane and Kai remembered who he was. He came closer, looking over the situation. Kai was tied up and so was Curse, who cried out desperately to help his human. Danzo snickered.
"Looks like you lost pretty badly." He said, stepping around her to look at Curse. Curse snorted and made a noise Kai hadn't heard him make before. She was almost certain it was a growl. He struggled against the ropes. Danzo looked at him with a curiosity that scared Kai.
"How sweet. You fought for him, and he's still fighting for you." Danzo kicked him.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Kai shrieked as Curse cried out. Danzo turned, raising an eyebrow. He looked at her, calculating. She struggled against the rope. An ANBU grabbed her shoulder and she hissed. It felt dislocated. Something else she'd have to add to the list of wounds.
Danzo looked at the ANBU standing close to him, the one with the sword. "You, get rid of the horse."
"No!" Kai struggled desperately against the rope, tears streaming down her face. The swordsman raised his arm up above Curse. Kai used the last of her strength to break free of the rope and she stumbled as fast as she could in front of the man, using the last kunai she had in her pocket to block the sword. She breathed heavy, struggling to keep her balance as her vision blurred again. Her head felt like a rock.
"Stupid girl." Danzo said, watching as Kai fell to her knees under the pressure of the sword. She looked back at Curse, who was breathing heavy from the struggle. It occurred to her that he might have injured himself trying to get out of the ropes. Kai let her arm fall, shaking.
The ANBU stopped the sword at her head, looking at Danzo. Danzo just watched. The ANBU raised his arm again but this time to push Kai to the side. Kai put her arm up in an attempt to block it.
She was ready for the hit but it never came. Kai blinked, looking up at the man that was standing in front of her. Her arms came down to her side slowly. Behind her, Curse stood up and she saw that the ropes holding him down were now cut. She breathed a sigh of relief when he stood.
"Hatake, this does not involve you." Danzo hissed.
"Kakas-" He cut her off, and she turned her eyes away. He had warned her before when he caught her. It would only make sense that he'd show up now.
"What you do with Kai is up to you." He said, pockets in his hands as if he didn't just walk into an ANBU ambush. "All I ask is that I can take the horse."
Danzo narrowed his eyes, watching as Curse lowered his head to Kai. She leaned back to meet him but did not bother to stand.
"Why should we let you take the beast?"
"Because if you kill him, you'll end up killing her in the process." Kakashi said, glancing back. She looked at the ground, not in shame but because the world was currently spinning. "She'll just become an empty shell. Which, if you want information from her, won't be a good thing."
"I'll be telling the elders about you interfering." Danzo said, glaring.
Kakashi just nodded, taking that as a yes. He turned around and reached out a rope to Curse. He put his head in it willingly, before looking at Kai as if she was coming.
"Go on, bud. You'll be safe." Kai muttered, petting him one last time. Curse nickered to her as Kakashi pulled him away, out of the alleyway.
Kai watched as he turned the corner, and as soon as they left, she let herself be defeated. An ANBU grabbed her once again, putting a seal on her back as she fainted.
I'm sorry… Nii-san… Otou-san… She thought as she finally slipped into unconsciousness.
Kai's head was pounding. She groaned, rolling her head and reaching up to hold it. When her arms didn't move she muttered in frustration. Attempting to open her eyes made her feel like throwing up. Interrogation rooms were not the place you wanted to be when you had a concussion. She managed to peak her eyes open enough to take in her surroundings.
"I see you're awake now." A voice said. She closed her eyes again, the pounding in her head getting worse with another added stimulus.
"The light… can you like, turn it off?" Kai said.
"I'm afraid not."
Kai groaned again. She opened her eyes to see Ibiki Morino stood in front of her, and she shrunk at his towering posture. She forgot how scary he was in person.
"You were such a model student in the academy, and you passed the second chunin exam with flying colors." He walked toward her, looking down at her. "Now why are you in this spot right now?"
Kai didn't answer. Her head hurt too bad. Ibiki watched her carefully before continuing. "What were you doing in the village last night?"
"Visiting…" Kai said quietly.
"You deflected a year ago and you say you were just visiting?" Ibiki slammed his hand down,
causing Kai to jump and squeak.
"I wasn't trying to spy, and I wasn't trying to cause any problems." Kai said quickly. "I just wanted to visit, feel the energy and just get away for awhile."
Ibiki watched her carefully as she spoke. While she didn't seem to have any malicious intent, it wasn't worth risking. Not with Orochimaru being a figure in her life right now.
"If you didn't want to leave this behind then you should have never left. You can't have both in your life." Ibiki said. Kai opened her eyes more and looked at him, going to speak again and deciding otherwise. He wouldn't understand.
Ibiki left, leaving the light on Kai. She let out a small whine as she closed her eyes again, wishing for sleep, or unconsciousness. Something to get rid of the pain.
She woke up in a jail cell, her arms wrapped neatly in a straight jacket and multiple seals on it. Her wounds were treated and the severe ones healed. Her eye was still swollen but she could see better out of it.
She looked around to see if anyone else was around, but she didn't see anyone. She could barely feel the ANBU around her, without using chakra. She muttered to herself, her body aching and refusing to let her move.
"Awake, I see."
Kai looked up to see Danzo standing there. Two of the elders stood with him. So much for spitting
on his shoes. Kai thought.
"Everyone gets so excited when I wake up." Kai said curtly as she turned away.
The elders went to speak but Danzo raised his hand. Kai gave an apologetic look to them over her shoulder.
"Depending on your behavior, you will be here for a week and then we will move you as we see fit. However I would not expect to be released any time soon." Danzo said, an evil grin on his face.
Kai didn't react, but inside she wanted to cry. How did she get herself in this situation? Being an idiot, that's how. She thought about Orochimaru and Sasuke and Kabuto. They were probably wondering where she went. Orochimaru probably knew. She couldn't go back. If she did, she'd be dead. Danzo turned and walked away, the elders following him.
Had it been a week yet? Kai wasn't sure. Her head didn't feel as swollen and her wounds were mostly healed by now. Her eye bruised and turning colors she forgot bruises turned into. With the straightjacket on, she wasn't able to do much to keep her body in shape and she could almost feel the muscles fading underneath her skin. It angered her to no end, a whole year of torturous training was fading from her.
She heard the door open. Looking up, a bookbag came in at her head and she moved to the side and let it fall on the ground. The ANBU who tossed it in was accompanied by another ANBU. One came in while the other guarded the door. He walked to Kai, which made her have flashbacks of Orochimaru's hideout. Despite knowing she was safe, her instincts pushed her against the wall, away from the ANBU. He seemed taken aback, but he proceeded, this time speaking.
"We're taking the straightjacket off. Your bookbag is there, but we took out your weapons." He said, turning Kai around as he undid the straps. "Orders are that if you act out once we're to put you back in this."
"Right…" Kai muttered, stretching her arms as he took them out. The sense of comfort from her arms being close together was gone, but at the same time her heart fluttered at the freedom of movement.
The ANBU walked out and they locked the door and were gone. Kai took the bag from the floor and sat down, looking through what was in there.
Ita.
She breathed a sigh of relief, that the last thing she had from her eldest brother was still intact. She held it underneath her arm as she kept going through. She hissed in annoyance when she saw pages of her notebook scattered in the bag. Of course they went through it. She logged every jutsu she knew and every jutsu she saw. They probably were going to think she was giving it to Orochimaru. It seemed like all the pages were there, so she put them back together and double checked everything else.
The only other thing that was missing was her headband. She sighed, knowing that they more than likely were stripping her of her status. When she deemed all was good otherwise, she pulled out the sketchbook she kept and started drawing.
The sound of keys clattering woke Kai up from her slumber. Groggily, she turned to look at who was coming in. It had been a few months now, she assumed. An ANBU stood at the gate, holding it.
"Get your things together."
Kai blinked at him, or her? Either. She pulled herself out of bed, throwing on her jacket and pants. One blessing she had was being allowed to wear whatever. Yet her clothes were tattered now. She washed them as best as she could in this place. She put together her backpack and walked to the door.
"Follow me."
"Right." Kai said quietly, stepping through the door and following the ANBU further into the prison. A few of the other prisoners called to her. She tried to ignore the cries of traitor, stupid, and other things they said. The ANBU made no movement other than walking forward.
Walking was nice, however. Kai let her legs stretch as she changed stride lengths, enjoying the freedom to move as she pleased. They arrived to a door where she was pushed inside. She looked around and saw ANBU along the walls, with Danzo, the Elders, and Tsunade standing there waiting for her. Kai smiled at Tsunade but only quickly. Tsunade made no response.
"Kai Uchiha, we brought you here today to discuss the terms of your punishment." The man said, pulling out a paper. "From this day forward, you will be put on probation."
"Wait, seriously?" Kai said, nearly dropping her bag. Her face lit up. The elders stopped, and a glare from Danzo reminded her that now was not the time.
"As I was saying…" The man continued. "You will be put on probation. Under these terms, you are not to leave the village unless under orders and accompanied by an approved ninja. For the first week, you will be watched carefully. If needed, that will continue. During this time you are not to leave your house unless ordered and accompanied. Do you agree so far?"
"Yes sir." Kai said, standing still.
"Until further notice, you will not be allowed to perform any jutsu and a seal will be placed on you to prevent it."
Kai went to speak but held her mouth shut. She bit her lip to keep from saying anything. It was one thing to keep her under house arrest, but no jutsu?
"When we deem it time, the seal will be released and you will be put on D-rank missions with a designated officer." The man stopped, putting the paper away. "Anything you do that we see as treason will bring you back here. Do you understand?"
"Yes…" Kai said, knowing she didn't have any other choice. "I understand."
"Then, Kai Uchiha, you are free to leave. An ANBU will take you home, and we will contact you when we are ready to lift your house arrest. A ninja will be by this week to take you for any supplies you may need, for now we have some waiting for you."
"Thank you." Kai said. She looked at Tsunade, curious if she would speak. Tsunade stepped forward as the man stepped back.
"As soon as your house arrest is lifted, you are to report to me, and we will speak further." She said, before nodding to the ANBU. The one that brought her here came forward with a seal. "We'll place the seal now. Just lift your hair."
"Right." Kai moved her hair, letting the ANBU closer. He placed the seal with one hand, did some hand signs, and Kai gasped as she felt her body weaken slightly. Her cursemark throbbed in protest to the lack of Chakra going to it.
"You may have some trouble with the cursemark, but in time that will ease." Danzo said. Kai didn't look at him, knowing she would glare if she did. She stood up straight again as the ANBU member moved back to his spot.
"You can go home now." Tsunade said. "Your horse is waiting for you there." Kai let herself smile, thinking about Curse. Being here, she missed him terribly.
"Thank you." Kai bowed, before looking over where another ANBU member stood waiting. She made sure she had her bag and followed him. They walked back to her house.
The walk back was the only time Kai didn't ever feel welcomed here. As they walked she saw people turn to each other, whispering. A few people pointed. Her face fell as they walked. She thought she spotted Lee, but he didn't acknowledge her. She let out a sigh and kept her head down. Her house was just up ahead.
"Here's your key, we changed the locks for you." The ANBU handed her the key as they stood in front. She took it and thanked him before he took off. Kai walked in the door, waving her hand as she coughed. Dust flew in front of her but eventually settled.
"I guess a week of house arrest isn't bad when you have a years worth of cleaning to do." She muttered, switching on a light. The house was mainly one room, with the kitchen off to the side and two beds on the other side. A back door sat next to the bed in the middle, which was neatly made. The other bed, which sat in the corner, had covers thrown on it. Kai bit her lip, thinking about how they left in such a rush. On the table to her right was a box of groceries. She set her bag down, looking through it quickly before rushing outside.
"Curse?" She called. She couldn't see him. She looked around, until she head a whinny and turned around just in time for him to knock her over. "Dude, seriously?" She laughed, getting up and wiping off her pants. Curse rubbed his head on her. She hugged him tightly around his neck.
"God I missed you." She sighed. Stepping back, she looked him over. "Kakashi-sensei took good care of you, huh?" Kai smiled. Curse tossed his head and she laughed.
"Alright, let's go see the state of your barn then." Kai walked over to the gate of the small pasture they had, waving Curse in and shutting the gate behind her. She walked into the barn and flicked on the light. It was just a small barn, with two stalls, one which door was closed. She opened it and walked inside. A bin sat with a note. She tilted her head, picking up the note.
Wasn't sure what you were feeding him, but this is what he's had the last few months.
She smiled, recognizing Kakashi's handwriting. She peaked in and saw that it was a grain similar to what she had been giving him, but the more expensive kind. She shook her head and looked up at the whiteboard they had. There were a few notes that she had left, she noticed they were old. One was from Sasuke, telling her the next time she slept in she was making breakfast. She rolled her eyes. A few from Kakashi were random notes, when he bought the grain, days Curse didn't eat and day's he ordered hay. One note had a date followed by the words 'next hay delivery'.
"You gave Kakashi-sensei a run for his money, didn't you?" Kai called. Curse nickered from the doorway.
"Alright, well let's get you some hay." Kai grabbed a few flakes next to her, locked the gate, and headed out to the pasture.
That night, Kai laid in bed staring at the ceiling. She glanced at her clock, 2am. Groaning, she rolled over and stared at the empty bed near her. Sasuke should be sleeping there. Yet she was here and he was with Orochimaru. She wondered if they switched hideouts again. She wondered how Orochimaru took to her leaving.
"Screw this, I'm going on the roof." Kai muttered as she tossed off her blanket and held it as she stood. She grabbed Ita and her pillow and walked to the back door.
Jumping onto the roof with the chakra seal was harder than she expected and she muttered in annoyance when she fell. She went to the side where there were boxes and scrambled up the side of the roof.
As she settled down, she sighed in relief as her eyes began to tire. "Finally, some sleep…" She yawned. She laid back on the pillow and put the blanket over her body. As her mind started to drift she heard rustling in the woods behind her.
"ANBU, probably." She said to herself, raising her arm and waving her hand to let them know she knew what she was doing. If she couldn't sleep she'd just get cranky anyway.
"I'm so bored." Kai laid on the back of Curse, staring at the sky. It had been three days now. The house was cleaned, more hay was delivered, and she fixed things that needed fixed. She raised her hand up, wanting to catch a cloud.
Sighing, she put her hand back down and sat up. She was facing away from Curse's head.
"I'm pretty sure that's not how you ride a horse."
Kai jumped, nearly falling off Curse. She looked over to see Kakashi standing there. "Ah! Kakashi-sensei!" She slid off Curse and hopped the fence to meet him. "I should thank you."
"What you did wasn't smart, but I know you didn't do it with bad intentions." Kakashi said. Kai nodded, glancing back at Curse.
"Thank you for taking care of him."
"He's a good horse. Danzo was just trying to get to you." Kakashi said. "And it's in the past, anyway." He smiled.
"What are you doing here, anyway sensei?"
"Well, I heard you needed to get some groceries. I'm off today so I figured I'd take you."
Kai looked at him a minute before smiling. "I'll go get my money." She ran into the house and came back out, checking how much she had and making a mental note of what she needed.
"Ready?" Kakashi asked, already having pulled out his book. Kai nodded.
"Hai!"
Kai tried to hold her head high as they walked through the streets, stopping as she spotted things she needed. Yet the longer they were out, the more her head dropped. The looks didn't stop, people went out of their way to avoid her, and there were still whispers.
"It'll stop soon enough." Kakashi said, still reading his book. Kai looked up at him.
"Right…" Kai said, looking back down. "Oh, I need one last thing."
"Lead the way."
Kai headed to the last stop, a tea place. She hurried in and came back out with a bag of dried tea leaves. She added it to her bags and looked at Kakashi. As much as she wanted to go back, she also wasn't looking forward to being stuck at home again.
"I'm done, then." Kai said.
"Alright." Kakashi put his book away. "We have one more place to go, however." He smiled. Kai tilted her head.
"Where?"
"You'll see." Kakashi started walking. Kai followed him, unsure but not complaining.
"Kakashi-sensei, I'm only supposed to be out getting groceries." Kai said as they stopped in front of Ichiraku ramen. Kakashi chuckled in response.
"I already okay'd it. My treat."
"Are you sure?" Kai surveyed the chairs. No one else was there.
"If you don't want to eat, I can take you home." Kakashi said. Kai's stomach grumbled in response.
"I guess we'll eat then." Kai giggled. She lightened up and lifted the cloth to sit down.
The next day Kai was more appreciative of going home. They didn't stumble upon any of her friends, and she sort of wished they did. It would have been nice to know how they were doing. She stuck the hose in the water bucket she had for Curse and let the water fill.
"You're house arrest is up. Please report to Lady Hokage as soon as possible."
Kai turned to see an ANBU just as he disappeared. "Wait, already?" She said. Too late. She looked over at Curse, who was grazing nearby.
"Curse, we're going on a trip." She grinned. Curse lifted his head, ears pointed as he chewed the grass still in his mouth. Kai finished filling the bucket, turned the water off, and jumped onto Curse's back.
"Alright, to Tsunade-sama." Kai said. Curse circled the pen a few times before jumping the fence and trotting to the Hokage's office. Kai didn't focus on the people around her as the traveled. Instead she let her heart flutter at the idea of being able to roam the village free again. She wondered why they agreed to end it so early.
They stopped at the doors and Kai stood Curse in between buildings where he was out of the way. "Now stay here and don't move, okay?" Kai said. Curse knickered in response. She turned around and headed up the stairs.
The walls were all to familiar as she let her hand brush alongside it. A few other ninjas walked by her, but they didn't stop. She got to the top floor and stood in front of Tsunade's door. She knocked twice.
"Come in."
Kai opened the door and closed it quietly behind her. She smiled at Shizune, who stood off to the
side holding TonTon, their adorable pig. "You requested to see me?" Kai asked.
"Yes." Tsunade put the paper that was in front of her to the side. "I'm sure you heard that your house arrest is up."
Kai nodded. "Yes, but Tsunade-sama, it hasn't been a week yet."
"We understand." Tsunade smiled. "Last night, you proved your willingness to obey what you were told and because of that we agreed to lift the house arrest. You're still not allowed to use any jutsu but you can resume training that doesn't require chakra."
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama." Kai smiled. "If I remember correctly, didn't you say I would be put on missions now as well?"
"Yes, which means you'll be needing this back." Tsunade opened a drawer and pulled out a headband. Kai's headband. Kai stepped forward and took it gratefully, tying in back on her head. It felt nice to wear it again. Tsunade watched. "You never took that off, did you?"
"No ma'am." Kai said, shifting her weight onto her other leg. It felt sort of awkward admitting it.
"Well, back to the missions. For the time being, you will be doing these missions as needed with Kakashi. When he is unable to, another will come with you." Tsunade said. "Your first one is tomorrow. A garden needs weeded."
Kai had to suppress a groan. Tsunade eyed her before continuing. "Kakashi will meet you at your house in the morning. The better your work ethic, the sooner we will be able to remove the seal and let you resume your normal training. Understood?"
"Understood." Kai said. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama."
"You're welcome Kai." Tsunade answered and Kai turned to walk out the door. "Kai, one last question."
"Yes…?" Kai turned around.
"Now that you are back here, are you happy?"
Kai pondered for a moment. She wanted to be honest and say no but she worried how she would take it.
"Honestly, no. And not because of the village." Kai added quickly. "I love being here, but it's not the same without my brother. Things would be different if he were here as well…"
Tsunade held her hands together as she leaned her chin forward, listening. She nodded. "Thank you, Kai."
Kai bowed and walked quickly out the door to avoid any other information being spilt. She clutched her hands together and she headed out the door and to Curse.
"Let's go for a walk, buddy. Around the village." She patted him on the neck as she got on his back. He snorted and walked off. Kai looked around and took a deep breath.
She was on her own now.
