The Spiral and the Sword

Prologue: Coming Home

It was sometime around midnight, the moon high and the stars bright. The wind blew through the trees harshly, disrupting the leaves and branches that had settled, blowing them into disarrayed masses and clumps. It had been the same way when she had left the village, a windstorm with no rain or clouds, just wind threatening to carry her away. How long had it been since she was last here? A month? Two months? Two years? She wasn't sure. The only thing that mattered was that she was back. She had finally returned to Konohagakure: the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

The only noise was the singing wind and the branches bending and creaking, no sign that this part of the country was populated by anything except animals and the trees. But she knew better to believe that. The high walls came into view before long and she approached soundlessly. Living in the wilderness for her whole mission taught her some valuable lessons, one being to never make noise when you come into an area where you aren't expected.

There were night guards, she expected that, but they didn't see her until she was several hundred feet from the main gates. Wearing dark colors paid off once in a while. They didn't greet her with open arms, which was no surprise. Suspicion lingered in each guard's eyes, following her with every movement she made towards the village. She had gotten closer to the village gates than she thought she would before a guard relinquished his post from the peak of the gates and appeared in front of her

"State your name and business," he ordered, lifting a kunai from his leg holster. She recognized him, but it was some where in the whisper of a memory, in the foggiest parts. What was his name? He had spiky dark hair and a strip of cloth covered right below his eyes and the bridge of his nose. Kotetsu. That was his name.

"Don't you recognize me?" she asked quietly, her voice nearly carried away by the wind. He narrowed his eyes, his knuckles turning white in the moonlight as he tightened the hold on his kunai. "I didn't think you would. My name is Katana Suterusu." Kotetsu still had a distrusting look on his face, not buying what she said. "I've been on a mission for a very long time and I have finally completed it. Ask the Sandaime if you see it necessary."

"What are you talking about? The Sandaime has been dead for several years now." Kotetsu watched as shock and confusion spread over Katana's face. She regained her composure and bowed her head.

"I said it before, I've been gone for a long time. I was out of the land for many years and I guess I'm out of the loop. So who is the Hokage now?"

"I'm not telling you anything, stranger," Kotetsu growled. "I can't be sure how trustworthy you are. Show me you have a Leaf hitai-ate and maybe I'll let you have an audience with the Hokage."

Katana tugged at a pocket in her rucksack, retrieving her hitai-ate and tying it to her forehead. She hadn't worn it in a while; some countries didn't trust Konohagakure shinobi. Kotetsu narrowed his eyes but still didn't move. Katana heaved a subtle sigh and unzipped the front of her sweater. She slipped the sleeve off of her left shoulder and turned it to Kotetsu's direction.

His jaw dropped open a few centimeters at the sight of the tattoo on her left shoulder, the tattoo that signified she had been a part of the Anbu Black Ops. He should be surprised; Katana had gotten it when she was just twelve. It hadn't been because she was strong, but because the Anbu had lacked numbers at the time and the Sandaime believed she showed promise.

With a reluctant jerk of his head, Kotetsu led her over the walls and into the village. Everything was silent, the shops, the streets, the houses; everyone had retired to their bedrooms some time ago no doubt. There was only the occasional street lamp to provide illumination in the dark streets, the rest of the village plunged into blackness. The only building that had most of its lights on was Kotetsu and Katana's destination: the Hokage's Tower.

Many things had changed since Katana was last in the village. Several of the buildings were different, being rebuild or refurbished, and there was another face added to the Hokage Mountain. Katana couldn't tell whose face it was, the moon wasn't providing enough light at the point in time.

Kotetsu led Katana into the Hokage's Tower, walking quickly through the halls. He came to the Hokage's office, the sound of quiet snoring coming from behind the heavy oak door, and rapped his knuckles on it. The snoring stopped abruptly and a female voice beckoned them to enter. Kotetsu opened the door and ushered Katana inside. She was caught off guard when she first saw the shinobi who had taken the Sandaime's place.

She was a young buxom, blonde woman with brown eyes and Katana was sure she has seen the woman before. It took her a moment to figure it out, but Katana finally came to the conclusion that the Hokage was none other than the legendary and famed Lady Tsunade. Katana was stymied as to why she was chosen as the Hokage, but it wasn't her place to question the village elders' reasoning.

"Greetings, Lady Tsunade," Katana said quietly, inclining her body slightly in a respectful bow.

"And who might you be to come this late at night?" the Hokage snapped loudly.

Katana spent the next ten minutes explaining herself, her mission, and the ending results. Lady Tsunade went shuffling through a large stack of papers detailing missions that had yet to be completed, finding the one she sought at the very bottom of the pile. She scanned it swiftly, and then looked at Katana over the edge.

"It's all here; everything you've said is true." Lady Tsunade set the paper down and laced her fingers together, resting her elbows on the desk. "So your mission was a success, and you've returned safely, which is all I could ask for. I can give you a few weeks rest because of this lengthy mission, but your duties will commence soon after that. Okay?"

Katana nodded subtly. "Understood."

With a flick of Lady Tsunade's hand, she was dismissed and left the Hokage's office.

Anko Mitarashi yawned and rolled out of bed. It was a few hours after midnight and she stumbled into the kitchen of her apartment. A midnight snack always helped her sleep better if she woke up in the middle of the night. She opened the refrigerator, the yellow light giving her face a sickly tinge. After a bit of searching, Anko found what she was looking for: sticks of dango and a cup of sweet red bean soup.

Sitting down in one of the two chairs at the small table, Anko began to munch on the dango sticks, humming quietly to herself to fill the silence. She was half way through the soup cup when there was a knock at the door, making her jump and nearly spill her soup.

Who would be at my door at this time of the night? She wondered as she rose from the chair, taking one of the dango sticks as a weapon. She took a look through the peephole in her door, but the hallway outside was too dark for her to clearly make out whom the person was. Altering her grip on the dango stick, Anko opened the door, masking her face in her fiercest glare.

The person took a step back as Anko approached, but she stopped short once the person's face became clear. Anko's jaw hung open slightly as she took in whom it was; almost thinking she was still asleep and dreaming. "No way. It can't be…"

"Hello, Anko," the person said. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Katana Suterusu," Anko whispered. "I can't believe it. I thought you were dead. It's been four years you were on that mission."

"Wow, that long?" Katana mused, rubbing her tired eyes. She then lifted her head and looked Anko in the eye. "Hey, I really apologize for the hour and the time I haven't been here, but is that invitation you gave me still open. I don't really have any place to go…"

Anko grinned and wrapped her arm around Katana's shoulder. "Of course it's still open!" she said loudly for the late hour. "And if you think I would turn you away after you've been out of the village for four years, you're sorely mistaken. But you're going to have to take the couch tonight. The spare bedroom is sort of out of commission at the time."

Katana had been ten when she had first taken the Chunin Exams. Times with her family were rough and Anko had offered her a spare bedroom in her apartment if things got out of hand. Katana had gone to Anko several times even after the exams were over because of troubles at home. Anko became like a sister, someone Katana could go to and spill all her troubles to, someone who would take her side even when everyone else turned away. They had grown very close until Katana had been sent away on her mission.

Happy to have a pillow under her head instead of the hard rocky soil for once in a very long time, Katana fell asleep quickly on Anko's couch. The older kunoichi watched her for a while, noticing that her appearance had changed significantly over four years. Who knew what other changes she had endured, whether they were emotional or mental. Quietly snickering to herself, Anko finished her midnight snack, occasionally humming absently.

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Author Note: Hello everyone. If you are reading this then you've either been kind enough to read the prologue of my first fanfiction or you just scrolled down to see if there was anything worth reading. Either way I thank you for choosing to at least browse my story. This may be a little confusing but everything will be revealed in time. I would be very happy if you continue to read my story and review. It will get better if you thought this beginning was bad and some more Naruto characters will enter soon. Which reminds me to say that the only thing I own is Katana. Naruto doesn't and never will belong to me sadly. T_T Anyway, thanks for reading! ^_^

-cagedbird361