Chapter Seven: A Burning Village

Throwing her coin purse in the air before catching Kukikio sighed, she had been taking missions whenever she could find them, through she usually was hired to help someone who was lost in the forest, either to a major trading port, or to the next nation, she didn't care. As long as they paid her to protect them, it helped getting things she wasn't able to grow, such as training and shinobi supplies.

Blinking, she covered her mouth after she sealed away what she had earned from the last travelling group that got lost. She was sure it was some type of circus. Looking up, she was glad that she didn't need to carry anything, or else she would have dropped it.

Kukikio knew that smoke was never a good thing, she had learnt this during her childhood, but it was strengthened during the Four Shinobi War. The first year it was a sign of either Obito or Madara, but then it slowly become hers when the two brainwashed Uchiha were taken care of.

But still by that point, all the five major villages were burnt to the ground and the world was slowly going to hell. She didn't want to be trapped in memory line, but the picture of burning buildings and bodies would never leave her mind. Gai and Kakashi would the first two victiums she was forced to watch burn, as Obito laughed at them from a distance. She was glad that she was the one who killed the mad idiot, she really was. The bastard had taken too much from her.

"This isn't good," she whispered to herself. Kukikio didn't want to remember everyone who had died fire eating away at their bones, but it was hard to forget Hinata and Ino, who faced Madara's attack hand-in-hand, smiles on their faces as they were finally getting away from the year long war. And way was it, that one year felt like twenty?

It was moments like these, that she wanted to track Madara done and hit him, but she didn't. He hadn't done anything, he was younger and ignorant to all the crimes his older self had pulled. Madara Uchiha was innocent, and Kukikio would do anything in her power to keep him that way. Even if it meant taking his place in history, she would do it in a heartbeat.

"Why not?" she asked jumping in front of the burning town, it was small and didn't look like it had many travellers going through it. Jumping into a nearby tree, one that wasn't quite on fire yet, she watched as people ran into the forest, in their hands were either small bags, or a small child. "Damn it, need to stop the fire."

"Mummy, daddy, big brother!" a voice cried snapping her out of her own thoughts, she knew some water jutsu, but none of them were safe to use around people. Anyone left in the village would die the moment she put the flames out, but it would be quicker then burning to death. "Big brother..."

Kukikio only shock her head, before running into the village quickly pushing past panicking villagers. Praying that she was going to find the poor child, she was a tracker, sure. But it was harder to find a target when everyone around you was panicking, flaring their own energy. Which had caught her attention before the fire did. Placing water seals on her legs, one that would stop her and said child getting burnt, she jumped into a flaming alleyway.

Soon spotting a young boy crying over the body of, what seemed to be his parents. Looking at the dead bodies, she could see the slit cutting them ear to ear. Sensing his chakra, she almost fall over, it reminded her of Hiruzen, Asuma and Konohamaru, along with the rest of the Sarutobi Clan.

"God damn it, a Sarutobi," Kukikio whispered under her breath before picking up the small body. Just her luck, in less then six months, she was able to run into three different clans. Uchiha, Senju and Sarutobi, not only that, save one of their younger members. It would be her luck to find out that the child in her arms was part of the main family, more so the child of the Clan's Head.

Leaving the two dead behind, she used her seal to appear outside the burning village, only to have the child try everything, and anything, to get out of her arms.

"It's okay sweetie," she said as she water started to put out the fire, she had carefully placed the seal from her leg onto the ground. She knew the fire would go out in the next three minutes, but the shield that had followed would keep anyone in, but should still let anyone still in the village out of it. "I've got you."

"Sachi!" a voice screamed and Kukikio sighed, the boy in her arms look up and she could only smile.

"Are you Sachi?" she asked and when he nodded, her smile grew but she made sure to hide any of her teeth. Because of Kurama, her teeth had became sharp, more like a fox's then a human's. "Nice to meet you, Sachi. I'm Kukikio, is he your brother."

"Yes," he told her before a male, one she would guess would be around Madara's and Hashirama's age, ran out of the forest only to stop and look at Sachi in her arms. "Brother!"

Putting Sachio onto the ground, she quickly placed her hands in the air. Showing that she wasn't going to harm him, or his brother. It was silly, but she thought it was better then him trying to shove that sword into her torso. She had enough nightmares without adding that to her ever growing list. Through, she was becoming more and more distant to the people she was killing. Soon, she beat she'd be complete immune to the act.

"Mummy and daddy are dead," Sachio cried when his brother pulled him into a hug, leaving Kukikio feeling a bit awkward, she would have left. But it looked like Sachio's big brother wanted a word with her.

"Damn him," he whispered under his breath, his uncle really did kill his parents. He had tried to kill Sachio, meaning he was going to come after him next. Damn that man's greed for power. "He really did kill them."

"And who are you?" Kukikio asked as the boy's sword went back into it's hilt. Now she could put her hands down, but she would have to do so slowly.

"Sasuke," he told her, she didn't look like she was carrying weapons, but her clothes were loose enough to hide that fact, but not loose enough were he could see any of her skin. She must have been ten at most.

"I see that you weren't caught in the fire, Sasuke," a man said, his armour slightly dulled. Kukikio only stared at the man her best friend was named after, he must be good with a sword and a good man, since she doubted Mikoto would have named her son after anyone less then a hero. "Why don't you and Sachio come with me?"

"But my clan -"

"Most likely won't know your gone," Kukikio told him. Sure, she had cut him off, but she didn't remember anyone named Sachio Sarutobi. She must likely had already messed history up, so why should she follow what had lead to the horrors of her own time. She wasn't an idiot, the founding of the village would be a major historical point, but she didn't know what else was. "I'm not going to tell them, whoever they are, neither is he. Go, then come back and kill whoever would burn down an entire village to kill three people."

"I see," the man said humour in his voice, his face was covered, but she didn't get a bad feeling from him. "And you are."

"Kukikio."

"She saved me," Sachio said pointing to her, a smile on his face. Brown hair covered his eyes, as brown eyes glowed happily. "Can she come with us?"