I OWN NOTHING BUT THE STORY LINE AND THE CHARACTERS THAT YOU DON'T KNOW FROM THE ANIME/MANGA!

Long chapter, my friends ;)

Chapter Nine

Utakata and Saiken

Something was wrong. Very Wrong. Satomi didn't know what was going on but she knew that they were going to find out what it was soon enough. Azumi stood in front of the cave again, waiting for Kari to return with a few members. Satomi really wanted to know what was going on

"So, I take it that you're sticking with us?"

Satomi glanced to her side to see Reina now standing beside her. She frowned. "I can't say that," She told her. "You pulled me into one hell of a strange situation. You could have told me something about this woman beforehand or at least come with me instead of leaving me in the dark."

"Well, that's my sister for you. She's more of an idiot than Yuichi is."

"Shut up Reiko." Reina growled. She then turned to the two women that had stepped up behind her. "These are my two sisters; Reiko and Reika."

At the height of 5'4' Reiko was almost a spitting image of Reina despite her hair was brown. Her eyes were the same sapphire shade and she was dressed in black and red, a Jashin Amulet hanging around her neck. Satomi only knew what that was because she had seen it in her village before.

Reika was younger than both of them, still in her teens at 5'3', with short brown hair and those same blue eyes. She was dressed like the elder sister was; in black pants and a light purple top. The only headband she wore was the Crescent one tied around her left thigh.

"Which one is the one that you had been looking for?" Satomi asked her.

"This one," She aimed at kick at Reiko but the woman dodged it with a frown. "Anyway," Reina frowned herself. "Sorry about not being able to tell you anything. It's just…I want to show Azumi that she's not alone to deal with all of this by herself. Not anymore, you know?"

Satomi had been mad at the other woman but then gave a small smile. "It's all right. As for my decision…I'm afraid that you'll have to wait until after this next event is over with."

"Oh, so the newcomer gets to see the event?" A new voice greeted them.

"Shut up, Akemi." Reiko growled.

Akemi was the only Leaf Ninja there, let alone the only one that wore the original headband without a slash through it. In the early 20s and at the height of 5'8' she had short red hair much like Satomi's and green, cat-like eyes. She was wearing a pair of black pants and a long sleeved shirt and a green vest. The vest wasn't zipped up, showing off the picture of a blue Hydra wrapping around her body on the shirt.

"Hey, Boss," the Leaf Ninja called. "Yuichi said he'll be coming, he's just gotta put the child to bed. She's been throwing a fit for the last hour."

Azumi glanced at the other woman and nodded. "If he wants to he'll be able to follow us."

"Oh, and by the way," Akemi decided to continue. "I need to hurry and get back, Kakashi and the others are expecting me back tomorrow morning."

"Well if we can get this done fast enough," Azumi gave a small smile. "Then there should be no problem."

"Yeah, just think about it," Reina grinned. "We'll be in the Mist Village so you'll be closer to Konohagakure."

"Wait," Satomi glanced at Azumi. "We're going to the Mist Village?"

"Musktell and Calryn are both residing in the Mist Village," Azumi answered her.

Satomi recalled the headbands that were hanging beneath the pictures on the wall of the cave. "Those things in there on the wall…what are they?""

Azumi smiled and opened her mouth but Kari finally joined them and her smile fell. "Come here, all of you."

Reina grabbed Satomi's hand and pulled her into a circle around Azumi. She watched, intrigued as the woman held up to fingers before her face and closed her eyes, like she was praying. A bright light from below attracted her attention and she glanced down to see a symbols forming beneath them circularly before it began to travel up over their body. Satomi felt her heart began to beat like crazy as her legs disappeared from her sight. Clenching her eyes shut, Satomi held her breath until she felt her feet land on the hard again. She went to take a step back but she lost her support and fell to her knees. Reina gave a laugh and helped her up.

"You have to get used to that." The woman told her. "It caught all of us off guard when we first went through with it."

"Y-Yeah?" Satomi's voice was shaking as well but she regained her composure…until another body popped up in front of her with that circular symbol again.

"S'up, bitches?"

Satomi took a step back before tilting her head to the side in confusion. It was a man this time. In his twenties at the height of 6'3' with short, spiky dark green hair and red eyes. He held three ear piercings and snake bites. He was dressed in a black coat with a pair of matching pants with an Amegakure headband with a slash through it. He was another rogue. And this rogue held a child in his arms. Something told her that this was the Yuichi guy that Akemi had mentioned before.

"You idiot!" Reiko growled. "You brought Fumiko with you?"

The child had to be no older than five with medium black/red hair and burgundy eyes.

"Well, every damn time that I put her down she starts crying so why not? If she dies here then she dies! It'll be her own fault for not staying behind!" Yuichi cried, scratching the back of his head.

"What? You bastard! Hisayo would-"

"MASTER! PLEASE STOP!" The scream cut the argument in half. Satomi turned immediately in the direction of the noise and bit the bottom of her lip. They found themselves outside of a large rock that hand been turned into some kind of temple.

"What the-" Satomi was cut off as Azumi zoomed past her, disappearing into the cave. The others followed after without another word, leaving Satomi to do just the same. As they moved through the temple they could hear a man continue his cries for help and the rustling of chains before the begging turned into screams of pain.

Satomi felt sick as they finally reached the end of the tunnel. The tint of the room was a reddish color and as Satomi stared at the center of the room she almost believed that it was blood. There was a teen boy chained to the middle table, an elder man bent over him doing…god-knows-what too him but whatever it was, it wasn't pretty from the boy's screams. There were around 15 other ninja there, standing around the boy and the old man. At the sight of the group that had just burst into the cave they turned their attention to them instead the old man and the boy.

A look of pure of disgust and hatred spread across Azumi's face before she lunged forward. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HIM!" Azumi's voice was like fire as she flew to the table, inserting her fist into the elder man's face as she stood protectively over the boy. The man flew across the cave, his hand being removed from the boy beneath him.

"What are you doing?" The man demanded, standing back up. "Stop before-"

But it appeared to be too late. The boy beneath Azumi began to change. Satomi watched in shock as his skin began to bubble up before turning white and transforming. Azumi stepped out of the way and watched as the boy turned into that large, six-tailed slug that was carved into the cave wall at the Crescent Village. Satomi continued to watch, not sure what to do as they all stood there, watching that huge slug crumble the cave around them and suck the elder man into his stomach; there was no doubt that the man was dead now. She had almost forgotten about the other Ninja until one of them gave a yell and lunged at Azumi.

The man never reached her though as Kari jumped in the way, knocking him back.

"We got these goons," Reina called to Azumi. "You just work on calming Seikan down, all right?"

Azumi nodded before running towards the Tailed Beast. Satomi wanted to watch what was going to happen (The creature had killed the old man, would it do the same to Azumi?) but she had these other guys to worry about. She turned to join the fray but was caught off guard as Yuichi dropped beside her and shoved the child in her arms.

"Take her for me for a second!" The man told her before jumping off again into the battle.

Satomi was getting ready for a cry from the child but she stayed silent, just staring up at the woman that held her as she sucked on her thumb. She was at a loss her. What the hell was she supposed to do with a kid? She wanted to help fight. She didn't know what the fuck had been going on but seeing and hearing that boy scream and beg like he had been pissed her off greatly. She wanted to beat the hell out of something now.

"Hey," She got an idea in her head. "Your name's Fumiko, isn't it?" The child nodded. "If I set you on the ground do you think that you'd be able to stay out of the way of the fighting?" There was nothing for a moment before the child nodded. With a sigh of relief Satomi placed the child on the ground before running forward. She froze at the tugging on her pants leg and glanced down to see that the child had taken ahold of it, looking up at the woman with wide, thoughtful eyes. Satomi opened her mouth to speak but was caught off guard with a shrunken hitting her arm moments before a body dropped down to attack her.

Praying that the child was holding on tight enough, Satomi jumped backwards, ripping the star out of her arm. Fumiko wrapped her arms and legs around Satomi's left leg now, holding on for dear life. Satomi frowned as she finally noticed just how light the child was. Why was that, she wondered.

Pulling a kunai out, Satomi turned back to the man attacking her. He was holding a sword, chakra outlining the blade as he leapt forward for another attack. She had never seen this Mist Ninja before, though she didn't really pay attention to them, but she felt no remorse in attacking her comrades. Not after what she had witnessed them doing to the boy.

The man's chakra was becoming a problem since Fumiko was hanging to her leg. Satomi thought quickly before smirking and jumping back and preforming some hand signs. "Kirisame Jutsu!" Satomi growled. Moments later a rain began to fall, sucking the chakra off of the man's blade and any other chakra that was visible in the now destroyed cave. As the moon fell down on them Satomi took this moment to strike the now confused man before quickly hurrying over and helping Reiko with the three women that were on her now.

Satomi's opponent was now a redheaded woman with an Anbu mask on her face. To think that a member of the Anbu would take part in something so horrible infuriated her beyond belief. She tried her hardest to land a hit but this woman was fast and smart…until Fumiko decided to let go of Satomi's leg and went flying at the woman instead. Satomi gave out a cry and went to catch the child but the Anbu did instead, careful to not let the child hurt itself. Satomi took that moment and landed a punch in the woman's face before ripping the giggling child from her arms.

Satomi grabbed her kunai again and backed up, watching as the Anbu mask shattered and fell. The other woman grabbed her own Kunai and went to attack again but froze.

"You…" The woman looked upon Satomi in clear shock and lowered her kunai. "You look just like…just like Martia." Satomi stayed still, freezing at her mother's name. It was just like on that last mission with Kisame. "You are, aren't you…you're-"

"Satomi!" Reiko's voice cried. "Duck!" Satomi did just that and the other woman went flying over her head, landing a foot in the enemy's face. "Score for me!" She laughed, throwing out a peace sign.

Satomi watched as the woman flew back and skid across the rocks on her knees. She gave Satomi another look before holding up her fingers and disappearing. Satomi gave a curse. Last time she had killed the man before they could tell her family where they had seen her but this time…if they were truly looking for her…there might be a problem now that the woman was able to get away.

"Is the kid all right?" Satomi turned to see that all the men had fallen and the others were safe. It was Yuichi that had asked her, walking towards her.

"Yeah," She nodded. "Here," She went to go give Fumiko back to Yuichi but the child refused to let go of her, kicking Yuichi's hands away.

The man grew extremely angry, extremely fast. "Listen here you little brat! I am gonna-" He was cut off by another scream.

Satomi instantly turned around and glanced past the crumbled wall beside her. That large creature and Azumi were outside now, engulfed in a blue light. Satomi and the others hurried towards them (Though Satomi wasn't sure what they would be able to do) but halted to watch the events. The large creature was shrinking in the blue light, turning back into that boy. He fell to his knees at Azumi's feet as his screams dies down and the light disappeared. Azumi dropped her hands and took a deep breath as she wiped sweat from her brow.

"Harusame betrayed me!" The boy then cried, slamming his fists against the ground. "Why? Master, why?" Azumi knelt down before him for a moment as he continued to cry before wrapping her arms around him pulling him close, whispering something to him. Satomi knew she was singing to him, calming him down, so she turned, careful not to watch until the soft tune halted. Fumiko crawled down Satomi's body to stand on her own feet before reaching up and grabbing her hand. Satomi went to pull away but the sight of the child staring thoughtfully at Azumi and the boy as she sucked on her thumb again just made her smile instead before she looked back at the scene before her.

The boy was no older than 16. He was tall and thin with pale golden eyes and black hair that reached his shoulders, his hair parted to the side, cover the left half of his face. He was wearing some kind of grey robe that was now tattered and covered in dust.

"Are you all right?" Azumi asked.

They all stayed silent as the boy looked up at her, pulling back from her arms. She let him go, careful not to make him struggle. "You," He whispered, eyes wide. "You were the one talking to…"

"Yes," Azumi nodded. "I was. And no, it wasn't a dream."

"But how…how did you do this? Who did you find me? Why?" The boy demanded.

The woman continued to smile. "Utakata, right? That's your name?" He nodded. "Well, believe it or not, that little friend inside of you…he used to be inside of me."

The boy's eyes seemed to grow larger. "But…how? How is that…"

"Possible?" Azumi asked. He nodded. "Well, you see, our little friend is not the only one. There are eight others and believe it or not but they all used to be with me. They're like a family to me. In all truth, I want him back," Azumi told the young man. "I want Musktell and the others back more than anything."

"His name is Saiken!" Utakata cried.

Azumi smiled. "Yes, I know. Think of it as a name I gave him when he was once with me," She patted his head like he was a child. "Ask him about it and I'm sure that he'll tell you everything. I would like to take him back, but the only way to do that is to kill you," She paused and the boy's eyes went wide in fear this time. "Do not fear," Azumi shook her head. "I took lives when I was younger but now…I don't see that as a way for me to get what I want. I made a promise to someone very dear to me that I would not take another life unless there was no other choice. So thought I would like Musktell to come back, I will have to wait until…until something else happens." Utakata just sat there, staring at the woman, not sure what to do or what to say. She rubbed his head again. "Go home and get some rest. Your journey, whatever path you take from here, is sure to be hard." Everything was silent as they watched the boy run off.

"Are you sure that it's a good idea to have him run off?" Kari asked her Aunt, crossing her arms.

"He is nothing but a child," Azumi shook her head. "A child betrayed by his master for the power that he was cursed to contain. To cage him until his death to retrieve Musktell…it would just make me feel less human than I already am."

"You keep saying that you're not human," Satomi took a step forward, trying to ignore the child that was crawling all over her. "But I don't understand."

"I take it that you want to know?" Azumi asked, turning to look at her. The silence made her smile. "Reina, you and your sisters go and make sure that no one noticed the events." The three women nodded before disappearing and then Azumi motioned with her head for Satomi to follow her, leaving the other three of the group there, talking amongst themselves. "I'm not sure that you'll believe it all," Azumi began after they had taken seats on the crumbled rocks of what was left of the temple. "In the beginning I didn't believe it either, but I soon learned that I was just being foolish. I trust that you know the story of the Sage of Sixth Paths?"

Satomi stared at her for a moment. "Of course. It is said that the Sage was the man that first explained the truth about Chakra during the time of the endless war. It's also said that he defeated a powerful demon known as the Ten-Tails, sealing it within himself. He then divided the Ten-Tails into nine…" Satomi's voice fell as things began to fall into place. The drawings on the wall. The Six-Tailed Snail that they had just seen. She looked at Azumi to find her nodding with a small smile.

"It is said that the Sage divided the Ten-Tails into nine separate parts and sealed its body in a gigantic stone prison, thus creating the moon." Azumi told her. "But I am afraid that the story is not completely true."

"I-It's not?"

"No. It is true that the Sage defeated the Ten-Tails and locked the main body inside the moon but he himself was the Jinchuriki that held the power of the Ten-Tails power."

"Then…who was it?"

"His wife, Moka. It was during the battle that Moka gave her husband the idea of sealing the Beast. She told him to seal it within her. Having no other option, he did it, but something was wrong. The Ten-Tails was too strong and had taken control of Moka's body. It was then that the older son received an idea about erasing the Ten-Tails' memory and saving their mother but something went wrong. I'm not sure how but Moka's memories were erased as well. Imagine the pain the Sage felt when she woke up, not knowing who he was." Azumi shook her head. "Eventually the Sage died, after naming his youngest son his successor and leaving Moka in her son's care. It was son after that the Brothers fought over who was named their father's successor. It was there that Moka and Remora, a friend of the Younger brother, tried to stop them. The elder brother, in a rage, revealed everything to Moka. She lost control and the Ten-Tails' power broke free. The younger brother tried to erase its memory again, not knowing what else to do, but before he could something awful happened. The demon that Moka had transformed into had caught Remora…and had begun to eat her." Fumiko froze and turned to look at Azumi, now sitting in Satomi's lap and joined her in listening to the story. "I'm not sure how but the Ten-Tails had absorbed Remora's body and took it as its own."

"You mean that it wasn't Moka anymore?" Satomi asked her.

Azumi nodded. "Moka was no more. The Ten-Tails now resided in Remora's body, the Sage's Son erasing the memory once again and resulting in Remora's leaving as well. As time went on, the events happened over and over again. Remora turned into a child by the name of Sakura before she took to a woman named Merona. Merona is one of my favorites of the story," Azumi told them with a soft smile. "Merona, though she was cursed to possess the demon and all memory taken from her, Tero, the man that loved her, stayed by her, lighting their fire once again. He didn't care that she possessed the demon. He loved her and he refused to give her up until death." Something pulled in Satomi's heart. That was a true man. "Merona never lost control but her body did age. It was their youngest daughter, Hiyori that offered to take the demon from her mother. She saw it as an honor, despite knowing that her memories would be erased. One of her brothers, Van, was the one that took care of her afterwards. Her brother, Rai, had gone off and created a family and through that was born the Senju Brothers. The eldest, Hashirama, would later be known as the first Hokage of the Leaf Village, his brother, Tobirama, the second." Satomi nodded, having heard of the two of them before from Kisame. That and she had seen their faces in the side of the mountain when she had passed through Konoha. "It was then, later in the years after Van had died and left Hiyori alone, that her nephews introduced her to a young girl from the Hyuuga Clan. The girl got too interested though and had tried to do experiments on Hiyori to try and extract the power from the Tailed Beast and it resulted in yet another woman being taken by the Ten-Tails." Azumi took a pause, a small smile spreading across her lips before she continued.

"Now this is, in my opinion, the best story of all these. The Senju brothers were stronger than the men before and so they kept the Ten-Tails in-line whenever it lost control but they didn't see that with each time they erased its memory that their power was growing weaker. The Jinchuriki began to recall parts of it; her attacking the enemy or sometimes even friends. The one that started everything was when she met a man named Madara Uchiha."

"Uchiha?" Satomi raised a brow. "From the Leaf Village?"

"Yes, but you have to remember that this almost 100 years. The Senjus and the Uchihas hated eachother. The woman was kept under close eye of the Senju brothers since she was now the head of the Hyuuga Clan and it was because of her that the Senjus and the Hyuugas and the Uchihas came together and formed the Leaf Village. Everything was fine in the beginning but then…I suppose you could say that getting too close with the Uchiha head was a bad influence."

"How so?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it bad but it was the beginning of everything. When they first met, during a battle, Madara had wounded the Hyuuga and she lost control to save her life. The Senjus were there to take care of her and after that the village was formed. Hashirama had told the Uchihas to stay silent but Madara…both Madara and his brother Izuna…they felt that it was unfair. Izuna in the end fell in love with the Hyuuga and wanted to tell her everything. But what none of them had known was that the Ten-Tails was furious at being under control like this and had somehow separated into nine separate forms that began to open up the Hyuuga's eyes into what the Senjus and the rest of them had been doing to her over time. It was here that she named the Tailed Beasts. Most of them had names that only she knew though they are known as other names to the people nowadays. The first tail is still known as Shukaku. She had named the Second Rin but she is now known as Matatabi. The third, Calryn, is now Isobu. Donji, the fourth, is now called Goku. Basktor is now Kokuo. Musktell, as you know, is now Saiken. Karnel is Chomei. Octine was given the name Gyuki and Kyuubi is now Kurama," Azumi gave a small laugh as if she remembered something. "As time went on the Hyuuga found herself hating the Senjus for keeping secrets and using her like this and instead she found herself around the Uchihas instead. She didn't know who but there was just something about Madara. He was a proud, rude, jerk but at the same time there was…something that attracted her to him." Satomi gave a small smile herself. Zabuza was just the same and yet she was still there with him. She understood. "Perhaps it was because he refused to hide everything from her and wanted to tell her the truth."

"Well, as time went on, Izuna died and with Madara beside her, The Hyuuga moved forward and confronted the Senjus about everything. She found that everything the Tailed Beasts had told her was true. She was enraged, yes, but at the same time she understood why they did what they did. She went to leave but Hashirama wouldn't let her. He claimed that her knowing all of this now was a bad idea and tried to erase her memory again but she and the Tailed Beasts weren't having it this time. They stopped their memory from being erased but Hashirama had sealed the Tails' power away so that it would be harder for the Hyuuga to use their power. It was later that night when the ending began. Madara took the Hyuuga into an underground passage beneath his house. Madara told her that at first, when they first met, that he saw her as a monster. A beast that was nothing but a problem in his way. He despised her as his brother loved her. He hated her. But he told her then that he now saw the angel that his brother could see. He told her that this underground passage was originally supposed to be used to separate the Tailed Beasts from her but he told the Hyuuga that he wasn't going to do that anymore. It was then that Madara confessed to her. Confessed everything. His hate for the Senjus. The way his brother had died. His feelings for her…" She paused, taking a deep breath.

"It was that night that something went wrong, though. Madara wanted revenge on the Senjus and he wanted to use the power of the ones that the fools had been taking advantage of over the years. He tried to break the seal on the Tailed-Beasts but he ended up doing something else. Something worse. He broke the seal on the Bests and released their power, yes, but he also broke the seal that connected them to the Hyuuga's body. The beasts were all separated and scattered around the land. Only Kyuubi, the fox, was left in the Leaf Village. He and Madara began to destroy the Village but Azumi got involved with it and hurt. Madara took the Hyuuga and ran as Kyuubi distracted the Senju brothers. It was soon after that that Madara and the Hyuuga separated, not to hear from eachother again for…for a long, long time."

Azumi fell silent after that and Satomi's mind set to work, recalling what this woman had told that child. It was impossible…"You told Utakata that…that all the Tailed-Beasts used to be with you. How is that so if they were separated from the Hyuuga…" Her gaze landed on the tan eyes that Azumi held. "How is it possible, if you say that this took place over 100 years ago?"

The Hyuuga grinned. "After the Ten-Tails took over my body I became…un-human. There are Ten-Tails of the creature but only nine of them were taken from my bottom. I am, as you would say, the unfinished project, searching for the nine puzzle pieces that will make me whole again. That will set me free."

"What do mean…set you free?" Both of them glanced down at the child in Satomi's lap as she spoke,

Azumi chuckled. "I have been alive over a hundred years, nearly a thousand if you want to add together all the events with the different bodies between the Sage's wife and now. I have seen what this world has progressed into. Money is all that matters now. In the beginning everything was just fine but now, it makes me all sad. Money and power…it makes me sick!" She growled her last words. "It makes me sick and I want nothing more to do with it. That's why…I believe that if I retrieve all the others and become whole again…I can finally pass on. Pass on and find…find and rejoin those that did love me, even after learning the truth about what I was."

Satomi stared at this woman in silence for a moment. Of everything that she had been expecting, this wasn't it. What the hell was she supposed to say to that? There was no way that this could have been possible and yet something told Satomi to believe her. She had seen the Tailed-Beast but the story was so much different than what she had read. Perhaps it was true and was just kept a secret to keep everyone from fearing that there was a way for the Tailed-Beasts to return to their original form.

"What…what about this Village of yours?" She decided to continue.

Azumi glanced back at her. "I didn't mean to make it. It was originally just me and Kari, my niece. But in the end more and more seemed to find their way to me and behind them they brought others, much like Reina did to you. I don't ask for anything but they all seem to think that keeping an eye on the Tailed-Beasts until I can find a way to return them to me is a good idea. They all just flock to me like bees to honey."

"Shouldn't you be pleased with that?" Satomi asked her.

Azumi thought for a moment before a smile spread across her face. "I suppose that I am. There's always someone there if I need something and they all come back, despite how I act sometimes."

This woman…was strange. Satomi felt like she should get up and leave while she still could but she stayed seated, fighting with herself on what her reaction should be. Should she even involve herself with what was going on here? She didn't know what would happen. Should she risk…

"Does it matter?" Fumiko's voice spoke up, clearing Satomi's mind. "If they want to help just accept it. That means they believe in what you're trying to do. They wouldn't be helping you if they saw you as a monster." Fumiko smiled.

Satomi grinned at the appreciative look on Azumi's face. She was going to go on a ledge here but something told her that this was going to be the right decision. "All right." She told the older woman. "I'll help you."

Azumi stared at her for a moment before a smiled grinned at her. "I'll tell Kari." She stood up but she fell silent when Satomi spoke.

"You say Kari is your niece. How is she still alive?" She asked.

Azumi glanced at her. "That's a secret." She told him with a soft smile before finishing moving towards the crowd.

"She's not too bad," Fumiko's voice told her moments before they followed the other woman. "Just understood." Satomi nodded, catching up to the others as Azumi told them that she was going to join them.

"Damn," Yuichi sighed. "Why is it almost always women? There's like, only four men here that is involve with this Village," He cursed, giving the woman a look. Fumiko was still hanging onto Satomi's eyes and refused to let go as she wore a large smile. Yuichi grinned. "Here you go. First mission that you can take care of when you return home."

"Oh? What would that be?" Azumi asked the bow, giving Satomi a small smile.

Yuichi gave a smooth grin as he gazed at Satomi. "You're gonna take care of the brat."

Satomi's eyes widened for a moment as she looked at the five-year-old beside her before glaring at Yuichi. "Are you crazy? I don't have the time to take care of a child! Besides, Zabuza would kill me! He can barely stand the Demon Brothers as they are!"

"Too bad," The man laughed, crossing his arms. "Deal with it and do it right."

"Shut up you-" Satomi was cut off by a voice behind them.

"Wait!" They all turned to see that the boy from before, Utakata, had returned. He ran to Azumi. "You…Saiken tells me that…that what you said was true. That you did, once, possessed him…and his brethren."

Azumi nodded. "Yes." She smiled. "I am pleased that he is not…disappointed in me."

"No," Utakata shook his head. "He told me everything! Everything that had happened to you! It's not fair! None of it was!"

"Life is life," Azumi told him. "I cannot change what happened and I'm sure that, before all of this is over, everything's just going to be worse. You might want to hurry and rest and leave. Leave before the guards come looking for your Master and the others here."

"I…I don't what to do," Utakata told her after a few minutes of waiting. "But there's nowhere else for me to turn. I want…I want to go with you!" Azumi watched him in surprise. "Not for a long time, but perhaps a little while. You can…you can teach me how to…connect with Saiken. He might not be human but that doesn't mean he deserves to be alone! Just like you…You two could be close again…At least for a little while…"

Azumi stared at him for a moment. "I am not going to become your Master," She told him. "But that does not keep you from following to learn a few things from observation."

Utakata smiled and nodded. Satomi watched him for a moment before a small smile spread across her face again. ~Poor Thing~ She told herself. ~I wonder what's going to happen next, now~

It wasn't too long after that when the Saiko sisters all returned. Reiko and Reika had landed beside Kari and the others but Reina landed by Azumi and Satomi.

"We got some good news and some bad news," Reina dropped in front of them, a worried look on her face as she glanced at Satomi.

"What is it?" Satomi asked, pulling Fumiko's hand off of her face.

"The bad news is that the Village is up and searching. The good news is that it's not for what happened out here."

"Oh?" Azumi asked, cupping her chin. "And just who is it for?"

Reina mumbled the name under her breath, giving Satomi another look. "What was that?" Yuichi asked her.

The woman gave Satomi an apologetic look. "Zabuza Momochi and his men attacked the Mizukage."

The smile instantly fell from Satomi's face and Azumi instantly understood exactly what was going on. "What happened?" She demanded.

"He and his group failed a coup d'état and is now on the run from the Village. The ANBU is on their tail as of right now." She mumbled.

Satomi jumped to her feet, worry clear on her face. She looked at Azumi but she didn't have to say a word. "So. We'll be in touch soon. I can trust you not to say anything, can't I?"

Satomi nodded before taking off towards the Mist Village, not even noticing that Fumiko was still hanging onto her back.

And if you wanna know more on Madara/Azumi's story it's on my profile for you newcomers. I'm gonna go read it again myself now, lol

Now don't worry, the real good stuff with Zabuza starts in the next chapter ;)

Please Review! I like to know what you all think :)