Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and not me.

A/N: Heh, well here is the conclusion to Kita's 'brush with death'. :3 Ah, and thanks to everyone who reviewed my other fic, 'Owner's Guide and Manual to UZUMAKI NARUTO'.


Chapter 9: Reincarnation

The next day...

Sora felt a tingling in the back of his neck as he and Yanagi were walking down a side street towards town. He stopped suddenly and looked up towards the mountains.

Yanagi ran into the back of him. "Ouch! Hey, why'd you stop like that?"

Sora glanced back at her, a slight frown spreading across his features. "I'm getting some real weird vibes... I think we better check it out."

"But, Sora!" started Yanagi.

"I know, it's only been a day," Sora butted in, "but, what if it didn't take as long as it thought it would to get Kita back? Come on, let's go."

"Does that include me?" asked a familiar voice behind them.

Shocked, Yanagi and Sora turned around to see their teacher.

"Rosuto-sensei!" exclaimed Yanagi. The jounin gave her a smile. Yanagi suddenly crossed her arms. "And how long have you been trailing us for now?"

Her teacher shrugged. "Since Hissori asked me to. Besides, she's my student too. I have as much a right to know as you do."

Sora was starting to look anxious.

"Anyway," said Rosuto, noticing Sora's look. His voice became serious. "Let's go."

"Yeah," Sora and Yanagi nodded, and took off in the lead.


Kita felt herself falling backwards through the darkness. The Nekomata leapt after her in pursuit. Before it reached her side, Kita thought she saw a glimmer of wicked delight in its eyes as glanced at her. Kita gulped. Had it been her imagination that she felt such evil radiating from that look? Kita didn't dare question it though.

The Nekomata glanced across at her saw she was staring. "What?" it asked, slightly annoyed.

"Oh, um, nothing!" replied Kita, a little too quickly. She needed a new subject, and fast. "So... what do you think about me... well, you know."

The cat sniffed. "Well, it does give me one less reason for wanting to kill you."

"Haha..." Kita retorted sarcastically. "If you wanted me dead, then you could have just left me back there."

"But where would the fun in that then?" The Nekomata smirked at her slowly.

Kita fell silent. There was that same feeling... That same look of viciousness... What was...?

Before Kita could think about it anymore, she was cut off by a bright light, flinging her back into the living world.


"So this is the place?" asked Rosuto, adjusting his headband-bandana over his brown hair. He looked up at the mountain with cool blue eyes, then down at the overgrown tumble of plants that hid the tunnel from view.

Sora nodded. "Yeah, and the vibes are getting even weirder now. But I dunno if we should go in or not."

Yanagi placed her hands on her hips. "Hey, we might as well. And we could always just sneak a peek from the tunnel. We don't even have to go out."

"That's a good idea, Yanagi," agreed Rosuto, pushing the bushes apart and heading in first.

"But what'll we do if the Nekomata is still there and then attacks us?" asked Sora.

"We'll just have to hope we can get away in time then," replied his teacher.

The trio slowly made their way through the tunnel, crawling over and between the boulders that were in the way. Many times Sora or Yanagi stubbed their toes.

"Ow!" said Sora, scratching himself on a piece of jagged rock. "I wish Kita was here, she can see in the dark really well."

Rosuto shook his head and sighed. "You guys have a lot to learn about being a ninja." He made no sound as he silently his way through the maze of rocks, though finding the whole thing to be a tight squeeze.

"How do you do that? We're getting stuck all over the place." Yanagi asked.

"Many years of practise, though I thought you guys would have learnt a bit about stealth in the academy." Even when he looked back, the jounin still was able to walk without making a sound.

Yanagi pouted. "Well, the whole academy thing was rather rushed. And I was more interested in training with my fans."

Rosuto looked back ahead and frowned. I don't know what to think about this Age Limit anymore... When I was their age, I was still mucking around in the playground with my friends, not going out on missions where I could get killed. I'm not even sure if I should tell them about the upcoming Chuunin Exam. Even if they do complete all the missions necessary to enter, all those other entrants would be at least two or more years their senior.

"Chuunin Exam?" asked Sora suddenly. "What about a Chuunin Exam?"

Rosuto's eyes widened. Damn it! I wasn't concentrating again! He stopped and turned around at Sora, an angry glare in his eyes. "Why on earth were you looking into my thoughts?"

Sora shrugged. "Sometimes it happens without me knowing it... But what about a Chuunin Exam? What is it?"

"Yeah!" said Yanagi. "Is it something we can enter?"

"No, just be quiet. Now's not the time." Rosuto started off again. If he hadn't been so worried about how he would have looked, Rosuto would have been hitting his head against the rock walls now. Damn it, damn it, damn it. How could I let my concentration down at a time like this!

A light appeared at the end of the tunnel, interrupting all their thoughts.

"I can't feel the Nekomata's presence anymore," Sora whispered.

The three peeked out through the foliage guarding the tunnel opening. A kind of black cloud made of particles lifted up from the ground and drifted away.

Yanagi looked around. "The Nekomata was sitting there, right?"

"Yeah, but it's... huh?" Sora saw something lying on the ground. "What's that?"

Rosuto's brow twitched and he leapt out of the tunnel.

"Wait for us!" shouted Yanagi and Sora, tumbling out after him.

Rosuto waved a hand at them to be quiet as they came. They appeared at his side shortly and stared down at the creature on the ground. It was a cat, the size of a panther, with thick black fur and large silver-purple markings that ran all over its body. A Stone forehead protector was tied around its neck like a collar.

Yanagi bent down next to it and patted its fur. "Wow, it's so soft!"

"Hey, those markings are exactly the same colour as Kita's hair..." commented Sora, bending down to pat the unconscious feline as well.

Rosuto frowned. "That's because... it is Kita."

Yanagi and Sora both looked up at him with wide eyes.

"You're kidding, right?" asked Yanagi, taking her hand away from the creature's fur.

Rosuto bent down as well and looked the cat over. "It's her chakra alright, though it does feel a little different."

"She's waking up," said Sora, pointing to a twitching eyelid.

Slowly, the cat opened a misty purple eye and rolled over so she could sit up. She roughly rubbed her head with a paw. "Whoa, that sure was a rush... uh..." She looked up at the two genin and one jounin who were staring at her in a kind of shock. Kita gave them a sheepish look and her ears drooped. "Uh, hi guys... Nice to see you again..."

After a few minutes of silence Yanagi suddenly jumped onto Kita, pushing her over. "Ahh! It really is you!"

Kita gasped as the black haired girl squeezed her. "Yeah, it is! But Yanagi, you're choking me!"

Sora laughed and jumped on her as well. "I can't believe it; the Nekomata really did bring you back!"

Kita let them hug her for several minutes longer before they got off.

"Welcome back, Kita," Rosuto said as they got off.

"Rosuto-sensei!" Kita smiled as best a cat could. "Thanks..."

"So what happened, huh?" Yanagi asked. "What did you see, were there any scary ghosts? Did you see a bright light? Were there any angels?" Yanagi asked several more strange questions before Kita stopped her.

"Aren't you guys even interested about why I'm like this?" Kita tilted her head and twitched her tail.

"Oh, that too..." Yanagi finished.

"It obviously has something to do with the Nekomata," Sora commented.

"Kind of," explained Kita awkwardly. "But actually, Shinigami-sama thought he'd give me a 'helping paw', or so to speak."

"So even the God of Death is worried then..." murmured Rosuto.

Kita's ears lowered. "That's how it seemed when he spoke to me."

"Wow, you got to see the Shinigami?" exclaimed Yanagi, too excited to worry about the topic they had just been talking about. "What was he like?"

"Uh, scary," replied Kita briefly after a thought.

Sora tried to hide the troubled expression on his face. Kita...

"Maybe we should get going then," Rosuto said suddenly. He glanced at Kita's new form. "Are you okay to walk, Kita?"

Kita looked down at a paw and wiggled it. There was a mingled expression of amusement and sadness on her new face. "I know it's funny, but... somehow this feels right. So, yeah, I'll be okay, though I don't think I can run or anything. I'm feeling really sore."

Everyone stood up again and Kita rose to her paws. A strange look spread over her face as her stomach made a weird noise.

She made a gagging movement and hobbled around. "Gah, my stomach feels awful. That sandwich you made before mustn't like me at all."

"Uh, yeah... must have been off or something..." Yanagi gave an embarrassed-looking smile. She didn't dare tell Kita what the Nekomata had eaten...


"Run...! Run for your lives!" yelled a man, sprinting through the street. The villagers looked at him strangely. "It's the Nekomata! The Nekomata has returned!" The man ran off again down the street yelling.

Panic spread through the villagers. Where was it? They frantically scanned the mountains, then the sky, looking up in fear that they would set their eyes upon the beast. But there was no sign of the Nibi's gigantic form.

Someone gasped and the villagers looked down. Along the road came a group of ninja; one jounin and two genin. They were accompanied by a panther-sized feline with marks that resembled that of the Nekomata of legend. The villagers stared as the cat nervously eyed them all and stuck close to her companions.

"No way..." whispered someone. "That's the genin team the Mitsukai girl is in. And that cat... it looks just like her. I'd recognise those vicious eyes anywhere."

"You're right..." replied someone in an equally hushed tone. "And it has a forehead protector from our village too. It's gotta be her, the Nekomata child. The demon has done something to her."

The whispers spread down the street like wildfire. Speculations started to pop up, people wondering what had happened to her. Had Nibi changed the child so that it could attack the village more easily? Was it really the demon in disguise? What if she were to suddenly strike out against them? People moved back fearfully as Kita and her team passed them.

Rosuto looked down at Kita, who was becoming more and more edgy. All eyes were on her. "Don't worry about them at the moment. We're going to go to your place and call Tsuchikage-sama over to help us out."

Kita focussed her gaze straight ahead, trying to block out the whispers, but her new feline hearing wouldn't allow it. On the inside, Kita trembled. This wasn't going to be good.


Kita finally found relief when Rosuto shut the high gate that surrounded her home. She trotted over to her favourite chair under the sakura tree and laid down next to the tree and breathed a sigh. Yanagi and Sora joined and sat down on the bench.

Yanagi wiped her brow. "Man, that was so nerve-racking. I don't ever want to do that again."

Sora looked down at the ground. "I don't think that'll be the end of it, Yanagi-chan. And I don't think you have to worry as much as poor Kita."

Yanagi had started playing with Kita's ears, twitching them back and forth. Kita was too worried to care. Yanagi looked Kita, then at Sora. "Yeah, you're right. But hey, we'll always be there for you, won't we, Kitty?"

Kita smiled slightly, hardly caring about Yanagi's ever-annoying nickname for her. "Thanks guys."

"Kita, you're back," exclaimed a voice. Hissori ran out of the house, followed by Rosuto. Kita's father bent down to scoop his daughter up into a hug. "You're alright!" Tears leaked out of his eyes.

"I'm fine, Dad. You don't have to worry," Kita whispered. "I'm sorry I worried you before though."

Her father released the embrace and wiped the tears from his eyes. "As long as you're okay, everything's fine."

Rosuto patted Hissori on the shoulder. "I know this... will be difficult for you two to come to grips with, but I'm sure Tsuchikage-sama will sort everything out once he gets here."

"Do you want one of us to go to the Tsuchikage Tower?" asked Sora.

"No, I think Kita needs you guys at the moment for support, you too Hissori. And I have a faster way anyway," said Rosuto. "You kids might find this interesting. So pay attention, alright?"

Yanagi and Sora watched carefully. Kita glanced up at him, interested about the new technique.

Rosuto bit the end of his thumb, causing blood to dribble out onto his palm. Creating a few seals, he pressed his hand onto the ground. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Writing spread out across the ground and a puff of smoke rose up around his hand.

A small brown rabbit hopped out of the smoke and stood up on his hind legs. "Usako-sama is here!" He yelled. The rabbit looked like a punk. He had multiple silver earrings pierced in his long brown ears and had a bright pink tuff of fur on top of his head.

"That's it?" asked Yanagi, pointing at him. "This cute little bunny rabbit?"

A fiery gleam of anger appeared in Usako's eyes. "Cute!" he shouted. "Cute? I'll kill you!"

In a flash, Usako was on top of Kita's head and trying to bite at Yanagi's finger. Yanagi gave a scream and fell backwards over the chair. Usako made a V victory sign with his ears, seeming very pleased with himself. Kita peered cross-eyed up at the rabbit summon and gave a cough. Usako looked down.

"Yikes!" he yelped and fled to hide behind Rosuto's leg. "Hey, Rosuto! What's that giant kitty doing here?"

Kita's brow twitched. "Don't call me a kitty! I'm... well, was a human!"

Usako's ears sprung up and he hid behind Rosuto's leg even more. "Well, just don't eat me then!"

"I won't," replied Kita, sniffing indignantly. There was a light twinkle of mischief in her eye. "Anyway, you're not my type."

"Not your type! What do you mean by that?" demanded Usako.

Kita closed her eyes and turned her head away. "You don't look very edible to me."

"Hey! I'm perfectly edible!" retorted Usako, putting his paws on his hips. He blinked as he realised what he had said. His look of realisation turned into a fiery death glare. "I'll kill you!" He shook a paw at Kita from behind Rosuto's leg.

Rosuto, Sora and Hissori all stifled a laugh.

"Usako," interrupted Rosuto, grabbing the rabbit's attention. The jounin took out a blank scroll and wrote a note on it. He handed it to the rabbit. "Take this note directly to Tsuchikage-sama and get him to come as fast as he can, alright?"

The rabbit accepted the scroll. He gave Rosuto a salute. "Yes, sir!" Suddenly, he was gone, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. He bounded over the fence and disappeared.

Yanagi, Sora and Kita all blinked.

"Wow, that's fast!" commented Sora.

"Usako's one of the fastest rabbits I know," commented Rosuto proudly.

"He's helped us out quite a few times with sending for reinforcements. Not many ninja can keep up with his speed." Hissori nodded. He looked down at Sora and Yanagi. "When the Tsuchikage gets here, you guys stay out here. We'll need to have a private talk with Kita. If you want, you can go into town and get us some dinner." Hissori dug around in his pocket and produced a small wad of notes and gave them to Sora.

"And remember, no fish," muttered Kita.

Sora and Yanagi grinned, happy to see Kita was feeling better.


A/N: Seems as though Kita's able to make a couple jokes about her situation now, though she is still a bit anxious. Wonder what the future will hold? ;D

About the Names:

Usako- 'Usa', nickname for rabbit. I can't exactly remember what 'ko' means, though I think it means small... But it's a cute name all together though. ... or not cute; Death by small bunnies can be extremely embarrassing.

Jutsu Used:

Kuchiyose no justu (Summoning no justu)(Ninjutsu) (Summoning) (C rank) (Number of hand seals depends) According to the official jutsu list: This Jutsu, using a contract, Seal, and the user's blood, binds an animal to the user. The type of animal is determined by the contract and Seal performed. The blood is used as a signature to make the contract, which can be written on a scroll or tattoo, valid. Once bound, the animal can be summoned to perform a task or help the user in battle. Other types of Summoning Techniques can summon powerful objects, such as weapons or puppets.

Rosuto gained his contract with the Usagi clan when he was 15 after he found an injured rabbit which happened to be a part of that clan. He took care of it and in return was offered the contract. Usako is the one of the sons of that very rabbit. The rabbit clan is mostly not used for fighting, since their clan focuses more on speed so they may be used to deliver messages between shinobi. However, there are a few exceptions within the clan. Usaontai, the head rabbit is an excellent fighter and is as big as most other boss animals. The Usagi clan specialises in ground and some wind ninjutsu, excellent for someone like Rosuto who also specialises in such things.

Oh, and if you haven't already read my newest fic, go ahead and read it! I hope you get a couple laughs from it!