I spent the next few weeks holed up in my room. Kakashi brought me meals, tried to talk, gave up, and left. I never shed a single tear, just sat on my bed, wrapped in blankets, staring off into space. I couldn't quite wrap my mind around the fact that my old life was officially gone. I would never be part of the Gekkou clan again...never see my parents or clan members again. My whole being up until that day was put into escaping and reuniting with my clan. Every single thing I did, eat, sleep, train, study, was for that sole purpose. And now...what reason did I have to live?
"Sera-san, I'm coming in," I heard Kakashi say. I ignored him. He set down a tray laden with rice, fried eggs, and green beans. But instead of leaving, he sat down in my chair. I looked up. He was looking at me seriously.
"I have to tell you something," he began. "I didn't kidnap you only because of your fighting. I...let me show you something. Come with me." He stood up and beckoned to me to follow. I had nothing better to do.
Kakashi led me down the hall to his room. It was almost exactly like mine, except he had a dresser. He picked up a scroll and handed it to me. I read it, my eyes widening in surprise. At first, it just talked about the Gekkou clan, the way of life, history, and traits such as bad memory. But the last few paragraphs got really interesting. This is what they said.
I have just escaped from the Gekkou clan. It's a good thing the Hidden Mist ninjas attacked, because they created an opening for me to leave. I was born into this clan and loved it until I joined the elders, the clan advisors. When I did, I learned all the secrets of the clan.
The clan has possession of the Half-Tail, the weakest of the tailed beasts. It used to be the One-Tail's twin, long ago, but it's tail got cut off, and now there is only a stump. When our clan first got ahold of it, they couldn't control it and sealed it into the moon. But before that, they took a bit of its chakra and shared it with the other clan members. That is how they got their name and ability to harness the moon's power. This was over a hundred years ago.
But now, the clan elders are looking for a suitable clan member they can use as a Jinchuriki. Having a Jinchuriki will make the ninja villages finally accept our clan, and we will become powerful. They wanted to make me the Jinchuriki. I declined, but I have a feeling that, had I not fled, the elders would have forced the Half-Tail into me. Now that I'm gone, the elders will probably use my niece, Sera, as the Jinchuriki. She has the most potential to become a great kunoichi in the clan, and she is also young and strong. I'm sorry I could not save her, but by writing this, I hope to raise awareness about the Gekkou clan and someday save my niece.
Signed, Gekkou Kota
Gekkou Kota. My uncle, who was assumed dead from the Hidden Mist attack. This explained how Kakashi knew about the Gekkou clan.
"Where did you get this?" I asked Kakashi.
"It was in the Hidden Leaf library. When I first saw you, I wanted to know everything I could, so I looked up things about traveling clans, moon energy, things like that. This was the only thing on the Gekkou clan.
"But...but how did you know I was Sera?"
"I'm a ninja. I followed you to your clan's camp one day and people called you Sera. That's when I knew I had to save you," Kakashi told me. "I knew Kota," he went on. "He travels around now, hoping to join some other clan. He visited the Hidden Leaf village once, and we happened to talk. He was a nice man." Uncle Kota was my favorite uncle, and he had taught me how to fight like I did.
"Thanks, Kakashi," I said sarcastically. "Now I have so much information to process that my brain is about to explode." I turned to leave. Kakashi suddenly grabbed my arm. The places where his fingers touched my bare arm tingled. What was happening? I realized that he had never actually touched me before, besides during training to block my attacks.
"It's not good to neglect your training for so long," Kakashi said lightly, but he still held my arm in a firm grasp. "We're going training."
