AN: Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoy this Chapter! Please read and review!

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 11

Kenshin slipped quietly down the hall of the house as he made his rounds. He dared not make much noise as Tsubame was sleeping and the rest of the house was also resting, although Naruto had insisted on going to bed only after setting two dozen clones out to guard and was fully dressed with his shinobi gear laid out next his futon. Hinata had done the same with her gear and had insisted on going to bed in her training clothes as well. Apparently both young shinobi were in full mission mode at the moment, but he couldn't blame them.

'It's getting late…' He thought as he slipped through the main room of the house and noted the time on the small, ornate clock. '...I can only hope that tonight remains peaceful for everyone.' A noise in the kitchen drew his attention as he neared the connecting shoji.

He carefully peeked in before sliding the shoji open. "Kaoru-dono, I didn't know you were still awake."

Kaoru looked up startled from her place by the stove. "Oh! Kenshin, I didn't hear you come in." She said as she turned, a small pot of hot water in her hands. "Would you like some tea? I was having trouble sleeping so I thought a cup or two of tea would help."

Kenshin nodded. "A cup of tea would be nice, thank you Kaoru-dono." He moved into the room and watched her fill the teapot. "It seems you are on edge as well tonight." He said as he took in her training clothes.

Kaoru blushed at this. "Well...it doesn't hurt to be prepared just in case. And it's not like these clothes are uncomfortable to sleep in or anything…."

"Aa...well as long as you are comfortable Kaoru-dono…" He said as he looked out into the yard. He furrowed his brows a bit as his instincts stirred to life. 'Something...or someone is out there….' He thought, his left hand going instinctively to his sword. Moments later a streak of grey came barreling in through the partially open shoji and landed with a soft thud on Kenshin's chest where it proceeded to chatter rapidly with it's little arms flailing around and gesturing towards where it had come from.

Kaoru stared at the little creature with wide eyes. "W-what….?"

"It is one of Naruto's disguised clones." Kenshin said offhandedly as he gently removed the small animal from the front of his kimono and placed it on the ground. "Now Naruto, I can't understand what you are trying to say, please transform into your regular form so you can speak clearly."

The squirrel nodded rapidly as it's little hands made a hand sign and made a sharp squeak. A second later there was a large poof of smoke and Naruto was standing there grabbing at Kenshin again. "There's a man coming up the street and he looks like he is badly hurt! There's blood on the road behind him and everything!" The clone said as he pulled Kenshin towards the shoji. "One of the other clones went to tell the boss so he should be meeting us there!" Just as they reached the shoji there was a loud 'BANG, BANG, BANG' at the gate. Kenshin quickly slid open the shoji and ran for the gate, Kaoru following not far behind him.

Another loud 'BANG, BANG, BANG' range through the yard as Kenshin neared the gate, the sound of running behind him could be heard as Kaoru came around the end of the dojo with Yahiko, Naruto and Hinata not far behind her. Half a dozen of Naruto's clones were on the walls around the gate chattering animatedly as he threw open the bolts and unbarred the gate itself. He quickly opened the gate to find a young dark haired man bleeding heavily leaning against one of the gates support columns. "P-please...you have to help us...the Maekawa dojo is under attack...please.." He said desperation evident. "The police can't help and he's killing them...please.." He begged as he looked up at Kenshin. "...please help…."

Kaoru quickly moved around Kenshin to help the young man. "Here, let me get you inside and take a look at your wounds." She said, her voice thick with worry.

Kenshin watched for a moment as Kaoru was helping the young man before he turned, his expression serious. "Naruto, Hinata I will be going to help the Maekawa dojo I need the two of you to stay…."

"Like hell we'll stay here!" Naruto barked, interrupting him. "If anything you need us to come and help you!"

"NO! Naruto, I need you to stay…"

"N-no Kenshin-sensei. Naruto-kun is right. My byakugan will be able to let us know what is going on before the enemy can spot us, and me and Naruto-kun can help get the injured out while you fight." Hinata said, her voice set with determination.

"Hey! What about me?!" Yahiko growled at the two shinobi. "You're not planning on leaving me behind are you?"

Naruto and Hinata shared a look. "Yahiko-kun...you need to protect Kaoru-sensei and the dojo…"

"WHAT! I want to go too! Don't treat me like I'm weak, I can fight and you know it!" Yahiko barked at her in frustration.

"She's not! It's because you're strong you need to stay here!" Naruto barked back. "Kaoru-sensei is going to be busy fixing this guy up and won't be able to protect the dojo while she does it! She needs your help to keep the dojo, this guy and Tsubame safe!"

Yahiko growled. "But I…."

"They're right Yahiko. We cannot all go and leave the dojo and Kaoru-dono, Tsubame-dono and this young man vulnerable." Kenshin replied as he turned away from them. "I trust that you are strong enough to protect everyone until we return, that I am." He said as started moving forward. "We should be back by morning. Naruto, Hinata, let's go." And with that the three of them took off down the street, running quickly.

They ran, taking to the rooftops soon after leaving the dojo. They were closing in on the Maekawa dojo when Hinata spoke up. "Kenshin-sensei, Sano-sensei and t-two police officers are running in o-our direction. We will be able to intercept them at the next cross roads."

Kenshin glanced over his shoulder at her. "Sano? He was supposed to be guarding the clinic."

"W-well, the police officers that are with him are injured…." She replied.

"Well, let's find out what's going on." Kenshin said as he neared the end of the block that they were running along and jumped back down to the street below, Hinata and Naruto hot on his heels.

It was only a matter of moments before Sano and the two police officers came into sight.

"Kenshin!" Sano called as he spotted them. "Did you hear? The Maekawa dojo is being attacked!"

"I know Sano, what about the Oguni clinic? Is everyone alright there?" Kenshin asked concerned.

"Everyone's fine, they are swamped with injured people from the dojo." He said as he looked down the street towards the dojo.

"E-excuse me...Himura-sensei?" One of the police officers said as he stepped forward. "Please help us! This man is too strong for us, we really need your help!"

"Is chief Uramura at the dojo already?" Kenshin asked the police officer.

"No, the chief has an emergency at home." The other officer replied.

Kenshin's eyes widened in alarm. "Sano! Go take care of the Maekawa dojo, we're going to go help the chief!" He said as he turned and bolted, quickly jumping back up onto the roof tops.

"Ji-san! Why was that dojo being attacked and what's going on with the chief? I thought that these guys were after you!" Naruto asked from behind him.

"It's because they are connected to me Naruto. I visited the Maekawa dojo once with Kaoru-dono when she went there as a guest to teach and I have helped the chief out in the past with things that his officers could not handle." He replied. 'Who will they strike next? Where will they draw the line? I have never seen a grudge like this...dragging innocent people into the middle for no good reason...will they involve the whole city before they finish?'

Naruto looked at the back of his uncle as they ran, digesting what he said. 'So just because they know him they are being attacked…what will these people do to Kaoru-sensei's dojo when the time comes?' He wondered. "How much farther Ji-san?"

"We are almost there...Hinata-dono can you see what's going on yet?" Kenshin asked as he dropped to street level.

"I-I see a strangely dressed man standing in the doorway overlooking a small garden over that way…" She said as she pointed in the direction of the chief's house. "I-I see the chief behind him...there is a sword pinning his hand to the floor and behind him there are three people sitting against the wall. One is a police officer, one is a young girl..m-maybe 10 or 11 years old and one is an older woman. The police officer appears hurt..but the other two look a-alright."

"Thank you Hinata-dono…" He said as he looked towards the chief's house. "..I need the two of you to stay out of sight. I will draw that man's attention away from the chief and the others…"

"But Ji-san I can help you fight!" Naruto interrupted.

"No, I alone will draw this man's attention. I need the two of you to get the chief and the others out safely before anyone else gets hurt." He replied looking back at his nephew. "Is that understood?"

Naruto growled low as he turned away a bit. "Fine! But don't think for a minute that we will leave you here and if that guy tries anything funny…." He said as he looked up, his face set, his eyes determined. "...then he's mine."

Kenshin sighed a bit at this. 'So stubborn...just like you nee-san.' He thought as he turned. "Just get those people out Naruto...I'll handle the rest." He said over his shoulder as he lept away, running across the neighboring rooftop to drop soundlessly into the garden. He walked carefully along the outer wall of the small garden, keeping to the shadows, until he came to the back engawa of the house. He soundlessly hopped up and moved along, keeping his back to the wall, until he was near the door. He could see the back of a long haired man wearing a long blue kimono that ended in a jagged edge around his ankles. He also had six strange looking spikes curled up and around his shoulders. Kenshin could just make out the conversation going on inside.

"P-please...why...why are you doing this?" The chief asked, his voice thick with pain.

"I'm doing this for revenge….but you should be grateful. I won't let you die alone." Came a silky smooth male voice, it was followed by the chief crying out in pain as a crunching sound could be heard. Followed by a cry of 'Daddy!' from the girl and 'Anata!' from the woman. "I will send your precious family to join you so you won't be lonely in the afterlife."

Kenshin gripped his sword tightly. He needed to wait for an opening...and to give Naruto and Hinata time to get into the house.

X

They slipped carefully along the roofline, keeping to the shadows the best they could. "Naruto-kun…" Hinata said, keeping her voice low. "..this window is o-open."

"Alright! Let's go!" He said in a loud whisper as they moved to climb in through the window. A couple of minutes and a near miss, as Naruto had tripped at the top of the stairs and almost knocked a table and vase over, later they made it to the bottom of the stairs and were crouched just outside the room where everyone was being held. They could hear a man's silky sounding voice as the talked.

"...your famous battoujutsu Battousai! Shall we see which is stronger? Your sword or my Baika Chuuzen?" The man said as he challenged Kenshin.

Hinata turned slightly. "There is another door to this room just down the hall." She whispered, her voice so low it was almost inaudible, as she pointed to indicate the direction that she was talking about. "I-I will signal you when it's safe and you go to that door...ok?"

Naruto gave her a nod and a thumbs up not trusting his voice to be quiet enough to not draw attention.

Hinata shifted her attention back to the room in question, her byakugan allowing her to see the action without having to stick her head in the partially open doorway.

"...you have lived a life without honor, yet you still stand here wanting revenge." Kenshin said to the attacker.

Hinata raised her hand slightly as the two continued to talk. She watched as Kenshin adjusted his stance to draw his sword. As the strange man raised his hand for some sort of attack she flicked her wrist, and Naruto bolted soundlessly bast the partially open door way and made his way to the other entrance. Once there Naruto looked back at Hinata waiting for the all clear. After a tense moment she nodded again

They both griped their respective doors and slowly slid them open just enough where they could easily slip in and out quickly.

Once he was done Naruto glanced back at Hinata, waiting for a signal to move.

"So this is your mysterious power is it?" Kenshin asked as he idle inspected a very small metal arrow.

"An arrow! But there's no bow!" Exclaimed the police chief.

Hinata listened and waited, anxiously hopping the long haired man would step out into the yard to face Kenshin but as he just stood there in the outer doorway it became obvious that he was not going to leave. Hinata looked up and locked eyes with Naruto, who was waiting with rapidly growing impatiens and gave a small nod, the signal to go ahead.

In a blink Naruto have moved himself to the other side of the open doorway so he could see the woman nearest him. Moving forward slightly he looked farther into the room, taking in the position the chief was in, the back of the attacker and where Kenshin was currently standing before he sat back to focus on the woman who was sitting close to the door and only about a meter from where he sat.. Sliding forward again he reached out to grab at the women's sleeve to get her attention so he could get her out of the room, he froze in place as the attacker started to speak again, his voice louder than before.

"I, Hyouko Otowa, with these assassins tools hidden all over my body will bring down any target!" Hyouko exclaimed as he turned, lifting his left hand to attack. "And I will start with that boy right there if he moves another inch." A sick, amused grin spread across his face. "So this is the little nephew that has come to roost with his dear old uncle. I was wondering how long it would take for you to show yourself, after all I was told that you stuck to your uncle like glue and followed him around like a lost little puppy." He said causing Naruto to growl in annoyance.

"You will not harm him, or anyone else here for that matter!" Kenshin barked. "If you wish to duel me then we can meet wherever you would like, but I will not allow you to harm anymore innocent people!"

Hyouko's grin only grew at this. "And what is the famed Battousai going to do, humm? Even with your god like speed I only need a mere second to shoot off my arrow and kill the boy….and two seconds to get the girl too." He said as he moved his head slightly to catch Hinata in his sights. "Such a strange little thing you are….what is with those eyes, can you even see me?" He let out an amused chuckle. "The two of you seem surprised...did you think I wouldn't be able to feel your KI as weak and pathetic as it is?"

"That's enough! You want your revenge so face me!" Kenshin barked at him, his anger and annoyance at the assassin growing.

Hyouko chuckled at this. "I think not." He said as he lowered his left and moved over to the chief, roughly pulling out the sword from his hand causing him to scream in pain. "I am not stupid enough to fight you head-on. That is not the way an assassin kills. Unlike a hitokiri, a true assassin outwits his opponent and catches them off guard." He said, his voice taking on an scolding tone as if he was talking to a small child.

Naruto growled, his anger growing. "COWARD!"

Hyouko looked over at the blonde boy with a chuckle. "Such a loud bark coming from such a small little puppy!" He said, mocking the young shinobi.

"You're a COWARD! You want revenge against Kenshin-jisan, but you refuse to fight him! You hurt innocent people to get his attention and now what are you going to do? Run away?!" He growled out, his anger rising at the man's mocking tone, he started to rise from his crouched position by the door, his fists clenched.

Hyouko outright laughed at this. "Run away?! Oh no dear boy, I am not running away. I was here just to make a point to the Battousai. When it is time for the jinchuu we will see each other again, and I will get my revenge." He said as he dropped two little cubes into his other hand and tossed them into the small Koi pond that was only about three meters from where Kenshin stood. The cubes instantly started producing a thick fog.

Kenshin took a deep breath before the fog hit him. 'What is this….' He wondered. '...is this a poisoned fog?'

"Don't worry Battousai….this fog will only paralyze you for a few minutes." He said as he moved quickly past, and was gone.

Hinata sat there, still frozen, staring at the now empty doorway. 'That man….knew we were here.' She thought, still stunned that he was able to pick up on their presence. As she went to stand, something came in range of her byakugan. Her head snapped up and she looked up through the roof. 'What is…' "Kenshin-sensei! We need to get everyone out now!" She said quickly, her voice filled with urgency as she moved to the younger girl and tried urging her to her feet.

Kenshin's head snapped up at Hinata's voice and he too turned, his body trembling from the poisonous fog, to look to see what she was looking at. Moments later he could sense it too, an incoming attack.

Naruto looked over at her as he moved into the room. "Why? What's.." He said as he started to question her.

"MOVE! EVERYONE OUT OF THE HOUSE NOW!" Kenshin barked as he moved as quickly as he could inside and grabbed the large, heavily injured police officer.

Naruto bolted forward, grabbing at the woman as he moved. Once she was up and moving he grabbed the police chiefs good arm and dragged him out into the back garden right behind Hinata and the girl.

Seconds later the house behind them exploded with the force of the impact sending everyone tumbling forward. Naruto and Hinata were the first to recover and gain their feet. They looked at each other for a moment before turning to look as the cloud of dust and smoke behind them.

Hinata quickly re-activated her byakugan and scanned the smoke.

Naruto's fear was growing with every passing second. "Hinata..Ji-san..is..is he..?"

"H-he's fine…" She said cutting his question off as she breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't long after that his figure could be seen coming out of the smoke as he supported the weight of the large police officer.


Sano stared at the rubble that surrounded him as men moved around helping the injured. He couldn't help but think of how much worse it would have been if he hadn't recognized the thin spiral of smoke from the bomb coming out of the strange person like thing that mask man had been in, or what would his battle against Banjin had been like if his hand hadn't finally healed shortly before Kenshin had returned with his nephew. He raised his right hand and looked at it as blood dripped from the broken skin of his knuckles and sighed.


It was nearly dawn by the time they had gotten the police chief and his officer to the Oguni clinic and settled in the capable hands of Megumi herself. The three of them walked along the street by one of the many canals, lost in their own thoughts as the sun started peeking above the horizon.

Kenshin couldn't help but hear the cries of the chief's family as they sobbed frightened and unsure of why this terrible thing had happened to them.

He sighed heavily as he turned to cross a small bridge. The early morning sun was bright and blinding as he stepped onto the bridge where he froze in his tracks. The silhouette of a man could be seen standing in the center of the bridge. Not recognizing him, he raised his hand to try to block a bit of the light to get a better look.

"Ji-san?" Naruto asked curiously as he too squinted up at the man.

"I don't…." He began, but sucked in a quick breath as a realization hit him. "You're...Enishi!" He took a step back away from the bridge as the air around Enishi seemed to shimmer into the figure of a woman for all of a few seconds. 'Tomoe…' He thought as he took another step away.

"What's wrong Battousai? Are you afraid of me? Or can you see her too? My beloved nee-san."

Naruto growled and stepped towards the bridge. "I don't know who the hell you are but…"

"Naruto NO!" Kenshin said as he quickly reached out and grabbed Naruto's arm, pulling him back. "I want both of you behind me, NOW!" He barked, his eyes never leaving the white haired man on the bridge.

"K-Kenshin-sensei?" Hinata asked nervously as she stepped back to comply. She had never seen him look so nervous and frightened before.

Naruto frowned up at his uncle. "What the hell Ji-san?! Why do you want me too…"

"NOW!" Kenshin barked at the young shinobi again.

Enishi chuckled at the scene before him. "My my, aren't we protective of these two little pests."

"Enishi...you're behind these attacks aren't you?" Kenshin asked, his fear turning to anger as Enishi just stood on the bridge and chuckled at him. "AREN'T YOU!" He barked.

"How long has it been now…." He continued as if Kenshin hadn't just spoken. "...since I last saw you at the battle of Toshifushimi...eleven years?" He asked idly, enjoying watching the way Kenshin shifted ever so slightly in his growing anxiety. "I bet you didn't even know I was there...but I was. You're probably wondering where I went after the Boshin war….aren't you?" He continued on, talking as if they were having a relaxed conversation like two long lost friends. "I went to Shanghai as I couldn't stand to be in a Japan that you helped create!" He growled, his attitude shifting in the blink of an eye. A second passed before he started to chuckle again. "Although I should thank you I suppose….those years spent alone in a foreign land….drinking from mud puddles….eating whatever I could find lying around...fighting sickness, disease and anyone who tried to kill me for the sport of it. Always one step ahead of death...it made me who I am today! I am the leader of the Shanghai mafia now…" He said as he pulled out an ornate gun and pointed it at Kenshin. "...I control a whole continent of illegal arms. Kujiranami's cannon? Gein's explosives? Hoyouko's assassin's weapons? Banjin's Tekkou? You guessed it! All supplied by me!" He laughed as he watched Kenshin's face darken with anger as he stood protectively in front of the two young teens, who peeked out at him with varying degrees of their own anger. "But of course there is more….how did you like Shishio's warship? It was one of the many I own."

"You gave a weapon like that to a madman?!" Kenshin exclaimed as his anger grew. "He would have thrown all of Japan into another war with that ship if I hadn't…" He said as he stepped forward slightly.

Hinata gave a startled squeak as Enishi fired the gun in his hand causing the ground in front of Kenshin to explode and spray dirt in all directions. "Don't...move…"

"Enishi! This is madness! If you wish to exact revenge on me for Tomoe's death then…"

'BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG'

"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK HER NAME!" Enishi barked, his voice thick with anger.

"Enish! I alone am responsible! I alone should answer for her death! Stop dragging innocent people into this!"

"NO! They shall all pay! Everyone you know! Everyone you hold dear shall feel my wrath! This whole country that you made with that bloody sword of yours needs to be destroyed for going on without my sister in it!"

"NO! I will not allow you to slaughter innocent people! I am the one who killed her, so I am the only one who should pay! Even if she would want revenge, Tomoe would never have wanted…" Kenshin stopped as Enishi through his gun at him and hit him upside the head with it.

"YOU WILL NOT SPEAK HER NAME TO ME! YOU WHO KILLED HER HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ME WHAT SHE WOULD OR WOULD NOT HAVE WANTED!" Enishi roared. "YOU SAY HER NAME ONE MORE TIME AND I WILL TURN THIS CITY INTO A SEA OF FLAMES!"

"YOU BASTARD!" Naruto growled from his place just behind Kenshin. He stood, his hands clenched so tightly that his nails had dug painfully into his palms causing them to bleed. "YOU WOULD…."

"NARUTO STOP!" Kenshin barked, cutting off the blonde's tirade.

Enishi laughed again at this. "Such a little spit fire isn't he?" He asked, his voice once again sounding almost friendly. "Although, I suppose you should be glad that nee-san loved peace so much. That is the only reason that I am keeping my revenge to include only a handful of people you know and the only reason that I have recruited only five men that have a grudge against you to help me. So be thankful Battousai. I could have brought this city down around your ears before you even knew what happened."

"Enishi please, don't do this! I will do whatever it takes to appease you, but don't bring innocent people into this!" Kenshin said, his voice laced with desperation.

Enishi grinned as he adjusted his dark tinted glasses. "Consider today my declaration of war upon you and all those you hold dear Battousai. We will meet in five days at the Kamiya dojo to settle this Jinchuu." He said as he turned to move off. "It's too bad that you decided to bring that boy here. Not only do you have less time to prepare, but your precious nephew is going to pay for your sins along with everyone else." He said as he started to walk away.

"Enishi, please! Tell me what I can do to atone for taking your sister from you! Please tell me what you want from me!" Kenshin said, becoming more and more desperate, wanting to find a way to save his friends and nephew from paying for his sins.

Enishi paused and looked back at him. "There is nothing you can do to change my mind….and as for what I want, it's quite simple. I want you to suffer." With that he was gone.


Kaoru moved into the dining room, carefully setting the tray down. "I don't know why they aren't back yet." She said as she set out the tea.

Eh, I wouldn't worry too much. Kenshin's strong and he has Hinata and Naruto to back him up if he gets into a pinch." Sano said as he reached for a cup.

"You're acting awfully blase about this." Megumi said as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't you think you are putting too much faith into those two kids? I know you said that they are shinobi and not to worry but what kind of fighting experience do you really think they have? Not to mention that if something happened to Ken-san…."

"Kaoru-san! Kaoru-san!" Tsubame called as she ran across the yard. "They're back! They're coming up the street now!" She said as she skidded to a halt by the engawa outside the open dining room shoji.

Everyone quickly rose and rushed out of the house to the gate. Kaoru rounded the end of the dojo just as the gate opened and a thunderous looking Naruto bolted into the complex and made a beeline for the dojo.

"Naruto what…" Kaoru called, trying to catch his attention but was only met with sound of him slamming the dojo's wooden door shut.

She turned back to the gate as Hinata stepped in through the gate. She had a stressed look about her and was wringing her hands in her anxiety. She was followed closely by Kenshin who kept his head down and his features mostly hidden by his bangs. Kaoru sucked in a breath at the look on his face. His features were pulled with strain and he had a look of exhaustion about him that she was not used to seeing in the rurouni. But it was his eyes that made her heart nearly stop. His eyes were hollow and he looked like he was miles away. "Kenshin…" She said quietly as he passed near where she was standing. "...are you alright? Would you like something to eat or do you just want to rest for a while?" She asked, her heart clenching at how haunted he looked.

He turned his head slightly towards her. "I...am fine." He answered quietly. "I just wish to rest, that I do." He said as he moved off to the house.

Kaoru turned to Hinata, who was still standing in the courtyard looking torn as to what to do. "Hinata...what happened? What made Kenshin look like that...I've never seen him so..so...I don't know…"

Hinata's eyes darted between where Kenshin had disappeared to and the dojo where Naruto had run too before settling on Kaoru. "W-well, we met the one behind the Jinchuu on our way home. H-he has declared war on Kenshin-sensei and they will be here in five days to fight." She said causing Kaoru's eyes to widen. "The man, h-his name is Enishi, want's Kenshin-sensei to suffer and..he wants to take his vengeance out on everyone he is close to because he lost his sister to Kenshin-sensei. He wouldn't tell us more though. Naruto tried talking to him to get more details on our walk home b-but he wouldn't tell us anything." She said, the worry evident in her voice.

Kaoru looked towards the house. 'Kenshin…' She sighed, knowing that there would be no answers until he was ready to talk. "Thank you Hinata. I made some breakfast so why don't you go get some food for yourself and bring some to Naruto too, I'm sure he's hungry."

"A-alright." Hinata said as she moved away towards the house herself. Several minutes later she was moving quietly back towards the dojo balancing a tray with a plate of some mal-formed onigiri and two cups of tea on it. She carefully slid open the door and entered the dim interior of the dojo. Once inside, she slid the door closed and scanned the interior, finding Naruto sitting in the corner, his head back, eyes closed and his arms hanging limply over his bent knees. "Naruto-kun, I-I brought something to eat. Kaoru-sensei made tea and onigiri…" She said quietly as she approached.

Naruto cracked open his eyes and looked up at her, his own exhaustion becoming more apparent as his anger and frustration faded. "Thanks but I'm not hungry." He replied as he closed his eyes again.

Hinata set down the tray, careful not to spill the tea, before she moved and kneeled next to him. "P-please Naruto-kun...it's been a long night, you need to eat something and get some sleep."

He sighed as he opened his eyes again, turning slightly he looked at her. "Am I crazy to think there is more to this Enishi guy than Ji-san will tell us?" He asked.

Hinata looked down for a moment before replying. "N-no...Kenshin-sensei seemed very upset to see him. It was almost like he was looking at someone who was supposed have died long ago….or something." Hinata replied, her voice thoughtful. "D-did you see his eyes…." She asked.

"Yeah….they remind me of Gaara's when he went to fight bushy brows." He said as he looked away thoughtfully. "He's...not right in the head or something."

"Y-yeah." She agreed. "That makes him even more dangerous too." She said as she shifted a bit. "There is no way to reason with a mad man…."

He sighed as he closed his eyes once again. "No there's not." He agreed quietly. "But we have to figure out a way to keep everyone safe Hinata….I don't want anyone to die...I don't want..." His voice cracked as strong emotions started flowing through him again. "...to lose the only family I've ever known."

Hinata reached out and gently placed her hand on his arm, drawing his attention to her once again. She looked him in the eyes and mustered all the confidence she could. "W-we'll find a way Naruto-kun. We'll keep everyone alive and find a way to defeat this Enishi person."

Naruto blinked at her for a moment before giving her a small smile. "Yeah we will." He said. "Together we can find a way...right Hinata?" He said as he gently placed his hand on top of hers.

Hinata blushed at the contact, but smiled back. "Y-yes."

"Good." He replied as he sat up a little straighter. "Well, we can't beat this guys ass if we don't eat, right? So let's see just how bad Kaoru-sensei's cooking is." He said as he leaned forward and reached for the tray of food.


Kenshin sat bolt upright, his heart thundering in his ears, his breath coming in short, panicked gasps. "NO!" He cried out as his bleary eyes took in his surroundings. 'I-I'm in...my room..at the dojo.' He thought as the worked to get himself calmed. 'It was just a dream..no...a nightmare.' He thought as he slowly moved to stand. 'I wonder how long I slept…' He sighed as he adjusted his clothes and moved to pick up his sakabato from its stand. As he reached for his sword he noticed the olive green book sitting next to the swords stand. 'Nee-san….I have failed so many people that were precious to me…' He thought as he reached for the book instead. He held it carefully in his hands, his fingers gently rubbing the well worn cover. 'Always keeping them at a distance, afraid that my bloody past will taint them too…but they are still not safe are they? So, what are you trying to tell me nee-san? Is it finally time to tell them the truth? I know you would want him to know at least...I just hope Jiraiya-dono will not be too upset with me.' He carefully tucked the book away in his kimono before reaching once again for his sword. Once his sword was in place he quietly left the room.