A great hole ripped through the sealing paper as my brush streaked across harshly. All I could hear was a strange ringing and the loud pulsing of blood pumping. A prickling sensation began in my fingertips and slowly bled into my limbs. She was facing me with steadfast eyes and a strong posture. Not once had her eyes left mine. They didn't betray any worry nor grief. The message she was sending was loud and clear. Konoha needs me.

I threw myself at her. I howled. I screamed.

My hands wrung the back of her kimono. My tears drowned her front. Nothing was functioning as I wanted. I had planned for this. I had planned to accept it, show a reassuring smile or give her a warm hug. Not this. I was beside myself with anger. Anger that I couldn't place on one thing. All I could think about was kaa-chan and losing her.

The morning kaa-chan left, she gave me the longest hug. She then pulled away and bared her perfect white teeth in a wide grin. It was the cheeky Senju special. She always said that nobody could pull a smile that bright without some Senju magic at work. And I would always retort her logic with why the genes hadn't done their job on Tobirama. She dumped her fist onto my head every single time.

Uncle stood a little ways behind us with a grim look. Kaa-chan turned around to give him a resounding smack to the back as if to say 'lighten up, for Kareha', and then proceeded to drag him into a group hug. Uncle had originally not been deployed until a week later. But he threw a massive tantrum in the Hokage's office, demanding to be deployed with kaa-chan or not at all. I guess the Hokage didn't need to think twice about granting Konoha's White Fang his wish.

I'm glad he remembered the promise we made on the first night of our arrival in Konoha. He said he would protect kaa-chan. I clenched my fists tightly. Uncle would be able to protect kaa-chan.

I put on a strong front and gave her hand a squeeze before letting it slip from mine. She threw behind a two fingered salute, throwing an arm around uncle's shoulder before stepping through the Konoha gates. Her hair whipped about her as she left, brown locks swaying like a flag in the air. Like an omen to the beginning of an end, for far too many.

I strained my eyes as far as they could go, following their outlines as they disappeared into the thick foliage. Shishou appeared a few hours later, placing a light hand on my shoulder. I allowed her to pull me into her shoulder and I finally let the tears fall. My nose buried into her shirt. Shishou was warm and had a distinct floral scent, a lot like kaa-chan's. I felt her fingers run through my hair. "Kareha-chan, do you know what shishou's favourite phrase is? Don't give up til the very end! And we haven't even begun, my little disciple. Nothing has even begun."

After Uncle and kaa-chan had left, I stayed with Shishou. For some reason despite her prowess on the field, she was saddled with seal duty. I understood that Shishou was possibly the best seal master in the village, but to waste her other abilities like that… it didn't make sense. She didn't seem keen on answering to my curiosity either and so I left it at that. Shishou seemed very uncomfortable with it also, seeming antsy all the time, probably from being sidelined whilst the others got in the midst of action.

We took up the same routine again. Mornings were spent with me practicing seals and shishou making bentos for Team 7. We would visit them on the training field and Kakashi and I would beat down on Obito. And for variety's sake, Kushina would sometimes join in and beat down on Obito also. Minato had no way of controlling us, so he gave up ages ago, forcing out sheepish laughter at the situation. Rin, the angel that we didn't deserve, still tried her best to get us to let up on the goggled idiot. And honestly, if he were a tad less idiotic, I probably would've let Rin have her way. Too bad Uchihas were predisposed to be senseless twats that lacked tact when it came to women.

Today was going to be good I said to myself. Why? Because I would finally work on the next part of the hiraishin. It was going to be another arduous process of experimenting, but I was moving somewhere. And with a few little cheeky pointers from shishou, I'll be flying in no time. Yanking open my sealing supplies I realised we had ran out of ink. I alerted shishou who adopted a disturbed expression. It must've been an out of body experience for an Uzumaki to run out of sealing ink. With a serious face, she slapped some money into my hands and announced gravely, "Take this and rectify the sin that we've sacrilegiously embraced." Looking skyward she whispered, "Grandfather, I apologise for this unholy disrespect." She then stood up ramrod straight and returned to cooking robotically.

I did exactly as told and entered into the shopping district. Many of the stores had closed for obvious reasons and would not be opened for quite some time. I was forced to head to Old Crabby for my sealing supplies. Old Crabby is what I dubbed the old man who runs arguably the best sealing store in Konoha. Unfortunately he also happens to be the geezer that gave me snarky suggestions with finding a sealing teacher. What he didn't know, was that Senjus and gudges mixed together like milk and chocolate powder. I had vowed to never enter his store again. Alas, the war has forced many a compromises upon me lately.

I shuffled into the store, avoiding eye contact with Old Crabby and pulled a couple of ink pots into my arms before depositing them on the counter with a bit of cash. Out of my periphery I saw Old Crabby give me a disgruntled look and his lips curl. I ignored this and tapped my foot waiting for the transaction to go through. He gave me the change which I accepted wordlessly. Sealing the ink pots into a storage scroll I left, triumphant that we had not exchanged a single word.

That'll show him to mess with a valuable customer. Next time, he better think again before sending me to some drunk ass in a bathhouse. Wait. Drunk ass. I hummed to myself thoughtfully, mind whirring into overdrive. Drunk ass…Bathhouse… Perverted sannin… a shiver went down my spine…Jiraiya.

I had half the mind to go back and apologise to Old Crabby, begging for his forgiveness on my knees. But I reconsidered my options. Jiraiya was a horrible person to send a little girl to. Old Crabby had not considered my safety when he tried booting me off to that perverted bozo. In my books – and mind you, the whole female population's book – that was worse than leading me astray with an incapable sealing teacher. Upon that realisation, I stormed off even angrier than I came.

Passing by an alleyway, I caught my eye on a few kids beating up a hunched up figure on the floor. Now normally I would walk on and pretend I had seen nothing. After all, the kids all seemed to be at least genin and I wasn't one to take chances. If there was one thing Shikaku taught me, it was not to pick fights you couldn't finish on your own terms. And getting beaten to a bloody pulp was most definitely not the terms I'm stating. However, a sense of familiarity stirred in me, causing me to observe a little longer. I began distinguishing Uchiha chakra and that always forebode misfortune. I cursed my selective altruism for choosing this moment to activate itself.

Putting my hands on either side of my face, I hollered, "Hey, dipshits! Over here. How about you sit your asses down here and let me wipe the floor with you?" The colourful language was necessary, I repeated in my mind, hoping to quell kaa-chan's anger halfway across the world. It certainly caught the attention of some menacing genin. They all turned around to face little ole me, snarling like rabid dogs. I started running.

I left behind an illusion of myself running in the opposite direction and antagonising the genin further. The real me, took a more self-preserving route and ran into a shop with a henge. With my luck, I managed to single out Old Crabby's store. The geezer stared at me for the longest time. I levelled him a nonchalant look, giving a shrug and exiting like the cool lass I was. The hotness creeping up my neck and darkening of my cheeks were just my imagination.

I hurried back to the alleyway to evacuate the Uchiha victim before the genin made their return. I was too exhilarated at that point to question the genin's inability to see through relatively simple genjutsu. But later that night, it would haunt me for hours as I mused over the ninja academy's competence.

I stared and stared. No matter how many bruises the guy managed to accumulate on his face, it didn't manage to eradicate the annoyance I felt every time I laid eyes on it. As lady luck would have it – she was awfully sprucy today – I became the saviour of Uchiha Wakane. My best friend.

Pulling his arm across my shoulder, I heaved him up with all my might and hustled us on out of there. We took refuge on the outskirts of the Nara Forest where I was sure we wouldn't be targeted. Leaning him against a tree, I propped a hand against my hip and looked down on him. He turned his head and averted his gaze to the side in defiance.

"Where's all your 'I challenge you to a fight' bravado? That only come out when you face little girls?" I scoffed when he didn't answer me. "Why'd you let your own kinsman attack you? Kind of mean of them, isn't it? Makes me question how you turned out less if the rest of them are like that."

He tensed visibly and a scowl made its way across his expression. I shrugged casually. "Not that I really care. I've learnt to not expect much from you Uchihas." I turned around, striding away from him.

"Well, isn't that just typical of a Senju."

I narrowed my eyes, fingers curling into a fist. He just had to go run his mouth, didn't he? "What is typical of a Senju? Saving your stupid Uchiha ass and then getting attacked because your pride can't handle it? Getting tossed away like we don't mean anything to you?" I snorted. "Now that's typical of an Uchiha." I paced out of the Nara property angrily, missing the widening of Wakane's eyes and his shocked silence. I almost bumped into Shikaku as he walked into the compound. He skirted around me, holding me upright as he did so.

"Wow, hold on there. Why are you in such a hurry?"

I blinked up at him, suddenly aware of my surroundings. "Sorry, chakra sensitivity must've short circuited." I mumbled. "Also, I'm not in a hurry. I normally walk this fast."

He gives me an appraising look a lets out an airy, "Huh." "Well since you're here, want to go for a game of shougi?"

I gave a vehement shake of the head, reciting sagely, "Never pick a fight you can't finish on your own terms." That piece of advice, oh how you've served me today.

He gave a laugh and ruffled my hair. "I see you've taken the particular lesson to heart."

"I sure have…"

"At least stay for lunch. Your godmother misses you a lot."

I sighed. "You always sacrifice me to be the stuffed chicken."

"Consider it an honour. She doesn't let me try any of the food before the guests arrive." His hand began guiding me back into the compound.

"It's torture! Heavenly torture but still torture!"

He let out a dismissive snort. "Fine, but can I entice you with Inoichi and Chouza coming around? You love Inoichi."

"No I don't! I said he gave me the creeps!"

"Oh, I wouldn't think too hard on that around him. He might pick up on your thoughts."

"Don't say that, now it's going to be all I think about!"

I jumped between Minato and Kushina early that morning, wedging myself between their snuggling. This elicited soft groans from Minato and an annoyed huff from Kushina. "Wake up kiddos! Today's a special day!"

Minato opened a bleary eye. "It is?"

I gave him an approving nod. "I stand corrected." Putting up my index finger, I amended myself. "It will become a special day."

Kushina now brought herself into a sitting position, considering me with an amused countenance. "Oh, and how's that?"

"Well, you know how Obito's afraid of loud noises and dark spaces?"

"Yes, as a result of Kakashi and your pranking."

I nodded impatiently, "Yes, yes, the pranking. Anyway, I have a way to get rid of it. You know, before it sabotages your next mission."

"I should be in," shishou paused with impact, "Depending on the details of your plan."

I patted shishou on the leg condescendingly, "Oh you don't worry about a thing, the plan is already in motion."

I activated a seal on my wrist having it glow a hot red. Putting my lips to it I whisper, "Agent Broiled Fish, come in."

A bit of static came through along with the response. "Agent Broiled Fish to base. Operation Goggled Idiot, status: 10 minutes past commenced. Over."

"Well done, Agent. I will proceed to the next location now. Over."

A new voice sounded. "Kurenai and I are on standby." An enraged voice immediately took over. "You can't reveal your identities! That's not youthful at all Asuma-kun!"

"You just revealed my identity, Gai."

I face palmed. "Agents, please. Use your assigned nicknames and reconvene to our meeting place."

"Yosh! Agent Mushroom is fired up. Over."

"Right, begin phase two. Clear."

The glow of the seal faded. I grinned at the shocked looks of Minato and shishou. "Let's get going for the show, shall we?" I held my arms up for them to take, sneaking a playful wink at both of them.

Ten minutes later, we were hiding out in a tree, newspaper strung across our faces. I checked my watch and looked up to sight Kakashi tailing an oblivious Obito. Coming from the other side, was Asuma and Kurenai, engaged in a conversation with Rin. They were conveniently staged in front of a sizeable hole which had miraculous chakra negating abilities. Most definitely naturally occurring. Most definitely. At the exact moment Kakashi caught eye with Kurenai, the red eyed chunnin gave a mighty shove towards Rin, knocking her into the hole. Obito who caught all this in action, ran forwards, poking his head over the edge of the hole. "Rin! Are you ok?" His voice bounced around in the large hole comically.

There was a faint, 'yes' and a boisterous, 'Yosh!' Obito squinted into the darkness, "Gai, are you down there also?"

"Oh youthful friend of mine! I'm stuck in this formidable opponent that prevents any chakra usage!" I nodded proudly, a convincing display from Gai indeed.

Obito paled noticeable. Kurenai burst into tears. "I'm so sorry Rin! This is all my fault. I totally lost balance and pushed you into the hole! Now you'll never be able to get out!" She pulled her hands away from her blotchy face just to scream, "I'm a murderer!" before descending into more sobs and wails.

Obito cringed away from her loud apologising and tried to assess the situation. He gave one look at the deep, dark hole before scuttling backwards on his hands and feet. "K-kakashi! You need to help Rin!"

Asuma chose this moment to elbow Obito in the side. Everything was going to plan. "Obito, don't be stupid. If you get Kakashi to save her, then you'll just be helping them get together. This is the typical knight in shining armour moment. You need to take advantage of it and save her yourself." He hissed inconspicuously to him.

I bobbed my head approvingly. Very believable. Obito gulped, shooting a frightened look towards the hole once more. In a predictable fashion, he straightened up and broadened his shoulders. "Of course, I'll be the one to save her!" "Don't worry Rin! I'm coming to get you!"

I looked over to my left to see Minato's eyes shining with unshed tears at the brilliant display of teamwork. Shishou on my right was cracking her knuckles menacingly. "Rin-chan is not a damsel in distress." For someone with bad hearing, she sure was adept at picking out the things that offended her.

I shrugged, "After lots of brainstorming and great ideas, we've decided the only things that ever motivate Obito is one, Rin and two, his grandmother's wrath. We took the easy way out with enlisting Rin's help."

Shishou relaxed at this. "At least Rin knows what she's getting into."

"Oh no, Rin has no idea what this is about. For all she knows, she's just stuck in a dark hole waiting for Obito to fish her out."

Shishou gaped at me. I gave her an ear-splitting grin.

Suddenly, a tainted chakra streaks past a few kilometres to the north. A familiar wind natured chakra followed almost immediately. I focused hard, closing my eyes and picturing the two chakra signatures flitting through the trees. I could see a tall figure shadowing the smaller tainted chakra with ferocious tenacity. The wind chakra was closing in, fast.

I dropped my newspaper and sprinted after them. The wind chakra was the same one I had encountered on that day. They had killed a Konoha kunoichi and they're probably going after another one now. My lips curled back as I clenched my teeth. I've had enough of unnecessary slaughter, especially that of friendly fire. Our own people picking each other off in a time of war. It was disgusting.

I flinched as a leaf split my cheek. The two chakras had engaged in combat but it was extremely one sided. More of a beat down than anything. The tainted chakra burst out in a wild explosion but was quashed without much effort from the other individual. A shiver shot down my back at the dark chakra that spilled out like an unending pool of pitch black, suffocating the other signature like it was a weak flame.

As I rushed forth, the wind chakra perked up, receding its chakra and disappeared without a trace. I didn't catch more than a blur of black before landing in the clearing. The figure on the floor was unmoving. There was no chakra response. Not even a flicker in its signature. As I neared the body, it suddenly caught aflame and was reduced to ashes in a matter of seconds.

I stared unseeingly, hand still suspended to reach out to the body that was no longer there. There had been a person, alive a few moments ago. Blood pumping, chakra pulsing, breathing the same air I was breathing now. Right here, in this clearing. Their existence had been completely eradicated, like it had never existed in the first place.

A second later, Minato burst into the clearing. I turned my red rimmed eyes to him, not knowing what to say, how to explain the life lost before me.