Warbling birds could be heard clearly, their songs drifting in through the open window. Curtain fabric, caught in the wind, rustled. A glorious stream of sunlight beamed into the room.

The first thing you were aware of when you awoke, was a pair of arms hugging you like a pillow. You giggled when you heard Naomi snoring faintly at your side. Despite her age, she was really very child-like. Perhaps because she'd been imprisoned for so long…

Last night, you shared your bed with your sister. Though Naomi had her own bed, she stuck around since you were so melancholy after visiting your parent's grave.

You were about to fall peacefully back asleep when Naomi flinched and shot her arm upwards – smacking you in the face.

You yelped and grabbed your nose, "Aagh, Naomi-chan!"

She didn't stir, still snoozing away tranquilly. You were tempted to smack her in retaliation and wake her up too, but you decided to play nice and slipped out from her grasp. Since you were definitely awake now, you got up to get ready for the day.

You almost didn't recognize your surroundings. Yesterday seemed unreal. Had you really returned back to Konoha? Apparently so, since you were knocked senselessly awake by your very real sister.

Looking at the time, you realized that you'd probably have to get to the Hokage's office soon for your report. Usually once you woke up, you'd be ready to head out after eating breakfast since you slept in your clothes. Traveling with Sasuke wasn't exactly a life of luxury. Living nomadically and constantly moving meant you had to travel lightly.

However, at the moment you were wearing a satiny, lace trimmed kimono robe. It was super comfy, but you definitely couldn't wear this out in public. Fumbling unsteadily for your clothes, you grabbed your things and headed into the bathroom to change.

o-o-o-o-o-o

*knock knock*

There was a sharp rap at the door. Your grandmother was awake and answered before you could. A familiar voice spoke to her.

"It's good to see you, dear. Aren't you sweet? Coming to pick up Aiko-chan." Tsubaki cooed gleefully, "I'm glad she's already making friends."

Nearing the entryway, you caught sight of Sakura smiling bashfully at your grandmother. "It's really nothing."

'Grandma thinks Sakura wants to be friends?' You sarcastically grimaced.

It was obvious that Sakura was only hanging around because you had information on Sasuke. Of course, you weren't going to tell your grandmother that. Wrapping Tsubaki into a brief hug, you introduced the two hastily.

Without wasting any time, you headed out with the pink haired kunoichi. Sure enough, once you'd taken a few steps away from home, Sakura was quick to say, "Today I'd like to ask about Sasuke-kun after your report. Yesterday you seemed weary, so I saved the questioning."

While you could think of many other things you'd rather do than be interrogated by Sakura, you couldn't avoid her forever, "Okay. Thanks for taking it easy on me."

Leaving Team Taka was still too new and too many things had happened. Yesterday, you didn't want to be bothered about the subject. Today, you felt rested and could think clearly.

"No problem…" Sakura nodded as she ambled down the road, lost in thought.

Though she was kind of out of it, she stayed focused on her task. At the moment, you both were en route to Naruto's home. Tsunade had requested Sakura wake him up and make sure he was on time to help a decryption team.

Walking with Sakura was a noiseless, almost awkward affair. However, the town was bustling with life - even though it was so early in the morning. You easily zoned out until you arrived at a small apartment complex.

Sakura deafeningly knocked on one of the doors, as if she was furious at it and wanted to break it down.

"You've got to knock loud or the idiot will never hear you." She explained when you stared at her incredulously.

You shrugged and waited. When there was no answer, Sakura pounded further. "Naruto, you lazy oaf! This is your wake up call! Get to the decryption lab!"

Five minutes later the door crept open and a zombie with blonde hair sulked out – jacket unzipped and clothes disheveled.

"I got you some breakfast. Let's go." She handed the blonde an apple.

You didn't really pay too much attention to him at Orochimaru's lair, but though Naruto looked haggard, you noted how much he had grown. He was a short kid when you'd first met him, but now he was definitely taller than you were.

"Yeah, yeah, Sakura-chan. Thanks." Naruto took the apple lazily.

"Good morning, Naruto-san." When Naruto heard your greeting, his eyes landed on you with confusion. Apparently he was just now noticing your existence.

"Eh, who're you?" His speech was sleepily slurred.

"You don't remember her, Naruto? She helped us out during the chūnin exams. Her name's Mizushima Aiko-san." Sakura condescendingly stated – as if she had remembered you immediately herself.

You gave Sakura a pointed look. She shrunk back slightly, giggling nervously.

"Uhhh…" Naruto thought for a moment, his mouth hanging agape.

"We even saw her at Orochimaru's lair when we were hunting for Sasuke-kun. You really don't remember her from something that recent?" Sakura recovered from her chagrin and tried to help Naruto jog his memory.

"I don't remember her at Orochimaru's…" Naruto scratched his head and viewed you from all angles. "And at the chūnin exams, I thought the girl that helped us was called by a different name. I guess she does kinda look similar."

"She was called by her code name, Mizu, though her real name is Aiko-san."

All of a sudden, Naruto perked up, his bright blue eyes sparkling.

"You have a code name, Aiko-chan? Ne, ne, what for? Are you in secret ops or something cool like that?" Naruto grinned at you excitedly. You couldn't help but giggle at his giddiness.

"You mean, ANBU, Naruto?" Sakura corrected.

"Whatever you wanna call it." Naruto brushed her off, staring at you inquisitively.

"I'm affiliated with Root. Though I'm petitioning the Hokage to become a regular shinobi." You smiled.

Naruto was thoroughly shocked, "Eh, No way!? You're part of the same organization as Sai, but you're nothing like him. You even smiled and laughed just now!"

"Hmm, good point. Sai was very bad with emotions and social interactions when we first met him. He's livelier now, but…" Sakura gazed at you carefully, "You don't seem to have his problem."

"Sai really has changed. He lives for himself now and wants to get in touch with his emotions. Root discourages such things. It's required that Root operatives go through emotion training. Sai completed his, but I didn't."

"Oh… that doesn't sound pleasant." Sakura frowned.

"What is emotion training anyways?" Naruto's eyebrows furrowed.

Your hazel orbs hardened. "Simply put, it's controlling your emotions to always put the mission first. For this, you have to kill a close friend. It's an inhumane practice, but it's to teach you that on missions, you're supposed to not care about your comrade's lives. You leave them behind if they inconvenience the mission or put it at jeopardy."

"Wait, whaaat?!" Naruto was flabbergasted - tears sprung from his eyes. "Sai's been subjected to something so horrible!? That's not fair! You were almost subjected to it too, Aiko-chan! When I become Hokage, I'll eradicate such training methods. Believe it!"

It was hard not to be touched by Naruto's passion and empathy. He really was a nice guy. Offhandedly, you wished Sasuke would be kinder towards him. After all, Naruto considered Sasuke a friend and was still searching for him after all this time – even though Sasuke had willingly defected from Konoha.

Suddenly, a flash of realization struck Naruto. He scrutinized you and inched closer to your face. "Wait! You were with Sasuke, right? What can you tell me about him and why hasn't he returned!?"

With a scowl, you backed away a bit since Naruto was invading your personal space. He was also giving you a headache since he was shouting so close to your ears and making a fuss.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You realized that only now, Naruto? Anyways, I'm already going to ask her some questions later. You can join me."

"Yeah, now's a bad time. It's getting late. We should be getting to the Hokage's office already." You redirected the conversation. You were 100% sure that Sakura was going to be present for your report to Tsunade – and probably Naruto too now. Hopefully all of their questions would be answered so that you wouldn't have to talk about Sasuke so much anymore.

Mentioning him was getting painful. You already wanted to see him again, but you weren't naïve. There was no way you could possibly see Sasuke now that you left Team Taka… and you weren't even sure if Sasuke cared to see you either. The thought of rejection made your chest heavy.

"Ahh! Look at the time! Let's hurry guys." Sakura rushed off hastily. Naruto looked at you intently and curiously, but followed the pink haired kunoichi.

o-o-o-o-o-o

As soon as you entered the large, cool building that housed the Hokage's office, Shizune bustled up to your group. "You're here! Tsunade-sama is waiting for your report, Aiko. Naruto, you're needed with the decryption team."

Naruto vehemently shook his head. "First, I need to go with Sakura-chan and Aiko-chan to visit granny-Tsunade!"

"Uhhumm… I'm not so sure you should go, Naruto. The decryption team needs you."

The whole way here, Naruto kept giving you weird stares. He probably wouldn't stop until he found out what he wanted to know about the willful Uchiha. "I don't think having Naruto-san around would be unwelcome. He should go. My report isn't that long anyways."

Naruto brightened at your words. "Yeah, what she said!"

"In that case, I guess it's okay. Just don't get in the way." Shizune sternly warned the blonde.

This early in the morning, the hallways were mostly empty. Tsunade was sitting at her desk, patiently reviewing a bundle of paperwork.

"Good morning you two." She greeted you and Sakura cordially. Once Naruto rushed into the room, she seemed disturbed, "Naruto, why are you here?"

"I have to listen to Aiko-chan's report about Sasuke!"

You cleared your throat, "Just so you know, my report isn't particularly about Sasuke. It's about my activities away from Konoha."

"Yeah, but you have information on Sasuke so it's basically the same thing." Naruto reasoned. You shrugged and dropped the topic.

"Alright, that's fine." Tsunade sighed, massaging her temples. "However, immediately after our conversation she will be going with Kakashi to seal her curse mark. I expect you to leave her alone after she's done reporting."

Naruto gulped, as if he'd been caught. After all, he was planning on questioning you further after your report.

"You have a cursed seal like Sasuke-kun's?" Sakura openly gaped, her gaze landing on your collarbones.

"For a while now, yes. It was a gift from Orochimaru." You said dryly.

"That's right!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, "Now that I think about it, I saw you with Sasuke more recently than that time at Orochimaru's lair, right?"

"How much more recently?" Sakura pressed.

"Before that aloe vera guy and man with an orange mask stopped us, I sent an army of shadow clones out to look for Sasuke. When I found Sasuke, I saw her traveling right next to him!" Naruto was frantic, but jubilant – as if he'd just found a missing piece of a puzzle he was working on.

He must've been trying really hard to remember anytime he'd encountered you now that Sasuke was involved.

"You were with Sasuke-kun even after Orochimaru's death…?" Sakura zoomed in on you, appraising you more carefully than she ever had before. Her jealously reared itself. She seemed even more pissed than yesterday, yet interested.

You shifted uncomfortably under her unforgiving glare.

"Let's not waste time on speculation. Quiet down or I'll have to ask you to leave. You may begin, Aiko." Tsunade propped herself up on her elbows lazily, lacing her long fingers together.

You nodded obediently and moved closer to the Hokage so she could hear you clearly.

Naruto and Sakura unconsciously leaned in, so as to not miss anything.

"You already know my background. Since you want to know about my activities outside of Konoha, I'll start off from the time I was kidnapped."

Tsunade nodded once. You took a deep breath and began, "About three years ago, I was returning from a mission as Root operative when Orochimaru's men ambushed me and a few others. I'll skip the small details, but I ended up having to serve Orochimaru."

"Can you tell me more about why Orochimaru would want to kidnap you?" The Godaime gently asked.

"Orochimaru wanted the power of the Mizushima kekkei-genkai. While Shinajii amplifies the abilities of other shinobi, it especially amplifies dōjutsu. Orochimaru wanted me to enhance the Sharingan he sought to obtain for himself. Out of the entire Mizushima clan, only two members have currently obtained Shinajii – me and my sister. Thus, I was targeted."

"I see, do continue." The Hokage urged.

"I found myself living at Orochimaru's base. Seldom did I go on missions for him. I doubt anything I did would be of benefit for Konoha to know. The missions were either minor such as delivering information scrolls, or I wasn't aware of the whole plan."

"Draw up a written report as soon as possible and I'll go over the information anyways. Any inside information could be beneficial."

"Okay, I'll have a written report ready as soon as possible. After living and training with Orochimaru for about two and a half years, Sasuke killed his master and I gained my freedom - as did many other prisoners. I had the option to come back to Konoha or even go to Kiri and investigate my parent's death. Nevertheless, I ended up joining Sasuke's team. He was gathering a group to aid him with his ambitions of killing Uchiha Itachi. Since Itachi was part of Akatsuki and a danger to Konoha, I decided to help."

As soon as the words were out of your mouth, you felt like a liar. You didn't go with Sasuke only because killing an S-ranked criminal was for the good of Konoha. You went because you wanted to help the Uchiha with a task that was vital to him.

You admit that you felt a bit lost at the time. Nobody was waiting for you in Konoha and you were hesitant to investigate your clan alone. However, everything worked out for the better. Because you joined Team Taka and aided Sasuke with his quest, he helped you investigate your clan and now you live together with your grandparents and sister.

"It appears that Sasuke's team succeeded. Uchiha Itachi is indeed dead, as I've confirmed from various sources. What happened after Itachi was killed?" Tsunade's voice snapped you from your thoughts.

"After Itachi had been defeated, Sasuke met someone… and that person told Sasuke something that… changed him." Behind you, Naruto and Sakura tensed.

"What was Sasuke told?" The blonde Hokage quirked an eyebrow.

"He found out that Itachi was actually a victim - ordered to kill the Uchiha clan by Konoha higher ups. When Sasuke found out about his brother's sacrifice for Konoha's peace, he declared that he'd destroy the village - or at least the top tier. I left when he joined forces with Akatsuki." By the time you finished, your tone was somber and your head was clouded with thoughts of the vengeful Uchiha.

It really was more painful to talk about Sasuke aloud than you had thought… You regretted leaving without even a farewell.

'I can't believe I was such a coward. I wanted to avoid confrontation and good-byes so much that I didn't part on a good note.' While you were berating yourself mentally, Naruto was freaking out.

"What? What!? What!? Sasuke joined Akatsuki?" The blonde screamed.

Sakura was nearly in tears, sniffling away, "He wouldn't, you're lying!"

"I wish I was lying…" You frowned, "Sasuke joined forces with Akatsuki out of convenience. Both Sasuke and Akatsuki have the same goal of crushing Konoha."

Tsunade calmly asked, "Who was this man that informed Sasuke of Itachi's sacrifice?"

"All I know about him is that he's the leader of Akatsuki, he wears an orange mask, and he calls himself Uchiha Madara."

"Madara?" The Hokage scoffed, but was shaken all the same. "That man could be someone whose merely using a powerful name, but I'll have to look into this information all the same. If he's really Madara, then this matter is more serious than I thought."

"Sasuke-kun is… Sasuke-kun wants revenge on Konoha for his brother?" Sakura held herself together long enough for the question to spill out. She clenched your sleeve, almost pleading you to refute the notion.

"Yes. Sasuke merely found out the truth of the scenario surrounding his clan's murder. Now he wishes to avenge his loving, older brother." Your reply was monotonous as swallowed your emotions. "Sasuke only wants revenge on the higher ups who ordered Itachi to kill his brethren. However, attacking Konoha's higher ups will no doubt cause many other deaths – shinobi and civilian alike."

Naruto growled, but you disregarded the menacing sound and paid attention to Tsunade. Her hands tightened around each other ever so slightly - almost unnoticeably.

"I can confirm that the information you have pertaining to Itachi is the truth. I was informed of the events surrounding the Uchiha clan massacre by my advisors. When word of Itachi's death circulated, they told me much." Tsunade gravely stated. "I had heard that the 3rd was trying to make peace agreements with the Uchiha. My advisors weren't clear on who exactly ordered the Uchiha clan to be massacred. Perhaps it was a joint agreement. Do you know anything?"

"The elder councilors and Danzo-! Urgh!" Once you spoke Danzo's name, your throat seized up and your tongue stopped obeying your commands. "They… conspired together!"

"Danzo was… argh! ….Impatient with … 3rd's methods…" You clasped at your burning throat futilely.

"Aiko-chan?!" Naruto's big blue eyes widened in alarm.

"What's happening?!" Sakura shrieked.

Soon you would be completely unable to speak because your whole body would go numb. The trap seal on your tongue was powerful. You had never triggered it before, but it was a force to be reckoned with.

"Danzo circumvented… 3rd… ordered Itachi… kill..." You gasped for breath and fell to your knees.

"Aiko! Damn it! Shizune, get Kakashi!" Tsunade roared. Shizune flew out of the room.

Root members gracefully flit into Tsunade's office, surrounding you. One of them said, "We will take you to Danzo, don't struggle."

"I order you to back down. Aiko is in under my guidance. Act now against me, and you will be against Konoha." Tsunade threatened menacingly.

At this point you were completely on your back, paralyzed. You were breathing harshly and your throat was burning even more fiercely than before. At least you were conscious…

The Root operatives looked at each other, and then disappeared quietly. Danzo had sway, but not against the Hokage. For this, you were immensely glad.

"This is crazy! That Danzo guy sounds like a really bad person!" Naruto wailed.

Suddenly Kakashi burst in with a hectic Shizune. He completed a series of complex hand signs and laid his hand, glowing with a beautiful blue, on your throat.

Immediately, your body relaxed. Your throat felt soothed and healed, as if you'd just drank honey and lemon tea while sick. You started to get some feeling back in your limbs.

You sighed contentedly, "Thank you so much, Kakashi-san!"

"Sheesh, you really over did it, didn't you? Root members usually aren't so vocal against Danzo." Kakashi smiled. His visible eye closed, forming a perfect arch of happiness. "Are you ready to come with me? We'll get that curse seal patched up."

You gave him a small nod.

"I expect her not to be badgered with questions." The Godaime looked fiercely Naruto, reminding him to behave himself. For good measure, she looked at Sakura too.

Tsunade's chocolate orbs met yours, "Before you go, for my own information, do you know how to use that curse mark? And that other mark, what does it do?"

"The four dots brand me as Orochimaru's captive. They keep me from raising a hand against him, but they're slowly fading away… As for the cursed seal, Sasuke trained me in its usage. I have no intention of unleashing its accursed power." Your hand shakily traced the horrendous symbols that haunted your flesh. You couldn't keep the disgust from your voice.

"Okay, I'm satisfied. You may leave with Kakashi." With Tsunade's approval, your report had finally concluded.

"Come on, I'll help you up." Kakashi lent you a hand and pulled you up easily. He kindly supported you since you were still a bit wobbly. "I've already prepared the sealing room so we can head straight over there."

"Sounds good." You tried your best to not stumble so much as you walked with the silver haired jōnin.

"Bye, feel better, Aiko-chan." Naruto sounded somewhat sad as he gave you a small wave.

"Thank you for the costly information." Sakura nodded firmly.

"Thanks you two." You smiled and headed out with Kakashi. You didn't go far. The sealing room was in the same building as the Hokage's office.

It was a dreary and gloomy area. The air was stuffy and the walls were covered with symbols and pitch black text - the same hue as your curse mark.

"This might hurt so be prepared." Kakashi was apologetic as he instructed you to sit in the center of the dingy room - in the midst of a drawn circle made up of the same strange symbols that covered the walls.

Quicker than the blink of an eye, Kakashi succeeded in completing a series of hand seals. He thrust the palm of his hand to your collar bone, where the Gaia curse mark lay.

Sharp pain shot through your sternum, but it wasn't something you couldn't handle. You bit your bottom lip to keep a shriek in and clamped your eyelids shut. Like this, you endured the process of sealing the dreadful curse mark.

Instantly, it was over. The pain dulled and then subsided swiftly. You were shocked that you didn't faint or that the sealing didn't hurt more. Beforehand, you had expected that this would be nearly unbearable.

"Wow, you did well. Do you feel okay?" Kakashi analyzed you uncertainly.

"It doesn't hurt anymore, if that's what you mean. Thanks a lot, Kakashi-san."

"No problem, you can go now if you feel well. It was good seeing you again Mizu, or should I say, Aiko." Kakashi chuckled, suddenly amused by something. "It's… weird to call you Mizu. When I say 'Mizu', I associate the code name with your sister."

You perked up a little, "You knew Naomi when she was a Root member? Yamato-san and Anko-san knew her too."

Kakashi nostalgically smiled, "I used to think she was annoying and nosy, but she was my friend – and she still is."

"She was annoying and nosy?" You laughed, "From what I can tell she had a lot of friends."

"She still does." Kakashi shrugged, "Do me a favor and pass a message along to her. Tell her I say thanks for the book she lent me and tell her that I'll return it soon. I'm almost done with it."

"No problem. I'll let her know." You slowly got up, Kakashi watching you like a hawk in case you needed help.

Before you left, the jōnin handed you an envelope. "This is from Tsunade-sama. It's an advance payment for the mission you were assigned. She thought the money might help since you're still settling in."

"Wow, I'll have to thank her."

"Also, be careful with your mark. Since it's newly sealed it could flare up and react later, causing you random pain."

"I'll be careful." You confidently stated, stuffing the envelope in your satchel.

When you departed from the cool building and into the hot day, you caught sight of Naruto waiting. He jolted in your direction. However, everything turned… blurry. Your placid features contorted to anguish.

Indescribable pain shot through your body, originating from Orochimaru's damned curse mark. Swearing at the wretched snake shinobi, darkness engulfed your vision. Kakashi was right, the pain from the sealing process did randomly flare up…

It was excruciating. Naruto was surprised and worried. He charged towards you not to question you anymore, but to help.

At a time like this, Sasuke flashed through your mind. He'd been by your side for so long. He caught you when you fell, he kept watch over you as you healed. You wanted him with you merely for his presence.

It dawned upon you that the aloof Uchiha was an important person. He was important because… you liked him, right? You had feelings for that crazy, handsome, insanely selfish Uchiha.

You couldn't fully admit it to yourself when you were with him, but it had to be true. You wouldn't care or be thinking about him this much when you were away from him otherwise.

All internal ramblings ceased as your body shut down. You detested losing consciousness, but at least the pain was gone and you didn't even have to feel the impact of the solid, unpleasant ground.

o-o-o-o-o-o

What felt like a moment later, as if you'd merely blinked, you shot up. Drenched in sweat and panting, you found yourself on your bed. Your room was quiet and empty and your sheets were a tangled mess. Outside, fluffy clouds leisurely drifted past the window. The blue sky was turning orange and pink as the sun descended.

Based on the sun's position, it was late evening. Earlier, around noon, Naruto was waiting outside of the Hokage's office building to question you about Sasuke. There was no surprise there, even though Tsunade explicitly instructed him not to. Instead, Naruto found himself helping you. Vaguely, you could recall hazy memories of blonde shinobi carrying you to the hospital – Kakashi visited as well to check up on you. Not to long ago, you'd been released and Naomi escorted you home.

*clack*

The door clattered open and Naomi stepped in briskly. "I felt a change in your chakra. Glad to see you're conscious." The brunette kunoichi shouted over her shoulder, "She's awake!"

Yuu and Tsubaki rushed into the room. Their faces lit up.

"That's my girl, you look better." Tsubaki sat beside you and patted your hand.

"The doctor said it wasn't anything serious, but your curse mark might flare up again. Be careful." Yuu warned.

The whole room was visibly relieved. Your heart ached at all the genuine concern you were shown.

"Sorry for worrying everybody. I'm sure I'll be fine now." You reassuringly smiled.

"Of course you will be." Naomi sat at the foot of your bed.

With concerns of your health out of the way, Yuu asked, "What happened with your old team? Are they doing well?"

Ah, that's right. Your grandparents and Naomi had met Team Taka. What's more, they remembered your former companions by name.

"I'm not sure how they're faring anymore. Last I knew, they were doing fine." Your tone dropped a little, which didn't go unnoticed.

"I'm sure they're all healthy and doing well." Tsubaki clasped your hand gingerly.

"…I left Team Taka because I didn't agree with Sasuke's new motives." You continued on softly.

Naomi frowned, "What were they?"

You gulped, hesitant to say anything that would cast your former teammates in a bad light. However, you couldn't lie to your family, so you spilled everything, "His new motives have to deal with some recent information he learned about his older brother…"

Delving into the story of the two siblings and Itachi's sacrifice for Konoha, you briefly outlined why Sasuke had chosen to seek revenge on the higher ups that ordered Itachi to massacre the Uchiha clan. Of course you didn't mention Danzo – lest the seal on your tongue activate.

The faces of everyone in the room grew shadowy.

Naomi was the first to break the silence with a quiet murmur, "Being the last of your clan must be difficult…"

Grandmother squeezed your hand tightly while grandfather sighed, "That's too bad… Sasuke-san seemed like a good person. I don't think I misjudged his character when I met him."

Tsubaki nodded in agreement, looking at her husband fondly, "I don't think you misjudged him either. He had a good spirit. His heart was dyed with grief and pain, but it was still a kind heart."

"When Sasuke-san came to the compound after Erahi had taken you, Aiko-chan, I could tell that he cared for your wellbeing. He stopped at nothing to save you. Even when I warned him of the existence of Maozu and the other lizards, he didn't seem fazed." As grandfather spoke, something warm welled in your chest. You suddenly felt like crying.

"I had hoped the two of you would make grandchildren soon someday." Tsubaki suddenly proclaimed.

"W-what are you saying, grandma!?" Your cheeks flared to life – turning red instantly. "I wish nothing but safety upon Sasuke and Team Taka, but grandchildren… that's too much…"

Naomi giggled at your expense. You glared at her, "If anything, the one grandma should be expecting grandchildren from right now is you, Naomi." You slyly smiled as you looked directly at your elder sister, "Anko-san said Yamato-san was staring at you."

Naomi seemed bit embarrassed, but comported herself well. "Kinoe wasn't... Anko-chan was mistaken…"

But you weren't finished, "When I saw Kakashi-san, he wanted me to tell you 'thanks' for the book you lent him and that he'll return it in person soon."

Chagrined, Naomi turned pink.

"Ahh! So you have been talking to men, Naomi-chan!" Tsubaki glowed. "Set up a date with both of them and see who you like more!"

At grandmother's advice, Naomi turned full on red, "N-no! I can't, I mean that's just too… Don't worry about my personal affairs!"

"Your personal affairs are my business! I'm your grandma!" Tsubaki candidly snickered.

With everyone's attention on Naomi, you relaxed and stared at your loved ones. You couldn't take moments like this for granted. Still, you missed your old teammates and it was hard to move on…