A few months passed since their last encounter with Team Kakashi, Kaori stepped out of the bathroom with a single towel. Her long hair touching her ankles as she walked.
"Sasuke and Momoko aren't back yet," Kaori grabbed her clothes as a knock came at the door. She wrapped her wet hair into her towel and pulled on her yukata. After getting dressed she opened the door.
Kabuto stood in front of the door with his usual smile.
"Kabuto, what brings you to this depressing side of the hideout," She said sarcastically and turned toward the table in the middle of the room.
"Lord Orochimaru has a request for you, since Sasuke is out,"
Kaori picked up the ribbon and tied her hair into a loose ponytail. "Which is?" She questioned with a pink eyebrow raised.
"There's a man waiting for you in a village not to far from here, he's got some intel I need to make a new bingo book,"
"So? I'm picking it up?"
"Yes, he'll be waiting in an inn,"
"Got it," Kabuto turned to leave.
"You didn't want to wait for Sasuke? Kabuto?" He smirked and pushed his glasses up.
"You're...A lot more easy to deal with than Sasuke,"
Kaori snickered as he left and put on her shoes.
"Apparently so,"
Sakura, Kyoko and Riana hurried through the forest. "Sakura, tell me, is this information accurate?" Riana asked. The young girl had changed quite a bit, her long black hair was neatly tied in a big bun, she wore a sleeveless black top with a slit on both sides, and a purple jacket cut above her stomach and dark purple shorts with thigh length shoes.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade made sure of that, we'll find Kaori, and bring her back by any means necessary,"
"I'll bring her home, even if I have to break her bones," Kyoko growled. "Kyoko calm down, we can't lose our cool," Sakura said turning to the green haired girl. She had long straight green hair reaching just under her shoulders. Both her yellow sun set eyes were visible and her bang was sweep be hide her ear. She wore a green tube top with yellow trim and green shorts with white suspenders and red leg warmers and red gloves and scandals with a yellow flower ornament in her hair.
"Sakura's right Kyoko," Riana said with a worried expression. "Kaori was incredibly strong last we saw her, these three years, she's probably gotten immensely stronger, so we'll have to work as a team, and we can't forget about the Kiryu," Kyoko frowned and clenched her teeth.
"The Kiryu?" Sakura asked. Riana turned to her. "Right, you don't know about that, Kiryu is the demon dragon, a dragon said to have been killed long ago, but then, it happened," She whispered.
"What happened?" Sakura asked.
"Kaori was born," Riana continued. "Every member of the Ryuichi clan is cursed with the seal of the dragon when they are born, Kaori's parents were also cursed with it, they took her to the leaders of the Ryuichi Clan in their hidden village, there they discovered her dragon, Kiryu, the leaders panicked and quickly planned for Kaori's death,"
"That's awful," Sakura whispered.
"Her parent's had fallen head over heel's for Kaori, their first born, so they ran, and hid, and found themselves in the Hidden Leaf Village, the third Hokage, heard their plea and took them into the village under his protection, but the other Ryuichi, considered the family a traitor, but before any of that the Ryuichi already had discord among the villagers and leaders, whenever the leader's feared of a powerful dragon being reborn into an infant, they had them executed, the families suffered every time an infant was born and when Kaori's parents fled and found a safe haven, this caused many villagers of the clan to revolt against their leaders and the village was burnt to the ground in a single night, the Ryuichi then scattered all over, the thing about the Ryuichi, they are not like other clans who look similar, they all look different, except for the golden eyes they share when they transform,"
"So, during the Chuunin exams, Kaori's appearance changed because of new power she obtained,"
"That's right,"
"But why did the leaders kill the infants, couldn't they have just sealed them away or something,"
Kyoko shook her head. "From what Riana told me it doesn't work like that,"
"Yes, like I said, the Ryuichi are a cursed clan, if the possessor dies, so does the dragon and it's reborn into the next infant and so on, it also works the opposite way, if the dragon is extracted from it's possessor that person dies,"
"Just like the Jinchuuriki," Sakura noted, thinking back to Gaara.
"The reason the Kiryu is feared the most, is because it's the most powerful but it's power comes with a horrible price, if the possessor is completely consumed by the Kiryu, they die, many have tried to tame the Kiryu, but they died trying, so far Kaori is the only one known to be able to even speak to it, she let it take over once when she almost lost her life, I witnessed it's power,"
Memories of the Chuunin exams flashed through her mind. "Sakamoto knew this and after Kaori was kidnapped she told me everything,"
"So we'll have to watch Kaori careful and not give her a chance to use that power," Sakura said with determined eyes and two girls agreed.
As the three girls approached the village they were going to find Kaori in. Riana activated her Byakugan and halted in the trees. Sakura and Kyoko stopped in front of her and turned to the girl.
"What's wrong Riana?" Sakura asked.
"Up their in the mountain's...I can see Kaori,"
"Are you sure!?" Kyoko asked and they turned to the large mountain in front of them.
"It's hard tell, but I can see Kiryu's chakra, she can't completely hide her presence with that much chakra,"
"Alright, let's go," Sakura ordered and they rushed towards the mountain.
'My friend, I will save you!' Riana felt a few tears fall from the corner of her eye.
Kaori continued to walk up the stairs towards a temple. "Who needs this many steps to a temple that's supposed to be hidden in the first place, Ryuga is too flashy," Kaori groaned. Kaori stopped with one foot on the step in front of her and the other be hide her.
'Who's familiar chakra is this?' She closed her eyes. 'Ah...Sakura again, who are the other two?'
Kaori ignored it and continued to walk towards the temple. The temple was somewhat big and Kaori slide the front of the temple door open, inside was dark and only a few candles were lit along the temple walls.
"I came all this way and she's not even here!" Kaori sighed.
'Hm? That chakra...is getting closer, I guess they found me,' She turned towards the door and looked down the steps. Below she could see Sakura, Kyoko and Riana running towards her.
Sakura stopped and the two girls stopped as well, on the top of the stairs, stood who they had been looking for.
"Kaori...it's really you," Riana muttered, her eyes wide with shock.
"I'll admit, I'm surprised you found me,"
"Kaori!" Kyoko shouted. "We're here to bring you home,"
"This again...I'm guessing Sasuke didn't make himself clear the last time we met Sakura," Sakura clenched her teeth.
"Kaori, I don't understand you at all!" Sakura snapped. "How can you stand by Sasuke's side and let someone like Orochimaru take him as a vessel!?"
Kaori narrowed her eyes as they flickered yellow to blue.
"You really are stupid Sakura," Kaori glared at her. "Do you really think I'd stand by and let someone as disgusting as Orochimaru take Sasuke's body,"
Sakura gasped. "So you mean?"
"I told you not once but twice, I have a family to protect and I'm not letting the likes of Orochimaru change that, not even you," Sakura glared back at her. "Sasuke made his choice but so have I,"
"Shut up...," Kyoko growled and stepped up next to Sakura. "Look I understand you and Sasuke have know each other longer than we've known you, but Sasuke's path is filled with darkness and your blindingly following him!"
"If that's the way you guys see it, so be it, I could care less what you people think, Sasuke is the only family I have left, after losing my family right in front of me once, I'll never let it happen again, no matter what, even if it means I walk a dangerous path," Kaori took a step down and they flinched.
"And if you want to get in my way you'll regret it,"
"Kaori!" Riana shouted. "This isn't you, the Kaori I know would have never said such things! You were my best friend, you even helped me through so much! So how could you turn your back on us so easily,"
"Because no matter how close we were, I never considered you people my family," Kaori said harshly.
The two girls felt their hearts shatter.
"That's enough Kaori!" Sakura shouted. "We're taking you back to the village and I'll personally make you tell me where Sasuke is!" Sakura pulled her black gloves down on her hands.
"Riana, Kyoko, let's go!" The three girls lunged at Kaori.
Kaori followed them with her eyes and leaped back as Sakura punched the ground and it broke apart as if it were made of glass. Kyoko was charging towards her and Kaori disappeared from the front of her and reappeared be hide her. She spun rapidly and kicked the green haired girl down the steps. Riana's with her featureless eye activated was next and tried to land a blow on Kaori's body but she easily dodge her attacks and grabbed her forearm in a tight lock and threw her into the mountain. Sakura ran toward Kaori and pulled back her fist. Kaori left her hand and caught the girls fist. Sakura gasped and tried to pull her fist back. Kaori leaned close to her face and her blue eyes looked into her green ones.
"I will never let you take Sasuke if your this weak Sakura," Kaori pulled her forward and brought her knee into her stomach and released her fist and slammed her hand into Sakura's side and sent her flying down the mountain as well. The three girls pulled themselves up and looked up at Kaori.
"I'll have to get rid of them quickly," Kaori formed a few hand signs. Her arm right arm glowed and Kaori flew into the air.
"Get out of the way!" Kyoko shouted and they jumped back just in time as Kaori sliced the ground where their feet were, the entire mountain rumbled and an incredibly long and deep cut had sliced through the mountain. 'Dragon style, Dragon blade!'
The three girls stared at the hole a few feet in front of them in shock.
'She cut through the mountain with a single swipe of her arm,' Sakura watch Kaori land in front of the hole.
'She really did just try to kill us...,' Kyoko glared at Kaori.
"Impossible, she's not even using Kiryu at all, this is just her sheer power," Riana muttered.
"Three years," Kaori began. "Three years it took me to get this strong...What have you three been doing?"
The three looked down at the ground.
"I'm ending this, I'm leaving," Kaori stating, they snapped their heads up and Kaori's entire body began to glow. Her chakra seemed like it was oozing out.
"You won't get away!" Kyoko ran towards her and Kaori opened her arms and there was an incredible wave and the girl flew into the air and down the mountain. Kaori formed a small red and orange ball and threw it, as the girls disappeared down the mountain there was a huge explosion. Kaori turned to leave but stopped.
"They survived...," Kaori turned and disappeared into thin air.
The wood surrounding the girls was weak and burnt, as it crumbled they lay on the ground weak and badly injured and suffered minor burns.
'If I hadn't used my jutsu we would have died...' Kyoko felt tears fall from her eyes. 'Kaori, you really did try to kill us...You've changed...'
Sakura punched the ground and let out a loud cry of angry. 'Sasuke...'
"She's gone," Riana spoke holding her burning arm. "She's so strong,"
"She must be serious about her path," Kyoko spoke as she forced herself to sit up on her legs. "Kaori...The Kaori we knew, doesn't exist anymore," She sobbed as a bright smiling face of her former friend appeared in front on her eyes.
The wood fell to the ground and the sun shining on the girls began to disappear as the gray clouds covered it up.
Back at the hide out, Kaori threw an envelope at Kabuto's feet.
"There's your information," She turned to leave and walked down the corridor. "She's upset about something...or is she sad,"
Kaori stood outside of her bedroom door. She slowly opened it. Momoko and Sasuke turned to the door from the table in the center of the room.
"Mommy! Look!" The tiny girl was drawing a picture on white paper. "Are you drawing me something Momoko?" She walked over and stared down at the photo.
"Yes!" She gave her mom the picture and on it were the three, holding hands and smiling. Momoko's big smile fell. "Mommy, why are you crying?"
Kaori laughed and wiped her face. "This picture made me very happy Momoko, thank you so much," Momoko's face lit back up and she giggled.
Sasuke stood up and cupped her cheek. "Kaori," The girl pushed her face into his chest and smiled in his great warmth. He rested his head on her cheek."I love you guys, I"ll never anything happen to you,"
"My family,"