Second Time's The Charm

by Reader06

Tobirama knew bringing back the dead was possible. He knew that anything was possible in the ninja world. That didn't mean, however, that he ever believed in reincarnation. But here he was, with a new family and a ragtag group of friends, in a village he barely recognized, facing the same demons as before. Would he ever find some peace and quiet?

37. Chapter 35

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You know... Having a twin is not all it's cracked up to be.

It's a real drag, if Shikamaru was going to be honest about the whole thing

He wasn't even given the luxury of being an identical twin.

Why was he stuck with a girl? It wasn't fair… and in all honesty, had Kanoko looked a little more like him, he would have cut her hair and dressed her up to look like him. She acted like a guy a majority of the time anyways…

But back to his point… think about it. An identical twin.

Do you know how much shit he would be able to get away with?

His mother would come storming up to him and yell at him for something he didn't do (because he was a lazy bastard and love it) and he would just tear up and tell her that she was picking on the wrong twin and he was innocent. She would then apologize and leave him alone for the rest of the day.

Genius.

Pure Genius.

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But no… Kami had to go and give him a sister.

Not just a sister either.

Kami went and gave him Kanoko – the most troublesome woman to have ever been born.

Which then brings him to another reason why being a twin is a total and utter drag.

Comparisons and expectations.

When they were younger, the two of them looked a lot more alike than they do now. Many people they met thought they were identical twins. Until their mother specified that one was, in fact, a boy and one was a girl.

And you know what?

No one ever got it right.

They always thought he was the girl!

They'd pinch his cheeks and tell his mother that he looked just like her and he would grow up to be a beautiful woman that all the men would be after. They would then turn to the serious looking (for a four year old) and tall standing Kanoko and coo at how brave and strong she looked. "He's going to be just like his father. Smart, strong, and braver than any man before him! You have really been blessed Yoshino-san!"

That's what they would say!

About Kanoko!

Not him!

And what did his mother do?

Laugh.

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She laughed.

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Shikamaru quickly demanded his hair be put up in a similar ponytail to his father's. After that, the comments on his femininity were never made again, and he never again left his house without his hair up either.

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Unfortunately, the comparisons were just as bad, if not worse.

"Shikamaru, why haven't you started walking like your sister?"

"Shikamaru, no, no. Watch how your sister does it! Do it just like her."

"Have you seen Kanoko's test scores? How come Shikamaru's aren't as high?"

And none of those comments were from his parents!

As mentioned previously, not only was he given the gift of a sister, but he was given the joy that is Nara Kanoko.

Walking as soon as her legs could support her, talking before Shikamaru even thought about moving on his own, and for goodness sakes, TRAINING before Shikamaru was even potty trained.

How does a kid measure up to that?

They don't.

That's what Shikamaru decided at an early age. Why try when nothing he does is going to be on the same level on his sister – the magical unicorn that poops out rainbows.

Until she screwed up.

He remembers it like it was yesterday. His mother had grabbed him and his sister and taken them to the park. Shikamaru, like everything else, just went with it – only complaining until his mother's glare proved too deadly to continue.

Once the three of them arrived, she pushed the two of them to go play with the other children. Shikamaru, like usual, just walked forward without a care and with a plan to find a quiet spot to watch the clouds as they drifted by (a pastime his father introduced him to).

Kanoko, however, just looked back and forth at all the children running around. Instead of fulfilling her parents expectations, like usual, she just plopped down on her butt next to their mother – not in the least bit interested in joining the fun.

The gears in Shikamaru's head quickly snapped into place and a wicked grin took over his features. Looking up at his mother, he gave her a dull look and whined that he didn't want to go play if Kanoko wasn't going to. For added effect, he shuffled his feet – trying to look shy.

His mother sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead, mumbling about a headache before turning to her daughter. Kanoko tried fighting their mother by shaking her head and throwing a small fit before quickly schooling her features.

Their mother didn't take no for an answer and grabbed the two of them by their small hands and dragged them into the center of the park. Dropping them next to a slide and jungle gym, she told them to go make friends and run around, or something.

Shikamaru nodded and walked off to find someone to play with. When he looked back, he found Kanoko side stepping kids and doing everything possible to avoid them touching her in any way. There had to be twenty kids running around, making Kanoko slightly dizzy as she struggled to avoid all of them and get to a safer place.

Not one to pass up an opportunity, Shikamaru pointed to his sister and shouted loudly in his high pitched voice, "Reverse tag! You're it!"

Kanoko tensed and snapped her head around to look at her brother with wide eyes.

Shikamaru's smirk grew, "I'll give my candy to the person that wins!"

Time stilled for a moment as Kanoko's shocked eyes snapped around the area to look at the demonic looking children and their outstretched hands.

Shikamaru just found a comfortable spot and leaned back to watch the madness. Kids were diving off of different levels of the jungle gym, others were teaming up to block Kanoko in and capture her, while Kanoko looked around in pure horror at the snot and drool flinging all over the place – it was complete madness.

Shikamaru loved every second of it.

Especially the part when Kanoko knocked one boy out by punching him directly in the face – who he would later learn was Uchiha Sasuke.

His mother quickly ran over and dragged Kanoko away, chastising her for her violent behavior all the way home.

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Apparently comparisons can go both ways.

Now it was, "Kanoko, why can't you get along with the other kids like Shikamaru?"

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Sure, it was only that one thing, but it was something!

And after a while, Shikamaru grew out of caring too much what other people thought of him. It was too exhausting to keep up with other people's expectations of him.

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There were some benefits of having a twin. If Shikamaru really thought about it...

Like never having to do something new by yourself. Every activity their parents forced them to do, every group they were made to join, and every new person they met, they did it as a team. Shikamaru didn't have to worry about finding a friend to make the experience bearable or flounder on his own. He always had his sister by his side.

It was probably at this point that he started to really look up to his sister, if Shikamaru was going to be honest. Every task assigned to them, Kanoko took the lead with poise and confidence while gently holding Shikamaru's hand and guiding him down the right path. There wasn't a single individual Kanoko feared and there was no task she was unfamiliar with.

Of course, he would have to do most of the charming when it came to their peers because Kanoko had a skill for saying the wrong thing and pissing off any kid she came in contact with.

Naruto was a prime example of this.

And anyone Shikamaru couldn't charm would meet the rough side of his sister's fist. Shikamaru didn't realize how violent Kanoko tended to be until boys of all ages tried to tease him, either for his close attachment to his sister or his best friend, Chouji, and his weight. It became quickly known, Shikamaru (and all those associated) is off limits unless you have Kanoko's permission.

Shikamaru tried to stay on his sister's good side for this reason.

Another benefit of having a twin was having common interests. Both of them liked strategy games like Shogi, enjoyed silence over speaking, were interested in their family's deer and taking care of them, they both enjoyed fish – mackerel in particular – and both the loved going to the hot springs.

There was nothing quite like lying around in the massaging, heated water of the hot springs, doing nothing at all.

Shikamaru was even interested in sealing – something Kanoko was oddly an expert in…

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So, if Shikamaru was forced to compare the disadvantages of being a twin to the benefits, he supposed he'd say it was about 20-80.

Twenty percent: Wondering which mystical power he pissed off in another life.

Eighty percent: Never regretting a single moment.

Why?

Because Kanoko was the first person he ever met. The first person he ever found comfort in. The first person he ever felt safe with. The first person he ever felt truly connected to.

The first person he can honestly say he loves.

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Which is exactly why he is where he is now, resting against a tall tree on the edge of the Nara forest, looking up at the moon, wondering what he should do.

About two days ago now, Kanoko had pulled him to the side after dinner and asked if they could take a walk together. Shikamaru grumbled out that he was tired, but agreed. He wasn't ready to tell his sister that he had started secretly training with their estranged (he thinks – he's still not sure) grandfather and that was why he was sore and wanted to go to bed.

So out the door they went.

After when felt like forever to Shikamaru, they finally stopped walking and took a seat on a bench near the barely lit academy. Shikamaru wondered why Kanoko dragged him out here when she finally spoke to him.

Flashback

"Shikamaru."

Shikamaru turned to his sister with a curious look, "You going to tell me why you dragged me all the way out to the academy?" Shikamaru paused to chew lightly on the inside of his cheek, "Is this about Tou-san?"

Kanoko shook her head then paused, "Not really." Kanoko looked up at the setting sun, "He's getting better, don't you think?"

Shikamaru thought about it, turning his head to the sun as well, "He's home. That's improvement."

Kanoko nodded and spoke quietly, "You know he was right. What he said, I mean. He didn't say it in the right way and that's something he's going to have to live with and make up to you, but the intent of the message was correct."

Shikamaru frowned at his sister. Scowling at her slightly he mumbled, "Thanks. All we need is Kaa-san to jump on this Shikamaru-is-a-failure train and everything will be perfect."

Kanoko scowled back at her brother, "Stop it with the self-pity. We both know you're too lazy to care."

Shikamaru snapped his eyes back to his sister's annoyed orange ones, "Maybe things have changed."

"Things have changed." Kanoko confirmed with a slight nod, "But people don't change as rapidly, no matter how much they would like to."

Shikamaru frowned, "Was I the only one born without the need to speak cryptically?"

Kanoko smirked, "You just take after Kaa-san."

"And that's another thing!" Shikamaru told Kanoko with an annoyed look, "Why am I always Shikaku's son, Yoshino's mini me, or Kanoko's twin? Why am I not ever just Shikamaru?!"

Kanoko blinked, a little shocked at her brother's anger all of a sudden, "If those are the only people you are being compared to, count your blessings. You should hear what some of the village elders compare me to."

Shikamaru stared back at Kanoko, looking like the shocked one this time, "Huh?"

Kanoko smirked slightly, "You know, everyone keeps telling me you have this high IQ…"

Shikamaru gave Kanoko a deadpan look, "Did you bring me out here just to insult me?"

Kanoko sighed but gave Shikamaru a small humorous smile before continuing her point from before, "What I meant, before you interrupted me with your feelings, is that Tou-san was right: You aren't like me and you need to stop fooling yourself."

Shikamaru opened his mouth to argue when Kanoko cut him off, "And before you go and get offended, again, let me explain." Kanoko looked up at the Hokage's tower nearby, "I've been reckless, cocky, indignant, and disregarded everything my elders have tried to warn me off. And look where it got me." Kanoko stood up and looked at Shikamaru, "I can't leave the village unless escorted or on a mission. I will only be given low priority missions and even then, I will likely have extra shinobi on my team because the powers to be no longer trust me and my ability to make decisions. Some of this is a result of poor luck, but much of it is due to mistakes on my part."

Shikamaru listened to his sister before speaking, "What does this have to do with me?"

"I see you starting to make the same mistakes I've made and I don't want you to suffer the same fate." Kanoko explained.

Shikamaru tensed slightly, but kept his bored look on his face, "What do you mean?"

Kanoko gave her brother a hard look, "You know what I mean." Kanoko sighed heavily as she crossed her arms, "I'm not going to rule over your life and protect you from every little danger this world has to offer. I'm your sister, not your keeper. It wouldn't be fair to either of us if I did that." Kanoko looked Shikamaru straight in the eyes, "But really think about your future. Do you really want to be just like me, an extraordinarily powerful kunoichi who will see more death than life, who will live through more tragedies than miracles? Or do you want to be your own person? Someone who I believe can make a difference without making all the same mistakes as his self-sacrificing sister?"

Shikamaru gave Kanoko a shocked look which quickly turned into a grief stricken one, "Kanoko, you're not-"

Kanoko cut her brother off, "No, you need to hear and understand this Shikamaru. I'm broken. I'm always going to be broken. I don't know how to live and love without bleeding. I'm going to do horrible things in the name of peace and prosperity. I'm going to murder woman and children, massacre entire villages, and slit the throats of anyone that stands in my way. All of it is going to slowly kill me until nothing is left, but even then, I will never stop. I won't stop until true peace is achieved." Kanoko paused to look back at the fading sun, "And I've lived long enough to know true peace is unachievable."

Silence filled the air as broken leaves blew lightly between them.

"You need another role model, Shikamaru." Kanoko told him softly, still looking at the horizon, "And I can only hope that you don't choose someone more deranged or broken than me."

And like the wind blowing through, she was gone, leaving Shikamaru to his conflicting thoughts.

Flashback End

Shikamaru wasn't sure how he felt about the whole thing. He had conflicting thoughts and competing goals on the whole thing.

Leave it to his sister to interrupt his life just as he thought he had everything figured out, only to make him question all his goals and actions up to this point. He thought by getting stronger, learning more, gaining influence he would be in a better position, a few years from now, to be what he saw his sister as: A pillar of never ending support.

And then she went and shook the very image he had of her.

He had never seen her as someone who was broken. Socially inept? Definitely. Emotionally unstable? Never.

Though, he supposed even now, he'd say she was emotionally stable. After all, it takes a certain kind of person to analyze themselves with such cold logic before diagnosing themselves as a poor example of a human being.

Some of the other things his sister told or shown him over the years has started to make more sense, once given this piece of the puzzle – or the key, so to speak.

Her comment of not being able to find any peace in life.

His recent sleepless nights came to a forefront in his mind. He thinks about the first time Kanoko was mortally wounded and he was stuck across the country – unable to do anything. Or the time Naruto was facing off against Suna's tailed beast and Shikamaru was completely immobile in fear. Or the moment when he watched helplessly as Kanoko's head was bashed into the side of a cliff by their father, over and over again.

Her determination to keep those important to her at a distance – emotionally.

Shikamaru thinks about Chouji, who has asked Shikamaru several times when they would hang out - if they were going to ever hang out again. Or Ino and Asuma, who half praised him for his sudden interest in training, but voiced concern over his distant attitude as of late.

The way she half hazardly throws herself into perilous situations and only to barely come out alive.

Shikamaru knows he is pushing his luck by associating so closely to a man as suspicious as Rokumaru... To lower his guard when he is around... To listen to him as he teaches Shikamaru about the clan and their history... To willingly learn from a man that his own father won't speak about. Grandfather or not, the man is clearly bad news.

The way she lives her life: Training, learning, gaining influence - nothing more, nothing less.

Shikamaru's fist tightened as he frowned, 'She was right. They were both right. I was trying to be just like her.'

Shikamaru opened his fist and looked at the palm of his hand and laughed humorlessly, 'Me? Wanting to be just like a girl? What has the world come to…'

The young Nara heir shook his head as he looked back up at the moon.

"I won't stop until true peace is achieved." Kanoko paused to look back at the fading sun, "And I've lived long enough to know true peace is unachievable."

Shikamaru shut his eyes, "If true peace is unachievable, then why even try? What is she really trying to tell me?" Shikamaru sighed heavily before closing his eyes and catching a little bit of sleep before he makes his way back home.

"And what did she mean by 'I've lived long enough to know'…?" Shikamaru mumbled out sleepily before drifting off.

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Kanoko looked over Naruto with her arms crossed and an analyzing look on her face. Tapping her fingers on her arm in thought, she spoke, "Do you know why you win so many battles against shinobi whose skill level is higher than your own?"

It was another bright day in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Kanoko had woken up early, dealt with Sasuke and his training before zipping around town and collecting her teammates. It had been some time since they were all in the village and able to train together.

Naruto looked up at his teammate with a curious look. He was doing sit ups as instructed for a warm up. Pausing in his movements, Naruto grinned widely at Kanoko and snickered, "Because I'm AWESOME! Believe it!"

Kanoko gave him a dull look, but dismissed his comment, "It is because you look like a ninja – albeit, a strange one – but fight like a brute."

Sakura turned from her chakra concentration exercise to stare at Kanoko in confusion, "Wouldn't that make him more likely to lose? I mean, they don't teach us to just put all our energy into one poorly aimed punch."

"Hey!" Naruto shouted, "My aim is perfect!"

Sakura gave Naruto an angry look as she gritted her teeth, "Then how come you hit me when you were supposed to hit Kakashi-sensei? I was on your team!"

Naruto laughed nervously while scratching the back of his head, "Oh, well… Kakashi-sensei is a slippery bastard?"

Kanoko sighed at her teammates, "Continuing on…" The two stopped bickering to look at Kanoko, "most shinobi learn the proper shinobi fighting styles of their village. This, on face value, is important. It is important to choose movements that are quick, use the right amount of force, and the least likely to open yourself up to a counter attack."

Naruto nodded, still not following Kanoko, but nodding regardless.

The former Hokage continued, "However, many shinobi, typically younger or inexperienced ones, expect the same out of their fellow and enemy shinobi. After all, why would someone trained in the arts not use the most efficient form of fighting?"

Sakura smirked at Naruto with her arms crossed, "I could think of one idiot."

"Sakura-chaaaan! Why are you being mean?!" Naruto whined out.

"Children." Kanoko spoke firmly.

Sakura and Naruto looked up at Kanoko with a sheepish look.

Clearing her voice, Kanoko started up again, "As I was saying. Naruto, you tend to surprise your enemies with your powerful and brutish fighting style. Add in the Shadow Clone Jutsu and only more experience shinobi will be able to defeat you in battle."

Naruto jumped into the air, "Ha! I'm a badass! Take that, Duckbutt!"

"However." Kanoko interrupted Naruto's self-celebration, "You will be completely destroyed by higher caliber shinobi if you remain dependent on such a brutish fighting style. Surprising an enemy only works once, maybe twice. After that, you will have no hope in defending yourself or those depending on you."

Naruto deflated, making Sakura giggle lightly before turning to Kanoko and asking shyly, "You're not just talking about Naruto, are you?"

Kanoko shook her head with a small frown, "No… you also have the same problem. I know Tsunade, I mean the Hokage, has a similar, but destructive fighting style. While I believe her fighting style suits you and your natural abilities, I strongly worry you will fall into the same trap of being out-skilled in both speed and technique."

Naruto rubbed his chin, "Well, what do we do then?"

Kanoko smirked, "We need to find the two of you tutors."

Sakura grimaced and leaned back, away from Kanoko, "I don't like that look on your face…"

Kanoko's smirked grew, "You shouldn't."

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"KANOKO!" Sakura screamed at her former friend and teammate.

Kanoko shrugged, "This is for your own good."

Gai walked up from behind Sakura with a twinkle in his grin and a thumbs up, "Don't you worry, student of my rival! Lee and I will teach you the ways of the green beast of Konoha!"

Lee shook in excitement before jumping up and shouting, "THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE!" He ran up to Sakura and grabbed her hands, "I will not stop, I will not rest, I will do whatever it takes to help you learn the great teachings of Gai-sensei! The greatest taijutsu master to ever live!"

Gai started to tear up at his student's words, "Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

Sakura stared Kanoko with a pale and dying look, "Please. PLEASE!"

Kanoko just crossed her arms and shook her head, "Sorry Sakura. I want you trained by the best and Kakashi-sensei isn't reliable enough."

"MY FAIR CHERRY BLOSSOM! Are you ready to run laps around the village with Gai-sensei and I?!" Lee shouted, running over to Sakura's side, "Since you're new, we'll only do fifty laps!" Lee finished with a large grin.

"F-f-fifty?!" Sakura squeaked out. She snapped her head back to Kanoko, "FIFTY?!"

Kanoko sighed, "You'll be fine Sakura. Tenten and Neji are still alive."

Sakura slowly turned her head to see Tenten sharpening her various sized kunai with a disturbing grin and then to the silent Neji who looked like he was trying to set everyone on fire with his gaze. Sakura sweat dropped, "They may be alive, but sane…?"

Kanoko shrugged and mumbled, "Says the girl that argues with the little voice in her head…"

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"So who's my trainer?" Naruto asked Kanoko jumping up and down in excitement while Kanoko continued walking, pushing large leaves out of her way as she moved.

They were walking through the thicker part of Konoha's woods, getting closer to the edge of the village's exterior border. Pushing passed some large leaves and branches, Naruto raced ahead towards a small beaten up cabin.

"Woah! What is this?!" Naruto ran up to it and started to investigate, "Looks old…"

Kanoko casually walked up to him with her arms crossed, "It is. It was built at the same time as the village."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "I'm surprised it's lasted so long… What do you think it was used for?"

"To get away from a certain happy go luck brother who's goal was to drive everyone within hearing distance insane with talk of puppy dogs and rainbows…" Kanoko mumbled underneath her breath.

"What did you say?" Naruto asked turning around.

Kanoko cleared her throat, "Who knows. Could be for anything." Kanoko walked over the front, "Come on."

Naruto blinked before giving Kanoko an unsure look, "You sure it's safe?"

Kanoko raised an eyebrow at Naruto, "When has that question ever crossed your mind?"

"Right now." Naruto responded with an annoyed look before dashing past Kanoko and into the small hut.

Naruto looked around the small room. The siding was rotting and the entire interior was covered in dirt, spider webs, and various weeds. "I can see why you didn't bring Sakura here…" Naruto commented, "Everything is rotted…"

Kanoko walked inside and closed the door, "Just give me a minute." Kanoko told Naruto, "It's a good thing you're on a team with Sakura, Kakashi-sensei and I. Patience is not your strong suit."

Naruto crossed his arms and gave his teammate an annoyed look.

Kanoko ignored him as she placed her hand on the wall near the door. Pushing chakra out, a seal activated beneath her palm.

Naruto jumped in shock as the room lit up in seals and transformed into a well maintained room with two cushions and a tea pot and stand nearby.

"Woah!" Naruto exclaimed, looking around for the spider webs he saw earlier, "How'd you do that?!"

Kanoko turned from the seal and walked over to her tea set, preparing it while she spoke, "A mix between a genjutsu seal and a space displacement seal." Kanoko finished getting everything ready and was just waiting for the water to get hot, "I'll teach you when you have a lot more fuinjutsu knowledge and practical application under your belt. The formula is tricky…"

Kanoko motioned Naruto to take a seat on one of the cushions while she sat crossed legged on the other.

Naruto nodded and quickly potted his butt down. Taking another look around, he asked Kanoko, "So… Why are we out here? To show me the seal?" Kanoko had been teaching Naruto the basics in fuinjutsu. Nothing too crazy, but just the basic understanding of the art and the complexities involved in the different types of seals.

The Nara heiress shook her head, "No." Kanoko paused to find the right words, "I want to ask something of you, Naruto. This would be more than a favor and I would owe you greatly."

Naruto opened his mouth to tell Kanoko that it was no problem. She was like family and he's do anything, but he was interrupted before he could voice his thoughts.

"I want you to listen completely before you comment or make a decision." Kanoko told him with a serious look, "This is no simple favor. I will be asking a great deal of you and by assisting me, you could be potentially placing the people you care about in the crosshairs of some incredibly dangerous people."

The pot behind Kanoko started to screech, signaling that is was at boiling temperatures. She reached over and grabbed it, offering Naruto a cup which he shook his head at. Kanoko nodded and waited to pour her own cup before speaking, "This is your first opportunity to decline. If you do not want to take the risk, I will not continue. I will give you another opportunity to decline, but even telling you what I know will place you and those you care about in peril." Kanoko locked eyes with Naruto's deep blue ones, "Would you like me to continue, knowing and understanding these terms?"

Naruto was silent. He looked down at his hands before looking back up at Kanoko and nodding.

Kanoko exhaled gently as she filled up her tea cup. Looking back up at Naruto, she nodded, "Then I will start."

"The Nara family has always been one of the most inviting and friendly clans in Konoha. Shikamaru and I were introduced to many clan members from a young age. Some I remember clearly and others not as well. I do remember all my immediate family members though: My mother's parents – farmers on the edge of the Land of Fire – and my mother's brother and his kind wife – both civilians and traveling merchants. Who I did not recall were my father's own parents. I wondered if they had perished in one of the many wars Konoha has suffered through. Curious, I started to research my father's family tree."

Kanoko paused with a frown at her tea, "Apparently that was all that was needed to encourage my paternal grandfather to contact me."

"With a cleverly coded message left in a suspicious location, I set off to meet the man that would contact me in this manner. We met in a small restaurant in the middle of Konoha's shopping district. I was very young at the time. I had not developed my chakra pathways yet. I was vulnerable… and foolish for going in such a state. Sitting down across from the man who would later introduce himself as my grandfather, I immediately regretted the decision. I knew this man was nothing, but pure evil."

Kanoko took a sip of her tea before continuing, "I stayed regardless. You do not turn your back to an animal ready to snap, no matter how outclassed you are. He proceeded to ask me about my goals, my training, my family…" Kanoko stopped talking for a moment, "I had little to share. I was still very young. I tried to act my age by pretending to like dolls and dressing up – all things girls my age would rave about. He quickly cut through my nonsense. He told me that he had been watching me… and Shikamaru… He told me that he saw great potential in me – the kind that has only ever been seen once before. He said that Shikamaru was the same and that together…"

The former Hokage closed her eyes as her grip on the tea cup tightened, "I immediately disagreed. The way he was talking… The manner in which he spoke… I knew he wanted more than just clan recognition. I was not going to be used or allow my family to be used in a plot to gain power over any other clan… Or over the village. At that point, I knew I had no choice. It didn't help that I was besot with anger at that point as well. Using the waiter as a distraction, I raced out of the restaurant. The man was quick to follow, if only a step behind, and grabbed me while in the alley way behind the restaurant. We argued over predetermined roles and responsibilities – how I understood I would be nothing more than the daughter of Shikaku or the sister of Shikamaru in my clan's eyes. I proceeded to inform him while I understood my limits, I would never do as he wishes. That I would never break. That my loyalty to this village was strong and true."

Kanoko grabbed the teapot and poured herself another cup full before taking a long sip, "I had hoped that would be the last I saw that man. I knew better though." Kanoko exhaled heavily, "I fought against him on several occasion over the years to follow – keeping him an arm's distance away from those close to me. Each time, however, I barely survived and only by foolish luck did I keep him away for as long as I did."

"The last straw…" Kanoko started before lifting her eyes to Naruto's, "Was one week ago, when you informed me that Shikamaru was training in secret."

Naruto opened his mouth to ask a question, but Kanoko held up her hand, "There was only one reason why Shikamaru would need to keep clan training secret from me and it had to do with our grandfather, Rokumaru."

The cup in Kanoko's hand cracked in half, spilling the small amount of tea left inside to drip down her hand, "I was fortunate that Kakashi-sensei arrived when he did…"

The room went silent as Kanoko stopped speaking and stared at the shattered tea cup in her hand.

Naruto waited a couple more minutes before speaking tentatively, "Ok, so you have a scary, evil old man after you and Shikamaru – not cool – and his goal is to gain enough power to overthrow the village?" Naruto shook his head, "No way old lady Tsunade lets that happen! You've seen how hard she hits, right?!"

Kanoko shook her head, "This plot involves more than just Rokumaru. Members of my own clan are supporting him in his goals…" Kanoko started gritted her teeth in anger, 'I wonder if this is how that Uchiha felt before murdering his own clan…'

Naruto nodded, "Ok, so a bunch of old guys. That still doesn't match up to the power of the Hidden Leaf."

"You're right." Kanoko told Naruto, "Which is why I am terrified. Rokumaru is no spring chicken. He would have to know… they would all have to know that the Nara clan alone would be unable to overpower an entire village."

Naruto scrunched his face in thought before another thought occurred to him, "Wait. What were you going to ask me?"

Kanoko nodded, calming down and setting the remains of the tea cup to the side, "You have been asked by Jiraiya the sannin to travel the Land of Fire for nearly three years."

Naruto nodded with a surprised look, "Yeah! How'd you know? That just happened…" Naruto asked before mumbling, "I turned him down though…"

Kanoko nodded again, "I know. I am asking you three things." Naruto nodded, signally Kanoko to continue, "First, I would like you to accept Jiraiya's offer and travel the Land of Fire with him, learning his trade. Second, I ask you to convince Shikamaru to come with you and Jiraiya on your journey. Jiraiya has already agreed, but convincing Shikamaru could be tricky." Kanoko looked at Naruto with a serious look, "Under no circumstance are you to inform Shikamaru that I have asked this of you or of any part of this conversation. Shikamaru has a very large heart, much like your own, and will do anything, including sacrificing himself to help me out of the hole I've dug for myself."

Naruto crossed his arms and tossed the idea in his head, "Pervy-sage isn't the most reliable… Are you sure you want to put all your eggs into that basket case?"

Kanoko smirked slightly at Naruto's remark, "I won't be hedging my bets on Jiraiya." Kanoko locked her orange eyes with Naruto's ocean blue ones, "I'll be placing them on you."

Naruto blinked in shock at his teammate's words.

"Which brings me to my last request." Kanoko started, "Above all other requests I could ever ask of you, I ask that you fulfil this one, if nothing else." Kanoko paused before speaking in a clear and deep voice, "Teach my brother what I am incapable of teaching."

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"Hope, kindness, mercy, sincerity, happiness. All the things that makes Uzumaki Naruto the man that I will one day call my Hokage."

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Naruto walked through the streets of Konoha with a dazed look. His mind was still caught up in everything Kanoko told him. Even with everything she said, he felt like she was still holding back a lot. Naruto wasn't even sure he wanted to know at this point. If Kanoko was holding that much back, dealing with it on her own, all this time, he suddenly understood why she always had the sour look on her face.

Naruto crossed his arms and stopped in the middle of the road, 'And I thought the whole "I have a fuzzy in my stomach" was stressful…' Naruto started walking again, looking around at the various shops, 'And then there's the whole "two and a half year journey with Jiraiya"… The old man did teach me a really awesome jutsu… And Kanoko probably won't want to teach me anything cool if I don't convince Shikamaru to leave the village…'

Naruto cursed out loud, "Why me?!" Stomping over to his favorite ramen stand, he opened his mouth to shout his usual order of ramen when stopped suddenly and he blinked – surprised to see his favorite sensei sitting at the bar.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto shouted in joy, jumping on the seat next to his old instructor.

"Naruto!" Iruka-sensei greeted back with a large grin, "It's been a while! How are you?"

Naruto grinned, "I'm doing well…" Naruto looked up at the owner, Teuchi, and ordered his usual dish before turning to Iruka, "Actually… I'm running into a bit of a problem that I'm not sure what to do about it…"

Iruka blinked. It was rare to find Naruto this vulnerable, "Well, I know I'm just your old instructor, but maybe I can help!" Iruka responding, wanting to cheer up his favorite student.

Naruto thought about it for a moment before answering, "Well… I promised a friend I wouldn't say anything."

Iruka-sensei nodded, "And I'm glad to see you keeping your word. Maybe you can tell me the decision you are trying to make without telling me about the situation?"

Naruto tilted his head back in forth with his eyes closed, "Well… they asked me three things. The first was to go on a journey outside the village for two and a half years with pervy sage. The second was to convince a friend to do the same, and the last was to… I'm not sure… teach them to be like me?"

Iruka stared at Naruto in wonder, "Wow. That's quite the request." Iruka thought about the first one, "Jiraiya the sannin huh? He is quite the famous ninja. You could learn a great deal from him…"

Naruto nodded with a scowl on his face, "If he doesn't ditch me to scout out pretty women in their undies."

Iruka choked on the water he started drinking.

Naruto continued, not taking notice to his sensei's behavior, "But he did teach me some really cool jutsu before and he did train the Fourth Hokage…"

Iruka cleared his throat and asked, "Then what's the problem? Besides the whole… other thing…"

The blonde pouted, "I guess I just wonder how much more he's going to keep from me…" Naruto looked away before turning to Iruka with a serious look, "How come no one ever told me about my clan? That I have a clan… or had…"

Iruka scratched the back of his head, "Well… until you told me, I didn't really make the connection. So much from the Uzumaki clan was lost and they are only mentioned briefly in the history books."

Naruto nodded sadly, "But they were experts in seals. Pervy-sage should have known!"

Iruka nodded, "Well… how much time have you spent with him? Maybe he was getting around to it?"

Naruto crossed his arms and huffed, "Not likely…"

Iruka looked over at Naruto, "Then I take it you're not going, which makes the other two requests no longer valid right?"

Naruto blinked, "I hadn't thought about it like that…" Teuchi placed Naruto's bowl of ramen in front of him. For once, Naruto didn't dig in automatically.

Iruka stared at his former student in wonder. Thinking for a moment, Iruka asked Naruto a question, "This person you are being asked to bring along… they're your age right? So that would mean… It would by the two of you against Jiraiya, right? And you would have someone to talk with and train with while Jiraiya is out doing his… Acts of inappropriate behavior…" Iruka finished with a frown, suddenly not sure if Jiraiya was a good role model for Naruto.

Naruto's head snapped up towards Iruka with his mouth open in wonder. Naruto blinked several times, "That's right! Shikamaru is lazy, but he would side with me 100% of the time against pervy sage! He knows exactly the kind of torture I put Kanoko through and would do anything to avoid it… Hehehehe…" Naruto grinned wickedly at Iruka-sensei, "You are a genius, Iruka-sensei!"

Naruto picked up his bowl and gulped the whole thing down. With a sound of contentment, Naruto placed the bowl down on the counter before swiveling around and running off with a grin.

"Thanks Iruka-sensei! You're the best!"

Iruka smiled as he watched Naruto run away with a cheery expression.

"Here's the bill, Iruka-san."

Iruka blinked before turning around and reading the bill.

"NARUTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

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Kanoko pulled back the thin covers of her bed and moved to sit up with her legs hanging off the side of the bed. She looked out of the window of her room to gaze at the brightness of the room. She stared off into space for a few moments, completely caught in her thoughts about everything that has happened.

Kanoko turned her head to look over her shoulder. Sprawled out behind her with one arm over his head and the other resting on his stomach was her brother, Shikamaru, sleeping soundly. It was the middle of summer and even the nights in Konoha were hot. She could feel the sweat dripping down her neck and pool at the small of her back. The continued growth of her upper section was making Kanoko overly self-conscious and so she was layered in a couple t-shirts and sweatpants.

After all, she remembered what it was like to be a young boy going through puberty.

Kanoko glared at her brother's peaceful form, 'At least there is one bright side to all of this. I'll finally get my bed to myself.'

Exhaling, Kanoko turned back to the window and carefully got out of bed.

Kanoko opened the window and quietly pulled herself out so she could climb the side. After walking up the side of the house with easy, she turned and sat down on the slanted roof. Kanoko stared up at the moon in thought, 'Is this really a good idea? Do I really trust this "sannin" enough to keep my brother safe? I know I told Naruto I was putting my trust in him, but someone still has to keep those two safe…'

The former Hokage sighed heavily while rubbing her face with the palm of her hand, 'What other choice do I have?'

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"Why are you so troublesome…" A boy's voice whined out.

Kanoko lifted her head slightly from her palm to raise an eyebrow at her brother. He walked up next to her before plopping roughly on the shingled roof. Shikamaru extended his legs and laid back, folding his hands behind his head. Staring up at the moon with a tired look, Shikamaru sighed, "So you going to tell me what been going on with you lately?"

Kanoko stared straight ahead with an unreadable expression.

Shikamaru sighed again with a dull look. With a grunt, he pulled himself up to sit upright before resting his chin on his hand. Shikamaru looked up at the shaded clouds as the passed over the moon slowly.

Kanoko shifted her eyes slightly to look at her brother from the corner of her eye, 'I can only hope my words from before had some sort of effect. Shikamaru's smart. He has to know that he's taking a large risk by associating with Rokumaru. The man is not subtle. I can only think of three reasons why Shikamaru would willingly contact him: Shikamaru is giving Rokumaru the benefit of the doubt because he is family; He's being forced by Rokumaru in some way; Or Shikamaru has justified his training and association with Rokumaru as a way of learning more or placing himself in a position of influence in order to protect those close to him.'

The young female Nara stared down at the dark shingles between her feet, 'Shikamaru has a big heart, but he reserves that for the people he cares about. Not strangers that put him on edge.' Kanoko's fists tightened, turning her knuckles white, 'Succumbing to blackmail or self-sacrificing himself are both things Shikamaru is prone to do if pushed. And he's getting to that age where he is no longer coming to me with his worries…'

Kanoko's nails dug into her palm, making it bleed, 'Not that I could do anything about it…'

Kanoko was jolted out of her thoughts when a hand covered her own. Kanoko snapped her eyes up to see her brother eyes staring seriously into her own.

"I wish you would talk to me." Shikamaru told her in a quiet voice. His eyes shifted down to his hand that lay on his sister's, "It's like… everyday you close yourself off more and more. I know I should be used to it by now or have known it will always be like this… but…"

Shikamaru turned his head away and frowned. He snapped his head back and locked his eyes with Kanoko's again, "I watch you carefully pick Sakura up when she falls down before gently pushing her forward. I watch you patiently work with Naruto on his basic ninja skills while spending hours writing scrolls for him to read about his clan." Shikamaru's eyes shifted passed Kanoko, "If it was just them… I would understand. Chouji and Ino are important to me, even if one is more trouble than she's worth most days."

Shikamaru sighed heavily at the thought before turning serious again and looking at his sister, "But then I watched you do the same with Sasuke. Questioning him on his thoughts and ideas, challenging him to be better without sacrificing the bonds he's built. Holding yourself up to be an example for him to follow." Shikamaru's hand tightened around his sister's, "And it doesn't matter who approaches you. Ino, Kiba, Shino… If they need help, or guidance, or just someone to pick them up when they fall, you'll help – even if not everyone recognizes the way in which you help."

Shikamaru's eyes softened, "And that's what I don't understand." He used the hand over his sister's to pick hers up and grasp it tight, "Why do you continue to push me away, closing off all your feelings around me, only to slowly open up to everyone else?"

Kanoko looked down at her captured hand with dull eyes. She moved her fingers slightly while staring blankly. Slowly she started moving the pads of her long fingers against the top of her brother's hand. A brisk, but gentle breeze drifted past the siblings, making Kanoko's long hair tickle her face as it blew around gently.

Closing her eyes and exhaling, Kanoko pulled her hand away and pushed herself up to her feet.

Shikamaru looked up at her with a tired frown, but was unsurprised her actions – even if it did disappoint him.

Kanoko stared up at the moon in silence, her face facing away from her brother.

Shikamaru sighed heavily before turning his head and slowly moving to go back to bed. He was just about to get up when he heard his sister speak in a deep voice.

"If Sakura is killed in battle, I will mourn her loss and blame myself for not spending more time training with her. If Sasuke perishes while trying to restore his clan's honor and name, I will wonder if there was not another path I could have shown him. If Naruto dies protecting the village with every ounce of the greatness he possesses, I will honor him in every way and in everyday, but will always regret being unable to support him – to give him strength in war and give him wisdom in peace."

Shikamaru eyes traveled from his sister's tensing shoulders to her tightening fists.

Kanoko took a large breath, her diaphragm shaking slightly as she did so.

"If I lose any or all of them, I can go on. I'll know how to go on." Her voice evened out, "Because I still have a purpose. I still have a goal. I still have something to protect."

Shikamaru nodded as if the answer as obvious, "The village…"

The wind picked up again and blew Kanoko's hair behind her, "I will always defend the village with everything I have. Even with all its flaws, Konoha will always be the actualization of a dream once thought impossible. Its beauty is not defined by its wonderful vegetation or its clean, glittery streets, but by the hearts of the people that reside within." Kanoko's voice dropped, "I love this village and I will always love this village. It is my home. It is where I was born and it is where I'll be buried."

Kanoko looked down at her brother, the large moon behind her framing her face, "But even a Hokage needs more than just a village to protect. Even a Hokage has those that touch his heart and give him the strength to fight one more time."

Kanoko's eyes softened as they locked onto her brother's, "Tou-san recently told me what it was like, holding the two of us for the first time and what the moment meant to him. It gave him both purpose and fear. Fear he wasn't good enough, fear he wouldn't be strong enough, fear for what he would become if one of us…" Kanoko shook her head and looked out over the area in front of their house, "He tried several times to explain to me what that moment meant to him, but in the end, he didn't even need to explain it."

Silence filled the air, causing Shikamaru to frown and ask, "Why?"

Kanoko closed her eyes to feel the cold breeze blow against her face before answering, "Because I experienced that same feeling the first time you latched onto me as a baby and didn't let go." Kanoko smirked while keeping her eyes shut, "I remember rolling several times around that blasted crib in an attempt to get away, but you were persistent – something no one would associate with you now. After a while, I finally gave up – completely exhausted. Staring at your ugly mug as you latched on like a leech, it occurred to me…"

Shikamaru leaned forward, anxious to hear what his sister would say. After a couple seconds he spoke, "And…?"

Kanoko shrugged with a smirk, "Nothing. I was a baby, what did you expect me to think?"

Shikamaru huffed in annoyance before grumbling, "Troublesome woman…"

Kanoko continued to smirk lightly as she moved to the edge of the roof. Taking one last look at the moon above she spoke quietly, "Sakura and Naruto are my teammates. Sasuke, Shino, Ino, Kiba, Hinata… all of them are my former classmates and friends... Lee, Neji, and Tenten are my comrades. But you, Shikamaru… You are something different entirely."

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Kanoko smiled sincerely with soft eyes, "You are my brother… my twin… and you will always mean the most to me."

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And with that, Kanoko hopped off the roof.

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Shikamaru stared wide eyed at the spot that once held his sister. A dusting of pink grew on his cheeks before he grumbled, "Troublesome woman…" He turned his head up towards the moon and started to smile lazily, 'Leave it to my sister to take twelve years to tell me she cares.'

Shikamaru suddenly frowned, 'Right when I might leave…'

Naruto had raced up to him a couple hours earlier, asking, no, begging him to join him and Jiraiya on a journey through the Land of Fire.

Had Naruto asked him a couple days before, Shikamaru's immediate answer would have been no. In caps. He had a family here he loved, teammates that relayed on him – who he cared for deeply, and a sister that was determined to drive him insane…

But after what Kanoko told him a few nights ago, Shikamaru was reconsidering everything in a new light. He's teammates were still genin, but they were training hard with their parents and peers to better themselves. He hadn't been spending much time with them anyways – something that he blamed himself for.

His family would always be here for him and it was only two and a half years… Two and a half years of no nagging… That thought alone was almost enough to convince Shikamaru.

And then there was the secret training he had started with his grandfather. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Even as he shook the man's hand, he regretted the decision. Something in his gut was telling him to run and he wished he had listened.

But if he goes on the journey, he'll be out of the man's sights and reach.

Hopefully.

At the very least, he wouldn't be able to get near while Jiraiya was around. Shikamaru had a feeling his grandfather was not well liked…

Naruto had even added that he would convince Jiraiya to train Shikamaru as well. Shikamaru believed the blond knucklehead. There were very few people Naruto couldn't convince, given time – and he would have two and half years to do so if denied outright.

Being trained by a sannin…

Shikamaru was sure to come back stronger than when he left, and he heard Jiraiya was master sealer. Kanoko had taught him the basics and Shikamaru could now create small storage seals. With that knowledge, Shikamaru believed he would be the perfect student to learn some of Jiraiya's more advanced sealing jutsus.

Now that Shikamaru was really thinking about all of it, there was really no downside of going on the journey. Shikamaru didn't even classify Naruto and his constant hyperness as a factor.

He had Yamanaka Ino as a teammate.

The only thing holding Shikamaru back at this point was the one thing always made him reconsidered anything he did.

His sister, Kanoko.

He always worried about his sister. He always knew there was something more to her, something that could break her if it ever came to light. She claimed she was already broken, but how does a twelve year old even know what broken looks like? How can she believe such depressing things about herself? Their family has had its ups and downs, but never anything horrible – excluding recent events.

That's probably what worried him the most.

If he wasn't here to be her pillar of strength when she finally collapsed, who would?

Shikamaru frowned at himself, "In my current state, what good would I be for her?" Being physically stronger than any other ninja, having lots of influence in the village, or having the greatest intelligence in the Land of Fire wasn't going to help his sister.

No…

She made that clear already.

She said she would be the most powerful shinobi in the Land of Fire, but she would always remain broken…

She didn't need strength. She had that in so many different ways.

She didn't need influence. Her name was already well known – although not for the best of reasons.

She didn't need intelligence. He wasn't even going to address that topic.

What she needed was something she didn't think she had…

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Light.

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She needed someone to light the way.

Kanoko was more like the shadow their clan relied on in battle. The brighter the light, the strong she would get, the darker the night, the chances of her fading into the darkness grew.

She needed light to survive.

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Naruto was the only person he ever saw her truly open up to. He was always the one challenging her to think differently, to act differently, to care more, to believe more...

And he was leaving.

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Naruto told him that he Kanoko had already turned him down, stating that she had made a promise to Sasuke and that she would not go back on her word.

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Shikamaru pushed himself up onto his feet, staring intently at the moon.

He had made his decision.

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If Kanoko wasn't going to save herself from the darkness she was drowning in…

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He'd make sure Naruto was strong enough to dive in and pull her out.

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Miles from Konoha, on top of a cliff overseeing an expansive forest stood a tall figure clothed in a dark robe. The figure turned to face the edge of the cliff, the wind blowing harshly against the man. His deep black hair whipped around his face as he lifted an arm up into the air.

Several black birds of various sizes glided around him, batting their wings back and forth harshly against the viscous wind. The wind blew an even bigger gust of air, forcing the birds to scatter.

All but one.

One crow, black as night with feathers slicker than any other bird, glided gracefully through the air before resting on the man's extended arm. The bird cocked its head to stare into the man's blood red eyes with its own blank eye filled with only black.

The man lowered his arm slightly and regarded the black bird coolly, "I am surprised to see you in such a form."

You are not the only one.

The crimson eyed man raised an eyebrow, indicating he was interested in details.

The crow puffed out the feathers on its chest.

My current state is unimportant, and do not act like you even care.

The man shrugged slightly, continuing to stare at the bird with dull eyes.

The crow walked up the man's arm before jumping off and landing on the ground with a slight hop in its step. Taking a few steps forward, the crow looked back at the expressionless man.

Did you bring me what I asked?

The young man did not respond before slowly lifting his eyes. From behind the thick trees walked a young girl, sixteen or so. She had a dazed look in her eyes, as if she had been drugged. The auburn haired girl continued to limp forward before suddenly stopping before the man and the small bird.

The black crow looked up and down before nodding. The bird turned back to the man.

Then we have a deal?

The man stared down at the black bird with another dull and empty look, "It depends on what information you have."

The crow ruffled its feathers.

Why do you care so much about this child's well-being? Did you not murder his entire family?

The man did not respond, but the chill in the air was all the small bird needed to know.

Then let me tell you what I know with an added piece of information. Let's call it… a down payment.

The dark robed man did not remove his gaze. Silence drifted between the two for several minutes before the man's blood red eyes drifted up to the teenage. His eyes spun just before the girl fell to the ground, completely passed out.

"If I do not find your information of value, you will not get far… and I will not allow you to escape through an animal as you did with your previous killer." The man spoke in a deep and even voice.

The crow looked to the teenager's body and then back to the man before the crow's body dropped to the ground.

Dead.

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The young girl with auburn hair stirred slowly. Moving her limbs around clumsily, she spoke in a high but melodic tone, "It took me weeks to get used to having wings and talons… I didn't realize the transition back would be just as… uncomfortable."

The man did not care. Staring down at the girl, his gaze hardened.

The girl smirked, "Impatience. An Uchiha trait for sure." Slowly standing the teenage girl place a hand on her hip and gave the man before her a slight smirk, "As you suspected, Orochimaru has set his sights on your little brother. He means to take your brother's body from him and implant his, Orochimaru's, own soul into what he sees as the perfect body." The girl paused, "Lucky for you, the seal he placed on your little brother was removed by a clever little Nara."

The Uchiha processed the information given to him. Outside, he looked cool and calm – as if he was without emotions. Inside… he was boiling.

The young woman folded her arms over her chest and smirked, "As a reward to acquiring such a suitable body for me, allow me to provide you one more piece of information."

The Uchiha stared blankly at the girl, indicating with his silence that she continue.

"This little girl… the Nara that saved your brother… I would keep an eye on her." The teenager's smirk grew before turning and starting to walk away, swaying her hips as she moved, "She's no regular girl. Inside of her body lives the soul of a man who was said to be a master of the water element, creator of a thousand jutsus, and has even brought the dead to life again…"

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"But most of all…"

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"This man despised the Uchiha…"

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"Hated them more than any enemy…"

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"More than any criminal…"

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"And single handedly set the Uchiha clan on a path that could only lead them to destruction."

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"Inside this little girl… Nara Kanoko…"

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"Is the soul of Senju Tobirama."

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Below are extras that I made while trying to write this chapter. They play into a mysterious time after the last chapter and before this one.

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Extra 1) The Real Reason the Flying Thunder god Jutsu was Created

"Remind me again." Sasuke spoke in his normal cool tone, "Why we are running around the border between the Land of Fire and the area belonging to the Hidden Rain Village while your brother, his team, your team, my team, and that weird green thing and his team all assist the Sand Village on a rescue mission."

"That many people on one simple rescue mission and you're wondering why you're not there?" Kanoko snorted, "Uchihas…"

The young Nara heiress and Uchiha sole survivor were currently dashing through the thick, damp trees located on the west end of the Land of Fire. Apparently the rumors of it always raining in the Ninja Village Hidden in the Rain were true, and its weather extended into a section of the Land of Fire.

The section Sasuke was currently traveling through.

Sasuke hated being wet.

Kanoko turned her head back and forth to view the area around her before answering Sasuke's question in a voice void of emotion, "Almost a month ago now, Shikamaru's team was assigned a mission in the Land of Tea."

Sasuke nodded, growing more annoyed, "Yeah, the whole village knows about it. People were shocked to hear that Ibiki had a brother."

Kanoko shrugged, "The way people talk about Ibiki, you'd think he was made artificially in a lab or something." Kanoko turned her head to the right and motioned Sasuke to follow her as she turned sharply, "Anyways, Shikamaru told me that there was a shinobi who wielded a blade made purely of lightning chakra."

The Uchiha raised an eyebrow, "A jutsu?"

"No." Kanoko told him with a frown, "The hilt of the sword was created by combining conductive materials with a complex series of seals. Lightning chakra was then poured into the storage part of the seal over time. Now, only a small amount of chakra is needed to activate the seals in the hilt." Kanoko paused before continuing, "It is called the Blade of the Thunder Spirit – a sword the Second Hokage once wielded."

"And that's why we are running around in the rain, getting soaked to the bone, in probably the most dangerous part of the Land of Fire." Sasuke stared at the back of Kanoko's head in wonder, "Your brother and his team didn't retrieve this sword when they defeated the ninja?"

"When this shinobi saw Asuma with them, he fled in order to avoid a fight with the Third Hokage's son and a former member of the Guardian Twelve." Kanoko answered plainly, "And it's not the most dangerous part. The northern area closest to the Land of Lightning is the most dangerous… For any Cloud nin I run into."

"And you keep saying no one hold a grudge like an Uchiha…" Sasuke mumbled before asking, "And you plan on confronting this Rain shinobi?" Sasuke paused, "Wait, wasn't this ninja a jounin of the Leaf?"

Kanoko smirked, "Is that fear I hear in your voice, Uchiha?"

Sasuke scowled at Kanoko before chastising her, "Aren't you the one always preaching about using your brain and not doing anything stupid?" Sasuke picked up his pace so that he was next to Kanoko, "We are on the border of one of the most unstable and violent ninja villages, the ninjas from which would love nothing more than to slowly murder a couple Leaf genin."

Kanoko smirked, "One of us is a chunin."

Sasuke glared.

"And normally I would agree with you." Kanoko continued, ignoring Sasuke's angry look, "But a sword of that power cannot remain in the hands of an enemy." The former Hokage scanned the area again while thinking, 'I will not allow weapons of my own creation be used against my people. I have enough blood on my hands as it is.'

"Ok, but why now?" Sasuke asked, "Like you said, this ninja was last seen nearly a month ago. Why now and not any time in the last three weeks?"

Kanoko frowned, "Not counting the fact that I wasn't allowed to leave the village? I was waiting for information on this Rokushou Aoi and his whereabouts." Kanoko paused to look at Sasuke with a raised eyebrow, "A recent intelligence report indicated that he was last seen leaving the Hidden Frost Village and since I can't go to the northern border…"

"We're prancing through the dirt and rain, like a homeless mutt, looking for a jounin from the Hidden Leaf, who now works for the Village Hidden in the Rain and may or may not have a small army of equally crazy but highly trained assassins with him." Sasuke finished for Kanoko, "While we're on the topic of painful ways to die by sheer idiocracy..."

Kanoko shot Sasuke an irritated look, "You know they say about an Uchiha with a sense of humor?"

Sasuke just shrugged with a cocky smirk on his face, "See? Even you agree that it's so stupid that it's funny."

Kanoko's eye twitched in annoyance. She opened her mouth to retort, but stopped when she felt a chakra signature come into range. Nodding to Sasuke and pointing to a spot above, the two took cover.

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"Buffoons! All three of you!" Rokushou Aoi shouted as he stomped through the tall wet grass, "You had one job! One job! Keep an eye out while I acquired the forbidden scroll from our contact!"

Three young Rain shinobi, dressed in a tan one piece with a gas mask on their faces, drug their feet as they followed after their team leader. Two of them hung their heads and flinching each time Aoi turned around to yell at them, while the third just crossed his arms and looked away.

"And now we're coming back empty handed!" Aoi continued before stopping suddenly. He spun around on his heel and glared at the three of them, "I am not taking the fall for this! You got that?!"

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Kanoko focused her senses on the four Rain shinobi, 'Genin…' Kanoko was interrupted from her thoughts when she caught Sasuke signaling to her.

My team faced those genin in the chunin exams.

Kanoko raised an eyebrow at Sasuke's message. She turned her eyes back down to the Rain shinobi before smirking.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, 'I don't like that look…'

Before Sasuke knew what happened he was grabbed by the back of his shirt and thrown down at the Rain ninja. The shocked Uchiha was able to recover and land smoothly on his feet just behind them. All four Rain shinobi blinked at him before one of the genin pointed at him and shouted, "It's that jerk from the Chunin Exams!"

"You're right!" Another shouted, "I say we teach him a lesson! It's him against the four of us!"

Sasuke scoffed, but didn't move. He just continued to hold his position – ready to strike if one of them made a move.

"Wait!" Aoi barked out while pushing passed the Rain genin. Glaring down at Sasuke with a suspicious look, he spoke, "What is a Leaf kid like yourself doing so far from home?" Aoi's eyes scanned over Sasuke's features, "Wait… you're that Uchiha kid. The last of your kind."

Sasuke tensed while growling lowly at the man's statement, "What of it?"

Aoi's eyes snapped around the area before speaking to his team, "Search the area! There's no way the Leaf would let its precious last Uchiha out of its sights without at least a jounin looking over him."

The Rain genin looked reluctant but followed their leader's orders when Aoi activated the Blade of the Thunder Spirit. They took off into the trees while Aoi stared down at Sasuke, unimpressed.

"I'll ask you again. Why are you out here, so close to the Rain's border?" Aoi asked.

Sasuke didn't respond. He just frowned as his eyes locked onto the lightning sword, 'The blade Kanoko was talking about…'

Aoi smirked when he realized what Sasuke was looking at. Lifting the sword up, Aoi spoke, "Impressive isn't it? Powerful too. It can slice through anything, even chakra." Aoi smirked grew, "Want me to show you?"

Sasuke's eyes snapped back to Aoi with a glare before suddenly smirking.

Aoi's eyes narrowed, "You're more messed up in the head than everyone thinks. Laughing at your own death…"

Sasuke just snorted humorously, "I am more messed up then everyone thinks, but I'm not laughing at my death." Sasuke paused, "I'm laughing at yours."

Aoi frowned before his eyes widened.

He couldn't move.

Aoi heart started beating rapidly as he tensed his muscles desperately, "What the hell did you do to me?!"

Sasuke simply crossed his arms and pointed at Aoi's feet with a smirk.

Aoi's eyes traveled down.

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Aoi cursed out loud in panic, "You little shit! Fucking Nara! Show your face!"

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"What's the point? You're dead either way." Kanoko answered tonelessly.

Aoi's eyes widened in panic, "Wait-"

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*SNAP*

The black tendrils recoiled back to their own as the large body fell to the ground with a thud.

Sasuke approached the dead Rain nin while watching it closely – waiting for it to jump up and attack him. When he was half a foot away, Sasuke nudged him gently with his foot. When nothing happened, Sasuke frowned, "He was a jounin of the Leaf?" Sasuke shook his head, "The standards must be low…"

Kanoko scoffed as she walked up to Sasuke, "He got complacent." Kanoko squatted down and picked up the Blade of the Thunder Spirit's hilt, "He thought he was invincible with the sword of the Second Hokage and lapsed in his training."

The Nara placed the ninja tool in her pack and looked at the Rain nin's body once more, 'Although, I do agree with Sasuke. This man should have never been made jounin. He was a chunin at best. A jounin would have been able to sense me so close, especially when I started using my shadow possession jutsu.' Kanoko sighed internally, 'Another issue I will have to fix… Jounin selection.'

Kanoko stood up and turned her head to Sasuke. She raised an eyebrow at the scalding look Sasuke was sending her way, "What is it now?" Kanoko finished with a small sigh.

Sasuke's onyx eyes narrowed further, "I'm not the dobe. The next time you throw me as a means for distraction-"

"Yes, yes. I'll take your feelings into account next time." Kanoko interrupted. "You Uchihas and your feelings…" Kanoko mumbled out before leaping into the trees and taking off into the direction of the Leaf Village.

Sasuke grumbled with his arms crossed before leaping in the trees and following Kanoko with an annoyed look. Catching up to her, he turned his head and smirked, "Just for that, I'm telling Shikamaru about your, self-assigned, side mission." And with that, Sasuke sped ahead.

Kanoko stared ahead with an open mouth look of shock and betrayal before growling angrily and shouting, "You whining little brat! Get back here!"

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Several Hours Later and Back in Konoha

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Shikamaru frowned as he dark eyes shifted down the street. He stilled for a moment longer before glaring at air and turning to the ramen stand. Pushing the curtains out of the way, he looked at Naruto and the staff at Ichiraku's Ramen. With a mix of annoyance and anger seeping out of him, he asked Naruto, "Have you seen Kanoko?"

Naruto shook his head aggressively while sweating slightly at Shikamaru dark look.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes on Naruto for a few moments before turning to the ramen stand staff, "Have you seen a girl with dark brown hair and orange eyes? About my height? Is prone to acting without taking any consideration for anyone else's feelings?"

Teuchi and Ayame shook their heads quickly.

Shikamaru looked between the three of them suspiciously before turning back to Naruto, "If I find out you are covering for my littlesister…" Shikamaru took out the lighter he stole from Asuma and flipped it open, a small flame flickering from it.

"Ahhh!" Naruto screamed, holding onto the bar of his favorite ramen stand, "What the hell is with you Naras and lighting things on fire?!"

Shikamaru simply snapped the cap back on the lighter and stared darkly at Naruto before dashing away to look somewhere else for his darling little sister.

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Kanoko popped her head up from behind the counter. Looking back and forth with a small amount of paranoia – even though she could sense her brother was long gone – she finally stood all the way up and relaxed.

Naruto gave Kanoko a panicked look, "What the hell did you DO?!"

Kanoko scoffed as she crossed her arms and mumbled, "More like, what did that soon to be dead Uchiha do…"

Naruto shook his head and frowned at his teammate, "Why are you hiding anyways? Aren't you, like, the one that wears the pants or something?"

Kanoko went slightly pink in embarrassment and mumbled inaudibly before suddenly ducking out of the way again.

"Hey! Naruto! How's it going?" Chouji spoke, walking passed the curtains and into the ramen stand, "Five bowls of pork ramen, please!"

Naruto turned to Chouji with a grin and greeted him back, "Hey Chouji!" Naruto paused before whispering with a hand cupped around his mouth, "Have you seen Shikamaru lately? He's on a warpath!"

Chouji gave Naruto a belly laugh in response, "Yeah! You should have seen it when Sasuke told him!"

Naruto blinked, "Huh? What does duckbutt have to do with it?"

Kanoko tensed while crouched behind the ramen bar.

"Thank you!" Chouji told the staff as they placed his first bowl of ramen down, "Apparently…" Chouji started to slurp his ramen noodles while talking, "While we were all assigned to help Gaara and the Sand village recuse that girl, Kanoko took Sasuke to the edge of the Land of Fire, near the Rain Village."

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed, sitting upright in his seat, "Kanoko took SASUKE on a secret mission?!"

Chouji nodded, taking a big gulp of his food, "Uhuh. They were looking for an ex-jounin from the Leaf, now working for the Rain, because he had this powerful sword belonging to the Second Hokage. The problem was, Kanoko told Shikamaru that the Hokage was sending her on a side mission to pick up some tea or something. Shikamaru's now pissed that she lied to him and went on a suicide mission of her own creation."

Naruto slammed his hand on the counter and turned his head slowly in the direction Kanoko was crouched down. With a growl, Naruto shouted, "You took DUCKBUTT on a secret mission to steal back a sword from the Second Hokage, and you DIDN'T BRING ME?!"

Kanoko dashed out of the ramen shop, knowing her odds of calming Naruto down before serious damage was done to be slim to none.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted before several Naruto clones poofed into existence and raced after his former teammate.

Kanoko cursed as she turned her head to look at the parade of Naruto's heading her way before making a seal of her own, 'And the true reason I created the flying thunder god jutsu comes to light…'

"Flying Thunder god Jutsu!" Kanoko thought before flickering away.

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Extra 2) The Cons of Being a Woman

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It was quiet and beautiful morning in the village of Konoha. It wasn't cold or hot and there was small cool breeze traveling through the town. Birds were chirping lightly while the light footsteps of animals and people alike were starting their day.

Small dark brown eyes blinked open lazily, trying to enjoy every extra second of his eyes closed. With a long yawn, Shikamaru stared up at the wood ceiling with a small amount of sadness that he would have to get up soon. It wasn't very often that he was able to sleep in. Either his mother would pull him out by his ankles and start him on some sort of manual task or his father would rip off the covers and force him to train in the ways of their clan.

And if neither of his parents were on him to get up, then the icy chill from the recently vacant spot next to him left him unable to enjoy the beauty that is sleep.

Shikamaru paused in his thoughts.

He and his sister went to bed early last night…

There was no way that she wouldn't be up by now…

Shikamaru turned his head slowly to see a patch of tangled brown hair. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the still body of his sister's. She wasn't moving and Shikamaru was worried that she might not be breathing. The fact that she was face down on the bed with her face shoved into her pillow wasn't helping matters.

Lifting a hand, Shikamaru twisted his body so he could shake Kanoko lightly, in an attempt to wake her up.

His hand was barely an inch away from her body when her own hand shot up and grabbed him roughly by the wrist, her grip cutting off the blood to his hand.

Shikamaru's eyes went wide. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when Kanoko's head turned slowly and demonically towards him.

Her eyes were bloodshot with long, dark bags underneath. Strands of hair were stuck to her face and small beads of sweat were pouring down her face. Kanoko's mouth stretched into a wide, wicked grin, "Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha."

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"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Shikamaru screamed, trying desperately to pull his wrist out of his sister's grasp, "AHHHH! LET GO! LET GO!"

Shikamaru hit the floor with a loud thud when he finally snapped free of Kanoko's deathly grip. Barely on his feet, Shikamaru threw himself out of the room and dashed downstairs.

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Yoshino snapped her head around, only catching a brief glimpse of what she believed was her son. She was just on her way to wake up her children, slightly surprised she hadn't seen her daughter already. Shaking her head, Yoshino continued on into the twins' room.

"Kanoko honey?" Yoshino asked the dark room as she stepped inside. Yoshino scanned the room when no one answered and found a small bump in the bed. Yoshino approached the bed carefully before sitting down next to her daughter, whose face was once again smashed into her pillow.

Rubbing Kanoko's back softly, Yoshino whispered, "Kanoko honey, are you feeling ok?"

Kanoko groaned pathetically, "I'm going to die."

Yoshino raised an eyebrow, quickly thinking about any recent missions her daughter has been on that could have caused any serious injuries. Not thinking of any, Yoshino went into full investigation mode, "What hurts honey?"

Kanoko curled up slightly, feeling really embarrassed all of sudden.

Yoshino gave her daughter an annoyed look, "We can do this the easy way or the loud and painful way…"

"My stomach…" Kanoko mumbled out, "It feels like someone is stabbing me in the lower abdomen over and over again with a dull, jagged kunai…"

Yoshino blinked before smiling sadly at her poor daughter, "I was wondering when this time would come…" Lifting the covers off of Kanoko, Yoshino patted her daughter lightly on the back, "Come on. Up you go. A hot bath or shower will help."

"Uggg…" Kanoko groaned out, but did what her mother told her. While gritting her teeth and placing a hand on her hip, Kanoko limped out of bed and towards the bathroom with her mother.

The former Hokage glared harshly at nothing while thinking, "When I figure out which deranged, sick bastard brought me back to life as a girl…"

Kanoko was interrupted from her death threats to an unknown enemy when her mother pushed her into the hot shower.

"Shit! That's hot!" Kanoko thought in pain before relaxing when she realized that the lower pain was fading, "Huh… Can't believe that worked…"

Kanoko's thoughts trailed off when she looked down at her feet.

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Deep red and light pink mixed with the translucent color of the water as it swirled down the drain. Kanoko quickly scanned her body for cuts or gashes. She stared down at the mixing colors in confusion when she couldn't find anything.

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Until another thought occurred to her.

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"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

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Shikaku looked up from his various mission reports to look across the breakfast table at his wife, "There sure is a lot of screaming in this house this morning…"

Yoshino just continued to fill the plates with hot food as she spoke in a normal tone, "I'm not exactly sure why your son ran to the deer shed, but our daughter is currently in the shower, likely crying over the shocking realization that she is no longer a little girl."

Shikaku blinked at Yoshino, "Wait… You don't mean…" Shikaku looked a little green all of a sudden.

Yoshino nodded with a smirk, "Your daughter is going through her first period."

Shikaku looked down at his food with a frown. Pushing it away he sighed, "I'm not hungry anymore."

Yoshino's smirk grew, "That's probably a smart move on your part." Shikaku looked up at his wife with a curious look before she continued, "After all, you promised you would give our children the talk when Kanoko got her first period."

Shikaku went pale.

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Beta Note: FreelanceBum here, sorry to get this out so late. Reader06 had the chapter out quite a bit earlier, but my family is visiting from out of state. But Asami is back, so I'm happy and you better be too.

Author's Note: It was partly my fault too! I was stressed out last weekend and sick and just couldn't write!

The extra part concerning the Blade of the Lightning Spirit was inspired by ssj3gohan007 as well as several other reviewers that have mentioned the weapon! :D

Thank you to everyone for the wonderful reviews! They motivate me and help improve the story, so please keep them coming! You all play a part, even if I can't show it all in one chapter how much of an impact you guys have!

Last, next chapter you will be thrown straight into Shippuden, so keep that in mind going forward. There will be flashbacks to the time in between, so lots of Jiraiya/Shikamaru/Naruto (non-pairing-way, just wanted to clarify) moments in the future.

SUPER MEGA THANK YOU to FreelanceBum for the awesome editing, as always! :D

THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL THE READERS OF SECOND TIME'S THE CHARM! I COULDN'T ASK FOR A BETTER GROUP OF PEOPLE! YOU GUYS ROCK!