"Me? Hate paperwork?" Koko snorted, a smirk tangling her lips. "Tsunade, you've been slacking off for too long. Forgotten how you used to complain every time I asked you to even write a seal?" She shook her head, bundling together the stack of my files before dropping them into a thick envelope. As she fastened it shut with a seal, she raised a brow and prodded, "Or maybe you've finally accepted the offer to become Hokage?"

It was the newcomer's time to snort. "That fool's dream?" She rolled her eyes, something darker flickering across her expression. "I wasn't the one who wanted to do all of that. If I ever was, I'd have made you handle all my paperwork, Koko."

The older doctor returned with yet another snort, but before the noise could be clarified into words, the blonde woman turned her cool eyes onto me. She raised a small, shapely brow. "I'm guessing you're the miko? Mira, correct?"

I nodded, shifting in my seat so that I might better defend myself. Unfortunately, paper-thin bedsheets betrayed my every movement with cackling crackles. Cringing, I glanced at Rin – needing her reactions to interpret the situation – but the girl's eyes had gone as wide as if she'd seen a kami. Abandoned, I could only grit my teeth and watch the woman warily as she stepped forward.

"Relax," the woman said, waving a dismissive hand. "I'm Tsunade. I'm a retired medical-nin of Konoha, but Hokage asked me to help with the procedure today." She folded her arms across her chest and grumbled, "I'd rather be behind a deck of cards, but here we are."

"I know who you are," Rin practically whispered. "Everyone does! You're one of the Sannin! You're the best medical-nin around! You're the reason I became a medical-nin! It's my dream to be just like you!"

Tsunade frowned as her fists tightened. "Like me? I'd say get a new dream. Not that those are worth much anyway."

"We're studying all the new antidotes against the Sand you've-" Rin's expression broke, her lips quivering as the rest of her words petered out in her throat. She fell silent, rocking back on her heels and fiddling with her hands.

My chest loosened. Rin's not scared of her? Then what's with that face? I turned from her embarrassed expression and sized up the woman. Even if it put me somewhat at ease that Rin was dumbfounded out of admiration rather than fear, I still had no trust in the woman. There was something about the way she held herself – full of defeat yet somehow still languid with confidence. Still, I couldn't put a finger to the reason about her that had me on guard.

Well, it didn't help that she had just hurt Rin.

Koko growled something into Tsunade's ear as she passed but turned to Rin with a forced smile. "Well, since you haven't slept through half my classes and didn't start a gambling ring using medical notes as chips, I think you have a good shot, Rin."

Tsunade coughed into her hand, sniping a glare at her old teacher but said nothing. She moved forward to stop at my side, leaning over to peer closer but keeping a respectful – or rather calculated – distance. "I'll just be offering support today, Koko. I know this procedure won't be invasive, but in case there's any-" She stopped and shook her head. "Well, in any case, you're in charge, Sensei."

With that, she turned to me and held up her hands. She met my eyes with an almost bored look and said, "May I do a quick exam to see where we are?"

Tsunade began before I could even nod. I tensed as she moved forward but, with surprising gentleness, she maneuvered me so that my legs lay extended on the table. She put a hand to my shoulder, but I resisted her push to lower me onto my back. She blinked at me, some emotion flickering across her tired features, but she relented. Instead, the familiar green glow sparked in her palms, and she made do with my hunched posture. After a few initial surveys over my body, her hands hovered over my stomach, kneading where the source of the pain had been not too long ago.

I couldn't help letting out a sigh in relief, melting a bit as the sore, knotted muscles were eased apart. While I wanted to close my eyes and soak the feeling in like sunlight, I forced myself to stay upright, keeping the tension in my shoulders. With her this close, I realized why something felt so off about her. While she was wearing a seasoned uniform like Minato's, there was not a speck of battle on her. No dirt. No grime. No blood. Not even the smell of them. Sure, there were dents and cuts from blades, but they looked like scars from old battles.

She doesn't even have any injuries, I balked. Why isn't she fighting? If Minato and his team are fighting, why isn't she?

My attention was snatched as Koko cleared her throat, summoning a shinobi from the rafters. The figure jumped down and grabbed the envelope she held out only to leave the room in a flash. Unruffled, the old doctor turned and watched her old student, nodding in satisfaction, before gathering more materials – presumably for my upcoming procedure. It only was a second before she tossed a glower over her shoulder and grumbled, "Where's the rest of your team, Tsunade? They're late."

Tsunade didn't break her focus, but her lips curled into a seemingly well-practiced scowl. "The team split up years ago, Sensei," she grumbled, the words sounding overused on her tongue. "We haven't fought together since the Second Shinobi World War. I hadn't seen Orochimaru for two months before the meeting today, and I can't even remember the last time I saw Jiraiya."

Koko made a noise in her throat. "Well, one of them better show up. We can't work unless they do. Jiraiya was the one supposed to-"

"He's supposed to do a lot of things," Tsunade cut across as she moved her hands towards my throat. "He always gets distracted with something or more likely someone."

The frustration in her voice had me instinctively cringing away from her hands. I threw a pleading glance Rin's way, but she only snuck a quick smile at me before her attention was again fully absorbed by Tsunade's work.

Meanwhile, the retired medical-nin rolled her eyes and moved her assessment up from my neck to my temple. "He's the last person even I'd bet on to get anything done. Seriously, did I tell you about the time when I was in the hot spr- Eh?" She interrupted her story, something grabbing her focus. "You've got yourself quite a nasty headache, Mira."

I glanced up at her – the pounding tripling as if exuberant at its recognition – but the woman had already turned to share a look with Koko. Though I couldn't see Tsunade's expression with her face turned from me, beneath her arm I could see Koko's puckering of lips as if she were silently clucking her tongue. In all appearances, it looked like the older doctor was reprimanding her student – she even vocally criticized that the chakra flow in the brain is too delicate for healing after my procedure – but Tsunade's too clear expression when she turned back to me made me question what'd just happened.

Tsunade kept her hands hovering by my temples – a fact that first made me nervous but then grateful as the pounding soothed. "Well, anyway," she continued, the anger melted from her voice, "don't bet on him showing up."

"Well, I heard you might be leaving soon too, Tsunade," Koko broached into a new topic. "After everything with-"

"Yes," the Sannin cut through. "I just managed to convince Shizune's parents to let her come with me. Or rather, she convinced them for me. Still not sure if she's making the best decision, but she says she wants me to teach her."

Koko nodded. "Well, you've got a bright kid on your hands. I've trained her in the basics already. She's a fast learner." She narrowed an eye. "Now don't you go giving her any of your bad habits."

Tsunade gave a tired but sincere laugh. "She's a good kid. Hopefully lucky too."

"Well, I suppose that means the Village will only have one of its legendary Sannin left," the old doctor grumbled. "And with the Hokage rumored to retire soon after this war-"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you've heard the stories about me, Sensei. I'm not exactly Hokage-material, and now I'm more hindrance than help in the one thing I was best at." She shrugged. "Besides, Orochimaru was the genius out of us three, and he seems interested enough. Probably thought the meeting with the Hokage was going to be about his successor like I did. I mean nothing gets him out of his experiments – whatever they are – nowadays."

Koko crossed her arms and frowned. "Well, if he was at the meeting, what's taking him so long to get here? I have to be back at the hospital for another surgery in a few hours."

She shrugged. "Probably thought the whole summons was a waste of time. My guess is he's back in his lab."

"Actually," a voice hissed, "I thought I'd join."

Another one? My eyes shot to the entrance, a whine crumpling in my throat. A man stood there now, the dark doorframe bordering his pale form like the mouth of a cave. He wore the same armor as Tsunade, but his was clearly still in use: even beneath the chemical scent wafting off him, I could smell fresh blood. Purple rimmed his eyes – both a layer of paint like Rin's and the dark bruises of too little sleep. His golden pupils were slits, drinking in the room with a hint of distaste. His calculating gaze snapped against mine – a snake striking it victim with perfect accuracy – and I couldn't help but flinch. His lips twitched back to reveal teeth closer to fangs.

"So, one of you decided to come after all," Koko grouched, tapping her foot against the floor. "We've been waiting long enough."

If he noted the tone in her voice, the man didn't show it. He merely slithered past her – his movements strangely graceful – and headed directly towards me with eyes as sharp as a predator's.

"Orochimaru," Tsunade greeted as he stopped beside us. "This is Mira."

He dipped his chin but didn't say anything as he kept his unblinking stare on me, his arms loose at his sides. Too loose. It looked as if his joints were unhinged.

I pulled away from him, not liking the interest glittering in his cold eyes. It wasn't his appearance so much that bothered me: I was familiar with stranger-looking kamigami, more sinister-appearing yōkai from my childhood, but something about him struck me as a creature intimately familiar with the dark – a creature about which Mother had always warned me. Something poisonous. Something dangerous.

He slid closer, and I had to fight the instinct to snarl as he moved towards my foot, his gaze circling the prayer beads like the injured prey they were. He stopped, his lips quirking as he placed a hand on either side of my swollen ankle and bent over. Through his strands of lanky, black hair, I watched his eyes, once a brass metal, turn into searing flame. I could almost swear that I saw a pointed tongue dart over his lips.

"I didn't think you were coming, Orochimaru," Tsunade prodded again, raising a brow. "You left after the meeting. What changed your mind?"

"It caught my interest," the voice rattled from his throat, clearly distracted. A smile tickled the edge of his lips, and for once, the nerves in my ankle quivered with adrenaline rather than pain.

"Well, as long as the work gets done," Koko muttered. She snapped a look at Tsunade. "Well, let him work."

The woman rolled her eyes and shuffled over towards Rin who stiffened, flattening her hands against her sides as she tried her best not to stare. Or smile. Tsunade peered down at her, her lips quirking as if she wanted to say something. In the end, she looked away and said, "Sensei, let me help you."

As Tsunade moved away, Rin's eyes widened as if she finally remembered her duty here. As she scampered after them, I panicked, thinking that I'd just been abandoned to the snake-man only to sigh in relief a minute later as Rin sheepishly slid to my other side.

"It was too crowded," she whispered, rubbing her forearm. "Besides, I think they wanted to talk."

I would've said something to her, but I was boring every fraction of my focus into the man standing before me. He'd gone entirely quiet, but it wasn't a still silence. For some reason, all I could think of was a snake slowly devouring its meal, moving its victim down its throat with one lurching movement after another. His meal lasted a few minutes. After he'd consumed whatever secrets he'd found, he straightened, his fangs visible in the thinnest of smiles.

"Did you find anything, Orochimaru?" Rin asked, taking a small – if not infinitesimal – step forward.

She doesn't like him much either, I realized. I took that for what defense I could and pulled my leg from him, ignoring the protest of grating nerves.

The snake-man ignored her. Instead, he turned to me, his pupils flaring as if he was registering me for the first time. His lips pulled back further – the points of his teeth fully visible – and didn't say anything.

My blood ran cold.

Without a word, he twisted on his heel and moved towards the door. Snake-man hadn't even made it halfway when Tsunade coughed – freezing him – and growled, "Orochimaru, explain."

Even he couldn't ignore the danger at the edge of her command. He turned back around, his eyes once again a golden matte, his focus once again elsewhere. He tilted his chin, a frown pursing his lips. "It's an old seal," he rasped. "I know the basics of the formula."

That seemed all he was going to say until Koko snapped, "And?"

For once, the snake-man noticed her. His body stiffened as his gaze fell on her, his lips curling in distaste. "It verifies Minato's report and substantiates our hypothesis," he stated, his voice cold and hollow. He went silent again.

Tsunade rolled her shoulders, cracking the joints, and huffed, "We can do this the easy way or hard way, Orochimaru. Choose."

"Religious fanatics used sealed items like this one to increase their spiritual training," he quickly drummed out, still no inflection to his words. "The fools vowed never to remove them as a mark of their faith. In the stories of those few that did, the individuals were said to have released an amount of chakra so immense, it caused temporary insanity." A sickly smile slipped across his lips. "Well, I guess I should say 'permanent' instead. Most, if any, rarely survived. Often those bystanders that survived passed on legends that the resultant destruction was the act of a kami." He blinked – an action more reminiscent of an eye roll. "That was before chakra started being studied more seriously of course."

I said nothing. Was this what they were thinking? How they'd try and rationalize away the kamigami once more? Master Yūta did say the prayer beads were like training weights, the doubt crept into my mind. Still, my fists curled into the bed sheets as I bit my cheek to keep my expression clear. If these were the conclusions they were making, I didn't want to draw more attention to myself and protest that the kamigami were real and caused all of it. Not yet, anyway. Not in front of this snake-man.

"So," Tsunade drawled, tapping her fingers against her chest, "can you remove it?"

The man blinked again. "I've done what I've planned."

"What?" she barked, eyes wide, but he was already moving towards the door. She leapt after him, but just as he reached the door, the whole room was engulfed with a smoking bang.

I hunched over, curling into a protective ball as I gagged at the smoky air. Rin's hands shot to my shoulder, gripping me as I sputtered at the thick mist only to hear her completely even words, "Don't worry. Got ya."

Through my hacking cough, I kept my stinging gaze on the door only to see the smoke settling on another figure who stood there, his arms outstretched in a strange theatric pose. As the smog cleared further, several masked figures were revealed, each of their hands primed in a seal. Then, when the smoke was gone, I realized some of those masked figures were not only facing the intruder but me.

All of the shinobi seemed used to the smoke. Embarrassed, I straightened the best I could as the trespasser shouted, "I am Jiraiya." He yanked his arms into another kabuki-pose. "Sage of the- Ow!"

Tsunade, already moving to catch Orochimaru, slammed her fist into the man's stomach. The man crumpled, grabbing at his stomach as he wheezed from the shot. "Idiot!" the she shouted. "We'll have to sterilize everything again!"

"Nice to see you too," he wheezed. He yanked in a deep breath and did his best to straighten up. "Thought after all these years-"

"Now where'd Orochimaru go?" She cut across, her eyes darting around the room. When it was clear he'd snuck away in the maelstrom, she let out a groan and turned another glare onto the man. "And where were you?"

The self-proclaimed sage crossed his arms over his chest but ended up sputtering and wheezing once more. Noting the size of the intruder, I could only imagine how hard she must've hit him to get him winded like that.

"I got him," a familiar voice announced. I perked up as Minato walked into the room, a smile tickling his lips as he shook his head at the man. "Nice try, Sensei," he said, patting the man's back as he passed. He greeted the others in the room as well and walked over to my bed.

"How're you feeling, Mira? Better?"

I nodded. I knew that he was asking about the treatments, but I couldn't help but feel calmer now that he was in the room. For some reason, I found my grip on the bed relaxing, my ground teeth loosening.

He smiled at me and turned to Rin. "Missed you in training. Seems like we can't get much done without you around, Rin."

She grinned. "I'll be there in the afternoon, Sensei."

"Got your report in?"

She nodded.

As they continued their small conversation, I turned my attention back to the kabuki-man. With the smoke bomb now fully dissipated, I could trace the red lines trailing down his fair cheeks, the large wart on the left side of his nose. I had always thought Akio was large, but this man was a giant: even now his tufts of white hair were touching the top of the doorframe. The spiky tufts framed his face in two bangs, the length in back wrapped into a ponytail, as his forehead protector proclaimed 'OIL' instead of the Leaf's symbol that I'd come to expect.

The man noted my gaze, and a grin exploded across his face. "So, you're the reason I got dragged from the stacked women at the hot springs!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes as she fixed her sleeves. "Please control yourself for once," she growled. "I hope you didn't teach those orphans your filthy habits."

His smile turned wry as he tapped his chin. "No, of course not! They've grown up fine. I'm sure we'll be hearing about their exploits soon enough."

"So, you've returned to the Village then?" she grumbled, raising a brow.

"Missed me?" His grin somehow brightening further only for it to be tempered by a measured shrug when she didn't answer. "Well, for now, it seems. I've a mind to continue researching for my new book. Who knows where that will take me?" He chuckled as his dark eyes flicked back towards me. "Besides, I couldn't pass up something this interesting."

I scrunched my nose as he took two strides to reach me. In that brief pause, I heard Minato murmur, "Foreign chakra?"

From the corner of my eye, I realized Minato had switched conversing partners behind me. Keeping an eye on me, Minato spoke to Koko nodding at his side. I couldn't catch most of his soft, clipped sentences but caught the subtle nodding or shaking of the doctor's head. All I could manage to parse out was the following fragment.

"Biju?" he muttered.

She shook her head.

That was when Jiraiya's beaming faced popped into mine. I jerked back as he let out a deep, amiable laugh, his huge palm patting my shoulder. I returned the smile, but the obvious forcedness of it – along with my clear attempt to move away from his aim – had him raising a brow.

He pulled away and held up his hands. "Ah, so the women start practicing that killer look young." Jerking his thumb in the direction of Tsunade, he muttered under his breath, "Still need a few years though before you get it as good as hers."

At Tsunade's immediate execution of that look, some real feeling crept into my smile.

Jiraiya knelt, becoming eye level with me, and asked, "So you're the miko I've been hearing so much about?"

I looked down at my hands and nodded.

"So, what's your name, little miko?"

"M-Mira," I answered, recognizing the falsehood behind his friendliness. By the other's words, I'd already knew they must've been fully informed about me. From what Tsunade had said, it seemed like they'd heard it from the Hokage himself. Even Koko must've been in on the secrets from the beginning.

Jiraiya raised a brow. "No family name?"

I shook my head.

He let out a deep sigh and rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck this way and that. "Well, can't say you're unique on that one. Lots of kids don't have one these days." He cast a glance around and spotted a metal stool. He yanked it over and sat down beside me – his height still forcing me to look up those last few inches. Keeping a respectful distance from me, he settled his elbows onto the bed and pointed towards the prayer beads. "I was told these were giving you some trouble. Mind if I take a look?"

Sheepishly, I nodded, knowing I didn't have much choice. He reached out, but unlike anyone before him, was clearly intent on grabbing them. Panic took hold at the thought of the last time anyone had touched the beads – of what had happened when Izanagi had taken full control in their absence – flooded my vision. I yanked my ankle away when his fingers were a centimeter away. Sweat broke out along my brow as instinct bared my teeth, and I found myself nearly scrambling off the table. I was about to fall off the edge when a light, calloused palm pressed into my shoulder, steadying me.

I turned to see Rin giving me a soft smile, her eyes deep with an understanding someone her age shouldn't have. Nothing else needed to be said. With that look, I turned back to Jiraiya and slid my ankle back out. "S-sorry," I whispered. "Just be c-careful."

"One of my many talents is being careful," he said with a dismissive chortle. He bent over the beads, his face so close that my ankle shuddered at his breath. "Mostly about not being caught," he added with a wink.

Confused at his meaning, I said nothing. Instead, I forced deep, slow breaths as I watched his every move, trying not to fidget as he ran his fingers lightly along the worn beads, murmuring things to himself. At one point, he held his hands over them, emitting a faint pulse of light.

"Strange," he muttered, half to himself half to the room. "Wooden seals themselves are rare, but this one? Seems like they formed the kanji inside the wood." He turned to look at his old comrade. "Just like your necklace, Tsunade. Can I compa-"

"No," she snapped, grabbing at a cord around her neck. "Not in a million years."

"Mind if I?" Minato asked as he stepped forward.

Tsunade pursed her lips but allowed a small nod. "Just be quick about it." She untucked the necklace from her armor and held out a bluish crystal that dangled as its centerpiece. I could hear Rin gasp beside me, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. It didn't look all that special, though I had to admit I like how it sparkled in the light.

As I fought down the desire to play with it, I watched as Minato stepped closer to analyze the object, and Tsunade leaned forward, affording him a better angle. I looked to Jiraiya whose eyes were also fixed in that direction, but his focus didn't seem to be on the gem. Tsunade noticed and immediately yanked herself back, returning the jewel and straightening her vest.

Feigning ignorance of what'd just happened, Minato announced, "Different mediums, but you're right, Sensei. I'd never seen the First Hokage's Necklace up close, but the placement and formula are nearly identical. I'd say Mira's prayer beads are older though judging from the dated kanji."

Jiraiya hummed, tapping his chin again. "The prayer beads' seal seems like a sort of hybrid between the sun and moon formulae, but there's a third element in there I can't put my finger on." He shook his head. "Still, I'd almost argue that the Hokage's formula reads more like a derivative of the prayer beads'."

I blinked at them. Luckily, Rin noticed my confusion and leaned over as the other two continued their decryption. "I don't really understand them either," she confessed. "The two of them know way more about seals than the average shinobi."

"But what's so weird about a wooden seal?" I whispered back.

She pursed her lips. "Well, seals can be placed on most anything. For shinobi, we usually make tags on parchment, but there are different types of material we use with the strongest tags being made of vellum. Wood's really rare because it blocks chakra."

"Not quite," Jiraiya joined as he twisted back to peering at my ankle. "Wood has a tendency to absorb chakra. That's why it makes such an unreliable base for a seal and is generally why that style so difficult to control let alone rare." He prodded one of the beads, revealing a frayed strand and raised a brow. "Have you ever tried removing it yourself?"

I nodded, wincing at the possibilities if I had succeeded. "When I first had it on. It wouldn't come off."

"It's stitched into your chakra," he explained. "It'd basically be like gum trying to remove glue." He leaned back, crossing his arms, and turned an eye onto Rin. "Your Minato's student, right?"

Rin quickly nodded.

Another smile crunched his cheeks. "So, your medical ninjutsu helped repair it? Wouldn't expect anything less from a student of my student."

The kunoichi beamed in return, a blush creeping along her cheeks. "Thanks."

Tsunade tapped her foot. "What're you thinking, Jiraiya?"

He waggled his brows at her. "Am I a step ahead of you for once, Tsunade?"

She rolled her eyes and turned to yank more items out of the drawers, spraying them with some chemical mixture.

"What is it, Jiraiya?" Rin asked, shuffling forward.

He turned his grin down to her. "Have you heard of the Eight Gates, Rin?"

She nodded eagerly. "All medical-nin have."

"Well," he declared, shoving his thumb in the direction of my prayer necklace, "you can think of this as the ninth."

Tsunade whipped around as Rin opened her mouth in a silent gasp.

"Um, w-what?" I asked, fidgeting in my seat. For an uncomfortable amount of time now, most of the conversation was going over my head.

Koko chimed in, her tone a much sharper version than Master Yūta's manner of instruction. "The Eight Gates are specific tenketsu on a chakra pathway system. They are essential in limiting the flow of chakra within a person to ensure that the body isn't damaged. While they can be opened, only people desperate or foolish enough would even try." She crossed her arms, frowning at the self-proclaimed Sage. "Explain your theory."

He folded his hands but kept his poise like some sort of mischievous student with a secret. "From what I can gather, that-" He pointed to the prayer beads. "-acts as an extra barrier. A suppressant, really. Like the Tailed Beast Chakra Seal, but with different base kanji. Kanji more similar to the Hokage's First Necklace which has a similar suppressive effect on chakra but is oriented towards bijū."

"It'd explain why medical ninjutsu repaired the seal," Tsunade agreed, biting the tip of her thumb. She looked up. "So, can it be removed then? Her chakra pathway is weak as it is already. It's likely not doing much to her now."

He shrugged. "That necklace is likely the reason her chakra pathways were obliterated in the first place. But you're right. Without any chakra, removing them should be harmless now."

He moved towards the beads, likely to reassess his theory, but my mind could only blare that he was going to take them off. I jerked forward, shoving my hands over my swollen ankle and yelped, "W-wait!" I protested, turning a desperate eye to everyone in the room. "D-don't take it off!"

"It's the only way we'll be able to work on your ankle, Mira," Koko said, her gaze as soft and soothing as a parent's. "Without chakra, nothing can happen like before. But if you can't take the risk here, we can't take the risk there. Your ankle will only get more and more inflamed until you can't walk on it anymore."

"B-B-but-" I worked my mouth but found my tongue tangling in on itself. My eyes started to sting as my gaze darted around the room, desperate to tell them, to make them understand.

"Besides," Rin perked up beside me, squeezing a forearm I hadn't realized was trembling. "If it is a kami, maybe we can speak with it to see what it wants?"

Death, Rin. He only wants death. That's what I wanted to say, but my throat had sealed shut with heat. My mind raced through memories of carnage and death – each one hitting my senses as I felt myself slowly losing control once again. Because that was it, wasn't it? It was happening again. I was losing control. Not to Izanagi this time. No. My eyes darted around the room at the people who some sliver of me hoped would actually protect me, actually save me and the world from myself. But they're-

"If you don't want us to, we won't do it, Mira," Minato spoke. My eyes shot to him, and I could see real pain there in his eyes. He motioned around the room. "Just understand that three out of the five people here – not counting our attendant guards – are likely capable of handling a rampaging bijū by themselves. With this room sealed for the Kyūbi, anything that happens here will be handled. Nothing will spill into Konoha. We won't let it."

"Hokage knew this was an option," Tsunade added, her arms folding. "He gave us permission to act only if we were certain nothing would happen." Her eyes grew hard. "And nothing will."

"Still," Jiraiya spoke next to me, a steadying smile still teasing his lips, "it's up to you."

My trembling lessened, and a cool, shuddering breath swept through my lungs. My heart still raced, my mind still panicked, but I had regained some measure of control. Or at least the semblance of it.

I turned my eyes to my ankle, my world shrinking until all that was in it were the prayer beads and me. The Pitch and me. Izanagi and me. The thoughts, the dark possibilities, circled my mind like ravens waiting for me to give up, to give in. Every fiber in my being raged that I shouldn't, that all I had to do was say no. Still, some part of me – some self-destructive instinct – whispered yes.

Logic – the neutral party that she is – scrambled together the possibilities in support of that darker impulse. The worst case was that I'd descend into the Pitch once more and wreak destruction on a people I didn't even know. But Minato stopped you last time. That's why you went to Konoha in the first place, isn't it? To have them stop you again if anything happened?

But what if they stopped me? They'd know I was dangerous and then keep me imprisoned forever. I wouldn't be able to see Teru or the pups again. I wouldn't be able to protect them. You think they'd let you out now? When they have tested something as frail as the prayer beads the only thing stopping you?

And what if nothing happened?

'You understand that trusting us here will help us trust you.' Tsume's words were dragged forth, and I shut my eyes. I knew my answer. I would always know my answer. Strange how words like that can haunt you for your whole life.

'Trust them.' And I nodded.


You guys enjoy the Easter Eggs? I worked pretty hard on adding my mythos to them while making everything canon-compliant, so, like a fool, I am a bit proud! I hope it basically roots the Shinto-insert into canon with established canon things which I thought was a decently neat treat for all you readers. Anyway, shout out if you thought you caught them all!

Oh! And side note! Some amazing, lovely, fantastic readers have been discussing creating some FanArt for the story. [Literally no pressure to you folks now, literally chill.] I just thought I should make it easy for anyone to just scratch out a doodle (or stick figures in my case) and contact me, so I created a DeviantArt account with the same username. So, if you want, please PM me here with the link and if you'd be okay with me promoting it with a chapter shout out!