A yelp sounded in the small bedroom as the intrusive thorn was finally removed from Mori's hand. Mori grumbled as she massaged the sore area as Iruka disposed of the thorn, laughing lightly at the woman sitting on his bed. He got some bandages and wrapped it gently around Mori's injured hand, and then gently kissed the area when he was done. Mori smiled at the Chunin as he got dressed, her gold eyes following his every move.

Sleep nagged at the back of her mind, but she brushed it aside. The two adults had tussled in Iruka's bed all night, and her muscles developed a slow burn from the intimate actions.

"How are you feeling?" Iruka asked as Mori massaged her sore shoulder.

"I'll be okay, though I didn't know you had it in you" Mori joked, winking at the blushing Chunin.

She giggled and eased herself off of the bed, picking up her pants from the floor. Her shirt was hanging over the side of a chair, and she shrugged it on. Mori brushed a hand through her messy hair with annoyance as Iruka zipped up his vest.

"Naruto is leaving with Jiraiya tomorrow morning to find the Hokage's student. The village elders have determined that she'd be the next Hokage" Iruka murmured to Mori as she walked beside him.

Mori gazed at the Chunin and bit her lip when she saw his dark eyes worried. Even though Naruto was no longer his student, Iruka still worried about the hyper blonde. Mori placed her hand on his shoulder, and the man looked at her.

"He'll be fine, Iruka. He has a strong spirit and never ending determination. Besides, you taught Naruto all he knows" Mori said gently, earning her a small smile in thanks.

"The village needs a Hokage" Mori said as she walked towards the front door.

"I guess" Iruka said as he followed the woman out the door before locking it.

The sun was shinning and Mori breathed in deep, the smells of the village entering her nose. She raised her arms over her head and pulled them, feeling the muscles stretching. Iruka gently grasped her hand in his, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Mori gazed at Iruka as he gave her a sad smile.

"I have to go teach at the academy" Iruka said, and Mori nodded.

The young children needed an education in order to be good ninja. Mori turned to be on her way, but Iruka tugged her hand. Mori gave a small grunt in surprise and was about to open her mouth to ask what was wrong, but Iruka pressed his lips to hers in a brief kiss. Her eyes fluttered shut as she enjoyed the feeling of his lips on hers, but Iruka pulled away too soon. His forehead rested against hers as they breathed each other in.

"I'll see you tonight" Iruka murmured, and Mori opened her eyes to meet his dark ones.

Her lips quirked into a half smile, her eyes holding a challenge.

"I thought you were meeting Naruto for ramen?" she said in a low voice.

"We can see each other after ramen" he said.

"Hm, you'll be there for quite a while" Mori laughed and stepped back. "Don't you have some teaching to do?"

"Wha-crap! I'm going to be late!" Iruka exclaimed and jumped away onto the rooftops.

Mori smirked in amusement and began walking through the village. Her bare feet padded on the ground as she ambled about, looking at shops and vendors. Families walked back and forth, going about their day. Children's laughter echoed in the air, and Mori found herself smiling. A soft breeze came and blew past Mori, tickling her skin. She walked away as the breeze continued blowing and suddenly froze, sniffing at the scents the air brought with it. An elderly man stood a ways away from her, and Mori growled slightly. This man had death and deceit embedded into his soul.

Mori huffed and continued walking towards the elderly man, intent on passing him by and continuing on her way. As she got closer, the smell of deceit grew even stronger. Mori quickly glanced at the strange man standing in her way. One eye was covered in an eye patch, and he had a large scar on his face. As Mori drew up beside the man, he leaned in close and grasped her arm tightly. Mori let out a growl, but it died in her throat when the man opened his mouth to speak.

"I know a way of getting your older brother back to you" he said in a low voice.

Mori's eyes widened in shock, and her heart plunged deep into her stomach. A way to get Hideo back? She swallowed hard as the elderly man turned to face her fully. He smirked when he saw her stunned expression. Mori shook her head and whipped her arm back from his grasp. This man smelled of death, and nothing good could come from this man.

But...Hideo...

"Follow me if you want to get your brother back" he said, and turned around before walking away.

Mori's mind spun like a tornado with the prospects of getting Hideo back. Something about this man screamed bad news, but Mori desperately wanted her brother back. She growled and took off after the elderly man. When she got close, he stopped and turned towards her. His smirk was evil and sadistic as he eyed the woman standing there. Wolf and human chakras intertwined together in one body. A powerful weapon to say the least!

"Who are you" Mori said, eyes narrowed.

"You may call me Danzo. Now come along, we have much to do!" Danzo said with excited glee.

Mori bit back a reply as this Danzo turned and continued walking. She looked behind her at the street vendors and laughing children.

'Forgive me, Iruka' she thought before jogging to catch up.

The two walked in silence for what seemed like hours. Clouds began to move in and cover the sky, darkening everything. Her mind spun with ideas of having Hideo back, Iruka safe, even Team 7 and Kakashi being safe. Mori blinked when they stopped in front of a large intricate door. Danzo stamped his cane on the floor and the door opened, revealing nothing but darkness. He started walking into the darkness, and Mori hesitated.

"Well? Are you coming or not?" Danzo said, and Mori gritted her teeth before walking into the darkness.

The blackness swallowed their figures and it pressed against her skin. Mori took small breaths as it felt like the stale air was invading her lungs. They continued walking down a dark corridor to another door; this one with bars going the entire length of the door vertically. Danzo nodded to a hooded figure that was standing in front of the door, and it nodded back before making a hand sign. The door opened and the two walked in, the door slamming closed behind the two. Mori looked around, confused as four more hooded figures appeared.

One suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of her, slamming a metal square onto her chest. Wires flew from the square and embedded itself into her skin. Mori flew back and hit the wall with a yelp. A dark laugh echoed in the room and Mori looked up to see Danzo standing above in a stone-fashioned balcony.

He snapped his fingers, and electric shocks exploded from the metal square. A scream was ripped from her throat, and Mori thrashed on the ground as electric shocks ran through her body.

"If you want to retrieve your brother, you'll have to get through this test of mine!" Danzo said, laughing loudly through Mori's screams.